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.
When will Google push out the next confirmed Google ranking update? Google Business Profiles restaurant menu highlights feature is out. A report says custom services in Google Business Profiles helps with rankings. Google Ads moved reporting to a new location. Microsoft's Copilot app for iOS finally supports Copilot Pro. Google put the "Add notes" feature in the URL bar and in the SGE while browsing.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Storm Coming: Next Confirmed Google Search Ranking Algorithm Coming Soon?
It has been almost 12 weeks since the last confirmed Google search ranking algorithm was released. That was the November 2023 reviews update. Before that was the November 2023 core update. Since then, we have had plenty of unconfirmed updates (or ranking bugs), but none have been confirmed. -
Google Business Profile Restaurants Menu Highlights - Make Corrections
Google seems to have launched a new feature for some restaurants to make corrections and updates to the feedback customers leave about their menus and dishes. This feature is called Menu Highlights and you can select an item and submit feedback to Google to let them know if the dish is no longer served or if the name of the dish is not accurate. -
Report: Custom Google Business Profile Services Impact Rankings Too
A new report says that custom Google Business Profile services also impact rankings, maybe to a lesser degree than normal services. This report was from the folks at Sterling Sky who shared some limited data on the topic. -
Google Ads Reports Moving To New Location
Google seems to be testing moving the reports around in the Google Ads advertiser console. There is a bit of a debate amongst advertisers if this is a good change or not. -
Microsoft Copilot App Gains Support For Copilot Pro
A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft introduced Copilot Pro, the paid premium version of Copilot, formerly known as Bing Chat. And on Friday, Microsoft finally added support for Copilot Pro to the iOS app (with Android coming really soon). -
Google Puts "Add Note" In URL Bar & SGE While Browsing
Google has added the "add note" search labs notes feature to the URL bar and in SGE while browsing. This makes it way more visible to add a note to a document than before, by placing the add note button directly on the web page you are reading, and not just in the search result snippets. -
Doogler (Google Dog) Locker Room
Here is a locker room at the Google New York City office for Dooglers, Google dogs. At least I think they are for Dooglers and not Googlers. I mean, there is a dog sitting next to it, so that must be enough evidence that these lockers are for dogs and not people? :)
Other Great Search Threads:
- I'm personally curious to get your thoughts on AI-generated images!, John Mueller on LinkedIn
- Both @JohnMu and I have passed this along. The team involved is indeed checking on all this., Google SearchLiaison on X
- At Google News itself, in the search box, look for the down arrow option at the end. It allows for date limited but not actual sort by date. I don't think that's a recent change -- did you used to see, Google SearchLiaison on X
- We're investigating reports of an issue with Google Ads. We will provide more information shortly. The affected users are unable to access Google Ads. Please see the dashboard for updates, AdsLiaison on X
- Exactly the same model, though., Mikhail Parakhin on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Some advertisers are unable to access Google Ads
- ChatGPT vs. Google Bard vs. Bing Chat vs. Claude: Which generative AI solution is best?
- Client onboarding and offboarding: The PPC agency’s guide
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Data validation, not set and other rows, and unexpected trends in Google Analytics reports, Google Analytics on YouTube
- How Custom Extractions Can Level Up Your Reporting, Women in Tech SEO
Industry & Business
- Linus Torvalds flames Google kernel contributor, The Register
Links & Content Marketing
- What Marketers Should Do as Google Crumbles Third-Party Cookies, Content Marketing Institute
- Maximizing ChatGPT for Content Creation, Level343
Local & Maps
- Apple Maps errors show small businesses as closed down, 9to5Mac
- Hands-on: Ford debuts new in-car digital platform with dual-screen Apple Maps via CarPlay, 9to5Mac
- How to hide Precise Location on iPhone, AppleInsider
- Programming Languages Behind Google Maps, Analytics Insight
Mobile & Voice
- Google Assistant is getting revamped on Android Auto with AI in mind, Android Police
- Apple Vision Pro says 'Hello' in new ad spot, AppleInsider
- Meta Welcomes Headset War With Apple, Wall Street Journal
- Apple's Shazam can now identify songs playing inside other iPhone and iPad apps even while you're wearing headphones, iMore
- Assistant with Bard could arrive on Pixel phones on this day, Android Authority
- Samsung to Integrate Baidu’s Ernie AI in Latest Galaxy Phones in China, Bloomberg
SEO
- IndexWatch 2023 US - Winners and Losers, SISTRIX
- Pagination and SEO: A Complete Guide to Best Practices, Semrush
- Article Fact-Checker AI and SEO, WordLift Blog
- Behind the Bylines: 5 SEO Challenges for News Publishers, Sitebulb
- Reddit Keyword Research: Unearthing Content Treasures, Keyword Insights
PPC
- 13 Google Ads Tips for Better Results in 2024, Semrush
- Complete Guide for Google Ads & GTM Conversion Tracking, Hopskip Media
Search Features
Other Search
- What You Should Know About LLMs, Moz
- An AI opportunity agenda for ASEAN, Google Blog
- Mixed-input matrix multiplication performance optimizations, Google Research Blog
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