This past month in Google webmaster and SEO news was pretty busy. We had a Halloween search algorithm update that still seems to be creeping around. We also had another few updates including Google saying they are going to make tweaks to the news algorithm. Google+ is shutting down, Google launched their Home Hub and discover feed and so much more.

We saw numerous Google updates this past month, listed below. We saw Google try to address some of those who were hit. Google shared a bunch of SEO advice as well. Google Search Console stats feature is rolling out now. And there is just so much more.

The ongoing WebmasterWorld thread still has SEOs and webmasters chattering about the Halloween update, it seems very unstable right now and things are currently in flux there.

If you missed last month’s report, see over here.

Here is the recap of the more important stories for the past 30-days or so:

Google Algorithm Updates:
Google Halloween Ranking Update: Possible Targeted Update Yesterday?
Google Search Rankings Seems Unstable; More Algorithm Tweaks Or Penalties?
October 16, 2018 Google Search Algorithm Update
Google Search Algorithm Ranking Update Again On October 8th & 9th?
Google Search Algorithm Ranking Shuffling On October 4th
Google Updates Us On Search Updates Communication
Google News Update Coming To Help Publishers Can’t Find Their Articles
Google To Investigate Google News Publishers Concerns Over Discovery
Google Listens & Responds To A Site That Lost 60% Of Their Traffic After An Algorithm Update

Google SEO:
Google+ Is Shutting Down: How Will It Impact SEOs?
Google Cache Bug With Mobile-First Indexing Now Fixed
SEOs Turn To EAT After Recent Google Algorithm Updates
Google Wants SEOs To Tell Them How They Can Do Better With Search Results Snippets
Google Asks What Do SEOs Do? Help Us Highlight Your Work.
Googlers Disagrees About Removing vs Improving Content For Google Ranking Benefit
Google Link Penalty Can Remove Rich Snippets/Results
Google On Lazy Loading Scroll Events For Search – Very Interesting…
Is GoogleBot Able Scroll Down Your Page?
Google Supports Noscript Tag For Images But Not Sure About Web Content?
Google: We Will Close The Gap On Modern Browsers & GoogleBot
Is Google’s PageRank Algorithm Still Important For Google Search Rankings?
Google Has Fully Deprecated AJAX Crawling Scheme
Google: Huge Opportunity In Knowing JavaScript For Technical SEO
Google: We Treat Quotes The Same As Standard Text
Google: Mobile-First Indexing Unrelated To Search Ranking Algorithm Changes
Google: Crawl Rate Increases Can Be Related To Mobile-First Indexing Switch
Google: Word Count, Link Count, Anchor Text Ratios Are Not Indicative Of Quality
Google: Other Sites Outranking You For Your Content While Sourcing You

Google Search Console:
Google Search Console Stats Within Search Results To Site Owners Rolling Out
Google: We Fixed Over 50 Bugs In Search Console Over Past Month
New Google Search Console Fix Slow Page Loading Notices
Google Search Console Pipeline Issues Cause Reporting Delays
Old Google Search Console Sitemap Bug With Mobile-First Indexing

Google Assistant:
Google Home Hub – Google Assistant With A Display
Google My Business Adds Setting For Google Assistant Calls Over Duplex
Google Warns They Will Test Google Assistant’s Duplex Next Month
Speakable Markup For Publishers Not Supported On Google Home Hub
Google Assistant Gets Redesign & Enables Money Transactions

Google User Interface:
The Google Home Page Now Has Discover Feed
Google People Also Search In Local Search Results
Google Shows Two Featured Snippets For One Query
Google Designs Claim This Knowledge Panel Button
Google Tests Expandable Sitelinks In Search Results

Google Local:
Google Tests Large Slideshow Images For Local Pack Results
Google Local Pack Results Add Book & Schedule Buttons
Google My Business Future Opening Dates For Businesses That Did Not Open Yet
Google My Business Insights Shows Branded Searches Now
Google Separates Out Addresses & Services Areas For Local Service Businesses
Google My Business Removes Addresses From Some Service Area Businesses
Google Redesigns Hotel Search Results After Lots Of Testing
Google My Business Cards In Google Maps Results
Google My Business Personal Account Migration To Organizational Account Tool
Google My Business Products Beta Lets You Add Products To Your Local Listings
Google Local Panel Shows Products & Services Section
New Google My Business Clear Option For Attributes

Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.