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.
I have a lot of stories around site quality and what Google wants to rank around that. Also a bit on having dedicated seasonal sales pages for users and Google. Finally, Microsoft launched Microsoft Start, its own version of Google Discover.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google: Website Quality Can't Be Fixed With Technical Changes
Google's John Mueller said again that you cannot fix your overall website quality by making some technical changes. John said on Twitter "Website quality is not something you can fix with technical changes." - Microsoft Start - The Bing Version Of Google Discover
Microsoft announced Microsoft Start, which looks and feels a lot like its own version of Google Discover. Microsoft describes it as a "personalized news feed and collection of informational content provides news from premium publishers, timely updates tailored to your interests, and is available when and where you want it." - Google PSA: Have Dedicated Pages For Seasonal Sales Events
John Mueller from Google posted a reminder or PSA on Twitter this morning saying "having a dedicated page for some seasonal sales events is a good idea for ecommerce sites." This is advice from July, just a few months ago, that John is repeating today. - Google: Image Uniqueness Isn't Equivalent To Higher Quality
Google's John Mueller said recently on Twitter that when it comes to images, images being unique does not mean the image is higher quality. John said "IMO with images in particular, uniqueness isn't equivalent to higher quality." - Google: If You Want To Rank For Those Queries Don't Syndicate Or Republish Content
Google's John Mueller said sometimes syndicating or republishing content makes sense but it never makes sense if you want to rank for the queries that those pieces of content aim to rank for. He said on Twitter "if your goal is that only your site ranks for those queries, then syndicating / republishing is a bad idea." - Furry Google Logo GIF
Here is a 3D render I spotted on Instagram of a furry Google logo. I made it into a GIF and shared it here. But you should check out the original on Instagram.
Other Great Search Threads:
- My feeling is we'd see it as a new property and backfill the data over the next week (assuming it really hasn't been verified before). You can probably simulate that by adding a subdirectory of a verified site, John Mueller on Twitter
- I doubt those have a measurable impact on loading times through page size in the header. With compression these kinds of tweaks in HTML tend to have a minimal total transfer size dif, John Mueller on Twitter
- Some people subscribe & like to be entertained (they're often blogs, not reference books). I've also heard (I don't know if this is legit, could be) that it helps with copyright complaints vs scra, John Mueller on Twitter
- Why do spam sites rank in Google search?, WebmasterWorld
- Heads-up: Google just updated their How-to Schema guidelines re desktop support. h/t @suzukik https://t.co/uQ3RONkpX6 This is just a doc update though – support first started almost a year ago: https://t.co/e1XHGatZIr (see, Brodie Clark on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Microsoft Ads announces optimization score
- Google News app will display non-AMP content and send readers to publisher pages
- New pilots from Microsoft Ads and the secret to happiness at work; Wednesday’s daily brief
- 5 common pitfalls to avoid so you maximize your keyword strategy’s business impact
- Video and vertical-based product ads pilots arrive on Microsoft Audience Network
- Now you can speed up your site indexing in Bing; Tuesday’s daily brief
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Linking Google Ads And Google Analytics, Koozai
- PPC Reporting: How to Learn, Inform, & Impress With Your Data, WordStream
Industry & Business
- Google settles lawsuit with ex-employee who claimed firing was in retaliation for organizing, Engadget
- Google Teams Up With Cisco WebEx to Make Videoconferences Easier, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
- 7 Types of Content Small Businesses Should Focus on Right Now, Red Canoe Media
- How to Create Useful Blog Content That'll Get You Noticed, Koozai
- How to Pitch a Journalist and Get Coverage in 6 Easy Steps, Adam Riemer
- Stop Recommending Impossible SEO Content Strategies. Do This Instead., SuccessWorks
Local & Maps
- Google Maps: Student finds mysterious 'Hole to the centre of the earth', WioNews
- How (And Why) You Should Be Using Google Maps To Plan A Road Trip, The Travel
Mobile & Voice
- Google Home adds 'Air Quality' setting for Nest Hub AQI, 9to5Google
- Speech recognition works for kids, and it’s about time, TechCrunch
SEO
- Career Progression within In-House SEO - The Conundrum, Billie Geena
- Machine learning and the loss of control, Kevin Indig
- Multilingual and International SEO: Guidelines and Case Study, OnCrawl
- Does Geotagging Photos Influence Ranking?, Sterling Sky Inc
- Google Title Tag Update: how to check if yours have changed?, OnCrawl
- Multilingual SEO Guide and Case Study with 425% Organic Growth in 6 Months, Holistic SEO
- Social SEO: How SEO and Paid Social Media Can Work Together, Seer Interactive
- What Does it Take to Rank in Google Discover?, Amsive Digital
- Winning the Page Speed Race, Moz
- WooCommerce SEO 14.4: a product-specific SEO analysis, Yoast
- Yoast SEO 17.1: an update on page titles, Yoast
- Considerations When Measuring Core Web Vitals, Outbrain
- How & Why Usability Will Be the Future of SEO, Semrush
PPC
- 5 Best Practices for Google Ads PPC Search Campaigns, Moz
- Optimization Score: Boost account performance, Microsoft Advertising
- Preparing your B2B Holiday Strategy: PPC and Paid Social, Portent
- September product updates: Video ads, Microsoft Advertising
Other Search
- Detecting Brand Penetration Over Geographic Locations, Go Fish Digital
- Google Trends data reveals UK search habits throughout lockdown, Vertical Leap
Feedback:
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