Daily Search Forum Recap: June 20, 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.

For the past several months there has been this exploit where one can move your business location on Google Maps and your rankings will decline, plus your Business Profile may get suspended. Google is testing a latest deals section in search. Google is testing the top quality store badge with shop rating labels. Did you know that Wikipedia dominates the Google people also ask section. Plus, Google warned about the issues with using JavaScript for structured data.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Map Pin Exploit Leads To Local Rankings Drop & Possible Suspension
  A few months ago I posted about a possible bug with Google Maps where map pins were being moved around into one location. I later updated the post to suggest it was more of a spam or hack exploit. Yep, spammers are hijacking the location of businesses on Google Maps by moving their map pins, that results in local ranking declines and possible Google Business Profile suspensions.
• Google Warns On Using JavaScript For Structured Data
  In the Google Merchant Center structured data documentation, it says that you should add structured data to the HTML source and that it "can't be generated after a page has been loaded using JavaScript." This does not mean Google cannot process the structured data on the page if generated using JavaScript, but rather that it makes it harder for Google to do so.
• Google Search Tests Latest Deals With Deals In Past 24 Hours
  Google is testing showing a "latest deals" section in the search results that says "Deals added in the past 24 hours." So Google Search is pulling in fresh new deals that it found within the last day or so for this new search feature.
• Google Search Tests Top-Quality Store and Shop Rating Labels Together
  Google is testing placing both the "Top-quality store" and "shop rating" labels or badges on the same page of the search results, for the same search result snippets. Generally, Google Search would show one or the other and not both, but here Google is testing showing both of them.
• Most Google People Also Ask Responses Are Wikipedia
  Surprise, surpise... Wikipedia is the number one source of information that comes up when you click on the people also ask feature within the Google Search results. People also ask is just another variation of a form of featured snippets, so this probably makes sense.
• Microsoft Bing Team Photo On Bing's 15th Birthday
  Microsoft took a photo of some of the Bing Search team at the Redmond, Seattle office on Bing's 15th birthday last week. The birthday I believe was on June 3rd but the photo was posted by Michael Schechter from Microsoft on June 10th.

Other Great Search Threads:

• First time seeing a 'delivery and returns' section appearing within a knowledge panel as a test. The examples I've come across are automatic based on website content, which is interesting timing considering the related Organization Schem, SERP Alert on X
• Starting September 2024, Google Ads is simplifying content suitability settings to enhance your ad experience. Key changes include removing certain exclusions for YouTube ads while maintaining them for Display N, Solutions 8 on X
• Have you exported backups for your Universal Analytics (GA3) data yet?, Joe Youngblood on X
• Finding more examples with the Reddit keywords I am tracking in @getSTAT: Reddit appeared in "Discussions and Forums" for the past few weeks for various medical queries, but not anymore today. Either the Discussions & Forums carou, Lily Ray on X
• Here's why you SHOULD NOT rely solely on keyword-based competitor analysis! You have to find a wider way to profile competitors, especially in a case like mine where I HAVE TO disambiguate., Mordy Oberstein on X
• Hi, Value rules are listed under Goals in the new design. But if you're having a different issue than locating where to find it, let me know., AdsLiaison on X
• The unfortunate and inevitable future is a more filtered web., Mic King on X
• When you use operators with the News filter, we look across the entire web, as that message says. When you don't, we show matching eligible news content -- which is not looking across the web -- and which doesn't find a match., Google SearchLiaison on Mastodon

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google’s Display & Video 360 API gets two new updates
• Meta unveils AI chatbots and business messaging tools
• 7 tips for conducting Google Ads audits
• SEO pros and cons of HubSpot vs. WordPress vs. Webflow
• Instacart expands shoppable ads to YouTube
• How Google and Meta could disrupt travel discovery with AI

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• 20 of the Best Social Media Analytics Tools for Marketers, Sprout Social
• Google Analytics will Delete Your Data in 2024: How You Can Save It | Legal Internet Solutions Inc., JDSupra

Industry & Business

• Google’s Downtown West mega-project revives hopes of businesses, Mercury News
• OpenAI Co-founder Plans New AI Focused Research Lab, Bloomberg
• Search Central Live Bangkok 2024, Google Search Central Blog

Links & Content Marketing

• 7 Authentic Ways Your Brand Can Take a Stand on Social Issues, Content Marketing Institute
• 8 Secrets to Crafting Blog Post Titles That Will Set the Internet Ablaze, Problogger

Local & Maps

• Google Maps may not offer scenic routes because it could be too 'biased', Tom's Guide
• Google Maps Researcher Explains Why a Highly Requested Feature Doesn't Make Sense, AutoEvolution
• iOS 18 Maps — biggest new features coming to your iPhone, Tom's Guide

Mobile & Voice

• First look at Apple Intelligence easily impresses, AppleInsider
• For Apple’s AI Push, China Is a Missing Piece, Wall Street Journal

SEO

• Keyword Density Matters in SEO, Practical Ecommerce
• How To Think About SEO, Content & PR Measurement (Indicated In The Google Leak), Search Engine Journal

PPC

• The Google Ads Trial Part II – How The Google Antitrust Trial Damaged Advertiser Trust, PPC Hero
• Google is ready to fill free streaming TV channels with ads, The Verge
• How generative AI helps fuel creative experimentation, Google Blog

Search Features

• Google AI Overviews: New Research Study by SE Ranking, SE Ranking
• Google may soon upgrade Android's Circle to Search to help you find that mystery song, TechRadar
• Reddit's Traffic Is Surging, and Google Is Helping, Business Insider
• What is Google’s New Circle Search: How to Use It?, Bitvero UK

Other Search

• AI Startup Perplexity Is a Bullshit Machine, WIRED

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.