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 says it still tries not to overlap Google Search algorithmic updates. Some of the Google Business Profile tools stopped working. Google may show your social media posts in Google Search if you link it in your Google Business Profile. Google People Cards are going away soon. Google Ads location limits is limited now to 120 countries. Google is testing a more news button. I posted my video this week, I go much longer than normal but it was a busy week. 🙂
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
It was a busy week between Google releasing the Google March 2024 core update, which is supposed to be one of the largest core updates Google has ever released. Google also released a March 2024 spam update. Google updates a number of its spam policies while dishing out tons of manual actions…
Google: We Still Try To Avoid Overlapping Algorithmic Updates
Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, said again that the search company “generally try to avoid” overlapping algorithmic updates. This is after Google released both the March 2024 core update and March 2024 spam update the same day.
Google Ads Country-Level Exclusions Limited To 120 Countries
Google Ads now limits the number of country-level exclusions you can add to your ads to 120 countries. This is a new limit but Google confirmed that location exclusions aren’t going away.
Google May Show Your Social Media Posts In Search (via Google Business Profiles)
Google has updated its Google Business Profile help documentation to add a line saying that Google may show your social media posts in Search if you have associated your social media links via your Google Business Profile.
Some Google Business Profiles Tools Are Not Working
Google Business Profiles has outages for some of its business management tools. The outages started yesterday, March 7th, at about 5 pm ET or earlier. It impacts the ability to manage reviews, appeals and also to check your verification status.
Google Search People Cards Going Away On April 7
Remember People Cards? Probably not. It launched in Google Search in India in 2020 a way for “business professional, performer, or anyone looking to build up your own online presence, you might have a website, social profiles, and other information spread across many sites,” Google said. Well, it is being discontinued as of April 7, 2024.
Google Tests More News Topics Button
Google is testing a button in the search results under the top stories news results to see “more news topics.” I personally cannot replicate this, which makes me think this is new.
Google’s Wooden Life Size Chess Board
Google loves its chess boards; we’ve covered many, from upside-down ceiling chess, outdoor life-size chess, indoor life-size chess, and event chess boards. Here is another life size chess board, this one is made of wood.
Other Great Search Threads:
“A major benefit of Google’s training method is the privacy-preserving element” -> Google wants its AI models to listen to the radio [Patent] “Google is seeking to patent a way to train machine learning models on radio station audio wi, Glenn Gabe on X
I haven’t used @elonmusk X’s #grok and have no idea about the public conversations and policy. However, I noticed that the grok conversations have been indexed by search engines like Google and Bing. cc: @rustybrick https://, Shameem Adhikarath on X
Sometimes people add “reddit” because they want stuff from that site (and they don’t know site:http://reddit.com or it’s just a pain, and adding the name works well enough). And that’s true of many other sites, where the site name is added., Google SearchLiaison on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
Google Business Profiles tools are temporarily unavailable
Google Ads now limits country-level location exclusions
Google launches privacy-focused measurement tool for advertisers
No link between social media engagement and content readership, study finds
Google Search Console recipe rich result report adds two new properties
How to improve site performance with user testing
Why now is the most important time for nonprofit advertising
Microsoft unveils new tool to make cross-border advertising easier
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
Microsoft confirms March event for Surface and Copilot AI, 9to5Google
The Wi-Fi at Google’s New Office Really Sucks, Gizmodo
Europe’s Female Data Regulators Keeping Meta, Google and Apple Reined In, Bloomberg
Google-Reddit AI Deal Heralds New Era in Social Media Licensing, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
23 Actual Content Metrics From Actual Marketers, Ahrefs
Content Marketing ROI: How to Put a $ Value on Your Content, Ahrefs
Is Your Thought Leadership Stuck in ‘Mutually Assured Irrelevance’?, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
Google May Show Facebook, Other Social Posts on Your GBP Profile, Near Media
Review Mix Grows, Google Spam Attack, Informational Vulnerability, Near Media
What Are Google Business Profile Posts?, Semrush
Pain-free SEO for Dentists, BrightLocal
Mobile & Voice
Apple Vision Pro review: specs, features, price, one month later, AppleInsider
Android Users Not Impressed by Gemini, Droid Life
Apple Releases HomePod Software 17.4 With Music Preference Update, MacRumors
I tested Gemini as my new assistant on Pixel – and it didn’t go well, ZDNET
Siri can learn your favorite music service on your HomePod… as long as it’s not Spotify., The Verge
SEO
Google March 2024 AI Content Manual Action Update – List of Deindexed Sites, Originality AI
How 16 Companies are Dominating the World’s Google Search Results (2024 Edition), Detailed
Shopify SEO: 12-Step Guide for Beginners, Semrush
Understanding the Yoast SEO traffic lights, Yoast
Enhance your SEO split test analysis with Googlebot tracking data, Search Pilot
PPC
Empowering your team to build best-in-class MMMs, Google Blog
IAB Europe’s advertising bidding model uses personal data, EU court rules, Euronews
Tracking ads industry faces another body blow in the EU, TechCrunch
Other Search
OpenAI GPT Sorts Resume Names With Racial Bias, Test Shows, Bloomberg
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