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:
- 17 Years Covering The Search Industry
Today marks the 17th anniversary of starting this site, the Search Engine Roundtable. I've been writing about search for over 40% of my life - which is weird to think about. And I've been doing it consistently every workday, several times per day, even through a pandemic, for 17 years. It is hard for me to fathom that. - December 1 Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update
There may be another Google search ranking algorithm update rolling out again. This one started around Tuesday, December 1, 2020. Google has not confirmed this but there is chatter and the tracking tools are also showing an update. - New Google Maps Community Feed Within The Explore Tab
Google Maps has added a new social feature in the map software named the "community feed." It can be found in the explorer tab within the Google Maps app on Android and iOS. It is a way for you to find out what the community is sharing about a specific business with the ability to follow those suggestions in your Google feed going forward. - Poll: Most SEOs Would Ignore Spammy Links But Many Would Disavow Them
Lily Ray ran a poll (I am kicking myself for not seeing it to retweet it but it has over 500 results). The poll asked how would you handle a lot of really spammy links pointing to your clients sites. The response was most would ignore the links but many will disavow them. - Google Discover Ads Has A New Format Option
Google announced a new Google Discover ads format to choose from. There is a new 4:5 portrait aspect ratio format that helps advertisers visually showcase their products and services more prominently with consumers as they scroll and it leads into the lead form extensions. - Google Help Doc On Advanced Crawl Budget Management
Google has released a help document named large site owner's guide to managing your crawl budget. It is an advanced help document on helping developers manage Googlebot crawls on their web site. It reminds me of the blog post Gary Illyes of Google wrote in 2017 about crawl budget. - Even Google's Stan The Dinosaur Wears A Mask
Stan, Google's dinosaur, which has been at the GooglePlex for as long as I can remember, now is wearing a mask. It might be a bit to big to properly socially distance but it wearing a mask. Here are
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Does load time of your homepage affect SEO of other pages?, Reddit
- IMO the only bad question is one that's stuck in your head which you don't actually ask (or try to work out on your own). Not all answers will be useful, but trying to learn more about stuff is always good to, John Mueller on Twitter
- Nobody likes exiting a train station and not knowing which way to go. đ€·đ»â Now Live View can help you see the way, right from your transit directions. https://t.co/u1t9g47AwD, Google Maps on Twitter
- The rise and fall of Google's AI generated Web Stories. A sample crawl of the top 1K URLs (by organic traffic) show ~98% as 404s. A handful are still alive, with most of those being for animals. Here's 8 fun facts about the, Brodie Clark on Twitter
- Unfortunately, there is no objective way to determine mobile-friendliness of a page. Different people will come up with different approaches. That's to be expected., John Mueller on Twitter
- The metrics are based on what users see (it's from aggregated data, not a theoretical test of individual URLs), not , so essentially it's based on the version they're served. AMP is often an easy way to mak, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- The future of cybersecurity: What marketers must know
- Googleâs new holiday gift guide is built to send users to Google Shopping results
- Google adds more discovery to Google Maps with âcommunity feedâ
- Google Discovery ads can now use your 4:5 social image assets
- Adthena launches granular local search insights solution
- Online shopping hits new records over the holiday weekend
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- An Introduction to Google Ads Data Hub, Bounteous
- Creating Events and Conversions in the GA4 User Interface, Krista Seiden
- How to Create a Google Data Studio Dashboard, Social Media Examiner
Industry & Business
- 12 Top B2B SEO Trends & Predictions for 2021, Online Marketing Blog
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
- 4 Google Search Trends That Affect Your Local Listing, WordStream
- How Often Does Google My Business Add New Categories?, Sterling Sky Inc
- Prepare for medical visits with help from Google and AHRQ, Google Blog
- Spruce up your Business Profile for holiday shoppers, Google Blog
Mobile & Voice
- Apple VR headset may use fluid-filled lenses to counter a user's bad eyesight., AppleInsider
- Google releases Assistant Interpreter Mode app in Play Store, 9to5Google
SEO
- How to Use Google Search Console, A Guide For 2021 (New Features Included), Koozai
- Personalized Ranking of Search Results at Google, Go Fish Digital
- The Big Christmas SEO Quiz, OnCrawl
- We Analyzed 306M Keywords. Here's What We Learned About Google Searches, Backlinko
- Local SEO for Nonprofit Organizations: 5 Tactics to Try Today, Moz
- Yoast SEO 15.4: Seamless integration with Elementor, Yoast
PPC
- Live Webinar: Website Conversions & Audience Remarketing, Google Ads Developer Blog
- What Should My Cost Per Lead Be?, Koozai
Search Features
Other Search
- Google Playâs Best of 2020, Google Blog
