SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: May 13, 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 explains the differences between algorithm updates, data refreshes and more – again. Google Search Console doesn’t keep data for de-indexed URLs. Google lifted some of the manual actions over the site reputation abuse policy. Google said the video needs to be super obvious on the page for it to be a video page. Google Ads updated its disclosure policy for event ticket pages. Google I/O is tomorrow – I decided not to attend in person, it is just easier to cover at my desk.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Again On Difference Between Algorithm Updates & Data Refreshes
Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, posted on X explaining the differences between algorithm updates, like core updates, and then data refreshes, the data that goes into those ranking systems. This is actually something Matt Cutts, former Googler, did back in 2006, on his blog and now Danny Sullivan did a short version of it on X. -
Google Lifts Some Site Reputation Abuse Policy Penalties
About a week ago, we reported that Google began enforcing its new site reputation abuse policy by issuing manual actions and ranking penalties for those sites that violated those policies. Google seems to be now lifting some of those manual actions where the sites took the necessary action and no longer are violating the policy. -
Google Search Console Doesn’t Keep Data For Most De-Indexed Pages
Gary Illyes from Google said on LinkedIn that Google Search Console doesn’t “keep (almost) any data for un/de-indexed.” -
Google: Video Pages Need To Be Super-Obvious Video Play Pages
In April 2023 and December 2023 Google changed how it classifies what it would consider video pages. In short, the video on the page needs to be the main piece of content for Google to show it a video thumbnail in the search results and to show it in the videos tab in Google Search. -
Google Ads Updates Disclosure Policy For Event Ticket Sale
Google Ads will be modifying its disclosure policy for event ticket sale. The update will say that the “disclosures should be easily visible and clearly explained in the top 20% (above the fold) of any destination when reached via an ad.” -
Google Gemini Swag: Bag, T-Shirt, Jacket & More
Google has given some folks some new swag for its Gemini AI features, formerly known as Bard. Here are some photos of the Gemini bags, t-shirts and jackets.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Missing Google I/O – just so much easier covering it from my desk than at the event. Hope all the SEOs going have a blast!, Barry Schwartz on X
- I caught a Google test. Check out the posts on this listing; they’re FB posts, not GBP posts. Can’t see it again. Has anyone seen this?, Amy Mattison Toman on X
- Noticed a few changes on Google’s local panel: Reviews now appear in a block card format with filter options. Both image/video and text reviews are displayed in this new format directly on the local panel, visible at the right, Shameem Adhikarath on X
- I work for the Google Search teams. Not the PR team. Also, I’ll give you a little background here. Maybe you’ll find it helpful, maybe not., Google SearchLiaison on X
- not gpt-5, not a search engine, but we’ve been hard at work on some new stuff we think people will love! feels like magic to me. monday 10am PT., Sam Altman on X
- a page cannot both have a noindex robots meta tag and redirect. It can only be one or the other. – a page blocked by robots.txt will not be crawled, so Googleb, John Mueller on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
- Big Tech regulatory crackdown spreads to Asia and Australia, Financial Times (Sub)
- Google layoffs in SF impact dozens, KRON4
- Sam Altman shoots down reports of search engine launch ahead of Google I/O, The Verge
- Apple Closes in on Deal With OpenAI to Put ChatGPT on iPhone, Bloomberg
- All About Googleplex, Google’s Main HQ: Size, Cost; Other Offices, Business Insider
- An Ex-Google Employee Shares Layoff Indicators, Red Flags, Business Insider
- Microsoft to invest 4 billion euros in France, Reuters
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: June 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’s June 2024 spam update is now completely rolled out, I have all the details. Google posted an interview with Elizabeth Tucker on how Google measures search quality. Google expanded Product Studio to more countries and added file uploads and new themes. Menu items and popular times may be Google local ranking factors. Google Ads now supports a special WordPress conversion code method. Bing’s people also ask can be generated using AI. And I posted the weekly SEO video recap.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google June 2024 Spam Update Finished Rolling Out
Google has completed the rollout of the June 2024 spam update after a seven-day and one-hour period. This update started on June 20, 2024, and was completed on June 27, 2024. This was a broad spam update, not a link spam update, and it did not automate the site reputation abuse policy. -
How Google Measures Search Quality – Interview With Elizabeth Tucker
Elizabeth Tucker, Director, Product Management at Google Search was a guest on Google’s Search Off the Record podcast where Lizzi Sassman and John Mueller of Google asked her about search quality, how Google measures it, and so much more. I will post my notes below but the two things that stood out to me are: -
Report: Menu Items & Popular Times Are Google Local Ranking Signal
There is a new report out that says menu items and how busy you are during Google Maps popular times are both ranking factors and signals for Google’s local ranking system. Claudia Tomina posted the details on her blog and told me she tested this across numerous businesses. -
Bing People Also Ask Now May Include AI Generated Content
Microsoft may now include AI generated content within the Bing Search people also ask sections. Bing is labeling some of the people also ask boxes with the disclaimer, “Includes Al generated content.” -
Google Product Studio Expands To More Counties, Adds File Uploads & New Themes
Google Product Studio, which is part of Google Merchant Center Next, now works in the UK, India, and Japan. Google also added file upload support to Product Studio and additional seasonal-themed templates. -
New Google Ads WordPress Conversion Google Tag Code
Google seems to be rolling out new WordPress specific conversion code for Google Ads. This seems like a Google Tag code with easier set up for WordPress sites. -
Google Super Mario Game Room
Here is a photo of one of the rooms at the Google office, the GooglePlex, where they have a room for gaming. The theme of the room is Super Mario Brothers. Look at the desk, the walls, etc. -
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google June Spam Update Done, Continuous Scroll Gone, AI Overview Links Improving, Google Ads Query Matching Update & More
This week, Google completed the rollout of the June 2024 spam update over a 7-day period. Google has dropped its continuous scroll interface for the search results. Google is testing placing link cards at the top of the AI…
Other Great Search Threads:
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
- 9 Surprising Takeaways From Analyzing HubSpot’s SEO Strategy, Ahrefs
- A Complete List of Google’s Autocomplete Signals in Chrome, Dejan Marketing
- Does Google Know if Content is Accurate? A review of a page struggling to rank behind potentially inaccurate & unhelpful content., Marie Haynes
- Is OSO, organic search optimization, the new SEO?, Yoast
- The Ad Experience Report in Google Search Console: Why It Fails Site Owners, How It Provides A False Sense of Security, And How It Could Be Improved, GSQI
- SEO Reporting for Agencies (With Real Report Examples), Ahrefs
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: June 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 is testing link cards at the top of the AI Overviews. Google says it is working on improving its ranking algorithms at the system level, not site by site level. Google Ads has updated its query matching and brand controls and advertisers are happy. Google Chrome launched some new search features for mobile devices. Google Search is testing sliding the page right when you type a new query.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Tests AI Overview Link Cards At The Top
Google is testing placing the link cards at the top of the AI Overviews box within Google Search. Instead of having them deep at the bottom, they are being tested at the top, which would clearly drive more clicks to publishers than the current implementation. -
Google: Our Search Rankings Can Improve But At Scale & System Level
Danny Sullivan, the Google Search Liaison, said it again, that “there’s clearly more we should be doing” with ranking websites that deserve to rank better in Google Search. He clarified that this is not something Google does manually, on a per-site basis. Instead, Google does this at scale by updating its ranking systems and algorithms, he said. -
Google Ads Changes Query Matching & Brand Controls – Advertisers Happy
Google Ads announced updates to its Search ads query matching and brand controls that made advertisers happy (it has been a while). The updates include better reporting for misspellings, negative keywords now block misspellings, and changes to brand inclusions and brand exclusions. -
Google Chrome For Mobile Adds Local Chrome Actions, Search Shortcuts & Trends
Google has announced a number of new search-related features to its mobile version of the Chrome browser. These updates include new local Chrome Actions, new search shortcuts, trending in search suggestions and more. -
Google Tests Search Results Sliding Right To Next Page On New Query
Google seems to be testing (or maybe it is a bug) having the search results page slide over right to the next page (visually at least) when you enter a new query. It seems like some new animation when you change your query from the Google Search results page. -
Google I’m Feeling Lucky Swag Dispenser
Google has some sort of booth set up in Kraków, Poland and at that booth was a swag dispenser. The booth looks like a Google search home page and has an I’m Feeling Lucky button to press to get some Google swag, I think.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Looks like Google might be looking to switch up the appearance of free listings in the Shopping tab. Seeing a test in the US where it has product grids (that prev. only appeared in the main section) instead of the Shopping results. UK ha, SERP Alert on X
- Google results have gotten worse, and it’s costing you money. To illustrate this, we analyzed the top results for one of the most popular search queries: “best rewards credit cards.” The top results are not the best for consumers., WalletHub on LinkedIn
- We’re sharing an update on the advanced Voice Mode we demoed during our Spring Update, which we remain very excited about: We had planned to start rolling this out in alpha to a small group of ChatGPT Plus users in late June, but need on, OpenAI on X
- When SEO tools surface your tweet ranking for a competitive YMYL finance query. Note, it’s already on page 2 and will drop quickly, but that was fun while it lasted. It was #5 for a good part of yesterday, Glenn Gabe on X
- Apologies for the slow response. It seems there was an issue earlier today that has since been addressed. If you’re continuing to experience issues, let me know (DMs are open).” / X, AdsLiaison on X
- If SEO Dies – What Would You Do for Work?, Reddit
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: June 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 has dropped continuous scroll in its desktop search results, with mobile search to follow. Google says, despite what some SEOs say, you should not avoid including the brand name of what you are reviewing in your review content. Google Ads is testing a target ROAS insights box for PMAX and shopping campaigns. Google Business Profiles verification status gains new tools. Google fixed a scary bug with Google News and Publisher Center.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Drops Continuous Scroll On Desktop With Mobile To Come
Google Search is rolling back its continuous scroll user interface and bringing back the legacy Google Search pagination bar. Google told us that starting yesterday it will stop offering continuous scroll on desktop, with the mobile search interface to follow in the coming months. -
Google: Don’t Avoid Mentioning Brand Names In Your Review Content
Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, responded to some new SEO advice floating around the SEOverse that suggests you should not add the brand name of the products you are reviewing in your review content. Sullivan disagreed with this advice and said, “you shouldn’t be afraid to mention the brand name of something you are reviewing.” -
Google Ads Tests tROAS Insight Box for PMAX & Standard Shopping
Google is testing a new ads insights box and report that shows target ROAS insights for Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns. The report shows if your actual ROAS is within the expected range. The Graph shows weekly ROAS averages, including projected conversions. -
Google Verification Status Tool Gains New Options
Google has added new fields and options to the Google Business Profiles verification status tool. These options should help some businesses that are having issues getting verified on Google Maps. -
Google News Sources & Google Publisher Center Bug Fixed
We knew Google would stop accepting publications into Google News Publisher Center, but Google also stopped showing news “sources” in Google News, stopped showing a follower count for those sources, and stopped providing access to Publisher Center features to news organizations. This bug was fixed by Google this morning. -
Google Wall Of Influential Women
Google’s Mountain View, California office has a wall up that showcases some of the more influential women. I am not sure which office this is in, I am thinking it is in the new campus.
Other Great Search Threads:
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
- “Unicorn” Clicks & the Magic of Etymology for SEO Research, Ethan Lazuk
- Duplicate, Google Chose Different Canonical Than User. What It Is, Causes, & How to Fix, Ahrefs
- How Brands Can Use STAT To Thrive Amidst SERP Chaos, Foundation Inc
- Minification and SEO: A short guide, Oncrawl
- The Statistics Behind Google’s Search Average Position, Lawyer Marketing
- The Hard Work of Maintaining Your Google Rankings, SERP’s Up SEO Podcast
- What is a Spam Score or Toxic Score in SEO, SEO Webster
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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