How to Get Pages Out of Google Search

It's amusingly ironic for SEOs to spend their time trying to get Google to not index and rank a webpage, but we help people with it all the time. Why would anyone do that? One common occasion for that is when a page someone thought was private (like a paid search landing page or a thank you page) actually wasn't and Google found it.

As it turns out, they're really good at finding URLs to crawl! 

Another common scenario (shockingly common, in fact) is having an entire staging or test website indexed by Google and then discovering that it's competing with your primary site for branded searches; you also have the brand experience issue of normal users peeking behind the curtain to see your warts-and-all work in progress.

E-A-T'in Google's Algorithm

Experience. Authority. Trust. It's pretty safe to say that a site which conveys these three qualities is a site that you'd want to visit in order to get answers and solutions. Right?

Well, that's what Google's saying. In fact, they've been saying it for years and years.

However, E-A-T (the handy abbreviation) is getting a lot more attention these days. In fact, UpBuild has recently had a few savvy clients ask to pick our brains on the best way to measure the E-A-T of their site over time. It's an interesting and valuable exercise to be sure!

E-A-T is the very reason why UpBuild has always advocated that our clients create their own content. We'll bring our SEO expertise and data to the table, but the actual words (most of them, in any case) need to come from the real people who possess that expertise, wield the topical authority, and can convey real trust. That's why outsourced or ghost-written content rarely produces results. For better or worse, you can't just hack your way to good content that actually serves potential customers.

So why are we talking about this now? Marie Haynes recently reported on Google's new whitepaper that they've published on E-A-T. Check out her post for more info and, if you're short on time, skip to the "How can SEO’s use this information?" for some great actionable takeaways. I couldn't sum it up better myself.

Google Will Likely Update Cross-Domain Tracking Soon

Google (specifically the Google Tag Manager team) seems to be experimenting with a different technical mechanic for enabling cross-domain tracking. Renowned GTM advocate, Simo Ahava, noticed a peculiar change, prompting a response from GTM project lead, Brian Kuhn.

What does this mean for you? Probably nothing, to be honest. Google is understandably focused on making this a seamless transition, but it's always inspiring to see these types of back-and-forths happen in real time. For all its faults, Twitter continues to be the communication hub for the digital marketing industry. If you're interested in staying tuned in yourself, give both Simo and Brian a follow.