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.

There is another Google search ranking update going on today, May 9th – Google did not confirm it. Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, responded to concerns about search quality. Google renamed its AI Answers back to AI Overviews. Google is testing a new Notes button in the search results. Google Analytics 4 conversion performance reports for Google Ads.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

Google Search Ranking Update Volatility Starting On May 9th

I am seeing signs of a possible Google search ranking update today, May 9th, between a spike in early chatter this morning within the SEO industry and many of the tools showing a significant lift in ranking volatility in the Google Search results.

Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, Responds To Google Search Quality Issues

Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, was interviewed by Emily Chang at Bloomberg before the big Google I/O event. They talked a lot about a lot of things, but there was 25-second clip where they spoke about core search quality. As you can imagine, he didn’t say much but he did respond.

Google Tests New Search Notes Button

Google is testing a new button to add a note to the search results. As a reminder, Google launched Notes in Google Search and Discover last November as a labs feature. The new note button is much smaller and just has an icon of a notebook with a plus sign within it.

Google Renames AI Answer Back To AI Overview

A week ago, we saw Google renamed the AI overview experimental results to simple “AI Answers.” Well, that didn’t seem to last long. Google renamed it back to “AI Overview” but left off the “experimental” text on that label – at least in the forefront.

Google Analytics Gains Google Ads Conversion Performance Beta

Google Analytics has a new beta Google Ads report named “conversion performance.” This is a beta feature right now, so you might not be able to see it. But you must link your Google Ads account to your GA4 account. Then you will see the conversion performance over time, analyze conversions and segment by channel groups.

Doogler Resting At Google NYC Rooftop

Here is another Doogler, Google dog, photo. This Doogler is resting on a rooftop at the Google New York City office. I Googled the breed of the dog and I was told it is a Goldendoodle?

Other Great Search Threads:

Seems like Bing is testing a feature called ‘Searches you might like’, similar to Related searches. However, the suggested search terms appear unrelated to the main query. Any idea on how these suggestions are generated?, Shameem Adhikarath on X
Site Hacked and Now Down After Google Search Console Phishing Email Got Me, Reddit
Google has added a bunch of new business categories! Some notable ones include: * Gutter service * Junk removal service * Home staging service, Joy Hawkins on X
We’re launching saved comparisons to help you save time when comparing the user bases you care about. Learn how you can do that without recreating the comparison every time! → https://t.co/29nN2MiPtm https://t.co/r8924rAT05, Google Analytics on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

TikTok highlights its value to brands and search experience
Reddit eyes potential in search ads following Google traffic gains
ChatGPT search feature rumors heating up
PPC landing pages: How to craft a winning post-click experience
The SEO-UX paradox: Achieving visibility without sacrificing user delight

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

What is Engagement Rate in GA4? Your Engagement Rate Questions Answered, SEO Testing
Google Launches New ‘Saved Comparisons’ Feature For Analytics, Search Engine Journal

Industry & Business

Google CEO Sundar Pichai and the Future of AI, The Circuit – YouTube
Google fights $17 bln UK lawsuit over adtech practices, Reuters
Google Is Bailing From Its Offices at Trophy SF Building One Market Plaza, SFist
Google staffers question execs over ‘decline in morale’ after earnings, CNBC
Video: Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai Lays Out Google’s AI Roadmap, Bloomberg
Reddit Earnings Got a Google Boost. Why That’s Worrisome for the Stock., Barron’s

Links & Content Marketing

Leverage BigQuery for Advanced Internal Link Analysis, Moz
What is Backlink Relevance and Why Does It Matter?, Koozai
Content Pruning: A Step-by-Step Guide to Improving Your SEO, Semrush

Local & Maps

Using Local Pack Grid Rankings for Competitive Local SEO Analysis, Local SEO Guide
Google Found a Way to Improve Google Maps Navigation During Bad Weather, AutoEvolution
Walking To Taipei Through a Google Maps Glitch, Bloomberg

Mobile & Voice

Google Assistant explained: Tricks, devices, and latest updates, Android Central
New Microsoft AI model may challenge GPT-4 and Google Gemini, Ars Technica
Siri Not Working After 17.4.1 Update? Here’s How To Fix It, The Mac Observer
What to expect at Google I/O 2024: Gemini, Android 15 and more, Engadget

SEO

Google Search Claims Another Victim: Tripadvisor Lowers Outlook, Yahoo Finance
Reddit is Seeing Explosive SEO Growth. But Is It Truly Helpful to Users?, Amsive
SEO Use Cases for Vectorizing the Web with Screaming Frog, iPullRank
What is going on with the Site Reputation abuse policy?, Marie Haynes
9 Common Technical SEO Issues and How to Fix Them – Beginners’ Guide, HackerNoon
How to Use Keywords for SEO: The Complete Beginner’s Guide, Ahrefs
Unlocking Global Potential: A Comprehensive Guide to Multilingual SEO, SEO Webster

PPC

Empowering small and midsize businesses for growth with generative AI, Microsoft Advertising
Google Ads Audience Segments: Types, Tips, and Best Practices, Semrush
Google Launched Local Inventory Ads In 23 Additional Countries, FeedArmy
How Consent Mode V2 Affects Google Ads: What to do About it, Measure Minds Group

Search Features

Google brings a variation on ‘Circle to Search’ to iPhone users, TechCrunch
Google is bringing a “Circle to Search” variation to Chrome for Desktop, Android Authority

Other Search

Google DeepMind unveils AI model for living cells, Financial Times (Sub)
How Google built generative AI tools for the Chrome browser, Google Blog
Microsoft is ‘turning everyone into a prompt engineer’ with new Copilot AI features, The Verge
OpenAI posts Model Spec revealing how it wants AI to behave, VentureBeat

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