🐹 Hamsterdam Part 135: Weekly SEO & AI News Recap (1/31 to 2/6, 2026)
By Ethan Lazuk
Last updated:
A weekly look-back at SEO & AI news, tips, and other content shared on social media & beyond.
Opening notes, thoughts, and musings:
- Welcome to another new week of Hamsterdam! 🐹
- I appreciate you being here, and look forward to sharing the week’s news! 🙌
If you’re in a rush, hop down to the news portion. 📰
Or continue reading for two vocabulary lessons plus an introduction.
And we’re off …
🧑💻 Marketing word of the week: “Narrative marketing”
Narrative marketing uses storytelling logic, like characters, conflict, progression, and resolution, to communicate who the customer is, what problem they’re facing, why it matters, and how the brand helps. The customer is the main character and the brand is the guide.
Narrative marketing is different from slogans or catchy ads in that it’s about coherence over time, not just a one-off message.
There are five core elements of narrative marketing, including a relatable protagonist (usually the customer), a clear tension or problem (something that’s limiting their life), stakes (what happens if the problem isn’t solved), a guide (the brand, which provides tools, insight, or support without stealing the spotlight), and transformation (the “after” state, or what life looks like once the problem is resolved).
In traditional marketing, you’d say here’s our product and here’s why it’s good. In narrative marketing, you’d say here’s a situation you recognize, here’s why it’s hard, and here’s a better outcome and how to get there.
Narrative marketing works because narratives are easier to remember than facts. They also create emotional engagement, reduce resistance to persuasion, and can help people see themselves using the product. Remember, people don’t just buy solutions, they buy stories about who they are becoming.
For example, instead of saying, “Our platform saves time and increases productivity,” you might say something like, “You’re juggling too many systems, constantly switching context, end ending each day feeling behind; we built this platform to simplify that chaos, so your workday actually ends.” It’s the same value proposition but a different impact.
🤖 AI word of the week: “n8n”
n8n is a low-code automation tool that lets you connect apps, APIs, and data sources to build custom workflows.
n8n lets you pull data from one place (like Google Search Console or GA4), transform it (filter, clean, enrich, or compare), push it somewhere else (like Sheets or a database), and run it on a schedule.
Unlike many no-code tools, n8n works well with raw SEO data, handles large datasets, allows custom logic, and can be self-hosted.
Examples of n8n use cases include automating GSC insights, programmatic SEO workflows (like updating internal links at scale), or technical SEO monitoring (such as crawl errors or indexation changes).
😊 Introduction to week 135: “Japanese Keyword Hack”
I encountered a site this week that had been afflicted with the Japanese Keyword Hack. No bueno.
Basically, this hack shows different content to Googlebot than what users see, and it’s used to promote spammy affiliate pages.
Luckily, others have dealt with this before, so often it seems that Google has provided documentation on how to address it.
Hopefully you’ll never come across this hack for your own website, but if you do, use those instructions linked above to fix it.
Thank you for supporting Hamsterdam and the cause of SEO & AI learning. 🙏
Enjoy the vibes:
Missed last week? Don’t worry, I got you! Read Part 134 to catch up.
🌟 Other great sources of weekly SEO news:
- The SEO Weekly – Garret Sussman, iPullRank
- SEOFOMO – Aleyda Solis
- Weekly Video Recaps – Barry Schwartz, SER
- Weekly SEO News YouTube channel – Olga Zarr, Seosly
- Niche Surfer – Yoyao Hsueh
Time for our weekly review of SEO social posts, articles, & more …
Now, let’s step inside the white flags of Hamsterdam …
⏩ Jump to a section:
- News, Google updates, & SERP tests
- SEO tips & tidbits
- Fundamentals & resources
- Articles, videos & case studies
- Local SEO
- Technical SEO
- Content marketing
- Local SEO
- Data analysis & reporting
- AI, LLMS, & machine learning
- Miscellaneous & general posts
- Older stuff that’s good!
Or keep scrolling to see it all. ⏬
📰 SEO news, Google updates, SERP tests & notable posts
Notable updates or news related to Google Search or related SEO topics.
🍟 SEO tips & tidbits
Actionable tips, cool tidbits, and other snackable findings and observations that can be teaching moments.
Essential information, concepts, or resources to learn about SEO or AI
Longer-form content pieces shared on social, in newsletters, and elsewhere.
🧑💻 Technical SEO
Everything from basics to advanced moves (and also tools).
✍️ Content marketing
From what is helpful content to user journeys and beyond.
📍 Local SEO
From Google Business Profiles to reviews and more!
📊 Data analysis & reporting
Showing that what you’re doing is helping.
🤖 AI, machine learning, & LLMs
News related to models, papers, and companies.
🤔 General marketing & miscellaneous
This is for great content that isn’t necessarily SEO or marketing-specific. PPC, PR, dev, design, and social friends, check it out!
💎 Older stuff that’s good!
Not everything I find worth sharing is new as of this week, so these are gems I came across published in the past.
Let’s connect!
Hit me up anytime via text or call at 813-557-9745 or on social or email:
Cheers! ✌️
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