Wave Issue 116

First...

2022 has just flown by! It seems like it was just yesterday I was creating an image to use for the first newsletter in 2022.

The biggest things I've done this year is to put myself out there more through Twitter and the Niche Creator interviews I've done in Niche Surfer. Both have allowed me to meet some amazing people virtually and learn a lot from them.

I've also started to focus a lot more on topical authority and topical maps, allowing me to productize my topical map service. I used to only do it for clients on a customized basis, but was able to find a way to create 3 separate packages off of it.

I didn't really know how a topical maps service would do when I started it, but I've been lucky that it's grown quickly. Within 3 months of launch, I've reached 5-figures per month.

I definitely didn't expect it to grow this fast! I even had to stop taking orders on the highest Authority Package because of bandwidth limits. It's not a service that's easily scaleable due to the manual process of creating topical maps and still ensuring a high quality delivery.

But that's also led me to creating my first online course - Topical Maps Unlocked: Topical Authority Made Simple.

The course will teach everyone how to create and use topical maps. I've done a lot of teaching and coaching in my day, and I really love to help people learn how to do things themselves.

I plan to make it as simple as possible to reach a wider audience. I feel that many people have wrapped the topical authority and topical maps in some secretive veil that's only for the best SEOs out there. They throw a bunch of patents and technical terms out there to confuse people - sooo not needed.

No one shows their topical maps either. Or they share tool-generated "topical maps" that are not useful. They're not usable to draft a content plan or site structure from. They're a bunch of keywords that are linked to each other based on similar words and not by topic hierarchy or even SERPs. See what my topical maps look like.

Be sure to get in on the course pre-sale that ends in 15 hours (from the delivery of this email). When the Big Apple drops in New York, that's when the pre-sale ends!

I'll be sharing more stuff in 2023 as it comes closer to the planned launch on Jan. 23rd.

Until then - Happy New Year and see you in 2023!

I'll also leave you with a ChatGPT poem at the end of the newsletter.

SEO

Microsoft to go fully live with new Bingbot user-agent change in January 2023

Microsoft is changing Bingbot's user agent and moving to it 100% in early January 2023. This only matters if you're doing anything with user agents, so it may not apply to most people. Here's what's changing:

Old user-agent looks like this: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; bingbot/2.0; +https://www.bing.com/bingbot.htm)

New user-agent looks like this for both desktop and mobile:

Desktop – Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; bingbot/2.0; +https://www.bing.com/bingbot.htm) Chrome/W.X.Y.Z Safari/537.36

Mobile – Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 6.0.1; Nexus 5X Build/MMB29P) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/W.X.Y.Z Mobile Safari/537.36 (compatible; bingbot/2.0; +https://www.bing.com/bingbot.htm)

“W.X.Y.Z” will be substituted with the latest Microsoft Edge version Bing is using, for eg. “100.0.4896.127″.

Thanks, 2022 | Google Search Central Blog

Lots of people and companies are doing year in review write-ups and Google Search Console is no different. Here's GSC's look back at 2022.

Tools and Resources

Zlappo - The Ultimate Twitter Growth Tool | AppSumo

Zlappo - Grow a profitable Twitter audience like a top influencer with Zlappo
NeuronWriter - Plan content optimized for search engines by researching keywords, analyzing SERPs, and extracting high-ranking content. Ends in 10 days.
Katteb - Fact Checked, Real Time & Localized AI Writer. My tests are that it's okay, but still not going to replace a good writer who researches by any means. They have a free trial with 2k words. Appsumo is $29 or they also have a $199 LTD offer through their own site. There's no refund on either site, so make sure you test it out first.

Awesome ChatGPT Prompts and Desktop App

Great list of prompts to use in ChatGPT. There's also a desktop app that eliminates the need to copy and paste prompts into the website. But the download links are outdated and point to previous versions, so you'll want to got to the Releases page for the latest versions.

It also gives you the option to get a screenshot of your prompt and response easily after ChatGPT is done.

It really is Awesome.

You.com Launches YouChat

What if ChatGTP was reliable and at your fingertips?

That's what search engine You.com is trying to do with their YouChat. They claim it's a conversational AI with citations and real-time data, right in your search bar.

So what'd I do? I tested it out by asking: Who is yoyao hsueh?

Yoyao Hsueh is a research scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California [1]. She is the lead researcher on the team that achieved the net energy gain from a fusion reaction for the first time in history [2]. She has a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and her research focuses on laser-driven inertial confinement fusion.

Errrr...I wish kind of wish I was a nuclear engineer. And I'm okay with being a male.

Content

18 Listicle Examples & Ideas To Drive More Clicks

Trevor Sinclair shares many listicle examples, types, and a how-to guide. Listicles are popular because searchers love to click on them (don't you?).

He covers popular listicle formats:

"Best of"
How-to
Expert Roundup
E-Commerce List
Marketing List
Blogging List

How to Do Keyword Research for YouTube that Gets You Views

As more niche site builders are expanding into YouTube content, this article will be helpful. Zach Paruch covers how to do keyword research for YouTube to get more views and subscribers.

How infographics can improve your SEO

Infographics can be an ideal tool to express a large amount of information while also improving your SEO. Ermelinda Maglione explains how on the Oncrawl blog.

There are some nice examples of infographics for inspiration.

Link Building

How to Launch a Successful Creator Marketing Campaign

Creator marketing is nuanced and disruptive, making it challenging for many marketers to break into. Vladyslav Opryshko shares some crucial industry details on Semrush to help you get started, such as:

How to find and qualify content creators who align with your brand
The difference between nano, micro, macro, and mega influencers
Pricing rates for influencers based on post types, channels, and tiers
Important campaign metrics to track
A letter template for creator outreach

My Take: As you look to expand your reach, partnering up with creators on various platforms is a great way to get more eyeballs. Don't think that this route is only viable if you're selling products on your site too.

Influencers can drive traffic to your site and if you have display ads, that generates income for you. Another big plus is to build up your email list! That's even more important for long-term revenue generation.

Oh, and there will probably be some links to your site. Not bad overall.

Education

How Google Autocomplete works

Google Autocomplete is one of the main sources for keyword research, but do you know how it really works? What does Google use to give you those predictions?

Here are some key factors used by Autocomplete to predict search queries:

Overall popularity.
Trending topics.
Search history.
Location.

So when doing keyword research, be sure you change your location depending on your target audience. If I want to focus on US searches, then I change the Region in my Google Search Settings and I use a VPN like NordVPN, ProtonVPN or SurfShark.

SurfShark is cheapest, but I've had more issues depending on the sites I'm visiting. Their IPs might be overused, so some firewalls will block them. Proton is most expensive since they bundle it with their Mail service. Nord is the best combo of price and usability.

Top 10 SEO expert columns of 2022 on Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land shares their 10 most-read SEO columns of 2022 that were contributed by their group of Subject Matter Experts:

How to use 12 micro intents for SEO and content journey mapping
Google search quality rater guidelines update: What has changed
20 advanced Google search operators you need to know
Google MUM update: What can SEOs expect in the future?
A guide to machine learning in search: Key terms, concepts and algorithms
Google’s helpful content update: What should we expect?
12 WordPress site settings that are critical to your SEO success
The by-no-means-definitive keyword size showdown: GSC vs. Ahrefs vs. Semrush vs. Moz
14 ways Google may evaluate E-A-T
11 Google Sheets formulas SEOs should know

They're Simply the Best: The Top 25 Moz Blogs of 2022

Moz published 156 posts on their this year at the 25 most popular ones! Lots of great posts in their list. Here are the 10 of the 25:

How to Win Potential Consumers with Customer Journey Mapping on Google
TikTok SEO: Understanding the TikTok Algorithm
Shopify SEO: The Guide to Optimizing Shopify [Updated for 2022]
How to Prep Your SEO Strategy for a New Website
The Top Tech SEO Strategies for 2022 and Beyond
5 Things I Learned About E-A-T by Analyzing 647 Search Results
What Are the Best Tools for Storytelling With Data Visualization?
Social Media Competitor Analysis: The Complete Guide
How to Earn Topical Authority in 2022 and Beyond
Freshness & SEO: An Underrated Concept

News

ChatGPT Caused 'Code Red' at Google, Report Says

A Google executive the New York Times spoke to but didn't name said AI chatbots like ChatGPT could upend the search giant's business, which relies heavily on ads and e-commerce found in Google Search. In a memo and audio recording obtained by the Times, the publication says CEO Sundar Pichai has been in meetings to "define Google's AI strategy" and has "upended the work of numerous groups inside the company to respond to the threat that ChatGPT poses."

Wondering how much ChatGPT might cost OpenAI to run it? One guy estimates $3M per month...yep, $100K per day!

ChatGPT and the Digital Landscape Future - Poem

Niche sites, SEO, Niche Surfer, Topical maps, the building blocks of the web, Guiding us through the digital landscape, Helping us to be seen, to be heard, To stand out from the crowd.

In 2023 and beyond, They will continue to thrive, Adapting and evolving, As the internet changes and grows.

Niche sites, small and specialized, Focused on a single topic or theme, Bringing depth and expertise, To a world of endless information.

SEO, the science of search, Optimizing and ranking, Helping us to reach our audience, To connect and engage.

Niche Surfer, explorer of the web, Navigating through the vastness of the internet, Discovering hidden treasures, Guided by the compass of SEO.

Topical maps, a roadmap to success, Organizing and categorizing, The information we seek, Helping us to find our way, Through the complexity of the web.

Together, they journey through the digital landscape, Leading us to success, In a world of endless possibility. We salute you, oh champions of the web.

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I’d also love to know what you think and if you have any ideas for the newsletter. Reply or email me at [email protected].

I’d also appreciate it if you shared it with fellow niche surfers.

Have a great week taking your niche sites to another level!