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's CEO, Sunda Pichai, spoke about AI Overviews killing the web, small publishers dying and not giving us Search Console data (well, kinda). The Google site reputation abuse policy also applies to Google Discover. Google AI Overview colors have nothing to do with the confidence of the answer. Google about source knowledge panels get graphical. Google also is rolling out a more graphical and richer search results interface. Google Marketing Live was this afternoon, more on that tomorrow... I am going to try publishing the newsletter earlier in the day (see how you like it).
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google's Sundar Pichai On AI Overviews Killing Web, Smaller Publishers & Search Console Data
Nilay Patel, Editor-In-Chief of The Verge interviewed Sunday Pichai, CEO of Google, at Google I/O and the 40 minute interview released yesterday dug into a lot of the concerns we have been covering here. This includes how AI Overviews may kill the web, how smaller/indepdent publishers are dying and if we can get data in Search Console. -
Google Rolling Out More Graphical & Richer Search Results
Rajan Patel, the VP of Engineering at Google leading the Search experiences, wrote that Google is rolling out a more graphical results interface that go "beyond visual matches to include things like more links and facts from Knowledge Graph as well as AI Overviews." -
PSA: Site Reputation Abuse Policy Also Applies To Google Discover
Just a PSA - the newish Google site reputation abuse policy not only applies to Google Search but also applies to Google Discover. Google updated the Discover content policies a while back to add a line that reads, "Publishers should be aware of the new site reputation abuse policy that becomes effective as of May 5, 2024." -
Google Adds Visuals To About Source Knowledge Panels
December 2022, Google began showing "About this" site under some search result snippets, when the intent of the query was to learn more about that brand. It was a pretty sparse textual box that has more details about the source. Now, Google is testing showing this information in a more graphical user interface. -
Google AI Overviews Colors Do Not Indicate Confidence Of Response
Google's John Mueller said the colors that Google selects for the AI Overviews has no indication of the confidence of the response. Back when SGE (old name for AI Overviews), Google told me the color had more to do with the journey but they were just fun. -
Android Shrubbery Statue
Here is an Android statue at the Google London office that is covered in shrubbery. This is a super green and plant-like Android figurine.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Both are important. As is cleaning up., John Mueller on X
- If you're an SEO looking to analyze AI Overview results, check out my new Chrome extension! It lists cited resources, compares them with traditional search results, and dynamically updates as you scroll. Easily copy tables to a spread, Amin Foroutan on X
- The buzz is all about removing AI Overviews! Search trends (data by @similarweb @Lem4) are exploding with over 100 terms including "remove," "cancel," and "opt out." #GoogleSearch #AIOverviews, Shay Harel on X
- Tune in to Google Marketing Live tomorrow, Tues, May 21 at 9AM PT to hear how you can put Google AI to work for your business. Set a reminder on YouTube, Prabhakar Raghavan on X
- Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't there no such thing as a home remedy for appendicitis? Google AI suggests mint leaves., Avram Piltch on X
- If there's a specific outcome you're interested in, I'd make it as consistent as possible in that regard. For this kind of thing, canonicalization primarily affects reporting, so your site overall wouldn't rank differently., John Mueller on X
- Is your SEO tool showing AI Overviews yet?, Mark Traphagen on LinkedIn
- Links to AMP pages are fine - there's no need to remove any social media posts that include them. The only thing I'd watch out for is that you redirect them should you choose to move to a responsive site architecture (like with any site revamp)., John Mueller on X
- You want to add 2 seconds latency to your web pages? That sounds like a terrible idea. How much are they paying you for doing that?, John Mueller on LinkedIn
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google CEO is ’empathetic’ to content creators Search has wiped out
- Has ChatGPT launched its Search product in stealth?
- Ex-Googler: Google’s AI projects are driven by ‘stone cold panic’
- Niche blogging in the new Google reality: 5 strategies to thrive or die
- How to generate SEO content ideas with the Value Proposition Canvas
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
- Google Attacks Microsoft Cyber Failures in Effort to Steal Customers, Bloomberg
- Google cuts mystery check to US in bid to sidestep jury trial, Reuters
- Google plans to reuse heat after expanding a data center for AI, The Verge
- Our first offsite heat recovery project lands in Finland, Google Blog
- Satya Nadella has made Microsoft 10 times more valuable in his decade as CEO. Can he stay ahead in the AI age?, Fortune
- Europe sets benchmark for rest of the world with landmark AI laws, Reuters
- Google’s Era of Unrestrained Invention Is Coming to an End, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
- Duda reveals industry-first website AI Assistant for agencies, Duda
- What Google’s AI revamp means for content marketing’s future, PR Daily
- Why Even Crushing Content Failures Aren’t Mistakes, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- How to download Google Maps to navigate easily offline, USA Today
- Some Bay Area businesses can’t be found on Google Maps, creating trouble for their bottom line, NBC Bay Area
Mobile & Voice
- iOS 18 tipped to bring next-gen Siri and a time-saving AI notifications boost, TechRadar
- The Annoying AI Voice Assistants Are Coming (and I Worry Siri Is Next), CNET
- Why Google's Nest Speakers Need Gemini AI to Improve Its Assistant, CNET
SEO
- Google CEO Sundar Pichai on AI-powered search and the future of the web, The Verge
- March Core Update & Spam Updates: Four Major Trends, Moz
- Quick Tip: Cosine Similarity and k-Nearest Neighbors in Google Sheets, iPullRank
- The March 2024 Spam & Core Updates on Google, Amsive
PPC
- 10 Ways to Achieve True Cross-Channel Synergy, PPC Hero
- A guide to getting started with Google Demand Gen campaigns, Hallam
- Scale your retail media program, Microsoft Advertising
- Update to Google Ads Editorial Policy (May 2024), Google Advertising Policies Help
Search Features
- I’m planning a once-in-a-lifetime vacation — and the last thing I want is to hand that job over to Google Gemini AI, Tom's Guide
Other Search
- ChatGPT on Track for 2 Billion Visits in May, After Topping 100 Million Daily Visits Twice Last Week, Similarweb
- Microsoft unveils Copilot+ PCs with generative AI capabilities baked in, Engadget
- Google explains how 'Gemini' got its name, 9to5Google
- OpenAI vs. Google: what ChatGPT-4o and Google Gemini AI mean for brands, Ad Age
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