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:
- Google December 2020 Core Update Is Complete
Google has finished rolling out the Google December 2020 Core Update on December 16th. It began rolling at around 1pm ET on December 3rd and took 13 days to fully roll out, which is just about the two-week timeframe Google has given us for the core update rollouts. - We Recovered With The Google December 2020 Core Update
Now that the Google December 2020 core update is officially done rolling out, I am confident to say that it looks like this site, the Search Engine Roundtable, has recovered after being hit by the May 2020 Google core update. I am seeing upticks in Google organic traffic on days when I do not post stories by over 130 to 150% in organic Google traffic. - Explanations Added To Target CPA Campaigns On Search To Google Ads
Google announced that it added explanations to Target CPA Campaigns on Google Search within the Google Ads console. Google said "with this update, you can view the reason for significant changes in cost and conversions for Search campaigns using Target CPA." - Share A Story About How Bill Slawski Has Helped You
Bill Slawski recently had a medical issue, specifically a Brain stroke, where he needs to relearn how to walk and conduct certain motor functions. To many of us in the SEO industry, Bill has been our teacher, our professor, our mentor, that not only educates us on both core and complex SEO principles but also makes us all strive to do better. - Google My Business Video Maker Is Okay But Not Great
Google launched a free and easy to use video maker tool within Google My Business. The videos come out okay but it wouldn't be something I share on my home page of my web site. But that being said, it is something maybe some small businesses would showcase. - Dog Strawberry Bed At Google Office
Here is a photo from a few years ago from the main Google offices, the GooglePlex. You can see a dog resting in a strawberry dog bed under a desk at the Google office.
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- A site:-query isn't indicative of indexing, and redirects aren't the only thing we use for canonicalization., John Mueller on Twitter
- If those are natural links, go for it., John Mueller on Twitter
- Pubcon Local Search Marketing Conference January 20-21, 2021, WebmasterWorld
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google releases Google Ads Editor v1.5
- We’re revving up for more SMX events in 2021. Submit your session pitches now
- Google December 2020 core update is now fully rolled out
- How to get started in Google Analytics 4
- Google temporarily disables issue validation in Search Console
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Using Filter Controls in Data Studio, ClickInsight
Industry & Business
- 54% of Senior-Level Marketers Have Not Seen Analytics Yield Positive Results, KoMarketing
- Cleaner data centers, batteries included, Google Blog
- Google AI Researchers Lay Out Demands, Escalating Internal Fight, Bloomberg
- Texas announces a multi-state antitrust suit against Google, Engadget
- A more private web can help businesses grow, Google Blog
- Supporting retail through Comparison Shopping Services, Google Blog
- Texas Accuses Google and Facebook of an Illegal Conspiracy, Wired
- What's Changed (and What Hasn't): The 2020 Moz Blog Reader Survey Results, Moz
Local & Maps
- Apple Maps expands Look Around to four more US cities, Appleinsider
- The role of location in Search, Google Blog
Mobile & Voice
- 2020 Google Assistant developer Year in Review, Google Developers Blog
- Google ARCore reaches 1 billion install milestone, 9to5Google
- Ready to play? New games on your Smart Display, Google Blog
- The Apple TV app is on its way to Chromecast with Google TV, Google Blog
SEO
- A weird year in review, Google Search Central Blog
- E-A-T and SEO: You Can’t Have One Without the Other, BruceClay
- Google E-A-T, Link Building, and SEO's Future, Wellspring Digital
- Google's December 2020 Core Update: By the Numbers, Moz
- Most Important SEO Updates in 2020 Part 2, DealerOn
- Robots Meta Tag and X-Robots-Tag Explained, SEM Rush
- SEO in 2021: Google Core Web Vitals, Aimclear
- Black Friday 2020: Google Recap UK, Searchmetrics
- Why isn't Google Indexing My Page 11-step checklist, Botify
PPC
- Wasteful Wednesday #22 - Keyword of the Week "Local Intent", Seer Interactive
- Watch The Download, Episode 4, Microsoft Advertising
Search Features
- A new way to engage Taiwanese news readers, Google Blog
- Google unveils machine learning model for Indian languages - The Economic Times, Google India
Other Search
- My Favorite SMX 2020 Sessions, Portent
