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.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Search Buzz Video Recap: Google Passage Ranking Live, Search & Image Algo Updates, News/Discover Manual Actions & Dark Theme
This was one heck of a busy week, so sit back, get a drink and enjoy the show (okay, it won't be that exciting of a show but you should still subscribe and smash that like button)... - Google Passage Ranking Is Live In The US English Results
The day we have been waiting for has come on Wednesday, February 10th - passage ranking (formerly known as passage indexing) is live in the US English search results. Google confirmed this after I pinged Danny Sullivan of Google about the status the other day. - Google Image Search Update Reduces Duplicate Images (November 2020)
Google announced it rolled out a Google Image Search algorithm update in November 2020 aimed at reducing duplicate images in the search results, to instead show "relevant yet visually distinct" images. Plus, Google made the alternative meanings refinement boxes more helpful with better images - the company said on Twitter. - Google Search Scroll To Text On Free Product Results
Google is expanding the scroll-to-text feature it has on featured snippets and some other search elements to the free top product listings boxes. Brodie Clark spotted this for a search on [bluetooth headphones] and I was able to replicate this. - Google: Shorter Domains Are Not Better For Ranking Or SEO
Google's John Mueller said that having a shorter domain name or a shorter URL is not going to benefit you in terms of your SEO and ranking in Google Search. He said on Twitter "domain name or URL length is not a factor, adding that "shorter is not better for SEO." - Google SEO Advice On Temporarily Removing Site Functionality In Support Of Action
Google's John Mueller shared a number of tweets the other day with specific SEO advice around what to do when you remove or disable functionality of parts of your website or your whole website in order to encourage users to take action on an issue. So maybe you replace your home page with a message or something else, you want to avoid any SEO issues with doing that. - Google Won't Penalize Your Site For Missing Logos, Menu Links Or Footers
Google's John Mueller said Google does not have manual action penalties for building sites that are missing logos, or missing the menu links at the top or even the footers at the bottom. John said on Twitter "I'm not aware of any manual actions / penalties that we'd apply for lack of those items. Sometimes minimal, old, simplified, or even ugly pages rank well, sometimes that also changes over time." - GooglePlex Sunflower
Here is a sunflower at the GooglePlex, the main Google offices located in Mountain View, California. It was posted on Instagram the other day. It looks pretty happy, don't you think?
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Get ready to ring in the year of the ox with your friends and family. 🎉 Add the new #LunarNewYear filter to all of your Google Duo video calls this weekend to celebrate the new year → https://t.co/x78tllbbm3 https://t.co/alzE, Google on Twitter
- Microsoft Bing's respiratory system tool lets you sort through the different organs and tissues in the human respiratory system, label them and quiz your knowledge. #MSBingEducation Give it a try: https://t.co/GLEOZ653, Microsoft Bing Dev on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google My Business adds messaging to desktop interface
- A Google Ads setting allowed advertisers to exclude people of “unknown gender”
- Google Image Search update reduces duplicate image results
- Google passage ranking now live in US English search results
- The onus of diversity should not fall to Black marketers
- Is Google moving toward being search marketing’s point of singularity: Thursday’s daily brief
- Google Search dark theme mode expands but search ads are hard to distinguish
- In-SERP lead forms convert Google Ads users without a click-through
- Google might have to subsidize journalism, but not like this…
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Botify Analytics & The Search Funnel, Botify
- [VIDEO] What is Google Analytics 4? Should you use it?, Measurement Marketing
- Google Analytics warning signs, Builtvisible
Industry & Business
- How to Quiet the Megaphones of Facebook, Google and Twitter, Wall Street Journal
- What people are saying about Australia’s proposed News Media Bargaining Code, Google Blog
- Analysis: Google partners brace for hit as search giant threatens Australia exit, Reuters
- Microsoft urges US to 'copy' Australian push to make tech giants pay for news, TheHill
Links & Content Marketing
- Copy My Content Marketing Strategy That Delivers Results, Business 2 Community
Local & Maps
- Bing Local Listings now Showing Facebook Reviews, Replaces Yelp, Local University
- GMB showing Staff and Attorneys in Knowledge Panel Results, Local Search Forum
Mobile & Voice
- Google Assistant routines return to Android Auto, 9to5Google
- There is an unofficial Google Assistant desktop client, and it's better than it has any right to be, Android Police
SEO
- 9 SEO Experts on 2020's Impact and SEO Priorities for 2021, Part Two, Wellspring Digital
- Improving the content SEO fitness of your website!, Yoast
- Impactful SEO Audits for B2B, Moz
- What Are SERPs? The Search Engine Results Pages Explained, SEM Rush
PPC
- Advanced geotargeting for the waste industry in Google Ads -, Vertical Leap
- Google Has Been Allowing Advertisers to Exclude Nonbinary People from Seeing Job Ads, The Markup
- New Personalized Advertising Policies Enforcement in Google Ads API and AdWords API, Google Ads Developer Blog
- What Does Google Ads Match Type Update Mean for Search?, Seer Interactive
Search Features
- Scholar Recommendations Reloaded!, Google Scholar Blog
Other Search
- Uncovering Unknown Unknowns in Machine Learning, Google AI Blog
- Lunar New Year 2021 Google Doodle, Google
