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 Ads is testing swapping out the “ads” label with a “sponsored” label. Google is testing slightly larger favicons in the search results. Google is testing the scroll to highlight feature where it lets you share the highlighted text. Did we find a new knowledge panel spam hack or is it just a Google bug? Finally, Google can show video thumbnails in search even without a playable video on the page.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google Ads Tests Replacing Ad Label With Sponsored Label
Google Ads is testing replacing the “ads” label with a “sponsored” label again. And just so you know, Google in 2010 replaced the “sponsored” label with an “ad” label until this day. Yea, sometimes we do see “sponsored” labels in Google Search but not for the normal search ads – those have been labeled “ads” for the UK and US regions for a long time now.
New Form Of Google Knowledge Panel Spam Or Is This A Simple Google Bug?
If you do a search on [seo services india] you will see a knowledge panel show up for a “musical artist” named “SEO Services in India.” The question is, is this a bug with Google misinterpreting entities or is this specific manipulation by an SEO as a form of new Google knowledge panel spam?
Google Tests Slightly Larger Favicons In Mobile Search Results
Breaking news — Google is testing a slightly larger favicon near the title of the search result in the mobile search interface. I do not know how Vlad Rappoport noticed this but he did and notified me of it on Twitter.
Google Search Scroll To Highlight Now Can Share Highlighted Text Via Social, Email, etc
The Google Search and Chrome feature where you click on a snippet and you are taken to a position on that publisher’s page and it highlights the appropriate text now also lets you share that text. Well, at least Google is testing that feature for some searchers, on some browsers and platforms.
Google Shows Video Thumbnail In SERPs Without Embedding Video On Page?
Crystal Carter posted an example on Twitter of Google showing a video thumbnail for a snippet of her page but that page did not actually embed a video on the page. So if you visit the specific page, there is no video for a user to click on to play.
Google Wallet Silly Putty Egg Toy
Google gave away these silly putty egg toys branded with the Google Wallet logo on it. Who doesn’t love silly putty eggs toys? Seriously, do you not enjoy silly putty?
Other Great Search Threads:
I’m sure this won’t lead to keyword stuffing. 🙂 Etsy re: its search algo changes -> Etsy Search now considers keywords & phrases w/in your listing descriptions when ranking your listings. Aim to incorporate relevant keywords, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
It follows redirects like how Googlebot would, that’s by design., John Mueller on Twitter
Searches for “mental health therapist” and “mental health help” reached record highs this year in the U.S. Learn more about tools and resources that can help when you need it most → https://t.co/kzSS5AHzO0 #MHAM, Google on Twitter
In our docs, we only talk about long redirect chains — the usual per-page redirects are not really a problem. (Also, don’t blindly trust what you can check with your own data :-, John Mueller on Twitter
Today’s #APAHM #GoogleDoodle honors the birthday of disability justice activist, Stacey Park Milbern. Stacey co-created disability justice to fight for those marginalized within the disabled community—people of color,, Google Doodles on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
Lucid visibility: How a publisher broke into Google Discover in less than 30 days from launchWe’ve crawled the web for 32 years: What’s changed?What to look for in a technical SEO audit
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Don’t Know How to Interpret Your Data? Use This Playbook to Master Data Management, Databox Blog
How to Get Started With a Sales Dashboard in Google Sheets?, PPC Expo
Industry & Business
Fostering inclusive spaces through Disability Alliance, Google Blog
Google Subsidiary in Russia to File for Bankruptcy, Wall Street Journal
Oncrawl gets a new look, Oncrawl
Spain slaps Google for frustrating the EU’s ‘right to be forgotten’, TechCrunch
Links & Content Marketing
How To Win Content Friends (and Keep Their Ideas Pouring In), Content Marketing Institute
What Is Link Bait? 7 Successful Examples, Ahrefs
Local & Maps
New-Generation Google Maps Navigation Feature Launching for More Users, AutoEvolution
Milan Cathedral, up close and beautiful, Google Blog
Mobile & Voice
Google Lens now works in landscape on Android tablets, 9to5Google
How to use Visual Look Up in iOS 15, AppleInsider
SEO
How To Choose The Best SEO Writing Course For You, SuccessWorks
SEO Split Test Result: Will Removing Many H1s Improve Clicks to Page?, Semrush
Shopify SEO Tips 2022, Loud Growth
PPC
Breaking Into PPC Speaking | EP205 PPCChat Roundup, Anu Adegbola
Google Ads Smart Shopping – Mobile Apps ROAS, PPCni
Other Search
Vector-Quantized Image Modeling with Improved VQGAN, Google AI Blog
Feedback:
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