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 Search Algorithm Update This Week; Mixed Signals & Confusion
There is so much confusion and mixed signals right now, mostly because of a Google Analytics bug happening while there may be another Google search ranking algorithm update taking place. Some in the SEO community are adamant that there is a ranking update going on, despite what is going on with Google Analytics. - Vlog #31: Will Hanke On Lead Generation & SEO
Will Hanke is someone I've known in the industry since the beginning, he has been doing web design and SEO for over 20 years now and is a true veteran in the industry. He has his company named Red Canoe Media. We met at a grocery store... - Google Invites Many To Cameos In Search
Yesterday, I got my invite to Cameos on Google. Cameos on Google "help you make your Knowledge Panel even more engaging for your fans. You can record video answers to the questions your fans are asking on Google, and those answers will appear in your Knowledge Panel alongside your Posts." - Blocking Googlebot-News Does Not Prevent Content From Being In Search? Oops.
Glenn Gabe noticed that if you try to block Google from showing your news stories in just Google News by blocking Googlebot-News, it no longer works. So if you want to follow the old advice (I do not see new advice) to block Google News, you can no longer use the feature to block Googlebot-News. - Google Discover Performance Reports Now Show Data Faster
Google announced on Twitter that the Discover performance reports are now also showing fresher data. In September, Google brought fresher, more up-to-date data in the performance report for your search reporting. Now that has arrived as well for your Discover reporting. - Google Allows You To Request Multiple Quotes From Local Service Ads
Tom Waddington posted a GIF on Twitter of Google Local Service Ads allowing you to request multiple quotes at the same time from multiple local service providers. He said "'Request Quotes' button above 3-pack. Lets users request quotes from multiple businesses using messaging. The Google Guaranteed badge shows for businesses participating in Local Services ads." - Google Fiber Toy Car - Porsche
This must be a holiday gift that the Google Fiber team is giving out to some folks. It is a Google Fiber branded toy car Porsche 911. The box says join us to experience speed like never before. It al
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Hotel ads sneaking into the business profile, Local Search Forum
- LogMeIn Company Goes Private for $4.3 Billion, WebmasterWorld
- My recommendation would be not to "hope" for any particular outcome for weird edge-cases like these, but rather to give the clearest signals that you can, if there's something specific you want to have happen., John Mueller on Twitter
- The URL inspection tool is only for web pages - it's not meant to process non-web-page content., John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Why are you making PPC budgets so difficult?
- Don’t know much about SEO: Survey finds business owners lack basic knowledge
- Discover Performance reports in Google Search Console just got fresher data
- Stop struggling to sell SEO services
- Google now showing ‘request quotes’ button for Local Services Ads on mobile
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- 30+ Expert Google Analytics Tips for Beginners, Databox Blog
- Creating Radar Charts in Data Studio, ClickInsight
- How To Set Up an A/B Test: A Complete Guide, Go Fish Digital
- The Google Analytics Mixed Tape of Content Reporting Happiness, Jill Quick
Industry & Business
- Google employee says she was fired for sending internal pop-ups about labor rights, The Verge
- Google has fired another worker-activist, TechCrunch
- Google to pay $481.5m in major win for Australian Tax Office, The Guardian
Links & Promotion Building
Local & Maps
- Request Quotes in Local Pack from Multiple Businesses, Online Ownership
- Google Maps just added an awesome new feature we wish would come to Waze, BGR
Mobile & Voice
- Apple and Spotify Podcasts Now Playable Through Alexa, Voicebot
- Google Assistant’s interpreter mode is coming to phones today, The Verge
SEO
- Balancing SEO & Accessibility: Images & Videos, Portent
- Predictions For 2020: Experienced Industry Leaders On SEO, Analytics, And Engagement, Botify
- Video SEO: How to Rank YouTube Videos on Google, Ahrefs
- Google Webmaster Hangout Notes: December 13th 2019, DeepCrawl
- Local SEO for Restaurants, Hallam Internet
PPC
- How To Set Up an A/B Test: A Complete Guide, Go Fish Digital
- One year, three highlights: Google for Nonprofits looks back, Google Blog
- 12 Holiday PPC Optimization Tips, PPC Hero
- Year in review: Success stories, Microsoft Advertising
Search Features
- Our latest intelligent search update, Vega, Yandex
- This holiday season from Bing: flight booking and expanded visual search, Bing Search Blog
Other Search
- Using AI to find where the wild things are, Google Blog
