Daily Search Forum Recap: April 10, 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.

I am seeing more ranking volatility from the Google core update today. Google's helpful content update is no longer, it is just a core update that has systems for determining helpfulness. Bing is testing dropping the estimated search results count in the search results. SEO is not about magic says Google. Google Ads has a new warning for location issues. Google Merchant Center published its annual product data specification.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• New Google March 2024 Core Update Ranking Volatility
  As the Google March 2024 core update hits the 36th day of its rollout, we are seeing more ranking fluctuations and volatility being reported both by the Google tracking tools and within the SEO community through a spike in chatter. Maybe this is the last wave of the update before it is done?
• Reminder: Google's Helpful Content Update Is No More - It's A Core Update
  As a reminder, with the release of the Google March 2024 core update, the old Google helpful content update is no longer a thing. As we reported, Google has incorporated helpfulness signals into the overall core update, but that old helpful content update is no longer around.
• Bing Search Tests Removing Estimated Number Of Results
  Microsoft is testing removing the estimated number of search results count in the Bing Search results interface. This comes after Bing began testing removing the cache link from the search result snippets.
• Google: SEO Is Not About Magic
  Google's John Mueller had another one-liner, this one he said, "keep in mind that SEO is not really about magic." This was in response to trying to SEOs trying to find some magic by using various HTML elements and thus seeing some sort of SEO benefit to that "magic."
• 2024 Google Merchant Center Product Data Specification Updates
  Google has published its yearly update for its Merchant Center product data specification. Some of the changes listed below went into effect yesterday, April 9, while some go into effect on July 31, 2024, and others don't go into effect until September 1, 2023.
• New Warning Google Ads For Location Not Matching
  Google Ads has a new warning notification within the Google Ads reports that reads, "The search location doesn't match this campaign's location targeting settings." This is a way for Google Ads to target ads to geographic locations.
• Eclipse Viewings At Google Offices
  As you know, Monday we had many spots in the US to view the eclipse, some even got totality. Here are some photos from various Google offices of the eclipse. This one above is from the NYC office, which had about 90% coverage.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Appreciate the feedback. Aware of these concerns. Have passed them on. Have been talking with the team about them. Here's some of what I've shared on this, Google SearchLiaison on X
• Anyone Ever See The Local Services Ads Equivalency Programme Before? Says It's For US Businesses, But The Fact That Program Is Spelled Programme Makes Me Think This Started Across The Pond. https://t.co/yUZNrObq88 https://t.co/3Y, Anthony Higman on X
• What happened to Google search? It has become nearly impossible to find relevant results., Reddit

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Ads served on retailers’ websites ‘twice as likely’ to influence U.S. shoppers
• 4 YouTube Shopping updates, including Collections and Affiliate Hub
• Google and world’s largest ad group announce landmark AI collaboration
• LinkedIn’s most effective posting strategies unveiled by new study
• 7 ways to use generative AI in PPC
• How to implement a full-funnel PPC marketing strategy

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• How to Implement Consent Mode with Cookiebot CMP, Measure Minds Group
• Leveraging Google Analytics with Google Ads: A Step-by-Step Integration Guide, JXT Group

Industry & Business

• A chance to 'differentiate' its offering: What analysts expect from Google's cloud event, CNBC
• Google Cloud Next 2024: News and updates, Google Blog
• Google Expands In-House Chip Efforts in Costly AI Battle, Wall Street Journal
• Google partners with Bayer on new AI product for radiologists, CNBC
• Google Shows AI Model Is Enterprise-Ready After Gemini Mishaps, Bloomberg

Links & Content Marketing

• Website content tip: Avoid simple answers, SearchLab Digital
• How To Adapt Your SEO and Content Strategies for SGE and AI Experiences, Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• Learn helpful tricks and tips to better utilize Google Maps, Fox News
• The Key Bridge vanishes from Google Maps — but not Waze or Apple, The Baltimore Banner
• Update Now: Google Maps No Longer Enforced on Android Auto, AutoEvolution

Mobile & Voice

• Apple shows how businesses are using the Apple Vision Pro, AppleInsider
• CT scan shows insider the Apple Vision Pro headset, AppleInsider
• Ferret-UI may help Siri understand iOS app interfaces, AppleInsider

SEO

• How Google Search serves pages, Google Search Central YouTube
• Some thoughts on why Reddit is all over your search results, Marie Haynes
• The impact & influence of website structure on quality perception, Oncrawl
• Word count and SEO: how long should a post or page be?, Yoast
• New Title & Descriptions Requirements For AI Content in Google Merchant Center, FeedArmy
• What's your SEO maturity?, SERP's Up SEO Podcast
• Why did Google Switch from FID to INP?, Onely

PPC

• 3 Tricks to Localize Your Google Ads (With Examples!), WordStream
• The Top 50 Most Influential PPC Experts of 2024, PPC Survey

Search Features

• Gemini 1.5 Pro Now Available in 180+ Countries; With Native Audio Understanding, System Instructions, JSON Mode and More, Google for Developers
• Google releases Imagen 2, a video clip generator, TechCrunch
• Google’s AI Search experience is an utter mess I can’t stand, Android Police
• Reverse image on Bing Visual Search may be getting smarter, latest Microsoft patent reveals, MSPoweruser

Other Search

• Google Vids is the latest AI-powered app in Workspace, The Verge
• Google’s Gemini Pro 1.5 enters public preview on Vertex AI, TechCrunch
• OpenAI makes GPT-4 Turbo with Vision generally available in API, VentureBeat
• Poe introduces a price-per-message revenue model for AI bot creators, TechCrunch
• Over 50% of Americans trust Google more than what they learned in school, Yahoo News

Feedback:

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