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 released a document that shares that the decade old DMCA / Pirate update can reduce traffic to a site on average by 89% and Google made some improvements to it around redirects. Google said the URL inspection tool referring page is not an important piece of information. Google Shopping added short title attributes. Google Shopping search seems not to use exclusion words. Microsoft Bing is testing colorized search ads and organic results.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Strengthens The Pirate (DMCA) Penalty Algorithm
Google sent a document to the U.S. Copyright Office that explains how Google's DMCA update (aka the Pirate update) has been strengthened by (1) catching redirect schemes and (2) a site hit by this demotion on average sees a 89% drop in Google search traffic. - Google: URL Inspection Tool Referring Page Not Really Important
Google's John Mueller said the URLs listed in the "referring page" section of the URL Inspection Tool is not really important. It is just a technical thing showing which URL(s) Google first discovered the page. It has not quality indication and not something to be concerned with, according to John. - Google Shopping Adds Short Title Attribute
Google Merchant Center has added support to Google shopping feeds for a short title attribute. You can use the short title [short_title] attribute to briefly and clearly identify the product you're selling, Google said. - Google Shopping Search Might Not Support Excluding Keywords
Google Search has long supported excluding words from your search by adding a minus sign before the word in the search box. But there are numerous complaints that this does not work in Google's Shopping search results. - Bing Colorized Backgrounds For Search Ads & More
Microsoft is testing or rolling out colorized background patterns for search ads, shopping search ads. Frank Sandtmann, a German based SEO, notified me of this, he saw it in the Bing Image search results but I see them in the main Bing web search results. - Google Chrome T-Rex Dinosaur Beanie Winter Hat
Who doesn't love the Chrome T-Rex dinosaur game? Well, now you can get it on a Google beanie winter hat, if you can find it. This was some swag shared on Twitter the other day.
Other Great Search Threads:
- I'm starting to believe the only people who count words are teachers and SEOs. Search engines definitely don't count words., John Mueller on Twitter
- A MEGA video segment from @johnmu about how, and why, crawling could be impacted. Covers server issues, crawl rate, response time, Core Web Vitals, moving to a new CDN or hosting provider, specifying a crawl rate in GSC, repor, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
- Don't get hung up on the / vs non-/, just think of it as a redirected URL getting another address. Ideally redirect directly to the final location from any URL that's getting traffic (and update your links). Don', John Mueller on Twitter
- So here are some nuggets for you. For $200k we sponsored: - 72 videos - 108 podcast episodes - 138 newsletter issues - 11 standalone projects and events - 9 blog articles - 7 SMM campaigns Total unique partnerships signed: 60, Tim Soulo on Twitter
- Sucks to be Wired with this broken mobile SERP listing I'm seeing. Their listing is completely botched (and I checked across devices, in Chrome and Safari). Query was "bluetooth speaker". Just sent feedback via Chrome. https://t.co, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
- There was a Google Merchant Center feed issue that was resolved this morning, Barry Schwartz on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Microsoft Advertising rolls out dynamic descriptions for DSAs, which will become the default starting in April
- How to improve E-A-T for YMYL pages
- Core web vitals vs. page experience: How they are different
- Google Merchant Center adds short title option for smaller ad placements
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- 10 Digital Marketing Metrics Your Business Pays Too Much Attention To (And Which Ones Actually Matter), Databox Blog
- Attribution Will Never Be The Same On Android – But This Is Not SKAdNetwork All Over Again, AdExchanger
- How to mimic UNION ALL operator with Google Data Studio and combine sets of data, Wissi
Industry & Business
- African developers: creating opportunities and building for the future, Google Blog
- Employee death compensation at Google: 50% salary to spouse and $1000 to children per month, Kalinga TV
- Section 230 Protects Google for Including Telegram In Its App Store-Ginsberg v. Google, Eric Goldman
Links & Content Marketing
- How Does Google Assign Value to on-Page Links? - With Bill Slawski, Internet Marketing Ninjas
- How To Create Inclusive Content To Make Your Audience Feel Seen, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- 1-Star Reviews Have Increased on Yelp for 4 Years in a Row, Local University
- Does a Bipartisan Bill Threaten the Autonomy of Local Platforms?, Street Fight
- Google Maps Looks Ready for the Future, Yet Waze Feels Trapped in the Past, AutoEvolution
Mobile & Voice
- Apple AR headset starting second round of pre-production tests, AppleInsider
- How to factory reset a Google Assistant or Nest speaker, Android Central
- How to turn off Siri and its suggestions on iPhone or iPad, Gizchina
SEO
- How stable is SEO as a growth channel?, Kevin Indig
- 15+ Technical SEO Interview Questions for Your Next Hires, Search Engine Journal
- Google Punishes Pre-Release Piracy Sites Harder in Search Results, TorrentFreak
- International SEO Strategy Guide for eCommerce, Go Inflow
- Google Updates Robots Meta Tag Page To Specify Multiple Meta Tags Are Ok and How GoogleBot Will Process Them, tl;dr Marketing
- What is search intent?, WTF is SEO?
PPC
- GDN Vs. GSN: Which is Better for Brand Awareness?, PPC Hero
- Optimise campaigns with auto-apply recommendations, Microsoft Advertising
- WTF is Google's Topics?, Digiday
- 7 Pro Tips to Save Money (and Compete!) in Google Ads, WordStream
Search Features
Feedback:
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