Daily Search Forum Recap: September 6, 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.

I know the Google August core update is done, but we are still seeing significant volatility days later. I posted a large interview with Google's Danny Sullivan on the core update and more - it is worth a read. Google also had an interview on Google Shopping and Merchant Center. Google Ads has a bug with audience insights. Google clarified its indexing API quota details. Google has these new try on icons in search ads. And I posted my weekly SEO video recap.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Volatility Still Heated After August Core Update Rollout Completed
  It is like the Google August 2024 core update didn't finish rolling out, or maybe something else is going on, because I am still seeing a lot of signals of intense search ranking volatility in the Google Search results. The tools are all still heated and the chatter within the SEO community is still pretty lively.
• My Interview Of Google's Search Liaison On The August 2024 Core Update
  This week I interviewed Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison, with the goal of better understanding where Google Search quality is at right now, where it is going in the future and what we as content creators and search marketers need to know.
• Google Ads Audience Insights Missing For Some
  There is another Google Ads bug, this time with the Audience insights going missing for some advertisers. Ginny Marvin, Google's Ads Liaison, said on X, "Audience Insights is not being removed" but rather there is a bug.
• Google Shopping & Merchant Center Interview With Irina Tuduce
  Google published an internal interview on its Search Off the Record podcast with John Mueller and Lizzi Sassman (who you know) and Irina Tuduce from the Google Shopping team. Irina Tuduce has been with Google for 18 or so years and she provided a super technical overview of Google Shopping and Merchant Center.
• Google Clarifies Indexing API Quota & Pricing Information
  Google has made several changes to its indexing API quota and pricing information document for clarification purposes. Google said this was to clarify "the default quota is for setting up the Indexing API, and how to request approval and quota. Also corrected a documentation error for DefaultRequestsPerMinutePerProject quota (it's always been a 380 quota)."
• Google Ads Try On Icon
  Google launched its try on feature a year or so ago and now Google may have just added a new icon to visualize the try on feature. Below is a screenshot of it on Google Ads for lipstick. When you click on the the face/emoji/icon at the top left of the ad, below you will see a way to visualize it on real models generated by Google AI.
• Liquor at Google Event
  I found these fancy photos of fancy liquor and alcohol on Instagram from a Google event. The post says there were delicious cocktails, and good fun, concerts, and great food.
• Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google August Core Update Done, Google Interview, Google Ads & Merchant Center News & The YouTube Algorithm SEO
  This week, the Google August 2024 core update finished rolling out, a bit earlier than expected. There is still search volatility, a lot of it...

Other Great Search Threads:

• So Google ads support just told me that my phrase match keywords “malpractice lawyer”, “accident lawyer”, “amputation lawyer” are triggering ads on searches for “Orthodontist near me” I quickly informed them that, Anthony Higman on X
• Yes, you're correct: if we can't crawl the page, we can't see the noindex. That said, if we can't crawl the pages, then there's not a lot for us to index., John Mueller on LinkedIn

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google Ads tightens rules on Gambling Certification recertification
• Google Ads won’t appear on parked domains for new accounts by default
• Is it time to rethink your Google Ads strategy?
• Was Google’s document ‘leak’ a strategic move? An SEO theory
• How SEO can collaborate with content teams

Other Great Search Stories:

Industry & Business

• An update on our approach to tackling intimate image abuse, Microsoft On the Issues
• OpenAI Co-Founder Raises $1 Billion for New Safe AI Startup, Inc
• OpenAI Hits 1 Million Paid Users For Business Version of ChatGPT, Bloomberg
• Sundar Pichai: The 100 Most Influential People in AI 2024, TIME
• British competition regulator objects to Google's ad tech practices, CNBC

Links & Content Marketing

• How To Create a Video Strategy for Now and the Future, Content Marketing Institute
• Go for the Win-Win: Game Your Paid Media Strategy, Content Marketing Institute
• Organizational goals for B2B content marketing worldwide 2023, Statista

Local & Maps

• Google Maps on Android crashing for some users , 9to5Google
• Google Maps is instantly crashing for many Android users right now, Android Police
• Google Maps may soon let you post reviews under a different name (APK teardown), Android Authority

Mobile & Voice

• Apple iPhone 16: Why the next iPhone could be Apple’s biggest leap since Siri, The Sydney Morning Herald
• Circle to Search no longer requires using Google's virtual assistants, Android Authority
• Google’s Gemini-powered photo search arrives in early access, Yahoo
• Hey Google has to be enabled on phones to work on Pixel Buds, 9to5Google
• The best Apple Intelligence features for iPhone 16 you won’t want to miss, 9to5Mac

SEO

• Searching for search traffic, Editor and Publisher
• SXO Explained: How to Adapt to the New Era of Search, Ahrefs
• The Helpful Content Update Was Not What You Think, Moz
• Yoast adds AI to its SEO plugin, TechRadar
• SEO Quick Wins: 20 Ideas to Improve Your Organic Traffic, SEOTesting

PPC

• Building Links to Your Website Using PPC, PPC Hero
• New website visits goal available in YouTube Studio, Google Ads Help
• Your Google searches becoming big target for 'malvertising' hackers, CNBC
• Mastering Demand Gen Campaigns: A Beginner's Guide, Jyll Saskin Gales
• The rundown: Why a landmark antitrust trial on Google's ad tech business could reshape the industry, Digiday

Search Features

• Google Photos: Search improvements and early access to Ask Photos, Google Blog
• Google shares holiday travel trends and insights, Google Blog
• Google Shopping adds dresses to virtual try-on tool, Google Blog
• Google tools to save money on your next trip, Google Blog
• How publishers are experimenting with Reddit — even without a formal publisher program, Digiday
• How to use Gems, Google's custom AI tools, Google Blog

Other Search

• YouTube is developing AI detection tools for music and faces, plus creator controls for AI training, TechCrunch

Feedback:

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