SEO

Are Javascript Redirects SEO Friendly?

Published

1 year ago

December 21, 2022

Entireweb News Bot

So, you want to implement JavaScript redirects, but you’re unsure how they work?

Yes, they are more challenging to implement than standard redirects.

Ideally, you should use 301s, 302s, or 307-based redirects for implementation. This is the usual best practice.

But…what if you don’t have that level of access? What if you have a problem with creating standard redirects in such a way that would be beneficial to the site as a whole?

This is where using JavaScript redirects comes in.

They are not a best practice that you should be using exclusively, however.

But there are some situations where you just cannot avoid using a JavaScript redirect.

The following is a basic primer on JavaScript redirects, when to use them, how to use them, and best practices you must use when utilizing these types of redirects for SEO.

What Are JavaScript Redirects?

JavaScript redirects, essentially, are one of several methods of informing users and web crawlers that a page is available in another location.

They are often used to inform users about changes in the URL structure, but they can be used for just about anything.

Most modern websites use these types of redirects to redirect to HTTPS versions of web pages.

Then, whenever somebody visits the original URL, the browser loads the JavaScript file and executes whatever code is inside of it. If the script includes instructions to open a different URL, it does this automatically.

Doing redirects in this manner is useful in several ways.

For instance, you can switch URLs without manually updating every single URL on your site. In addition, JavaScript redirects can make it easier for search engines to find your own content.

A Quick Overview Of Redirect Types

There are several basic redirect types, all of which are beneficial depending on your situation.

Server-side Redirects

Ideally, most redirects will be server-side redirects.

These types of redirects originate on the server, and this is where the server decides which location to redirect the user or search engine to when a page loads. And the server does this by returning a 3xx HTTP status code.

For SEO reasons, you will likely use server-side redirects most of the time. Client-side redirects have some drawbacks, and they are usually suitable for more specific situations.

Client-side Redirects

Client-side redirects are those where the browser is what decides the location of where to send the user to. You should not have to use these unless you’re in a situation where you don’t have any other option to do so.

Meta Refresh Redirects

The meta refresh redirect gets a bad rap and has a terrible reputation within the SEO community.

And for good reason: they are not supported by all browsers, and they can be confusing for the user. Instead, Google recommends using a server-side 301 redirect instead of any meta refresh redirects.

JavaScript Redirects

JavaScript redirects, however, utilize the JavaScript language to send instructions to the browser to redirect users to another URL. There is a prevailing belief that JavaScript redirects cause problems for SEO.

Although Google does have good JavaScript rendering capabilities these days, JavaScript can still present issues. This is true for other types of platforms also, such as Spotify and other ecommerce platforms.

If, however, you’re in a situation where you can only use a JavaScript redirect as your only choice, then you can only use JavaScript.

Also, Google’s Gary Illyes has stated as recently as 2020 that JavaScript Redirects “are probably not a good idea.”

Js redirects are probably not a good idea though.
— Gary 鯨理／경리 Illyes (@methode) July 8, 2020

Best Practices For SEO-Friendly JavaScript Redirects

Regardless of whether you are using traditional redirects or JavaScript redirects, there are several best practices you must follow in order to not mess things up for SEO.

These best practices include avoiding redirect chains and redirect loops.

What’s the difference?

Avoid Redirect Chains

A redirect chain is a long chain of redirect hops, referring to any situation where you have more than 1 redirect in a chain.

Example of a redirect chain:

Redirect 1 > redirect 2 > redirect 3 > redirect 4 > redirect 5

Why are these bad? Google can only process up to three redirects, although they have been known to process more.

Google’s John Mueller recommends less than 5 hops per redirect.

“It doesn’t matter. The only thing I’d watch out for is that you have less than 5 hops for URLs that are frequently crawled. With multiple hops, the main effect is that it’s a bit slower for users. Search engines just follow the redirect chain (for Google: up to 5 hops in the chain per crawl attempt).”

Ideally, webmasters will want to aim for no more than one hop.

What happens when you add another hop? It slows down the user experience. And more than five introduce significant confusion when it comes to Googlebot being able to understand your site at all.

Repairing redirect chains can take a lot of work, depending on their complexity and how you set them up.

But, the main principle driving the repair of redirect chains is: Just make sure that you complete two steps.

First, remove the additional hops in the redirect so that it’s under five hops.

Second, implement a redirect that redirects the former URLs

Avoid Redirect Loops

Redirect loops, by comparison, are essentially an infinite loop of redirects. These loops happen when you redirect a URL to itself. Or, you accidentally redirect a URL within a redirect chain to a URL that occurs earlier in the chain.

Example of a redirect loop: Redirect 1 > redirect 2 > redirect 3 > redirect 2

This is why oversight of website redirects and URLs are so important: You don’t want a situation where you implement a redirect only to find out 3 months down the line that the redirect you created months ago was the cause of issues because it created a redirect loop.

There are several reasons why these loops are disastrous:

Regarding users, redirect loops remove all access to a specific resource located on a URL and will end up causing the browser to display a “this page has too many redirects” error.

For search engines, redirect loops can be a significant waste of your crawl budget. They also create confusion for bots.

This creates what’s referred to as a crawler trap, and the crawler cannot get out of the trap easily unless it’s manually pointed somewhere else.

Fixing redirect loops is pretty easy: All you have to do is remove the redirect causing the chain’s loop and replace it with a 200 OK functioning URL.

Want To Use JavaScript Redirects For SEO? Not So Fast…

Be cautious about creating JavaScript redirects because they might not be the best solution for redirects, depending on what you have access to.

They should not be your go-to solution when you have access to other redirects because these other types of redirects are preferred.

But, if they are the only option, you may not be shooting yourself in the foot.

More resources:

Featured Image: RoseRodionova/Shutterstock

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SEO

How To Write ChatGPT Prompts To Get The Best Results

Published

5 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Max

How To Write ChatGPT Prompts To Get The Best Results

ChatGPT is a game changer in the field of SEO. This powerful language model can generate human-like content, making it an invaluable tool for SEO professionals.

However, the prompts you provide largely determine the quality of the output.

To unlock the full potential of ChatGPT and create content that resonates with your audience and search engines, writing effective prompts is crucial.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the art of writing prompts for ChatGPT, covering everything from basic techniques to advanced strategies for layering prompts and generating high-quality, SEO-friendly content.

Writing Prompts For ChatGPT

What Is A ChatGPT Prompt?

A ChatGPT prompt is an instruction or discussion topic a user provides for the ChatGPT AI model to respond to.

The prompt can be a question, statement, or any other stimulus to spark creativity, reflection, or engagement.

Users can use the prompt to generate ideas, share their thoughts, or start a conversation.

ChatGPT prompts are designed to be open-ended and can be customized based on the user’s preferences and interests.

How To Write Prompts For ChatGPT

Start by giving ChatGPT a writing prompt, such as, “Write a short story about a person who discovers they have a superpower.”

ChatGPT will then generate a response based on your prompt. Depending on the prompt’s complexity and the level of detail you requested, the answer may be a few sentences or several paragraphs long.

Use the ChatGPT-generated response as a starting point for your writing. You can take the ideas and concepts presented in the answer and expand upon them, adding your own unique spin to the story.

If you want to generate additional ideas, try asking ChatGPT follow-up questions related to your original prompt.

For example, you could ask, “What challenges might the person face in exploring their newfound superpower?” Or, “How might the person’s relationships with others be affected by their superpower?”

Remember that ChatGPT’s answers are generated by artificial intelligence and may not always be perfect or exactly what you want.

However, they can still be a great source of inspiration and help you start writing.

Must-Have GPTs Assistant

I recommend installing the WebBrowser Assistant created by the OpenAI Team. This tool allows you to add relevant Bing results to your ChatGPT prompts.

This assistant adds the first web results to your ChatGPT prompts for more accurate and up-to-date conversations.

It is very easy to install in only two clicks. (Click on Start Chat.)

Screenshot from ChatGPT, April 2024

For example, if I ask, “Who is Vincent Terrasi?,” ChatGPT has no answer.

With WebBrower Assistant, the assistant creates a new prompt with the first Bing results, and now ChatGPT knows who Vincent Terrasi is.

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

You can test other GPT assistants available in the GPTs search engine if you want to use Google results.

Master Reverse Prompt Engineering

ChatGPT can be an excellent tool for reverse engineering prompts because it generates natural and engaging responses to any given input.

By analyzing the prompts generated by ChatGPT, it is possible to gain insight into the model’s underlying thought processes and decision-making strategies.

One key benefit of using ChatGPT to reverse engineer prompts is that the model is highly transparent in its decision-making.

This means that the reasoning and logic behind each response can be traced, making it easier to understand how the model arrives at its conclusions.

Once you’ve done this a few times for different types of content, you’ll gain insight into crafting more effective prompts.

Prepare Your ChatGPT For Generating Prompts

First, activate the reverse prompt engineering.

Type the following prompt: “Enable Reverse Prompt Engineering? By Reverse Prompt Engineering I mean creating a prompt from a given text.”

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

ChatGPT is now ready to generate your prompt. You can test the product description in a new chatbot session and evaluate the generated prompt.

Type: “Create a very technical reverse prompt engineering template for a product description about iPhone 11.”

Reverse Prompt engineering via WebChatGPT

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

The result is amazing. You can test with a full text that you want to reproduce. Here is an example of a prompt for selling a Kindle on Amazon.

Type: “Reverse Prompt engineer the following {product), capture the writing style and the length of the text :
product =”

Reverse prompt engineering: Amazon product

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

I tested it on an SEJ blog post. Enjoy the analysis – it is excellent.

Type: “Reverse Prompt engineer the following {text}, capture the tone and writing style of the {text} to include in the prompt :
text = all text coming from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-bard-training-data/478941/”

Reverse prompt engineering an SEJ blog post

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

But be careful not to use ChatGPT to generate your texts. It is just a personal assistant.

Go Deeper

Prompts and examples for SEO:

Keyword research and content ideas prompt: “Provide a list of 20 long-tail keyword ideas related to ‘local SEO strategies’ along with brief content topic descriptions for each keyword.”
Optimizing content for featured snippets prompt: “Write a 40-50 word paragraph optimized for the query ‘what is the featured snippet in Google search’ that could potentially earn the featured snippet.”
Creating meta descriptions prompt: “Draft a compelling meta description for the following blog post title: ’10 Technical SEO Factors You Can’t Ignore in 2024′.”

Important Considerations:

Always Fact-Check: While ChatGPT can be a helpful tool, it’s crucial to remember that it may generate inaccurate or fabricated information. Always verify any facts, statistics, or quotes generated by ChatGPT before incorporating them into your content.
Maintain Control and Creativity: Use ChatGPT as a tool to assist your writing, not replace it. Don’t rely on it to do your thinking or create content from scratch. Your unique perspective and creativity are essential for producing high-quality, engaging content.
Iteration is Key: Refine and revise the outputs generated by ChatGPT to ensure they align with your voice, style, and intended message.

Additional Prompts for Rewording and SEO:
– Rewrite this sentence to be more concise and impactful.
– Suggest alternative phrasing for this section to improve clarity.
– Identify opportunities to incorporate relevant internal and external links.
– Analyze the keyword density and suggest improvements for better SEO.

Remember, while ChatGPT can be a valuable tool, it’s essential to use it responsibly and maintain control over your content creation process.

Experiment And Refine Your Prompting Techniques

Writing effective prompts for ChatGPT is an essential skill for any SEO professional who wants to harness the power of AI-generated content.

Hopefully, the insights and examples shared in this article can inspire you and help guide you to crafting stronger prompts that yield high-quality content.

Remember to experiment with layering prompts, iterating on the output, and continually refining your prompting techniques.

This will help you stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing world of SEO.

More resources:

Featured Image: Tapati Rinchumrus/Shutterstock

SEO

Measuring Content Impact Across The Customer Journey

Published

1 day ago

April 23, 2024

Max

Measuring Content Impact Across The Customer Journey

Understanding the impact of your content at every touchpoint of the customer journey is essential – but that’s easier said than done. From attracting potential leads to nurturing them into loyal customers, there are many touchpoints to look into.

So how do you identify and take advantage of these opportunities for growth?

Watch this on-demand webinar and learn a comprehensive approach for measuring the value of your content initiatives, so you can optimize resource allocation for maximum impact.

You’ll learn:

Fresh methods for measuring your content’s impact.
Fascinating insights using first-touch attribution, and how it differs from the usual last-touch perspective.
Ways to persuade decision-makers to invest in more content by showcasing its value convincingly.

With Bill Franklin and Oliver Tani of DAC Group, we unravel the nuances of attribution modeling, emphasizing the significance of layering first-touch and last-touch attribution within your measurement strategy.

Check out these insights to help you craft compelling content tailored to each stage, using an approach rooted in first-hand experience to ensure your content resonates.

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or new to content measurement, this webinar promises valuable insights and actionable tactics to elevate your SEO game and optimize your content initiatives for success.

View the slides below or check out the full webinar for all the details.

SEO

How to Find and Use Competitor Keywords

Published

1 day ago

April 23, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

Competitor keywords are the keywords your rivals rank for in Google’s search results. They may rank organically or pay for Google Ads to rank in the paid results.

Knowing your competitors’ keywords is the easiest form of keyword research. If your competitors rank for or target particular keywords, it might be worth it for you to target them, too.

There is no way to see your competitors’ keywords without a tool like Ahrefs, which has a database of keywords and the sites that rank for them. As far as we know, Ahrefs has the biggest database of these keywords.

How to find all the keywords your competitor ranks for

Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
Enter your competitor’s domain
Go to the Organic keywords report

The report is sorted by traffic to show you the keywords sending your competitor the most visits. For example, Mailchimp gets most of its organic traffic from the keyword “mailchimp.”

Since you’re unlikely to rank for your competitor’s brand, you might want to exclude branded keywords from the report. You can do this by adding a Keyword > Doesn’t contain filter. In this example, we’ll filter out keywords containing “mailchimp” or any potential misspellings:

Filtering out branded keywords in Organic keywords report

If you’re a new brand competing with one that’s established, you might also want to look for popular low-difficulty keywords. You can do this by setting the Volume filter to a minimum of 500 and the KD filter to a maximum of 10.

Finding popular, low-difficulty keywords in Organic keywords

How to find keywords your competitor ranks for, but you don’t

Go to Competitive Analysis
Enter your domain in the This target doesn’t rank for section
Enter your competitor’s domain in the But these competitors do section

Hit “Show keyword opportunities,” and you’ll see all the keywords your competitor ranks for, but you don’t.

You can also add a Volume and KD filter to find popular, low-difficulty keywords in this report.

How to find keywords multiple competitors rank for, but you don’t

Go to Competitive Analysis
Enter your domain in the This target doesn’t rank for section
Enter the domains of multiple competitors in the But these competitors do section

Competitive analysis report with multiple competitors

You’ll see all the keywords that at least one of these competitors ranks for, but you don’t.

Content gap report with multiple competitors

You can also narrow the list down to keywords that all competitors rank for. Click on the Competitors’ positions filter and choose All 3 competitors:

Selecting all 3 competitors to see keywords all 3 competitors rank for

Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
Enter your competitor’s domain
Go to the Paid keywords report

This report shows you the keywords your competitors are targeting via Google Ads.

Since your competitor is paying for traffic from these keywords, it may indicate that they’re profitable for them—and could be for you, too.

You know what keywords your competitors are ranking for or bidding on. But what do you do with them? There are basically three options.

1. Create pages to target these keywords

You can only rank for keywords if you have content about them. So, the most straightforward thing you can do for competitors’ keywords you want to rank for is to create pages to target them.

However, before you do this, it’s worth clustering your competitor’s keywords by Parent Topic. This will group keywords that mean the same or similar things so you can target them all with one page.

Here’s how to do that:

Export your competitor’s keywords, either from the Organic Keywords or Content Gap report

Paste them into Keywords Explorer
Click the “Clusters by Parent Topic” tab

For example, MailChimp ranks for keywords like “what is digital marketing” and “digital marketing definition.” These and many others get clustered under the Parent Topic of “digital marketing” because people searching for them are all looking for the same thing: a definition of digital marketing. You only need to create one page to potentially rank for all these keywords.

Keywords under the cluster of "digital marketing"

2. Optimize existing content by filling subtopics

You don’t always need to create new content to rank for competitors’ keywords. Sometimes, you can optimize the content you already have to rank for them.

How do you know which keywords you can do this for? Try this:

Export your competitor’s keywords

Paste them into Keywords Explorer
Click the “Clusters by Parent Topic” tab
Look for Parent Topics you already have content about

For example, if we analyze our competitor, we can see that seven keywords they rank for fall under the Parent Topic of “press release template.”

Our competitor ranks for seven keywords that fall under the "press release template" cluster

If we search our site, we see that we already have a page about this topic.

Site search finds that we already have a blog post on press release templates

If we click the caret and check the keywords in the cluster, we see keywords like “press release example” and “press release format.”

Keywords under the cluster of "press release template"

To rank for the keywords in the cluster, we can probably optimize the page we already have by adding sections about the subtopics of “press release examples” and “press release format.”