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 Ads changed its keyword matching again, this time for phrase match - it is a doozy. Google Ads had a ad serving outage on Wednesday that caused a lot of confusion. Google added booking links and more details for Things To Do on points of interests. Microsoft Advertising added dozens of new attributes for marketing with a purpose. Bing Image search got some major quality improvements and much more.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Search Update 9/16, Google Search Console Bugs, Google Ads Keyword Matching & More
This weekend we had yet another Google search ranking algorithm update that went unconfirmed. Google Search Console had some major bugs and stability issues but it all caught up now. Google said do not remove old news articles from your site for SEO reasons... - Google Ads Phrase & Broad Match Keyword Preferability & BERT
There is a ton to pack into Google Ads announcement that they named "matching the most relevant keyword to every search." There is a change to both phrase and broad match keywords when they match are handled, what happens when they are not identical and how Google uses BERT to better match keywords to queries. - Microsoft Advertising New Search Ad Attributes For Marketing With Purpose
Microsoft launched 32 new business attributes you can add to your search ads on Bing. These attributes are called Marketing with Purpose Business Attributes and are in the categories of inclusion, environmental, community/social responsibility and accessibility. - Confirmed Google Ads Outage Causing Billing Confusion
Google confirmed there was an "account outage issue" that resulted in some ads to stop serving for a period of time in the afternoon of September 22nd. This caused a bunch of advertisers to be confused when they reviewed their stats and billing reports. - Bing Image Search Upgrade With V3 Of Aesthetic Model
Microsoft announced on the Bing blog that it has made some serious improvements to Bing Image Search over the past few months. Microsoft credits its use of the updated version (V3) of the Aesthetic model for these improvements. - Google Adds Booking Links & More Information For Points Of Interest
Google announced it is rolling out new booking links and information for points of interest. Google said "in the months ahead, we'll also begin showing information and booking links for experiences in a destination, like wine tasting in Paris or bike tours in California." - Google Product Experts Android Toy
Here is a photo of a present Google sent some of the Google Product Experts. It is an Android figurine toy with the Google Products Experts logo and name on it. This has to be a super limited edition
Other Great Search Threads:
- Google 429 error when trying to edit GMBs, Local Search Forum
- First Impressions Matter 🤝💻 That’s why perfecting your First Input Delay is key to a great Page Experience! FID is a new web API that measures how long it takes, in milliseconds, for your site to react after, Google Search Central on Twitter
- We don't use "eu" as a country code - in the wikipedia page it's also listed as "reserved" so I suspect it's not a part of the standard. You can list a bunch of countries separately on a single page though.", John Mueller on Twitter
- Why would you do that? Affiliate links aren't a bad thing. You just add complexity that can break. Use a rel=nofollow or rel=sponsored link attribute if you want to signal how they should be handled by search eng, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google Ads: Phrase and broad match keywords that are identical to a query are now preferred
- Google rolls out new products for travel and leisure businesses; Thursday’s daily brief
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Bring performance and privacy together with Server-Side Tagging, Google Blog
- CMOs: How to prepare for the GA4 switchover, Builtvisible
- iPhone apps can track you even after you tell them not to, The Washington Post
Industry & Business
- Google Report Spotlights Controversial ‘Geofence Warrants’ by Police, Threatpost
- Google Stays Silent On Russia's Growing Internet Threats, Bloomberg
- How Google Spies on Its Employees, The Information
Links & Content Marketing
- How Content Curation Can Improve Your Reach & Build Your Brand, Semrush
- How deep-dive interviews better educate content marketing strategies, Hallam
Local & Maps
- Google Assistant will let you 'pay for gas' on Android Auto, 9to5Google
- Google's Android Automotive OS is coming to Honda cars in 2022, Engadget
- Upgrade your drive with Google as your copilot, Google Blog
Mobile & Voice
- High-Quality, Robust and Responsible Direct Speech-to-Speech Translation, Google AI Blog
- Spanish arrives on Nest Hub and Hub Max in the U.S., Google Blog
- Two new tools that make your phone even more accessible, Google Blog
SEO
- SEO Competitor Analysis: A Complete Guide, Conductor
- The important role SEO should play when developing your marketing strategy, Hallam
PPC
- Five Search Marketing Insights From Google Ad Conference, DealerOn
- How to Brand Your Business: 7 Steps + 3 Great Examples, WordStream
Feedback:
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