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:
- What Is More Important For SEOs To Understand; Guidelines Or Algorithm Updates?
Tomorrow at SMX West I am moderating a panel called Machine vs. Man: What Really Matters For SEO Success. One of the panelists is Frédéric Dubut from Bing and he posted a poll asking what is more important for SEOs, understanding the search quality raters guidelines or the ranking algorithm updates? - Google Recommends To Disavow Links That Can Trigger Manual Actions
Google's John Mueller said in a hangout last week that he would recommend that you not just disavow links that have already resulted in manual actions but you can also disavow links that you think would lead or result in a manual action. This is in addition to what John said about how it can help algorithmically with trust. - Google: Sitemap Files Don't Need To Be Indexed To Work
This is a bit heartwarming - to see John Mueller back up Joost de Valk and Yoost when someone incorrectly claimed their was a bug with the Yoast SEO plugin causing major Google issues. John from Google came in and backed up Joost, confirming Joost and telling the plugin creator his plugin is not needed. - Myth Busting: HTTPS Not Required For Google Indexing & Ranking
Google's John Mueller did some myth busting this morning around HTTPS. There are always some SSL providers trying to use Google's HTTPS ranking signal in their marketing efforts. One said that "Without an SSL Certificate Google is likely to drop your website in search results." That is not true and John Mueller said so. - Google Fixing AMP Errors; Nothing To Fix On Your End Now
Yesterday we reported on widespread AMP errors with Google Search Console and Google mobile search. As we suspected, it was an issue on Google's end - not an issue with the the configuration on the webmasters/developers end. At least, in this particular case, there is nothing for you to do - Google will fix it on their end. - In A Google Nap Pod
Googlers like to take naps, they have many sorts of ways to take naps at the various Google offices. The nap pod is one of them and here is a view from inside a nap pod at a Google office.
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- I hope they won't, otherwise pr will be breathing on my neck again 🤦♀️…, John Mueller on Twitter
- Microsft buys distributed Postgres company Citus, WebmasterWorld
- My understanding from the ad team is that this was a bug.…, Danny Sullivan on Twitter
- Restructuring internal linking and website architecture, WebmasterWorld
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Save your grant account from suspension with this script
- Riding the wave of AI: Is your marketing campaign as smart as it can be?
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Recreate Google Analytics Cross Device Reports in Data Studio, Bounteous
- Visualize 2030: meet the winners!, Google Cloud Blog
Industry & Business
Links & Promotion Building
- How to Use Ego Bait Content to Attract Links & Generate Leads, Search Engine Journal
- Press Packs: Getting on the good side of journalists, Distilled
Local & Maps
- Google Maps looks a little better after its latest Material Design tweak, BGR
- Marvel Fan Finds Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum (On Google Maps), CBR
Mobile & Voice
- Google Assistant vs Amazon Alexa - Who is leading the AI race?, Android Authority
- Google.com on mobile web rolling out voice search in Chrome for Android, 9to5Google
- Why digital marketers need to optimize their websites for voice search, Digital Information World
SEO
- Rewriting the Beginner's Guide to SEO, Chapter 6: Link Building & Establishing Authority, Moz
- How to Optimise for Searcher Intent (Complete Guide 2019), State of Digital
- How to Write for SEO in 2019. The Step by Step Guide, Cognitive SEO
- In Search SEO Podcast 12: How You Can Leverage Google's Local SERP Features, RankRanger
PPC
- How To Build An Ad Copy Proposal Template In Xcel, PPC Hero
- Support for v201809 reports in Google Ads Scripts, Google Ads Developer Blog
- Weekly Wisdom with Ross Tavendale: Super Fast Keyword Research, SEM Rush
Search Features
