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:
- Yet More Google Search Ranking Algorithm Tremors Over The Weekend
It has been one rocky month with both Google organic search ranking updates and local search ranking updates. This weekend there is chatter and signals of yet another Google search ranking algorithm update this weekend. The chatter started Friday and has continued through the weekend and even the tools are showing fluctuations. - Vlog #26: Who Is John Mueller Of Google
I surprised John Mueller (@JohnMu) as he was starting a Google webmaster help video and took over the video and turned it into a vlog and video interview about John Mueller... - Wall Street Journal Is Wrong & Why I Think The Google Story Should Be Retracted
This morning at Search Engine Land the team and I published a response to the Wall Street Journal's story on Google Search. You can read my story named Misquoted and misunderstood: Why we, the search community, don't believe the WSJ about Google search. - Google Warns Of Chrome Mixed Content Change & Impact On Rankings?
Google posted on Twitter on the Google Webmaster account that Chrome is making changes to how it handles mixed content and you should be on top of it for your users. Also mixed content can break your HTTPS security, but as we know, the HTTPS ranking boost is not dependent on HTTPS being valid right now and neither is rendering said Google. - Former Googler: Often Someone Assumed Google Took Action But Didn't Really In That Way
Matt Cutts, who has not been with Google for a long time now, was asked to comment about alleged action Google took on a site a dozen or so years ago. Matt said he doesn't specifically recommend this case but said in general "In many of the cases I saw, someone assumed that Google took some action in response to them or their site or their comments, when I knew from my position that the action had been percolating for months." - Google NYC 8th Avenue Lobby Timelapsed
Google let me sit in the 8th avenue lobby unsupervised for a good 15 minutes or so, which gave me an opportunity to timelapse the Googlers coming in and out. There are more entrances and I've been
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Wow! I didn't realize there are only 50 SEOs in the world!! That's amazing! https://t.co/cawc681rMB, Gary Illyes on Twitter
- Well, those are different queries, with differing intents, and probably different competition. I don't see it unexpected that the rankings would differ, perhaps even significantly., John Mueller on Twitter
- Hey @rustybrick is the "More movies" option as something that appears above a Knowledge Panel for a show/movie and not as s/t that just comes up when searching "what to watch" new?, Mordy Oberstein on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Misquoted and misunderstood: Why we, the search community, don’t believe the WSJ about Google search
- WSJ report about Google search manipulation gets a lot wrong
- Google on building a better holiday omnichannel strategy
- Local business study finds 0% of site traffic coming from email, paid media
- A framework for SEO success with structured data
- Be the first to see the new SMX West agenda
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Blocking Page Speed Hits in Google Analytics, On Page Rocks
- How to Use Google Analytics to Prioritize Marketing Tactics, TechFunnel
Industry & Business
- Discover new places with help from top Local Guides, Google Blog
- Google is scaling back its weekly all-hands meetings after leaks, CEO tells staff, The Verge
- Google’s health-care project with NIH was scuttled over data privacy concerns, Washington Post
- Supreme Court will hear copyright suit between Google and Oracle, CNBC
- States Step Up Google Scrutiny Over Antitrust Issues, Bloomberg
- Why Is Google Slow-Walking Its Breakthroughs in AI?, Wired
Links & Promotion Building
- The Content Distribution Playbook - Whiteboard Friday, Moz
- Reciprocal Links: Do They Help or Hurt Your SEO?, Search Engine Journal
- How do we know if content marketing works? Content Consumption!, KickPoint
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
- November 2019 Xbox One Update Brings Xbox Action for the Google Assistant, Gamertag Updates, Text Filters and More, Xbox Wire
- Cortana iOS app to go dark in Australia, UK, Canada on January 31, Apple Insider
- 73% of Drivers Will Use an In-Car Voice Assistant by 2022: Report, Voicebot
- Cortana to Be Removed from Non-U.S. App Stores, Directing Users to Microsoft 365 for Productivity Assistant, Voicebot
SEO
- Google Webmaster Hangout Notes: November 12th 2019, DeepCrawl
- How to Create Harder Working Home Pages - A 10 Step Guide, State of Digital
- SEO Basics: How to start with SEO?, Yoast
- Did Chrome Make Title Tags Pop Bigger on Hover, BrightEdge
- Google's mobile-first indexing: what does it mean for SEO?, Vertical Leap
- Rewriting Queries Based Upon Entities at Nearby Locations, Go Fish Digital
- So, what happens when they Google you?, Five Blocks
PPC
- Google Ads & Machine Learning Transparency, PPC Hero
- Find Hidden Budget to Fund New Marketing Initiatives, Seer Interactive
- 5 Useful PPC Bid Management Tips, Search Engine Guide
- Advertising Editor is better than ever!, Microsoft Advertising
Search Features
