Yesterday afternoon, Google posted information about some of the changes it has been making to improve the reliability of its search results. This announcement was mostly about Google getting ahead of the elections but we heard a few new things and confirmations. Google had some local ranking algorithm changes a week ago, but it might have been a glitch. Google My Business launched new attributes for health and safety features. Google said core web vitals won’t become the primary ranking factor. Google is now asking you to verify facts, it’s true. Bing Webmaster Tools has dropped its geo-targeting feature. And no, hreflang is not used by Bing for figuring out regional information. Google Search Console coverage report is still delayed but it should catch up soon. Google’s URL parameter tool will be getting a really cool upgrade. Bing officially launched its robots.txt tester tool and URL inspection tool. Google posted a great SEO Mythbusting video with Lily Ray on content and SEO. Google’s speakable markup is not dead. Google said image:loc URLs are not counted towards your XML sitemap limit. Google My Business has a bug with changing addresses of some server area businesses. Google Ads performance planner now supports Google Shopping campaigns. Microsoft’s Christi Olson said Google Ads search term report change is ludicrous. There is also a new change.org petition around this Google Ads search term report. Microsoft Advertising added multi-image extensions. Yes, SEO companies can technically do major damage, be smart on who you hire. Google has a new easter egg when you search for the Fresh Prince of Bell Air. John Mueller won the global search personality of the year. Oh and if you want to help sponsor those vlogs, go to patreon.com/barryschwartz. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.
Make sure to subscribe to our video feed or subscribe directly on iTunes to be notified of these updates and download the video in the background. Here is the YouTube version of the feed:
For the original iTunes version, click here.
Search Topics of Discussion:
- Yesterday's Google Search Announcement Was Not About A Core Update
- Google Local Algorithm & Ranking Weirdness Last Week
- Google My Business Adds Health & Safety Attributes
- Google: It's Unlikely Core Web Vitals Will Become The Primary Ranking Factor
- Google Asks You To Verify These Facts
- Bing Webmaster Tools Removes Geo-Targeting Feature
- Bing: Hreflang A Weak Signal For Us
- Google Search Console Coverage Report Delay & Stuck
- Google URL Parameter Tool Upgrade Will Be 'Really Cool' When Migrated To New Search Console
- Official: Bing Launches New Robots.txt Tester Tool
- SEO & Content Explored In Google's Latests SEO Mythbusting Video
- Google Speakable Markup Is Not Obsolete
- Google image:loc URLs Are Not Counted Towards 50k XML Sitemap Limit
- Google My Business Bug When Changing Addresses For Service Area Business (SAB)
- Google Ads Performance Planner Supports Shopping Campaigns
- Microsoft's Christi Olson: Google Ads Removing Search Terms Is Ludicrous
- Petition Over Google Ads Hiding Search Term Data
- Microsoft Advertising Adds Multi-Image Extensions
- SEO Companies Can Sabotage Your Web Site & Maps Listings
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Google Easter Egg
- John Mueller: The Global Search Personality Of The Year
Please do subscribe on YouTube or subscribe via iTunes or on your favorite RSS reader. Don't forget to comment below with the right answer and good luck!
