SEO scare stories and missing Christmas trees...

... or what not to worry about this December

I know it's not December yet, but I just realised it will be ON SUNDAY and I'M NOT READY!

I'm in full festive panic mode right now, juggling a website redesign, prepping the January non-wanky SEO course intake, and trying to remember where I stashed my Christmas tree last year. (Spoiler: probably still in that "safe place" I put it that seemed so logical at the time.)

The new website is coming along nicely, which means I'm spending hours agonising over font choices and button colours while completely ignoring the fact that I haven't bought a single Christmas present yet. My to-do list currently includes "finalise homepage layout" right next to "find Christmas decorations in garage/loft/that cupboard under the stairs that might actually be a portal to Narnia."

And speaking of the non-wanky course prep - nothing says "festive season" quite like recording promo videos while wearing a Santa hat because it's the only way to hide the fact that I haven't had time to re-dye my hair. At least the hat jingles add a festive backing track, right?

Anyway, there's a fair bit going on in SEO at the moment. to let's dive in.

SEO drama alerts and why you can chill...

There's been a lot of noise in the SEO world lately about parasite SEO and site reputation abuse. If you haven't heard of either, good - you probably don't need to. If you have, and you're worried, don't be.

Here's the thing - both are just fancy terms for trying to game search rankings. Parasite SEO is when dodgy operators piggyback on high-authority websites, and site reputation abuse is what Google calls it when websites try to exploit their domain authority by publishing loads of third-party content (think major news sites suddenly hosting casino reviews - yeah, that sketchy).

Google's cracking down on this stuff right now, and some big publishers are getting their knuckles rapped. But here's why you can ignore all the shouting: you're a legitimate business with actual valuable content. You're not trying to rank for "cheap pills" or "instant casino wins" by sneaking content onto CNN's website (and if you are, we need to have words).

Instead of worrying about the latest SEO scare story, focus on these five fundamentals that actually matter:

Quality content that answers your users' questions (revolutionary concept, I know).

Your content needs to solve actual problems your customers have. That means really understanding what they're searching for and why. And no, you don't need to stuff keywords everywhere - just write like a human being talking to another human being.

Clear site structure that doesn't make visitors play hide-and-seek with your content

Think of your website like IKEA - but with clear signage and an escape route. Make it obvious where everything is, how to get there, and most importantly, how to find the checkout. No one should need a treasure map to find your contact page.

Proper meta titles and descriptions (like a good book cover, but for your web pages)

These are your website's first impression in search results. Make them count! Each page needs its own unique meta title and description that actually tells people what they'll find. "Home Page - Business Name" is about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Mobile-friendly design (because it's 2024, not 2004)

If your website looks like it was built for a Nokia 3310, we need to talk. More people browse on phones than desktops now, so make sure your site works perfectly on mobile. That means no tiny text, no horizontal scrolling, and definitely no "best viewed in Internet Explorer" badges.

Good page loading speed (because nobody likes watching loading spinners)

You know that feeling when Netflix buffers right at the good bit? That's how visitors feel when your site takes ages to load. Compress those images, optimise that code, and test your site speed regularly. If your page takes longer to load than it takes to make a cup of tea, you're doing it wrong.

Nail these basics, and you'll be ahead of most businesses still panicking about the latest SEO horror story. Plus, you won't have to worry about Google's site reputation updates because - plot twist - you're actually building a good reputation!

If you're worried about the recent Google Core Update or anything related to that, drop me a DM and I'll take a look at your site.

Speaking of things that aren't scary at all...

The non-wanky SEO course has a shiny new membership tier for 2025!

Here's the deal: You get access on January 1st, pay nothing until January 13th, then it's just £75 a month. That's less than your monthly fancy coffee budget (no judgment, we've all been there).

Things I'm loving this week:

The fabulous Sophie Cross is opening the doors to her brilliant LinkedIn For Humans course again - I've taken this course in the past and it really is fab if you want to make the most of LinkedIn as a freelancer. Here's the link - if you sign up via my link I get a little kickback, so strip out the affiliate code if you'd rather I didn't.

And I'm still loving Candour 's awesome newsletter, Core Updates - it's one of the few SEO newsletters I read every week without fail. It's not sensational, not over sales-y, and apart from the obvious 'what's going on in SEO' section, the 'solicited SEO tips' at the end are a goldmine of helpful information. Sign up here - another affiliate link I'm afraid, because I like the kudos of being named as one of their supporters!

Until next time,

Stay non-wanky!

Nikki x