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
Google Won’t Change The 301 Signals For Ranking & SEO
Gary Illyes from Google said on stage at the SERP conference last week that there is no way that Google would change how the 301 redirect signal works for SEO or search rankings. Gary added that it’s a very reliable signal.
Nikola Minkov quoted Gary Illyes as saying, “It is a very reliable signal, and there is no way we could change that signal,” when asked if a 301 redirect not working is a myth. Honestly, I am not sure the context of this question, as it is not clear from the post on X, but here it is:
More from @methode:
– 301 redirect not working is a myth. “It is a very reliable signal, and there is no way we could change that signal”.#SERPConf2024#SERPConf2024International— Nikola Minkov (@n_minkov) April 19, 2024
We’ve covered 301 redirects here countless times – but I never saw a myth that Google does not use 301 redirects as a signal for canonicalization or for passing signals from an old URL to the redirected URL.
Forum discussion at X.
Note: This was pre-written and scheduled to be posted today, I am currently offline for Passover.
SEARCHENGINES
Google Again Says Ignore Link Spam Especially To 404 Pages
I am not sure how many times Google has said that you do not need to disavow spammy links, that you can ignore link spam attacks and that links pointing to pages that 404/410 are links that do not count – but John Mueller from Google said it again.
In a thread on X, John Mueller from Google wrote, “if the links are going to URLs that 404 on your site, they’re already dropped.” “They do nothing,” he added, “If there’s no indexable destination URL, there’s no link.”
John then added, “I’d generally ignore link-spam, and definitely ignore link-spam to 404s.”
Asking if it would hurt to disavow, after responding with the messages above, John wrote:
It will do absolutely nothing. I would take the time to rework a holistic & forward-looking strategy for the site overall instead of working on incremental tweaks (other tweaks might do something, but you probably need real change, not tweaks).
Earlier this year we had tons of SEOs notice spammy links to 404 error pages, John said ignore them. In 2021, Google said links to 404 pages do not count, Google also said that in 2012 and many other times.
Plus, outside of links to 404 pages, Google has said to ignore spammy links, time and time again – even the toxic links – ignore them. The messaging around this changed in 2016 when Penguin 4.0 was released and Google began devaluing links over demoting them.
Here are those new posts in context:
I’d say add both. Lol
— Jeremy Rivera (@JeremyRiveraSEO) April 11, 2024
Sure. But also, save yourself the work completely :-).
— John 🧀 … 🧀 (@JohnMu) April 11, 2024
Re-reading your initial post – if the links are going to URLs that 404 on your site, they’re already dropped. They do nothing. If there’s no indexable destination URL, there’s no link. I’d generally ignore link-spam, and definitely ignore link-spam to 404s.
— John 🧀 … 🧀 (@JohnMu) April 11, 2024
… but still… is this a dumb idea?
— Rebekah Edwards (@rebekah_creates) April 11, 2024
It will do absolutely nothing. I would take the time to rework a holistic & forward-looking strategy for the site overall instead of working on incremental tweaks (other tweaks might do something, but you probably need real change, not tweaks).
— John 🧀 … 🧀 (@JohnMu) April 11, 2024
And in general, Google says it ignores spammy links, so you should too (not new) but this post from John Mueller is:
I would just ignore them, Google ignores them too. Sometimes they’re just more visible in tools, but that doesn’t mean they’re a problem.
— John 🧀 … 🧀 (@JohnMu) April 18, 2024
And then also on Mastodon wrote about a similar situation, “Google has 2 decades of practice of ignoring spammy links. There’s no need to do anything for those links.”
Forum discussion at X.
Note: This was pre-written and scheduled to be posted today, I am currently offline for Passover.
SEARCHENGINES
Google Needs Very Few Links To Rank Pages; Links Are Less Important
Gary Illyes from Google spoke at the SERP Conf on Friday and he said what he said numerous times before, that Google values links a lot less today than it did in the past. He added that Google Search “needs very few links to rank pages.”
Gary reportedly said, “We need very few links to rank pages… Over the years we’ve made links less important.”
I am quoting Patrick Stox who is quoting what he heard Gary say on stage at the event. Here is Patrick’s post where Gary did a rare reply:
I shouldn’t have said that… I definitely shouldn’t have said that
— Gary 鯨理/경리 Illyes (so official, trust me) (@methode) April 19, 2024
Gary said this a year ago, also in 2022 and other times as well. We previously covered that Google said links would likely become even less important in the future. And even Matt Cutts, the former Googler, said something similar about eight years ago and the truth is, links are weighted a lot less than it was eight years ago and that trend continues. A couple of years ago, Google said links are not the most important Google search ranking factor.
Of course, many SEOs think Google lies about this.
Judith Lewis interviewed Gary Illyes at the SERP Conf this past Friday.
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