Daily Search Forum Recap: May 7, 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 has started to enforce the site reputation abuse policy with manual actions, not algorithmically yet. Google may have had another algorithm update on May 3rd. Google dropped the results count from the search results page. Google Ads said it is not auditing 25% of all accounts. Google Ads launched Performance Max for marketplaces.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Began Enforcing The Site Reputation Abuse Policy Last Night
  Google said it began to enforce its new site reputation abuse policy last night. The policy went into effect on Sunday, May 5th, but Google did not announce it would take action until last night. As a reminder, this should target sites doing what some call "Parasite SEO."
• Google Search Ranking Update Volatility Starting On May 3rd
  I am slow to report on this but figured I'd document it just in case some of you noticed ranking volatility and fluctuations on or around May 3rd and May 4th. This is not a confirmed Google Search ranking update but there are signs of an update that touched down this past Friday.
• Number Of Search Results Dropped Google Search Results Page
  It seems Google has fully removed the number of results found, the results count, from the Google Search results page. It was removed from the Google Search Generative Experience last June and Google has been testing removing it for ages but not it seems fully gone.
• Google Ads New Performance Max For Marketplaces
  Google Ads has launched Performance Max for Marketplaces. This is designed to help you sell your goods or services on specific marketplaces using Performance Max.
• Rumors Of Google Auditing 25% Of Google Ads Are False
  The Google Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin, said the rumors of Google auditing 25% of Google Ads accounts are false. She wrote, "The rumor about Google auditing 25% of Google Ads accounts on 1 May is inaccurate."
• Google Local Guide Socks Swag
  A week or so ago we covered the Google Cloud socks and now we have the Google Local Guide socks. Local Guides help Google by writing reviews, posting photos, and suggesting up-to-date information about places.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Assessing your site's latest rankings shifts? I've updated my Free Looker Studio Dashboard with new segmentation and reports to facilitate assessment - Get it for free here, Aleyda Solis on X
• Thanks, yes, that's odd. Passing it along to the team., Google SearchLiaison on X
• Not sure if you're still online, Barry -- but we're only doing manual actions right now. The algorithmic component will indeed come, as we've said, but that's not live yet., Google SearchLiaison on X
• That sounds like your site is hacked - if you search for "redirect hack" you'll find a lot of articles about that kind of hack., John Mueller on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google begins enforcement of site reputation abuse policy with portions of sites being delisted
• A tribute to Mark Irvine
• GenAI. SGE. PMax. See the SMX Advanced agenda!
• How Google harms search advertisers in 20 slides
• Google disavow link tool will go away at some point
• How to avoid an SEO disaster during a website redesign
• How to uncover hidden gems in your paid search accounts

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• How to Set Up GA4 Conversion Tracking: A Step-by-Step Guide, Semrush

Industry & Business

• Google's Thompson Center renovation kicks off, Crain's Chicago Business
• Stack Overflow signs deal with OpenAI to supply data to its models, TechCrunch
• Mustafa Suleyman Calls Microsoft 'a Truly AI-First Business', Business Insider

Links & Content Marketing

• 5 Ways Content Marketing Has Changed Since ChatGPT Launched, Forbes
• AI Tools Such As ChatGPT Leading To 'Content Overwhelm' Among Marketers, B&T

Local & Maps

• 11 Must-Know Apple Maps Features For Daily Commuters, SlashGear
• A redesigned version of Google Maps, first seen in February, returns, PhoneArena
• Apple Car may not be over, Apple discusses Rivian partnership, AppleInsider
• Apple Maps cycling routes come to bicycle-friendly Netherlands, 9to5Mac
• Blur Your Home in Google Maps Street View to Take Back Your Privacy, CNET

Mobile & Voice

• Apple’s AI research suggests features are coming for Siri, artists, and more., The Verge
• iPhone 15 Pro Max Best-selling Smartphone in Q1 2024, Counterpoint Research

SEO

• Evergreen-ish content: Durable content for news SEO, SEO For Journalism
• How Niche Sites Thrive Without Google & Make Money, Adam Riemer
• Brand new dashboard for SEO for Shopify, Yoast
• Google March 2024 core update: Top publishers slip down in search, Press Gazette
• How to Create an Email List and Use It for SEO, Moz
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider Update – Version 20.0, Screaming Frog
• Yes, usage data does matter for SEO after all, SearchPilot

PPC

• Does Ad Strength Matter in Google Ads?, WordStream
• Google Ads Not Spending? 13 Things to Check, MarlinSEM
• Why Apple's Ad Business Is Really Its Google Business, Business Insider
• How to Craft Compelling Google Ads for eCommerce, PPC Hero

Search Features

• Google SGE Organic Traffic Impact Divided By Verticals [Data Study], Search Engine Journal

Other Search

• Meet MAI-1: Microsoft Readies New AI Model to Compete With Google, OpenAI, The Information
• OpenAI Says It Can Now Detect Images Spawned by Its Software—Most of the Time, Wall Street Journal

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.