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.
It has been several days into the new Google April 2023 reviews update and I posted what we’re seeing so far. Google said they are working on an “all-new search engine” while at the same time working on short term AI features for the current search engine. Google’s Gary Illyes spoke on why a site can drop for one keyword phrase. Google video indexing report in Search Console was updated. Also, a couple of weeks ago, FAQ snippets in Google Search, especially mobile, dropped for many sites. Plus, I posted another vlog with Igal Stolpner on international SEO.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google April 2023 Reviews Update – What We’re Seeing…
On April 12th at noon, while I was offline, Google released the April 2023 reviews update that expanded the product reviews update to go beyond just products and also impacted services and things. It has been just under a week since it launched, and so far, while the sites that did see an impact saw a significant impact, I am not seeing massive widespread impacts like you would see from a core update.
Report: Google Working On New More Personalized Search Engine & Project Magi
The New York Times reported yesterday that Google is working on an “all-new search engine” while also working on Project Magi, aimed to add AI-based features to the existing search engine.
Google On A Site Dropping In Ranking For One Keyword
Gary Illyes from Google spoke about the topic of a website dropping in rankings for a single keyword or single keyword phrase while ranking fine for others. Can it happen? And if it does happen, what should you look out for?
Google Search Console New Video Indexing Report Inline Data URLs Issue
Google will now report inline data URLs that are used as video URLs as “Invalid video URL” in the video indexing report within Google Search Console. This may lead to a reassignment of the “Invalid video URL” issue to the new issue but the total number of affected videos should not change.
Google FAQ Snippets Drop For Many Sites On April 5th
Google seems to be showing fewer FAQ snippets for many sites starting on April 5th. Over the holidays, I received several questions about this but didn’t have time to write it up until now. But while the tracking tools are showing no decline in FAQ snippets, many SEOs are reporting drops in FAQ snippets for some sites they monitor.
Vlog #219: Igal Stolpner On International SEO: It’s About The Regional Users
In part one, we learned about who is Igal Stolpner and now in part two we dive into the topic of international SEO.
He said while hreflang is important for international SEO…
Construction Worker Working On The Roof Of The Google Kirkland Office
I love finding photos from construction workers on site of the various Google offices. Here is one working on the rooftop area of the Google Seattle, Kirkland office. He seems to be enjoying the view
Other Great Search Threads:
I wouldn’t assume that there are no negative effects at all. I find it interesting to see how strong of a reaction comes from a comment like my original one, John Mueller on Twitter
Trailing Slash Canonical Configuration, Reddit
How to bring back Google love to an abandoned site, WebmasterWorld
First off, most people do *not* create their content with chat-gpt — it’s mostly low-effort site-owners, and to be honest, if you don’t put effort into your site, it’s never going to go well even without using AI for the content., John Mueller on Mastodon
Search Engine Land Stories:
Google planning new search engine while working on new search features under Project Magi
Advertisers slow to return to Twitter despite Musk’s claims
4 new Instagram Reels features
The latest jobs in search marketing
How to redesign your site without losing your Google rankings
How to create service pages that rank and convert
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
404 pages in GA4 – Find, Analyze, Monitor and Fix, Data Driven U
How to Track Forms in GA4 using Google Tag Manager, Dagmar Marketing
Uncovering Filtering Issues: A Guide to Using Geogrid Rank Trackers Effectively, Sterling Sky Inc
Industry & Business
European parliament prepares tough measures over use of artificial intelligence, Financial Times
How Google is celebrating World Quantum Day, Google Blog
OpenAI’s CEO confirms the company isn’t training GPT-5 and ‘won’t for some time’, The Verge
Opinion | This Is Too Important to Leave to Microsoft, Google and Facebook, New York Times
Screentime: The Creator Who Quit Google to Experiment With AI, The Information
Links & Content Marketing
How Google’s Selective Link Priority Impacts SEO (2023 Study), Zyppy
Why the Martech Debate Only Delivers Wrong Answers, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
Local Pack Intent Gap, Slowing Search Spend, Review Star Chasm, Near Media
The Benefits of Google Reviews, Hallam
Google Brings a New App Category to Android Auto, AutoEvolution
New Google Maps Version for iPhone and CarPlay Includes a Quiet Fix, AutoEvolution
Amplify Your Word of Mouth: Get More Google Reviews By Sharing Your Link, Sterling Sky Inc
Mobile & Voice
Georgia National Guard Will Use Phone Location Tracking to Recruit High School Children, The Intercept
SEO
Practical Tips for Presenting SEO Projects to Executives — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
Do 404 Errors Hurt SEO?, SEOSLY
Cynefin Framework Applied to Decision Making and SEO Project Management, Natzir Turrado
How To Find Duplicate Content, SEOSLY
Hreflang XML Sitemap Generator Using Python & ChatGPT, Botpresso
NLP: How is it useful in SEO?, Oncrawl
Accessibility for SEOs: How to Comply With ADA & WCAG, Ahrefs
PPC
Are You Losing the Google Ads Auction? Here’s How to Win!, PPC Expo
Kirk Goes to Google (and how to fix advertiser relations), ZATO Marketing
Microsoft Looks to ChatGPT AI to Transform Its Digital Ad Business, Wall Street Journal
Search Features
Can AI chatbots replace Googling things? Our test finds not yet., Washington Post
Full IKEA product lineup now viewable in 3D within Google Search, 9to5Google
Other Search
Beyond automatic differentiation, Google AI Blog
Google Chat is getting a new look to match Docs, Sheets, and Gmail, The Verge
OpenAI’s red team: the experts hired to ‘break’ ChatGPT, Financial Times
How Google’s “Don’t be evil” motto has evolved for the AI age, 60 Minutes – CBS News
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