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 is testing the new topic refinements on desktop search. Google’s John Mueller dislikes HTML sitemaps a lot. Google said if you use a CDN or cloud hosting then set up tests to make sure Googlebot is not being blocked. Google says only update the date of your stories if you make significant changes, this is my 2023 version of this story. Google posted its top searches for 2022, the year in search. And I posted my weekly SEO video recap.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Helpful Content System Update, Continuous Scroll On Desktop & Topic Refinements
This week we had another confirmed update to the Google helpful content system; it is now global. Google also had a lot of volatility over the previous week, unrelated to this confirmed update. Google officially rolled out continuous scroll on desktop…
Google Tests +Topic Search Bar Refinements On Desktop After Launching On Mobile
Earlier this week, Google announced it has begun to roll out the new topics + sign refinement options in the English/US on mobile search results. But it seems Google is also testing them. They are not fully live on the desktop search results.
2023 Edition: Google Says Only Update The Date When Significantly Updating The Content
It is that time of year when content creators take their content that has been performing well and updates it from the 2022 edition to the 2023 edition. But updating the references of 2022 to 2023 is not enough, and Google says only do that when you make a significant update to that content.
Google: Using A CDN Or Cloud Hosting, Set Up Routine Tests To Ensure Googlebot Is Not Blocked
Gary Illyes from Google loves posting his PSAs on Mastodon. His next PSA is that if you are using a CDN or cloud hosting service, then make sure to test up a routine test to ensure that the service is not blocking Googlebot or other search engine crawlers that you want to crawl and index your site.
Google’s John Mueller Says HTML Sitemaps Should Never Be Needed
John Mueller of Google has always downplayed the importance of HTML sitemaps over the years, he is a fan of XML sitemaps, but HTML sitemaps, not so much. On Mastodon the other day he really showed his dissatisfaction of HTML sitemaps by saying that HTML sitemaps “should never be needed.”
Google 2022 Year In Search – Top Searches
It is that time of the year again when Google publishes its top searches for the year. Not going to lie, it is getting tiring, but Google does put a lot of effort into making it inspirational with the embedded video.
Arches At The Google Carpenter Chicago Office
Here is a photo from the Google Carpenter office, the office in Chicago. You can see, Google has a lot of arches throughout that office. Here are more photos of this office from Instagram embedded bel
Other Great Search Threads:
Super early HCU poll. Do you think you’ve been affected so far?, Dr. Marie Haynes on Twitter
I wouldn’t focus on the number of indexed pages, a site can be successful in search with one indexed page., John Mueller on Mastodon
To all the #SEOs planning for 2023 I ask: add IndexNow https://t.co/ZRuRwnNYdU to your plans. Change the industry: search engines should stop guessing and over-crawling. SEOs should control crawling and indexing. If your CM, Fabrice Canel on Twitter
Some of this would be expected, John Mueller on Mastodon
The issue with Google Ad Manager has been resolved and ad serving has now been restored for the affected users. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience., Google Ad Manager on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
Subscribe with Google publishers may see an increase in clicks and impressions from Google Search
Hit by the Google spam update? Here’s what you might be doing wrong
How to make the most of the new Google Business Profile dashboard
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
5 Ways to Practice Google Analytics Without a Website, Data Driven U
Industry & Business
Josh Greene, of the Mather Group, on SEO for Wikipedia and the open web, eMarketing Association
Australian court dismisses suit against Google over personal data use, Reuters
Links & Content Marketing
Content Marketing: How Trust and Authenticity Define Your Brand Messaging, Wellspring Digital
Before Deciding Where Your Content Team Reports, Pay Attention to This, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
Google’s New Review Algo: What We Know, Near Media
Kings victory beam hilariously listed as ‘place of worship’ on Google Maps, NBC Sports Bay Area
Why You Should Blur Your Home on Google Maps Right Now, CNET
Mobile & Voice
Google Assistant won’t help pay for your gas anymore, Android Police
SEO
3 Tools to Identify SEO Competitors, Practical Ecommerce
Long tail keywords for B2B businesses: How to identify the right keywords, Wix SEO Hub
PPC
How Can You Generate General Insurance Leads Through PPC?, PPC Expo
Update to Political Content policy (February 2023), Google Advertising Policies Help
Ads disappear as Google Ad Manager briefly goes down, Fortune
Search Features
New Chrome features to save battery and make browsing smoother, Google Blog
Other Search
Watch the 2022 Year in Search video, Google Blog
2022 World Cup Quarter Finals: Google celebrates with Doodle, 9to5Google
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