Daily Search Forum Recap: December 9, 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.

Post November 2024 Google core update, we are seeing renewed search ranking volatility. Google added FAQs around its site reputation abuse policy. Google Search Console may have updated its links report. Google Search Console also quietly dropped the legacy tools and reports section. Google may be showing fewer AI Overviews in Google Search. And watch Sundar Pichai talk about how Search will change in 2025, plus more.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Ranking Volatility Continues Post Core Update
  The Google November 2024 core update finished on December 5th, but we have continued to see search ranking volatility after the update was finished. That ranking volatility seemed to spike more over the weekend. Did you notice any big ranking movement over the weekend?
• Google Adds FAQs For Site Reputation Abuse Policy Including Moving Content
  Late Friday afternoon, Google quietly updated its expanded site reputation abuse policy notice with a section of 9 FAQs. This includes what happens if you try to move the content, redirect the URLs and links, and much more.
• Watch Google CEO Sundar Pichai Interview Say Search To Profoundly Change In 2025
  Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai was interviewed by New York Times's Andrew Ross Sorkin. In this interview they spoke about Google's approach to AI, Sundar's outlook for the technology, and what to expect for Google's AI models and Search in the year to come. This is where everyone is citing Sundar as saying "Search itself will continue to change profoundly."
• Google Search Console Legacy Tools & Reports Has Been Removed
  Google Search Console has dropped a whole section on its side bar navigation. The Legacy tools and reports section has been removed from the side bar. It is unclear exactly when it was removed but it was likely removed when Google dropped the page experience report from Search Console in mid-November.
• Google Search Console Links Report With Large Change In Links?
  Google Search Console may have made a big update to its link counts. I am not sure how widespread this is, and I really don't not track the link count often. But I have reported on link counts changing here before and I am seeing a large change from June to now.
• Google Showing Fewer AI Overviews In Search?
  Google may have dialed back how often they show AI Overviews in Google Search, especially in some verticals like health and finance (YMYL). Ziptie, a toolset that tracks Google AI Overviews, shows that overall, Google is showing 4 percentage points fewer AI Overviews today than it did a week ago.
• Google France Holiday Display In Lobby
  Google is always dressing up its lobby at the Google France office for seasonal themes. With the year end holiday season approaching, Google has decked it out in the winter holiday theme.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Is there something you wish Gemini could do with other apps or services? Tell us what extensions you’re looking for in the comments., Google Gemini App on X
• Ughh Google Ads Is SOOO Jacked Up These Days! I see SOO Many Broken Things With Google Ads In The AI Era. Same Advertiser, Same (Slight Variation) On The Same Page! TWICE!!!!! Is This REALLY Even An Auction At This Point?, Anthony Higman on X
• First time seeing an ad like this. The entire border of the website on mobile becomes taken over by the Google Ad. I find the experience really intrusive. Spotted on, Brett Bodofsky on X
• Pretty cool sheet created by @pelogia. Takes just a few minutes to set up (if you're comfortable working with Google Cloud APIs) -> How to create your own Knowledge Panel / Entity Tracker on Google Sheets, Glenn Gabe on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google adds FAQs on site reputation abuse policy
• The latest jobs in search marketing
• Google CEO Sundar Pichai: Search will profoundly change in 2025
• Crawl budget: What you need to know in 2025
• A guide to creating short-form videos

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• GA4 Conversion Import Updated, PPC News Feed

Industry & Business

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Downplays Dangers of A.I. and Elon Musk, New York Times
• OpenAI seeks to unlock investment by ditching 'AGI' clause with Microsoft, FT reports, Reuters
• Q&A with Jessica Chan, Perplexity’s head of publisher partnerships, Digiday
• CFPB issues order placing Google under supervision, sparking lawsuit, Washington Post
• Google files suit against Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, CNN Business

Links & Content Marketing

• The Ultimate Guide to Link Building: Strategies, Tools, and FAQs, Andy Drinkwater
• What Is Content Optimization? How To Optimize Content (2024), Shopify

Local & Maps

• Local SEO Tips for HVAC Businesses, BrightLocal
• Google Business Profiles: SMS & WhatsApp Chat Now Live!, GMBBriefcase

Mobile & Voice

• Apple Modem Chips Pave Way for Slimmer iPhone, Cellular Macs and Headsets, Bloomberg
• Apple’s Three-Year Modem Road Map: Company Plans to Beat Qualcomm by 2027, Bloomberg
• Apple eyes PlayStation VR2 controllers for Vision Pro update, AppleInsider
• The Inside Story of Apple Intelligence, Wired
• Waiting for Apple Intelligence integration with Google Gemini? Here's what the rumors say, 9to5Mac

SEO

• Guide to Baidu SEO in 2025 Step by Step, Jademond
• EEAT guide for publishers, Harry Clarkson-Bennett
• Different ways to Map Keywords to topics - with Supervised and Unsupervised ML approaches, MLforSEO
• The SEOFOMO Community 2025 Top SEO Predictions and Tips, SEOFOMO
• 7 Free and Beginner-Friendly Small Business SEO Tools, Ahrefs

PPC

• How Many Keywords Should You Have in an Ad Group?, Jyll Saskin Gales
• How to Choose the Best Keyword Match Type for Your Google Ads Campaign, Optmyzr
• Update to Personalized advertising policy (December 2024), Google Advertising Policies Help
• Global Ad Revenue Cracks The $1 Trillion Dollar Mark In 2024, AdExchanger
• Google Shopping Ads: How to Structure Your Campaigns, Jyll Saskin Gales
• Product Studio is now available in 15 new countries, Google Merchant Center Help

Other Search

• Google wants to know what Gemini Extensions you need, 9to5Google
• The GPT Era Is Already Ending, The Atlantic
• Google DeepMind predicts weather more accurately than leading system, The Guardian
• Why Phishers Love New TLDs Like .shop, .top and .xyz, Krebs on Security
• Will A.I. Eat The Browser?, Crazy Stupid Tech
• The AI We Deserve, Boston Review

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.