Daily Search Forum Recap: April 5, 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 explains why it shows so many forum and Reddit threads in the search results. Google is labeling product result images with product label. Bing Search tests grouping knowledge panel cards. Google has this related search carousel. Google is testing four images for product results. Google has a search easter egg for the solar eclipse. Plus I posted my weekly SEO video recap.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Search News Buzz Video Recap: Ongoing Google March Core Update, Googlebot To Crawl Less, Pay For Google Search AI & More
  This week, I posted the big Google Webmaster Report for April; it is an excellent place to catch up quickly on the news. Google's March 2024 core update had some volatility this week, and it is still rolling out. There are still no....
• Google Explains Why It Shows Reddit & Forum Threads In Search So Often
  Google's Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, explained that while SEOs hate to see Reddit and other forum threads show up so often in the Google Search results, searchers like seeing them. In fact, he said that searchers seek content out from these forums, and this is why Google shows them so often in the search results.
• Google Product Results Labels A Product As Product
  Google is testing labeling product images in the product grid search results with a label that says "product." I am unsure if this is Google mislabeling the percent discount tag and sticking "product" there instead or if this is a real feature test.
• Google Related Searches Displaying Local Carousel
  Google is testing showing local carousels, local search results to Business Profile listings, within the related searches section. It seems off but Google is sub-categorizing them with the types of local results they are.
• Google Search Testing Four Images (Up From 3) In Search Results
  Google is testing showing four images, instead of three images, in its search results. This is a small change but it does give more publishers a chance to show their images on the first page.
• Bing Tests Groups Cards In Knowledge Panel Design
  Microsoft is testing showing more grouped cards in the Bing Search knowledge panel design that it launched earlier this year. Bing is showing four more cards, by splitting some of the cards in half, to make room for these knowledge bits.
• Solar Eclipse Google Search Easter Egg
  Google has a special easter egg in its search results for the upcoming solar eclipse. When you search for solar eclipse, you are shown a sun that gets covered by the move, in an animation, just like you'd see it if you were in the path of the solar eclipse.
• Google Patent Puzzle Award A Decade Later
  A decade ago, I shared a photo of a plastic or glass acrylic award shaped like a puzzle piece that Google gives to those who file a patent application on their work. Well, a decade later, they are giving out the same award. Here is a recent photo of a UX designer at Google showing off her award on Instagram.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Google PAA displays text in bold., Shameem Adhikarath on X
• A gift for those who got thrown into the new Google Ads design and aren't quite ready for it, Tim Jensen on X
• beginning of the end for the old interface. Feels like it was just yesterday that we got the current design. #tbt, Greg on X
• Google Trailling SGE AI in Search in the U.K., WebmasterWorld
• Have you created a song with Copilot lately? You may have noticed an improvement. We recently launched @suno_ai_'s new v3 model for all Copilot users, which features better audio quality, more styles and genres, and more graceful en, Jordi Ribas on X
• I didn't say to get rid of tables of contents if they're helpful to your readers. And we don't somehow penalize a site for having one -- which is pretty easily verifiable, as you can find pages rank, Google SearchLiaison on X
• The new Places API is here! The Places API provides even more details and place types, which means your users will find the best place to go no matter the destination. Discover all the new features, Google Maps Platform on X
• Very interesting. Microsoft Start (think of Discover but for Microsoft) just announced their AI policy. And it's a doozy :) "Any content suspected of being generated by unreviewed AIGC will be assessed and may be demoted or removed a, Glenn Gabe on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• LinkedIn introduces CTV ads for B2B campaigns
• Google ‘considering Hubspot acquisition’
• Google AI overviews launch in UK
• Google to start issuing Display & Video 360 linking recommendations
• PPC Survey: AI a top priority but causing concern, trust in Google Ads down
• SMX Advanced registration is open… grab your free pass now!
• How to build a future-ready SEO strategy
• 13 questions to diagnose and resolve declining organic traffic

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• How to Choose and Setup a Consent Management Platform, Measure Minds Group
• Google Will Delete Universal Analytics, APIs, And Dat, Mobile App Daily

Industry & Business

• Exclusive: Google parent Alphabet weighs offer for HubSpot, sources say, Reuters
• Marketing Principles to Live By with Shelley Walsh, Marketing Speak
• OpenAI’s GPT Store Is Triggering Copyright Complaints, Wired
• YouTube Says OpenAI Training Sora With its Videos Would Break the Rules, Bloomberg

Links & Content Marketing

• Internal Link Audits, SEO Testing
• The Reality of Generative AI in Marketing May Not Be What You Think, Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• 5 Google Maps and Waze Alternatives You Didn't Know Exist, AutoEvolution
• Apple Maps may soon customize directions based on your car type, Mashable
• Key Bridge in Baltimore no longer appearing on Google Maps, Yahoo News

Mobile & Voice

• Google Files Racketeering Suits Over Alleged Crypto-App Scams, Bloomberg
• Google Search tests a small but overdue design tweak on Android, Android Police
• Ten years later, Facebook’s Oculus acquisition hasn’t changed the world as expected, TechCrunch

SEO

• A ‘Law Firm’ of AI Generated Lawyers Is Sending Fake Threats as an SEO Scam, 404 Media
• Google Books Is Indexing AI-Generated Garbage, 404 Media
• Google's Reliable Information Systems & the Discussions and Forums Feature, Ethan Lazuk
• How Google Search indexes pages, Google Search Central YouTube
• What Makes an SEO Program Successful?, BruceClay
• How to Create a Monthly SEO Report: The Ultimate Guide for SEOs, SEO Testing

PPC

• Google Shopping Campaigns: 3 Examples You Can Copy Now, Optmyzr

Search Features

• Google using AI to come up with search answers in UK trial, BBC News

Other Search

• Introducing improvements to the fine-tuning API and expanding our custom models program, OpenAI
• Bing Ads Exploited by Hackers to Spread SecTopRAT, GB Hackers
• US and EU commit to links aimed at boosting AI safety and risk research, TechCrunch

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