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.
We are seeing more health related Google AI Overviews since the weekend and they are pretty good. Google launched new credit card carousels in the search results. Google is automating its Local Service Ads lead credits, which upset a lot of advertisers. Google clarified its sitemaps help documentation around the lastmod field. And Google is testing more sitelinks variations.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Search Showing More Health Related AI Overviews
Ever since the Ray Google AI Overviews update, Google scaled back showing AI Overviews in Google Search for some YMYL categories, especially in the health space. But now we are seeing more and more AI Overviews showing up for health-related queries since the weekend. -
Google Automated Local Services Ads Lead Credits Coming
Google announced it is rolling out Automated Local Services Ads lead credits next month, which should "credit the same or more leads on average," than the old system. This will replace the manual lead credit methods, and use machine learning to process these credits going forward. -
Google Credit Card Search Widget
Google Search now may show you a special search box for your searches related to finding a credit card. If you search for [credit cards], [best credit cards], [visa credit cards], and so on, you will get this new credit card Google Search widget. -
Google Mobile Search Tests More Sitelink Variations
Google is testing a number of sitelink variations within its mobile search results interface. They come in these variations: boxed in, pill-like shaped, some with arrows, some in black, and some in blue. -
Google Sitemaps Docs Updated: Lasmod Date Should Be Last Significant Update
Google has made a small note to the sitemap documentation to add that the lastmod date specified in the sitemap file "should reflect the date and time of the last significant update to the page." This change was made after I covered the topic of Google trusting or not trusting that lastmod field in your sitemap file. -
Cafe Yui With Japanese Clothing at Google
Here is one last photo from Daniel Waisberg's trip to the Google office in Japan. It is of a cafe named Cafe Yui with some Japanese clothing, which supposedly goes together?
Other Great Search Threads:
- 4 ways to find great prices on Google during summer sales @google https://t.co/0gVAMzOPQP (covered all of these before, I guess some are now fully live...), Barry Schwartz on X
- After Apple Intelligence was announced at WWDC, I shared about the new documentation published by Apple for blocking Applebot-Extended (to block Apple from using your content to train its AI models). Checking a number of top news pu, Glenn Gabe on X
- Anyone else seeing old school Google page navigation being tested more and more in smaller countries (only when logged out)?, SEOwner on X
- Just released a small update to 20.2 of the @screamingfrog SEO Spider - https://t.co/7YrlN6MqfD. Mainly small improvements & bug fixes with the latest release., Screaming Frog on X
- Multiple Listings For The Same Firm Problems Still Ongoing in Google Local Services Ads, Anthony Higman on X
- SEO Tip: when doing index coverage analysis for large sites (100K+ pages), one of my favourite and easiest methods to use is filtering by sitemap. If the site has all of their XML sitemaps submitted individually in Google Search C, Brodie Clark on X
- So Google is taking the how-to articles and creating their own modules. The reference lots of sites but none that were in the top 10 in the past 12 months - that all changed this week, Melissa Fach on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google rolls out new shopping tools ahead of summer sales
- Google tightens EU consent rules for Customer Match ads
- Google automates lead credits for Local Services Ads
- Accurate tracking data: The key to optimal ad performance
- Can AI perform technical SEO analysis effectively?
- Reddit: Your new online reputation challenge
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
- Apple is first company charged with violating EU’s DMA rules, The Verge
- Google execs Pichai, Brin must sit for questioning in digital ads lawsuit, Reuters
- Google Podcasts closes, and joins the graveyard, Podnews
- Multi is joining OpenAI, Multi Blog
- Here’s how much Google says it’d cost to fulfill Epic’s biggest demands, The Verge
Links & Content Marketing
- Content Marketing vs. Digital Marketing: Key Distinctions Revealed, DesignRush
- The Impact of Proposally AI Designer on Content Marketing, Big News Network
- YouTube Marketing: A Complete Guide for your Brand in 2024, Sprout Social
Local & Maps
- How do you pick locations that need Service Area Pages?, Sterling Sky
- Local Search Is Evolving, Here's Why You Need to Pay Attention, Near Media
Mobile & Voice
- The rise of voice search, Hallam
- How Siri could actually win the AI assistant wars, Fast Company
- How to use Google Assistant: make your Google Home speaker work for you, TechRadar
SEO
- 3 Ways to Depersonalize Google SERPs, Practical Ecommerce
- Results-Driven SEO Project Management: From Chaos to Cash, Ahrefs
- What Is the Google Knowledge Graph & How Does It Work?, Semrush
- Google API Leak: Time To Rethink Your SEO?, Majestic SEO Podcast
- Google’s Navboost Queries and Brands in SEO, Moz
PPC
- 10 Critical Google Merchant Center Mistakes to Avoid, WordStream
- AdSense for Search: upcoming consent management requirements for serving AFS ads in Switzerland, Google AdSense Help
- Introducing Cross Media Reach, Google Ads Help
- Power user’s guide to AI for advanced scenarios, Microsoft Advertising
- Reducing Your Dependency on Google Traffic – Part II: Generative AI, PPC Hero
Search Features
- 4 Google tools to help you shop summer sales, Google Blog
- Has Google done anything unethical? Gemini changes its answer mid-sentence, Android Authority
- SearchResearch hit 5 million reads!, SearchReSearch
Other Search
- Gemini and Google Assistant are struggling with setting reminders, Android Authority
- Google Develops Challenger to Meta’s Chatbots and Character.AI, The Information
- Google introduces new AI tools for Workspace for Education, Google Blog
- Google Introduces Project Naptime for AI-Powered Vulnerability Research, The Hacker News
- Google Pixel Firmware Zero-Day Flaw Exploited And Patched, Security Boulevard
- DeepMind Researchers Found That AI Chatbots Have a Poor Sense of Humor, Business Insider
- Political deepfakes top list of malicious AI use, DeepMind finds, Financial Times (Sub)
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