Daily Search Forum Recap: January 10, 2024

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.

Google says there is no perfect formula to ranking a web page in Google Search. Google Sitemaps pinging no longer works - it was deprecated. Google how-to rich results aren't showing up anymore. Bing Search tests chat button that reads chat with GPT-4, My Bing and a colorful Copilot logo in the search bar. Microsoft may extend the Bing Chat memory limit beyond 90 days. Google Search shows climate-friendly train alternatives below the flight results.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Mid-Week Google Search Algorithm Ranking Volatility January 9th & 10th
  For the past several unconfirmed Google Search ranking algorithm updates that we covered, those were almost all reported over the weekend. Now I am seeing search ranking volatility in the middle of a work week. I am seeing signs of an unconfirmed update starting off Tuesday, January 9th and today, Wednesday, January 10th.
• Google: No Such Thing As Perfect Formula For Ranking
  Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison, said that there is no such thing as a perfect formula for ranking a web page. Sullivan said this on X, saying, "There's no perfect formula to follow that must be used to rank highly in Google Search."
• Google Search Highlights Climate-Friendly Train Alternatives Under Flight Results
  Google Search is now showing climate-friendly train alternatives under the flight search results box. So if you are looking for flights where you can take a train instead, Google will show you the train alternatives.
• Microsoft May Extend Bing Chat's History Beyond 90 Days
  When Microsoft first launched its Bing Chat Personalized Answers, Microsoft said the history/memory would be based on 90 days of chat history. However, some chat users noticed it was going beyond the 90 days. In fact, Mikhail Parakhin, the CEO of Advertising and Web Services at Microsoft, said they plan to extend it beyond the 90 days.
• Google How-To Rich Results Dropping Out Of Search Results Again
  A couple of days ago, we reported that the FAQ rich results dropped out of the search results again, and now we are seeing the how-to rich results drop out of the search results again. This happened around the same time as the FAQ rich results dropping.
• Bing Search Menu Tests Chat Button That Says Chat w/GPT-4 & Copilot
  Bing Search has placed the "Chat" button in its top search menu since Bing Chat launched. But now Bing is testing expanding it to read "Chat w/GPT-4" and "Copilot." We know Microsoft is ultimately rebranding Bing Chat to Copilot, so that is expected but w/GPT-4 is not.
• Google Sitemaps Ping Endpoints Officially No Longer Work
  Google has officially deprecated the Sitemaps ping endpoints. Now, when you try to access it, Google responds, "Sitemaps ping is deprecated," with a link to the post about it going away.
• Google King's Cross Campus Close To Done
  Google King's Cross campus which we saw back in 2022 under construction is still being worked on but it is getting closer. Here is an updated photo from Daniel Waisberg, he posted this on X.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Interesting how Bing is starting to take a very similar approach to SGE in search results with the footnotes and ‘learn more’ links section. Hard to make an argument that it’s better than a standard Google featured snippet, SERP Alert on X
• Just a reminder that syndicating content can sometimes lead to new developments, like Yahoo *also* syndicating the exact same article content on http://aol.com, which they own, and which also appears in Google Discover., Lily Ray on X
• 404s are fine, no need to do anything about them., John Mueller on X
• So Google Drive has this weird emergent behavior: When an employee leaves a company, their manager typically inherits their files. As time goes on, all documents migrate upward. So after 16 years as CEO, here's my Google account..., Jeff Lawson on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google to update AdMob & AdSense Program Policies
• Instacart rolls out off-platform Google Shopping ads for CPG partners
• Google is shutting down websites made with Business Profiles
• Supercharge your SEO tool stack for 2024 with AI
• Last call for Google Ads API v13
• Take your career to the next level: Become a search marketing master in 2024
• 6 tips to build PPC client relationships
• Google Search home page broken on Android devices using Firefox
• Googlebot crawl rate tool is now gone
• How to link GA4 with Google Search Console

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• 12 Key Google Analytics Metrics to Track, Semrush
• Calculated Metrics in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Omi Sido
• How Does Google Analytics 4 Use Cookies, Go Fish Digital
• How to Use Google Tag Manager Better + 2024 Predictions, Measure Minds Group

Industry & Business

• Applied Materials, Google to Collaborate on AR Technology, MarketWatch
• Google faces multibillion-dollar US patent trial over AI technology, Yahoo Finance
• Meet OpenAI’s ‘foreign minister’ behind Sam Altman’s global influence, The Washington Post
• Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, And Other AI Giants Face Growing Cyber Threats From China, Warns FBI Director, Benzinga

Links & Content Marketing

• Driving Sales with Digital PR: What E-commerce Brands Need to Know, Moz
• How To Tame Content Tasks With These 5 ‘Cheat Codes’ [AI Not Required], Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• Google announces Android Auto updates at CES 2024, Google Blog
• Google Maps will now give EV drivers real-time battery range info, starting with Ford, TechCrunch

Mobile & Voice

• Google at CES 2024: New Android features and updates, Google Blog
• Hey Google: If AI is replacing Google Assistant, I have two questions, ZDNET
• Kohler's New Smart Bidet Takes Voice Commands From Alexa, Hypebeast

SEO

• Data driven SEO using the Oncrawl API with Python, Oncrawl
• Yoast SEO 21.8: Seamless highlighting in Elementor, Yoast

PPC

• Google Ads API v13 sunset reminder, Google Ads Developer Blog
• How to Use Conversion Value Rules in Google Ads, WordStream

Search Features

• Google SGE Pushdown, Siri AI 'Overhaul,' Brick & Mortar Halo, Near Media
• YouTube now lets Creators upload podcasts via RSS feed, 9to5Google
• How to find first aid information on YouTube, YouTube Blog

Other Search

• Getty Completes its Reversal on Generative AI and Launches Generative AI by iStock, Substack
• All You Need to Know about Gemini, Google's Response to ChatGPT, Sify

Feedback:

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