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.
We are starting to see a blip of life from sites hit by the September helpful content update after the August core update but there is also a ranking bug going on. Google is also starting to show thumbnails for some sites now. Google is testing snippet hover over background colors. Google is testing mentioned in key answers. And John Mueller uploaded an audio based robots.txt file for some reason.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Some Google Helpful Content Update Resurrections With August Core Update
As you know, Google released the August 2024 core update on Thursday and then shortly after confirmed a ranking bug impacting a large number of search results. During that time, we have seen many reports from SEOs and site owners that they are starting to see positive movement for sites hit by the infamous September 2023 helpful content update. -
Thumbnails Back In Google Search Result Snippets For Many
For the past several months, many sites have been complaining over and over again that their image thumbnails for their websites were not showing up in the Google Search result snippets. Well, with the release of the August 2024 core update, many small publishers are starting to see their images show up in the search results again. -
Google Testing Search Snippet Hover Background Colors
Google is testing adding a dynamic blue colored background highlight color when you hover your mouse cursor over a search result snippet. The whole background just behind that specific search result snippet will change from white, to a highlight blue color. -
Google Search Mentioned In Key Answers Box
Google Search has this new feature named "mentioned in key answers." This shows you which personalities, entities, within Google's knowledge graph, are mentioned in the search results in Google. -
Google's John Mueller Uploads Audio Robots.txt File
John Mueller from Google did it again with his site and this time uploaded an audio file, in wav format, for his robots.txt file. You can go to it and listen to him read out his robots.txt rules in his own voice. It is a valid robots.txt file but I suspect zero search engines can understand it. -
GooglePlex Structures Explanatory Tiles
We have seen the various Google structures at the GooglePlex, the mediation women, the bear and the orb. I did not know there were tiles on the ground near them that explained what they are.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Google displaying "More about ...." button below featured snippet for a query which contains a name 👀 current vs test here PS - closely related to another that I shared recently (see quote tweet), Gagan Ghotra on X
- I went looking for spam in the results for this query (rest assured, spam still ranks #5 for this) and found this wild Reddit featured snippet instead. Not sure I've seen it displayed this way? Also a "learn what words mean as I s, Lily Ray on X
- You might have more URLs on your site than you know and that might be bad for you. Lemme explain., Gary Illyes on LinkedIn
- Google now highlights the "has public toilet" label on Google Business Profiles., Shameem Adhikarath on X
- Of all the companies trying the non-transformer architectures, I believe Liquid AI is the front runner. Will try to help them succeed., Mikhail Parakhin on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Interactive CTV ads boost engagement, fall short on purchases
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- Meta expands ad attribution tools to boost campaign performance
- YouTube tests longer CTV ad breaks
- Unraveling Google Navboost and building user trust through UX
- How Google ending continuous scroll could impact ORM
- Google Search ranking bug unrelated to the core update
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
- Google faces potential breakup, but splitting the giant is hard, Axios
- Google says it will invest more than 1 billion in Texas, Audacy
- Google threatened tech influencers unless they ‘preferred’ the Pixel, The Verge
- If Google’s monopoly is broken, it will be good for consumers – and the company too, The Guardian
- Google is facing a potential breakup; what are the likely outcomes?, Digiday
Links & Content Marketing
- The Complete Content Marketing Strategy Guide for 2024, Mobile App Daily
- How To Mine Customer Reviews and Ratings To Improve Your Marketing and Products, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Moving Company Marketing Tips to Get You Ahead, BrightLocal
- Offline Google Maps rolling out to Wear OS, 9to5Google
- Android Auto is getting a new Siri-like look for Google Assistant, 9to5Google
Mobile & Voice
- Gemini AI is the future of Android, Pixel, and Google, The Verge
- I've been skeptical about AI features on phones, but Google's Gemini might change my mind, Tom's Guide
SEO
- Follow Along My SEO Content Creation Process: How I Rank #1 on Google, Ahrefs
- Google Algorithm Leak Decoded: 11 Key Takeaways from Rand Fishkin, Mike King, and Joy Hawkins, Sterling Sky
- July 2024: Refining AI Overviews for Maximum Impact, BrightEdge
- 11 essential on-page SEO factors, Compass Digital Strategies
- Google Search Console Bulk Data Export, Mike Ginley
- Icons Gone from Google Search Results: Impact on Major Brands, Guerrilla Buzz
- Query found to be the biggest predictor of CTR delta., Dejan Marketing
- How To Use ChatGPT & AI To Support Your SEO, Koozai
PPC
- Are Bing Ads the Digital Advertising Underdog to Watch In 2024?, Jeffbullas's Blog
- Policy update: British Columbia political content, Google Merchant Center Help
- PPC Tracking for Beginners: How to Track Clicks & Conversions, Semrush
- Dynamic Promotions Rolling Out To More GMC Accounts, PPC News Feed
- Audience Recommendations No Longer Available Within Insights, PPC News Feed
- Your Guide to Audience Layering in Google Ads, Jyll Saskin Gales
Feedback:
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