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 had a bug with its last core update causing some sites to see declines in Discover traffic for most of the month of October. The Verge trashed SEOs and Google Search but was it fair? Google Business Profiles added a small business attribute and new parking attributes. Google Search is testing green deal labels. Google added more details to retailer knowledge panels. Google also updated its video structured data to say add timezones.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Core Update Bug Resulted In Discover Traffic Issues - Now Fixed
Last night, Google confirmed a bug with the Google October 2023 core update that impacted Discover traffic for "some sites." The bug was started on October 5th and lasted through October 31st. - No, SEOs & Google Didn't Ruin The Internet & Nor Is The Internet Ruined
The SEO community was in a buzz yesterday when The Verge published an entertaining, detailed, and long piece titled Did SEO experts ruin the Internet or did Google? The short answer is no, SEOs didn't ruin the Internet, Google did not ruin the Internet, and the Internet is not ruined. - Google Business Profiles Adds Small Business Attribute
Google added a new business attribute for small businesses to showcase they are small. You can add it under your Google Business Profile, where you edit your listing and select your attributes. - Google Business Profiles Adds Detailed Parking Attributes
Google Business Profiles has added a huge list of detailed parking attributes you can add to your business. I am not sure if this is fully rolled out to all businesses but you may be able to see it when you edit your business profile. - Google Will Add More Details To Retailers Knowledge Panels
Google will soon be adding more details to the knowledge panels that show up for "certain retailer searches," the company announced. Soon Google will show current deals, shipping and return policies, customer service information and ratings and reviews on those knowledge panels. - Google Video Structured Data Docs Now Recommend Time & Timezone Inclusion
Google had made some small adjustments to its video structured data documentation to recommend that you nclude time and timezone information in video structured data. Google has recently been stressing time as an important element in crawling and other structured data components. - Google Search Deals Section With Green Discount Labels
Google is testing showing really bold green labels on products within the product grid section. I personally see more muted white labels but Khushal Bherwani saw bold green labels. - Google For Education Gold Medal
Here are some photos from the Google Brazil office from the Google for Education Champions event of the gold medals they gave out to the attendees. I embedded more photos I found on Instagram as well.
Other Great Search Threads:
- AdSense Earnings and Observations - November 2023, WebmasterWorld
- The context of those question are if your doing something for Google. If your just changing the date because you think “that’ll make Google think this is fresh,” you’re likely aligning with other behaviors that overall align with signals we use to, Google SearchLiaison on X
- On non-Search inventory, search themes uses the exact same technology as custom segments. As noted in the blog post, in early 2024, we’ll migrate existing custom segments based on search activity to search, AdsLiaison on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google fixed a bug with the October 2023 core update impacting Discover traffic
- Critical, cynical Verge article blames SEOs for ruining the internet
- Google rolls out generative AI tools for product images in the U.S.
- Ex-Google Search head worried his team was ‘too involved with ads’
- Google adds small business attribute and other information to business profiles and shopping listings
- 20 most profitable Google queries revealed during antitrust trial
- How to create linkable assets with ChatGPT
- Search, social and retail: The future of digital brand experiences
- How to manage and optimize local listings for SEO
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Google Tag Manager Video Tracking: Full Guide, MeasureMinds
- Google VP Says Bard Chatbot Wasn’t Rushed Out to Beat Microsoft, Bloomberg
- How to Use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for Video Tracking, MeasureMinds
Industry & Business
- Google layoffs hit SF with dozens losing jobs in November, The San Francisco Examiner
- Mozilla's Switch From Google to Yahoo Degraded User Experience, CEO Says, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
- How Purdue Leads With Content, Content Marketing Institute
- Search Central Live Taipei 2023, Google Search Central Blog
Local & Maps
- As Waze absorbs into Google's maps unit, 4screen sees a chance to grab the in-car ad steering wheel, Digiday
- I used Google Bard to plan the perfect vacation, including flights and hotels — here’s what happened, Tom's Guide
Mobile & Voice
- Apple Watch to Get Plans Hypertension, Sleep Apnea Detection, Bloomberg
- Google Assistant will now default to use Keep for your notes and shopping lists, PhoneArena
- Google Lays Off Employees Working on Its Voice Assistant, Business Insider
SEO
- An Introduction to Google Search Console, BrightLocal
- Did SEO experts ruin the internet or did Google?, The Verge
- The Evolution of AI and SEO: Adapting to New Search Behaviors, BrightEdge
- The Impact that Search Intent Can Have on Keyword Rankings, Go Fish Digital
- What the Romans ever done for us aka the contribution of SEO to The Verge and other news websites, I Love SEO
PPC
- A PPC practitioner’s 13-step guide to optimizing paid ads, Optmyzr
- Brainlabs helps boost easyJet holidays’ ROAS by 13% with innovative Value-Based Bidding Strategy, Brainlabs
- Celebrating one year of Netflix ads, Microsoft Advertising
- Google’s most lucrative queries: a rare look at how search makes money, The Verge
- Yes, You Should Bid On Your Own Branded Terms, Portent
- The Policy center is now available to AFS publishers, Google AdSense Help
Search Features
- Baidu launches paid version of Ernie Bot as Chinese firms rush to make money from their generative AI chatbots, South China Morning Post
- Google app on Android getting dedicated notifications feed, 9to5Google
Other Search
- Eric Schmidt Bets AI Will Shake Up Scientific Research, Bloomberg
- How Google Changes Your Searches (A Study of 10,000 Queries), Moz
Feedback:
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