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.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Tests Questions Box In Search Results In US For COVID-19 Queries
Google has expanded the Google Question Hub feature, where Google shows a question box in the search results. Google told me they are piloting this now in the US specifically for COVID-19 queries where Google's search results may not have content to satisfy the query. - Google Performance Reports Filter Out Automated Queries
Google's John Mueller said on Twitter that Google tries to filter out the automated queries from rank checking tools and similar tools in its performance reports within Google Search Console. John said "We do filter out a ton of these, but I imagine you'll always end up with some of the requests in your stats." - Google Tests New How To Recipe Results Interface
Google seems to be testing a new interface for how to results, maybe just with recipes or maybe more wide spread. Brian Freiesleben shared this recipe result that shows the old and new interface side by side. - Yesterday's Google Indexing Issue Seems Resolved
Yesterday afternoon I reported on Search Engine Land that Google seemed to be having issues indexing new content. This was maybe for an hour or two, where if you published new content, Google would not index or show it in the search results. Based on my tracking, this lasted about two hours and Google fixed whatever issue there was. - Google Shopping Is Free - Froogle Is Back, For Real This Time
Google announced some big news - Google Shopping is now free. That means you can add your products for free to the Google Shopping tab in Google Search. Google said "Beginning next week, search results on the Google Shopping tab will consist primarily of free listings, helping merchants better connect with consumers, regardless of whether they advertise on Google." - New York Google Cafe Views
Here is a photo uploaded to Instagram just a day ago from the Google NYC office. He said this is the view from one of the cafes in the Google NYC office. I've never been to a cafe in this office with
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Australia To Develop Code of Conduct For Tech Giants to Pay For News Content, WebmasterWorld
- It took a hive to make today's interactive #EarthDay #GoogleDoodle possible 🐝🐝🐝 Huge thanks to @honeybeetweets for collaborating with us! Swarm here to learn more → https://t.co/cbeIpTweSr https://t.co/81gUtpOZ8, Google Doodles on Twitter
- On-Page Keyword Optimization When Page Ranks Well?, WebmasterWorld
- SEOs are sometimes obsessed about any and all URLs that are indexed for a site, regardless of any practical implications. Using x-robots-tag noindex on a sitemap f, John Mueller on Twitter
- W T F ? search "tv television and film" and then hit "images" - HOW IS THIS CP POSSIBLE????, Google Search Community
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Fake reviews problem is much worse than people know
- Google testing Question Hub in US for COVID related queries
- Google not indexing new content again
- Schema.org vs. what Google supports: Know the difference [Video]
- Considering software to manage your digital commerce advertising? Here’s what you need to know.
- How to use LinkedIn Ads’ new company targeting options to boost B2B lead generation
- Facebook pulls back on Campaign Budget Optimization mandate
- In major shift, Google Shopping opens up to free product listings
- Amid the economic gloom, some hopeful indicators emerge for marketers
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- 30 Minute Google Analytics Audit, In Marketing We Trust
- Google Data Studio: 5 Charts for Visualizing your Data, Towards Data Science
- Marketing Attribution – Multi-Touch ROAS Models Explained, Tools Reviewed, Dilemmas Answered, Effin Amazing
- Tuning Google Tag Manager for Speed, Dexecure
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
- Alexa Brings Thousands of Coronavirus Answers to India, Voicebot
- Google makes 'Hey Google' sensitivity setting official, 9to5Google
- Latest Google app beta tests new in-app web browser, 9to5Google
SEO
- Complete Guide to the Fundamentals of Google’s E-A-T, BruceClay.com
- Why Bother with a Site Migration?, Searchmetrics
- How Google SERP Layouts Affect Searching Behavior, Moz
- No-Nonsense Ways COVID-19 Is Changing Digital Marketing & SEO, RankRanger
PPC
- 3 Terrible Reasons to Avoid Smart Bidding (And 8 Great Reasons to Use it), Seer Interactive
- COVID-19 insights & trends – April 21 edition, Microsoft Advertising
- Google Updates Shopping Ads (PLAs) To Show Multiple Images, Metric Theory
- Testing Automated Bidding with Google's Maximize Conversions, Portent
- Third-party government services disallowed, Microsoft Advertising
Other Search
- Dalgona coffee whips up global interest, Google Blog
