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 again says very few links are needed to rank webpages and links are a lot less important now. Google is testing answers in the discussions and forums section. Forbes blocked its coupons directory before Google releases its site reputation abuse policy. Google Business Profiles has a posts button. Google is showing 16 shopping ads for one query. Also, I am offline Tuesday and Wednesday for Passover, so any news from this site or me was pre-written and scheduled.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google: We Need Very Few Links To Rank Pages; Links Are Less Important
Gary Illyes from Google spoke at the SERP Conf on Friday and he said what he said numerous times before, that Google values links a lot less today than it did in the past. He added that Google Search "needs very few links to rank pages." -
Forbes Blocks Its Coupon Directory Before Google Enforces The Site Reputation Abuse Policy
Forbes has blocked its coupons section of its web site at forbes.com/coupons using an x-robots-tag: noindex directive prior to Google enforcing the upcoming site reputation abuse policy. As a reminder, Google will enforce that new policy on May 5th both algorithmically and through manual actions. -
Google Tests Discussion and Forums Questions With Answers Box
Google is testing showing answers in the Discussions and Forums section within the search results. Google will show the question and then add a shaded box with one of the selected answers under the question. -
Google Tests Posts Button In Local Listing Business Profile
Google is testing showing a "Post" button in the carousel of buttons in the Google Business Profile local listing panel. So when you view your owned business in Google Search, you may see a "Post" button near the call, directions, share, and save. There is also an "Edit" button there. -
Google Search With 16 Shopping Ads
It is good to have choices but too many choices might not be good, said some wise man. Well, here is Google giving you 16 choices of bikes in the shopping ad spot at the top of the Google Search results. -
Google Irvine Brick Office Windows
As many of you know, I am a fan of bricks, so this external photo of the Google Irvine office caught my eye. It showcases with brick facade with these old looking windows. The colors of this photo look cool to me, so I wanted to highlight it here.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Do you see a difference in performance for Demand Gen ads in the US vs the EU? "Gmail Ads formats in the EU, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, offer a new and modernized look and behave differently than ads in other regions., Greg on X
- Our company name is working against our SEO, Reddit
- Interested in Google Notes? Not sure when this arrived, but noticed that the overflow menu in the Google Search app now has "Add Note" as the first option. Just another way that Google is trying to get more people to use Notes. Not s, Glenn Gabe on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- 5 alternatives to the missing Page Timings report in GA4
- 7 ways to elevate your responsive search ads
- How to set and manage PPC expectations for teams and stakeholders
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- How to Set Up GA4 for Your Website, SEOTesting
- Why the shift from ‘conversions’ to ‘key events’ in GA4 is a game-changer, MarTech
Industry & Business
- Google quietly terminates mega office development in Mountain View, Mountain View Voice
- Google scraps minimum wage, benefits rules for suppliers and staffing firms, Yahoo News
- Japan Watchdog Says Google Hurt Local Rival’s Ability to Compete, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
- Hackers change number on Minnesota plumbing company's Google listing: "I feel helpless.", CBS Minnesota
Mobile & Voice
- My Life Outside of the Apple Vision Pro, Wired
- Home Assistant’s next era begins now, The Verge
SEO
- How to Optimize URLs for SEO to Increase Organic Traffic, SEOTesting
- What Is Pogo-Sticking in SEO? Expert Strategies and Tips, Semrush
- 6 Things SEOs Should Advocate for When Building a Headless Website — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
- Could Google Read Text in Images? Exploring HTS & Why SEOs Should Care (Maybe), Ethan Lazuk
- Viewpoint: Google's bad search updates and its imposter syndrome, The Desk
PPC
- 6 Reasons Not Use Performance Max in Google Ads, MarlinSEM
- Temu's Advertising Avalanche Is Impossible to Ignore, AdWeek
- Ad Strength Deep Dive: All Your Tough Ad Strength Questions Answered, Search Engine Journal
Other Search
- How Meta got Google search results in its AI chatbot, The Verge
- LLM Optimization: Ethical AI and Protecting Your Content, WordLift Blog
- Who Should Block AI Bots?, Moz
Feedback:
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