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.
The big news today is that Google is sunsetting Universal Analytics, what you know as Google Analytics and replacing it with Google Analytics 4 - data will not be migrated, which is a sad thing. Google expanded the free hotel listings and added more features and reporting. Google search is testing offer carousels in web search and more about links in local listings. Most SEOs do expect some traffic loss when doing a site migration. Google moved the dates for the Search Central unconference back a bit.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Reaction Towards Google Killing Google Analytics 3 For Google Analytics 4
So Google is doing away with Google Analytics 3, aka Universal Analytics and you will all have to switch to Google Analytics 4, aka GA 4. Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits on July 1, 2023. That means you need to set up GA 4 really soon so you can compare year over year data - GA 3 data won't migrate to GA 4. - Google Offers Carousel In Search Result Snippets
Google Search has a carousel, which may or may not be new, that shows categories of offers from a merchant as part of the overall snippet. The carousel is beneath the main snippet and sitelinks (if available) and shows a scrollable carousel of offer categories. - Google Search Local Business Listing Tests More About Button
Google seems to be testing a new button in the local business listings, the local panel, that has a "more about" button. The button drives someone from the web search version of the local listing to the more detailed overview tab section of this local listing. - Google Officially Announces Search Central Virtual Unconference - April 27th
I was a bit too eager in reporting the dates for the Google Search Central Virtual Unconference the other week. Google changed the tentative dates on the registration page to now show that the event takes place on April 27th from 11am to 2pm ET, with registration opening on March 30th at 6am. - Poll: 80% Of SEOs Expect Some Traffic Loss After Site Migration
A Twitter poll by Natalie Mott showed that almost 80% of SEOs do expect to see some traffic lost when managing a site migration. There were over 1,300 votes on this poll, which is a lot for an SEO Twitter poll, and 78.3% said they do expect a traffic drop, whereas 21.7% said they do not. - Free Google Hotel Listings Expand To Search & Maps, Adds Reporting & Controls
Google announced that the free Google hotel listing is released a year ago is now expanding. Google will now show these free hotel listings in Google Search and Google Maps. Plus, Google added some more reporting and hotel controls for management. - Google Rope Sleep Area
Here is a photo from the Google Zurich office of another sleeping area, this one is made up of ropes, the ones you'd see at an indoor playground, but this area is filled with more comfy pillows and pa
Other Great Search Threads:
- Update Knowledge Graph, Reddit
- Just curious. How long have you been doing SEO?, Dr. Marie Haynes on Twitter
- Google Domains Comes Out of Beta, WebmasterWorld
- If you want it to be found, you should link to it., John Mueller on Twitter
- It's not common. Sometimes they're in a site:-query, but no user does that. If it ranks instead of your normal content for your main queries, usually that's a sign that the normal content is really "off-target", John Mueller on Twitter
- JQuery is a JavaScript framework, it can show things in many ways. I'd recommend following our JavaScript SEO guidance in the search developer documentation to find out more and test., John Mueller on Twitter
- New products launched on your ecom website not indexing/ranking on Google? Here are some things to check:, Luke Carthy on Twitter
- We'll be back live from Shoreline Amphitheatre for this year's #GoogleIO! Join us online May 11-12, Sundar Pichai on Twitter
- Alright, finally I can share the great news! We'll have another Virtual Unconference, Martin Splitt on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- How E-A-T content and link building can drive YMYL SEO success
- Google business profile reviews posting bugs should be resolved soon
- How to prepare for an SEO sales call
- Google to sunset Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023, in favor of Google Analytics 4
- Google’s free hotel booking links arrive on Search and Maps
- Enabling with technology, differentiating through humanity
- Microsoft’s Automotive Ads get more placements, roll out globally
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Digital Debrief – RIP Universal Analytics, Hello GA4 , Krista Seiden
- Google Analytics To Stop Logging IP Addresses And Sunset Old Versions In Privacy Standards Overhaul, AdExchanger
- How to Set Up and Use Funnel Reports in Google Analytics: A Step-by-Step Guide, Databox Blog
- Takeaways from Today’s Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Announcement, Adswerve
- When Universal Analytics Will Officially Stop Collecting Data, Seer Interactive
Industry & Business
- Google Buys Hardware Startup Raxium to Fuel AR Ambitions, The Information
- Google employees say return-to-office plan is unfair, Protocol
- Google Health’s Care Studio ties up with Meditech—here's why Epic could be its next target, eMarketer
- Google learned to lobby DC from PIPA and SOPA, Protocol
- Russia’s war hits Yandex, the ‘Google of Russia’, TechCrunch
Links & Content Marketing
- 8 Free Courses For Writers & Content Marketers, Search Engine Journal
Local & Maps
- Local SEO Insights For Multi-Location Businesses, Vertical Leap
Mobile & Voice
- tvOS 15.4 and HomePod 15.4 now available with captive Wi-Fi network support, Siri improvements, more, 9to5Mac
- Why You Should Use Google Assistant Family Bell, How To Geek
SEO
- 5 Steps to SEO Project Management Bliss, BruceClay
- How Can SEO Split Testing Help With Google’s Page Title & Meta Description Rewrites?, Semrush
- How to extend a multi-site indexing monitoring system to compare Google-selected and user-selected canonical urls (via the URL Inspection API and Analytics Edge), GSQI
- Ongoing Optimization: Strategic SEO Tips For B2B Marketers In 2022, Online Marketing Blog
- Sitemaps for SEO - SEO Basics, RankRanger
- The Ultimate SEO Checklist: 41 Best Practices, Semrush
PPC
- Expanding the reach and scope of Automotive Ads, Microsoft Advertising
- Keyword Mapping: What Is It & How To Do It, Portent
- Level up your gaming business with new ad features, Google Blog
- What are Performance Max Campaigns?, Location3 Media
Other Search
- Announcing Friendly Bots, Cloudflare
- Doctors often turn to Google Translate. They want a better option, Stat News
- Google teases I/O 2022 with ‘SVD' interactive puzzle, 9to5Google
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