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 has removed several ranking algorithm updates from its documented ranking systems page, including the page experience update – were they never really algorithm updates? Google showed off generative AI for Google Ads Performance Max internally. Google AdSense has this scary zero click bug. Google has a box named “lives affected” for horrific events. Bing has a transparent toggle for images in search. And I ranted a bit on my weekly SEO video recap – you might want to listen and watch this week’s video.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google Drops Mobile-Friendly, Page Speed, Secure Sites & Page Experience As Retired Ranking Systems
Google has updated its documented ranking systems page over here to remove four ranking systems from the list, including removing three ranking systems. Google has removed the page experience system from the main list, not adding it to the retired list, and removed mobile-friendly ranking, page speed, and secure sites systems from the retired list.
Google AdSense 0 Clicks Bug Lingers On For Several Weeks
For the past several weeks, publishers have been complaining about an issue with Google AdSense reporting that their Google AdSense ads have been getting zero clicks. This has become known as the 0 clicks bug.
Is This Google’s Generative AI In Google Ads Test Showed Internally
Remember a few weeks ago; I showed a test where Google Ads allowed some advertisers to use AI to generate ad copy for their search ads? Well, the Financial Times reported that Google held an internal presentation showing how Google plans to add generative AI in ads.
Google Search “Lives Affected” Box For Horrific Events
When the horrific Louisville shooting happened several days ago, SEOs began to notice a new box in the Google search results labeled “lives affected.” It was a box that showed the latest horror from that shooting.
Bing Search Transparent Toggle For Some Images
Microsoft Bing Search sometimes will show a button to see what images look like with transparent backgrounds. It shows up for searches for some company logos, where it says “see which images have transparent backgrounds.”
Search News Buzz Video Recap: New Google Search Engine, Magi, April Reviews Update, Page Experience, Helpful Content, FAQs & Generative AI Ads
What a busy week, we had Google confirm it is working on an all-new search engine that uses AI and Bard. There is no ETA for when that will go live, but in the coming months…
Google Logo Shadow
Sometimes shadows can be fun, sometimes they can be spooky. Here is a shadow of the Google logo from the GooglePlex via a photo I found on Instagram.
Other Great Search Threads:
I can’t see exactly what you’re doing but my guess is the answer is a definite maybe. If you’re doing something dependent on timing, the outcome will likely be non-deterministic., twitter.com
We should be able to recognize that and deal with it, but i would still recommend using consistent URLs. There’s more than just Google it there., John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
4 new Google Analytics 4 Home page features
Generative AI coming soon to Google Ads
Top 9 WordPress technical SEO issues to address
Search the 15.7 million websites in Google’s C4 dataset
Google launches a new crawler named GoogleOther
5 reasons your Google Business Profile might get suspended
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
April Breakfast Briefing: using GA4, Hallam
Industry & Business
Google asks MPs to make changes to online streaming bill, National Post
Google consolidates AI research divisions into Google DeepMind, TechCrunch
Google asks court to dismiss multiple claims in Epic Games antitrust trial, TechCrunch
Links & Content Marketing
Does AI-generated content impact your SEO?, Tom Stansfield
Government Agencies Get Real, Funny, and Human on Social Media [Examples], Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
Metrics that Matter: How to Measure Your Local SEO Success, BrightLocal
See How the March 2023 Google Core Impacted Local SEO, Sterling Sky Inc
How a Hacked Site Affects Your Google Business Profile Page and the Rest of Your Local SEO, Local Visibility System
Mobile & Voice
Google Assistant will no longer speak after turning on home devices, 9to5Google
Apple Plans iPhone Journaling App in Expansion of Health Initiatives, Wall Street Journal
SEO
Getting SEO Data from the Rank Ranger API using Python, Rank Ranger
How to hire an SEO agency, Wix SEO Hub
Relevance is Not a Qualitative Measure for Search Engines, iPullRank
Boost Your Business: 4 Easy Local SEO Tips for Higher Rankings!, Sterling Sky Inc
Why Social Signals Matter for SEO (It’s Not a Ranking Factor), Ahrefs
PPC
Best Practices for Google Campaign Budget Optimization, PPC Expo
Microsoft Advertising and Aleph sign agreement, Microsoft Advertising
Google Did a Cookie-Free Experiment. Should the Results Matter to You?, Content Marketing Institute
Search Features
Google’s Search History of “People Also Search For”, Hill Web Creations
New partnerships with news organizations to support journalists, Google Blog
Other Search
What’s AGI, and Why Are AI Experts Skeptical?, Wired
Feedback:
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