Daily Search Forum Recap: November 6, 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.

Google search is heating up again, we're seeing a lot of ranking volatility - we're calling it the Election 2024 Google update. Glenn Gabe reported that 22% of those sites hit by the helpful content update saw 20% increases or more since the August update, the rest are still dead. Google is highlighting the new Google Shopping interface with a new label. Google Shopping has these bag icons that take you right to the checkout page. Microsoft Advertising shopping audience campaigns has some updates.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Election 2024 Google Search Ranking Update 🇺🇸
  I know we are coming off a heated and very nerve-wracking election day but I am noticing some big Google Search ranking volatility kicking up in the past 24-hours. It might be from the election buzz, but I suspect it is wider than that.
• Report: 22% Of Sites Hit By Google's Helpful Content Update Are Up 20%+
  I've been wondering how the majority of sites hit by Google's September 2023 helpful content update are doing. Glenn Gabe is tracking about 400 of them, so he provided an update saying 88 (or 22% of them) have seen a 20% increase since the August 2024 core update. Some had full recoveries but most did not, and most saw no lifts at all.
• Google Highlights New Google Shopping With New Label
  Google has been rolling out a new Google Shopping interface, we've covered it numerous times, and I think it is now rolled out. But Google is now promoting the new Google Shopping by placing a "new" label on the Shopping tab link at the top of the Google Search interface.
• Google Shopping Ads With Bag Icon In Search
  Google can show a bag icon on some of the sponsored search shopping ads. This can show next to the "Shop now" text, where you can either go to the retailers site to buy or click the bag icon to likely check out with Google (I am guessing).
• Microsoft Advertising Updates Shopping Audience Campaigns
  Microsoft announced its monthly Microsoft Advertising updates and while we covered some of these before, we did not cover the changes to Shopping Audience campaigns. Microsoft made a couple of changes to Shopping Audience campaigns.
• Google Time For A BR (HTML Break) Sign
  This wall at the Google Kitchener, Ontario office caught my eye. It says "time for a br," it is the HTML element tag for a line break. I thought it was cute and decided to share it here.

Other Great Search Threads:

• And on the topic of AI Overviews, @ziptiedev tracks the prevalence of AIOs in the SERPs over time. Notice the spike in late October, which coincides with the expansion of AIOS to 100 countries. Now up to 14.99% based on the queries t, Glenn Gabe on X
• Reddit, Quora and Medium appearing in Google Discover for travel/tech topics, Lily Ray on X
• More ChatGPT Search info: The holiday shopping season is upon us and coupon codes are a huge business this time of year. Checking some coupon code searches via ChatGPT Search yields sites that were obliterated by manual actions from, Glenn Gabe on X
• This is now fixed., Google on X
• Thx for this. The “where to vote” panel is triggering for some specific searches bc Harris is also the name of a county in TX. Happens for “Vance” too bc it’s also the name of a county. Fix is coming. Note, News from Google on X
• Specific recommendations for documentation updates are always welcome - either here, or better: with the feedback links on the pages directly. Anecdotally, with a new site where I'm watching my server logs like a hawk, smartphone Googlebot is the friendly, John Mueller on LinkedIn

Search Engine Land Stories:

• ChatGPT Search makes Microsoft Bing an SEO priority
• Google Ads relaxes personalization rules for social casino game apps
• Google adds ad inventory curation, programmatic tools for agencies
• Microsoft expands Copilot AI-powered advertising capabilities
• How FTC’s new review policy could impact your local SEO
• How does AI work in PPC?

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• Top 11 Consent Mode Mistakes to Avoid, Measure Minds Group

Industry & Business

• AI Startup Perplexity to Triple Valuation to $9 Billion in New Funding Round, Wall Street Journal
• Google And The DOJ Recap Their Cases In The Countdown To Closing Arguments, AdExchanger
• Google curbs politics discussion among employees on U.S. Election Day, CNBC
• Google defeats lawsuit over gift card fraud, Yahoo Finance
• Google is opening an AI hub in oil-rich Saudi Arabia, TechCrunch
• United States renews calls for Italy to scrap its web tax, sources say, Reuters

Links & Content Marketing

• The Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing Best Practices, Semrush
• Influencer Marketing: The B2B Game Plan for Success, Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• 25 Local SEO Techniques for Increasing Your Google Local Search Visibility, BruceClay
• How to Reply to Google Reviews (Tips & Examples), Semrush
• Latest Android Auto 13.2 update now rolling out – what's new, 9to5Google
• Locals Gatekeeping London Restaurants from Tourists with Fake Positive Reviews, Online Ownership
• Combine your offline & online marketing, SERP's Up SEO Podcast

Mobile & Voice

• WhatsApp beta adds reverse image search through Google, 9to5Google
• Apple Preparing for Upcoming Siri Onscreen Awareness Feature With New iOS 18.2 API for Developers, MacRumors
• Gemini AI Assistant Gets Google Home Extension, Can Control Smart Home Devices, Gadgets 360

SEO

• Advanced structured data for eCommerce category pages, Wix SEO Hub
• Entity SEO: Enhancing Search Visibility With Entities, Sitebulb
• I was invited to Google HQ to talk about my failing website. Here's how that went., Kim Snaith
• International SEO and Hreflang: an actionable guide, I Love SEO
• The Stupidity of Google's Site Reputation Abuse Policy, Lars Lofgren
• What You Need to Know About Google’s Knowledge Graph, Schema App Solutions

PPC

• Brand Guidelines Live for PMax, PPC News Feed
• Scaling Your PPC Lead Generation Campaigns, PPC Live
• SEO vs SEM: Choose the Right Strategy for Your Business, Jyll Saskin Gales

Search Features

• Google Asked to Remove 10 Billion “Pirate” Search Results, TorrentFreak
• This Google election conspiracy theory doesn’t add up, The Verge

Other Search

• Google CEO says company should be ‘trusted source’ in US election, The Verge
• Google Search for Where Can I Vote for Harris Shows Map, Trump Doesn't, Variety
• Google’s Own Algorithms Are Driving Users Toward ChatGPT and Bing, Wealth of Geeks

Feedback:

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