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.
We now have the first unconfirmed Google search ranking algorithm update of 2022, it happened on January 11th. Gary Illyes of Google wants to share more details about specific core updates but it seems others at Google do not. Most SEOs are not confident about giving advice for Google Discover. Google is still recommending you disavow whole domains, if you disavow. It is not wise to block whole countries or regions to improve your core web vitals scores.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google Search Ranking Update On January 11th (Unconfirmed)
There may have been a Google search ranking algorithm update on January 11, 2022. This would be the first real unconfirmed update for the 2022 year. I am seeing both chatter spike up starting on January 10th and continue through today. Plus, many of the tracking tools are showing big movements in the Google search results.
Listen To Googlers Debate About Sharing More Details On Core Updates
In the most recent Search Off The Record podcast, John Mueller, Gary Illyes and Martin Splitt debate about if and what they should share when it comes to the Google core updates. It seems like Gary Illyes wants Google to share more specifics about what each update does so SEOs can act on it, but if not, stop announcing them all together.
Poll: SEOs Not Confident In Giving Advice Around Google Discover
Alan Kent from Google posted an “informal poll” on Twitter asking SEOs “how confident are you in giving advice or planning strategies for Google Discover?” The poll only had 161 responses, so it is super informal but it showed that most SEOs are not confident in this area.
Google Still Recommending Disavowing Whole Domains With Machete
Google’s John Mueller said on Twitter “disavow the whole domain if you know there’s an issue with some of its links.” He said there is “no need to be exact when everything on a site is bad from your point of view.” This reminds me of the advice from Matt Cutts to use the disavow link tool as a machete.
Do Not Block Slow Countries To Improve Your Google Core Web Vitals
It is probably not the best advice to block slow countries or regions with the goal of improving your Google search rankings. Yes, Google has a page experience algorithm that is mostly made up of speed factors from its core web vitals. But it is such a light weight factor, the benefits you’d see from blocking those users would not outweigh the negatives you see from blocking those users.
New Job Google Duffle Bag
Here is a photo from an Instagram video of someone getting a new job at Google, a Project Management Apprentice job, where Google sent her a card and this duffle bag. Here is the video below.
Other Great Search Threads:
The limit is for the entries, it’s fine to have more other kinds of URLs in the sitemap file, provided you stay below the size limit., John Mueller on Twitter
HTML header code for multi lingual page?, WebmasterWorld
If you already have an x-default, you’ll have to list the countries individually if you want to create another group of countries. Individual pages can have multiple countries associated. That said, I’d test to, John Mueller on Twitter
We don’t use either the keywords meta tag nor the description meta tag for ranking. I’d recommend taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture., John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
6 key elements of a successful ABM strategy
Should your SEO team invest in SEO tools?
Google’s page experience update coming to desktop next month
Why server logs matter for SEO
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
3 Best Google Analytics Dashboard Plugins for WordPress, ManageWP
User-defined Javascript Variable In TagManager To Capture textFragments and Redirect Count in Google Analytics, tl;dr Marketing
Industry & Business
3Q Digital Acquires Inseev Interactive, Business Wire
Game maker says Apple, Google selling rip-offs in new lawsuit, Reuters
Google Faces Shareholder Pressure to Amend Repairs Policy, MarketWatch
Google Beats Bid for Class Action Status in AdWords Fraud Case, Bloomberg
Semrush Appoints Marcus Tober as SVP of Enterprise Solutions, Business Wire
Links & Content Marketing
Buying Backlinks? The Ultimate Link Buyers Guide (Must-Read), SEOSherpa
The Essential Content Marketing Glossary: 50+ Terms You Need To Know, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
Missing reviews on GBP? Here’s why…, SearchLab Digital
Mobile & Voice
Apple glasses could adjust lenses to match user’s prescription, AppleInsider
Google app bug opens all websites in Chrome/browser, 9to5Google
App Annie: Global app stores’ consumer spend up 19% to $170B in 2021, downloads grew 5% to 230B, TechCrunch
SEO
Creating Semantic Content Networks with Query and Document Templates, Oncrawl
How Google’s Roadmap For MUM Will Impact SEO In 2022 and Beyond, Vertical Leap
How to be an SEO Trailblazer with Structured Data, Schema App
The [Enterprise] Guide to Rich Snippets: JSON-LD, Microdata, and Schema, iPullRank
Yoast SEO 17.9: Track the performance of your keyphrases with Wincher, Yoast
Analyzing Google‘s December 2021 Product Review Update, Semrush
Being Mid-Career Sucks: The Context Crisis, SEO MBA
What are Google Entities?, RankRanger
PPC
Why PPC Specialists Need to Automate Reporting, Paid Search Association
Search Features
Save papers to read later, Google Scholar Blog
Other Search
Announcing semantic configurations and broader availability for semantic search, Microsoft Tech Community
Doodle for Google 2022 opens: ‘I care for myself by…’ theme, 9to5Google
Google Research: Themes from 2021 and Beyond, Google AI Blog
Feedback:
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