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:
- March 5th Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update?
I sound like a broken record but I am once again seeing chatter and signals of yet another Google search ranking algorithm update. This one starting around March 5th and continuing through today. There is chatter in the WebmasterWorld forums and also signs from the various tracking tools. - Google: No SEO Benefit To Having Images On Your Own Domain Name
Google's John Mueller said again that there is no specific SEO benefit for hosting your images on your own domain name. You can host them on your domain name or host them on another domain name, it shouldn't image how well that image ranks. But John does say you may want to host it on your domain name so you have more control if you switch CDNs in the future. - BingBot Both Crawls Your Site & Is Used For Webmaster Tools Verification
Did you know that Bing has tasked BingBot, their crawler, to not just crawl the web but also to be used to verify your web site in Bing Webmaster Tools? Yea, if you use the meta tag verification method, BingBot will be the one who goes and checks for that meta tag. - Moz Updated Domain Authority (DA) & Some SEOs Are Freaking Out About Their Google Rankings
I am not surprised, as you probably could tell when I wrote about my issues with Moz's domain authority a month ago. Moz updated their DA (domain authority) scores and some SEOs are freaking out that their Google rankings will drop. DA and Google rankings have absolutely nothing to do with each other. - Google Shoppable Ads In Image Search
Google has launched a new ad format on image search named shoppable ads. It is a test right now where Google will highlight multiple products available for sale within your sponsored ad among Google Images results. Below is a GIF of it in action: - SEO Google Humor: Do SEOs Live & Work In Rankweil?
Google's Martin Splitt posted a photo on Twitter of a train stopping at Rankweil, a town in Austria I believe. He said "Austria has a town that ranks well... I wonder how many SEOs live & work there?
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- The time has come! The new Domain Authority has officially arrived, and it's a more accurate score than ever before! Learn more about what this means for you and how you can communicate this change to your stakeholders. https://t.co/yzzhb, Moz on Twitter
- AdSense Ad in carousel, is that pushing my luck?, WebmasterWorld
- Migrating from http to https via canonical ONLY for 10 days, WebmasterWorld
- We'd generally fold those images into a single one anyway, if they're the same, so there's nothing to gain from just copying the same file multiple times. Keeps it a bit easier for you too :)… https://t.co/tS1Gmdt2Yh, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Moz on Domain Authority 2.0: How SEOs should (and shouldn’t) use it
- More ‘shoppable ads’ coming to Google Images
- SEOs on Google e-commerce category recommendation: ‘I’ll stop doing it when it stops working.’
- How to Use Intelligent Site Search to Increase Conversions
- Yelp adds ‘Verified Licenses’ for local providers to lineup of paid products
- Report: 51% of web site hacks related to SEO spam
- Maximize Clicks in Bing Ads now available globally
- Voice gaining on mobile browser as top choice for smartphone-based search
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Event Tracking and 10 Fundamental Questions to Answer First, Online Metrics
- Getting started with Google Analytics, Whole Whale
Industry & Business
- Doing our part to share open data responsibly, Google Blog
- Google denies it's still working on censored China search engine, CNET
Links & Promotion Building
- A Comprehensive Analysis of the New Domain Authority, Moz
- Who links to my site? Find out who is linking to your website., Hallam Internet
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
- First photos of second generation Google Glass Enterprise w/ USB-C leak out [Gallery], 9to5Google
- Mobile Voice Usage Trends in 2018, Stone Temple
SEO
- 2009 vs 2019 SEO. How HomeToGo Overtook Airbnb, SISTRIX
- Best Detergent for Kids Clothes - Google's Perception of User Intent Matters for SEO, Eli Schwartz
- Debugging Common SEO Issues: Part One, Authority Labs
- From Our SEOs to Yours: Result Types, Conductor
- SEO This Week • Episode 109 • Fake Reviews, Algo Updates, Dead SEO, Digitaleer
- The Beginner's Guide to Small Business SEO (6 Easy Steps), ahrefs.com
PPC
- AdWords API v201806 sunset reminder, Google Ads Developer Blog
- Google Ads API Policy Notes, Google Ads Developer Blog
- Google IF Function Ads: How They Compare to ETAs, Metric Theory
- PPC Advertising Techniques That Entice Users to Take Action, Red Canoe Media
- PPC and AMP Pages, PPC Hero
Search Features
- Google’s Natural Language Processing API Tool for SEO, Majestic Blog
Other Search
- Searches for "Black girl magic” are on the rise, Google Blog
