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 may have a bug with some JavaScript pages and the noindex directive. Google Maps can show fake review notices and other issues with reviews. Google is testing most popular and best price labels in the popular products section. Google is testing "for you" labels and also "preferred source" labels.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Report: Google Fixing Noindex Bug With Some JavaScript Pages
Google is reportedly working on fixing a bug with not being able to properly respond to a noindex directive on some JavaScript generated pages. This is happening for some React apps using Single Page Applications (SPAs) that have the noindex directive on them but Google is not picking it up and thus indexing pages that should not be indexed. -
Google Search Tests Preferred Source Label?
Google may be testing a new search label named "preferred source" on the search results snippets. This is shown on organic search results, not search ads, and honestly, this seems off to me but I am not sure. -
Google Search Tests For You Label
This morning we covered these unusual "preferred source" labels in the search results. And now we are seeing "For you" labels in the search results. Maybe they are the same and just using different names or maybe they are different. -
Google Maps Fake Review Notice On Business Profile
Google now places a notice or warning on some Google Business Profile listings within Google Maps when it thinks some of the reviews may be fake or fraudulent. We covered this notice when Google updated its reviews restrictions documentation but I wanted to highlight the notice more. -
Google Search Product Detail Grid With Most Popular & Best Price Labels
Google is now testing adding labels to the product detail side panel when you click on a product in the Google Search popular products grid. The labels spotted include a "most popular" and "best price" label in a blue background. -
Google Socks On Subway
Here is a photo of some guy's socks that have the Google super G logo on them. Lily Ray was minding her own business, as she said, as one does on a NYC subway, and noticed the guy across from her wearing these socks.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Google Translator gains "More translations and Expands , Collapses and many more features., Khushal Bherwani on X
- I didn’t think it could get worse… then it did., Greg Finn on X
- See the search queries (and sites) Copilot generates to fetch info from Bing (coming in Oct) -> New from Microsoft Copilot: Introducing web search query transparency for Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot "Web search query, Glenn Gabe on X
- This Google popcorn game Doodle for tomorrow is going to kill so much productivity in the world, Barry Schwartz on X
- Yes, campaign level negative keywords for PMax will apply to both Search and Shopping inventory., Ginny Marvin on LinkedIn
Search Engine Land Stories:
- TikTok Search Ads Campaign launch in U.S.
- The truth behind AI checkers: A cautionary tale
- Reddit launches AI-powered tools to boost ad creation
- There is no ‘best’ Google Ads bidding strategy, study finds
- How causal impact studies work and when to use them in PPC
- Google adds support for sale pricing and priceType property
- 4 Reddit ad formats you need to know
- Google Search completely kills the cache feature
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Improvements to GA4 Data Import, Google Analytics Help
Industry & Business
- How Google made the ad tech industry revolve around itself, The Verge
- Microsoft AI Chief Suleyman Shuffles Unit Leadership, Pointing to Shift in Strategy, The Information
- OpenAI Training Data to Be Inspected in Sarah Silverman Copyright Case, Hollywood Reporter
- UN Data Commons for the SDGs expands to more agencies, Google Blog
Links & Content Marketing
- Find influencers who write (and link) in your niche, Majestic
- Pay People to Do Something: An Advanced Link Building Strategy, Adam Riemer
- Why Use Digital PR For Link Building in 2025, BuzzStream
Local & Maps
- 3 imagery updates to Google Earth and Maps, Google Blog
- Billie Eilish and Google Maps help fans travel sustainably, Google Blog
- Meet the Local Guide making small businesses shine during Diwali, Local Guides Connect
- Search Marketing Implications for European Hotel Suppliers, Near Media
Mobile & Voice
- Future Apple Vision Pro could help the injured avoid medication addiction, AppleInsider
- OpenAI rolls out Advanced Voice Mode with more voices and a new look, TechCrunch
SEO
- Data driven SEO Part II: Science based technical SEO recommendations, Oncrawl
- Feeling rocked by the latest Google update? You‘re not imagining things; your site‘s rankings may have taken a hit., Semrush
- Getting Buy-In for Your SEO Strategy, Sara Taher
- Internal Links: Turn a Neglected SEO Strategy into a Growth Engine [Webinar], seoClarity
- Scaling SEO success: tackling Enterprise Competitors Head-On, Semrush
- SEO for Bloggers: Essential Tactics To Improve Search Visibility, BruceClay
PPC
- 2024 Partner Awards: Americas finalists announced, Microsoft Advertising
- The Impact of Bidding Strategies on Google Ads Performance, Optmyzr
- TikTok comes for Google's ad business as it starts letting advertisers target its search results page, TechCrunch
- Google Ads for Beginners: How to Set the Right Target CPA, Jyll Saskin Gales
- Lifecycle Goals for PMAX, PPC News Feed
Search Features
- Gemini at Work 2024: How customers use Google Cloud AI products, Google Blog
- Google’s Gemini AI might soon appear in your corporate Workspace, The Verge
- Snap Integrates Google’s Generative AI Model Into Chatbot, Bloomberg
Other Search
- ‘Popcorn!’ is a battle royale-esque Google Doodle, 9to5Google
- Microsoft claims its new tool can correct AI hallucinations, but experts advise caution, TechCrunch
- Why Google’s latest product changes hint at the future of search, WARC
- AI Can Best Google’s Bot Detection System, Swiss Researchers Find, Decrypt
- Hacker plants false memories in ChatGPT to steal user data in perpetuity, Ars Technica
Feedback:
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