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.
Twitter's signed-in change seemed to have caused Google to drop 50% of Twitter's URLs from its search index in a few days. Google Analytics Universal Analytics 3 is still collecting data but probably for not too much longer. Bing Chat improved its efficiency and reduced latency. Google Search Generative Experience has local stores. I posted the big Google webmaster report today; catch up there. And I have a new vlog out with Matt Abbagnaro. Oh, and happy July 4th to many of you - I probably won't post stories tomorrow.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Search Showing 50% Fewer Twitter URLs After Twitter Blocked Unregistered Users
On Friday afternoon, Twitter decided to block unregistered, signed-out users, from seeing public tweets. That meant that for Google's normal crawling purposes, it was unable to see some of these tweets. It seems that Google now has about 52% fewer Twitter URLs in its index today than it had on Friday, just a few days later. - July 2023 Google Webmaster Report
If I had to sum up this month, I'd call it the month of way too many unconfirmed Google search ranking updates. I wrote about five of these, but it felt like there were even more. Google pushed a quality update for its Search Generative Experience. Google dropped a ton of SEO topics and finally launched the perspectives filter. - Google Analytics UA 3 Still Collecting Data But Google Says Not For Long...
On Saturday morning many of us were surprised to see that Universal Analytics 3, Google Analytics (not GA4) still showed to be collecting data, after the deadline. Well, Google said it takes time for sites to be shut down and it will happen, even though many sites are still collecting data. - Bing Chat Improves Efficiency & Reduces Latency Issues By 25%
Bing Chat has made some big efficiency improvements and reduced latency issues for some queries by 25%. Mikhail Parakhin, the CEO of Bing, said on Twitter, "yesterday we released a completely reworked backend for inner monologue, reducing time to first token by ~25%, and, far more importantly, making latency more stable, reducing spikes." - Google Search Generative Experience Shows Local Store Inventory
Did you know that the new Google Search Generative Experience that launched to us a month ago shows nearby stores that have products in stock directly in the generative AI answer. This might not be new, but based on my early tests, I don't believe I've seen Google SGE show "Stores," and I definitely didn't cover that they did. - Vlog #230: Matt Abbagnaro On Getting Into PPC & Google Ads Performance Max
Matt Abbagnaro was kind enough to meet me in some parking lot last minute to discuss search marketing. We picked the parking lot so I can find an Electrify America charging station and charge while we do our interview... - NYC Mayor Eric Adams At Google
The Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, was at Google's NYC offices for an event. Here is a photo of Mayor Adams, Chancellor Banks, and Chancellor Matos-Rodriguez all came together this morning to an
Other Great Search Threads:
- Groupon "Deal" showing on our GBP mobile view, but it is a competitor ad!, Local Search Forum
- Bing Webmaster Guidelines has a comprehensive list of HTML5 semantic element tags, including the aside tag. In the age of AI Machine Learning and LLM, using such HTML5 semantic element tags can greatly help search engines ability to understand your conten, Fabrice Canel on Twitter
- Unfortunately, we've made the difficult decision that when Bill C-18 takes effect, we will remove Canadian news links from our Search, News and Discover products., Google Canada on Twitter
- We haven't released a new helpful content update. I expect when we do, we will share about that as we typically have done., Google SearchLiaison on Twitter
- AdSense Earnings and Observations - July 2023, WebmasterWorld
- Interesting to test Google's new AI try-on feature in the SERPs. It's been live for a bit now, but haven't tested it out until this AM. It works for women's tops across several retailers (for now). Choose a model & see the top on that model. Google saves , Glenn Gabe on Twitter
- Most sites do reasonable meta tags now, it's not a differentiator. For crawling, search engines should focus on things users would actually miss if it weren't shown in search., John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- 9 GA4 training courses to help confused marketers
- 13 of the funniest reactions to GA4: The roast of Google Analytics 4
- Universal Analytics dies aged 11: ‘Be brave and be strong’
- Universal Analytics is officially replaced by Google Analytics 4
- GA4 readiness: 23% have fully adopted, 50% still learning, 16% yet to begin
- YouTube stops playing videos for people with ad blockers in new trial
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- From UA to GA4: Managing your reporting expectations
- 5 tips for effective PPC bidding on a budget
- How to overcome imposter syndrome in SEO and digital marketing
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Digital Debrief – Goodbye, Universal Analytics, Krista Seiden
- GA4 bug: Infinite JavaScript loop that will BREAK your website!, MeasureMinds
- GA4 Hierarchy - Accounts, Properties and Data Streams, Data Driven U
- Google Analytics Backup & Archiving, Analytics Ninja
- Most of you have Google Analytics 4 set up but are still learning how to use it, MarTech
- Understanding Exits in Google Analytics 4 - Create a Report, Data Driven U
- UTM parameters in Google Analytics 4, Omi Sido
Industry & Business
- Briefing: Microsoft Says Bing Will Keep Serving News Links in Canada After Google Backs Out, The Information
- Yandex announces restructuring of its financial team, Yandex
Links & Content Marketing
- Content Strategy Updates that Reach People Effectively, Hill Web Creations
- The Future of Content Writing: How to Make AI Work for You, Go Fish Digital
Local & Maps
- Apple Car is a matter of 'when, not if,' claims analyst, AppleInsider
- Android Auto is letting people use Google Maps on their phone and car at the same time again, Android Police
- Boost Your Online Presence: Drive Greater Visibility, Engagement, and Leads From Your Listings, BrightLocal
Mobile & Voice
- Apple Vision Pro, iPhone 15, and upcoming products, AppleInsider
- Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset price and release date, 9to5Mac
- Apple forced to make major cuts to Vision Pro headset production plans, Financial Times
SEO
- What Are Breadcrumbs, and Why Are They Important for SEO?, Go Fish Digital
- Get More Engagement in Google Shopping When Using High Resolution Images, FeedArmy
- How To Check If Google Crawled My Site (& Fix), SEOSLY
- How To Get Your Site Crawled By Google (In 9 Ways), SEOSLY
- 6 short term SEO wins, Blue Array SEO
- International SEO Audit: Enhancing Your Global Presence, Level343
- What Keywords Does My Website Rank For?, SEOSLY
PPC
- User Journey Mapping: How To Justify Your Content's Purpose, Keyword Insights
Search Features
- Bing Preview Release Notes: Sports Enhancements and Bing Image Creator in Skype, Bing Search Blog
- Google Chrome is testing a way to jump straight to the juicy bits about a business, Android Police
Other Search
- How Google Reader died — and why the web misses it more than ever, The Verge
- Twitter has started blocking unregistered users from viewing tweets, The Verge
- AI and the automation of work, Benedict Evans
- Celebrating Diana Sacayán, Google Doodles
- Google Search's Death by a Thousand Cuts, Matt Rickard
Feedback:
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