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:
- Search Buzz Video Recap: Google Christmas Update, EAT E-Commerce, Local Updates, John Mueller & Matt Cutts
Happy Holidays and New Years - this week we covered a possible Google update that happened on Christmas - but I am not sure if it is real. The Google Analytics bug from December 16th won't be fixed for another few weeks. Google said e-commerce sites do not have to worry as much about E-A-T... - Google: E-A-T Less Important For E-Commerce Sites
Google's John Mueller said in a video hangout this morning at the 53:52 mark into that video that E-A-T is less important for e-commerce sites. E-A-T is more focused on sites where "the type of information is critical for the user, where they really need to know that they get the right information there," he said. - Google Removes Live Coverage Help Docs
Google has removed the Google search help documents for the live coverage carousel, which was something Google launched in 2016 as a pilot launch. John Mueller from Google said "It's currently still in very limited availability, so it doesn't make sense to have the docs public just yet." - Google My Business Photos Being Added To Google Posts Without Option To Delete
A new "feature" was released earlier this month where Google would automatically take photos that you add to your Google My Business profile and create Google Posts out of them. Not only that, it seems you cannot delete the Google Posts that were automatically created! - Google Local Pack Tests Tile-like Buttons
Google is testing a new style for the buttons in the local pack results. I am not sure if this is a bug but Valentin Pletzer spotted this and posted this screen shot, where the buttons look like tiles. There are buttons for details, website, call, directions, photos and more. - Google Staircase Doors - From Small To Large
Here is an interesting spot at the Google NYC office. This is a staircase but has doors along the staircase from normal sized doors to really small doors. And yes, the doors have Google printed on th
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Subdomains are fine, they're a great and common way to segment out country-targeting on a generic TLD. Subdirectories also work. Sometimes one or the other is easier to set up, maintain, and monitor., John Mueller on Twitter
- CDN-side "service workers" run on the CDN, not on the user's client, so they work fine for Google / SEO., John Mueller on Twitter
- I don't think it's a signal at all., John Mueller on Twitter
- Backlink from wikipedia not displaying, WebmasterWorld
- I can't speak for Google Ads, but I don't see how that would have any effect., John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Pro Tip: A look back at some notable tips from our Paid Search community in 2019
- SEO year in review 2019: Zero-click searches, BERT, local spam and more
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
- How Google Can Beat the Odds, Wall Street Journal
- Facebook, Amazon, Google make the wealthy just like rest of us, CNBC
- Google is poised to make another blitz at CES 2020, CNET
Links & Promotion Building
- A Year of Link Building Tips, Search Engine Journal
Mobile & Voice
- 20 Google Assistant Actions and Abilities You Should Try, Voicebot
- Facebook is Working on a New Operating System to Support a Voice Assistant, Voicebot
- Google Messages tests floating conversation bubbles in Android 10, XDA Developers
SEO
- An update on 2019, Official Google Webmaster Central Blog
- Automated Competitor Monitoring and Reporting with SEMrush, SEM Rush
- The Not-So-Secret Value of Podcast Transcripts - Whiteboard Friday, Moz
Search Features
