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.
Many SEOs said they will buy links in 2022 despite Google's webmaster guidelines. Google Ads now allows sports betting ads in New York State, now that is a gamble. Google said you can ignore threats asking for do-follow links. Google is testing tending videos in the search results. Google Ads is testing a new live chat design. And I posted a vlog with Riley Hope on the ethics of SEO and automotive SEO.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Many SEOs Will Buy Links In 2022 Despite Google's Webmaster Guidelines
Tim Soulo from ahrefs posted a Twitter poll asking will you pay money to get links in 2022? Sadly, someone spammed the poll but I recreated it and it clearly shows that many, almost half of SEOs, are planning on buying and paying for links in 2022. - Google Ads Allows Sports Gambling Ads In New York Now
Google Ads, as of this past Saturday, January 8, 2022, is allowing certified and state-licensed entities in New York to run ads for sports betting. This was previously disallowed but now that the state Gaming Commission in New York changed the rule, it is now allowed in New York State. - Google Tests Trending Videos In Mobile Search
Google is testing a new trending videos section in the mobile search results. This one was spotted by Khushal Bherwani and he posted a video cast of a list of videos titled "trending salad videos." Here is that screenshot: - Google Ads Live Chat Design Update
Google has updated the design for the Google Ads live chat help box. Brett Bodofsky picked up on the change and to be honest, I have not used this chat box in a long time, so I do not know what changed exactly but I trust Brett. - Google: Ignore Threats For Do-Follow Links
Google's John Mueller said you can ignore threats and blackmail emails from people who demand do-follow links. John said on Reddit when asked about these threats "ignore it, it's just spam." - Vlog #154: Riley Hope On Ethics in SEO & Automotive SEO
Riley Hope came to visit me at my office in October to talk SEO. Riley started in SEO by doing unpaid internships for non-profits after high school... - Google NYC Rooftop Snow
Friday we got our first real snow of the season in the New York City region. Here is a photo from one of the rooftops at Google's NYC office showing the snow hit the city. The city often doesn't get
Other Great Search Threads:
- Another interesting note about Web Stories, they can appear in People Also Ask like other types of content. So they can rank in Search, in Discover (in the Web Stories carousel and in the feed), they receive special SERP treat, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
- Building links this year? There are many tactics to try, but only a few will get you actual results. 🧵 This thread covers: • 3 tactics that don’t work • 3 tactics that do, Debbie Chew on Twitter
- I think for sitelinks this was a bit more common because the space available for a title-link was signficiantly smaller. I don't know how things look space-wis, John Mueller on Twitter
- No, we don’t share your email. If you’re not signed in, we don’t even know it, likely. It’s possible the site works with ad ad system that recognizes you from your cookie and has that linked to an email., Danny Sullivan on Twitter
- The links shown in Search Console are a sample of all the links to the site that we know about. It's not a judgement on whether or not they have an effect; it includes nofollow & disavowed links., John Mueller on Twitter
- 100 requests a day is not really that much. Beware of making a judgement based on a small number like that. https://t.co/cxwZCn7k14, John Mueller on Twitter
- Not the first time I have seen this... You have to love Google indexing glitches. Seeing a page that ranked #1 for its core keyword get deindexed out of the blue, site query shows nothing, BUT... cache query still returns the u, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
- If you go to @googlenews and filter "health", you get mostly legit things around COVID, but also these super click bait listicles which looks like the typical lifestyle articles which I believe, should not appear in, Ori Zilbershtein on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- January 10: The latest jobs in search marketing
- Google Ads to allow ads for sport betting in New York
- Google AdSense related search experiments re-enabled
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- A Look Into Conversion Path Reporting in Google Analytics GA4, CMSWire
- Tracking Outbound Links with Google Tag Manager for Google Analytics, Business 2 Community
Industry & Business
- India hits Google with antitrust investigation over alleged abuse in news aggregation, TechCrunch
- Google, Facebook Slapped With French Privacy Fines Over Cookies, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
- Is There Such a Thing as the Best Word Count for SEO?, Content Marketing Institute
- This Is How AI Content Marketing Will Shake Up 2022, Entrepreneur
Local & Maps
- Major Updates to Google Knowledge Panels for Colleges & Universities, Local University
- Google Releases the First Android Auto Update of the Year with Mysterious Changes, AutoEvolution
- Google Is Making Android Auto the CarPlay Rival Apple Never Wanted, AutoEvolution
- Terrifying blood-soaked clown holding knife spotted on Google Maps, NY Post
Mobile & Voice
- Matter-related smart home announcements from CES 2022, The Verge
- Report: Apple Headset not an 'all-day device,' creating a metaverse 'off limits', 9to5Mac
SEO
- 5 Powerful Soft Skills That Every SEO Should Have, BruceClay
- Search Engine Results Pages and SERP Features Explained, Semrush
- 22 Smart Google SEO Tips for 2022, Moz
- SEO Copywriting - Keep it Natural!, Koozai
- What I Learnt from Analysing 7 Million Log File Events, Screaming Frog
PPC
- Retail Media Is Paid Media, Right?, PPC Hero
- EU carriers want Apple's Private Relay blocked, AppleInsider
Other Search
- Image identification is great, when it works., SearchReSearch
- Honoring Stephen Hawking’s scientific legacy, Google Blog
Feedback:
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