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.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Responds To Auto-Translated Content Spam Issue; It's About Intent
Since 2010 we knew that using Google Translate or other automatic machine translation services to convert content from one language to another and to rank it in Google was against Google's guidelines. But recently some are saying with Google Translate getting much better, it has been harder for Google to discover what is machine vs human translated. - Google: We Index & Rank Content In Accordions & Tabs Fully Despite Some Studies
So here we have Google's Gary Illyes again defending what Google has said in the past, when SEOs say what he said is not true. This is around Google giving full weight to content on mobile within accordions or tabs. Some reports say Google does not do this but Google is saying they do give this content full weight. - Google Ads Adds Videos To Shopping Ads With Showcase Shopping Ads
Google has added more videos to their Google Ads platform, this new one is called Showcase Shopping Ads where videos can now show for Google Shopping Ads. This format is available to advertisers already running Showcase Shopping ads. - Google Maps Showing Future Open Dates For Businesses
Google is now able to show the date a business will open in the future, if the business owners enters such information into Google My Business. It can show the exact date or the month and year directly in the local panel on web search or Google Maps. - Google My Business Reviews Can Now Be Edited In Local Panel
Now you can edit the reviews and responses you leave for local businesses in Google Maps and Local directly in the local knowledge panel when you expand the reviews. Google has added an "edit" button to reviews or responses you have left directly in this reviews overlay. - GooglePlex Soccer Field
If you ever go to the Google campuses, you can see nearby there are these open fields with soccer fields, basketball courts and more. Here is a photo of one of the soccer set ups at the Google office
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- "authoritative"…, Gary Illyes on Twitter
- Be careful of conflating crawling with ranking, they're very different things. JS-based sites can rank just as well as HTML sites. Also, WP is awesome, but there's no WordPress ranking advantage.… https://t.co/jsu1l1paPd, John Mueller on Twitter
- Google displays donate-onebox in hurricane florence search serps #google #serp..., Valentin Pletzer on Twitter
- No, SC is on a per-request basis, whereas (as far as I understand it) the others measure on a per-page basis (what it takes for everything to load, including whatever requests are needed for embedded content). It's "curl" vs "l, John Mueller on Twitter
- No. But in general, if you can link directly, that's always a good idea..., John Mueller on Twitter
- Outside attempts to pressure google into changing its algorithm, WebmasterWorld
- Great ranking content != Long content Please don't read this as "it's okay to strip all the content back". Long content ranks better because of more context, relevancy & chance to provide an answer. When spammy content ranks (sti, Chris Green on Twitter
- Google map issue, WebmasterWorld
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google is right; click-through and conversion rates kinda don’t matter
- Google admits it’s using very limited personalization in search results
- Google tests sub-images in search result snippets for sitelinks
- Keyword research strategies in a close-variant world
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Google Analytics 360: A Buyer’s Guide, Marketing Land
- Google Analytics Tips + Best Practices Pt 1: Configuration, Kalamuna
Industry & Business
- Report: Google's Chinese Search Prototype Logs Phone Numbers, Hides Unapproved Pollution Data, Gizmodo
Links & Promotion Building
- The 10 Commandments of Link Building, The Upper Ranks
- Top Guest Blogging Tactics for Scalable Link Building Success, Search Engine Journal
Local & Maps
- Google Maps Begins Beta Testing Its CarPlay iOS 12 App + Screenshots, CarPlay Life
- Tips For Dentists Responding to Negative Reviews, 32 Degrees Digital
- Waze Begins Beta Testing CarPlay iOS 12 App, CarPlay Life
- iOS 12 Releases Today - Here is What's New With Apple CarPlay, CarPlay Life
- TripAdvisor Helps Put Man Behind Bars for Italian Review Fraud Scheme, Fortune
Mobile & Voice
- Amazon taps Getty to provide images for visual searches on the Echo Show and Echo Spot, TechCrunch
- Google remotely changed the settings on a bunch of phones running Android 9 Pie, The Verge
SEO
- How to Successfully Pull Off an Enterprise-Level Site Migration, Search Engine Journal
- Where Images in Question Answers, Carousels, and Knowledge Panels Come From, SEO By The Sea
- Google tests changes to its search algorithm; how search works, CNBC
PPC
