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 said AI-generated content needs human oversight. Bing Search has select text to search in Bing Chat now. Google said HTML to text ratio makes no sense. Google is testing colored topic refinement search bubbles. Google is testing a list view for local service ads. And I posted the weekly search buzz video recap.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google: Human Oversight For AI Generated Content Is Important
Google's Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, said it is important that there is human oversight when it comes to using AI-generated content. He said this on Twitter after speaking at the Google Search Central Live event in San Francisco last night. - New: Bing Search Select Text To Search Bing Chat
We previously reported how Bing Chat lets you select text on the Bing search results to conduct another search. Now Bing is expanding that to also let you search directly on Bing Chat, not just Bing Search. - Google: Text To HTML Ratio Makes No Sense For SEO & Ignore It
Google's John Mueller is at it again, saying that text-to-HTML ratios are not a thing for SEO. He said on Reddit, "It makes absolutely no sense at all for SEO," and you should "ignore any report that gives you a text:html ratio." - Google Tests Colored +Topics Search Bar Refinements
Google is testing using colors for the +topic search bar refinements, those bubble buttons you sometimes get under this search bar in Google Search. I am seeing normal white buttons, then grey, blue and green, but I am sure there are more. - Google Tests Local Service Ads List View
Google is testing showing two local service ads in a list view, a change from it showing three local service ads in a carousel format. Google actually switched to three LSAs a year or so ago, up from two, and is now back to testing two. - Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google News Publisher Bug, FAQ & HowTo Rich Results Drop, SEO Old Content & GPTbot
For the original iTunes version, click here. Google has a bug with the Google News Publisher Center where some publishers' feeds were days behind... - iJustine With Google's Peter The Greeter
I don't subscribe to many YouTube channels but I did subscribe to iJustine's channel because I am an Apple fan boy... It was cool to spot her in a photo with Peter the Greeter at Google. I also met iJ
Other Great Search Threads:
- Foot Locker was able to increase their image thumbnails on Google by 343% for category pages with this one simple change. They received a significant uptick in images being indexed, resulting in them surpassing key local com, Brodie Clark on Twitter
- Huh. New survey in Google Search Console to improve reporting for the news industry (about time!), including a link to a survey. Sample questions shown below., Kyle Sutton on Twitter
- I don't think we'd remove features just because they're not useful on your particular site., John Mueller on Twitter
- Totally up to you. IMO the world of mobile sites is in a significantly better place nowadays than it was back in the early days of AMP; maybe yours is fast & useful. There's no special treatment for AMP anymore, so when your mobile site is ready, it's a r, John Mueller on Twitter
- Yeah, "disconnected" usually means someone removed the verification tokens and then reverification in Search Console failed, so at some point it stops collecting data., John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google Ads API version 14.1 rolls out
- Lyft starts serving ads on its app
- How to use SEO and CX for better organic performance
- New York Times: Don’t use our content to train AI systems
- Google tests scan-to-call QR codes and extra images on sponsored ads
- 3 creative-driven tips to optimize your PPC performance
- YouTube launching New and Returning Viewers by Format report
- Digital PR vs. manual link building: Adapting to the modern search landscape
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Google Launches Beginner-Friendly GA4 Training Course, Search Engine Journal
Industry & Business
- The Value of News Content to Google is Way More Than You Think, Tech Policy
- Google’s Waymo, Cruise Get Nod to Expand San Francisco Robotaxis, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
- Outreach and Building Relationships: The Power of Genuine Connections, Koozai
- The Soul Of B2B: Tactics For Making Marketing Connections That Endure, Online Marketing Blog
- You Can Get a Brand Authority Score Now, But What Does It Really Tell You?, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Google Maps Rival Announces a Massive Update on CarPlay, AutoEvolution
- Waze Says No to a Top Feature Request, Google Maps Ignoring It Too, AutoEvolution
Mobile & Voice
- How to set up Google Assistant on the Galaxy Watch 6, Trusted Reviews
- In iOS 17, Siri can make the web speak, Six Colors
SEO
- Gootloader: Why your Legal Document Search May End in Misery, Trustwave
- Interaction to Next Paint: What SEOs need to know, Wix SEO Hub
- Skills Every SEO Pro Needs for Success, I Love SEO
- Top 106 SEO Statistics, Semrush
- Site Architecture for Resource & Content Libraries — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
PPC
- Google Must Remove Ads That Infringe Upon Trademarks: Delhi High Court, BQ Prime
- How To Fix Inappropriate Image (Discovery and/or Demand Gen Ads), FeedArmy
Search Features
- 10 ways Bard can help you get things done, Google Blog
- ChatGPT expands its ‘custom instructions’ feature to free users, TechCrunch
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.
