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.
There is discussion that Google said you should stop hiring SEOs and buying SEO audits, I am very confident Google did not say that. Did you know that Bing powers ChatGPTs index, but does not provide all of the ranking or indexes. Google AI Overviews is testing a highlights button and feature. Google says having different links on mobile vs desktop pages for large sites can slow crawls. Google Ads PMAx asset groups segment reporting option is being tested.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google Wants You To Stop Hiring SEOs & Paying For SEO Audits? I Highly Doubt It.
In Rutledge Daugette's write up from the Web Creator summit that got a lot of attention last week, he wrote a line that struck a cord with the SEO community. In short, some are taking it to mean that Google does not want site owners, or at least, content creators, to hire SEO agencies or have to purchase SEO audits. -
ChatGPT Search Is Powered By Bing's Index & More
As many of you know, OpenAI launched Search within ChatGPT last week. And as many suspected, the relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI seems to still be strong, because it seems that the ChatGPT Search index comes from Bing - for now at least. That is not to say, ChatGPT Search does not rely on other partners, they do. -
Google AI Overviews Highlight Feature Expands AI Responses
Google is testing a new feature in the AI Overviews within Google Search. There is this "highlight" button that when you click on, it lets you highlight text in the AI Overview, which then in turn gives you more AI Answers. -
Google: Having Different Links On Mobile vs Desktop Pages Can Slow Crawl
Google has made a small update to its crawl budget documentation page to add a best practice is to have the same links on both the mobile and desktop version (if you have different versions) on the page. If you do not do this, it can slow the crawling and discovery of your site, especially if it is a large site. -
Google Ads Adds Segmenting Option To PMax Asset Groups In Reports
Google Ads has added a new segment option to the reporting for Performance Max assets groups. Some advertisers are seeing the "segment" option within the PMax Asset Group Performance section of reporting. -
Ping Pong Table With Google On It
Here is a photo of another ping pong table at a Google office that has Google written on it way too many times. This one was at the Google office in Hong Kong.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Bid setting is the factor considered when there is product overlap across PMax and Standard Shopping campaigns given the assets and landing page are the same across both., AdsLiaison on X
- Nerdwallet Q3 earnings call: The CEO explains how "deterioration in search visibility in Q3" caused problems. Checking visibility, looks like the March core update was an issue for them, and then more of a drop with the August core, Glenn Gabe on X
- So Google kills the Site search box, only to replace it with this imposter that shows for Branded searches (limited test of two brands) which forces you to stay in the SERP by firing a more targeted query. ITN, J. James Patterson on X
- There hasn’t been a change to how Standard Shopping priority levels work. PMax now compete on Ad Rank with the Standard Shopping campaign that has the highest priority level when there are overlapping products in, AdsLiaison on X
- I don't know! But, I think Search Console gives you errors fairly quickly, so it should be possible to just double-check., John Mueller on Mastodon
- Interesting; Discover now shows labels for topics that are “trending”, Lily Ray on X
- Online financial resource LendingTree reported revenue of $260.8M for Q3, up 68% year over year. "On search, what I'd say is we work very, very closely with Google on both the SEM and the SEO front." said CEO & founder Doug L, Glen Allsopp on X
- Stellar technical #SEO with 10+ years of experience. Join my team! We're on a mission to harness AI to understand the web and powering amazing experiences. As Principal product manager you lead incredible projects. Ready to mak, Fabrice Canel on X
- The use of LLMs to check for issues with code changes is cool, but what I found fascinating was how the AI system was so verbose in explaining what it was doing & what the issue was., John Mueller on LinkedIn
- AdSense Earnings and Observations - November 2024, WebmasterWorld
- I don’t understand the SEO/creator nerd wars going on. The exposing & attacking each other ain’t it. Low-key, I think that’s what the man wants. Create division and it’s easier to control the people. Will always, Jake Boly on X
- Just my two cents and please don’t crucify me for this, but I personally don’t think it’s productive for creators to over-focus on attacking the SEO industry. I’ve done it myself in the past plenty, and I do totally get why many p, Nate Hake on X
- As I understand it, production of the cheaper Vision Pro has been delayed beyond 2027 for a while now. This means Apple's only new head-mounted display device in 2025 will be the Vision Pro with an upgraded M5 processor, Ming-Chi Kuo on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google fixes supplemental feed limitation in Merchant Center Next
- Google updates crawl budget docs for large sites with differing mobile and desktop pages and links
- How to pick the right Google Business Profile categories
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- SEO and meta descriptions: Everything you need to know in 2025
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
- Google reveals revamped Thompson Center atrium plans, Crain's Chicago Business
- Tech Giants Are Set to Spend $200 Billion This Year Chasing AI, Bloomberg
- Yandex introduces YandexART 2.0 — it generates text on images and helps users and businesses create logos and advertising banners, Yandex
- OpenAI has hired the co-founder of Twitter challenger Pebble, TechCrunch
Links & Content Marketing
- How to Control Google Search Results with Anchor Text (Yes, It Still Works!), Sterling Sky Inc
- 18+ Effective Content Marketing Ideas To Optimize Market Spends, G2
- 5 Content Marketing Ideas for December 2024, Practical Ecommerce
Local & Maps
- Apple Maps on Web Now Works on Linux (But Only in Firefox), OMG! Ubuntu
- Google Maps Gets the Long Overdue Update That Makes It the Best Navigation App, AutoEvolution
- Google Maps reveals military positions, says Ukraine, Newsweek
- How to remember your favorite places using Apple Maps, Popular Science
Mobile & Voice
- Samsung leads global smartphone market in Q3 2024 as total shipments jump 5% to 310 million, Canalys Newsroom
- Apple Finally Finds Its Game Console Rival With the New M4 and M4 Pro Mac Minis, Bloomberg
SEO
- ChatGPT Search For Ecommerce: What You Need to Know, Go Fish Digital
- What we can learn about the Helpful Content Impacted Sites from Google's Creator Summit, Marie Haynes
- 5 Real Estate SEO Tactics with High Return-on-Time-Investment, SEO Savvy Agent
- SEO AI Strategy, Hill Web Creations
- What I Got Out Of Google's Web Creator Conversation Event 2024, Going Awesome Places
- 10 SEO Metrics That You Should Consider Tracking, 99 Signals
- 223 Point SEO Audit Checklist (2024 Update), Andy Drinkwater
- How to Support your Website Deployment Workstream with Crawling, Sitebulb
- No Keyword Data in SE Ranking’s Database. Here’s How to Get Data Without Clicking on Numerous Links., Corina Burri
PPC
- How to Spy on Competitors' Google Ads: A Step-by-Step Guide, Jyll Saskin Gales
- International Keyword Research: Reaching Your Target Market, Level343
- 36 Google Ads Statistics You Should Know, Semrush
- How to Run Google Ads: A 10-Step Guide, Semrush
- Identify Competitor Impact on Ad Share with Opti Score Update, PPC News Feed
Search Features
- The 'bias machine': How Google tells you what you want to hear, BBC
- Perplexity launches an elections tracker, TechCrunch
- Announcing the AI Overview Library: Your AI Overview Resource, Rich Sanger SEO
Other Search
- Google's 'Big Sleep' AI Project Uncovers Real Software Vulnerabilities, PC Magazine
- Reddit’s Traffic Is Surging. It Can Thank Google., NY Mag
- ChatGPT Search: Initial Analysis Post-Launch & Comparison vs Google SERPs, Aleyda Solis
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.
