Lindsay Valdez

Google turned up the heat in 2022, having more than ten major algorithm updates. A mix of core updates, several targeted at product reviews, a few more targeting spam and also introducing a new signal into the algorithm, called the helpful content update. There are over 200 factors within the algorithm, some carrying significant weight [...]

The Google search business is constantly evolving and this year was no exception. Quite the opposite, it was one of the most interesting years I'd ever seen. 2022 also closes out my first year working with Freestar publishers on SEO and other traffic growth strategies, which made it double-interesting. In certain cases, by the time [...]

At the beginning of every partnership, Freestar requests the new publisher sign a Comscore traffic assignment letter (TAL). The TAL is located in the publisher onboarding packet, and along with it, a brief explainer on what this is, and why we're asking you to sign it. Due to the increasing interest in this topic, that [...]

Somewhere on the Most Frequently Asked Questions By Publishers list is the question of blocked keywords. What keywords or phrases should be avoided in the content they publish so that CPMs aren’t lower than average? The list they’re asking for is usually customized to the brand, but even if I really searched and eventually found my [...]

Google's search algorithm is welcoming a brand new signal to the bunch. Yep, that black box formula that evaluates any given domain against hundreds of signals and then, aligns you somewhere in search results for the 3.5+ billion search queries each day, will now "automatically identify content that seems to have little value, low-added value [...]

Over the course of my career, I've had the opportunity to work with many brands, some of the very biggest digital publishers in the world, down to those just getting started, and regardless of size, it has all been meaningful. In 2018, I had the opportunity to lead the organic search strategy for Bonnie Fuller [...]