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.
A new video from a famous YouTuber talks about why Google is falling apart, it got over 1 million views in a couple of days. Google is testing replacing the full logo with the Super G logo at the top of the search results. Google Ads has a gross profit optimization campaign setting. Google is testing "top links" in the search results. And Bing "unshipped" 27 features, which ones to be exact, I don't know.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Why Google Search Is Broken Video Gets Millions Of Views
Arun Maini, a famous YouTuber known for his Mrwhosetheboss channel, posted a scathing video named "Why Google Search is Falling Apart. The video goes through three reasons why Google Search is failing: (1) the results page, (2) SEO, and (3) AI changes. -
Google Ads Adds Gross Profit Optimization Campaign Setting
Google Ads is rolling out a new campaign setting named Gross profit optimization. The gross profit is calculated by Google by applying the gross profit margins you set up in the gross profit optimization goal to the value of each conversion. -
Google Search Tests Top Links Title For Sitelinks?
Google is testing showing the term "top links" or "top links from..." in its search results snippets, that seem to give a title to the sitelinks shown under search result snippets. This is shown both on organic free search results and the search ads, Google Ads, in Google Search. -
Microsoft Unshipped 27 Bing Features
Did you know that Bing removed dozens of features? 27 Bing featured were "unshipped" according to the new CEO of Bing, Mustafa Suleyman, said on X. He wrote, "Simplicity is one of the core principles I am focused on. I am so proud that the Bing team has unshipped 27 features. Being brave enough to undo complexity is important." -
Google Search Tests Replacing Google Logo With Super G Logo
Google is testing swapping out the normal spelled-out Google logo with the Super G (that is what Google calls it) logo at the top of the Google Search results page. I find it weird but I guess it can work? -
Baby In The Google Bike Basket
Here is a photo from the GooglePlex that caught my eye. It is of a newborn baby sitting in the basket of a Google Bike. Yep, a baby in a Google bike. The baby looks calm and collected.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Google refers to Google Ads as "GAds"... also, beginning on November 13, 2024, reporting data collected by Google Ads will be available for 11 years, Greg on X
- Update: A couple of us Google Brain / DeepMind researchers have left to work on something new. Some observations: * Off-the shelf AI libraries (e.g. RAG and agents) do not work well enough for high-quality products. * In-house research, Peter J. Liu on X
- AI Overviews showing for many queries now in Canada. I don't see any of the tools reporting this uptick but I am getting them for a ton of my searches today. cc my fellow Canucks. Have you been noticing this?, Darcy Burk on X
- So after having a discussion today, one thing @searchmartin helped test/prove is that most AI engines will "search" specific websites for content, but they aren't rendering javascript. This could/will be an issue for many sites who rely, Ryan Jones on X
- Starting to see examples of #AIO results in 🇨🇦 for the first time. Not sure if this already known or not., Manny Diaz on X
- Very interesting to see APNews Buyline surge back a bit over the past few days. They first dropped heavily in July and flatlined since then... until 10/9 when the spike. I do see they now block the Buyline directory via robots.txt, but a, Glenn Gabe on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- Google Ads announces 11-year data retention policy
- Reddit introduces AI-powered keyword targeting features
- How to find the ‘best’ Core Web Vitals opportunities
- How TikTok and YouTube’s ecommerce push redefines the search journey
- Search Engine Land Awards 2024: Complete finalists list
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- New Tag Diagnostics, Google Analytics Help
- Google Tag Manager debuts First-party Mode Beta with Cloudflare Integration, PPC Land
- Google Tag Manager: New diagnostics for data gaps and tag placement, PPC Land
Industry & Business
- Google Used Influence, Ultimatum to Cut Deal on California News, Bloomberg
- This threat hunter chases U.S. foes exploiting AI to sway the election, The Washington Post
Links & Content Marketing
- How To Catch Content Lightning in a Bottle, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Android Automotive is now coming to motorcycles too, 9to5Google
- In the age of Google Maps, the humble paper chart still has a vital role, ABC News
Mobile & Voice
- Circle to Search loses Google Lens shortcut on Android, 9to5Google
- Apple Smart Home Plans: New OS, Smart Displays, Vision Pro Integration, Robots, Bloomberg
SEO
- AI Overviews in real estate now above 50% of all searches, SEO Savvy Agent
- Creating content for SEO in a Zero-Click World, Chantal Smink
- Find Related Pages To Fix Under Linked Pages with Screaming Frog, OpenAI & Python, SEO Bytes
- How to Obtain Your Google Merchant Knowledge Panel, WordLift Blog
- Key takeaways for businesses on Google’s updated spam policies, Hallam
PPC
- 5 Red Flags To Look Out For On Your PPC Campaigns, PPC Live
- Setting Up a Feed-Only Performance Max Campaign, PPC Live
- The Ultimate Campaign Quality Assurance Checklist for 2024, PPC Hero
- PMax Experiments for Automated Asset Testing, PPC News Feed
Search Features
Other Search
- OpenAI’s GPT Store Has Left Some Developers in the Lurch, Wired
- The Internet Archive is back as a read-only service after cyberattacks, The Verge
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.