SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: January 3, 2023
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 should be completing the December 2022 helpful content update and link spam update soon, but as of this morning, it was “still ongoing” according to Google. Google Search Console is not tracking local pack data properly, according to local SEOs. Google said it ignores hidden text on a page. Google is testing full coverage for news results in desktop search. Reviews with photos last longer than without photos, says a new local SEO study.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google: The Helpful Content Update & Link Spam Update Still Ongoing
Welcome back from the holidays, don’t worry; you didn’t miss much. The December 2022 helpful content update and December 2022 link spam update are not done yet. They should be done soon, but right now, when I write this, they are not done. - Ongoing Report: Google Search Console Not Tracking All Local Pack Clicks
For the past few months or so, I’ve been tracking reports that suggest that Google Search Console is not properly tracking clicks and impressions from the local pack. This first came up in September and after numerous requests from SEOs, I have not seen a serious reply from Google on the matter, not yet at least. - Google Search Full Coverage Label On Desktop
Google since 2019 had this “full coverage” label for news stories that showed up in mobile search results. I am not sure if this ever was presented in the desktop results, and that is what we have for you today. - Google: We Ignore Hidden Text On A Page
Google’s John Mueller said that when it comes to hidden text on a page, Google is “good at ignoring it.” It is one of those things that Google seems not to penalize for anymore but rather just not count the text that is not visible on the page. - Study: Reviews With Photos Last Longer In Google Local Results
Another small study says that reviews with photos with them last a lot longer in the Google local listing for a business than reviews without photos. This was another study done by Joy Hawkins and her company. - Google Outdoor Holiday Decorations In Brazil
Here are some photos from the Google Brazil office, they have this amazing outdoor area and they really decorated it up for the holiday season. You can see a massive Christmas tree, large menorah, sta
Other Great Search Threads:
- I’d recommend looking into x-frame-options and using that by default. This also prevents Google when rendering a page to use any iframed content, since it can’t be loaded like that., John Mueller on Twitter
- No, but if you’re finding that you use the feature regularly, probably Google has issues (often quality-wise) with your website that you should work on instead of clicking the button in Search Console that often. Focus on what’s important, and you’ll have, John Mueller on Twitter
- probably yes, but why?, John Mueller on Mastodon
- I’d like to better understand the reluctance about full #search on #Mastodon. Is there an overview somewhere?, John Mueller on Mastodon
- SEO The spammers are ringing in the new year w/ a fresh wave of spam @GoogleMaps @GoogleMyBiz.. Google was letting most of my edits go through last night., Len on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
PPC
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.
Source: www.seroundtable.com
SEARCHENGINES
Daniel Waisberg Hosts Lizzi Sassman & Martin Splitt At Google Tel Aviv

A couple of months before John Mueller visited Daniel Waisberg at the Google Tel Aviv office, Lizzi Sassman and Martin Splitt of Google did as well. Here are the three smiling on the streets of Tel Aviv.
This was shared a while back on Twitter.
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
Google Ad Revenues Down 3.6% Year Over Year

Google reported earnings last night and their ad revenue not only slowed but was technically lower year over year. Google’s ad revenue was down about 3.6%, while total revenue was up just around 1%.
Here is the snippet from the earnings report showing that:
Remember, Microsoft reported earnings the week prior and showed slowed growth but still growth. Microsoft Bing Ads grew 10% last quarter.
Here is a look at Google’s earnings numbers for the past 3 years:
You can see that Q4 2021 was higher than Q4 2022!
Ruth Porat, CFO of Alphabet and Google, said: “Our Q4 consolidated revenues were $76 billion, up 1% year over year, or up 7% in constant currency, and $283 billion for the full year 2022, up 10%, or up 14% in constant currency. We have significant work underway to improve all aspects of our cost structure, in support of our investments in our highest growth priorities to deliver long-term, profitable growth.”
Hence the mass Google layoffs to cut costs and increase profit. Keep in mind, Google’s profit was insane – $18 billion, that is $1 billion in profit per week! Sure, Google’s net income was down 34% year over year, so I get Wall Street.
Forum discussion at Twitter.
SEARCHENGINES
Microsoft Bing ChatGPT Search Interface Screenshots?

Owen Yin shared some screenshots of what he said he saw on the Microsoft Bing website. It looks like the beta version of the upcoming ChatGPT features that we are all expecting Bing to announce in the coming weeks (maybe even this coming Tuesday).
Owen shared these screenshots on Twitter and then posted more details on Medium.
Here is the home page screenshot that widens and enlarges the search box and says “Ask me anything”:
Here is his screenshot of the results, the answers being returned:
And here is the GIF he made of this:
It would not surprise me if this is being tested in the wild by Microsoft Bing, as all the evidence leads to a big announcement about this type of feature being released sometime in the next week or so.
Forum discussion at Twitter.
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