Daily Search Forum Recap: March 31, 2021

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 Limits Key Moments Feature To Small Set Of Video Providers
  Google has updated its help documents to explain that now it has limited which video providers can show up with the key moments interface in Google Search. It is available for all YouTube videos based on just adding a video description and now a "small set" of video providers at this time.
• Google Updated The Core Web Vitals & Page Experience FAQs
  In December 2020, Google posted a Core Web Vitals & Page Experience FAQs. Well, Google has just updated those FAQs to add a lot more detail. The most important thing that I wanted to pull out are these line "out systems will continue to prioritize pages with the best information overall, even if some aspects of page experience are subpar. A good page experience doesn't override having great, relevant content."
• Google: Don't Have Open Redirects On Your Website
  Google's John Mueller said on Twitter that Google "generally recommends not keeping open redirects." An open redirect is when a parameter values (the portion of URL after "?") in an HTTP GET request allow for information that will redirect a user to a new website without any validation of the target of redirect.
• Google Easter Egg: Ever Given At Suez Canal
  If you do a search on Google for [ever given] or [suez canal], you will see a new Google easter egg. You will see boats floating along under the search bar. Yes, this was an easter egg Google made to celebrate when the Ever Given was freed from being stuck and blocking the Suez Canal.
• Google Search Dropping Three Pack For Two Pack (Local Results)
  Joy Hawkins is saying she is noticing evidence that Google is testing, testing heavily, showing a two-pack instead of a three-pack. I personally cannot replicate this and I only rarely ever see two results in the local pack (for extremely remote queries), but she is saying Google is testing showing two instead of three results in the local pack more often.
• SEO Appearance On German Game Quiz Show
  Izzi Smith notified me on Twitter that the Wer weiß denn sowas TV game show asked a question about SEO. It is in German, so Izzi translated it for us.

Other Great Search Forum Threads:

• I report bad search results all the time, but i really don't see this one as a bug. Tbh I think this is a great example of having a too generic brand name., John Mueller on Twitter
• This has been a very interesting experiment. :) I'm a big fan of the cult favorite movie Swingers which starred Vince Vaugh, Jon Favreau, and Patrick Van Horn. A few months ago, I noticed the Knowledge Panel for Patrick contai, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
• A blog post isn't equivalent to a video -- they're very different kinds of content, and users sometimes have expectations one way or the other., John Mueller on Twitter
• People are noticing that Google is showing live inventory on Google My Business listings for major retailers. The great news is that you don't have to be a massive chain to get this feature enabled. Our friends at @dba, Local Search Forum on Twitter
• We wouldn't know they're AMP pages before crawling, so I can see how that might happen :). I suspect over time it'll shift over more & more, but wouldn't expect to see any ranking changes because of that., John Mueller on Twitter
• LinkedIn Also Testing "Clubhouse" Competitor, WebmasterWorld

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Microsoft Advertising announces Automotive Ads open beta in the US and UK
• Accelerate your SEO and content marketing program with 4 key milestones
• Google expands its core web vitals and page experience update FAQs
• Streaming is surging, and so are data collaborations
• The next best thing to in-person marketing events and data storytelling; Tuesday’s daily brief

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• Create an Exploration Report in Google Analytics 4, Conversion Uplift
• What Is Google Analytics 4 and How Will It Help My Reporting?, Databox Blog

Industry & Business

• Vaccine For All: NYC Opening New Vaccine Site With Google and Hudson Guild, City of New York

Links & Content Marketing

• New & Improved: Announcing The Beginner's Guide To Link Building, Moz

Local & Maps

• Apple Maps adds COVID-19 travel guidance for over 300 airports worldwide, TechCrunch
• Apple Maps now displays airport COVID-19 health information, AppleInsider

Mobile & Voice

• Sleeping on the job: How we built the new Nest Hub, Google Blog
• Snap expected to debut AR Spectacles for developers in May, Appleinsider
• Study finds Android shares 20x more data with Google than iOS does with Apple, Appleinsider
• Say "Hey Google..." to the new Fiat 500 Family, Google Blog

SEO

• Applying AI and ML to Manage E-commerce Product Content, Merkle
• FAQ Rich Results | Content Is Key For Schema Markup, Schema App Solutions
• How To Perform A Technical SEO Audit, Botify
• Pinterest SEO Guide, RankRanger
• Search marketing strategies for investment companies, Vertical Leap
• The Ultimate SEO Guide to Rich Results, Portent

PPC

• Find the right Certified Publishing Partner, Google Blog
• March 2021 update to Display & Video 360 API v1, Google Ads Developer Blog
• Privacy, sustainability and the importance of “and”, Google Blog
• Automotive Ads: showcase your offerings, Microsoft Advertising