Daily Search Forum Recap: October 21, 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.

Nick Fox has replaced Prabhakar Raghavan as the head of Google Search. Google LSA has this new request competitive quotes sneaky feature. Google will pause ads post elections temporarily. Google is testing generative AI throughout the search results. Yep, and we have more Google ranking volatility.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Ranking Volatility Continues October 19th & 20th
  Nope, Google won't let up with its Google Search ranking volatility. We are seeing sites that are showing better rankings one day, only to see those rankings jump back up the next day and continue to see this pattern over and over again. It is like Google cannot make up its mind and it is beyond unusual to see this happening for this long of a period of time.
• Nick Fox New Lead Of Google Search; Replaced Prabhakar Raghavan
  Nick Fox is now the new head of Google Search, replacing Prabhakar Raghavan who is moving into Chief Technologist role at Google. Nick Fox has been with Google since July 2003 and is someone we have quoted here for 20 years on this site.
• Google To Pause Ads Related To Elections After Polls Close On Nov. 5
  Google will temporarily pause ads related to the US elections after the polls close on November 5th. Google said this "is a temporary measure, and we will notify advertisers when this policy is lifted."
• Google Local Service Ads At It Again With Request Competitive Quotes
  Google is at it again, double dipping on Local Service Ads clicks, by adding a "Request competitive quotes" button after you have already selected the business you want a quote from. Google is now showing you other competitive to get quotes from, even though you clicked on a specific business.
• Google Generative AI Snippets Throughout Search Results
  Google has been doing a lot with generative AI and I know some of you have seen featured snippets, some knowledge panels, local listings and other forms of generative AI in the search results. Here is an example of Google Search placing generative AI snippets and cards within the middle of the search results, in the featured snippets things to know like results.
• Sundar Pichai Takes Selfie With Pikachu Pokémon
  Here is a photo of Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, taking a selfie with Pikachu from the Pokémon series. He did this at the Google offices in Japan a few weeks back.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Semrush acquired Search Engine Land, SMX and all other TDM-owned assets…, Olga Andrienko on LinkedIn
• The simple way to fix soft-404 pages is to make them real-404 pages. Having 404 pages is not a bad thing, they're normal for any technically correct website., John Mueller on LinkedIn
• There is no universally ideal content length. Focus on bringing unique value to the web overall, which doesn't mean just adding more words., John Mueller on LinkedIn

Search Engine Land Stories:

• The latest jobs in search marketing
• Google to pause US election ads after polls close on November 5th
• How to analyze PPC performance metrics
• How to optimize PPC customer acquisition cost for B2B
• Google shakes up ad auction dynamics for holiday shopping
• Google shakes up leadership, Raghavan becomes Chief Technologist
• Your exclusive look at the SMX Next agenda is here
• Google’s Local Services Ads feature raises cost concerns
• The ultimate guide to HTTP headers for SEO
• SearchGPT gives brands 4x more referrals vs. Perplexity, Claude
• YouTube citations in Google AI Overviews surge 300%
• 7 reasons you can’t rely on third-party cookies

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• How Cookie Banner Misplacement hurts Smart Bidding, PPC Live
• Saved segments, Google AdSense Help
• Google Analytics: The Go-To Measurement Tool for Effective SEO, Level343

Industry & Business

• Semrush: The Comcast of SEO, Local SEO Guide
• Google Adds Gemini Team to DeepMind in AI Streamlining Push, Bloomberg
• Google asks 9th Circuit for emergency stay, says Epic ruling ‘is dangerous’, The Verge
• Google moves Gemini app team to DeepMind unit in latest reorg, Axios
• Google Stock: Looking At Arguments For Strong Q3 Results, Seeking Alpha
• The $14 Billion Question Dividing OpenAI and Microsoft, Wall Street Journal
• The surprising way OpenAI could get out of its pact with Microsoft, TechCrunch

Links & Content Marketing

• How To Build Brand Authority Online: 8 Steps, BruceClay
• 10 Effective Content Marketing Tactics for 2024 and Beyond, Semrush
• 6 Ideas for Epic Audio and Video Storytelling [Examples], Content Marketing Institute
• Data Standards for Marketing Are a Must, But Few Brands Have Them [Research], Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• Apple expands tools to help businesses connect with customers, Apple
• Google Flights will now show the ‘Cheapest’ options, 9to5Google
• Google Maps is moving the weather for a slightly cleaner map, 9to5Google
• Mastering Search Rankings For Restaurants: Top 11 Ranking Factors for Your GBP, ReputationArm

Mobile & Voice

• Apple Preparing to Add ChatGPT Integration to Siri, MacRumors
• Apple's emphasis on on-device AI offers more privacy, security, AppleInsider
• DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis Explains What Has to Happen to Achieve AGI, Business Insider
• Gurman: Apple internally believes that it's at least two years behind in AI development, 9to5Mac

SEO

• How Forbes is Using their Authority to Manipulate Google Search, Mike Hardaker
• How to Rank in Google's AI Overview, Koozai
• How to Use Keywords for SEO: 7 Best Tips, Semrush
• Spook-Tacular SEO Tips to Boost Your Rankings This Halloween, DAGMAR
• The Commercial Case For SEO: Introducing Named Project Workflows, Builtvisible
• What Can You Do About Google’s Helpful Content Update? — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
• New Google Shopping Is an SEO Reality Check, Practical Ecommerce

PPC

• Assets Generation in PMAX Using a List of URLs, PPC News Feed
• Measure creative impact with simplified Video experiments, Google Ads Help
• How Top of Funnel Paid Search Advertising Can Be Effective, PPC Hero
• Maximize ROI with Smart PPC Campaigns, Dagmar
• Introducing the Google Ads AI Report Generator, PPC News Feed

Search Features

• Answer: Finding similar content?, SearchReSearch
• Google Restores Bitcoin and Crypto Price Charts in Search, Crypto Times
• Google AI Inaccurate In 43% Of Finance-Related Searches, The College Investor
• Google app is less cluttered with colorful Search shortcuts redesign, 9to5Google

Other Search

• Designing Google Doodles and delightful experiences, Search Off the Record
• Penguin Random House underscores copyright protection in AI rebuff, The Book Seller
• Everything You Can Do From Google Chrome’s Address Bar (Besides Run Searches), Wired

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