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: Passage Indexing & Page Experience Updates Unrelated
Google's John Mueller said on Twitter that passage indexing/rankings and the page experience update are "very different things." This came about when Michel Fortin asked if the two might launch together. - Google Doodle For New Year's Eve 2020 & Confetti Surprise
New Years Eve is just around the corner and Google's special Doodle for New Year's Eve 2020 is available for viewing. It is the holiday Doodle with an old fashioned bird-house clock with 2020 on it. There is also a little easter egg surprise in the search results that shoots confetti all of the search results page. - Google People Also Ask Tests Question Mark Icons
Google is testing displaying question mark icons in the people also ask results. I think someone else shared this with me recently but I thought it was a bug, but now that a second person notified me of this, maybe it is not a bug but a real Google test. - Google Search Results Show Practice Problems For Studying
Google seems to be testing displaying "practice problems" in the search results so that you can study directly in the search results. Shalom Goodman shared a screen shot with me on Twitter showing a search for [optics] not only brings up a new category on the left side for "practice problems" but also adds a practice problem directly in the search results. - Google Ads Setting Lets You See Fewer Alcohol & Gambling Ads
A couple of weeks ago Google announced it is launching a new ad setting, first on YouTube and then on Google Ads to let users see fewer alcohol ads and gambling ads. You can access this setting now in your Google Ads settings panel. - Elizabeth Peratrovich Google Raven Doodle Logo
Today on Google's home page is a special raven Doodle, special Google log, for Elizabeth Peratrovich. Elizabeth Peratrovich American civil rights activist and member of the Tlingit nation who worked on behalf of equality for Alaska Natives. - Clay Barry
Seth Goldstein the other day shared a photo he took with me, where he said he was playing with clay (I think with his kids) and when he was done making a person he thought, that was a clay version of
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- It's obvious that you're upset about how this particular change is affecting your sites. I don't think hand-picking anecdotes like that is a productive way forward, though sometimes letting the upset, John Mueller on Twitter
- Hi Enes, I'm just dropping in here briefly. The DMCA process is well established, and the best way to approach bad submissions is to follow the escalation path provided there (perhaps a counter-notifica, John Mueller on Twitter
- Yeah, it can depend :). In most cases, I think you want a separate URL though. [eventname 2019] is a great & specific query for the 2019 page. [eventname] is usual, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
- Google is shutting down Cloud Print this week, Engadget
- Inside the Google-Facebook Ad Deal at the Heart of a Price-Fixing Lawsuit, Wall Street Journal
- This was Google’s code name for its ‘unlawful agreement’ with Facebook, NY Post
Local & Maps
- Google Maps' Moat is Evaporating - A Closer Look with Joe Morrison, Joe Morrison
- She didn't know her kidnapper. But he was using Google Maps — and that cracked the case., NBC News
Mobile & Voice
- Google Assistant 'New Year song' now available, 9to5Google
- Google is selling the Home Max smart speaker again, for now, Engadget
- How to Enable Google Assistant in Android's Chrome Browser, Lifehacker
SEO
- 2020 Must-Read SEO Posts and Bonus Resources, MarketingSyrup
- On-Page SEO: An In-Depth Guide (2020), SEM Rush
- Starting & Scaling SEO at a Startup, Search Metrics
- What is a Marketing Dashboard?, RankRanger
PPC
Search Features
