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.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Vlog #4:: Rand Fishkin Of SparkToro On Early Days At Moz, SEO Community, VC Funds & More (Part One)
In our fourth vlog episode I was in Seattle for Mozcon and I asked Rand Fishkin (@randfish) if I can interview him for my new vlog series. He invited me to his home/office, aka ShedToro, and despite some angry bees…
Google Maps Has Fixed Q&A Bug & Is Investigating Reviews Bug
Google seems to have fixed one of the many Google Maps bugs and has acknowledge they are working on a fix for the other. The Google Maps Q&A feature didn’t let owners properly respond to questions left about their businesses – that supposedly has been fixed. The reviews going missing is something Google is working on fixing still.
Google Maps iOS App Now Lets Owners Edit Business Profiles
Google My Business posted on Twitter that businesses owners can use now the Google Maps iOS app to edit their business profiles. This is without using the Google My Business app or web site.
Google Test Maps, Top Stories, Video, Images & More Icons In Search Results
Google is once again testing using icons for the universal search results sections. Specifically to label in web search the images box, video box, top stories box, maps box, and so on. Google tested this back in April but launched the the new icon bar without these section icons back in mid June. Now Google is testing the section icons again.
Google Green Ad Label May Display To Limited Number Of Searchers
A few weeks ago we reported that maybe the green ad label is coming back to Google after it went live with the black ad label that the industry was not too happy with. Well, as of now, I am wrong. Danny Sullivan from Google said those seeing the old green ad label are seeing that because Google still has not fully rolled it out to all searchers yet.
1st Xoogler Meet Up In Munich
Marcus Tandler, long time SEO, posted a photo of a sign from the first Xoogler meetups in Munich, Germany. He wrote “Great 1st #Xoogler #MeetUp in Munich at Ryte Campus #Beer #Wine #Snacks #Search.”
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
Google invested 100m into Crowdstrike, WebmasterWorld
If you want to change a URL, then it’s a good practice to redirect it.…, John Mueller on Twitter
It’s not a link, so we don’t treat it as a link :)…, John Mueller on Twitter
Another funny fake user agent string, WebmasterWorld
Long pages aren’t necessarily bad — they’re also not necessarily good. I don’t think that’s unique to mobile, even back in the day there were tons of discussions about long vs short landing pages. Sometimes it’s worth testing, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
New site Hotspot Law like ZocDoc for lawyers
Microsoft search, LinkedIn revenue growth slow for third straight quarter
Google adds JavaScript SEO basics to its Search developer’s guide
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
What Minecraft Taught Group Nine Media About the Importance of Analytics, PR News Online
Industry & Business
Google reportedly settled with FTC over children’s privacy laws, Business Insider
Links & Promotion Building
Black Hat SEO: What is it, how does it work and how to solve it, TechRadar
Mobile & Voice
Google Assistant Updates feed adds ‘Resume your podcast’, 9to5Google
Google readies ‘custom’ Assistant volume for Smart Displays, Home, 9to5Google
Google Assistant may soon let you send texts from the lock screen, SlashGear
Google Assistant tests sending texts directly from the Android lockscreen, 9to5Google
Who Listens to Google Assistant Recordings?, Voanews
SEO
What Are ‘Google Penalties,’ and Why Do You Need to Avoid Them?, Entrepreneur
Search Engine Optimization Topics vs Keywords, Dixon Jones
PPC
Experiments: Test your campaign changes, Microsoft Advertising
Google takes on Amazon with its new shopping portal, TechRadar
Search Features
Get the scoop: The ice cream America is searching for, Google Blog
