NEWS
Google Lighthouse 8.3.0 Update via @sejournal, @martinibuster
Lighthouse, the technology that powers audits in Chrome Dev Tools and PageSpeed Insights updated to version 8.3.0. The new version features bug fixes and incremental improvements but it also takes the first step toward measuring what happens after a web page loads. This new direction is called Project Fraggle Rock.
The updated version of Lighthouse is live on PageSpeed Insights. It is scheduled to be released in Chrome Dev Tools in Chrome 94 on September 21, 2021.
Google Lighthouse
Google Lighthouse is an open source tool created by Google that tests web pages for web performance bottlenecks, accessibility issues and identify SEO opportunities.
Because the tool is open source, the underlying code that powers Lighthouse can be found in numerous third party tools, some of which extend Lighthouse by adding different capabilities and more helpful data visualizations.
That means that any changes to Lighthouse will inevitably make it into third party tools as well.
Lighthouse can be used as part of the Chrome Dev Tools suite of tools that is native in every Chrome-based browser.
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Lighthouse 8.3.0 is coming Chrome 94, which is due to be released on September 21, 2021.
PageSpeed Insights Updates to Lighthouse 8.3.0
PageSpeed Insights is a web page performance measurement tool that is also produced by Google. Google Lighthouse powers PageSpeed Insights.
The difference between PageSpeed Insights and the Lighthouse tool is that PageSpeed insights only shows the web page performance metrics and is strictly focused on that metric.
PageSpeed Insights does not show the rest of the data that Lighthouse presents which includes accessibility and SEO.
Related: A Technical SEO Guide to Lighthouse Performance Metrics
What’s New in Lighthouse 8.3.0
There are no big shifts in how Core Web Vitals are measured. But version 8.3.0 represents a little step toward bigger things in the future and also includes bug fixes.
Lighthouse Fraggle Rock Project
Lighthouse 8.3.0 takes a small step toward moving beyond analyzing a single web page and expanding to also analyzing user flows.
The future of Lighthouse is analyzing flows from when a user takes an action like clicking a button and what happens next.
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Lighthouse currently measures things like how long it takes for a web page to become interactive.
The new running on flows direction will measure what happens after the page loads.
This project is whimsically called Fraggle Rock, which is the name of a 1980’s Children’s show that featured a lighthouse referred to as the Fraggle Rock Lighthouse.
The current description of the Fraggle Rock project is officially summarized:
“Fraggle Rock (Lighthouse scripted scenarios) allows a developer to get a Lighthouse report beyond an initial page load. This is valuable as it provides developers with insight into performance & best practices for complex user flows like sign-up, add-to-cart, time-to-tweet, etc.”
The official GitHub page for the new feature describes four scenarios:
- “Run snapshot-style audits on a page after interaction, i.e. I’ve clicked a menu option and now rerun the accessibility category
- Run timespan-style audits on a page during any arbitrary interaction
- Run Lighthouse on a traditional page navigation from an existing page
- Run Lighthouse on a single page app navigation”
There are eight (tentative) phases for bringing running flows to Lighthouse.
The Lighthouse team is currently in Phase zero, which is the planning phase.
“Phase 0 – Research & Design
- Create an inventory of all audits cataloging their implicit requirements (e.g. snapshot v. timespan v. load) Complete
- Create design doc and project plan Complete”
Phases 1 – 8 are not complete so it’s clear that the Lighthouse team is at the beginning of an important update that will dramatically change this tool.
Related: How to Perform an In-Depth Technical SEO Audit
Lighthouse 8.3.0 Bug Fixes
Lighthouse 8.3.0 also features bug fixes and small improvements, some of which were suggestions from the developer community that were frustrated with issues they discovered.
For example, one of the fixes was to address the “resource size calculation of cached images.”
One of the developers commented:
“The original reason we wanted to disable cache was because when calculating resource size, the gatherer takes transferSize into account, which is 0 for cached images. Images coming from cache are therefore ignored by this gatherer. This seems to be unwanted behavior as it shouldn’t matter whether an image is cached or not to optimize it.
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Turning off cache fixed the issue but added on average 10 seconds to our lighthouse runs. I’m wondering if the aforementioned code isn’t actually unintentionally discarding cached images.”
Lighthouse SEO Category Reworded
The SEO category of Lighthouse was reworded in order to emphasize Core Web Vitals (CWV).
The new wording also removes the explicit reference to improving search results ranking and replaces that reference with the words “search engine optimization advice” which is more neutral in terms of promises of rocking the top of the search engine results pages.
The official GitHub page for this change states:
“Updates our SEO category description to tone down its comprehensiveness and remind the user about CWV.”
Previous Lighthouse SEO description:
“These checks ensure that your page is optimized for search engine results ranking.
There are additional factors Lighthouse does not check that may affect your search ranking.”
The new Lighthouse SEO description now reads like this:
“These checks ensure that your page is following basic search engine optimization advice.
There are many additional factors Lighthouse does not score here that may affect your search ranking, including performance on Core Web Vitals. Learn more.”
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Lighthouse 8.3.0 Summary of Changes
It’s realistic that the Lighthouse team reworded the SEO section to more accurately define SEO as optimization for search engines and pull back any association with ranking better.
Clearly the most interesting part of Lighthouse 8.3.0 announcement is the Fraggle Rock project, which will be covered in more detail soon.
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Lighthouse 8.3.0 Release Notes
NEWS
OpenAI Introduces Fine-Tuning for GPT-4 and Enabling Customized AI Models
OpenAI has today announced the release of fine-tuning capabilities for its flagship GPT-4 large language model, marking a significant milestone in the AI landscape. This new functionality empowers developers to create tailored versions of GPT-4 to suit specialized use cases, enhancing the model’s utility across various industries.
Fine-tuning has long been a desired feature for developers who require more control over AI behavior, and with this update, OpenAI delivers on that demand. The ability to fine-tune GPT-4 allows businesses and developers to refine the model’s responses to better align with specific requirements, whether for customer service, content generation, technical support, or other unique applications.
Why Fine-Tuning Matters
GPT-4 is a very flexible model that can handle many different tasks. However, some businesses and developers need more specialized AI that matches their specific language, style, and needs. Fine-tuning helps with this by letting them adjust GPT-4 using custom data. For example, companies can train a fine-tuned model to keep a consistent brand tone or focus on industry-specific language.
Fine-tuning also offers improvements in areas like response accuracy and context comprehension. For use cases where nuanced understanding or specialized knowledge is crucial, this can be a game-changer. Models can be taught to better grasp intricate details, improving their effectiveness in sectors such as legal analysis, medical advice, or technical writing.
Key Features of GPT-4 Fine-Tuning
The fine-tuning process leverages OpenAI’s established tools, but now it is optimized for GPT-4’s advanced architecture. Notable features include:
- Enhanced Customization: Developers can precisely influence the model’s behavior and knowledge base.
- Consistency in Output: Fine-tuned models can be made to maintain consistent formatting, tone, or responses, essential for professional applications.
- Higher Efficiency: Compared to training models from scratch, fine-tuning GPT-4 allows organizations to deploy sophisticated AI with reduced time and computational cost.
Additionally, OpenAI has emphasized ease of use with this feature. The fine-tuning workflow is designed to be accessible even to teams with limited AI experience, reducing barriers to customization. For more advanced users, OpenAI provides granular control options to achieve highly specialized outputs.
Implications for the Future
The launch of fine-tuning capabilities for GPT-4 signals a broader shift toward more user-centric AI development. As businesses increasingly adopt AI, the demand for models that can cater to specific business needs, without compromising on performance, will continue to grow. OpenAI’s move positions GPT-4 as a flexible and adaptable tool that can be refined to deliver optimal value in any given scenario.
By offering fine-tuning, OpenAI not only enhances GPT-4’s appeal but also reinforces the model’s role as a leading AI solution across diverse sectors. From startups seeking to automate niche tasks to large enterprises looking to scale intelligent systems, GPT-4’s fine-tuning capability provides a powerful resource for driving innovation.
OpenAI announced that fine-tuning GPT-4o will cost $25 for every million tokens used during training. After the model is set up, it will cost $3.75 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens. To help developers get started, OpenAI is offering 1 million free training tokens per day for GPT-4o and 2 million free tokens per day for GPT-4o mini until September 23. This makes it easier for developers to try out the fine-tuning service.
As AI continues to evolve, OpenAI’s focus on customization and adaptability with GPT-4 represents a critical step in making advanced AI accessible, scalable, and more aligned with real-world applications. This new capability is expected to accelerate the adoption of AI across industries, creating a new wave of AI-driven solutions tailored to specific challenges and opportunities.
This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update
Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:
1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update
Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.
2. Changes to Google Search Interface
Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.
3. New Features and Tests
- Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
- Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
- Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.
4. Search Rankings and Quality
- Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
- Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.
5. Advice for Content Creators
- Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
- Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.
6. New Search Features in Google Chrome
Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.
7. New Tests and Features in Google Search
- Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
- Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.
8. Bing’s New Feature
Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.
9. Local Search Ranking Factors
Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.
10. Google Ads Updates
- Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
- Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
- tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
- WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.
These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.
Facebook Faces Yet Another Outage: Platform Encounters Technical Issues Again
Uppdated: It seems that today’s issues with Facebook haven’t affected as many users as the last time. A smaller group of people appears to be impacted this time around, which is a relief compared to the larger incident before. Nevertheless, it’s still frustrating for those affected, and hopefully, the issues will be resolved soon by the Facebook team.
Facebook had another problem today (March 20, 2024). According to Downdetector, a website that shows when other websites are not working, many people had trouble using Facebook.
This isn’t the first time Facebook has had issues. Just a little while ago, there was another problem that stopped people from using the site. Today, when people tried to use Facebook, it didn’t work like it should. People couldn’t see their friends’ posts, and sometimes the website wouldn’t even load.
Downdetector, which watches out for problems on websites, showed that lots of people were having trouble with Facebook. People from all over the world said they couldn’t use the site, and they were not happy about it.
When websites like Facebook have problems, it affects a lot of people. It’s not just about not being able to see posts or chat with friends. It can also impact businesses that use Facebook to reach customers.
Since Facebook owns Messenger and Instagram, the problems with Facebook also meant that people had trouble using these apps. It made the situation even more frustrating for many users, who rely on these apps to stay connected with others.
During this recent problem, one thing is obvious: the internet is always changing, and even big websites like Facebook can have problems. While people wait for Facebook to fix the issue, it shows us how easily things online can go wrong. It’s a good reminder that we should have backup plans for staying connected online, just in case something like this happens again.
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