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 Algorithm Updates, Knowledge Panel Hack, Consolidated Mobile First, SEO & More
This week we covered not just one but two different unconfirmed Google search algorithm updates... - Google Will Discontinue Some Old Search Console Features
Google's John Mueller confirmed this morning in a webmaster hangout at the 1:09 mark into the video that Google does plan to close down, discontinue, not port, every single feature from the old Search Console to the new Search Console. - Google: Our SEO Success Is Not From Preferential Treatment
Last night, Google's Sean O'Keefe shared some data on the Think With Google blog about how their SEO strategy leads to good results for the 7,000+ websites they manage. But then Google's search team had to come out and clarify that Google's SEO team doesn't get any preferential treatment because they work at Google. - Google Rolls Out Your Related Activity Card; Showing You Past Searches
Back in September we spotted Google testing a feature to show searchers a card of past searches and site visits based on those searches. Then Google later that month shared it would be coming. Well, Google is now finally rolling out what they are calling "your related activity" cards in the mobile search results in the US. - The Google Webmaster Blog Removes Comments Feature
Gary Illyes from Google announced on the Google Webmaster Blog that they disabled the ability to post or view comments on that blog. He said most of the comments ended up being off-topic or even outright spammy. So they decided to drop them completely versus spend the time moderating those comments. - Google Now Sending Consolidated Mobile-First Indexing Notifications
Google is now consolidating the notifications they send around sites being switched into Google's mobile first indexing process. Instead of sending a single email notification per site that moved over, Google is now sending a single email with all the URLs that moved over within a specific time period. - AeroGarden At Google : Indoor Garden
Here is a photo I found on Instagram from the GooglePlex, the main Google headquarters. It shows an aerogarden, an indoor garden in a room. Looks like LED lights sitting above pots of plants or herb
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Done something interesting with @AMPhtml? Ideas that can push the content experience of the web into the right direction? 👉🏽 Our CfP for AMP Conf 2019 in Tokyo is open, please submit a talk! https://t.co/L9LosCn0LF, Paul Bakaus on Twitter
- European Court Advisor Backs Google Over Limiting Right to be Forgetten, WebmasterWorld
- New Apple Maps subdirectory?, Local Search Forum
- Those sound like a lot of significant changes, so yes, I would expect to see some - at least temporary - fluctuations in search.… https://t.co/2ixlwz7OvC, John Mueller on Twitter
- What keeps you awake about SEO? (image from https://t.co/rJLaucS3Lv )…, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Sitelinks tip: Set your sitelink descriptions or Google, Bing Ads can do it dynamically
- Google’s internal SEO strategy: Make small changes, embrace change, consolidate
- SMX Munich agenda is now live
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- That's So Meta: Tracking Data Studio, in Data Studio, Analytics Demystified
- Essential PPC Metrics for eCommerce Merchants to Measure, Visiture
- How to A/B Test with Google Optimize in WordPress for Free, Kinsta
- Telia Norway increases mobile sales with Google Optimize, Google
Industry & Business
- Shareholder suit alleges Google covered up its sexual harassment problems with big payouts, TechCrunch
- An update on the Google Webmaster Central blog comments, Official Google Webmaster Central Blog
Links & Promotion Building
- The Do’s and Don’ts of Link Building, Vertical Measures
Mobile & Voice
- The Entity & Language Series: Query Language, Phone Language & Physical Location (5 of 5), Mobile Moxie Blog
SEO
- 13 Important SEO KPIs You Need to Know, Search Engine Journal
- Google Webmaster Hangout Notes: January 11th 2019, DeepCrawl
- How to Get Into Google News - Whiteboard Friday, Moz
- IndexWatch: The SEO Winners of 2018, SISTRIX
- Which Keywords Should I Rank for in Google? Use Power BI to find out., Accuranker
PPC
- Your 9-Point Pest Control PPC Checklist for 2019, DAGMAR Marketing
- Introducing Bing Ads Scripts: Basics & Key Use Cases, Metric Theory
