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 is still in the process of moving sites to mobile-first indexing, way after its deadline. Google said linking to "lesser" sites won't hurt you. Google local pack shows an "updated today" label for inventory. Google has an "affordable picks" carousel in Search. Google bug leads to some empty knowledge panels and more.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Still Working On Moving All Sites To Mobile First Indexing - No ETA
Google's John Mueller said this week that the search company is still not done moving sites to its mobile-first indexing. This was suppose to be completed March of this year, after moving the deadline from September of last year. - Google: Linking To Lesser Websites Doesn't Make Your Site Less Relevant
Does Google think less of your website if you link your site to a "lesser" website? I guess the question is similar to if you hang out with a lower class crowd, do your more upper class friends think less of you? With Google, the answer is no. - Google Local Pack Inventory Shows "Updated Today"
Google is showing in the local pack for some of the business listings that show their local inventory, if that inventory information was updated today. A label next to the product item would say "updated today." - Google Affordable Picks Carousel In Mobile Search
Google is now showing a carousel to help shoppers find lower cost, cheaper and more affordable (I just said the same thing three times) products. Google displays this in an "affordable picks" carousel that matches more on your keyword phrase with "cheap" added on. - Google Bug Shows Empty Knowledge Panel
Jason Barnard, a man who follows knowledge panels probably closer than anyone else, noticed some examples of Google showing knowledge panels that are empty. To be clear, I cannot replicate any of these examples, but Jason shared some screenshots of this on Twitter. - Explanatory Graphic By A Googler For A Typical Day In JohnMu's Life
Alan Kent, a colleague of Google's John Mueller, created this explanatory graphic on the topic of a typical day in John Mueller's life. It depicts John Mueller being asked about how search works and
Other Great Search Threads:
- Seeing GMB Review summary and Q&A lower on a page, separated from the GMB, four results down the page. Always testing, eh @GoogleMyBiz ? https://t.co/CBjiVshjF4, Amy Toman on Twitter
- After the UTM-parameter disaster Google now seems to attach new parameter to News Showcases which look like this: ?gaa_at=la&gaa_n=A…&gaa_ts=6113dc7e&gaa_sig=1gb…== The referrer is https://t.co/Oy6Oe2KtG5 and therefor get, Valentin Pletzer on Twitter
- Back in the 1990's people used to link to reputable sites in the hope that their content would be seen as authoritative by search engines without having to put in real work. Step one: D, John Mueller on Twitter
- I was a bit provocative with "cloak" :), usually it's more about graceful degradation / progressive enhancement, where sites / libraries check to user-agent version to see if a feature is available, rather than ch, John Mueller on Twitter
- If those are URLs shown for your site, it can happen that they're recorded like that in Search Console. It turns out we only mostly fold things back to canonical URLs, which makes this effect a bit more visi, John Mueller on Twitter
- If your site works well on mobile, and includes all the relevant content for mobile devices, you're all set -- we haven't quite shifted all sites over, but there's nothing you need to do additionally to make tha, John Mueller on Twitter
- Notice anything different? Today, we released a few changes to the way Twitter looks on the web and on your phone. While it might feel weird at first, these updates make us more accessible, unique, and focused on you and wh, Twitter Design on Twitter
- What's the difference between doing National SEO vs Local SEO?, Local Search Forum
Search Engine Land Stories:
- The power of AI can deliver an extraordinary customer experience
- Google rankings fluctuation, pages are dropping and reappearing in the index; Wednesday’s daily brief
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Data Import Feature, Bounteous
- Why and How to Import Cost Data to Google Analytics (+Template), WordStream
Industry & Business
- Baidu Outlook Disappoints After Covid Surge, China Crackdown, Bloomberg
- Bipartisan bill targets Apple and Google's ability to profit from app stores, CNBC
- Google Fiber in Austin is ending TV service, will focus on internet, Statesman
- What lies ahead for Google in New York court, POLITICO
Links & Content Marketing
- Backlink Study – how many external links to same page is normal?, Majestic Blog
- How to Choose Pillar Page Topics, Moz
- We are changing how Majestic reports backlink counts, Majestic Blog
- 19 Link Building Strategies for SEO (That Work Great in 2021), SEOSherpa
- Don’t Let a Poor Customer Experience Derail Your Content Results, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Celebrating National Book Lover’s Day with bookstores on Google Maps, Local Guides Connect
- New Google Maps Alternative Promises Zero Ads, No Tracking, AutoEvolution
- Real-time loading information through Google Maps, Railway Gazette International
Mobile & Voice
- 5 things to try with Wear OS on the Samsung Galaxy Watch4, Google Blog
- Google adding Air Quality (AQI) info to Nest Hub in the US, 9to5Google
- Kick off the school year with Google Assistant and Search, Google Blog
- Large images in Discover improve CTR and increase visits to publisher sites, Google
SEO
- Ask an SEO Episode 3: Why Does an SEO Project Fail?, I Love SEO
- BrightEdge Creates Next-Gen SEO Engine To Meet Demands Of Each Industry, MediaPost
- How Your Online Store Can Exploit Local SEO, OnCrawl
- The Latest on Click-Through Rate by SERP Position, BruceClay
- The Website Migration Guide You Need To Read, Ahrefs
- YouTube Optimization 101: From Zero To Hero In No Time, Jeff Bullas
PPC
- Announcing v8_1 of the Google Ads API, Google Ads Developer Blog
- How to Enhance Your PPC System with Artificial Intelligence, PPC Hero
- Q4 PPC Planning: B2B Search & Display Tactics, Clix Marketing PPC Blog
Search Features
- 15 tips for getting the most out of Google Trends, Google Blog
Other Search
- Catching up on 15 years of Google Trends, Google Blog
- Guide to Back to School 2021 - The Keyword, Google Blog
Feedback:
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