SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: August 27, 2021
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.
I posted the weekly SEO video recap today, check it out and make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. Also, the description Google uses in the snippet is still customized based on the query. Google’s top stories carousels show a fact check label. Google said keyword rich domains won’t help you rank. Google’s local pack has some examples without any call to actions. Google said removing AMP won’t generally result in lower rankings. Have a great and safe weekend.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Link Spam Update Complete, Google Changes Titles In Search Results, Search Console Data Bug & Google Ads
Google, two weeks longer than expected, has finally finished rolling out the link spam update. Google confirmed it made changes to the titles it generates in search… - Google Search Snippet Descriptions Still Can Be Customized Based On Queries
Google told us the other day that the title change for the search result snippets no longer uses queries to customize the title of the search result snippets. But the search result descriptions, the snippets, still are customized based on user query. - Google Top Stories Tests Fact Check Labels
Google has been labeling news stories with fact check labels for many years now. But I do not believe I’ve seen them in the top stories carousel and section in the web search results. Suhailaerath shared a screenshot with me on Twitter of Google testing the fact check label in web search on top stories. - Google: Keyword Rich Domains For Your Website Won’t Help You Rank
Google’s John Mueller said on Twitter that it is not worth buying multiple keyword-rich domains for one website for SEO reasons. This is similar messaging Google has posted over the years but sometimes we see keyword rich domains ranking well and sometimes we don’t. - Google Local Pack Without Any Call To Action Buttons
If you search for [restaurants near me] in Google Search mobile or desktop, you will see the local three pack and map but you won’t see buttons to call the restaurant or directions or a way to order online. You will not see any call to action buttons, or at least I don’t and many others do not. - Google: Generally Removing AMP Page Shouldn’t Result In Search Ranking Decline
Google’s John Mueller was asked on Twitter if a site would remove an AMP page, would that result in the ranking of that specific page to drop in the search results. John Mueller said “probably it [the search ranking position] will remain the same” as it was when it was an AMP page. - Waze Swag: Shirt, Cup, Seat Saver, Notebook, Fleece & More
Here are some photos of swag from Google’s Waze team sent to Hillel Fuld in Israel. I don’t think I know anyone who has more swag than Hillel. But this time he shared a collection from Google’s Waze.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Google Paying Apple 15b to be default search, WebmasterWorld
- I’d try to determine what is real, and deduce the rest. Does it rank? (easy to test) How does it rank? (is it a random image? top listing?) Is volume real? (guess). Scrapers do weird stuff, you’ve, John Mueller on Twitter
- If the manual action is over 6 years old, I’m pretty sure it would have expired by now. If it’s expired, it has no effect. I wouldn’t worry about it if it’s that far back, we almost certainly have, John Mueller on Twitter
- If you have questions about how to remove web results from Google Search, this new help document centralizes tools and options for site owners and individuals, Google SearchLiaison on Twitter
- We filter most of that before Search Console, and more afterwards, but sometimes some of the abuse makes it through. If you’re seeing a rise in these kinds of things, I can chat wi, John Mueller on Twitter
- Your site looks like it’s pretty new — sometimes it takes a while for things to settle down, and for our systems — and the users on the web — to recognize your site as something unique, compelling, and of high, John Mueller on Twitter
- Business Moved Before GMB Verification (Postcard is Being Sent to Old Location), Local Search Forum
- Chrome extension that lets you analyze your competitors’ GMB Post strategy, Local Search Forum
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, you can follow us on Facebook and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel or just contact us the old fashion way.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: September 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 ranking volatility remains heated but it spiked more again in the past 24-hours. Google updated its web search spam policies. Google AI Overviews don’t really show up for branded queries, but they may in some rare cases. Google Search has this recently viewed movies activity card. Google Search tests “states in the news” and “backstory” top stories sections in Google Search.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Search Ranking Movement Heated, Volatility Continues 9/25
Google Search still has not calmed its ranking shifts, volatility and movement. The search results remain incredibly volatile with rankings and traffic changing again in a big way over the past day or so. I know I sound like a broken record but even some of the tools are adjusting their volatility thresholds to counter the new higher volatility in the search results. -
Google Updates Web Search Spam Policies
Google has refreshed and updated its web search policies documentation. The big change is Google added more language around the site reputation abuse policy, while expanding, simplifying and clarifying other sections of its search policies. -
Google AI Overviews For Branded & Navigational Queries???
Google AI Overviews generally do not show up for branded or navigational queries. So if you are searching for a brand or company, generally, Google has not shown an AI Overview. -
Google Recently Viewed Movies Activity Card
Google now can show movies you recently viewed as an “activity card.” I am not sure if this is based on a movie you actually went to see in the theatres, watched online or just based on you clicking on movie listings within Google Search. -
Google Search: States In The News
Google Search has this newish news or top stories carousel format that Google titled “States in the news.” It shows you news or top stories from news publishers related to the query by U.S. state. -
Google Search Backstory Top Stories Section
Google Search has this news or top stories section titled “Backstory.” It comes up from political queries, maybe other news queries. -
Sundar Pichai’s Google Soccer Jersey
Here is a photo from that event where Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, was kicking a soccer ball. This photo shows him holding a custom made Google soccer jersey.
Other Great Search Threads:
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
- Early sign-ups to EU’s AI Pact include Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI — but Apple and Meta are missing, TechCrunch
- Exclusive: OpenAI to remove non-profit control and give Sam Altman equity, sources say, Reuters
- Google CEO Sundar Pichai Says Antitrust Trials Could Drag On for Many Years, Bloomberg
- Google files Brussels complaint against Microsoft cloud business, Financial Times (Sub)
- OpenAI CTO Mira Murati announces she’s leaving the company, CNBC
- OpenAI’s chief research officer has left, TechCrunch
- The AI platform shift and the opportunity ahead, Google Blog
- Why Mark Zuckerberg thinks AR glasses will replace your phone, The Verge
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
Google Noindex Bug With JavaScript Pages
Google is reportedly working on fixing a bug with not being able to properly respond to a noindex directive on some JavaScript generated pages. This is happening for some React apps using Single Page Applications (SPAs) that have the noindex directive on them but Google is not picking it up and thus indexing pages that should not be indexed.
This issue was spotted by Mark Williams-Cook, the Director at Candour and Founder of AlsoAsked, a popular SEO tool. He posted about the issue on LinkedIn and said, “Here’s a screenshot of over 9,000 “noindex” pages being indexed. Adding ‘noindex’ via JS can be a solution, but it’s absolutely not reliable.”
Here is that screenshot from Google Search Console’s indexing report:
He later shared that Google is now aware of the issue and is working on fixing it. “I spoke to Googlers about this and it is a bug they are working on fixing,” he wrote.
Mark went on to explain that this is an example of a React app that has a meta “noindex” added via JavaScript, but the pages are nevertheless getting indexed.
Martin Splitt from Google did speak in the past about noindex meta and JavaScript pages and sometimes, Google does have a hard to processing them. But these days, Google shouldn’t be challenged by them. I guess in this case, Google was?
Again, I suspect in this case, Google fetched and rendered the page prior to the JavaScript executing the noindex meta data. So Googlebot didn’t see the noindex directive yet. This can happen, it is rare, but this can happen and obviously did happen. Google has warned about this before, including using JavaScript to generate structured data in some cases.
Mark’s solution was to use CloudFlare to serve the noindex directive prior to the JavaScript executing its own meta data (which is served in the HTTP header), but that was only after he found out Google was not picking up on the first solution he had. Mark wrote, “With some Single Page Applications (SPAs), it can be difficult to have control over what is shown before the JS is executed. In this instance, I managed to get the pages to set a “noindex” before JS was rendered by using Cloudflare Transform rules.”
So if you noticed this issue as well, hopefully Google will patch it up and if not, look for an alternative solution – like Mark did.
Forum discussion at LinkedIn.
SEARCHENGINES
Google Site Command For Image Search Not Fully Working?
It seems that Google made a change, intentionally or unintentionally, to the site command within Google Image Search. When you do a basic site command, without appending keywords to the query, then Google will return no image results.
Here is a screenshot:
I spotted this via Kunjal Chawhan on X over the weekend and pined Google about it but I did not hear back as of yet.
I did notice that when you append a query to the end of the site command, it does return results:
I suspect this is a bug but what do I know…
Forum discussion at X.
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