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 Analytics Bugs Causing Concern & Confusion
Over the past 12 hours or so, the SEO/SEM and and beyond are freaking out because Google Analytics reporting is off. Some think a Google search algorithm update is going on - I don't believe we have enough signals to show that. Some think Google is simply just broken. This just seems like a data glitch impacting everyone - so no need to worry too much. - Google Super Easy Explanation How It Uses Machine Learning In Search
John Mueller from Google gave one of the clearest and easiest to understand explanations on how Google uses machine learning in web search. He basically said Google uses it for "specific problems" where automation and machine learning can help improve the outcome. The example he gave was with canonicalization and the example clears things up. - Google News Site Command Feature Temporarily Out Of Order
If you try a site command on Google News right now, you will be out of luck. Zero, no, results will be found or returned. This is a bug that Google has acknowledged and Google will fix it "in 2020." When in 2020, I do not know, but it will be fixed in 2020. - BingBot Gets New Evergreen User Agents
As you know, BingBot is going evergreen and with that, it has announced it is updating its user agents to be dynamic based on the version of the browser it is using to crawl your web site. - Google Local Panel With New Service Areas Icon
Joy Hawkins posted in the Local Search Forums that she is now seeing, sometimes, a new delivery truck icon in some local panels in the Google mobile results. When you click on that delivery truck icon or the the text on the same line, it will show you where that business serves outside of the primary location listed. - Google Watch To Watch Carousel Updated
Google has updated the user interface for the "what to watch" query. Now it shows a carousel at the top with ways to filter by type of movie or TV show and even show you what is popular. You can also select your TV provider so Google can be smarter about what it shows you. - Google Ski Chair Lift
Google has a ski or chair lift in the NYC office with fake snow and a winter theme. In this photo is also a dog next to it dressed up as many a reindeer? I assume Google is getting into the winter h
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Chrome 79 Roll-Out Halted Over Bug Wiping Some Data, WebmasterWorld
- Facebook Privacy Settings, WebmasterWorld
- Python is not a ranking factor though., John Mueller on Twitter
- Different sites have different ways of dealing with different user-agents :), John Mueller on Twitter
- From the search bar in #Windows, you can quickly type and navigate to a URL, without having to open a browser first. More entry points for #SEO and #webmasters. More details in the blog: https://t.co/lXPnCJFSYn https:/, Bing Webmaster Team on Twitter
- Saying that we don't use Java or SQL in ranking wouldn't be quite correct. ;-), John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Get inside the buyer’s brain to boost e-commerce sales
- Microsoft brings visual search to Windows search bar
- Here’s how I used Python to build a regression model using an e-commerce dataset
- Act now: SMX West best rates end Saturday!
- Bug in Google Search Console performance reports impact Google Discover reporting
- Bing to update BingBot’s user agent
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- How to track UTM parameters using Google Tag Manager, Analytics Savvy
- UNICEF USA Expands Their Donor Network with help from Google Analytics 360 audiences, Google
- Using Data Studio for Google Analytics Alerts, Analytics Demystified
Industry & Business
- Episode 8 - Jamie Alberico - Open Dialog, DeepCrawl
- Apple, Amazon, Google under pressure by new contract disclosure law in Japan, Apple Insider
Local & Maps
- Google Maps now filters searches for EV charger plug types, The Verge
- Got cravings? Order it with a little help from Google Search and Maps, Official Google Australia Blog
- Incoming Google Maps redesign will fix the most annoying thing about the app, BGR
Mobile & Voice
- Amazon Brings in $1.4 Million in 2019 of Alexa Skill Revenue So Far - Well Short of the $5.5 Million Target According to The Information, Voicebot
- Google Home vs Alexa Map, Mental Floss
- Microsoft Cortana Malfunctioning on Smart Speakers, Voicebot
SEO
- 3 Things You Need to Consider for Healthcare SEO, Seer Interactive
- 6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry, Moz
- How to Find BERT Keywords, Seer Interactive
- How to Use SEO Meta in 1-Click (SEO Chrome Extension), Seer Interactive
- Implementing and Validating Structured Data in an SEO Process, Aleyda Solis
- How Accurate is SEO Visibility Data Really?, State of Digital
- How to Make Your Site More Discoverable: In Search SEO Podcast, RankRanger
- Technical SEO website audits made easy, SEOprofiler Blog
- Weekly Wisdom with Jason Barnard: Knowledge Graph for Brands, SEM Rush
PPC
- Of 3,785 Google Search Partner Placements Reviewed: 3,785 Were Garbage, Seer Interactive
- Smart Display Campaigns Change in AdWords API and Google Ads API Starting January 31, 2020, Google Ads Developer Blog
- The Beginners Guide to Pivot Tables for PPC Data Analysis, Adalysis
- Your Last-Minute Holiday Shopping Survival Guide: 10 Stats & Tips, WordStream
- Gmail Ads Made Easy: The Perfect Guide To Getting Started, PPC Hero
Search Features
- Answer: Does anything live deep in the earth?, SearchReSearch
- Personal results in the Google app are all but gone, Android Police
- Windows search bar: The one stop for answers, now with Bing Visual Search, Windows Experience Blog
