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.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Search Buzz Video Recap: Small Google Ranking Update, Image Search Knowledge Panels, Structured Data Testing Tool & Google Ads
This week we saw signs of a smaller Google search ranking algorithm update - it was not huge but it seemed to impact a smaller set of niches. Google's John Mueller said "it would be wrong to say all link building is bad." Google said spam reports are not going to... - Google Ads No Longer To Allow Intimate Partner Surveillance Products & Services
Google Ads and Google Merchant Center has updated its Enabling Dishonest Behavior policy to include not allowing you to advertiser products or services that perform intimate partner surveillance. This includes spyware and other technology that can conduct this type of surveillance. - Google Search Has No Plans On Supporting Service Workers & Here's Why
Martin Splitt from Google was asked on Reddit "are there plans to support service workers?" This would be specific to Google Search supporting it. Martin responded that no, Google has no such plans. He then went on to explain why Google has no plans on supporting service workers. - Google: JavaScript Redirects Not A Good Idea
Gary Illyes from Google said it is probably not a good idea to use JavaScript redirects. This was specific to redirecting users based on their location to a country specific version of the page. But Google has said before that server side redirects are the best. - Google Tests Bold & Large Ad Titles In Snippets
Google is testing not just large titles for grouped snippets but also large titles that are fully bolded for Google Ad results. - Google NYC Staircase With Google Doors
We saw this special and unique staircase before but here is a different view of it. I wonder where in the Google NYC office this is, I've never seen it before in real life. But it has Google doors u
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Ex Googler Sets Up "Neeva" Subscription-Based Search, WebmasterWorld
- I was digging into the current update & I found that health SERPs have been insanely volatile since April! Applies to some really top-level/broad queries! Spot checked other niches.... nothing like this at all. @glenngabe, Mordy Oberstein on Twitter
- How could Google program EAT into the algo?, WebmasterWorld
- If you're looking at individual spammy links that you're not buying/building, then the answer remains the same: feel free to ignore them. If you're losing sleep over whether Google's ignoring them, feel, John Mueller on Twitter
- I don't know what the exact plans are there, but this is certainly something on our mind. Do you have some sample sites where you're seeing clashes with the metrics, John Mueller on Twitter
- Yeah, this is known and being worked on iirc. The Daniel would know for certain, Gary Illyes on Twitter
- No that's fine. Just keep in mind that Googlebot will only see the default language, Gary Illyes on Twitter
- With mobile-first indexing, in your particular setup (mobile redirect to amp) we'd only only index the mobile = amp version. That's fine, unless you have a bad amp version, which is something you'd wan, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- When will we return to in-person events? Answer our survey
- WFH digital marketers and tech workers are more productive — and burned out
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Custom Attribution Modeling in Google Analytics, DELVE
- Improving Your Games with Google Analytics for Firebase on Unity | by Paul Trebilcox-Ruiz | Firebase Developers, Medium
- Using Google Analytics to Track Site Changes, Practical Ecommerce
Industry & Business
- An update on our work on AI and responsible innovation, Google Blog
- Google Campus Security Singled Out Black, Latinx Employees, Bloomberg
- Europe wants formal Google ads pledge over Fitbit data, 9to5Google
- Google Antitrust Case Would Be Questionable Move From Barr, DOJ, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
- Here’s to you: 15 years of Google Earth stories, Google Blog
Mobile & Voice
- Raspberry Pi: Transform the popular single-board computer into a smart speaker with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa integration, NotebookCheck News
SEO
- Duane Forrester On Search Intent and Internal Site Search, Bill Hartzer
- Meta Keywords: Should You Use Them?, SEM Rush
- Want Customized SEO Advice per Keyword? There’s a Plugin for That!, BruceClay
- What Is Dynamic Rendering & How Does It Impact SEO?, Botify
- A Technical "Non-Content" Audit - Mike King, iPullRank
- SEO Negotiation: How to Ace the Business Side of SEO — Best of Whiteboard Friday, Moz
PPC
- Create 3D Immersive Ad Experiences on Display & Video 360, Google Blog
- How to Improve Performance with Google Ads Price Extensions, WordStream
- How To Prevent Merchant Center Suspensions, PPC Hero
- How to Use The Google Auction Insights Report to Drive Value in Your Paid Search Strateg, Metric Theory
- Stricter Validation For DCM/DFA Reporting and Trafficking API, Google Ads Developer Blog
