SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: February 4, 2022
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 did a deep analysis on how Google uses AI in search on Search Engine Land and it is clear to me that a lot of folks think Google uses MUM for ranking, it does not, MUM is almost not used at all in Google Search right now. Google still has no method to control title links, even for legal reasons. Google has these buyer guides in search, which may be scary for affiliates. Google’s John Mueller said Web 3.0 won’t kill SEO. An SEO poll says SEOs feel page experience is still super important even though it is not a strong ranking factor. Plus, I posted my weekly SEO video recap – check it out and have a great weekend!
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Doesn’t Use MUM For Ranking Or Much Of Anything In Google Search
So I wrote this pretty deep dive into how Google uses AI in Google Search at Search Engine Land, and Google posted a shorter version on their blog. I noticed after that, some folks were saying that Google uses MUM for search rankings. Truth is, Google uses MUM for only two things in search, COVID vaccine names and a related topics in videos results feature – that is it. - Google: No Mechanism To Force Title Tag Changes Even For Legal Reasons
As you may remember, in August 2021 Google changed the algorithm it uses to determine your title links (tags) in the search results and it caused a huge issue in the SEO community. A couple months later, Google toned down some of those title changes for the better but they are still not where they were. - Google Buying Guides In Search Results
Google is testing, at least I can’t replicate it right now, enhanced buying guides in the search results. Basically this “buying guide” in Google Search lets you really drill into the options around what products you can buy based on your query. - Googler Says Web 3.0 Won’t Kill SEO
All the craze right now is Web3 or Web 3.0, the new iteration of the World Wide Web based on the blockchain, which incorporates concepts including decentralization and token-based economics. And some are concerned it will kill SEO, that Web 3.0 will be the final nail in the coffin for SEO. - SEOs Says Google Page Experience More Important Despite There Being No Impact
Aleyda Solis did a Twitter poll thread, multiple polls in a Twitter thread, around the Google page experience update. In short, the poll shows that page experience related metrics, such as core web vitals, is more important to their SEO recommendations despite most saying they saw no impact at all from implementing improvements there. - Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google URL Inspection API, Manual Actions Galore, New Partner Programs, Earnings, MUM, Web3 & More
I posted the monthly Google webmaster report for February 2022, so check it out. Google released a new API for the Google URL Inspection Tool – it is exciting. Google seems to be clearing out the manual action backlog. Google also issued a slew of new manual… - Google Beach Lounge Office Room
Here is a photo from the GooglePlex, the Google headquarters in Mountain View, California of a room that looks like a beach bum lounge room. You can see the beach chairs, surfboard, Google bike, fire
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, you can follow us on Facebook and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
SEARCHENGINES
All Dealerships Can List Auto Inventory On Google Business Profiles

Google is now opening up its car or auto inventory feature within Google Business Profiles to all motor vehicle dealerships. Google began testing car listings in 2021 and then expanded the cars for sale feature in 2022 and now it is open to all dealerships.
Greg Gifford posted this over here saying, “Any motor vehicle dealer can now list inventory on their Google Business Profiles.” “Google just opened up the “Cars for Sale” widget to anything with a VIN. Until this week, only US-based car dealers could list their inventory on their Google Business Profiles. Now, anything that has a Vehicle Identification Number is eligible to be listed. That means motorcycles, RVs, powersports, and Commercial vehicles are all allowed now,” Greg added.
It is locked down to US-based dealerships right now, it is not yet international.
Here is how the flow works from the local Google mobile search results last year:
To manage vehicle listings through your Business Profile account, perform the following steps:
(1) Access your web Business Profile account at business.google.com/locations.
(2) Select See your profile for the business that you want to change settings for.
(3) Click Edit profile, and then click Vehicle listings.
To manage your vehicle listings through a Google Search, perform the following steps:
(1) Search for your business’s name or “my business” on Google Search.
(2) Click Edit profile, and then click Vehicle listings.
Google calls this vehicle listings and posted more details including, “Vehicle listings on Google allows businesses to display their for sale vehicle inventory on various Google surfaces, including dealerships’ Business Profiles and Google Search. Google users can then search, filter, and easily learn more about vehicles for sale such as availability, pricing, and key information about the vehicles for sale, potentially directing customers to your business.”
Forum discussion at Twitter.
SEARCHENGINES
Google Cotton Candy Machine

Here is a cotton candy machine that was at the Google office for a YouTube Live event a few months back. I don’t think this machine lives there, I suspect Google rented it for the event, but I am not sure.
We did see some Googlers eating cotton candy a year ago… Just saying…
This was posted on Instagram.
This post is part of our daily Search Photo of the Day column, where we find fun and interesting photos related to the search industry and share them with our readers.
SEARCHENGINES
SEOs Trust YMYL Content Less If It Is AI-Generated

Lily Ray ran a Twitter poll asking SEOs if they trust content in the YMYL, your money or your life, category more, less or the same if it was written by AI. The vast majority of responses said they trust AI-generated content less than human-generated content.
Lily asked, “If a site offering Your Money, Your Life information/advice (health, finance, etc) indicates that the content was partially written using AI, does this make you trust the content:”
About 74% of the over 1,000 votes said AI-generated content would be trusted less, 22% said there is no difference – they would trust it the same and 4% said it would be trusted more.
Here is the poll with the “See answers” option:
I know it’s hard not to be biased as an SEO professional, but try anyway. 😅
If a site offering Your Money, Your Life information/advice (health, finance, etc) indicates that the content was partially written using AI, does this make you trust the content:
— Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) January 15, 2023
Forum discussion at Twitter.
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