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 Tests Zero Results On Desktop Again?
Back in March 2018, Google began testing showing no results, aka zero results, in the Google search results. Google then reverted it after the backlash and then launched it only on mobile for only time/date, conversion or math related queries. Well, now it seems Google may be testing showing it on the desktop results. - Google Did Not Fix The Request Indexing Tool Prior To Shopping Season
I am super sad to point out, although obvious, that the request indexing tool was not fixed prior to the holiday shopping season. Google "temporarily suspended" the request indexing tool on October 14, 2020, 55 days ago, and it is still not working. - Google Crawl Priority: Additional Unique & Important Value Of Page
Google's John Mueller said on Twitter that if he had to simplify crawling priority, how Google prioritizes how it crawls the web, it would not do so by the size of a site. Instead, he would prioritizes how it crawls the web based on "the additional unique & important value provided by the pages." - New: Google Ads Share Lead Form Extensions Across Search, Discover & YouTube
Google announced you can now within Google Ads share your lead form extensions across multiple campaign types, such as Google Search, Google Discover and YouTube. Google said it is "now rolling out improvements to make lead form extensions easier to manage and more effective for your business." - Google Tests Top Stories Without AMP Links In Carousel
According to John Shehata, the Global VP of Audience Development Strategy & CRM at Conde Nast, Google is now testing not showing AMP pages in the Top Stories carousel in Google Search on mobile. Google can do this for COVID related news but outside of that, Google should be only showing AMP links in the Top Stories carousel. - Google NYC Mural Painting During COVID-19
Google continues to make enhancements to their physical offices spaces with artists adding murals to various offices. Here is a new one from Theresa Daddezio doing some work at the Google New York Cit
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Is Google deciding which links are Do/Nofollow?, WebmasterWorld
- That sounds more like a legal problem. FWIW when it comes to SEO, I can't imagine they're causing any issues, but of course you may have the option of doing a DMCA complaint for search too (I, John Mueller on Twitter
- To be quite honest, I think we both would make a bad CEO if the first thing we focus on is SEO :), John Mueller on Twitter
- Whoa, very interesting. The HUD is live in Chrome Canary behind a flag. I see it now -> Google integrates Web Vitals Heads-up Display (HUD) into the Chrome browser Check the upper right corner of that screenshot. https://t.co/, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google’s December 2020 core update was big, even bigger than May 2020, say data providers
- Social Shorts: Twitter adds frequency caps, Reddit’s audience grows, Facebook buys Kustomer
- Video: Alan Rabinowitz on nofollow links and affiliate links
- Five ways to become a ‘Search Sherpa’ for your own organization
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- How to combine string fields in Google Data Studio, Michael Howe-Ely
- How to Track Anchor Links in Google Analytics, Monster Insights
- Up Your Data Studio Game: Conditional Formatting, Data Runs Deep
- Visualizing BigQuery Public Datasets in Data Studio, ClickInsight
- How to Get More SEO Insights from Google Data Studio with SEMrush, Search Engine Journal
Industry & Business
- After talk with Google's Sundar, EU's Jourova says seeks more transparency on fake news, Reuters
- Google workers reject company's account of AI researcher's exit as anger, The Guardian
- Google, Amazon, Rivals Told by EU to Explain Search Rankings, Bloomberg
- Senator Seeks Answers From Google CEO Over IAC Feud, Wall Street Journal
Local & Maps
- Enjoy a special visit to the Palace Museum, Google Blog
- Tools to help the travel industry's recovery, Google Blog
- Waze Gets Its Apple CarPlay Dashboard Update, iMore
- Are Local Services Ads Stealing Clicks from Google My Business? A Case Study of 110 Listings, Sterling Sky Inc
Mobile & Voice
- Apple Music now available on Nest Audio, Nest Hub Max, Nest Mini, Google Home and more, Google Blog
- Google & Billboard share top 100 songs hummed to Assistant, 9to5Google
- Google Assistant rolling out multi-account access, sign-in, 9to5Google
- A smarter smart home from Google and Samsung, Google Blog
SEO
- 1,000+ Winners and Losers of the December 2020 Google Core Algorithm Update, Path Interactive
- Beginner’s Guide to Meta Tags for SEO, SEM Rush
- December 2020 Google Core Update Impact, Analysis and Winners and Losers, Search Metrics
- Drive Virtual Foot Traffic with SEO and Content, Didit
- An SEO's Experience in 2020: Opportunities and Challenges, Moz
- SEO Planning: Aligning to Corporate Goals, Searchmetrics
PPC
- Be ready for 2021 with Google Marketing Platform, Google Blog
- Reach New Audiences with Paid Social Campaigns This Holiday Season, Seer Interactive
- Microsoft Advertising Partners: Coming in 2021, Microsoft Advertising
