Daily Search Forum Recap: April 25, 2024

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.

The Google March 2024 core update is still rolling out and the SEO chatter is super heated despite the tools calming. Google Ads API version 16.1 is now out. Google's John Mueller says splitting and merging sites takes longer than normal site moves for Google to process. Google updated its favicon documentation. And a scathing report on how Google executive Prabhakar Raghavan killed Google Search.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google March Core Update Stilling Rolling Out & Heated SEO Chatter Continue
  Over the past few days, while I was offline, the SEO chatter around the Google search ranking volatility continued to be super heated. The Google tracking tools seemed to calm down a bit, but the chatter is still very heated. This is all while the Google March 2024 core update is still rolling out 51 days later.
• Report: How Prabhakar Raghavan Killed Google Search
  Ed Zitron wrote a piece named The Man Who Killed Google Search. It goes through in detail how Prabhakar Raghavan, Google's former head of ads - led a coup so that he could run Google Search, and how an email chain from 2019 began a cascade of events that would lead to him running it into the ground, he said.
• Google Favicon Documentation Adds Rel Attribute Value Definitions
  Google has updated its favicon documentation for Google Search to add definitions for each supported rel attribute value in the Google Search favicon documentation.
• Google Ads API Version 16.1 Now Available
  Google released version 16.1 of the Google Ads API yesterday. The update includes query assets for Demand Gen, more location service details, more support warnings, Target ROAS bid simulation and more.
• Google: Splitting & Merging Sites Takes Longer Than Normal Site Migrations
  Want to scare an SEO? Just tell them they need to manage a site migration. Want to make an SEO faint? Tell them they need to manage to split a site into two or more sites while merging content on those sites. John Mueller from Google said it takes Google longer to process site splits and merges than normal site migrations.
• Google Chefs In Dublin
  Here is a photo I found on Instagram of a bunch of chefs at the Google office in Dublin. I am not sure if this was for some event or if Googlers were doing some sort of cooking class but it was a photo that caught my eye.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Interested in AI assistants within YouTube? -> The new experimental "Ask AI" feature in YouTube is pretty cool. Just tap the button and ask any question about the video you're watching. Note, AI can't control the video player as of n, Glenn Gabe on X
• What skeleton do you have in your closet?, WebmasterWorld
• Googlebot will crawl from one location (often the US), and if you redirect it based on its location, Googlebot would only see (and index) that country version. It's better to use something like a banner., John Mueller on X
• I don't know your sites, but even if the content's the same, they're essentially different sites (especially with ccTLDs), so it would be normal for a migration to affect them differently (and this seems to be quite a way back in the meantime)., John Mueller on X
• Search engines recrawl URLs at different rates, sometimes it's multiple times a day, sometimes it's once every few months. The verified removal tool is fastest, the public removal tool takes a few days because it needs to verify the URL properly., John Mueller on X
• You are now a Google Search Engineer. How do you fix organic search?, Gareth Boyd on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• TikTok sell or ban bill becomes law
• Head of Google Search demands urgency as growth slows
• Reddit introduces Dynamic Product Ads
• What does Google want from SEOs? What is the future of PPC?
• LinkedIn advertising: A comprehensive guide
• Google delays third-party cookie phase-out to 2025 (maybe)
• 3 ways to target your PPC competitors’ audience
• Report: Google Search CPC up 13% YoY; ad spend growth slowing
• Best of SearchBot: Create a recovery strategy for a site hit by a Google core update
• Google accused of anti-competitive tactics by Japanese regulator
• TikTok SEO: The ultimate guide
• 6 vital lenses for effective keyword research

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• What is Google Consent Mode V2 & How to Implement It, Measure Minds Group

Industry & Business

• Google Wins Motion to Block DOJ, State Coordination on Ad Tech, Bloomberg
• Google working with startups on climate solutions using AI, Google Blog
• Google search boss Raghavan warns employees of 'new operating reality', CNBC
• The Man Who Killed Google Search, Wheresyouredat

Links & Content Marketing

• Find Bloggers and Creators with Influence and Authority with Author Explorer, Majestic
• AI Content Optimized for E-E-A-T, Moz
• How Content Creators Build Brand Culture, Amsive
• Influencer marketing & SEO for evergreen campaigns, Wix SEO Hub
• InLinks launches Internal Linking Audit Tools, InLinks

Local & Maps

• How To Request Ownership of a Business Profile, Sterling Sky
• We Lost a Local SEO Client — How We Solved It, Moz

Mobile & Voice

• Apple Vision Pro shipments cut as demand wanes, AppleInsider
• New Ray-Ban | Meta Smart Glasses Styles and Meta AI Updates, Meta
• Google Podcasts' export tool is rolling out worldwide ahead of June shutdown, Android Police

SEO

• 'Social SEO' trend increases online visibility, DMNews
• 7 Ways SEO and Product Teams Can Collaborate to Ensure Success, Moz
• An Easy Explanation of Entities and SEO, Adam Riemer
• Is Google laying the smackdown on affiliate marketing?, SERP's Up SEO Podcast
• What Are Sitelinks? How to Get Them & Why They Matter, Semrush
• Why SEO testing matters even more for YMYL businesses, SearchPilot
• Why tech SEOs should collaborate with brand, social and digital PRs for E-E-A-T, Oncrawl
• Wix Studio: Top 5 features for SEOs & digital marketers, Wix SEO Hub

PPC

• PPC for Retail: Biggest Trends, Challenges, & Strategies for Success, WordStream
• Unlocking Success with Performance Max Campaigns, Location3 Media
• Discovering and Diagnosing a Google AdSense Rendering Bug, Merj
• Google delays third-party cookie demise yet again, Digiday
• How to Find and Use Competitor Keywords, Ahrefs
• Q&A: Promoting your app or game with Apple Search Ads, Apple Developer
• Updates to Healthcare and Medicines Policy (May 2024), Google Advertising Policies Help
• Windows 11 Start menu ads are now rolling out to everyone, The Verge

Search Features

• Which Copilot Plan Is Right for You?, Microsoft Bing
• Why Google's AI search could have positives for publishers, Press Gazette

Other Search

• Apple releases OpenELM: small, open source AI for devices, VentureBeat
• Microsoft Makes a New Push Into Smaller A.I. Systems, New York Times
• OpenAI shrugs off Llama 3's ascent with new enterprise AI features, VentureBeat

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