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 may merge signals to a syndication partner if it considers that URL to be the canonical. Google Ads is testing “solutions” under bulk actions. Google Local Service Ads has a highly rated label. Google Search has related categories nearby. Google and Microsoft announced earnings, ad revenues are up – surprise.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

Google May Consolidate Ranking Signals To Canonical Partner URL Even If It’s Not The Source

Lily Ray asked Google’s John Mueller what does Google do with all the ranking signals from the content syndication partners when Google Search decides which URL should be the canonical. It seems Google will consolidate most, if not all, of those signals to the Google-selected canonical in this case.

Google Local Service Ads “Highly Rated” Label

Google is testing showing a “highly rated” label on the Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) listings. These are also named Google Screened, as you can see. I guess this filters LSAs by those that have high ratings by users.

Google Ad Revenue Up 11% & Bing Ads Revenue Up 8%

Both Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising revenue were up this past quarter, year over year. Google ad revenue was up 11% and Microsoft Advertising revenue was up 8%. The previous earnings, Google ad revenue was up 9.5% and Microsoft ad revenue was up 10%.

Google Search Related Categories Nearby For Shopping Local Push

Google has a newish section named "Related categories nearby" that shows you various categories of products, when you click on the categories, it then shows you local stores nearby that sell it and other products in the shopping results.

New Google Ads Bulk Actions Solutions Option

Google seems to be testing a new option under the Google Ads “bulk actions” named “solutions.” Solutions gives you account summaries, ad performance and account anomaly detection options.

Table Comes Out Of These Walls At Google

Here is a wall that has tables come out of it. It is a typical space-saving idea for small rooms, but Google doesn’t have small rooms. But it is cute, nevertheless. I found this photo on Instagram.

Other Great Search Threads:

Here’s what we learned about the future of SGE and Assistant from Google’s Q4 2023 earnings call. ▪️ SGE is working well, esp for certain types of queries that Google has never seen before. ▪️ Assistant is complementary to, Marie Haynes on X
I am thinking about moving canonical and hreflang tags from the page source code to the language sitemap. Do you think this will cause indexing issues?, Reddit
My top 3 favorite features on Edge: – Copilot in the corner that can explain papers and answer questions – Dual-Search in Bing and Google simultaneously – Auto-applied coupons and additional Cashback on top of any other rebates, Mikhail Parakhin on X
Tough choice. I’m going to go with: – Weather (the most accurate weather forecast of all the services – we invest a lot in it: https://t.co/RtpNtD6kYC) – Multi-tab cmd/terminal – NTFS: generations of people grew up with super-, Mikhail Parakhin on X
“Circle to search” now live on Android #circletosearch #pixel8pro, Andy Simpson on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

Microsoft Search and News Advertising revenue up 8%
Google search revenue rises to $48 billion, total ad revenue up 11%
Google Analytics 4 launches additional instant support options and new video tutorials
Best of SearchBot: Create a monthly newsletter to generate more leads
Google launching Technical ad delivery support on AdMob inventory
The fallacy of CTR as a KPI: Redefining PPC ad success
9 things to do when SEO is great but sales and leads are terrible
Yelp rolls out live support consultations for advertisers

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

In-product help -What’s new in Google Analytics, Google Analytics Help

Industry & Business

Google spent billions of dollars to lay people off, The Verge
Google and Microsoft Are Under Pressure to Disclose AI Earnings, Bloomberg
Working for Google Used to Be ‘Sexy and Exciting.’ Now, Not so Much., Business Insider

Links & Content Marketing

Ofcom report finds 1 in 5 harmful content search results were ‘one-click gateways’ to more toxicity, TechCrunch
Top 5 Link Building Mistakes to Avoid in Your SEO Strategy, Koozai

Local & Maps

Apple Maps ‘closed’ mistake costs restaurant thousands, AppleInsider
How to calibrate Google Maps (and why you should), Pocket Lint
They took Google Maps fastest route in Gudalur, SUV ended up on flight of steps, India Today

Mobile & Voice

Apple Vision Pro review roundup: a weighty experience, AppleInsider
Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s not, The Verge
Apple Vision Pro review: The future of computing and entertainment, CNBC
Vision Pro won’t let you save web apps to your home screen, 9to5Mac

SEO

8 Google Trends Alternatives You Should Explore in 2024, Semrush
How to Choose Content Topics for Your SEO Strategy & Business Goals, Ethan Lazuk
Research: WordPress publications misuse tags, Fewer Tags
Use Money Keywords to Generate Revenue, Moz
SEO Data. Explained in 4 Minutes, 53 Seconds, Ahrefs
Structured data dos and don’ts, SERP’s Up SEO Podcast

PPC

Product Listing Ads: What They Are and How to Use Them, Semrush
IAB Tech Lab presents Google with Privacy Sandbox gap analysis following Annual Leadership Meeting, Digiday

Search Features

Google Dropped Wikipedia Reference in NLP API Demo, InLinks
How to disable personal results in Google Search on Android for more privacy, ZDNET

Other Search

ChatGPT users can now invoke GPTs directly in chats, TechCrunch
Google DeepMind WARM: Can Make AI More Reliable, Search Engine Journal

Feedback:

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