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 Says More Granular Levels Of Speed May Become A Ranking Factor
Google's John Mueller said in a webmaster hangout earlier this week that maybe in the future Google will look at speed metrics in a more granular way when it comes to ranking. Right now, only super slow sites are really impacted by the speed update but this might change at some point. - Google Local Showing Review Mentions By People
Andy Simpson shared a screen shot (that I cannot replicate) of Google Local showing a summary of how many people mentioned a phrase in the comments. In the example below it says "4 people mention atmosphere" and "3 people mention kids." - Google Stops Displaying Almost All Top Right Featured Snippets
Google has virtually stopped showing featured snippets in the top right position of the search results page. There are some exceptions but for the most part, in virtually all cases, Google is no longer showing the top right featured snippets. - Google Handwashing Doodle For Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis Tomorrow
Tomorrow, March 20th, Friday, Google will be posted a hand washing video Doodle recognizing Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, widely attributed as the first person to discover the medical benefits of hand washing. The Doodle shows a video of how to properly wash your hands. - Google Spring Season & Fall Doodles 2020
Today is the first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere but no, doesn't really feel that way - I am sure you all feel similar. It is also the first day of fall in the southern hemisphere. Google has hot air balloon Doodles for both. - Dogs Leaving The Google Office
This is from a few weeks ago but here is a video I found on Instagram of dogs leaving the Google London office. The three of them look pretty happy to leave. Above is a photo but there is a video be
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Due to adjusted work schedules, we’re pausing upcoming Chrome & Chrome OS releases. Our goal is to ensure they continue to be stable, secure, & reliable for anyone who depends on them. We’ll prioritize updates relat, Chrome Developers on Twitter
- Filter bubbles for ads #seo #seo #google #mobile I believe that's new cc @rustybrick https://t.co/Dxlt8Bs5R9, Valentin Pletzer on Twitter
- Invalid AMP pages can still work, they just won't get the special AMP treatment. Maybe it's enough to do this on one page, get things working, and then switch back to valid AMP., John Mueller on Twitter
- Positive Ideas for Businesses During this Coronavirus (Covid 19) Time, WebmasterWorld
Search Engine Land Stories:
- A look at Google’s recent COVID-19 related policies in search
- How to optimize paid search and Amazon campaigns for seasonality success
- Make the most of your search budget with call analytics
- Search Engine Land Awards Deadline Extension Due to COVID-19
- Video: Martha van Berkel talks about structured data
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Bounteous Adds Digital Training Options, Cancels In-Person Training Through May, Bounteous
- How To View Google Ads Data In Google Analytics, PPC Hero
Industry & Business
- Google (GOOG) Agrees to Labor Worker Council in Europe, Bloomberg
- Google critics see its Firebase tools as another squeeze play, Reuters
Local & Maps
- Google wants to bring business savvy to local news outlets, Engadget
- How to Temporarily Close a Google My Business Listing, Sterling Sky Inc
Mobile & Voice
SEO
- An Opportunity for SEO as Social Distancing Increases Time Online, Conductor
- How to get your new WordPress site indexed, Yoast
- Your SEO To Do List: Optimize Your SEO with 10 SEO Best Practices, Know Agency
- Google Webmaster Hangout Notes: March 17th 2020, DeepCrawl
- How to measure content performance, Vertical Leap
PPC
- How COVID-19 Has Impacted Google Ads Results [Data], WordStream
- Google is still showing mask ads next to coronavirus stories after, CNBC
- Panic Searching: How COVID-19 Infected Searches Worldwide, Adzooma Blog
Search Features
Other Search
- Upcoming Chrome releases, Chromium Blog
