The month of July was absolutely insane in terms of Google webmaster topics, just a lot covered, while the specific announcements, although some big, were not earth shattering.
Google released their local search algorithm update named Google Pigeon update and then announced HTTPS is a ranking signal. Webmaster Tools added international targeting, carbon copies of your reconsideration requests, a new robots.txt tester tool and News publisher center , all while dropping author stats.
There may have been algorithm updates on June 28th and July 5th and maybe also on July 30th - keep in mind, we are still waiting for a Penguin update 10 months later. The new quality raters guidelines were leaked again as well.
This is all while Matt Cutts is on an extended vacation.
Here are all the main stories you may want to catch up on for the past month:
Google Pigeon:
- Google Launches New Local Search Algorithm: SEOs Notice Significant Ranking Changes
- Google Pigeon Update: Was It A Major Update?
- Google Pigeon Update: Local Results Updated Again
- Google Gives No Comment On Pigeon Updates
- Going HTTPS/SSL Will Now Give You A Ranking Benefit In Google
- Google Change Of Address Tool Does Not Support HTTPS Migration
- Google News Publishers Can Switch To HTTPS
- SEO Says: I Switched To HTTPS & My Google Rankings Dropped
- Google Webmaster Tools International Targeting Now Available
- Google Webmaster Tools Messages Shows Your Reconsideration Request Submissions
- Google Revamps Webmaster Tools Robots.txt Tester Tool
- Google Webmaster Tools Drops Author Stats
- Google: Manual Actions Updated Twice Daily But Emails Sent Once Daily
- Google News Publisher Center: Webmaster Tools For News Sites
- Automatic Google My Business Listing Verification Via Google Webmaster Tools
- Google Update: June 28th & July 5th?
- Was There A Google Update Yesterday?
- Would Google Release A Penguin Update In The Summer? It's Been 10 Months!
- Google Updates Quality Rating Guidelines - EAT
- MetaFilter's 20 Month Google Algorithmic Penalty Revoked?
- eBay Admits Google Penalty Had A "Dramatic Impact" On Earnings
- Google: Severe Enough Penalty, Delete All Of These Old Sites
- More On Google Sandbox 2.0
- Google's John Mueller: Knowledge Graph Listings Should Not Be Branded
- Mainstream SEOs Now Talking About Google Sandbox 2.0
- Google's John Mueller On If There Is A New Sandbox
- Google's SEO Advice On Maintaining A Discussion Forum
- Google: Where Are The Search Results?
- Google: Moving A Site Has No Long Term Negative Impact
- UC Berkeley & Google Not Getting Along: Indexing & Ranking Issues
- Google Algorithms Are Not The Same In All Countries
- Google: The Effects Of Duplicate Content In Search
- Google Toolbar PageRank Hasn't Been Updated In 8 Months
- Google Notice: This Site Uses Flash, May Not Work On Your Device
- Google Disables Discussion Search
- Google Learn More About Links With Publisher Images
- Google 3D Molecules Knowledge Graph
- Google Timeline Knowledge Graph
- Google Quick Answers For Jewish Food Blessings (Brachas)
- Google Search Adds Calendar & Reminder Integration
- Google Maps Search Results Let You Now Scroll For More Results
- Google Pushed Out New Google Alerts Design
- Google: Show Me Zip Codes For & Map Them For Me
- Google Search Adds Knowledge Graph Box With Translate Box Instantly
- Matt Cutts, Google's Lead Spam Fighter, Takes Extended Time Off
- With Matt Cutts On Leave; Who Will Be Google's Punching Bag?
- Google Webmaster Blog Redesigned
For the previous month's recap, click here.
Forum discussion continued at WebmasterWorld.
