Daily Search Forum Recap: January 18, 2024

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.

There is this weird trend of some sites being dropped from the Google index on weekends and returning on weekdays - it is super unusual. Google launched Circle of Search and new AI-powered multisearch, which seems gimmicky but might be useful. Bing has gained less than 1% market share a year after launching Bing Chat/Copilot. Google is testing new product and local carousel snippet images. Google will change some of its results for vertical search boxes in Europe in the coming weeks, I share what that might look like.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Ranking Teetering In & Out Over Weekends - Bug Or Edge Of Quality?
  Google Search seems to be ranking some websites just fine during the weekdays and then removing that ranking over the weekends. It seems to be focusing heavily on non-standard TLDs, you know, those new vanity TLDs that you can make up. I am just not sure if this is a Google Search issue or if the issue is with the quality of those websites.
• Google Circle To Search & Upgraded AI-Powered Multisearch
  Google announced two new search features, the first being circle to search and the second is AI-powered multisearch experience. Both seem like upgrades to Google Lens, let me take you through both.
• Report: Bing Gained Less Than 1% Market Share Since Adding Bing Chat
  It has been just about a year now since Microsoft launched Bing Chat (now known as Copilot) and Bing's market share has only grown less than 1% according to StatCounter. Most of you may not be surprised, since our poll shared shortly after Bing Chat launched had most of you thinking Bing won't gain that much market share from this feature.
• Google Search To Show More Third-Party Comparison Websites In Europe
  Google announced it will be making changes to its search results to comply with the new regulation called the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This will result in some Google vertical search units being removed and third-party comparison site units being added to the search results.
• Google Tests Search Result Snippet Product Listings & Local Images
  We have seen Google show product images in snippets in many variations over the years. Now Google is at it again but not just with products but also local listings. The weird thing is that these listings go to product listing pages and not the products themselves.
• Doogler In Google Conference Room Meeting
  Here is a photo of a Doogler, a Google dog, in a meeting in a conference room at the main Google office, the GooglePlex, in Mountain View, California. I spotted this photo on Instagram.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Bing Chat has implemented two tabs for Designer: Image generator and Copilot., Shameem Adhikarath on X
• Noticed new menu called 'work' on Bing., Shameem Adhikarath on X
• Google just added 6 new categories for Google Business Profiles including: - Business attorney - RV detailing service - Solar panel maintenance service, Joy Hawkins on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google shows off Circle to Search and new AI-multisearch experience
• Google updates data privacy policies for targeted ads in the EU
• Google to change European search results to show comparison sites
• Setting PPC goals: How to tailor KPIs and metrics for each funnel stage
• Google Ads lays off hundreds of staff amid support crisis
• Modern SEO: Packaging your brand and marketing for Google
• New research study asks if Google Search is getting worse
• AI-enhanced YouTube marketing: Insights from 3 case studies

Other Great Search Stories:

Industry & Business

• An update on our preparations for the DMA, Google Blog
• Google CEO tells employees to expect more job cuts in 2024, The Verge
• Google updates Chrome Incognito disclaimer amid $5 billion lawsuit settlement, MSPoweruser
• YouTube Cuts 100 Employees as Tech Layoffs Continue, New York Times
• Microsoft’s Bing Search Engine Market Share Barely Budged After Adding ChatGPT, Bloomberg

Links & Content Marketing

• How To Bring Personality to Your Content and Personas, Content Marketing Institute
• The Importance of Building Community on Your Blog, Problogger

Local & Maps

• Android Auto getting AI summaries and more relevant replies, 9to5Google
• What to Do With Aging Local Business Content: Review, Update, and Re-promote!, Moz

Mobile & Voice

• Amazon Is Struggling With It's Next Gen "Remarkable Alexa', Business Insider
• Google planning to add AI image generator directly to Bard, 9to5Google

SEO

• Google’s ‘People Also Search For’: Unlock SEO Opportunities, Semrush
• Google’s video search update: What’s new?, Yoast
• How Entities are Shaping the SERPs and What That Means for SEOs, Advanced Web Ranking
• Google News Overwhelmed by Gambling Affiliate Spam, Gambling Industry News

PPC

• Deprecation of cross-device conversion metric values in the Bid Manager API, Google Ads Developer Blog
• Using Google Ads AI to set up new campaigns, Browser Media
• Marketers make the shift as Google actually kills the cookie, Digiday

Search Features

• The impact of Google’s SGE & What To do About it [With SGE Traffic Risk Assessment Sheet], Aleyda Solis

Other Search

• Answer: How do you use LLMs in your SearchResearch?, SearchReSearch
• Microsoft weirdly rebrands Bing Image Creator into Image Creator from Designer, MSPoweruser
• Samsung’s Galaxy S24 will feature Google Gemini-powered AI features, TechCrunch
• How To Read Google Patents In 5 Easy Steps, Search Engine Journal

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.