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 Aware Of Sensationalist Tabloidesque Headlines In Top Stories
Google's Danny Sullivan said on Twitter that the Google team is aware of the "concerns about sensationalist tabloidesque headlines" in the top stories section in Google search. He added that Google looks for solutions to solve concerns but didn't say much more. - Google On Potential Issues With Canonicals & JavaScript
Google's John Mueller posted a very detailed response on Reddit about how Google treats canonicals and how JavaScript based sites that use them might run into issues. JavaScript isn't the issue itself but it can cause some confusion. - Google Local Pack Defaults To Showing 4 Stars For Some Queries
If you do a search for [top soil] where I am and in some other locations, Google will show you a local pack but the local pack will be filtered to only show results with 4.0+ ratings or higher. If I do another search, like [barber shop] I do not get the 4+ rating filter in my location. - Is Google Penguin Dead Or Alive
Joe Hall, an SEO, posted a Twitter poll asking SEOs if they believe if Penguin is dead or alive. Yes, the Google Penguin update that ravaged so many SEOs over the years. The poll has over 100 votes, but it clearly shows SEOs don't know. Heck, even John Mueller from Google responded that it depends because Penguin has evolved. - Old Smelly Google Socks
Here is a photo of the old classic Google socks that are probably old smelly socks in general. I found it on Instagram and the person called them his "i'm feeling lucky socks."
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- The challenge of geo redirection and Google when it comes to third party links & the flow of PageRank, Reddit
- Google #Chrome Flags ALL of @EasyWP Subdomains https://t.co/I9tlzhFQht It happens to the best of us. I hope @JohnMu can help. tad… https://t.co/h4ifMsW4Ga, EasyWP on Twitter
- More URL inspection tool changes. When the upgrade rolled out last week, testing the live url used Gbot Desktop as the default & then you could check the Mobile usability section to see the smartphone screenshot/fetch. Now it defa, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
- GMB Updated? Setting a Profile image was removed, now only Set Cover and Logo are available. @saksters @mblumenthal @JoyanneHawkins @sergey_alakov, Val Getova on Twitter
- 2019 is expected to be a competitive year for the auto industry. Learn how to capitalize on increased search demand and navigate the competition, by checking out our on-demand webcast. https://t.co/i4rSKMtcSD, Bing Ads on Twitter
- GDPR takes a bit, Google hit with $57 million fine, WebmasterWorld
- Hey, #react, #angular, #vue & other #js folks - do you have any questions regarding #seo or challenges with making your web apps discoverable in search? I'd love to hear from you!, Martin Splitt @ on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Data: Google organic search CTRs decline on desktop, see big drop on phones
- Google tells some advertisers it will handle their campaign management
- Bing Ads 2018 recap and insights for search marketers in the year ahead
- Introducing SEO for developers. It’s time.
- Search Engine Land adds technical, in-house SEO experts to team
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- 10 Things you can easily learn from in your Google Analytics account, Made Simple Media
- Data Science in Marketing: Your Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Vertical Leap
Industry & Business
- Google's European Monopoly (& Shrinking Click-Through Opportunities), SparkToro
- Microsoft’s Bing search engine blocked in China, Financial Times
- Top SEO Conferences to tick off your Bucket List in 2019, Verve Search
- 7 reasons to come to YoastCon, Yoast
- Meet Yoast’s new CEO: Marieke van de Rakt!, Yoast
- Microsoft's Bing Accessible in China After Hours of Outages, Bloomberg
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
- Find more balance in your life this year, with help from Google, Google Blog
- Rogers launching Google Assistant integration for carrier information, Mobile Syrup
SEO
- 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Hiring an SEO Vendor, Search Engine Journal
- Are You Sabotaging Your SEO Writing Success?, SuccessWorks
- How Google Treated A Major Site Performance Problem From A Crawling And Ranking Perspective [SEO Case Study], GSQI
- These are the Google Winners & Google Losers of 2018, SearchMetrics
- Uncovering SEO Opportunities via Log Files, Moz
- 10 New Local Search Features You Should Be Using, Search Engine Journal
- How Often Does Google Change URLs Inside Featured Snippets? [Study], RankRanger
- Indexwatch: The UK's Top 100 SEO Losers of 2018, SISTRIX
- Website Redesign Planning Guide: Free SEO Ebook Download, Pure Visibility
- Why Free SEO Audits & Tools Can Actually Cost You More, Cognitive SEO
- Why SEO Is Important: 8 Undeniable Facts and Case Studies, Ahrefs
PPC
