May 2020 Google Webmaster Report

May 7, 2020 - 8:11 am 1 by
Filed Under Google Updates

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The past thirty-days in the Google organic universe was pretty busy, not just with COVID-19 changes to Google search but well beyond that. We had the May 2020 core update released just a few days ago (it was big), there were unconfirmed updates as well, including in local search. Google Shopping went from a paid model to a free model. LinkedIn had its www pages removed from the index for a short period of time. Gary Illyes from Google also said page speed is a teeny tine ranking signal.

Google is now showing more local news in the top stories carousel and if the news is COVID-19 related, it does not have to be AMP compliant. Google said do not depend on the noscript tag going forward. Google Search Console made some changes for COVID-19 and also adjusted some reporting. Google Maps and My Business did many COVID-19 changes ads well. Plus we saw tons of user interface changes, mostly COVID-19 related, plus the Question Hub is more broadly available.

The ongoing WebmasterWorld thread is mostly chattering up the May Core update.

Here is our summary for the past 30-days or so and here is last month's recap.

Google Algorithms:

  • Google May 2020 Core Update Is Live - What We See So Far
  • Sites Impacted By The Google May 2020 Core Update In A Big Way
  • Reminder: Google Core Updates Impact Google Discover Results
  • Google Search Ranking Update Flutters April 28th & 29th
  • Google Search Local Ranking Update - Lots Of Fluctuations
  • Google SEO:
  • Google Shopping Is Free - Froogle Is Back, For Real This Time
  • Free Google Shopping Rolling Out But You Might Not See Free Results Yet
  • LinkedIn Removed From Google's Index
  • Here Is Why LinkedIn Search Results Returned So Quickly In Google
  • Confirmed: Google Site Speed Is A Teeny-Tiny Ranking Factor
  • Google Now Displays More Local News In Top Stories Carousel
  • Google: AMP No Longer Required For COVID-19 News In Top Stories Carousel
  • Google May One Day Drop Support For NoScript Tag For Images
  • Asked Google: Does Searcher Behavior Changes Influence Overall Ranking
  • New Google Government Benefits Schema For COVID-19 Announcements
  • Google Posts New Guide On How To Use Structured Data With JavaScript
  • Google May Delay Mobile-First Indexing Switch Over Deadline Due To COVID-19
  • Google: GoogleBot Would Rarely Ever Submit A Form On Your Website
  • Google: Have Lots Of Soft 404s In Search Console? Check Your Internal Links.
  • Google: Limit HREFLANG Implementations To Where You Have Unique Content
  • Google: Too Many Heading Sections Is A Waste Of SEO Time
  • Google Search Console:
  • Google Search Console Is Tracking Fewer Pages For Reporting
  • Google Search Console Adds Reports & Tools For SpecialAnnouncement
  • Google Search Console Adds Copy Feature To URLs
  • Google Discards Duplicated Reconsideration Requests
  • Google Performance Reports Filter Out Automated Queries
  • Google Search Console COVID-19 Announcement Beta Tool
  • Google My Business & Local: 
  • Google Maps Now Displays Takeout & Delivery Labels
  • Google My Business Adds Telemedicine Links For Doctor Offices
  • Google Local Panel Can Show COVID Testing Center Details
  • New Google My Business COVID-19 Responder Policy For Hotels
  • Google Adds "Get Online Care" Links To Local Panel
  • Google Has Free COVID-19 Posters For Your Business
  • Google Local Services Ads COVID-19 Services Selections
  • Google User Interface Tests:
  • Google Tweets Its Search Changes For COVID-19
  • After Testing; Google Launches Search Tips For Queries That Do Not Return Great Matches
  • Google Tests Side Bar Filters Design In Search Again
  • Google Testing More How To Schema Rich Results Interfaces
  • Google Tests Underlining Searches Related To
  • Google Tests Black URL Under Snippet Title
  • Google Tests Moving Review Stars Lower & Changing Colors
  • Google Tests New How To Recipe Results Interface
  • Google Continues To Tests Favicons In Search Results After Removing Them
  • Google Question Hub:
  • Google Tests Questions Box In Search Results In US For COVID-19 Queries
  • Google Search Console Inviting Publishers Into Question Hub
  • Google Question Hub's "What Is Your Question" Is Wider Than COVID-19 Searches
  • More Google Question Hub Screen Shots
  • Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.

     

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