SEARCHENGINES
Expansion, Machine Learning & Core Updates
Google’s John Mueller was asked a series of questions around the product reviews update on last Friday’s video hangout. In short, it will expand to other languages and countries, it probably does use machine learning and eventually it might be incorporated into the larger core updates.
As a reminder, we had two product reviews updates in 2021, one in April 2021 and the other in December 2021.
These series of questions came up at the 46:21 mark in this video, here it is if you want to play it, otherwise the transcript is below:
Expanding The Product Reviews Update
John basically said Google does plan to expand the product reviews update beyond just English, as we covered before – but he has no timeline for when that might happen.
Here is what was said:
AUDIENCE: So I have a few questions about product reviews, which is my domain. So I noticed that recently you made some moves in the US to promote product reviews, where there were real testing instead of just comparison. Do you have any time estimates of when we could expect these upgrades to be, like, in the market stack in French or German?
JOHN MUELLER: I don’t know, with most things, it’s something, where we tend not to pre-announce them. So it’s hard to kind of say ahead of time. And for some of these updates, the team moves very fast in kind of, like, rolling things out globally. And for other types of updates, it’s very slow. And sometimes there are also policy and legal reasons kind of that make things a little bit harder. So it’s always very tricky to give an estimate.
Re: the Product Reviews Update expanding to other languages Via @johnmu: We have nothing to pre-announce. For some updates, the team works fast to roll things out to other languages. For others, it’s slower. Policy/legal reasons can also impact things: https://t.co/RRk1Q67bzW pic.twitter.com/KTisK4pWDr
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) January 16, 2022
Machine Learning & Product Reviews Update
Then he was asked if the product reviews update uses human input or machine learning? John basically said no to human input but likely to machine learning. John said this takes an “algorithmic approach” and not a human editing approach, like most of what Google does. He isn’t sure if this specific update uses machine learning, but he said it probably does “to some extent.”
Here is what was said:
AUDIENCE: I’m curious to just learn a little more in general how could Google train, like, an algorithm to understand where there were real testing or not. Is it machine learning, or is it also human reviewers?
JOHN MUELLER: For Search, for these kind of general ranking updates, it’s not something, where we would have human reviewers in the loop, because there’s just so much content out there. We can’t review it all. And a lot of times, we also don’t have a clear yes or no understanding, where someone can go through a website and say, oh, this page is good. This page is bad. It’s just not scalable.
So these are all essentially algorithmic approaches that we take. And we do use a lot of machine learning. Whether we use that for this particular update, I don’t know. My guess is probably also, at least to some extent. But it’s hard to say which exact technology was used for which update.
More: Is Google using machine learning to train algos for the PRU? Via @johnmu: For updates like this, it’s not something where human reviewers would be in the loop. And we do use a lot of machine learning overall, so it’s probably used to some extent: https://t.co/7wx6l8IPw5 pic.twitter.com/0GFLS92Rwv
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) January 16, 2022
Core Updates & Product Reviews Update
Finally, he asked if eventually will the product reviews update be incorporated into the core update like some other algorithms have been in the past. John said maybe, it depends on a lot of things. He said it also depends on how you define core algorithms.
This is what was said:
AUDIENCE: OK, and do you plan to integrate this kind of understanding of a web page into the core Google algorithm?
JOHN MUELLER: I mean, it’s always tricky to define what is a part of the core update– the core algorithm. So I don’t think I have an answer for that. Because usually, what happens is when we see that some algorithm is working really well, then we’ll kind of like just keep using that for a longer period of time. And at some point, you could say, well, it’s a part of the core algorithm, even if it’s not in a file that is called Core Algorithm or something like that.
And more: Will the PRU be baked into Google’s core ranking algo? Via @johnmu: It’s tricky to define the “core algo”. If an algorithm works very well, we might continue using it for a long time. So you could say it’s part of the “core algo” at that point https://t.co/TXPnwJmGny pic.twitter.com/j6AjNpgakA
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) January 16, 2022
Forum discussion at Twitter.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: May 1, 2024
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Google Ads posted its first feature announcement in over two months, it is on PMax updates. Bing Webmaster Tools fixed a notification bug. Google SGE renamed its AI overviews to AI Answer. Most SEOs have not filled in the Google March 2024 core update feedback form. A Google search for flag GIFs can lead to Nazi flags.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google Ads Posts First New Feature Announcement In Two Months – PMax Updates
Google Ads has posted its first new features announcement in its help section in over two months. This was to announce several Performance Max campaigns features, which we will get into below. But like I reported earlier, Google has not posted anything in this section for two months prior to posting this new announcement. -
Googling “Flag GIF” Leads To Nazi Flags In Google Search
If you search for [flag GIF] on Google, click on the “waiving” refinement, you are taken to images of Nazi flags. I waited a full week to report on this, a full week from when Google acknowledged the issue and it is still an issue. -
Bing Webmaster Tools Notifications & Insights Bug Fixed
Fabrice Canel from Microsoft confirmed Microsoft has fixed a bug with Bing Webmaster Tools showing inaccurate and/or irrelevant notifications in the notifications and insights section. Fabrice wrote, “Happy to report that the fix has been implemented and the issue should now be resolved for your site and all sites once data is refreshed.” -
Google SGE AI Overviews Has A New Title – AI Answer
Google is now labeling or using the title of its SGE, Search Generative Experience, “AI Answer.” This replaces the title “AI Overviews” and “Al overviews are experimental.” This change happened on Monday, I believe. -
Most SEOs Did Not Send Feedback To Google On The March 2024 Core Update
Google opened up its feedback form after it announced the Google March 2024 core update was completed and it seems most SEOs did not send Google feedback. Why? Maybe because many don’t believe Google will use that feedback to help them? Maybe because SEOs don’t want to share specifics with Google? -
Sundar Pichai 20 Year Google Anniversary
Google’s CEO, Sunday Pichai, on April 26, 2024, posted on Instagram that he is celebrating him 20 year anniversary of working at Google. He started on April 26, 2004 and is now running the place.
Other Great Search Threads:
- ave you seen this before…. Seems like looker studio google has got lot of spam links injected …i just encountered this while checking something… its tons of content… made a search with site: hea, Raman on X
- Gartner: “By 2026, Google will lose 1/4 of queries to AI” Datos: “Really? Let’s investigate that claim with data from millions of real Internet users.” https://t.co/5QErT9g9IF Embarrassing that th, Rand Fishkin on X
- The favicon guidelines are at https://t.co/9z0HOt9H5f – not all sites have unique favicons, so I wouldn’t immediately call that spammy. For images in general, a legal path may be open via the DMCA process., John Mueller on X
- Well, moved to Munich, Germany., John Mueller on X
- The more server logs and crawl patterns I see, the more I’m sure the world needs more SEOs. Of the good kind. You see, part of good tech SEO is fixing spiders traps, optimizing crawling, speeding up sites. 1/6, Joost de Valk on X
- This Google Ads thing is becoming really expensive. Fee increase from 2% to 2.5% for Italy. Fee increase from 2% to 3% for Spain. Fee increase from 5% to 7% for Turkey., Thomas Eccel on X
- We’re committed to ongoing and planned enhancements and listening to great ideas as yours to help us maximizing our crawl efficiency and minimize crawls. There’s no AI or PhD that can outperform the IndexNow signal when it is properly configured. We f, Fabrice Canel on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
- Google takes lion’s share of UK ad market as publishers lose out, Press Gazette
- Apple poaches AI experts from Google and builds a secret AI lab, QZ
- Friends From the Old Neighborhood Turn Rivals in Big Tech’s A.I. Race, New York Times
- Google Founders’ Hand-Picked CEO Nears Billionaire Status Too, Bloomberg
- Google needs a more formalized way to kill products, 9to5Google
- Local Memo: Rank Isn’t the Primary Decision Factor for Consumers in Many Industries, SOCi
- San Francisco homeless people to receive $1,000 a month from Google, The San Francisco Standard
- Google sued by US artists over AI image generator, Reuters
- Meet the Woman Who Showed President Biden ChatGPT—and Helped Set the Course for AI, Wired
- Microsoft and OpenAI sued yet again by Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News, Engadget
- Microsoft Concern About Google’s Lead Drove Investment in OpenAI, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
- AI Is Poisoning Reddit to Promote Products and Game Google With ‘Parasite SEO’, 404 Media
- How to combine SEO and CRO, Blue Array SEO
- 3 Steps to Get Ahead in an AI-First Search World, BrightEdge
- Carving a Career in SEO — How NOT to Get Taken for a Ride, Moz
- How Did Authority Bloggers Beat the Google Update?, Chris Garrett
- SEO A/B testing: realizing the value of a good experimentation program, Search Pilot
- SEO for Developers: 10 Best Practices to Know, Semrush
- SGE: New data and the future of SEO and SERP…, STAT Search Analytics
- User Search Journeys: Advantages and Use Cases for Agencies, seoClarity
- What is bounce rate and how has it changed?, Wix SEO Hub
- Why Google SEO Traffic is More Appealing Than Social Media, Adam Riemer
- Yoast SEO 22.6 brings more enhancements, Yoast
- What to do about Google’s Reddit habit?, SERP’s Up SEO Podcast
PPC
Search Features
Other Search
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 30, 2024
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Microsoft Advertising has officially added Copilot to help advertisers using AI. Tuta complained to regulators over its ranking drop with the Google core update. We saw the same person rank in Google Search with multiple entities. Google renames product sites to product websites. Google Search App has a neat screenshot feature. I am offline today, all these stories were pre-written and scheduled, including this newsletter.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Copilot Now In Microsoft Advertising Platform
Microsoft announced the general availability of Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising Platform. This means you can now use Copilot (Microsoft’s AI) natural language conversational chat, asset recommendations, and image asset creation in the Microsoft Advertising platform. -
The Same Person With Multiple Entities In Google Search
Last week, Shameem Adhikarath shared an example of an individual that shows up twice as two different entities in Google Search. It is like maybe Google was fed two distinct entities for the same person and now Google is showing both of them, with the same name and same query. -
Tuta Complains To EU Regulators Over Google March 2024 Core Update Ranking Drop
Tuta Mail, a popular encrypted email service, complained to European Union tech regulators that Google dropped its rankings for all sorts of keyword phrases with the Google March 2024 core update. Tuta is upset they no longer rank for [encrypted email] after this update. -
Google Search App “Send A Link To This Page” When You Take A Screenshot
One of my pet peeves is when people send me screenshots of pages they want me to read and do not include the URL to that page. Well, the Google Search app is trying to solve that issue by telling the person who took a screenshot to “Send a link to this page” by clicking a big blue “Share” button. -
Google Renames Product Sites To Product Websites
Google has renamed the Product Sites search filter to Product Websites. These only really show up in the European regions and starting last week, Google renamed “Sites” to “Websites.” -
Slimmer Google Dog Tag
We have seen numerous dog tags for Dooglers, Google dogs, before. But this one looks slimmer than the old dog tags. I found this new photo of a Doogler and you can see the small Google collar tag. -
Programming Note: Offline For Last Days Of Passover
This is a programming note that I will be completely offline for the last days of the Passover holiday. The last days of Passover are on Monday and Tuesday, April 29th and 30th. Any stories published here will be scheduled and written beforehand and not posted live.
Other Great Search Threads:
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
- xAI, Elon Musk’s OpenAI rival, is closing on $6B in funding and X, his social network, is already one of its shareholders, TechCrunch
- Google plans $3 billion data center investment in Indiana, Virginia, Reuters
- Google to expand hardware R&D team in Taiwan, Nikkei Asia
- Investors Cheer AI Spending Boom in Big Tech—Just Not at Meta, Wall Street Journal
- Sundar Pichai Celebrates Googleversary, completes 20 years at Google, News9live
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
PPC
Search Features
Other Search
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
Note: This was pre-written and scheduled to be posted today, I am currently offline for Passover.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 29, 2024
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Google’s March 2024 core update completed on April 19th, Google just didn’t confirm it until a week later. Google said its spam reporting tool will add site reputation abuse after May 5. Google responded to concerns over the Chrome IP masking and how it will impact advertisers. Google Knowlwdge Panels has translated sections. Apple Business Connect gains actions with links. Google AI is writing some knowledge panels. I am offline today, all these stories were pre-written and scheduled, including this newsletter.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google March 2024 Core Update Finished April 19th (A Week Ago)
The Google March 2024 core update finished a week ago and Google did not tell us until today. It finished officially on April 19, 2024, and took 45 days to roll out after starting on March 5, 2024. Google also said this helped reduce low-quality and unoriginal content in search results by 45%, which is up from their estimate of 40%. -
Google Spam Reporting Tool To Gain Site Reputation Abuse
Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, said that the search company will add the upcoming site reputation abuse policy to the spam reporting tool when the policy begins to be enforced. So sometime after May 5, 2024, the report spam form will gain a new option to report site reputation abuse. -
Google Responds To Concerns Over Chrome IP Masking
A week ago, Anu Adegbola wrote a fabulous piece on some new privacy changes that may be coming to Google Chrome in the future named Chrome IP masking and how that may impact advertisers. Ginny Marvin, the Google Ads Liaison, responded to those concerns, saying, “Chrome has not made any recent updates to its IP protection proposal.” -
Google Knowledge Panel With Auto-Translated Texts
Google is auto-translating some of the content within the Google Knowledge Panels and blocks. So if you are in a location where you don’t only speak English, Google may show you your local language as an additional block of text in the knowledge panel. -
Apple Business Connect Actions: Add Links To Apple Maps Local Listing
Apple Business Connect now lets you add links to your local listings that show up in Apple Maps. This is under the “actions” section that enables customers to order food, buy tickets, schedule an appointment, and more. -
Google AI Writing Some Search Knowledge Panels
Google has for a long time used AI to write some knowledge panels. But now Google is labeling some of these AI written knowledge panels with “Al overviews are experimental” as a disclaimer. This may show up for both SGE and non-SGE results, I believe. -
Google Maps Pigeon People
I am not sure where this first started but in Japan there is this group of people who dress up as pigeons when the Google Maps street view cameras drive by. -
Programming Note: Offline For Last Days Of Passover
This is a programming note that I will be completely offline for the last days of the Passover holiday. The last days of Passover are on Monday and Tuesday, April 29th and 30th. Any stories published here will be scheduled and written beforehand and not posted live.
Other Great Search Threads:
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
PPC
Search Features
Other Search
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
Note: This was pre-written and scheduled to be posted today, I am currently offline for Passover.
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