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What a 501 Not Implemented Error is, and How to Fix it

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How to Fix a HTTP 501 Not Implemented Error

Though uncommon, seeing an HTTP 501 Not Implemented error status code can be an alarming experience for those who see it—especially when it’s on your website. 

It’s unfamiliar, and entirely server-based, which means that fixing it requires some dabbling in the technical side of running a website. That’s something that not all SEOs or webmasters are experts at. 

But don’t panic just yet, because there are four easy methods you can try to fix your 501 errors, and I will go through each one here (plus some other useful information you’ll need moving forward).

What is the HTTP 501 Not Implemented Error?

Whenever you visit a website, your browser sends a request to that website’s server. If everything works as it should, then the website receives the requested data—which includes text, images, files, and whatever else should be on that page.

However, when something goes wrong with that request, your screen can show a “501 Not Implemented” error.

When this happens, In technical speak, it means that the server does not support the requested feature. In layman’s terms, it means something has gone wrong with the hosting server, which is legitimately unable to perform that “get” action and retrieve the data you’re asking for, for one reason or another.

The data you’re requesting is still there. It’s just being walled off from you and the hosting server itself might be offline or unavailable as a result.

Now, this might show up differently based on the web browser, web server, and operating system you use. 

Variations of the 501 Not Implemented Error

  • Error 501
  • HTTP 501
  • 501 Not Implemented
  • HTTP Error 501 Not Implemented

501 vs. 405 Error

These two errors both result in the data you’re requesting not being delivered to your browser. However, the difference is that a 405 Not Allowed error is a server administrator issue, while a 501 Not Implemented error is a hosting server issue.

Think of it this way: a 405 means “I am not allowing you to get what you’re asking for,” while a 501 means “I know what you want, but I am unable to get what you’re asking for.”

So a 405 means nothing is technically wrong with the website—your request is just being blocked on purpose. If you’re seeing that, try contacting the server administrators.

Webmaster’s Note: This is part of our more comprehensive guide to Technical SEO, where I cover everything you need to know about crawlability, indexing, and page speed optimization, as well as helpful tips on how to troubleshoot common website errors. I also cover other 5xx errors, like 500 Internal Server errors, in other posts.

How to fix the HTTP 501 Not Implemented Error

There are four ways to address a 501 error on a website:

  1. Reload the page.
  2. Clear your browser cache.
  3. Disable proxy settings.
  4. Scan your computer for viruses.
  5. Contact the server host.

The first three are things you can do on your side to resolve the 501 error, which I suggest you do first. Here’s how:

Reload the page

The easiest thing you can do is just wait a minute and then reload the page (F5 or Ctrl + F5 for Windows, Command + R for Mac). The server might be able to resolve its issue while you’re waiting, and once you reload you’ll get the data you’re requesting. This is common if the website is experiencing a server overload or traffic surge.

While you’re waiting, try using a different browser to open the page to rule that out as an issue. 

Another thing to do while you’re waiting is copy-pasting the domain URL into this website: https://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/, which will tell you if the problem you’re facing is just on your site, or a thing for everyone else. 

Clear your browser cache

If refreshing the page doesn’t work, it’s time to move on to the next step: clearing your browser cache. 

The shortcut that works for most browsers (such as Google Chrome and Edge) is hitting Ctrl + Shift + Delete while you’re on your browser. This will quickly clear your cache. If that doesn’t work, you can find the option under your browser settings, or check out the specific instructions on how to clear your cache in the various browsers.

How to clear your cache on your Google Chrome browser

Disable proxy settings

If the previous two steps aren’t solving anything, it’s time to check your proxy settings if you’re using a proxy service.

The exact steps to disable your proxy settings depend on your operating system, but you can usually find this under the Network & Internet section of your system settings. Once you’re there, you can either turn off the “automatically detect settings” option under the automatic proxy setup or disable a proxy server option under the manual proxy setup. 

Example of proxy settings on Windows OS

Scan your computer for viruses

As I mentioned, sometimes this error pops up when you’re dealing with a virus or malware. It’s a good idea to have your computer scanned for those—and make sure that your antivirus program is updated while you’re at it. 

Contact the server host

If all else fails, then it’s time to reach out to the server host. 

501 errors, though they can sometimes be solved on your own, are almost always an issue with your host server. 

So, if the last three steps haven’t resolved the problem, you need to contact them ASAP. If you can’t then check your host’s status page.

How to Fix the HTTP 501 Not Implemented Error If You Manage the Server

Fixing this issue when you’re the server host is a whole different process. First, I recommend consulting the documentation for your server and applications. I also highly recommend working closely with your IT department at this time. 

Here are some ways you can fix an HTTP 501 Not Implemented Error if you manage your server:

  1. Check if your server supports the requested feature.
  2. Upgrade your server.
  3. Configure (or reconfigure) your server.
  4. Look for any missing modules or applications.
  5. Check the client request.

Check if your server supports the requested feature

The first thing to check is if your server actually supports the feature or functionality that the user is requesting. If your server does not support it, you will have to use an alternative method to meet that request (one that is supported by your server). 

Upgrade your server

Your server stack might be outdated. If this is the case, then this is what is causing your server to not be able to support the requests of the user. To fix this, you can upgrade or update your stack to newer versions, to support the requested feature or functionality.

If that doesn’t work, then try updating the web application your website runs on—such as WordPress. These applications have frequent updates so it’s best if you keep up with that.

If you can still access your web application’s dashboard, then try running the update.

Note: Make sure any plugins you have installed on your web application are compatible with the update you’re about to install. 

Configure (or reconfigure) your server

Make sure that your server is configured to handle the requested feature or functionality. You will have to take a look at your server settings, software, and plugins, and see where you need to adjust, reinstall or update, or make other configuration changes.

Look for any missing modules or applications

Another thing to check (if the previous steps haven’t fixed the problem) is if there are any missing modules for your web server. Make sure that you have the ones that you need installed.

Check the client request

If nothing else works, then you have to check if the client is making the request correctly and is using a method that is supported by your server. At times, the 501 error can be caused by the client using an unsupported protocol.

If this is the case, then use an alternative protocol that is supported by your server.

What Causes the HTTP 501 Not Implemented Error?

Some of the most common issues your host might be dealing with for a 501 error to happen include:

  1. Viruses and malicious files
  2. An outdated server stack or software
  3. Server error
  4. An overloaded server
  5. Billing issues

Viruses and malicious files

The server’s inability to get and send the data your browser is requesting might be because of a virus or malicious file in the website’s system. 

This is something you need to check if you’re experiencing persistent or repetitive 501 errors on your website. Run a complete malware scan to find any security issues in the system that could cause a communication failure.

If you’re using WordPress, I also have a guide on how to scan your WordPress site for better security and to prevent any malicious files.

An outdated server stack or software

Server stacks, which are a combination of software programs that make up your web server, are something that your host needs to keep updated for the hosted websites to run smoothly.

It’s uncommon, but the server stack your provider is using can get outdated. You can contact your host to make sure that isn’t the case—but if it is, calling their attention to it can get them to update their server stack. 

Server error

Often, a 501 can be a sign that your server is unable to accommodate the requested feature or functionality—which means it’s unable to appropriately respond to the end-user browser request.  This means that whoever is managing your server needs to take another look at the server stack and how it’s configured (which might be done in-house, or by your provider). 

An overloaded server

If a website gets more traffic than usual or anticipated, chances are the host server is not equipped to handle that surge of visitors. As a result, their requests might not get fulfilled by your host server, resulting in a 501 Not Implemented error. 

If this happens often, consider scaling up your server plan to accommodate your growing audience.

Billing issues

If you’re behind on your server hosting payments, then it’s possible your provider has decided to default your site to 501 status while your payment is pending. This can be their last resort before removing the account altogether. So make sure you’re on top of your service payments.

How HTTP 501 Error Impacts SEO

Even if the error is server-side (and likely out of your control, if you’re working with a hosting service), keep in mind that longstanding or repetitive 501 errors on your website is something you can’t ignore. 

Here’s the thing: any error that doesn’t allow your audience to see your website properly will affect your business. This includes your SEO and its effectiveness. 501s in particular  can have a major effect on your SEO

Now, Google has a little grace when dealing with server errors. If it sees a 501 error, the page is marked for revisitation. Usually, when it comes back to check, the error is already fixed. If, however, the error lasts for an extended period of time (like a day or two), then Google might mark your website as inaccessible, which might lead to it de-indexing any of your affected pages. 

De-indexing is a huge problem—you lose your rankings for any pages removed from the search results, which you’re not guaranteed to get back even if you restore the pages. 

To make matters worse, if Google encounters plenty of 501 errors on your website, it will reduce the frequency at which its bots crawl your site. That means slower indexing and ranking updates. 

So, knowing how to fix 501 Not Implemented errors—and how to avoid the issue in the first place—is a must for SEOs and webmasters. 

How to Prevent 501 Errors from Hurting Your SEO

Monitor your site regularly for errors. You can find server errors Google Search Console’s indexing reports:

Page Indexing Report from Google Search Console

Or, you can scan your website using third-party SEO auditing tools, like Screamingfrog (A tool my team and I use personally). 

If these scans show any 501 errors, you can work to fix them by following the steps outlined in the previous sections.

Key Takeaway

Seeing a 501 Not Implemented error means that your server is unable to process your browser’s requests, preventing pages from being loaded properly. 

This can be solved with a few easy fixes on your end, such as refreshing the page or clearing your cache—and if that doesn’t work, then you’ll have to work with your hosting provider to resolve these errors. This is a must as 501 Not Implemented errors on your website can ultimately impact your SEO, especially if it affects your website for more than a few hours.

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How To Become an SEO Expert in 4 Steps

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General SEO

With 74.1% of SEOs charging clients upwards of $500 per month for their services, there’s a clear financial incentive to get good at SEO. But with no colleges offering degrees in the topic, it’s down to you to carve your own path in the industry.

There are many ways to do this; some take longer than others.

In this post, I’ll share how I’d go from zero to SEO pro if I had to do it all over again. 

1. Take a beginner SEO course

Understanding what search engine optimization really is and how it works is the first state of affairs. While you can do this by reading endless blog posts or watching YouTube videos, I wouldn’t recommend that approach for a few reasons:

  • It’s hard to know where to start
  • It’s hard to join the dots
  • It’s hard to know who to trust

You can solve all of these problems by taking a structured course like our SEO course for beginners. It’s completely free (no signup required), consists of 14 short video lessons (2 hours total length), and covers:

  • What SEO is and why it’s important
  • How to do keyword research
  • How to optimize pages for keywords
  • How to build links (and why you need them)
  • Technical SEO best practices

Here’s the first lesson to get you started:

Lesson 1: SEO Basics: What is SEO and Why is it Important? Watch now

2. Make a website and try to rank it

It doesn’t matter how many books you read about golf, you’re never going to win a tournament without picking up a set of clubs and practicing. It’s the same with SEO. The theory is important, but there’s no substitute for getting your hands dirty and trying to rank a site.

If you don’t have a site already, you can get up and running fairly quickly with any major website platform. Some will set you back a few bucks, but they handle SEO basics out of the box. This saves you time sweating the small stuff.

As for what kind of site you should create, I recommend a simple hobby blog. 

Here’s a simple food blog I set up in <10 minutes: 

A blog that I set up in just a few minutes. It's nothing special, but it does the jobA blog that I set up in just a few minutes. It's nothing special, but it does the job

Once you’re set-up, you’re ready to start practicing and honing your SEO skills. Specifically, doing keyword research to find topics, writing and optimizing content about them, and (possibly) building a few backlinks.

For example, according to Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer, the keyword “neopolitan pizza dough recipe” has a monthly traffic potential of 4.4K as well as a relatively low Keyword Difficulty (KD) score:

Keyword metrics for "neopolitan pizza dough" via Ahrefs' Keywords ExplorerKeyword metrics for "neopolitan pizza dough" via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer

Even better, there’s a weak website (DR 16) in the top three positions—so this should definitely be quite an easy topic to rank for.

Page from a low-DR website ranking in the top 3. This indicates an easy-to-rank-for keywordPage from a low-DR website ranking in the top 3. This indicates an easy-to-rank-for keyword

Given that most of the top-ranking posts have at least a few backlinks, a page about this topic would also likely need at least a few backlinks to compete. Check out the resources below to learn how to build these.

3. Get an entry-level job

It’s unlikely that your hobby blog is going to pay the bills, so it’s time to use the work you’ve done so far to get a job in SEO. Here are a few benefits of doing this: 

  • Get paid to learn. This isn’t the case when you’re home alone reading blog posts and watching videos or working on your own site.
  • Get deeper hands-on experience. Agencies work with all kinds of businesses, which means you’ll get to build experience with all kinds of sites, from blogs to ecommerce. 
  • Build your reputation. Future clients or employers are more likely to take you seriously if you’ve worked for a reputable SEO agency. 

To find job opportunities, start by signing up for SEO newsletters like SEO Jobs and SEOFOMO. Both of these send weekly emails and feature remote job opportunities: 

SEO jobs in SEOFOMO newsletterSEO jobs in SEOFOMO newsletter

You can also go the traditional route and search job sites for entry-level positions. The kinds of jobs you’re looking for will usually have “Junior” in their titles or at least mention that it’s a junior position in their description.

Junior SEO job listing exampleJunior SEO job listing example

Beyond that, you can search for SEO agencies in your local area and check their careers pages. 

Even if there are no entry-level positions listed here, it’s still worth emailing and asking if there are any upcoming openings. Make sure to mention any SEO success you’ve had with your website and where you’re at in your journey so far.

This might seem pushy, but many agencies actually encourage this—such as Rise at Seven:

Call for alternative roles from Rise at SevenCall for alternative roles from Rise at Seven

Here’s a quick email template to get you started:

Subject: Junior SEO position?

Hey folks,

Do you have any upcoming openings for junior SEOs?

I’ve been learning SEO for [number] months, but I’m looking to take my knowledge to the next level. So far, I’ve taken Ahrefs’ Beginner SEO course and started my own blog about [topic]—which I’ve had some success with. It’s only [number] months old but already ranks for [number] keywords and gets an estimated [number] monthly search visits according to Ahrefs.

[Ahrefs screenshot]

I checked your careers page and didn’t see any junior positions there, but I was hoping you might consider me for any upcoming positions? I’m super enthusiastic, hard-working, and eager to learn.

Let me know.

[Name]

You can pull all the numbers and screenshots you need by creating a free Ahrefs Webmaster Tools account and verifying your website.

4. Specialize and hone your skills

SEO is a broad industry. It’s impossible to be an expert at every aspect of it, so you should niche down and hone your skills in the area that interests you the most. You should have a reasonable idea of what this is from working on your own site and in an agency.

For example, link building was the area that interested me the most, so that’s where I focused on deepening my knowledge. As a result, I became what’s known as a “t-shaped SEO”—someone with broad skills across all things SEO but deep knowledge in one area.

T-shaped SEOT-shaped SEO
What a t-shaped SEO looks like

Marie Haynes is another great example of a t-shaped SEO. She specializes in Google penalty recovery. She doesn’t build links or do on-page SEO. She audits websites with traffic drops and helps their owners recover.

In terms of how to build your knowledge in your chosen area, here are a few ideas:

Here are a few SEOs I’d recommend following and their (rough) specialties:

Final thoughts

K Anders Ericsson famously theorized that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a new skill. Can it take less? Possibly. But the point is this: becoming an SEO expert is not an overnight process.

I’d even argue that it’s a somewhat unattainable goal because no matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn. That’s part of the fun, though. SEO is a fast-moving industry that keeps you on your toes, but it’s a very rewarding one, too. 

Here are a few stats to prove it:

  • 74.1% of SEOs charge clients upwards of $500 per month for their services (source)
  • $49,211 median annual salary (source)
  • ~$74k average salary for self-employed SEOs (source)

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A Year Of AI Developments From OpenAI

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A Year Of AI Developments From OpenAI

Today, ChatGPT celebrates one year since its launch in research preview.

From its humble beginnings, ChatGPT has continually pushed the boundaries of what we perceive as possible with generative AI for almost any task.

In this article, we take a journey through the past year, highlighting the significant milestones and updates that have shaped ChatGPT into the versatile and powerful tool it is today.

ChatGPT: From Research Preview To Customizable GPTs

This story unfolds over the course of nearly a year, beginning on November 30, when OpenAI announced the launch of its research preview of ChatGPT.

As users began to offer feedback, improvements began to arrive.

Before the holiday, on December 15, 2022, ChatGPT received general performance enhancements and new features for managing conversation history.

Screenshot from ChatGPT, December 2022ChatGPT At One: A Year Of AI Developments From OpenAI

As the calendar turned to January 9, 2023, ChatGPT saw improvements in factuality, and a notable feature was added to halt response generation mid-conversation, addressing user feedback and enhancing control.

Just a few weeks later, on January 30, the model was further upgraded for enhanced factuality and mathematical capabilities, broadening its scope of expertise.

February 2023 was a landmark month. On February 9, ChatGPT Plus was introduced, bringing new features and a faster ‘Turbo’ version to Plus users.

This was followed closely on February 13 with updates to the free plan’s performance and the international availability of ChatGPT Plus, featuring a faster version for Plus users.

March 14, 2023, marked a pivotal moment with the introduction of GPT-4 to ChatGPT Plus subscribers.

ChatGPT At One: A Year Of AI Developments From OpenAIScreenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023ChatGPT At One: A Year Of AI Developments From OpenAI

This new model featured advanced reasoning, complex instruction handling, and increased creativity.

Less than ten days later, on March 23, experimental AI plugins, including browsing and Code Interpreter capabilities, were made available to selected users.

On May 3, users gained the ability to turn off chat history and export data.

Plus users received early access to experimental web browsing and third-party plugins on May 12.

On May 24, the iOS app expanded to more countries with new features like shared links, Bing web browsing, and the option to turn off chat history on iOS.

June and July 2023 were filled with updates enhancing mobile app experiences and introducing new features.

The mobile app was updated with browsing features on June 22, and the browsing feature itself underwent temporary removal for improvements on July 3.

The Code Interpreter feature rolled out in beta to Plus users on July 6.

Plus customers enjoyed increased message limits for GPT-4 from July 19, and custom instructions became available in beta to Plus users the next day.

July 25 saw the Android version of the ChatGPT app launch in selected countries.

As summer progressed, August 3 brought several small updates enhancing the user experience.

Custom instructions were extended to free users in most regions by August 21.

The month concluded with the launch of ChatGPT Enterprise on August 28, offering advanced features and security for enterprise users.

Entering autumn, September 11 witnessed limited language support in the web interface.

Voice and image input capabilities in beta were introduced on September 25, further expanding ChatGPT’s interactive abilities.

An updated version of web browsing rolled out to Plus users on September 27.

The fourth quarter of 2023 began with integrating DALL·E 3 in beta on October 16, allowing for image generation from text prompts.

The browsing feature moved out of beta for Plus and Enterprise users on October 17.

Customizable versions of ChatGPT, called GPTs, were introduced for specific tasks on November 6 at OpenAI’s DevDay.

ChatGPT At One: A Year Of AI Developments From OpenAIScreenshot from ChatGPT, November 2023ChatGPT At One: A Year Of AI Developments From OpenAI

On November 21, the voice feature in ChatGPT was made available to all users, rounding off a year of significant advancements and broadening the horizons of AI interaction.

And here, we have ChatGPT today, with a sidebar full of GPTs.

ChatGPT At One: A Year Of AI Developments From OpenAIScreenshot from ChatGPT, November 2023ChatGPT At One: A Year Of AI Developments From OpenAI

Looking Ahead: What’s Next For ChatGPT

The past year has been a testament to continuous innovation, but it is merely the prologue to a future rich with potential.

The upcoming year promises incremental improvements and leaps in AI capabilities, user experience, and integrative technologies that could redefine our interaction with digital assistants.

With a community of users and developers growing stronger and more diverse, the evolution of ChatGPT is poised to surpass expectations and challenge the boundaries of today’s AI landscape.

As we step into this next chapter, the possibilities are as limitless as generative AI continues to advance.


Featured image: photosince/Shutterstock



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Is AI Going To E-E-A-T Your Experience For Breakfast? The LinkedIn Example

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Is AI Going To E-E-A-T Your Experience For Breakfast? The LinkedIn Example

Are LinkedIn’s collaborative articles part of SEO strategies nowadays?

More to the point, should they be?

The search landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, blurring the lines between search engines and where searches occur.

Following the explosive adoption of AI in content marketing and the most recent Google HCU, core, and spam updates, we’re looking at a very different picture now in search versus 12 months ago.

User-generated and community-led content seems to be met with renewed favourability by the algorithm (theoretically, mirroring what people reward, too).

LinkedIn’s freshly launched “collaborative articles” seem to be a perfect sign of our times: content that combines authority (thanks to LinkedIn’s authority), AI-generated content, and user-generated content.

What could go wrong?

In this article, we’ll cover:

  • What are “collaborative articles” on LinkedIn?
  • Why am I discussing them in the context of SEO?
  • The main issues with collaborative articles.
  • How is Google treating them?
  • How they can impact your organic performance.

What Are LinkedIn Collaborative Articles?

First launched in March 2023, LinkedIn says about collaborative articles:

“These articles begin as AI-powered conversation starters, developed with our editorial team, but they aren’t complete without insights from our members. A select group of experts have been invited to contribute their own ideas, examples and experiences within the articles.“

Essentially, each of these articles starts as a collection of AI-generated answers to FAQs/prompts around any given topic. Under each of these sections, community members can add their own perspectives, insights, and advice.

What’s in it for contributors? To earn, ultimately, a “Top Voice” badge on their profile.

The articles are indexable and are all placed under the same folder (https://www.linkedin.com/advice/).

They look like this:

Screenshot from LinkedIn, November 2023LinkedIn content

On the left-hand side, there are always FAQs relevant to the topic answered by AI.

On the right-hand side is where the contributions by community members get posted. Users can react to each contribution in the same way as to any LinkedIn post on their feed.

How Easy Is It To Contribute And Earn A Badge For Your Insights?

Pretty easy.

I first got invited to contribute on September 19, 2023 – though I had already found a way to contribute a few weeks before this.

Exclusive LinkedIn group of expertsScreenshot from LinkedIn, November 2023Exclusive LinkedIn group of experts

My notifications included updates from connections who had contributed to an article.

By clicking on these, I was transferred to the article and was able to contribute to it, too (as well as additional articles, linked at the bottom).

I wanted to test how hard it was to earn a Top SEO Voice badge. Eight article contributions later (around three to four hours of my time), I had earned three.

LinkedIn profileLinkedIn profile

Community top voice badgeScreenshots from LinkedIn, November 2023Community top voice badge

How? Apparently, simply by earning likes for my contributions.

A Mix Of Brilliance, Fuzzy Editorial Rules, And Weird Uncle Bob

Collaborative articles sound great in principle – a win-win for both sides.

  • LinkedIn struck a bullseye: creating and scaling content (theoretically) oozing with E-E-A-T, with minimal investment.
  • Users benefit from building their personal brand (and their company’s) for a fragment of the effort and cost this usually takes. The smartest ones complement their on-site content strategy with this off-site golden ticket.

What isn’t clear from LinkedIn’s Help Center is what this editorial mix of AI and human input looks like.

Things like:

  • How much involvement do the editors have before the topic is put to the community?
  • Are they only determining and refining the prompts?
  • Are they editing the AI-generated responses?
  • More importantly, what involvement (if any) do they have after they unleash the original AI-generated piece into the world?
  • And more.

I think of this content like weird Uncle Bob, always joining the family gatherings with his usual, unoriginal conversation starters. Only, this time, he’s come bearing gifts.

Do you engage? Or do you proceed to consume as many canapés as possible, pretending you haven’t seen him yet?

Why Am I Talking About LinkedIn Articles And SEO?

When I first posted about LinkedIn’s articles, it was the end of September. Semrush showed clear evidence of their impact and potential in Search. (Disclosure: I work for Semrush.)

Only six months after their launch, LinkedIn articles were on a visible, consistent upward trend.

  • They were already driving 792.5K organic visits a month. (This was a 75% jump in August.)
  • They ranked for 811,700 keywords.
  • Their pages were ranking in the top 10 for 78,000 of them.
  • For 123,700 of them, they appeared in a SERP feature, such as People Also Ask and Featured Snippets.
  • Almost 72% of the keywords had informational intent, followed by commercial keywords (22%).

Here’s a screenshot with some of the top keywords for which these pages ranked at the top:

Semrush US databaseScreenshot from Semrush US database, desktop, September 2023Semrush US database

Now, take the page that held the Featured Snippet for competitive queries like “how to enter bios” (monthly search volume of 5,400 and keyword difficulty of 84, based on Semrush data).

It came in ahead of pages on Tom’s Hardware, Hewlett-Packard, or Reddit.

LinkedIn computer hardware installation collaborative articleLinkedIn computer hardware installation collaborative article

collaborative article exampleScreenshots from LinkedIn, November 2023collaborative article example

See anything weird? Even at the time of writing this post, this collaborative article had precisely zero (0) contributions.

This means a page with 100% AI-generated content (and unclear interference of human editors) was rewarded with the Featured Snippet against highly authoritative and relevant domains and pages.

A Sea Of Opportunity Or A Storm Ready To Break Out?

Let’s consider these articles in the context of Google’s guidelines for creating helpful, reliable, people-first content and its Search Quality Rater Guidelines.

Of particular importance here, I believe, is the most recently added “E” in “E-E-A-T,” which takes experience into account, alongside expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

For so many of these articles to have been ranking so well must mean that they were meeting the guidelines and proving helpful and reliable for content consumers.

After all, they rely on “a select group of experts to contribute their own ideas, examples and experiences within the articles,” so they must be worthy of strong organic performances, right?

Possibly. (I’ve yet to see such an example, but I want to believe somewhere in the thousands of pages these do exist).

But, based on what I’ve seen, there are too many examples of poor-quality content to justify such big rewards in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

The common issues I’ve spotted:

1. Misinformation

I can’t tell how much vetting or editing there is going on behind the scenes, but the amount of misinformation in some collaborative articles is alarming. This goes for AI-generated content and community contributions alike.

I don’t really envy the task of fact-checking what LinkedIn describes as “thousands of collaborative articles on 2,500+ skills.” Still, if it’s quality and helpfulness we’re concerned with here, I’d start brewing my coffee a little stronger if I were LinkedIn.

At the moment, it feels a little too much like a free-for-all.

Here are some examples of topics like SEO or content marketing.

misinformation example 1misinformation example 1

misinformation example 2misinformation example 2

misinformation example 3Screenshots from LinkedIn, November 2023misinformation example 3

2. Thin Content

To a degree, some contributions seem to do nothing more than mirror the points made in the original AI-generated piece.

For example, are these contributions enough to warrant a high level of “experience” in these articles?

thin content example 1thin content example 1

thin content example 2Screenshots from LinkedIn, November 2023thin content example 2

The irony to think that some of these contributions may have also been generated by AI…

3. Missing Information

While many examples don’t provide new or unique perspectives, some articles simply don’t provide…any perspectives at all.

This piece about analytical reasoning ranked in the top 10 for 128 keywords when I first looked into it last September (down to 80 in October).

Missing Information exampleScreenshot from LinkedIn, November 2023Missing Information example

It even held the Featured Snippet for competitive keywords like “inductive reasoning examples” for a while (5.4K monthly searches in the US), although it had no contributions on this subsection.

Most of its sections remain empty, so we’re talking about mainly AI-generated content.

Does this mean that Google really doesn’t care whether your content comes from humans or AI?

I’m not convinced.

How Have The Recent Google Updates Impacted This Content?

After August and October 2023 Google core updates (at the time of writing, the November 2023 Google core update is rolling out), the September 2023 helpful content update, and the October 2023 spam update, the performance of this section seems to be declining.

According to Semrush data:

Semrush data Screenshot from Semrush, November 2023Semrush data
  • Organic traffic to these pages was down to 453,000 (a 43% drop from September, bringing their performance close to August levels).
  • They ranked for 465,100 keywords (down by 43% MoM).
  • Keywords in the Top 10 dropped by 33% (51,900 vs 78,000 in September).
  • Keywords in the top 10 accounted for 161,800 visits (vs 287,200 in September, down by 44% MoM).

The LinkedIn domain doesn’t seem to have been impacted negatively overall.

Semrush dataScreenshot from Semrush, November 2023Semrush data

Is this a sign that Google has already picked up the weaknesses in this content and has started balancing actual usefulness versus the overall domain authority that might have propelled it originally?

Will we see it declining further in the coming months? Or are there better things to come for this feature?

Should You Already Be On The Bandwagon If You’re In SEO?

I was on the side of caution before the Google algorithm updates of the past couple of months.

Now, I’d be even more hesitant to invest a substantial part of my resources towards baking this content into my strategy.

As with any other new, third-party feature (or platform – does anyone remember Threads?), it’s always a case of balancing being an early adopter with avoiding over-investment. At least while being unclear on the benefits.

Collaborative articles are a relatively fresh, experimental, external feature you have minimal control over as part of your SEO strategy.

Now, we also have signs from Google that this content may not be as “cool” as we initially thought.

This Is What I’d Do

That’s not to say it’s not worth trying some small-scale experiments.

Or, maybe, use it as part of promoting your own personal brand (but I’ve yet to see any data around the impact of the “Top Voice” badges on perceived value).

Treat this content as you would any other owned content.

  • Follow Google’s guidelines.
  • Add genuine value for your audience.
  • Add your own unique perspective.
  • Highlight gaps and misinformation.

Experience shows us that when tactics get abused, and the user experience suffers, Google eventually steps in (from guest blogging to parasite SEO, most recently).

It might make algorithmic tweaks when launching updates, launch a new system, or hand out manual actions – the point is that you don’t know how things will progress. Only LinkedIn and Google have control over that.

As things stand, I can easily see any of the below potential outcomes:

  • This content becomes the AI equivalent of the content farms of the pre-Panda age, leading to Google clamping down on its search performance.
  • LinkedIn’s editors stepping in more for quality control (provided LinkedIn deems the investment worthwhile).
  • LinkedIn starts pushing its initiative much more to encourage participation and engagement. (This could be what makes the difference between a dead content farm and Reddit-like value.)

Anything could happen. I believe the next few months will give us a clearer picture.

What’s Next For AI And Its Role In SEO And Social Media?

When it comes to content creation, I think it’s safe to say that AI isn’t quite ready to E-E-A-T your experience for breakfast. Yet.

We can probably expect more of these kinds of movements from social media platforms and forums in the coming months, moving more toward mixing AI with human experience.

What do you think is next for LinkedIn’s collaborative articles? Let me know on LinkedIn!

More resources:


Featured Image: BestForBest/Shutterstock

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