Do you have the business mindset you need to succeed online? In this episode, Mark shares the most powerful mindset takeaways from attendees at Cliff Ravenscraft's Free The Dream conference in Franklin, Tennessee. He also breaks down Google's new link attribute guidelines for UGC and sponsored links and explains what they mean for your SEO strategy.<\/p>\n
Mark attended Cliff Ravenscraft's Free The Dream conference and gathered the biggest mindset takeaways from attendees:<\/p>\n
Chad:<\/strong> If you are very clear on the “why” underneath what you are doing, the “what” will take care of itself.<\/p>\n Jeff Goins:<\/strong> You should not be running somebody else's race. Quit comparing yourself to what everybody else is doing.<\/p>\n Javon Alison:<\/strong> Make sure you do not die with your song inside of you.<\/p>\n Colin:<\/strong> Knowledge without application is completely useless.<\/p>\n Renee:<\/strong> Allow for miracles in your business. Trust in the things that you believe in.<\/p>\n Mark:<\/strong> His biggest takeaway connected to the comparison trap. It is easy to feel like a small fish in a huge ocean, intimidated by more successful people. But you should run your own race and punch fear in the face. If you feel hesitation, unpack it. Understand what is underneath it. If limiting beliefs or fear are driving that hesitation, take action to undo them.<\/p>\n In the second segment, Mark covers Google's new linking guidelines<\/strong> announced in September 2019. Google introduced two new link attributes beyond the existing “nofollow”:<\/p>\n Sponsored\/Paid links:<\/strong> Webmasters can now signal to Google that a link is paid, making legitimate paid placements possible without risking penalties. Google will treat these links differently in their ranking algorithm.<\/p>\n UGC (User-Generated Content) links:<\/strong> Comment links and forum links that were previously tagged as “nofollow” can now be marked as user-generated content. Google may consider these with less authority than regular “dofollow” links but more authority than pure “nofollow” links.<\/p>\n What should you do?<\/strong> Continue building quality links through legitimate means. Never buy links. If you are a webmaster, do the work to mark paid and UGC links correctly. And remember that the best SEO strategy has not changed: create amazing content that people genuinely want to link to.<\/p>\n Mark recorded this episode in September 2019, and both the mindset and SEO topics have evolved. Google's link attributes<\/strong> (rel=”sponsored” and rel=”ugc”) are now well-established, and Google has confirmed they use these as hints rather than strict directives. Most SEO professionals recommend using them correctly but note that Google's algorithms have become sophisticated enough to identify paid and user-generated links even without explicit markup.<\/p>\n Google's algorithm updates have continued at an accelerated pace.<\/strong> Major updates like the Helpful Content Update (2022-2023), multiple core updates, and the integration of AI into search results through Search Generative Experience (SGE) have fundamentally changed how content ranks. The advice to create amazing content is more valid than ever, but the bar for what qualifies as “amazing” has risen significantly.<\/p>\n The comparison trap<\/strong> that Mark discusses has intensified with the rise of social media success stories and “income reports.” However, the antidote remains the same: focus on your own progress, celebrate your own wins, and measure yourself against your past self rather than against others.<\/p>\n If you found this episode helpful, you might also enjoy:<\/p>\n Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts<\/a> or subscribe at latenightim.com\/internet-marketing-podcast\/<\/a>. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or drop a comment below.<\/p>\nKey Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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What's Changed Since This Episode<\/h2>\n
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