Daily Search Forum Recap: April 19, 2023
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…
Google Ads Looking To Surface More Search Term Data
Ginny Marvin, Google’s Ad Liaison, said on Twitter that there is “ongoing work to surface search term data in privacy-preserving ways.” This also includes bringing “more functionality to search terms…
Google Search Product Image Thumbnail Snippets With Pricing Overl...
Google seems to have rolled out pricing overlays on top of some product thumbnail images within the search snippets. For example, if you search for [diamond bands] and look at…
Google Business Profile Manager Search & Dashboard Bug Hiding...
There is reportedly a confirmed bug with the Google Business Profile Manager where some business profiles are not showing up in the list. This can happen even when you search…
GA4 Fractional Cross-Channel Conversion Credit Now Imported Into ...
Google posted an update that now Google Ads will import fractional, cross-channel web conversion credits from Google Analytics 4 properties. Google said this is even if the last non-direct click…
Google Search Tests Color Swatch For Product Grid Results
Google Search is testing adding a color swatch to the product grid layout in its search results. Google is showing colors in small boxes and a “+ more” label if…
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 18, 2023
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…
Google Vehicle Ads Now Open To Canadian (& US) Advertisers
Google’s vehicle ads, which launched as a beta in January 2022 and then became available to all US advertisers in March 2022, are now available to Canadian advertisers this month.
Bing Chat To Be Able To Process Book Size Documents
Bing Chat may soon be able to process book-size documents, not just a page or two of a PDF of web site, but a whole book. Mikhail Parakhin, the CEO…
Google Investigating New Wave Of Google Ads Disapprovals Issues
There has been another wave of Google Ads disapproval across Google Ads and Merchant Center. Google’s Ads Lisiason, Ginny Marvin, said the Google Ads team is aware of this and…
Google: If You Can’t Block No Result Found Internal Search ...
Google’s John Mueller went on a bit of a rant on Reddit on the topic of having your internal search result pages crawlable and indexable. As you know, in general,…
Google Expands Return / Shipping Details In Search Results & ...
Google announced that it can now show expanded shipping and return information in the Google search results snippets. Google also added new Search Console reporting to help merchants debug these…
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 17, 2023
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…
Google Search Console New Video Indexing Report Inline Data URLs ...
Google will now report inline data URLs that are used as video URLs as “Invalid video URL” in the video indexing report within Google Search Console. This may lead to…
Google On A Site Dropping In Ranking For One Keyword
Gary Illyes from Google spoke about the topic of a website dropping in rankings for a single keyword or single keyword phrase while ranking fine for others. Can it happen?…
Vlog #219: Igal Stolpner On International SEO: It’s About T...
In part one, we learned about who is Igal Stolpner and now in part two we dive into the topic of international SEO. He said while hreflang is important for…
Report: Google Working On New More Personalized Search Engine &am...
The New York Times reported yesterday that Google is working on an “all-new search engine” while also working on Project Magi, aimed to add AI-based features to the existing search…
Google April 2023 Reviews Update – What We’re Seeing&...
On April 12th at noon, while I was offline, Google released the April 2023 reviews update that expanded the product reviews update to go beyond just products and also impacted…
Google FAQ Snippets Drop For Many Sites On April 5th
Google seems to be showing fewer FAQ snippets for many sites starting on April 5th. Over the holidays, I received several questions about this but didn’t have time to write…
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 14, 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. While I was…
Google Android App Tests Additional Search Buttons
Google is testing a version of the Android app that include additional search buttons, many of which the iOS app has had since last year. These buttons include solve homework,…
Google Translate In Mobile Search Adds Camera
If you do some translation-based queries in Google mobile search, you will not just see a Google logo icon but also Google testing a camera icon, to search by camera.
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Reviews Update, Google Core ...
This week in search, we covered the new April 2023 reviews update that goes beyond just product reviews. We also covered the possible impact the Google March 2023 broad core…
Google To Ban Ads For Concentrated Sodium Nitrite Of Over 10%
Google said starting on May 23, 2023, Google will disallow and prohibit ads that sell products with a concentration of more than 10% sodium nitrite. I am sure this may…
Google: Most Links SEOs Make To Gain Rankings & Manipulate Se...
Google’s John Mueller said that when it comes to links SEO make to manipulate search rankings and gain ranking position in Google, those links are mostly ignored by Google Search….
Google Removes Video Thumbnails In Search Results When Video Is N...
Google announced it will remove the video thumbnail image from the search results snippet when that video is not the main content of the page. Google said this change will…
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 13, 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 says just…
Google April 2023 Reviews Update Rolls Out, Expands To Cover Revi...
On the heels of the March Broad Core Update rolling out, Google is now rolling out the April 2023 Reviews Update. And you’re reading that correctly. ‘Product’ has been removed…
Google Tests Automated Product Result Slider Thumbnail Images In ...
A couple of weeks ago, I reported how Google tested a thumbnail image slider in the product grid results in the Google Search results on the desktop interface. Now Google…
Google Tests Local Finder Images Only For Ads?
Google may be testing only showing images in the local finder, the local search results in Google Maps, for listings that are ads. The rest, may only show a map…
Poll: 30% Use More Than Just Google For Search & Discovery
Greg Sterling ran a poll on Twitter asking, “Are you now branching out from Google as a search/discovery tool?” Almost 30% of those who answered, which are primarily SEOs/SEms, said…
Google: Just Because A Site Is Good Now, Doesn’t Mean It Wo...
Google’s John Mueller said on Twitter that just because a site appears to be doing super well in terms of Google ranking and SEO today that it won’t one day…
Google Search Car Carousel
We saw Google label some car types as electric and hybrid a year ago. Now Google has this car carousel in the mobile search that lets you filter by many…
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 12, 2023
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…
Bing on Private Domain Registration & SEO
We know Google says there is no pro or con to using private domain registration for SEO or Google ranking purposes. But Fabrice Canel from Microsoft Bing has hinted that…
SEOs Using Google Indexing API Claim Pages Removed Days After Bei...
We know the Google Indexing API should be used for just job postings and live-streaming content. If you use it for other content, it just won’t do what you want….
Google Tests Expanded Your Google Ad Summary With Edit Ad & A...
Several months ago, Google launched a feature to show those logged into their Google Ads account a section in web search named “Your Google Ad Summary.” It seems Google is…
Google Has Not Pushed Search Ranking Updates Where They Got Every...
Google’s John Mueller was asked about his feelings on the Google March 2023 broad core update and if he can honestly not say that the “update messed the SERP a…
SpamBrain Flexes In Google’s 2022 Web Spam Report
Every year Google releases its web spam report showing how much better the search company got at fighting search spam. This year is no different but here, Google is showcasing…
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 11, 2023
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…
Google Bard Adds Google It Related Topics & Release Notes Pag...
Google has pushed out another feature for Google Bard. When you click on the “Google it” button, it now doesn’t take you directly to Google Search, but rather it gives…
Google Ads Tests Identify Verification For Business Name & Lo...
Google recently brought the business name and business logos to desktop search ads after bringing them to mobile search ads last October. Now, Google posted an update saying, “a subset…
Programming Note: Offline For Wednesday & Thursday
This is a programming note that I will be completely offline on Wednesday and Thursday for the last days of Passover, that is, April 12th and 13th. Any stories and…
Google: No SEO Reason To Delay Release Of Thousands Of Pages
Google’s John Mueller was asked if it makes sense to publish 8,000 new pages at once or slowly publish them over time. Like, would publishing them all at once cause…
Google: Don’t Judge Links Based On The Type Of Site They Co...
Google’s John Mueller does not want you to make generalizations about links. Links from news sites or sites from Germany, or sites from really good-looking SEOs (bad joke?) are not…
Google Ads Testing Another Verification Badge Style
A couple of weeks ago, we spotted Google testing a verified Google Ads badge in the Google search ads snippet. It was a round blue icon, this one is more…
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 10, 2023
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…
Bing Chat May Support Third-Party Plugins Soon
We know that OpenAI’s ChatGPT supports third-party plugins and soon, Bing Chat may also support third-party plugins. Mikhail Parakhin, the CEO of Bing, was asked about the topic and he…
Vlog #218: Igal Stolpner On Moving From Tel Aviv To New York &...
I’ve known Igal Stolpner for a long time now, he was doing SEO at Investing.com while based in Israel for over a decade…
Google: We Learn How To Crawl Your Site’s URL Patterns
Google’s John Mueller said when it comes to sites with pagination and large site’s faceted navigation, Google will learn how to crawl it. He said on Twitter, “we do try…
Google Ads To Deprecate Non-Last-Click Rules-Based Attribution Mo...
Google announced that it would deprecate non-last-click rules-based attribution models in Google Ads and Google Analytics starting in July 2023 and then completely by September 2023.
Google Will Use Generative AI In Search
The Wall Street Journal has an interview with Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, on AI, the future of search and all this Bard and AI stuff. In short how AI might…
Google March 2023 Broad Core Update Impact Local Rankings?
Did the Google March 2023 Broad Core Update impact local search rankings? That is the question many local SEOs are asking in the Local Search Forums.
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 7, 2023
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…
Google: People Searching For Your Brand With Keywords Don’t...
Google’s John Mueller said people searching for your brand name and a keyword phrase does not help you rank better in Google Search or perform better SEO-wise. So having people…
Google Local Search Tests New Placement For Request Quote Buttons
Google is testing new placements for the request a quote feature in the local search results. I am not sure how new this is, but Joy Hawkins, a local SEO…
Google Local Pack Displays Booked Reservations
Google has let you book reservations within the local pack and via Google Assistant for a while now. But what may be new is that Google may show you if…
Google Tests Slider Buttons For Product Result Thumbnail Images
When you see product results in the Google Search results, sometimes on mouse over, the images will rotate when there are more than one product image available. Google is testing…
Google Local Finder With Blended Query Results
I don’t know if this is new (sorry Mordy) but Google is showing this blended local finder result set that seems to bridge two or more different but similar queries…
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Unconfirmed Google Update, Bard &am...
Note I recorded and wrote this recap on Wednesday but scheduled it to go live on Friday morning, and I am offline for Passover. I posted the monthly Google Webmaster…
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 6, 2023
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…
Google Search “Cheaper Options” In Product Detail Ove...
Google Search is testing a new section for “cheaper options” in the product detail overlay window. So instead of just showing related products and product specs and buying options, Google…
Google Search Discovers New Registered Domains For Indexing
Google’s Gary Illyes confirmed that Google does look at domain name records for discovery of new domains to include in the Google Search Index.
Microsoft Advertising Professional Service Ads Global & More ...
Microsoft Advertising announced a bunch of changes to its search ad platform, including the global rollout of professional service ads, bulk operations in the asset library, changes to broad match…
Google: International SEO, CDN Location Does Not Matter
Google’s John Mueller said when it comes to international SEO and multilingual sites, the CDN’s location does not really matter for SEO.
Google Ads Tests AI To Help You Create Ads
Google Ads is running a small test to help you create ads using AI. Google Bard does not power this, but it is a form of artificial intelligence designed to…
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 5, 2023
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…
Programming Note: Offline For Thursday & Friday
This is a programming note that I will be completely offline on Thursday and Friday (also Saturday) of Passover, from Wednesday night April 5th through Saturday night April 8th. Any…
April 2023 Google Webmaster Report
Last month was jammed packed with Google search news including the Google March 2023 broad core update starting on March 15th and completing on March 28th. We had the end…
Google Tests Map Auto-Expansion Feature In Web Search
Google is testing having the map box automatically expand within the web search results, above or on the right side of the local pack results, when you begin to place…
Bing Chat Upgrade v98 Rolling Out Reducing Refusals & Disenga...
Microsoft is rolling out version 98 of Bing Chat which some of you should start seeing later today or tomorrow. This upgrade reduces the number of times Bing Chat will…
Google’s John Mueller On Using AI To Write Content…
So far, Google’s official stance on using AI to write content is just fine, assuming that content was not written to manipulate the search results. If the content is useful,…
Bing AI-Generated Stories In Search Results
A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft Bing started to roll out “stories” in the search results side panel. Those stories are AI-generated stories, created by generative AI and not by…
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 4, 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 Ads New Appeal Warning – Make Sure To Fix Your Viola...
Google Ads added a new notice or warning to the Google Ads appeal form, that says if you don’t fix your policy violation prior to submitting the appeal, Google may…
Google Tests Local Pack Click Overlay Of Business Profile Listing...
Google is testing displaying a business profile listing in an overlay interface within the web search results instead of taking you into the Google Maps interface. So when you click…
Evergreen Content Doesn’t Rank As Well In Google When Topic...
Google’s Danny Sullivan responded to a complaint around why a well-researched and detailed piece of content around Gwyneth Paltrow was not ranking above the “the obvious spammy robo chat churners,”…
Google Remove Outdated Content Tool Remove Competitor Pages?
Brandon Mercer, who works at Hearst Newspapers, posted in the Google Search Console help forums that people are using the “remove outdated content tool” from Google to remove competitor pages,…
Google Search Adds Hotel Room Story Format, Flight Price Guarante...
Google announced three new features for Google travel including a new story format for hotel bookings, price guarantees for some flights and new discover tools for locations.
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 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. I am seeing…
Bing Chat Gets Hit By Robot Scrapers Too
Since there have been webpages on the internet, scrapers have been out there scraping content off those sites for one reason or another. Well, even Microsoft’s Bing Chat has to…
Google Maps Blocked 20% More Fake Reviews In 2022
Google released spam and fraud prevention stats for Google Maps and local search. In short, Google blocked 21% more reviews, 5% more photos, 40% more videos, and 5% more fake…
Bing Chat Adds Images & Videos, Improves Local Results & ...
Microsoft has been busy making improvements to Bing Chat. It not only increased chat limits, is exploring ad revenue sharing, and nicer math formats, but also added image and video…
Seeing Early Signs Of A Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update
I am starting to see early signs of a possible Google search ranking algorithm update touching down this morning, April 3rd. The automated tracking tools are not picking it up…
Microsoft Working On Content Controls For Bing Search vs Bing Cha...
The other day I reported on how some are upset that Bing Chat is surfacing content that is behind paywalls, raising suspicions that Bing Chat is not respecting the robots.txt…
Vlog #217: Sam Michelson On Client Emotions With Online Reputatio...
In part one, we spoke about who Sam Michelson is and his business development techniques. In part two, we dove into CRM software and how they use it, including looking…
