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 released new podcast feed requirements for search and Google podcast discovery. Google said moving links around your page won't help with rankings. Google AdSense launched new full screen inline ads. Google My Business doesn't have different review policies for different types of businesses. Microsoft Bing is testing orange colored links in search. Got a thing on Yoda and I posted the weekly video recap. Have a wonderful and safe weekend all!
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Ranking Update, Pages Dropping In & Out, Big Publishers Benefit & Author URLs and Rankings
This past weekend we had yet another unconfirmed update around August 6th. Google may be having an indexing bug for the past month or so where pages are dropping in and out of the index... - Google Podcasting Requirements Updated: Show Level Detail Required
Google has posted a document about upcoming changes to the Google podcasting requirements coming by September 21, 2021. All podcast RSS feeds must now include more details on the show level to be eligible to appear in Google Search and Podcasts recommendations. - Google: Moving Links Around On A Page Won't Boost Your Search Rankings
John Mueller of Google said that by just moving a link from one position on a page to another position on a page - you likely won't see any ranking boost from that action. He said on Twitter "I wouldn't assume that you'd get a boost out of just moving links from one part of the page to another part though." - New Google AdSense Full-Screen Inline Ads
Google launched a new ad format for the Google AdSense ad units named full-screen inline ads. Full-screen inline ads are full-screen banner ads that appear inline with your content as a user scrolls the page. - Google My Business Reviews Policies Don't Differ Based On Type Of Business
Google has confirmed that it did not make changes to its Google My Business reviews policies despite the SEC rule change. Google told Colan Nielsen, "the policies currently applied to Google Reviews do not differ for different business types or categories. We do not have special enforcement, requirements or functionality for financial advisors at the moment." - Bing Testing Orange Colored Link Overlays
Microsoft Bing is testing a bit more color in its Bing Search results interface. When you mouse over a hyperlink, Bing may color that link orange as opposed to just keeping it blue and then underlining the link. - Yoda At Google Zurich
Here is a photo from a few years ago, actually 2017, of Yoda being Yoda at the Google Zurich office. We've seen him also in the Dublin office, but here he is in Zurich. This was shared on Instagram
Other Great Search Threads:
- For the most part, if your site isn't in the order of 10's-100's of millions of pages, I wouldn't worry about crawl budget. And for crawl budget, tweaking individual pages is usually not helpful, those num, John Mueller on Twitter
- Google NLP API Alternatives, WebmasterWorld
- It's possible. But in practice, a bunch of things go into making a decision on a canonical URL, so you should really make sure it's all aligned, and that it's not just something mentioned in a rel-canonical lin, John Mueller on Twitter
- The chart makes it look like Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix are working in parallel to improve their CWV scores in the last few months. I think that’s highly unlikely knowing how large companies work. The cause is more likel, Jon Henshaw on Twitter
- Today is my last day at @sistrix It’s been a pleasure working with great people for 7 years. Seeing SISTRIX grow into a key market leader in Europe and being part of its success is something I feel very proud to have bee, Juan González on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Is Google adjusting the FLoC strategy?; Friday’s daily brief
- There are new requirements to appear in Google Podcasts recommendations
- Advanced techniques for driving conversions in Google Shopping campaigns
- 15 years of Google Trends; Thursday’s daily brief
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- A Guide To Using Filters in Google Data Studio, GlowMetrics
- How to Run Google Optimize A/B Testing (Step-by-Step), SeedProd
- Tutorial: How to Navigate Google Analytics, DreamHost
Industry & Business
- Google Bans Location Data Firm Funded by Former Saudi Intelligence Head, VICE
- Google employees who work from home permanently could face pay cuts, San Francisco Chronicle
Links & Content Marketing
- Social First for B2B Content Marketing: What, Why and How, Online Marketing Blog
- 15 Free Content Marketing Tools (And How To Use Them), AllWork Space
- How Video Email Affects Your Audience (and More Content Examples), Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- How to Blur Your House Photo on Google Maps, Bill Hartzer
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild recreated with Google Maps-style Street View, NotebookCheck
- Tourists Trust Google Maps Navigation, End Up Stuck in the Middle of a Forest, AutoEvolution
Mobile & Voice
- Android Auto 'Media Picks' gives music recommendations, 9to5Google
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is missing this killer feature at launch, Tom's Guide
- Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 3 will be the first foldable phone available on Google Fi, Engadget
SEO
- How to be Agile with Structured Data in a Changing SEO World, Schema App
- How to Write an SEO Optimized Meta Description, Conductor
- Running a Mobile to Desktop Parity Audit, SEO Clarity
- SEO Testing, An Argument for Using Data in SEO, Sitebulb
- Google Attack On Spammy Verticals, Searchmetrics
- The Impact Of Google's Broad Core Update, Searchmetrics
PPC
- Google considers switching FLoC to a topic-based approach, Digiday
- Maximise your Google Shopping performance by using Retargeting, Hallam
Feedback:
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