Daily Search Forum Recap: July 15, 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.

Google said it will host more creator type meetings after speaking with one that was devasted by the helpful content update. Google is testing AI-organized search results for local queries. Google AI Overviews now barely show any Reddit or Quora results. Google may be rolling out more 3D/AR images. Google speaks more about concerns over disavow link files. Schema.org has a new design.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google To Host More Creator Meetings
  Brandon Saltalamacchia, the founder of Retro Dodo, covered his meeting he had with Danny Sullivan at Google - he covered it under the title A Brief Meeting With Google After The Apocalypse. Danny Sullivan said later that this was the second time he recently had such a meeting and he is working on setting up the third one soon.
• Report: Google AI Overviews Barely Showing Reddit Or Quora Citations Anymore
  Google AI Overviews is rarely ever showing citations from Reddit or Quora anymore, according to a new report from BrightEdge. In fact, Reddit citations have declined by around 85%, whereas Quaora citations have declined by around 99%, within the Google AI Overviews in Google Search.
• Google Tests AI-Organized Local Search Results Page
  Google seems to be testing its AI-organized search results pages for local search queries. We saw Google testing this for shopping-related queries after Google announced at I/O that it would roll out AI-organized search results in the coming months.
• Google May Be Rolling Out 3D/AR Images More Widely
  Back in 2019, Google began testing and piloting showing 3D/AR images for products and other items in its search results. We even saw it being tested on desktop starting last year. Now it seems Google has rolled it out to more sites, even those sites that are not part of the pilot/beta rollout.
• Google: Removing Massive Disavow Lists Should Not Worry You
  John Mueller from Google was asked if you should worry that massive link disavow lists can hurt you negatively and also if you remove the list that it might also hurt you. John said you should not be worried at all, when he was asked how worried should you be, he said "zero."
• Schema.org Redesign With Updated Validator
  Schema.org has a new design, it seems like the design went live this week. The Schema.org validator also looks fresh and new. It is unclear if there were any other changes made, outside of the design update.
• Googlers vs Dooglers Hallway Directions
  Here is a floor sign with directions for where Googlers can go and where Dooglers (Google dogs) can go. I wonder why the Googlers aren't allowed to go right and why Dooglers can't go left.

Other Great Search Threads:

• FYI @searchliaison for "From sources across the web" on mobile there's a bug next to favicons being the title of page while it should be site name. Happening at scale for queries on mobile for which this search feature shows, Gagan Ghotra on X
• "They have said that they’re going to build a search product." Whoa, super interesting nugget about OpenAI's Search ambitions in this interview with the CEO of The Atlantic on their deal with OpenAI Yep, they are working on a sear, Glenn Gabe on X
• Microsoft spams our inbox for correcting a wrong statement about importing conversion goals., Thomas Eccel on X
• It's an unusually calm weekend in terms of Google ranking volatility - is this a conspiracy of sorts? (too soon?), Barry Schwartz on X
• With a big surge in visibility with Google's 'Hidden Gems' update in fall of 2023 :) -> A look at MetaFilter, which turns 25 on July 14; owner Jessamyn West, who helped stabilize it after its near death, doesn't plan to license its a, Glenn Gabe on X
• I was running some searches in the Local Services Finder, or ProList, or whatever you call it, and it looks like Google pushed code live with debugging output. Amateur hour over there. Before you ask, yes, I disabled all my extensions t, Darren Shaw on X
• In #GA4, you should now wait at least "12 days" before analyzing conversion attribution data to get the most complete and accurate picture of channel performance. This is because attributed conversion data for eac, Himanshu Sharma on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Amazon’s AI shopping assistant Rufus is live for all U.S. customers
• The latest jobs in search marketing
• Report: LinkedIn’s AI ad tool to launch globally this fall
• OpenAI is ‘going to build a search product’
• The rise of forums: Why Google prefers them and how to adapt
• How to remove court records from Google: 3 effective strategies

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• How to Blend GA4 & UA Data Using Looker Studio & BigQuery, Measure Minds Group
• How to do a Google Analytics 4 Audit & Mistakes to Avoid, Measure Minds Group

Industry & Business

• Google’s Former Carbon Project Gets $40 Million to Trap CO2, Bloomberg
• OpenAI employees say it ‘failed’ its first test to make its AI safe, The Washington Post
• Why The Atlantic signed a deal with OpenAI, The Verge
• Google Near $23 Billion Deal for Cybersecurity Startup Wiz, Wall Street Journal
• How Microsoft’s Satya Nadella Became Tech’s Steely Eyed A.I. Gambler, New York Times
• Ryte Announces Acquisition by Semrush Holdings, Inc., Ryte

Links & Content Marketing

• Is disavow relevant in 2024?, Majestic
• Ecommerce Content Optimization: How to Outrank the Competition, Sitebulb

Local & Maps

• Every NEW iOS 18 Apple CarPlay Feature, CarPlay Life
• Google Maps redesign rolling out on Android , 9to5Google
• International travelers are preferring to book with Google Flights for Paris Olympics Travel over Expedia and Skyscanner: Why, Travel And Tour World

Mobile & Voice

• Google Search app gets customizable icons on iPhone , 9to5Google
• Smartphone Market Grows 6% as AI and Discounts Help Demand, Bloomberg

SEO

• How to improve your business technical SEO, Walsh & Partners
• The strange backstory of how AI content ended up at Sports Illustrated, The Verge
• Healthcare SEO: 7 Strategies From Medical SEO Pros, Ahrefs

PPC

• How to Customize Google Ads Conversion Tracking for Better Insights, WordStream
• Reduce ANRs when implementing mobile ads, Google Ads Developer Blog
• Reminder: Entity Read Files sunset on October 31, 2024, Google Ads Developer Blog
• Ad execs sound the alarm over Google's risky Privacy Sandbox terms, Digiday

Search Features

• Amazon AI chatbot Rufus is now live for all U.S. customers, TechCrunch

Other Search

• Catering to User Behavior Shifts During Times of Economic Turbulence — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
• New quantum computer record smashes Google supremacy by 100 folds, Interesting Engineering
• At 25, Metafilter Feels Like a Time Capsule From Another Internet, Wired

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