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:
- Reports Of Some Google Medic Update Recoveries
I am seeing some webmasters and SEOs claim they have seen recoveries over the weekend with some of their sites impacted by the Google Medic update that took place on August 1st. I am not sure if we can trust these reports or if they are confusing this Medic update with a different update - but I am seeing some people claim they recovered. - Reserve With Google Expands: Enables More Bookings, Appointments & Reservations In Google Local
Google seems to be expanding Reserve with Google, a way to integrate your booking, reservation and appointment software directly in your Google local panel or on Google Maps through Google My Business. It launched last October and Sergey Alakov noticed that it is now available for attraction and museum tickets as well. - Google: Google's Medic Update Was Not Designed To Target YMYL Or Health Sites
Gary Illyes said while on stage at the Search Masters Brazil that the Google Medic update, the core search algorithm update on August 1st, was not designed to target YMYL types of web sites. Pedro Dias, who posted this on Twitter, said he said " It was just a happy coincidence that it also impacted sites in that vertical." - Google Search Answer For What Is My User Agent
If you search Google for [what is my user agent], Google will show you the answer. Just like they do for [what is my ip] or [speed test] and other computer related questions. Google is not linking you to a search result for the answer. - Google Panda & Penguin: The Page Level Differences
Google's Gary Illyes confirmed on stage at the Search Masters Brazil event that while the Google Panda algorithm collects its data at the page level, it will impact the site at the host level. This differs to the Google Penguin algorithm that both collects data at the page level and also impacts the site on a page level, not a host level. - Google Office Gets C-3PO
I am not sure which Google this is at, but they have a A C-3PO from Star Wars on display in one of those offices. This might be in the Google Japan office, I am not sure. It was posted on Instagram.
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- It is with great sadness that I share this news: @GregHyer passed away Wednesday night. Please, if you can help his family, it is so needed and appreciated. https://t.co/ZKpz4FGje7… https://t.co/jqwALbn1Tw, Jenny Halasz on Twitter
- Please RT. The more answers, the better. Question: Did you see since 7/31 more websites ranking in you regional Google that are not targeting your country, but another with the same language (i.e.: .co.uk in 🇮🇪 or .es, Gianluca Fiorelli on Twitter
- Another, hopefully, useful tool for SEOs, which allows for mobile simulation and exact location settings. Still work in progress but already useable i think. https://t.co/FfXVJ7N7w, Valentin Pletzer on Twitter
- For things like speed we prefer to give you the information directly, ideally with testing tools as well. Framing things like that as algorithmic actions would probably just confuse people.… https://t.co/0t91ZdqX, John Mueller on Twitter
- People! Without example query, location, & in most cases an explanation of why specific result sets suck, your reports are virtually useless. If you want the search team to look into something ranking related, you MUST pr, Gary Illyes on Twitter
- Speed is a misleadingly complex topic. I'd recommend working to understand those tools and their results, and use them to find low hanging fruit + critical issues. It's tempting to use a single number and tool, but, John Mueller on Twitter
- The disavow tool doesn't remove pages from the search results. To remove pages from search, follow the guides on https://t.co/M1Zzj301fG . For the disavow tool, check out https://t.co/s3WQTwUnep… https://t.co/IJa, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- [Reminder] Ramp Up Your Amazon Ad Game: 5 tips for success
- How Visual and Voice Search Are Revitalizing The Role of SEO
- Google Drive’s rebrand to Google One includes offers for hotels found in Search
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- How to Track User Journey in Google Analytics | GA 360, Seer Interactive
Industry & Business
Links & Promotion Building
- Orphan pages: How to recognize them and what is the problem, Majestic Blog
Local & Maps
- Google Maps targets New Yorkers with real-time data in outdoor push, Creativity Online
Mobile & Voice
SEO
- What Should an Ideal SEO Package Include?, Search Engine Guide
- Baidu SEO Guide: Interview with Simon Lesser of Dragon Metrics, Conductor
- Should You Worry About International SEO?, Search Engine Guide
- [DATA] 100+ Sites Impacted By Google Medic Update Analyzed, CanIRank Blog
PPC
- 4 Things to Do When Your PPC Campaign Isn't Generating Leads, Search Engine Journal
- Deprecation of assisted-conversions reporting fields, Google Ads Developer Blog
- How To Maximize On Keywords With Search Queries, KobeDigital
Search Features
