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 responds to complaints about examples of hurtful and dangerous search results. Google Ads tests a "people also consider" label on search ads. Google is not going to close down the site command. Google Ads tests "get phone number" button instead of "call" button. Google says the differences between a 404 and 410 are too minimal.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Responds To Claims Where Search Results Can Be Harmful & Dangerous
Over the past few weeks, Google's Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, has been replying to complaints about some examples of search results being not just low-quality but also potentially harmful and dangerous. The sad part to me is that a couple of years ago, this was not the case with the Google search results (for the most part). -
Google Is Not Removing The Site Command Search Feature
Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison, confirmed that the search company is now closing the site command search operator. He said this after there were some complaints about the operator not working properly. -
Google Ads With People Also Consider Label
We recently covered Google labeling the Google Ads with Related to your search labels and now we are seeing Google label ads with "People also consider" labels. Why is Google doing this? I really don't understand to be honest. -
Google: Differences Between 410 and 404 Is Too Minimal
The SEO topic of using a 404 versus a 410 error status code for pages not found is one of those topics that has been around for the past two decades. And now Google's John Mueller replied to another question about it saying that the difference between the two is so minimal that it doesn't matter. -
Google Ads Tests Get Phone Number Button
Google is testing replacing the "call" button in the Google Ads, including Local Service Ads, with a "get phone number" button. This is a much longer phrase to use, but it is much more descriptive of what the button actually does; it gives you the phone number to call on your own. -
Google Tubes
Here is some prop that Google had an event at the Dublin office focused on Privacy and Measurement. It had a growth theme and the prop are these Google tubes with maybe leaves in them, to symbolize growth? I don't know - help me out here.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Google looks to be showing web page snippets with no description more often lately. This isn't the first time this has happened, but looks to be occurring more often., SERP Alert on X
- Latest in SEO: Google seems to be considering a reversal of site names for web pages on mobile, where the brand name is being added back to the title link. Not too long ago, the default would have Google appending the brand name t, Brodie Clark on X
- Not quite. Enhanced conversions is available for both Google Ads and Google Analytics, and it functions a bit differently in each. Enhanced conversions in Google Ads improves attribution when your conversions, AdsLiaison on X
- The Chrome Android team have made improvements to cookie caching, which saw noticeable improvements to INP and knock on effects to LCP. We think this was a large factor in the improvements we have seen this month., Chrome UX Report on X
- Well, the paywall clearly isn't helping :) -> An internal "traffic sheet" from a source shows the Washington Post website had ~55M monthly visits in February 2024, down 60% from ~140M visits in April 2020, Glenn Gabe on X
- What's the oldest, still currently enabled, campaign in everyone's accounts? December 2015 for us. #PPCChat Same month that Derrick Henry won the Heisman trophy., Greg on X
- #SEOtip Use (\w*\W){5,} regular expression in Google Search Console to identify long-tail keywords, Yordan Dimitrov on X
- Random HREFLANG Questions, Reddit
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Meta advertisers claim sales are down and costs are up due to glitchy automated system
- Google updates Merchant Center product data specifications
- B2B audience targeting: Meta Ads as an alternative to LinkedIn
- How to maximize your local business’ Google Maps presence
- Sneak peek: SEO and PPC sessions coming to SMX Advanced
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- 11 KPIs You Should Track In Google Analytics 4, Go Fish Digital
- Unveiling the Peculiarities of Google Analytics 4: A Closer Look at 9 Quirky Features, WebProNews
Industry & Business
- Gemini 1.5 and Google’s Nature, Stratechery
- Google files to build second data center at Mesa campus in Arizona, Data Center Dynamics
Links & Content Marketing
- 5 Reasons Why a Content Audit Is Useful, Online Marketing Blog
- How To Set Up a Content Publishing Process, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Google Maps sends patients to a school miles away from their doctors’ appointments, NBC4 Washington
- Google Maps switches from custom to native share sheet, 9to5Google
- Next-Generation Apple Maps Could Look for Routes Automatically, Offer Personalized UI, AutoEvolution
Mobile & Voice
- Amazon to Stop Paying Developers to Create Apps For Alexa, Bloomberg
- Best Apple Vision Pro third-party apps in April 2024, AppleInsider
- How Android and Google Play drive global growth, Google Blog
SEO
- Enterprise Ecommerce SEO: Strategy, Tools, Tips & More, Measure Minds Group
- Free Shipping Threshold Attribute For Google Merchant Center, FeedArmy
- How to bulk export Merchant Listings data from Google Search Console (GSC) via Analytics Edge in Excel, GSQI
- Understanding and Using Barnacle SEO: 6 Top Techniques, Semrush
- Understanding Core Web Vitals, Amsive
- Washington Post Web Traffic Numbers Keep Sinking, Washington City Paper
- New Review ID Requirement For Product Review Feeds, FeedArmy
PPC
- Competitor Monitoring: 7 ways to keep watch on the competition, PPC Hero
- Demystify and Advocate for IAB/MRC Retail Media Measurement Guidelines, Microsoft Advertising
Search Features
Other Search
- 6 Chromebook tips to boost your productivity, Google Blog
- Google's CEO On What Search Will Be Like In 10 Years, Search Engine Journal
Feedback:
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