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 may have been a Bing Search ranking algorithm update, as covered by Glenn Gabe. Google Search Console Insights has an "achievements" section now. The Google layoffs are so sad but the fear for many Googlers is still there, they don't know if they have a job or not. Connected structured data versus not connected, doesn't matter for Google SEO. Yahoo will make search cool again, or so they say? Oh and Google Ads had an outage this morning, it should be resolved by now. And more...
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Possible Bing Algorithm Update On Wednesday, January 18th
There was a possible Bing algorithm update that rolled out on January 18, 2023 that's impacting some sites heavily. - Google Ads Outages Impacting Many Advertisers
Google has confirmed outages across the Google Ads network, including Google Ads for Search, Google Ads for other surfaces and many of the Google Ads management projects, like Search Ads 360, Display and Video 360 and Campaign Manager 360. - Google Search Console Insights Achievements Section
Google Search Console Insights seems to have added a new section named "Achievements." I believe Google would email these achievements but now there is a section at the top of the Google Search Console Insights site that archives these for you. - The Google Layoffs Are Sad For Many But The Fear May Be Worse
As many of you know by now, Google announced mass layoffs due to "difficult economic cycles." Those Googlers in the US were already informed by Friday morning if they had a job at Google or if they were no longer employed. Googlers outside of the US are not going to find out for a month or so if they were part of these layoffs. - Google: No Preference Between Connected Structured Data In Graph Array Or Disconnected Individual Elements
Google's John Mueller was asked if there is a Google SEO preference to having your structured data connected in some graph or node array versus having them as individual elements in their own blocks on the page. John said that Google has no preference. - Yahoo To Make Search Cool Again
Yahoo posted on Twitter under its Yahoo Search account, "Just popping in to remind everyone that we did search before it was cool. BRB making it cool again." Is that some sort of tease that Yahoo is about to announce something big with web search? - Vlog #207: Jeff Ferguson's History In The Search Marketing Space
Jeff Ferguson is the CEO of Amplitude Digital, and he has been in the search space for a really long time. He is also an Adjunct Professor at UCLA. In part one, we went through his long career in this space... - Google BBQ At The GooglePlex In The Winter
Google hosted some sort of BBQ event at the GooglePlex, which is in Mountain View, California. It is cool that Google does a BBQ for the Googlers but it is even cooler it is done in the winter month o
Other Great Search Threads:
- So happy to release The State of Technical SEO Report 2023 in partnership with @techseowomen. Take a look at the report below for insights on areas such as - Technical SEO tools - Measurement and effectiveness of technical S, Paddy Moogan on Twitter
- The problem is mostly with non-ASCII characters in URLs of links because the "actual URL" can vary depending on the character encoding of the page with the links (especially if we have to guess at the encoding, or if the encoding is wrong)., John Mueller on Mastodon
- Especially for larger sites it's good to understand how "conditional GET requests" work, which is where the 304 status comes from., John Mueller on Mastodon
- If you're selling the products, I'd use your price. If you're not selling them, then I'd just be clear about which price you're mentioning in the text of the page (don't confuse users), John Mueller on Twitter
- Search Console only shows child sitemaps when the index sitemap is processed. You can submit child sitemaps individually. Google doesn't process all sitemap files all the time, for some, John Mueller on Twitter
- The removal tool doesn't deindex them; it prevents them from being shown in the results. Robots.txt doesn't block a URL from being shown (though it wouldn't have the content to display)., John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- TikTok has a secret “Heating” (cheating?) button
- Is AI-written content replacing cheap old content farms?
- Report: Google search will debut chatbot features this year
- Businesses, users, experts defend big tech against algorithm lawsuits
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- 13 key SEO metrics to track in 2023
- How Google’s continuous scroll can impact SEO
- Alphabet to lay off 12,000 roles across various product areas, levels, functions, and regions
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Google Analytics 4: What You Need to Know, Mercury News
Industry & Business
- Google to cooperate with Indian authorities after losing Android antitrust ruling bid, TechCrunch
- Google to delay portion of staff bonus, Reuters
- A difficult decision to set us up for the future, Google Blog
- Google Cutting 12,000 Jobs in 6% Slash to Global Workforce, Bloomberg
- Meta, Twitter, Microsoft and others urge Supreme Court not to allow lawsuits against tech algorithms, CNN Business
- Twitter, Meta Back Google in Key Supreme Court Case, Bloomberg
- Microsoft has laid off entire teams behind Virtual, Mixed Reality, and HoloLens, Windows Central
Links & Content Marketing
- Don’t Limit Audience Data to a Legal Concern, Content Marketing Institute
- Interactive Content: 10 Types To Engage Your Audience, Search Engine Journal
- Top 3 Content Marketing Trends to Include in 2023 Strategy, TechBullion
Local & Maps
- Porsche brings CarPlay to older models with new upgrades, AppleInsider
- How Google Maps leverages government knowledge to improve cycling features, Android Police
- Why You Should Download Google Maps Offline Before a Trip (and How to Do It), CNET
Mobile & Voice
- Google preps AI products for I/O 2023, like Pixel wallpaper maker, 9to5Google
- 10 Best Artificial Intelligence Apps You Should Know in 2023, Analytics Insight
- How to use Google Assistant on an Apple iPhone or iPad, XDA Developers
- Make Your Google Assistant Instantly Less Annoying by Disabling These 5 Settings, CNET
SEO
- Google E-E-A-T: How to Add "Experience" and Improve Your SEO Content, Amsive Digital
- Schema App's Response to Latest Requirements from HIPAA, Schema App
- SEO Pricing: How Much Does SEO Cost in 2023? [Industry Research], Ahrefs
- What Is a Core Update? – Whiteboard Friday, Moz
- Speed Up Ecommerce Keyword Research with GSC + Semrush, Decode Digital Market
PPC
- Google is increasingly turning to resellers as it conducts the largest round of layoffs in its history, Digiday
- The Power of Persuasive Copywriting for Advertising, PPC Expo
Other Search
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, you can follow us on Facebook and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
