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 Feature Snippet: Pyramids Are 85 Years Old
Every now and then I like to highlight when Google gets it wrong with their featured snippets. It is really a daily occurrence but here is a funny one. If you ask Google how old are the pyramids, Google will tell you they are 85 years old. - Google Tests Black URL/Breadcrumbs At Top Of Search Result Snippets
Google is always testing new search results user interfaces, here is yet another test I've been noticing being reported over the past few days. Google is using a black URL or breadcrumb above the title in the search results snippet. - Google: If A Random Tool Can Find Bad Links Then Google Probably Ignores Those Links Already
It looks like Google is taking a jab now at third-party link audit tools now. John Mueller from Google said on Twitter that if a random tool can figure out if a link is a bad link, then Google's own algorithms can probably detect these bad links and thus ignore them without you having to disavow them. - Google: Linking To Your Media Mentions Is Fine
There is so much paranoia around linking in the SEO community that some questions seems a bit overboard to me. For example, someone asked if it is okay to create a page showing the company's media mentions and link to them or will Google frown on that. - Google "Red Bridge" Logo For Paul Klee 139th Birthday
Today on Google's home page is a special logo for the 139th birthday of Paul Klee. Paul Klee is a Swiss German artist who was known for his painting, drawing, watercolor, and printmaking. He was born on December 18, 1879 in Switzerland and passed on June 29, 1940 also in Switzerland. - Googlebot Caffeine Fan Art From Alexis Sanders @AlexisKSanders
Alexis Sanders, an SEO at Merkle has another talent outside of SEO, she can do some art. She put together what she is calling Googlebot caffeine fan art and shared it on Twitter. It is super detaile
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- Explore new places (and get there smoothly!) with these tools and tricks for holiday travel → https://t.co/YmfFmPNR4w… https://t.co/SHkL5j66Pq, Google on Twitter
- Google tests showing 2 table reservation CTAs in restaurant listings - https://t.co/pXvIRLiDEv . cc:@rustybrick @mblumenthal… https://t.co/PFXZUxOaIY, Sergey Alakov on Twitter
- My bad, WebmasterWorld
- Dunno who spends more time putting fear of links into the minds of webmasters ... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯…, John Mueller on Twitter
- Join us for the last #webzurich this year! Our Xmas edition with livecoding TDD, serverless, procrastination and as usual: Drinks and snacks! Meet your fellow web makers and mingle this friday at https://t.co/bsa, Martin Splitt @ Twitter
- Maps crashes immediately on opening, Google Maps Help
- That's a cool hack (and now I'm tempted to try that in all settings :P), but I don't think it works. Break more things & submit to https://t.co/Ca1dYuxqcd :)… https://t.co/jSKcvkLA1f, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Compare 17 top SEO tools and platforms
- Automate your in-market audience bidding with this Google Ads script
- Remarketing tactics can mitigate post-holiday waste, here’s how
- Google testing restaurant booking with both ‘reserve a table’ and ‘tables tomorrow’ buttons
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Advanced Google Analytics Hacks You Need to Know, MatchCraft
- How Campaign Attribution Works in Google Analytics for Firebase, Bounteous
- Telia Norway increases mobile sales with Google Optimize, Google
- What is Enhanced Ecommerce in Google Analytics?, Builtvisible
Industry & Business
- Google AI Principles updates, six months in, Google Blog
- Google isn’t the company that we should have handed the Web over to, Ars Technica
- New Google Campus Accelerates Tech’s March Into New York, New York Times
Links & Promotion Building
- Content Marketing: The Science that Helps Identify Great Content, aimClear Blog
- Majestic Historic Index Update, Majestic Blog
Local & Maps
- Google Tests Showing Two Table Reservation CTAs in Restaurant Listings, Sergey Alakov
- Mapping stories with a new Street View Trekker, Google Blog
Mobile & Voice
- How to order gift cards using Alexa, CNET
- In reviews we trust — Making Google Play ratings and reviews more trustworthy, Android Developers Blog
SEO
- Google's Patents and SEO Ranking Factors: Connecting the Dots, kinsta.com
- Mapping the overlap of SERP feature suggestions, STAT Search Analytics
- Thousands of iOS Apps Lost Half of Their Ratings This Weekend, Appfigures
- December 11, 2018 - Google Help Hangout Notes, Marie Haynes Consulting
- How to get featured snippets in Google Search, Vertical Leap Agency
- Improve and Diversify Your Organic Rankings with Text Optimizer, SEO Smarty
- Our Website Redesign SEO Checklist: How We Migrated with SEO in Mind, Vertical Measures
- Why Prioritization Is Critical to SEO Success, Search Engine Journal
PPC
- 3 Shockingly Common Google Ads Account Issues, WordStream
- 5 important PPC trends for 2019, Hallam Internet
- Google Ad Manager 2018 year-in-review, Google Blog
- In Search SEO Podcast 08: Another Big Google Ad & PLA Shift as Google Goes to Congress!, RankRanger
- PPC Divination: Forecasting Uncertainty in Excel, PPC Hero
- Recap of the latest Google Ads API webinar, Google Ads Developer Blog
Search Features
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