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 is now paying Reddit for its content, when no one really wants to see Reddit content in Google Search anymore. Google Ads is changing its Ad Strength formula after expanding generative AI in PMax campaigns. Google said it is up to you to decide what is helpful. Google Ads API version 16 is out. Bing Search is testing opinion labels. And I posted the weekly SEO video recap.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google: You Decide What Old Content Is Helpful Or Not
The topic of removing or updating or blocking old content from Google is not new, and we covered it countless times. I saw John Mueller of Google comment about it again, this time on Reddit, saying, it is up to you to decide which of your old content is helpful and useful - it is not up to Google to decide that. -
No Joke: Google Is Paying Reddit For More Content, More Often
Google has announced a deal with Reddit to gain access to its content using the Reddit Data API reportedly worth $60 million annually. Yes, Google is paying Reddit to get access to its publicly available content through an API that should make it faster for Google to consume and show us all that content. Not that any of us want to see Reddit content show up in Google Search... -
Google Ads API Version 16 Now Available
Google released version 16 of the Google Ads API yesterday. The update includes additional recommendation types, support for time-related segments, support for advertiser verification, plus much more. -
Google Ad Strength For PMAX To Weigh Assets Quantity & Variety More As AI Expands
Google Ads announced that within Performance Max the search ad company is rolling out asset generation globally in English with more languages to come. Plus, image editing will finish rolling out in the U.S. in March, with global English expansion following shortly after. This means that Google is adjusting its Ad Strength formula to weigh asset quantity and variety more than it use to. -
Bing Search Yellow Opinion Label On News Stories
Bing Search now has these yellow "opinion" labels on news stories within its search results. The label is overlayed on the news story's image and really makes the story stand out from the others. -
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Helpful Content System, Reddit’s Google Deal, Product Variant Schema, Google Ads, Bing Search & Search Volume Predictions
Google spoke more about the time it takes to recover from a helpful content update and then said it is up to you to decide ice what old content is helpful or not. Google said it wants to reward the best content no matter the site size... -
Doogler Coding
Here is a photo of a Doogler, Google employee dog, sitting at a workstation on a chair at the Google Dublin office. I bet it is using Gemini to code up some new search ranking algorithms that really bark.
Other Great Search Threads:
- data-nosnippet is for the snippets, it doesn't affect indexing, John Mueller on X
- Without consent mode v2 implemented, you will lose the ability to remarket to your EEA traffic and lose the ability to serve them ads based on any of their data. This could include: demographic ta, AdsLiaison on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google Ads API version 16 is launching
- Instagram expands Creator Marketplace to help brands find creators for ads
- Google Ads’ ‘pushes’ Performance Max with new Call To Action
- Google Analytics 4 updates Advertising workspace to simplify reporting
- Google announces Performance Max updates – including Gemini integration
- Report: Reddit signs AI content licensing deal with Google
- Link building in 2024: 12 ways to win or fail
- Location targeting in Google Ads: Balancing automation and control
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Advertising section updates, Google Analytics Help
- Guide: Using GPT for Digital Marketing Analytics (with examples), Portent
- SEO ROI Calculator & 5 Ways to Improve SEO ROI, Measure Minds Group
Industry & Business
- Google expands partnership with Reddit, Google Blog
- Nextdoor Board Discusses Replacing CEO Friar or Selling Company, The Information
- US Justice Dept names first AI officer as new technology challenges law enforcement, Reuters
- Why Google ended their on-site childcare, Fast Company
- Google Tweaked Search to Comply With EU Rules. Yelp Says It Makes Results Even More Unfair, Wired
Links & Content Marketing
- What a content marketing manager does: Skills, responsibilities, and keys to success, Wix SEO Hub
- Marketing Team Reorgs: Why So Many and How To Survive, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Heads-up: Connect temporarily inaccessible on February 28, Local Guides Connect
- How to Add Your Business to Google: The Ultimate Guide for 2024, Semrush
Mobile & Voice
- Google spotted making a major push for seamless updates across Android, Android Central
- Simplifying our payment apps in the U.S., Google Blog
SEO
- Exploring TikTok's Potential as a Complementary Force to Google Search, iPullRank
- How Google Search crawls pages, Google Search Central YouTube
- How many news websites block AI crawlers?, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
PPC
- Demand Gen vs Display (the revenge): discover who won, Adworld Experience
- Google Ads scripts updates for v15, Google Ads Developer Blog
- How to Do a PPC Audit in 8 Simple Steps, WordStream
Search Features
- Google tests removing the News tab from search results, Nieman Journalism Lab
Other Search
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.
