Daily Search Forum Recap: April 15, 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.

There was more Google core update volatility over the weekend. Google defended its statements about forums ranking for almost everything. Google responded to The Verge's printer article mocking its search results. Google AdSense publishers are seeing really big earnings drops. Google crawl budget is allocated on the hostname level. Google threatened California over its new proposed link tax bill with pulling investments and its news results from the state.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Weekend Google Core Ranking Volatility Taxing Site Owners
  As I mentioned briefly in my Friday video recap, I was starting to see renewed chatter on Friday morning around more Google search ranking volatility. I spotted some renewed chatter that lead through Friday, into Saturday and today. So I figured I'd cover it and share some of what SEOs are saying over the weekend.
• Google Responds To The Verge Mocking Its Search Rankings For Best Printer
  Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of the Verge posted a new article with the intent to both rank for [best printer] in Google Search, as well as mock Google for how he can game Google's search rankings using AI-generated content, while throwing in some affiliate links. Google's John Mueller responded saying, "People seem to really enjoy it."
• Google Goes On Defensive On Its Search Quality & Forum Results Statements
  Recently, we covered some of Google's rationale for ranking forums like Reddit and Quora so well in the Discussion and Forums box for many queries. Just a few days ago, we covered how I was sad to see Google ranking some dangerous and potentially harmful forum threads for health-related queries.
• Google Threatens California: Tests Removing Links To Publishers & Pauses Investments
  On Friday, Google responded to a pending bill in the California state legislature, the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), that would require Google to pay a link tax to publishers by testing removing links to California based publishers and pausing investments in news publishers within the state.
• Google Crawl Budget Is Allocated By Hostname
  Google gives every hostname its own allocated crawl budget. So that means each domain, subdomain, etc has its own unique crawl budget.
• Google AdSense Publishers Reporting Huge RPM Earnings Drops
  Many Google AdSense publishers have been reporting massive declines in their earnings and RPMs (page revenue per thousand impressions) since late February. This comes a couple of weeks after we reported the switch from CPC to CPM bidding in AdSense did not have a negative revenue result for publishers.
• Google Android Figurine Display Case
  At the Google Chicago office they have dozens of Android figurines on display in this glass display case. I guess they all have a name and are labeled with details. I found this image on Instagram.

Other Great Search Threads:

• These things are done when they're done, it's hard to predict exact timelines., John Mueller on X
• Google just changed the layout for product detail window , also include the near by store in this, Khushal Bherwani on X
• Google Ads charging 0.01 for a few European countries, WebmasterWorld
• GPTBot got stuck in giant content farm, Orhan Kurulan on X
• I created a chatbot with the Google Webmasters Documentation. Based on the current data, the tool has: 1. Over 15,000 requests 2. Over 3,000 users 3. I received support from @JohnMu and @g33konaut from Google itself, Dido Grigorov on X
• I am the new Paid Media News Writer of @sengineland ! Such an honour - can't believe it! I get to work with the likes of @rustybrick and @MrDannyGoodwin!! Dreams do come tru, Anu Adegbola on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• TikTok testing virtual influencers for video ads
• Chase launches first bank-led media network
• The latest jobs in search marketing
• How advertisers can capitalize on vertical video
• How the Google-Reddit partnership impacts brand management

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for Beginners—Part 2: Mastering Reports and User Interface Navigation, HackerNoon

Industry & Business

• Exclusive: OpenAI's Altman pitches ChatGPT Enterprise to large firms, including some Microsoft customers, Reuters
• OpenAI Taps Ex-Amazon Executive to Head Enterprise Push in Japan, Bloomberg

Links & Content Marketing

• The Sea of Sameness Problem in Content Marketing & SEO, Seer Interactive
• Content creation holds appeal for laid-off workers seeking flexibility, AP News

Local & Maps

• Local Keyword Research: 4 Easy Steps to Attract More Customers, Backlinko
• Multi-location Review Management: How to Manage Business Reviews at Scale, BrightLocal
• Exploring the impact of Google updates on business listings, Mirador Local
• Glanceable Directions is the Best New Google Maps Feature in Ages, How To Geek
• The Ugly Side of Google Maps: Why Barcelona Removed a Bus Route From the App, AutoEvolution

Mobile & Voice

• Exclusive: Google Pixel 9 to get new modem, satellite connectivity, Android Authority
• Worldwide Smartphone Market Up 7.8% in the First Quarter of 2024 as Samsung Moves Back into the Top Position, According to IDC Tracker, IDC
• The Next Frontier for Brain Implants Is Artificial Vision, Wired

SEO

• How to Appear in Position One in 2024 — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
• Google's Self-Supervised Pretraining for ASD & Why SEOs Should Care (Maybe), Ethan Lazuk
• Reddit Post Ranks On Google In 5 Minutes - What's Going On?, Search Engine Journal

PPC

• ‘Made for Advertising’ Websites Are the Marketing Industry’s Latest Messy Situatio, Wall Street Journal
• Use New Customer Acquisition in Google Ads Without Hurting ROAS, Optmyzr

Search Features

• Why the California Journalism Preservation Act is putting support of the news ecosystem at risk, Google Blog

Other Search

• Gemini has serious hallucinations (at least when you ask about composers!), SearchReSearch
• OpenAI makes ChatGPT ‘more direct, less verbose’, TechCrunch
• Google’s new technique gives LLMs infinite context, VentureBeat
• Tech Leaders Once Cried for AI Regulation. Now the Message Is ‘Slow Down’, Wired
• 5 failed Google social media platforms, Android Police
• ChatGPT essay cheats are a menace to us all, Financial Times (Sub)

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.