Daily Search Forum Recap: January 25, 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 no one can guarantee traffic. Google Search does not understand content within HTML comments. Google is testing changes to the local panel on mobile. Google may penalize those who use recipe structured data in recipe catalogs. Google is testing videos on the right side of the search results page. Google also dropped the cache link.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google's John Mueller: No One Can Guarantee Traffic
  Google's John Mueller had a nice one-liner again on X; he said, "Nobody can guarantee you traffic, sorry." This means you can't say making X changes will result in Y traffic for sure. You can't guarantee it he said.
• Google Search Does Not Understand Content Within HTML Comments
  Google does not read or use the content within your HTML comments for Google Search or ranking purposes. Google's John Mueller confirmed this once again saying, "Googlebot doesn't understand your HTML comments."
• Google Testing New Local Business Profile Designs With Icons
  It looks like Google is testing an update to the Google Business Profile design where Google shows new icons and a slightly updated layout from the old version. The new layout also seems...
• Google May Penalize Recipe Collection Pages Using Recipe Structured Data
  Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison, said that Google may soon target or penalize recipe collection pages using recipe structured data, when recipe structured data should be used on pages that list out the food item and include both ingredients and steps.
• Google Search Drops Cache Link From Search Results (How To See The Cache)
  After a couple of months of testing, it seems Google has now removed the cache link from the search results page. I no longer see a link to the Google cache within search result snippets but that doesn't mean you cannot access to cache, you can.
• Google Tests Videos On Right Side Of Search Results Page, Again
  Google is testing showing video results on the right side of the search results page. Google tested this a few years ago, in a different format and now seems to be testing it again in a more basic video thumbnail format.
• Filipino Googler Network - Tinikling Class
  I think it is awesome that Google has their cultural and regional groups and here is one for the Filipino Googlers. These Googlers had a Tinikling class.

Other Great Search Threads:

• 10+ Notes! Like I've said before, for right article covering the right topic, some users are more apt to add notes via the SERPs. You don't see 10+ notes for an article often. And some of the notes have likes as well. But still weird that you have to *go , Glenn Gabe on X
• Hey, appreciate the thread and always concerns being voiced. Wanted to clarify something, though. Page Insights only appear if someone is actually on a page and requests to see them. They don't automatically appe, Google SearchLiaison on X
• In case you missed it - finish setting up your Google Analytics 4 property before your connected Universal Analytics property is permanently deleted on Jul 1, 2024., Khushal Bherwani on X
• My 2024 Google GenAI Bets + Advice: 1. Google SGE isn't going away. Expect this to roll out more widely. G will continue to test/integrate different features from what we see today. My worry: SEOs worried about SGE are staring at the tree vs. the forest, Britney Muller on X
• Queries that do not meet our privacy thresholds are aggregated in within the “other” search terms line. Search Terms Insights (on the Insights page) can be helpful to better understand the query themes/categories driving activity though. The category , AdsLiaison on X
• The advanced features for consent mode are optional and provide additional controls for businesses that want further customization. For example, opting to redact ads data when ads_data_redaction is set to true and ad, AdsLiaison on X
• There are hundreds of thousands of backlinks to these https://chat.openai.com/share/ URLs and content is not protected. @rustybrick We should continue reminding all webmasters that this is good practice to regularly review their websites security prac, Fabrice Canel on X
• These are two topics separated by a comma. Top Stories labels are automatically generated based on the main topics in a particular news cluster. In this case, it’s simply naming key topics in the cluster. For, Google SearchLiaison on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• LinkedIn to sunset lookalike audiences
• 75% of top brands fall victim to fraud in Google Search Ads
• TikTok pilots 30-minute video uploads for select users
• Generate image alt text at scale with AI: A 7-step guide for SEOs
• Meta rolls out new and updated tools to improve brand safety controls
• How product scoring can boost your Shopping campaigns

Other Great Search Stories:

Industry & Business

• Google Settles Before Closings In Trial Over $1.6B AI Patent Claim, Law360
• Google to Settle Chip Patent Lawsuit With Singular Computing, MarketWatch
• OpenAI Quietly Scrapped a Promise to Disclose Key Documents to the Public, Wired

Links & Content Marketing

• Breaking News: ‘PR Critical to SEO Success’ Is Not Breaking News, Moz
• Crack the LinkedIn Code With Advice From Marketers Who Did It, Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• Do Custom Google Business Profile Services Impact Ranking?, Sterling Sky Inc
• Google Maps update will make it easier to find a place to eat — here’s how, Tom's Guide

Mobile & Voice

• Apple Plans New Fees and Restrictions for Downloads Outside App Store, Wall Street Journal
• Bard Advanced is coming to the Google app — with a familiar catch, Android Central
• Making VR Headsets Cool Won’t Be Easy, Even for Apple, New York Times

SEO

• How brands can E-E-A-T better in 2024, Hallam
• How to Determine SEO Potential: A Comprehensive Guide, Semrush
• How to Reduce the Risk of Hurting SEO During a Site Migration, seoClarity
• IndexWatch 2023: SEO Visibility Losers, SISTRIX
• The SEO Basics for Marketers & Businesses (2024), Ethan Lazuk

PPC

• Google Ads Liaison Explains “Other” Search Terms Issue, Search Engine Journal
• Google Consent Mode V2: What Marketers Need to Know (& Do), Lunio
• Update to Display & Video 360 API Terms of Service to ensure Online Behavior Advertising compliance, Google Ads Developer Blog

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