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 says some SEOs over-focus on URL structure. Google will update its customer match Google Ads policy. Google AdSense is changing its first party cookie controls. Google Search now supports C2PA for the about this image feature. Google Merchant Center has sale events promotion types.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google: Some SEOs Over Focus On URL Structure
Google's John Mueller said that some SEOs over focus on URL structure and that if your context from your pages aren't clear, then no URL structure can fix that. -
Google Customer Match Policy Warning: Don't Harm Users Or Else...
This week, Google sent an email to some Google Ads advertisers warning that they may lose access to use Customer Match with their ads cause harm to users or create a poor user experience. Google said they are updating their customer match policy effective January 13, 2025, to enforce this. -
New: Google Search Supports C2PA Metadata For About This Image Feature
A couple of months ago, we reported how Google Search will label if an image was AI-generated, edited by photo editing software or taken with a camera by working with Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) as a technical standard. Well, now Google officially supports C2PA metadata in the about this image feature. -
Google Merchant Center Adds Sale Events Promotion Type
Google has added a new promotion type to Google Merchant Center named "Sale events." Sale events are a type data that you can submit on Google and are shown on non-product-centric surfaces. This seems to be available in the US for free Merchant Center listings right now. -
Google AdSense First-Party Cookie Controls Are Changing
Google will be changing how it handles the first-party cookie controls on AdSense sites. Google said, "We're making some changes to how first-party cookies are managed in your AdSense account to simplify controls and improve your access to third-party demand." -
YouTube Switzerland Birthday Cake
This is an oldie but I just spotted it from the Google Zurich office, it is a massive, life sized, birthday cake, for YouTube. I found this on Instagram and if you click through, you will see more photos of this.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Hey SEOs, I created an extension that lets you visualize GSC data in more meaningful ways. Now you can view data in daily, weekly, monthly timeframes. Draw trend line and moving averages, and add annot, Amin Foroutan on X
- Most of the tools are showing super low volatility 1.5 days after the Google November 2024 core update was released - so weird but I guess it will kick up soon..., Barry Schwartz on X
- We've just open-sourced our Python client for Bing Webmaster Tools API, Ryan Siddle on LinkedIn
- Google Ad Manager is launching new sellside audience curation capabilities. Agencies will be able to buy curated audiences & inventory packages as another way to effectively reach their desired audiences. Benefits of these new curat, AdsLiaison on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google boosts curation capabilities for Ad Agencies
- The top 100 consumer products this holiday season, according to Google
- Google’s Privacy Sandbox faces continued competition concerns
- Decoding ad spend: Key insights from the 2024 presidential election
- Google tightens Customer Match rules, warns advertisers about privacy
- Canonicalization and SEO: A guide for 2025
- PPC keyword strategy: How to align search intent with funnel stages
- Pricing vs. ad spend: Which drives more Amazon sales?
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- What Are Digital Marketing Analytics?, DesignRush
Industry & Business
- Microsoft revives MSN brand in 2024 with fresh new logo, Windows Central
- OpenAI Co-Founder Returns to Startup After Monthslong Leave, Bloomberg
- OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are struggling to build more advanced AI, Yahoo Finance
Links & Content Marketing
- Fake AI Profiles Are Being Utilised by Link Builders on Platforms like Qwoted - And It's Working, Matt Tutt
- The Tabloid Technique: How to Easily Land Local Links With Digital PR, Ahrefs
- Content Marketing Platforms Market to Witness Stunning Growth, OpenPR
- Global content marketing budget changes 2023-2024, Statista
Local & Maps
- Google Street View helps map how 600,000 trees grow down to the limb, New Scientist
- Beware This New $2,000 ‘We Know Where You Live’ Google Maps Scam, Forbes
- Google Maps Update Locates Ukrainian Transport Aircraft in Poland, Kyiv Post
- Patent awarded to Apple could improve Apple Maps, PhoneArena
Mobile & Voice
- Apple Home Hub Detailed: Apple Intelligence, HomeOS, Square iPad-Like Design, Bloomberg
- iOS 18.2 likely to receive public release on December 9, AppleInsider
- Apple Music Classical Updated With CarPlay and Siri Support, MacRumors
- Google Home gets huge update packed with Gemini AI features, PhoneArena
- I Spoke Only to Chatbots for 24 Hours. Who Needs Human Friends?, Wall Street Journal
SEO
- Forbes, CNN, and More Lose Millions As Google Policy Tanks Affiliate SEO, AdWeek
- Google Search Volumes Exposed: Complete Analysis of 60Mn Keywords into Volume Buckets, Authoritas
- How to avoid duplicate content, Google Search Central YouTube
- Indexability issues in international SEO, Oncrawl
- Mastering 4XX Errors: A Comprehensive Guide Using Sitebulb, Sitebulb
- TikTok's parent company has a tool that's scraping the web 25 times faster than OpenAI, Mashable
PPC
- Consent unbundling in Google Ads scripts, Google Ads Developer Blog
- Enhanced CPC in Google Ads is Going Away: Now What?, WordStream
- How to Adjust Smart Bidding to Mitigate Conversion Data Loss, PPC Live
- Website permissions for brands & marketing agencies: Boost security & scalability, Wix SEO Hub
- Perplexity brings ads to its platform, TechCrunch
Search Features
- 4 new Chrome iOS improvements, Google Blog
- Holiday 100: This year’s trending gifts, Google Blog
- What is ChatGPT Search (and how does it use Bing data)?, Yoast
Other Search
- Google DeepMind open-sources AlphaFold 3, ushering in a new era for drug discovery and molecular biology, VentureBeat
Feedback:
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