The past 30-days or so was pretty heavy between the October 2022 spam update and then several unconfirmed updates that were pretty strong, it was a bumpy road. Google also renamed the webmaster guidelines to the search essentials, rolled out new site name, favicons and ad labels and more.
Also, Google clarified how structured data helps with the product reviews update, fixed a long running favicon bug and fixed several issues with Google Search Console. Google confirmed it no longer uses the old page speed algorithms, that the product reviews update is normally page level but not always and we have a new zero click study.
Also a lot was going on in local with new review guidelines, a new menu to manage profiles and so much around reviews and more.
If you missed last month's recap, see the October Google webmaster report and here are the top headlines specific to Google SEO and webmaster topics from the past thirty-days:
Google Algorithms Updates:
- Google October 2022 Spam Update Rolling Out - 11 Months After Last Spam Update
- Google October 2022 Spam Update Completed In ~42 Hours
- This Scraper Site Got Hit Hard By The Google Spam Update
- Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update On October 22, A Day After The Spam Update Finished.
- Another Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update / Adjustment On October 28th?
- Unconfirmed Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update Around October 13th
- Wild Google Ranking Swings With Google Algorithm Updates
- Old Google Page Speed Algorithms Are No Longer Used
- Google Product Reviews Update Is Primarily On A Page-Level Basis But Not Always...
- Google Search Console Bug Mislabeled Many Rich Results Issues As Errors When They Were Warnings
- Fixed: Query Data Returns To Google Search Console Queries Report In Google Analytics
- Google Search Console Geographic Target Setting Still Visibile But Doesn't Work
- Google Search Console Notices For max-image-preview
- Google Webmaster Guidelines Is Now Google Search Essentials With Lots Of Changes
- Google Fixes Favicon Display Bug In Google Search
- Google: Structured Data May Help Us Identify Product Reviews Content
- Google Adds Examples Of Types Of Product Review Pages To Help Doc
- Google News Publisher Error "There Are No Items To Show"
- Google Image Metadata Now Supports Image Credits
- Google: Leave Alt Text Empty For Decorative Images & So Does W3C
- Google: Link Wheels Are Against Google's Guidelines & Are Link Schemes
- Google: You'd Be Lucky To End Up In The Same Place After Changing URLs
- Changes To Some Of The Google Search Help Documentation
- Google: Doing SEO For The Google SEO Search Documentation
- Google Review Guidelines Updated To Disallow Discouraging Negative Or Selectively Solicit Positive Reviews
- New Google Business Profile Web Search Menu Now Rolling Out
- Google Business Profile Photo Insights Will Go Away
- Report: Google Reviews Being Removed From Local Business Profiles
- Google Releasing Older Local Reviews For Some Businesses?
- Keywords In Local Reviews Does Not Impact Google Local Rankings; Study Says
- Google Local Pack In Web Search Showing Up Less Often?
- Third Party Appointment Services Hijacking Google Local Business Profile Panels
- Google Local Panel Tests Dynamic Search Refinement Buttons
- Google Grouping Photos By Category For Some Business Profiles
- Google Tests New Local Finder Design With Expanded Services Listing
- Google Business Profiles Edit Ticket Prices Feature Added
- Google Local Pack Map Overlay Tests Fuller Local Pack Card
- Google Search Officially Rolls Out New Site Name & Favicon Design
- Official: Google Ads Rolls Out Sponsored Label
- Google Tests Previously Visited Sitelinks Icons
- Google About This Result Gains Remove Result Button
- Google Interactive Knowledge Panels In Auto-Complete Search Suggestions
- Google Showing On Time Delivery & Order Accuracy Estimates In Search Ads
- Google Testing Explore More Visual Products Section
- Is Google Showing Fewer FAQ Rich Results & Other Rich Results?
- Google Trending Now For Shopping Results
- Google Product Panel In Search Testing Expand Pricing Details
- Example Of Google Featured Snippet Callouts
- New Zero Click Google Study Puts Zero Clicks At 25%, Not 65%
- Google Analytics 4 Adds New Reporting & Features
- Google Tag Adds Tap Coverage Summary, Ads, Analytics & CMS Integration
- Google Data Studio Is Now Looker Studio
- Google Ads Revenue Up Only 4.2% & Microsoft Bing Ads Revenues Up 16%
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.