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:
- April 2021 Google Webmaster Report
It was yet another busy month in terms of Google algorithm updates, all of which are unconfirmed. But we had six, maybe seven, unconfirmed updates in March. This is all while we wait for the next Google core update. The good news, featured snippets returned to normal levels in the Google search results. - Google Begins Testing FLoC In Chrome
Google announced it has begun testing FLoC, Federated Learning of Cohorts, in Chrome. Specifically the FLoC origin trial in Chrome 89 will work on websites that don't opt out of it. - Fake COVID Vaccine Ads Hit Google
Despite all of Google's efforts to remove and prevent vaccine misinformation, some do slip through the cracks. Here is one example that was spotted by a former Googler who is now the California Chief Technology Innovation Officer at the California Department of Technology, Rick Klau. - Third-Party Bot Traffic Does Not Directly Impact Your Google Rankings
A webmaster asked on Twitter if having "a lot of bot traffic coming in" and if that bot traffic is "tagged under organic traffic, will this have an adverse any effect or does google ignore this." The answer is no, John Mueller of Google said "That has no effect on Google Search." - Vlog #114: Fay Friedman On E-Commerce SEO vs Other SEO & Common SEO Audit Issues
I met up with the Director of SEO and Marketing of AJH Co, Fay Friedman, in a nice park in New Jersey named Branch Brook Park. Fay has been doing SEO now for over 10 years for a multitude of companies but did a ton of e-commerce SEO in the first part... - Shark In The Google Search Console Report
Normally this feature showcases images at Google and other search companies or swag and stuff like that. But when I saw this Search Console report, I had to share it as a funny image here. It is in t - Google Search Has Themes For Easter and Passover
If you go to Google on desktop or mobile and search for [easter] and/or [passover] you will get a special theme in the search results. This is similar to the themes Google has for the holidays when you search for [christmas], [hanukkah] or [kwanzaa].
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Picture the scene. Page Experience Update hits and none (or very few) of your pages pass the Core Web Vitals assessment. What do you think will happen to your rankings? (I’m clear that it depends...), Natalie Mott on Twitter
- I'm not aware of any specific plans for that at the moment. (As an aside, how do you use the number of URLs per group?), John Mueller on Twitter
- It's kind of like platforms saying “we will reward this behavior until you adapt your business and get too good at it, and then we will punish it.” That’s the unavoidable cycle with spam or SEO. For news orgs, it has been, Daphne Keller on Twitter
- No, Search doesn't treat these sites in a special way. We have general guidance at https://t.co/je8xm91Qjs about temporarily closing, but you'd certainly see effects if a site closed for a year. The web has a, John Mueller on Twitter
- Yeah, it's not a requirement for Search, your site won't disappear if it's not followed. At the same time, it is (going to be) a ranking factor, so I wouldn't totally ignore it., John Mueller on Twitter
- Good example of how the query can be highly influential on this feature. Showing relevant imagery within snippets was always a function of category pages (not new), but the product pricing/titles go one step further here. Again,, Brodie Clark on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Reputation attack sites have plummeted in Google, but can still harm
- What’s new in search: zero clicks, algorithm updates and mobile-first indexing; Friday’s daily brief
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- How to Upgrade to Google Analytics 4 - Complete Guide, Measure School
- Pros and Cons of Server-Side Tagging in Google Tag Manager, Tinuiti
Industry & Business
- Capstone of my career: Email from John Krafcik to Waymonauts, Waymo blog
- Google to Set Up Data Center in Israel, Haaretz Reports, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
- What is a Content Hub? (Examples, Types, and Benefits), Terakeet
- 5 Content Marketing Ideas for May 2021, Practical Ecommerce
Local & Maps
- Consolidating Locations and Google My Business Listings Due to COVID-19, Moz
- Google Maps vs. Apple Maps: Which navigation app is best?, Tom's Guide
- How to use Google Maps to help the homeless, Mashable
Mobile & Voice
- Google Home adds settings to customize 'Feed' tab, 9to5Google
- 7 Google Home commands you should be using every day, CNET
- Google WiFi app to officially shut down by June 2021, Android Community
SEO
- Rankable Ep.35 - How to Foolproof Your Site for Google Updates, iPullRank
- What is an SEO Strategy? 11 SEO Tactics to Create a Winning SEO Strategy, Know Agency
PPC
- The Query Builder Blog Series: Part 1 - Setting the Stage, Google Ads Developer Blog
- Ethical advertising: Protect your brand, Microsoft Advertising
Other Search
