SEARCHENGINES
Google Begins Slow Rollout Of Google Bard
Yesterday, Google began to slowly roll out Google Bard to some initial reporters and also Google opened up a waitlist to users in the US and UK. I personally gained access to Bard after writing most of this article but I did gain access to Bard yesterday at 1pm ET. But you can sign up for the waitlist at bard.google.com (it does not yet work with Google WorkSpace accounts).
Below you will find out more information on how Bard looks, how it works, how the citations/sources work, limitations, early impressions and more. There is a lot here – and it is super early.
My early impressions is that Google is clearly positioning Bard to be very different from Google Search. In addition, Google is also making sure Bard feels and works differently than Bing Chat. Bing Chat, to me, feels way more thought out in terms of the user experience and all the tiny details in how it works with Bing Search. Google is making it super clear right now that Bard is not Search and only putting a “Google It” button in the Bard results so that you are taken out of Bard and into Search.
Bard does not do a lot of what Bing Chat and ChatGPT does but Bard is way faster. Bard has no ads, Bing Chat does have ads. Bard rarely show citations/links, Bing Chat shows citations and links in a much more prominent way. Bard and Bing Chat are just very different, while being similar in purpose.
Bard is Google’s experimental conversational AI service, powered by LaMDA, where Google can answer questions that might not have one right answer. Google said, “Bard is powered by a research large language model (LLM), specifically a lightweight and optimized version of LaMDA, and will be updated with newer, more capable models over time. It’s grounded in Google’s understanding of quality information. You can think of an LLM as a prediction engine. When given a prompt, it generates a response by selecting, one word at a time, from words that are likely to come next. Picking the most probable choice every time wouldn’t lead to very creative responses, so there’s some flexibility factored in. We continue to see that the more people use them, the better LLMs get at predicting what responses might be helpful.” In short, it will get better over time, so don’t be too harsh on Google…
As a reminder, Google said Bard is not Search we have quotes from Google’s Bard lead who said, “It’s an experiment that’s a collaborative AI service that we talked about,” Krawczyk said. “The magic that we’re finding in using the product is really around being this creative companion to helping you be the sparkplug for imagination, explore your curiosity, etc.” But he added, “we can’t stop users from trying to use it like search.”
What Bard Looks Like
Here are some screenshots and videos of Bard from Google:
Citations/Links to Publishers Are Hard To Come By
It is hard to find sources, citations and links in Google Bard but they do come up if you try hard enough. Gary Illyes from Google did say publishers will get traffic from Bard, maybe that is what he meant when we see the “Google it” button in Bard?
I asked Areej Abuali and Billie Geena – who has access already, and she was unable to find Bard giving any links to any source. But some, including in my tests, were able to see some sources and links. Google Bard also has a “Google it” button…
Nope, zero citations in all prompts I’ve done so far
— Areej (@areej_abuali) March 21, 2023
No I can’t see any – I can take a screenrecord for you
— Billie 🦕 (@BillieGeena) March 21, 2023
Actually got a short answer for asking about search engine roundtable – here is all the information it currently provides. pic.twitter.com/332tgKQ3c4
— Billie 🦕 (@BillieGeena) March 21, 2023
If you really work hard to get a citation, you kind of do but not link:
No citations, just a link to “Google it”. Hilarious answer when asked point blank about its sources. pic.twitter.com/98lM4HbB6X
— Simon Lesser (@simonlesser) March 21, 2023
And sometimes not:
I have seen it source the books I asked it for, but the Source was just a Google search for Google Analytics Books pic.twitter.com/SVneA6BP2d
— Marc Agate (@MJAgate) March 21, 2023
When I gained access, I asked Bard why exactly it refused to give sources and citations, it said:
I cannot show you the URL of where I came up with this answer because I did not come up with this answer from a specific URL. I am trained on a massive dataset of text and code, including the Google Search index. This allows me to access and process information from the real world through Google Search and keep my response consistent with search results.
Why Google Bard cannot cite sources, give citations or link to content creators/publishers pic.twitter.com/3hMjKNkEsb
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) March 21, 2023
Oh wait, maybe you can force a link if you try hard enough and specific enough but this is not good enough:
Source link at the bottom of the query:
What is iPullRank? pic.twitter.com/yy1rItzItb
— Garrett Sussman ☕️🔎 (@garrettsussman) March 21, 2023
I am starting to see sources listed now pic.twitter.com/DX1x2g2UCV
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) March 21, 2023
Just not the best experience:
Well, this would suck for me if people used Bard to search for this query. No citations, but when you click “Google it”, Bard provides a link to a fresh SERP where I have the featured snippet. I still can’t believe there aren’t more citations… pic.twitter.com/ho37Dhunjm
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) March 21, 2023
Here is why Google Bard is less likely to provide citations, “Bard is trained on a massive dataset of text and code, and it can be difficult to determine which sources were used to generate a particular answer.”
Why Google Bard is often not going to link or source or provide citations… pic.twitter.com/oP6MWYwc8u
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) March 21, 2023
Early Impressions
The folks at The Verge played with Bard in a limited way and they said:
In a demo for The Verge, Bard was able to quickly and fluidly answer a number of general queries, offering anodyne advice on how to encourage a child to take up bowling (“take them to a bowling alley”) and recommending a list of popular heist movies (including The Italian Job, The Score, and Heist). Bard generates three responses to each user query, though the variation in their content is minimal, and underneath each reply is a prominent “Google It” button that redirects users to a related Google search.
Bard’s interface is festooned with disclaimers to treat its replies with caution
As with ChatGPT and Bing, there’s also a prominent disclaimer underneath the main text box warning users that “Bard may display inaccurate or offensive information that doesn’t represent Google’s views” — the AI equivalent of “abandon trust, all ye who type here.”
As expected, then, trying to extract factual information from Bard is hit-and-miss. Although the chatbot is connected to Google’s search results, it couldn’t fully answer a query on who gave the day’s White House press briefing (it correctly identified the press secretary as Karine Jean-Pierre but didn’t note that the cast of Ted Lasso was also present). It was also unable to correctly answer a tricky question about the maximum load capacity of a specific washing machine, instead inventing three different but incorrect answers. Repeating the query did retrieve the correct information, but users would be unable to know which was which without checking an authoritative source like the machine’s manual.
Billie Geena gained access to Bard right away, here are some of her tweets:
I got early access to Bard so the first thing I had to do is ask about myself
And ok this is exciting pic.twitter.com/qAmR0rExdO
— Billie 🦕 (@BillieGeena) March 21, 2023
I’m finding playing with this really exciting – however it does now cite it’s sources. But it’s very easy to switch your question into a Google search
— Billie 🦕 (@BillieGeena) March 21, 2023
Areej Abuali said OpenAI’s ChatGPT beats Google Bard in her early tests:
Okay, I spent 5 minutes on Bard and ChatGPT clearly wins – no thread, no analysis, nothing, that’s it, that’s the tweet.
— Areej (@areej_abuali) March 21, 2023
Some more tweets in the wild:
Google Bard can’t write a function that adds two numbers pic.twitter.com/t1B1WHRPrr
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 21, 2023
Oh hey, Google Bard. pic.twitter.com/w1ENWRObAM
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) March 21, 2023
Hacking #Google #Bard pic.twitter.com/5pS7sIXtRH
— Justin Chen (@ch3njus) March 21, 2023
Well, ChatGPT and MidJourney don’t have anything to worry about, anytime soon. Ladies and Gentleman, I give you, Googles Bard! 😂🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/KFSwvZV4GT
— Lee リー (@YodasMyDad) March 21, 2023
Hmm I take it back. GPT3.5 is still much better than Bard. @GoogleAI #bard #chatgpt
I asked Bard and ChatGPT-3.5 to derive time dilation. Bard doesn’t quite derive it whereas GPT-3.5 went into all the details, and got the answer correct. pic.twitter.com/tGXrHpQV55
— Ben Athiwaratkun (@ben_athi) March 21, 2023
Bard vs ChatGPT4, milk and a hat in a safe on a hill. pic.twitter.com/DXv2VDcKL3
— Andrew Riley (@_happyKC) March 21, 2023
Google bard can’t code or even hold context of previous conversations..
Guess ChatGPT still has no serious competition lol #bard #Google #ChatGPT #googlebard pic.twitter.com/i9PN7id3Uf
— Moe (@MoeX003) March 21, 2023
I guess Google is okay with buying links now? 🙂
— Dean Cruddace (@DeanCruddace) March 21, 2023
Straight from the source ya’ll (as if our Google search liaisons haven’t been saying this forever)#seo #bard pic.twitter.com/sHO0a75Uso
— Danielle Rohe (@d4ni_s) March 21, 2023
My very first use of Bard. What do we think?
Prompt:
“Create an analogy for search engine optimization based on the career of Allen Iverson” pic.twitter.com/SGeYipWRAA
— Garrett Sussman ☕️🔎 (@garrettsussman) March 21, 2023
Local:
I asked #BARD for the best breakfast place near where I live. Gave me three different lists with limited overlap. Interesting. pic.twitter.com/2MQgIYzTTE
— Greg Sterling 🇺🇦 (@gsterling) March 21, 2023
Asked for “handyman in 94118” and again got different lists (one is default) with some overlap. Then I “Googled it” and the results were completely different. None of the Local Pack results appear in the #BARD lists. There are also no URLs in the Bard lists. pic.twitter.com/WrNEeufoc3
— Greg Sterling 🇺🇦 (@gsterling) March 21, 2023
But Bard does not always get it right, like Google said:
But Bard gets it wrong, I never worked with Coca-Cola, Disney, Nike, Oracle, IBM etc – at least not that I know of pic.twitter.com/gOy4vdQbNj
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) March 21, 2023
Can Bard tell you if your content meets EEAT?
interesting pic.twitter.com/q9CBDbcimL
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) March 21, 2023
Run a health and medical site? You’re safe from Bard for now. 🙂 Bing Chat crushes Bard on this one (clearly)… Prompt: “What are the symptoms of strep throat?” Bard can’t answer (at least yet). Bing Chat with a strong answer + citations. Winner: Bing Chat pic.twitter.com/hDgIzjj3aW
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) March 21, 2023
Here is a good comparison tweet:
Google Bard areas for improvement
⚠️ No coding capabilities 🚫👨💻
⚠️ Multi-language not at the level of competitors 🌍
⚠️ Fails on common understanding of the world 👶See below prompts and comparisons with Bing, GPT-4 and GPT-3.5. #google #bard #workinprogress pic.twitter.com/Bax9jNo6t5
— ᐸGerardSans/ᐳ🤣🇬🇧 (@gerardsans) March 21, 2023
And yes, Bard is a kiss up:
— Greg (@PPCGreg) March 21, 2023
The most important feature:
Most important feature of Google Bard for me… pic.twitter.com/40VNGSN2Hr
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) March 21, 2023
I am looking forward to testing out Bard and letting you know what I find, until then, we wait. You can read the other coverage on this announcement on Techmeme.
Forum discussion at Twitter and WebmasterWorld.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: March 28, 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 released its Google Ads Saftey report showing how many ads they removed and advertisers they suspended. Google changed the definition of “Top ads” in their help documents, guess why… Google launched a number of maps and shopping features yesterday. Google Ads Share ad preview is now live. Google now lets you search for blockchain wallet addresses.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google Ads Suspended 90% More Advertisers This Year & Removed 5.5 Billion Ads
Google has released the 2023 Google Ads safety report sharing that Google has removed 5.5 billion ads, suspended 12.7 million advertiser accounts and restricted ads from showing up on 2.1 billion publisher pages. That is about 6% more ads removed, 90% more suspended advertiser accounts and 40% more ads removed from publisher pages. -
Google Updates Its Definition Of Top Ads; They May Not Be At The Top
Back in October we reported that Google has confirmed its search ads, Google Ads, can show up mixed in the middle of the organic search results. Now Google is updating its help documentation to change the definition of top ads to say the ads may appear below the organic results, ultimately not making the ads appear at the top. -
New Google Shopping & Maps Search Features
Google announced a number of new(ish) shopping and maps/local features yesterday, a lot of them using AI features that Google likes to tout. There are glanceable AI-generated reviews, swipe left/right shopping, AI-generated product ideas, local trip ideas, recommendation lists for locations, and more. -
Google Ads Adds Share Ad Preview For Performance Max
Google is now rolling out the ability to share ad campaigns within Google Ads for Performance Max campaigns without the need for the person you are sharing it with to have a Google Ads account. This is a new Share Ad Preview button available in Google Ads account for this. -
Google Can Search For Your Blockchain Wallet Addresses (Bitcoin & More)
You can now search Google for any of your wallet addresses across bitcoin and five new Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) networks. So you can look up your balances within those networks directly on Google Search. -
Google Calligraphy Class In NYC
It appears that Google held some calligraphy class or art class of some sorts at the New York City office. I found this photo on Instagram.
Other Great Search Threads:
- “Grow with Google” serves as a resource for training and tools to enhance your skills, career, or business. However, it appears that the platform is not regularly updated. Here are a few examples: [List examples under use-too, Shameem Adhikarath on X
- To help understand better the difference between key events and conversions, we’ve launched a detailed resource to answer all the questions you might have. Check it out!, Google Analytics on X
- Hreflang tag on individual blog post?, Reddit
- Webmasters, who may be less talented than you, have made significant mistakes in the past with this feature. They accidentally wiped out their entire sites. Since we have limited the usage of this feature to, Fabrice Canel on X
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.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: March 27, 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 Local Service Ads is asking for more photos. SEOs, please don’t remove the contact us and about us pages. Hotels can remove pricing details from its Google listings. Google Local reviews is testing reactions. Google Analytics real time reporting had issues today. Google help documentation is testing using AI features.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
SEOs, Please Don’t Remove Contact Us & About Us Pages
Google’s John Mueller asked if it would be alright not to list a contact us and about us page on their website. The reason is, they would only add it if Google wanted it, but not for users. John Mueller responded, “I can think of good reasons for some sites to have these kinds of pages, but, after double-checking, there’s nothing in our search developer documentation that suggests this is needed.” -
Google Local Service Ads Sends Email Asking You To Upload Photos
Google is sending some Local Service Ads advertisers emails asking them to upload photos to their profiles. The email says, “Photos are coming to your Local Services Ads. Upload images to your profile to help your business stand out.” But don’t LSAs already contain photos? -
Google Search Developer Docs Gain AI Generated Help Features
A week ago Monday, March 18th, I noticed Google’s search developer documentation had generative AI features to help you find the answers to your question. This is in the form of an improved search, summary of the page content, a chat feature and more. I was told this was rolled out on some developer docs earlier in the year. -
Google Local Reviews Reactions Notice
In November 2023 we started to see Google allow reactions on local photos and some reviews. Well, it seems to be rolling out more widely now. -
Google Analytics Real Time Data Lagging Today
There are countless complaints across the forums and social media that Google Analytics real time data is lagging and not reporting accurately. It seems like those complaints are legit after checking a number of sites. -
Google Cafe Cleaning & Delivery Robot
You probably have seen these cleaning and delivery robots in some restaurants and lounges but have you seen them in the Google cafes? Here is one doing its thing at one of the cafes at the GooglePlex in Mountain View, California.
Other Great Search Threads:
- It’s also not a request for the site’s homepage nor for a comprehensive sorted list – it’s a restrict. Sometimes the homepage doesn’t show on top, I wouldn’t take that as a sign of anything in particular. It’s a bit easier with small sites, but not always, John Mueller on X
- It’s really refreshing to see this level of detail after an appeal is denied in GBP. This saves us a lot of time trying to get everything ship shape! Also – make sure you know who has admin access to your GBP, y’all.., Carrie Hill on X
- That’s correct – hreflang is not geotargeting, it’s all about alternate versions., John Mueller on X
- When I joined Google in early 2021, it was clear that regulatory & privacy changes and AI (automation) advancements would be key focus areas for marketers over the next several years. Fast-forward three years, and we’re now at the inflection point., AdsLiaison on X
- Hey Brett, This is currently in closed beta. I don’t have further details to share at this time, but we’re continuing to test it., AdsLiaison on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
- All about Core Web Vitals: INP (Interaction to Next Paint), Yoast
- Google Shopping GTIN Requirements Explained!, ZATO Marketing
- Google’s Helpful Content Update & Ranking System: What Happened and What Changed in 2024?, Amsive
- How to Do Keyword Mapping for SEO (+Free Template), WordStream
- Managing decentralized marketing for international SEO, Oncrawl
- Structured data for SEO: What you need to know, Wix SEO Hub
- The helpful content system has changed, Marie Haynes
- Why Site Speed Matters for SEO, Lumar
- Content Pruning: Why It Works, and How to Do It, Ahrefs
- Does Google rank AI content?, SERP’s Up SEO Podcast
- How To Survive 3 New Threats to Your SEO Strategy, Content Marketing Institute
PPC
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: March 26, 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 Search Console is testing an Android App. Google is testing places and places sites in the search bar menu. Google spoke about if a business should have a website and a blog. Google added 3D models to product structured data. Google Search does not support AVIF images, yet. Mikhail Parakhin stepped down as the head of Bing Search and Microsoft Advertising.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google Search Console Tests Android App
Google seems to be testing an Android App for Google Search Console. This comes several weeks after I reported that Google has no plans for a mobile app for Google Search Console. -
Google Tests Places & Places Sites Search Bar Filter Tabs
Yesterday we reported Google is testing products and products sites in the search bar tab in the European regions. Today, Google is testing places and places sites in the search bar tab in the European regions. -
Google: Should Small Service Businesses Start A Website & A Blog?
Google’s Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, was asked about if a business should always have a website and if so, should they also have a blog. Sullivan replied that he believes all businesses should have at least a basic website, but when it comes to a blog, that depends on what they have to say on that blog. -
Google Adds 3D Models Markup To Product Structured Data For Linking
Google has added new 3D models markup support to the product structured data documentation so that you can connect, associate or link your products to the appropriate 3D model. -
Google Search Does Not Support AVIF Images Just Yet
Did you know that Google Search does not support the AVIF image format? At least not yet. Google Search doesn’t list it on its supported image formats and Google Image Search simply won’t index them. But John Mueller of Google said on X, “I’m sure this won’t be necessary long term.” -
Mikhail Parakhin Steps Down As Head Of Bing Search & Microsoft Advertising
Mikhail Parakhin, the head of Bing Search and Microsoft Advertising, is stepping down from that role as Parakhin “decided to explore new roles.” We’ve quoted Mikhail Parakhin here countless times over the past couple of years, to hear that he is leaving the role makes me super sad. His transparency and willingness to listen to the community was amazing. -
St. Patrick’s Day Dancers At Google Ireland
Here is a video I found on Instagram from the Google Ireland office of dancers performing at the Google office in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. It looks like they call themselves the Golden Beats.
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.
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