We have been alerted to fraudulent activities where individuals primarily in Europe and Asia are being contacted by individuals that do not represent Go Fish Digital using WhatsApp. These impersonators are attempting to fraudulently obtain money and personal information from their targets. Know that the impersonators do not represent Go Fish Digital and are not connected with us in any way and we will never request payment of any kind from a  job candidate.

We recommend that if you’re contacted by someone claiming to be from Go Fish Digital on WhatsApp, do not respond or share any personal information.

Go Fish Digital will never use the following applications for recruitment or communication purposes: 

• WhatsApp
• Telegram 
• Facebook Messenger
• Google Messages
• Signal
• WeChat

We also recommend that you use WhatsApp’s reporting feature to report the impersonator.

For specific instructions on reporting cybercrimes in your country, please refer to your local police website or national cybercrime authorities.

Security Alert: Do Not Respond To WhatsApp Messages From “Go Fish Digital” is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

Transcription

Hi, I’m Chris Long with Go Fish Digital. And today we’re going to talk about three AI updates that are launching in Google’s search engine. The first and the most major one is what they’re calling “Generative AI”. Google launched this at their Google I/O conference, and what they’re showing is that when a user makes a certain query, an AI-powered snapshot can actually appear in the search results.

They show an example of it here. They searched for “good bike for a 5-mile commute with hills”, and here you see the AI-generated snapshot that pulls in an answer from a large language model. We’re encouraging website owners to really look out for these types of queries as they start launching. How does it impact your click-through rate? What other types of queries does Google suggest? And really take a look at how these queries are impacting any given search result.

Now let’s talk about how Google actually attributes sites in these AI-powered snapshots for Generative AI. In this example, you can see that there are three different websites that Google is referencing. It’s going to be really important for website owners to take note of the different elements Google is pulling in. You can see these are very image-heavy, so it seems that a high-quality image might be a requirement for Google to feel comfortable enough showing this in this more image-heavy type of result. Also, certain text is pulled in here.

Website owners will want to analyze if it’s getting pulled from the title tag or the H1, and how it ties back to the original query. If we can identify queries that respond with generative AI answers, then we can go back and ensure that things like titles and H1s are well-optimized to maximize your site’s ability to appear in these AI-powered snapshots.

The final feature we want to talk about is called Perspectives. This is Google’s attempt at bringing more human-centric content directly into the search experience. Here you can see an example of Perspectives in action. Similar to Maps or Images, it appears as a separate tab that you can click for a given query. In Perspectives, you can find short-form videos, social posts from Reddit and Quora, and other images.

This appears to be Google’s way of differentiating their platform from tools like ChatGPT that don’t have a more humanized experience. It might also be a play to cut into market share from players such as TikTok by emphasizing platforms like YouTube Shorts.

We recommend that website owners take a wait-and-see approach here. Is there data to support or does data come to Search Console that helps you measure this and really see how many users are interacting with this feature? Then from there, you can make a data-informed decision and say, hey, do we need to build out our YouTube Shorts strategy or our social strategy to maximize our chances of being visible in the Perspectives tab?

Exploring Google’s AI-Powered Search Innovations is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

We’re devastated to share that Bill Slawski has passed away.

Bill was a pioneer, mentor, and visionary of the SEO community. His work in search started before Google existed. Bill would help business owners improve their visibility in search engines such as Alta Vista. His immense understanding of law gave him the ability to interpret Google patents which gave him a vision of what direction the search engines were headed.

Bill was an incredibly giving individual who dedicated much of his time to sharing his knowledge with the community. His blog, SEO By The Sea, was one of the first of its kind and helped educate and empower search marketers worldwide. In an early industry that lacked information, Bill’s blog served as a guiding light that marketers knew they could rely on. He was also incredibly generous with his time on social media and made it a mission to personally share his knowledge with those hungry to learn SEO best practices.

After meeting Bill at the Northern Virginia SEO Meetup, there was no question that our company would be a much better place with someone of his character on the team. In 2013, Bill joined Go Fish Digital as our Director of SEO Research, where he was vital in setting the tone for innovation and culture in those early days. In his nine years with us, Bill’s work was able to help everyone, from large companies to hundreds of small businesses. Bill was not only a leader and innovator but was passionate about teaching and helping others grow in their search careers.

Words will never be enough to express how deeply saddened we are at Bill’s passing. We are forever grateful to get the opportunity to work with such a brilliant, kind, and compassionate person.

We hope that everyone will carry on his legacy, kind spirit, and the quest for a better SEO community.

If you have a memory of Bill that you would like to share, Barry Schwartz created the “How Has Bill Slawski Helped You” website.

June 22nd, 2022 Update: Bill’s obituary can be found here. You may donate to charity or plant a memorial tree in his memory.

A Sad Loss in the SEO Community is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

Last week, we accepted a Landy Award at SMX East in New York City for Best SEO Campaign in the Small Business category.

This week, Bill Slawski was onsite at PubCon in Las Vegas to accept the US Search Award for Best Use of Search (Travel & Leisure). Despite fierce competition from renowned organizations like Hilton and Expedia, Go Fish Digital walked away with the prize.

The online marketing work on the Reston Limousine website was a carefully orchestrated process of technical site updates and creative campaigns. Creative content pieces included an overview of local wineries and breweries featured on the Reston Limo Brew Tours, Washington DC Day Guides, and interactive maps highlighting the most romantic spots to get engaged in the DC region.

Ultimately, Go Fish Digital’s strategy led to an 85% increase in leads (YoY) and 60% traffic increase (YoY) for the client.

For more details on the campaign that led to these honors, read the case study here.

Go Fish Digital Wins 2 Industry Awards in 2 Weeks! is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.