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.

The Google August 2023 core update seemed to cause some big movement on some sites around Friday, August 25th, a few days after it launched. Google Search Console is testing news showcase reporting. Google SGE local results get more link carousels. Google said the location of words in the URL does not matter for SEO. Google is testing clickable links in the search result descriptions. Plus we have a new vlog with Jamie Reedy and Jordan Mazza.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

Google August 2023 Core Update Hit Hard Around August 25th For Some Sites
As you know, Google released its first core update in over five months, the Google August 2023 core update, on August 22nd at around 1:30 pm ET. Since then, I’ve been tracking the volatility and the chatter from within the SEO community to see how widespread, extensive, and impactful this update has been.
Screenshots Of Google Search Console News Showcase Filters & Reports
A while ago we reported that Google Search Console will gain specific reports for Google News Showcase and it now seems Google is testing this in the wild. Clara Soteras shared some screenshots of these reports on Twitter and she shared an email and additional screenshots with me directly that I can post here.
Google Search Generative Experience Local Results Gain More Link Cards
The new Google Search Generative Experience now shows more links and link cards in the local results interface for some users. The link cards show below the listing and also at the top right of the map interface in the SGE interface on both desktop and mobile.
Google: Word Location In URLs Does Not Matter For SEO
Google’s John Mueller was asked if it matters SEO-wise or search ranking-wise if you place /services/ before /location/ in your URL structure or the other way. John said when it comes to SEO, it really does not matter.
Google Tests Clickable Links Within The Search Result Description
Google seems to be testing clickable links within a search result description area. I am not sure if this is a bug or a feature but I was able to replicate this myself.
Vlog #238: Jamie Reedy and Jordan Mazza On E-Commerce SEO

Jamie Reedy and Jordan Mazza from Amsive Digital stopped by to chat about SEO and all things search…

Bing Logo In Beach Sand From Flip Flops
Michael Schechter, a VP at Microsoft Bing, posted a photo of him at the beach, well not him… He posted a photo of the sand where you can see the Bing logo imprinted in the sand because of his specia

Other Great Search Threads:

If you’re worried about crawl budget, you could just robot the URL pattern out. Otherwise, I wouldn’t sweat it., John Mueller on X
It sounds like you should have worked on your old site instead of making a new one., John Mueller on Twitter
Noticing a slight variation to the “Things to know” feature in Google., Christina LeVasseur (Brodzky) on X
Since hreflang is per-page, it’s fine to just implement it on pages where you’re seeing issues (like the informational ones, or any others). One thing that might help in your case is the “x-default” hreflang, which is basically “every other country”. That, John Mueller on Mastodon
Interested in Discover and focused on Local? I’m seeing a “Top sights in…” module again leading to fresh searches in Google for those places. The module started appearing this summer for me and contains four listings along with their r, Glenn Gabe on X
Tip: Want to load your (LCP) hero image sooner? Try to boost its priority @ChromeDevTools now also shows the initial and final priority of requests in the Performance & Network panels, Addy Osmani on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

The latest jobs in search marketing
First look at Google Ads’ enhanced customer service for small businesses
5 essential PPC skills every agency pro must have
3 steps for effective PPC reporting and analysis
Dozens of big brands have blocked GPTBot, OpenAI’s new web crawler
Google Search can now index CSV files
Who cares if Gen Z significantly prefers user-generated content?

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

GA4 Audiences: A Fundamental Guide, Go Fish Digital
How to use the UA 360 features available in GA4, MarTech

Industry & Business

Responsible AI at Google Research: Perception Fairness, Google Research Blog
A day in the life of a chief sustainability officer: Q&A with Google’s, Fast Company

Links & Content Marketing

A Day in the Life of a Copywriter at a Data-First Digital Agency, Go Fish Digital
Do You Know the Real Value of Generative AI in Content?, Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

How Google Maps can help you navigate a new destination with ease, USA Today
Review Spam: Wipe Your Cheating Competitors Off The Map With This Strategy, Whitespark

Mobile & Voice

AI is the must-have upgrade that Siri needs, and it needs it now, iMore
Android Auto voice commands are currently broken for many users, fix rolling out [U], 9to5Google
Reviewing Google’s use of navigation rails on Android tablets, 9to5Google

SEO

How to Manage Your Schema Markup, Schema App Solutions
Map Your Keywords to the Buyer’s Journey and User Intent — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
Detailed Q: Analysing The SEO Playbook of Digital Goliaths In-Depth, Every Quarter, Detailed
Google News Surfaces: Terminology, Impact on Traffic and More, NewzDash
How to Learn SEO in 2023, SEO Testing
SEO Work for Category Pages, Stephanie Briggs
Duplicate Without User-Selected Canonical, SEOSLY
Most interesting Google Patents for SEO in 2023, Kopp
The Only SEO Checklist You Need in 2023 [Incl. Template], Ahrefs

PPC

DeFi Experts Warn Over Latest Google Ads Crypto Scam, CryptoPotato
Google is expanding its ads transparency center to comply with EU rules, The Verge
Is Google’s YouTube still targeting ads to kids?, Vox

Search Features

Can news outlets build a ‘trustworthy’ AI chatbot?, The Verge

Other Search

The search for anything better than Google, The Times
Websites That Have Blocked OpenAI’s GPTBot – 1000 Website Study, Originality AI

Feedback:

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