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.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google: Stop Singling Out RankBrain, Search Is More Complex Than One Thing
I love it, Google makes a big deal of RankBrain back in 2015 and since then has been trying to get SEOs to focus on other things, outside of RankBrain. I mean, Google is right - SEOs should really not focus on RankBrain. It is a query interpretation algorithm and doesn't directly influence ranking. - Google: Higher Page Count Means Nothing For Search Rankings
Google's John Mueller said on Reddit that higher page count "means nothing" for ranking higher in Google. He said, in fact, he has seen case studies from the SEO community where reducing the number of pages results in overall better rankings in Google search. But the number of pages on your site is not a specific ranking factor in Google. - Google Releases Lazy Loading SEO Help Guide
As expected, probably sooner than expected, Google has released a version one of their lazy loading guide for SEO. Martin Splitt from Google shared the news on Twitter saying "wanna get a glimpse on the first version of the lazy-loading SEO docs we've been brewing?" - Google Doodle To Go Vote: Where Do I Vote #ElectionDay
If you go to the Google home page today you will see a Google Logo, Doodle, that says "Go Vote." When you click it, it takes you to a query for [Where do I vote #ElectionDay] and then lets you enter your home address to get your voting location and hours. - Google Local Maps Follow Button Is Out
A couple weeks ago, Google announced a new feature in Google Maps and Local to follow a specific location or venue. The feature now seems to be rolled out and you can see it by searching for your favorite place to eat, shop or whatever. When you click the follow button, Google will then show you events, offers and other updates in the For you tab. - Bing Chef Hat
Check it out, here is a black chef hat with the Bing logo on it. I found this on the Bing Ads Twitter stream. You can see they also have black aprons with the Bing Ads logo on it. Pretty cool - won
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- @johnmu @dannysullivan Hoping you can provide more info on this. I'm sure it could help site owners NOT make crazy changes to their sites. With the latest updates (8/1, 9/27), was the penguin algorithm updated? Would explain some, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
- Hi Jennifer, this is actually part of our efforts to combat extremism on YouTube through the Jigsaw redirect method. You can read more here: https://t.co/nC0n4q7Hho. -Chetan… https://t.co/KRKKorDgPD, Google Ads on Twitter
- If you work at Google, please watch this Wednesday at 10am PST! It'll be in Charlie's on the Mountain View campus, but they may stream the talk to other offices.… https://t.co/OE6M3rE4ND, Matt Cutts on Twitter
- Is google's algorithm stretching the meaning of "synonym"?, WebmasterWorld
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Verdict is in for CEO involved in forging court order over reputation attack
- Limited time: Lock in exclusive savings to SMX West
- Google local reviews study shows 74% of businesses have at least one review
- Why the SaaS model is right for programmatic
- Election 2018: Social media trolls, Google touts search, video ads get ugly
- Google makes lazy-loading SEO help documents available
- Bing crawling, indexing and rendering: A step-by-step on how it works
- The revamping of AMP: Renew your commitment to mobile
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Advanced Google Analytics Tools: How To Test Website Performance, JDE Group
- How To Use Calculated Blended Fields In Data Studio, helpfullee.com
- How to use Google Analytics to create killer content that drives traffic to your blog, skinnedcartree
- Using Google Data Studio for Auction Insights Reporting, PPC Hero
Industry & Business
- Celebrating 15 years of Google Ireland, Google Blog
- Mountain View: Pedestrian killed in crash near Google HQ, Mercury News
Links & Promotion Building
- How to Use Trending Topics to Build Links & Boost Traffic, Search Engine Journal
Local & Maps
- Google model identifies restaurants that could give you food poisoning, Engadget
- Google Reviews Study: How Many Reviews Do Businesses Need?, BrightLocal
- Will Google Penalize Duplicate Content in Reviews?, Search Engine Journal
Mobile & Voice
- Recap: Build Actions For Your Community, Google Developers Blog
SEO
- 17 easily-actionable SEO tips you need to know, Vertical Leap Blog
- 7 SEO Performance Metrics That Matter to the C-Suite, KoMarketing
- In Search [Ep 2] - Is AMP a Ranking Factor & What Brings Up the Explore Panel?, RankRanger
- SEO Holiday Triage – Getting your Wishlist sorted early, Searchmetrics SEO Blog
PPC
- DSA Campaign Features We're Missing in the New Google Ads, Metric Theory
- Google Ads vs Display & Video 360 - TrueView Edition, Periscopix
- Madison Avenue’s Unequal Fight With Google, Wall Street Journal
- Reach the right consumers with Display & Video 360’s Audiences module, Google Blog
- Track your campaign goals with Performance Targets, Bing Ads Blog
- [VIDEO] Accidental Clicks, Inside AdSense
Search Features
- Streaming in the Shadow Reader, Accelerated Mobile Pages Project
- Election Day with Search, Google Blog
