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 has updated its search quality raters guidelines, we dig into what is new with it with links to more deeper analysis. Semrush data shows I am not crazy, Google has been way more active with algorithmic updates this year than previous year, as I have been reporting. Google Analytics had a one hour outage on October 18th and that data is unrecoverable. Google Alerts stopped working for some for a five-day period, but it is now fixed. Google said having different intent content on your site is fine but to do that on the same page, is not fine.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Updates Search Quality Raters Guidelines On October 19th
After over a year of not having an update on the Google Search Quality Raters Guidelines - Google made several updates to the document yesterday, October 19, 2021. The last update was just over a year ago on October 14, 2020. The document this time around went from 175 pages to 172 pages - so it was trimmed down a bit. - Semrush: Google Search Algorithm Updates Are More Extreme This Year
Mordy Oberstein from Semrush came out with some data proving I am not insane or crazy, at least, when it comes to my reports on the Google search ranking algorithm updates. Yes, I have been reporting on these updates more this year than previous years, but for good reason, the search results are more volatile this year than previous years. - Google Analytics Bug Results In Unrecoverable Data Loss On October 18th
Google Analytics had a bug that resulted in about an hour of lost data on October 18th. That data is unrecoverable and you should note, maybe with an annotation, that there was a glitch resulting in less data being collected by Google Analytics. - Google Alerts Stopped Working For Several Days For Some (Now Fixed)
Google has confirmed an issue with Google Alerts where Google's Danny Sullivan said "We've identified an issue that's prevented Google Alerts from operating properly. We're working to resolve the issue quickly." - Google: Different Intent Content On A Page Basis Can Confuse, Not Site Level
Google's John Mueller said when it comes to confusing Google around having different intent of content, it is more of an issue on the page-level and not on the site-level. John said "a lot of websites just have a mix of different kinds of content," and that is an issue "page-level rather than on a website level," he implied. - Google Cookies Bag Illustration
Here is an illustrated photo of a bag of Google cookies. The person who posted this on Instagram also designed them not just for Google but also for LinkedIn, YouTube, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, TikTok
Other Great Search Threads:
- Yes, I would expect us to find the page for that. I do see it indexed. I'll pass it on., Danny Sullivan on Twitter
- I'm not sure what you mean with "external metric point of view" -- but in practice, it's not clear cut. When I look at sites, some subdomains are more like categories of the same site, some are clearly, John Mueller on Twitter
- Microsoft Clarity + Microsoft Advertising = a match made in insights heaven! This integration will help you understand post-click audience behavior and engagement on your landing pages. Setup is easy and it’s, Microsoft Advertising on Twitter
- Nobody likes it when a website suddenly jumps hundreds of pixels, or when you go to tap on a button and a pop-up jumps out. Our latest YouTube video will teach you how to reduce your website's Cumu, Google Search Central on Twitter
- The inspect URL tool is focused on web-search, it doesn't provide useful insights to things that aren't web-pages (CSS, JS files, images, videos, ... and apparently also SVGs). SVGs are picked u, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Business reopenings have flattened while new leisure and hospitality openings drove growth, according to Yelp
- Rejoice Ojiaku and hasOptimization named 2021 winners of Search Engine Land Award for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Search Marketing
- Meet your Search Engine Land Awards Search Marketers of the Year
- Announcing the Search Engine Land Awards 2021 Winners
- Google search quality guidelines update expand YMYL category, defines lowest quality content and more
- 10 reasons to attend SMX online Nov. 9-10
- After 13 years, Frédéric Dubut, principal product manager, core search & AI, departs Microsoft
- Index when? IndexNow, say Bing and Yandex; Tuesday’s daily brief
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Best Google Analytics Reports for Clients, Databox Blog
- How Sampling Works in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Online Metrics
Industry & Business
- Google hands San Jose an expensive piece of downtown land for, Hoodline
- Google's CEO on the Future of Work, Wall Street Journal
Links & Content Marketing
- How to Create a Winning Blog Content Strategy in 7 Steps, Ahrefs
- Empathy in B2B Content Marketing: What It REALLY Means, Online Marketing Blog
- Measuring Content Marketing Impact: How To Set Objectives That Matter, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Google Maps eco-friendly routes are rolling out on Android and iPhone, BGR
- How to Verify Multi-location Google My Business Listings, BrightLocal
Mobile & Voice
- Google Assistant gains 'Quick phrases,' improves At a Glance, 9to5Google
- More personal, more powerful: Meet Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, Google Blog
- Sundar Pichai and Rick Osterloh think the Pixel 6 is Google’s breakout phone, The Verge
SEO
- 17 SEO Blogs for Everyone from Beginners to Experts, Semrush
- How to identify ranking gaps in Google's People Also Ask (PAA) SERP feature using Semrush [Tutorial], GSQI
- Ignite Your Multi-Location SEO Strategy with These Optimization Tips, Jeff Bullas
- Introducing WebQA : A Multi-hop, Multi-modal & Open Domain Reasoning Challenge & Benchmark, Bing Search Quality Insights
- Optimize Anchor Text By Making It Descriptive, Portent
- Google Quality Rater Guidelines: The Low Quality 2021 Update, The SEM Post
- IndexNow Elicits Mixed Reactions Including Skepticism, Search Engine Journal
- What Are SERP Features and Why Should I Care?, BruceClay
PPC
- 28 Essential PPC Metrics (+How to Improve Every Single One), WordStream
- How to Optimize your Google Ads this Black Friday, PPC Hero
- Ad strategies amid supply chain shortages, Microsoft Advertising
Search Features
- How Does Microsoft Bing Search Work?, Semrush
- Image equity: Fairer image tools for everyone, Google Blog
- Google News Showcase is launching in Ireland, Google Blog
Other Search
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