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 quietly removed the note about the confirmed bug with search features from a couple of weeks ago. Google also added a note about a reporting glitch for Search Console's Discover report. Google Search Console's API is delayed a bit, a fix should be out soon. Google Ads had a bug with disapproving ads using the word "get." Google says sites with good category pages don't need to have Google index their internal search results pages. And Google said PageRank does flow from HTTP to HTTPS. Also, we have a special and rare contributed story from Glenn Gabe on Mastodon and tracking it with Google Analytics.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Removes Search Features Bug Confirmation & Replaces It With Google Discover Search Console Reporting Error
Google has done something unusual, it has removed one of the confirmed data anomalies notes about a search features bug, and added a new note confirming a bug with Google Discover logging resulting in a data drop in the Search Console Discover performance reports on October 23rd. - Google Search Console API Delay Confirmed, To Be Fixed In Days
Google has confirmed a delay with the Google Search Console API being a bit more delayed than normal. Daniel Waisberg from Google said the "delay was caused by processing issues, and should be back to normal in the next few days." - Mastodon Is Using Rel Noreferrer On Outbound Links Causing Visits To Appear As Direct Traffic In Google Analytics
Mastodon is surging with Twitter in chaos, but traffic from the social network will be hard to track. That's because Mastodon is using rel noferrer on outbound links causing visits to appear as Direct Traffic in Google Analytics. - Bug: Google Ads Disapproves Ads For Using The Word "Get"
Yesterday, a number of advertisers were asking why there Google Ads were being disapproved. The disapproval was due to the ad using the word "get" in the ad text and extension. It turned out it was a bug, a weird bug, that Ginny Marvin, Google's Ads Liasion, said is being investigated. - Google: Sites With Good Category Pages Don't Need Internal Search Results Indexed
Generally, Google says you should never let Google index your internal search result pages. But John Mueller of Google said you shouldn't even be considering going against Google's advice here, if you have good category pages, you won't even need to test this out. - Google Can Pass PageRank From HTTP To HTTPS URLs With Redirects
Yes, Google can pass PageRank and other link signals from an HTTP non-secure URL to HTTPS secure URL through redirects. John Mueller from Google said this is how Google does canonicalization and that there is "no special "security dust" involved." - Google Champagne Glasses Are Still Arond
Five years ago we posted that Google has their own branded champagne glasses, well, they still do. Here are new photos of these champagne glasses with the Google logo on them. Google also had wine gla
Other Great Search Threads:
- Haven't seen this type of Shopping placement in Google Discover before. Takes you to a Google Search for "shop halloween costumes". Not labeled as Sponsored, and no standard Discover options menu avail., Greg Finn on Twitter
- Position Tracking Update this AM: https://t.co/L3xn9uiuFY dropped significantly. Might this relate to the unconfirmed Google Algorithm Update that Barry just talking about?, Jeannie Hill on Twitter
- We've never been a high profile site, somewhat by design. It's more like reference documentation, Dan Brickley on Twitter
- Businesses with physical locations can now apply conversion value rules specifically to store visits and sales — helping you more accurately bid towards your business goals. Learn how, Google Ads on Twitter
- If you're working in GSC and think a poltergeist is messing with you, it's not that. There is a bug right now when you select 11/6 as the end date and GSC shows you *11/5*. But when you choose 11/7 as the end date, you see bot, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
- It sounds like cannibalisation wasn't a problem -- how did you determine that it was causing your pages to drop in ranking? (I'd be surprised if something as visible as that were to h, John Mueller on Twitter
- Regarding "it depends" I think that took on a bit of a life of its own, I do think we tried to always follow up with what it depends on. For many questions, there is no simple single answer, and it's important to know that too., John Mueller on Mastodon
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Twitter adds Official badge, then Musk immediately kills it
- What stakeholders should expect from SEO
- 10 things to eliminate from your life to be more productive at work
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- The Brains Discuss How to Use Google Analytics to Improve, Globe Newswire
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
- How to get links from big-fish publications, Semrush
- Percent Human - A list of online tools for detecting lower-quality AI content, GSQI
Local & Maps
- 13 Street View imagery collection methods that might surprise you, Google Blog
- Local Packs 36%, MLBs Fall Short, TomTom's New Map, Near Media
- New feature to help people navigate the energy crisis in Europe, Google Blog
- Local Keyword Research: How to Find Your Local SEO Keywords, I Love SEO
- Waze adds 'Drive with a Soccer Commentator' for the World Cup, 9to5Google
Mobile & Voice
- Apple Siri: Farmer trapped under tractor rescued after using Siri to call for help, 9 News
- Apple's Wave of Siri Updates to Continue Next Month With Long-Awaited Functionality, MacRumors
- You Can Stop Google From Recording You. Here's How, CNET
SEO
- 15,000 sites hacked for massive Google SEO poisoning campaign, Bleeping Computer
- 5 New Search Opportunities B2B Marketers Need To Know In 2023, Online Marketing Blog
- Google Needs 9X More Time To Crawl JS Than HTML, Onely
- Google Search Console: One SEO tool to rule them all, SERPs Up
- Why international SEO success depends on cultural relevance, Wix SEO Hub
- 6 Holiday SEO Tips (To Boost Traffic During the Shopping Season), Ahrefs
PPC
- A new way to control and optimize frequency on YouTube, Google Blog
- Activate your first-party data on connected TV, Google Blog
- Recommendations in Google Ads API Roundup, Google Ads Developer Blog
- Showcase More of Your Products on Google Shopping, PPC Hero
- SwiftUI Case Study: Presenting from View Controllers, Google Ads Developer Blog
- Six reasons to integrate Retail Media into your strategy, Microsoft Advertising
Search Features
- All the ways to stay up to date on the FIFA World Cup™, Google Blog
- Google is launching cross-platform features to make it easier to follow the FIFA World Cup, TechCrunch
Other Search
- How we designed Chrome to help businesses, Google Blog
- The best search engines to use, if you're tired of Google, AppleInsider
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