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 confirmed it is updating the design of the local pack and map box in the search results which might lead to more traffic to local businesses. Check out my weekly SEO video recap, I go deeper into the important changes that happened this week. Alexa.com, the website measurement ranking service that SEOs obsessed about in the early 2000s is shutting down after 25 years. Microsoft Advertising launched four new Bing ads attributes you might want to use. Google's John Mueller said topics and categories in the URL slug doesn't matter for SEO. Google has a new SafeSearch notice and it can take a month or so for a site to have the SafeSearch classifier removed. Have a good, safe and relaxing weekend all!
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Official: Google Moves Local Pack Results Higher & Map On Right Side
After many months of testing, Google has confirmed it is moving the local pack results to the top and the map on the right of those local results on desktop search. Google said the search company "expects this to be broadly available over the coming weeks." - Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Product Reviews Update Analysis, Google Local Ranking Update, Top Stories Redesign, Google Ads Spend Bug & More
This week, I did a bit of a look at what we are seeing around this big December 2021 Google products reviews update. I also spoke about a possible, unconfirmed, Google local search ranking update. Google also rolled out a new design for the local pack... - Microsoft Advertising Bing Search Ads New Asian, Latin, Women Owned & Diabetic-Friendly Attributes
In September, Microsoft Advertising added 32 new attributes for its Bing Search Ads, and now, Microsoft added four more new attributes. These new attributes include Asian-owned, Latin-owned, Women-owned and Diabetic-friendly to be added to your Bing search ads. - Google: Category Or Topic Name In URL Slug Is Not Important For SEO
Google's John Mueller said putting the category name or topic name in your URL slug has zero impact on your rankings. I am not 100% sure if he really meant ZERO but he used a GIF that says ZERO. - Alexa.com Going Away - Old Tool SEOs Used To Predict Google Rankings
Back in the early 2000s we use to cover Alexa, an Amazon related website ranking service here a lot. SEOs use it like they used PageRank, and how they now use Domain Authority or other third party website measurement services. Well, Amazon is shutting Alexa.com off, finally. - Google SafeSearch Filter Removed After A Month & New SafeSearch Notice
Google has told us that you want to avoid buying a domain name that was filtered by the Google SafeSearch adult filter. Well, servers.com had this issue and after asking Google to remove the filter, Google did so in about a month of time. Plus, Google has a new notice to let searchers know that some results may be explicit and you can filter it out with SafeSearch. - Masking With Android
Here is a photo I found on Instagram at the Google office in Brazil of a Googler masking a few weeks ago next to Android. Yes, the Googler took a selfie with an Android statue, and they are both in ma
Other Great Search Threads:
- Nothing with regards to structured data has changed with the update. Usually you'd use those fields (I'm guessing it goes into the Product structured data, but that, John Mueller on Twitter
- I suspect they're pretty similar nowadays, though I haven't checked the details in a while now (which usually means nobody has complained / asked about it :-), John Mueller on Twitter
- Imagine if developers and SEOs could work together in harmony? @g33konaut hosts SEOs and Devs, a new series bridging the disconnect between SEOs and developers by highlighting the intersection of their worlds., Google Search Central on Twitter
- That seems suboptimial. My recommendation would be to put any "SEO-directives" on top of the head, so that they can be found & processed easily. The rest is more a matter of rendering, which shouldn't, John Mueller on Twitter
- UK shoppers: make informed choices this season with our new #MicrosoftBing Ethical Shopping Hub. Browse categories like eco-friendly, upcycled, or fair-trade fashion, with #sustainability ratings powered by @G, Microsoft Bing Dev on Twitter
- It doesn't matter for SEO. Do what makes sense for your users and your site in that regard., John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- 3 lessons for creating a more unified customer experience
- Ads Creative Studio’s Asset Library is coming to Google Ads
- Google rolling out new map and local interface in search
- Google News performance report updated for accuracy, expect impression reductions
- 400+ businesses swear by this secret to their digital marketing success
- Microsoft Advertising adds Asian-, Latin-, Women-owned and Diabetic-friendly business attributes
- Bing launches Ethical Shopping hub in UK
- How successful marketers plan paid media in a changing world
- The cost of ignoring website accessibility
- How expired landing pages kill your Google rankings
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Five Guiding Principles of Media Strategy, Bounteous
- Gain Insights on Data Studio Dashboards in Google Analytics, ClickInsight
- Link Google Search Console and GA4, Analytics Boosters
Industry & Business
- Google execs tell employees they won't raise pay to match inflation, CNBC
- Google, Uber push back returns to office, TheHill
Links & Content Marketing
- 100+ Content Marketing Trends and Predictions for Success in 2022, Content Marketing Institute
- Do Links Still Matter for Rankings? A Study by Ahrefs, Ahrefs
- How Do You Know If A Link Is Safe?, SEO Theory
- How to maximize your web presence, Google Blog
- New 15-year-plus Historic Index, Majestic Blog
- Mastering internal linking: The key pro-tips, DWX
Local & Maps
- Apple’s CarPlay Is About to Get Some Very Anticipated Improvements, AutoEvolution
- 7 New & Ongoing Google Business Profile (GMB) Issues, December 2021, Search Engine Journal
- New Apple Maps features available now in Australia, AppleInsider
- How to Generate Leads With Google Local Services Ads, DAGMAR
- How to Get Help on the Google Business Profile Help Community (Forum), Sterling Sky Inc
Mobile & Voice
- 5 fun Google Home features to use this Christmas, CNET
- Apple Music's Siri-only plan seems on track to arrive with iOS 15.2, Engadget
- Assistant 'Continued Conversation' broken on Pixel 6 & older, 9to5Google
SEO
- All The Google Algorithm Updates That Mattered In 2021, Vertical Leap
- Cats Vs Dogs - The Google Image Reading Experiment, Reboot Online
- Clustered News Results at Google, Go Fish Digital
- Ho Ho Oh No — Do Searchers Care about the Holidays? | SEO Split-Testing Results, Semrush
- SEO Visibility: Everything You Need To Know From Calculation to Implications, Advanced Web Rankings
PPC
- 2021 in Review: Google’s Deliberate Path to Full Automation, Merkle
- Marketing with Purpose Business Attributes, Microsoft Advertising
Other Search
- Chrome on Windows performance improvements and the journey of Native Window Occlusion, Chromium Blog
- Google Plays Catchup to Amazon in Product Search, Near Media
- Search Knowledge and Advanced Search Methods, Semrush
Feedback:
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