In this episode of SEO 101, Ross Dunn and Scott Van Achte share a comprehensive guide to maintaining SEO rankings during a site redesign, including backup strategies, content audits, URL management, and redirects. They also discuss Chrome’s upcoming HTTP warnings, AI-powered browsers, new Google Search Console features, local SEO news, and the evolution of ranking algorithms with AI advancements.
Show Notes:
Non-SEO News
- Disney Offers Black Hat SEO Packages
- Google searches for “my disney” linking to “Black Hat SEO Packages.”
- Possible hack or new-age “Google Bomb.”
- Chrome to Warn Users Before Loading HTTP Sites (Oct 2026)
- Chrome will alert users about insecure pages.
- Estimated 11-17% of websites remain insecure, which may affect conversions.
SEO News
- OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Atlas (Oct 21)
- Browser currently available only on Mac; Windows, iOS, and Android versions coming soon.
- Built-in search features powered by Google.
- AI sidebar allows questions and content rewriting.
- Offers ChatGPT-like responses and multiple tabs for various content types.
- Google Search Console Adds Query Groups
- New feature lists clusters of top keywords and their performance.
- Insights available for trending content.
- Maintaining Rankings After a Redesign
- Backup and recovery plans essential.
- Conduct a content audit to identify high-performing content.
- Preserve existing content and maintain URL structure.
- Create a 301 redirect map and update internal links.
- Use SEO-friendly CMS and improve page speed.
- Check out our comprehensive guide: How to Maintain rankings after a Redesign
Local SEO News
- Google Business Profiles “What’s Happening” Feature Expands
- Expanded to restaurants and bars in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Initially available for single-location businesses, now for multi-location as well.
AI News
- Google DeepMind’s BlockRank
- New method for efficient information ranking in large language models (LLMs).
- Addresses the challenge of “in context ranking” (ICR).
- BlockRank is 4.7x faster than standard models for ranking documents.
- Not currently used by Google, but expected to be implemented in the future.
Sources:
Disney Offers Black Hat SEO Packages – Discusses Google searches showing links for “Black Hat SEO Packages” related to Disney, suggesting a possible hack.
Chrome To Warn Users Before Loading HTTP Sites Starting Next Year – Details Chrome’s upcoming warnings about insecure pages, affecting site conversions.
OpenAI Launches a Web Browser – ChatGPT Atlas – Announcement of the ChatGPT Atlas browser, its features, and availability.
Google Search Console Adds Query Groups – Information on the new Query Groups feature in Google Search Console for tracking keyword performance.
Google Business Profiles “What’s Happening” Feature Expands – Describes the expansion of the “What’s Happening” feature to more regions and types of businesses.
Google DeepMind’s BlockRank Could Reshape How AI Ranks Information – Overview of BlockRank, a new method for efficient information ranking in large language models.