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.
Today I reported about how the Google link spam update was suppose to roll out over two weeks, but we are now into week three, and it will likely take another week to complete. Google's top stories stopped showing images, it was a widespread bug. Google Ads has a new label named "paid for by" for political ads. Google local is testing reviews from the web and independent sites labels. Google said it will retry redirects for years. Google said make sure to cover all your bases with your content.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Link Spam Update Still Rolling Out Over 3 Weeks Later
Google announced on July 26, 2021, three-weeks and two days ago, that it started to roll the link spam update and that update would take about two-weeks to roll out. Well, like I said, it is three-weeks and two days and it is still not done rolling out. - Top Stories Images In Google Search Blank
Google's top stories carousel is not loading all the images for those articles. It seems like a bug is causing some of the images to not show up as of early this morning. - Google Ads "Paid For By Label" On Political Ads
Google is now placing a label (I think it is new) named "paid for by" on some political ads. This label lets searchers click on it to learn more who is sponsoring the ad and even lets you dive into more details on the advertiser and their spend. - Google: Cover All Your Bases With Searcher Intent & Your Content
Lily Ray shared an interesting chart from Ahrefs, the SEO toolset, showing how for a single keyword phrase, there were multiple intents from searchers spike over a different time period. In which, John Mueller of Google responded that it makes sense to create content that covers "both possible intents." - Google Local Result With Reviews From The Web & Independent Sites
Google seems to be testing a new way of showing reviews in the local listing for some businesses. Brandon Schmidt spotted Google showing not just the number of reviews with the review summary in stars, but where Google labels if the reviews are "from the web" or from "independent sites." - Google: We Will Retry Old Redirect URLs For Years
Google's John Mueller once again confirmed that Google will continue to retry old, redirected URLs for years and years even if the redirect remains in place for a long time. John said on Twitter "I suspect we'll keep retrying these for years, on and off." - Googlers Working At Google On The Staircase With Masks
Here is a recent photo of three Googlers working at the main Google headquarters, the GooglePlex, in Mountain View, California. They are sitting or standing near the trends staircase with masks on an
Other Great Search Threads:
- If that link is only on your site because of a paid relationship, then yes., John Mueller on Twitter
- Interested in "Discovered, not indexed"? Via @johnmu: If it's a smaller site, then crawl budget isn't the issue. For quality, Google does take it into account strongly for crawling & indexing. But, it's not necessarily about th, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
- The cached page was never an indication of what's indexed. Use Search Console for diagnostics purposes instead., John Mueller on Twitter
- When you test it, the system makes various assumptions about how the average user might see it (connection, processing resources, etc). It's not just "what your browser sees" but generally includes, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Three targeting tactics that power every stage of the funnel
- Traffic and rankings don’t mean a thing unless they help you convert; Tuesday’s daily brief
- Retrospective competitor analysis: Reinforcing SEO strategies with historical data
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- How to Build, Deploy & Share Custom Google Data Studio Community Connectors, FAUN
- See Incoming Requests in Server GTM Preview Mode Without Cookies, Analytics Mania
Industry & Business
- Google Reportedly Details Pay Cuts For Permanent WFH Employees Who Relocate, CBS San Francisco
- Russia fines Google for not deleting banned content, Reuters
Links & Content Marketing
- Content Marketing Resilience: How To Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough(er), Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Hiking With A GPS? Mountain Rescuers Who Might Have To Find You Say, 'Get A Map!', Here & Now
- It might be the end of the road for Android Auto on phone screens, Android Police
Mobile & Voice
- Google 'Snapshot' homescreen comes to life w/ new tool, 9to5Google
- Google Assistant Upgrades Family Bell to Alert Mobile Devices, Voicebot
- Pixel 5a with 5G Review: Uncompromised $449 value, 9to5Google
SEO
- Core Web Vitals Update: Assessing the Initial Impact, Semrush
- How to fix duplicate content problems, SEOprofiler Blog
- Importance of SEO for eCommerce: 5 recommendations, TechBullion
- Layered SEO Analysis for Happy Clients, iPullRank
- Magento SEO: The Guide to Optimizing Magento Websites, Moz
- SEO Testing: A Simple (But Complete) Guide, Ahrefs
PPC
- Announcing v202108 of the Google Ad Manager API, Google Ads Developer Blog
- How to do keyword research in a language you don't speak, Rise at Seven
- What Are Google Shopping Ads & How They Can Generate Revenue, Semrush
Search Features
Other Search
- YouTube upgrades search with chapter previews and better recommendations for translated videos, TechCrunch
Feedback:
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