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 that writing content with a lot of fluff makes it hard for search engines to understand - but it does seem like Google ranks fluffy content higher. Google said the search quality raters guidelines are not designed for SEOs. Google Business Profiles has a new security feature to prevent new owners and managers for making edits to their businesses for a seven-day period. Google local search results has grouping carousels and count labels. A poll says SEOs are going to allocate more resources to content over other areas of SEO.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Reminder: Google Search Quality Rating Guidelines Not Designed For SEOs
Google's John Mueller posted a short post on Twitter that needs to be highlighted. He said "the quality raters guidelines are not guidelines for SEOs though." We often forget that, these search quality raters guidelines are for the search quality evaluators, they were not specifically designed as guidelines for SEOs. - Google: Fluff Content Hard For Search Engines To Understand & Maybe Rank
Google's John Mueller the other day said on Twitter the example given to him was "less about duplicate content, and more about fluff." He said when it comes to fluff content, it makes "it hard for search engines to figure out what you're trying to say." - Google Business Profile Makes New Mangers & Owners Wait 7 Days To Manage Profiles
Google is putting new Google Business Profile owners and managers into a sandbox, penalty box or a waiting room for seven-days before they can manage all of the features in the Google Business Profile account. This is a new, I guess, security feature, Google added the other day. - Google Local Search Results Grouping, Carousels & Count Labels
Google has been pushing the limits of its user interfaces in the local search results in web search and some of the other filters. I don't know or even think any of this has been rolled out recently but I do think this did roll out in 2021. In short, Google local search results are grouping things more, using more carousels and even offering filters with count labels. - Survey Says SEOs To Allocate More Resources To Content Over Other Areas
Aleyda Solis posted a Twitter poll asking "in what area do you expect to allocate more resources/efforts in SEO this year?" She said you should base it on what you have planned so far. Most responded it is going towards content, then technical SEO, then link building and other. - Amazon Rivian Van
I spotted a video on Twitter of an Amazon delivery van but not just any Amazon van, a Rivian electric van. It was charging at a rusty :) charging station. I spotted this on Twitter, here is the vide
Other Great Search Threads:
- If you remember the Decor My Eyes situation, Google published a post explaining more about the algorithmic approach used to demote that site & others like it. They mention sentiment analysis & its limitations at the ti, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
- In case if you are wondering why your e-commerce merchant center promotions are getting rejected, below mail from google may give you some clarity #ppcchat #googleads https://t.co/VN0b4nDD7l, Dheeraj Gangwani on Twitter
- Well this is some fresh BS @GoogleAds So you can't really tell if my RSAs are poor, average or good until they get 5,000 Top impressions? Cause you're showing a status w/out anywhere near that level of impressions in las, Julie F Bacchini on Twitter
- 11 years ago, I rebuilt @Google’s error page. A short story. https://t.co/BjoJaQn9zn, Jens Oliver Meiert on Twitter
- Are fresh links better because they're fresh, or worse because they're not old?, John Mueller on Twitter
- I know people just want all data for data's sake, but would they remove these terrible interstitials because of it? They must already know users hate the interstitials (& their site because of them)., John Mueller on Twitter
- I’m excited to join @semrush as the Head of Enterprise Solutions. My past 21 year’s experience in SEO and building software make it the perfect foundation and time to work together on smart and innovative Enterprise SEO, Marcus Tober on Twitter
- Interesting, looks like this feature (first test in Sep 2021) has rolled out in the US. Is a snippet for pages that looks very similar to Product Schema, but isn’t. Instead based on HTML from the page to give an accurate p, Brodie Clark on Twitter
- The new size-adjust CSS font-face property is incredibly powerful. With minimal effort it can help eliminate custom font layout shift/CLS. Supported browsers today are the Chromiums and Firefox. I made this tool to figure out t, Malte Ubl on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google Business Profiles sets waiting period for new owners and managers
- Yoast SEO 17.9 adds keyphrase performance tracking
- E-commerce sales jumped this holiday season as search marketers weathered Google updates
- Become a master of search marketing in 2022
- Your guide to Core Web Vitals tactics using Cloudflare and WebpageTest
- Why does Google tip us off to search updates with minor ranking impacts but surprise us with the major ones?
- Big data gives way to more flexibility
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
- Google Staff Get Pricey Fast Covid Tests While Contractors Wait, Bloomberg
- Google's cofounders feared they would lose control if their company went public. Warren Buffett solved their problem., Business Insider
- Google’s $114 Million Fine Backed by France’s Top Court, Bloomberg
- Watchdog says Google offers to exclude Showcase from general searches in Germany, Reuters
Links & Content Marketing
- What Is A Content Marketing Matrix & Do We Need One?, Search Engine Journal
- Why Press Releases Still Matter to SEO and How to Write One, BruceClay
Local & Maps
- 5 Things You Didn't Know About Local Landing Pages, Portent
- Microsoft has released new and updated building footprints, Bing Maps Blog
- When Do You Need A Subdomain For Local Ranking In Yandex?, Russian Search News
Mobile & Voice
- Apple is late to AR, but it's going to succeed the way it always does, AppleInsider
- Google Duo audio bug w/ Android 12 set to be resolved, 9to5Google
- Google rolling out Android 12L Beta 2 for Pixel phones, 9to5Google
SEO
- 8 Losing Tests from SearchPilot, SearchPilot
- Faceted Navigation for eCommerce Websites: Guide for SEOs, Go Inflow
- How To Inject Search Volume and CPC to Google Search Console (GSC), iPullRank
- SEO for Google's 'People also ask', Practical Ecommerce
- Shopify SEO: the ultimate guide, Yoast
- Should You Provide Free SEO Writing Samples?, SuccessWorks
- What Is Googlebot & How Does It Work?, Ahrefs
- What Is Lead Generation in SEO?, Business 2 Community
PPC
- Best Practices for Amazon Sponsored Products, PPC Hero
- Google Ads releases industry & dimension in search audiences, Adworld Experience
- Microsoft Advertising Partners: What’s new in 2022, Microsoft Advertising
Search Features
- Clustering Entities in Google SERPs Updated, Go Fish Digital
Other Search
- Chrome Canary adds quick access to extension permissions, Chrome Unboxed
- The new normal: Google searches reveal America's COVID shopping habits, Axios
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