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 has a dedicated local pack with just ads – an ad local pack (this is apparently not new). Google says don’t get hung up on “toxic links” – there is no such thing. Did you know that Google shows back ordered products as out of stock? Google’s popular products carousel also can show a filter carousel above it. Sad news, we lost the mentor to all SEOs, Bill Slawski has passed away – the community is heart broken. I hope you all have a safe weekend with those you love.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

A Dedicated Google Search Local Ad Pack
Google seems to be testing adding a local pack for ads along with a normal organic local pack, I believe. Here is a screenshot showing a local pack labeled as “Ads” that show a list of stores that have shoes near you. You can click “more places” that will load more local ads.

Google Shows Item As Out Of Stock For Items Using Back Order Value Schema
Did you know that Google shows “out of stock” for items you label with the value of back ordered in your structured data for products? Some feel it should say back ordered and not out of stock, but I am not too sure if there is much of a difference?
Google: Don’t Get Hung Up About “Toxic Links”
Google’s John Mueller responded to some concerns on Reddit about “toxic links.” He was asked where do these toxic links come from, in which he replied “Toxic links is all about selling tools.” He told the individual “don’t get hung up about it.”
Google Popular Products Carousel With Filter Selectors
Google launched the popular products carousel in 2019 but now it seems Google is showing a carousel above the products to filter based on price, brand and other attributes. So we have an embedded filter carousel within the products carousel.

The Industry Mourns The Loss Of Bill Slawski: The SEO Mentor To The Community
It pains me to write this – Bill Slawski, a man who has literally helped transform the SEO industry into what it is today, has passed away on Tuesday, May 17th. I’ve personally known Bill for two decades, starting when I first got into SEO and learning from Bill in the old Cre8asite Forums.
Video: Google Algorithm Update, Spammers Kill Bing Sitemap Submission, FID to INP, New Google Ad Label & RIP Bill Slawski
There was another unconfirmed update on May 16th, about 6 months since the last confirmed Google core update. Spammers killed off the Bing anonymous sitemap submission method. Google will likely replace FID with INP…

Flash Dressed Crocodile On John Mueller’s Desk
John Mueller posted this photo on Twitter saying he found this Flash dressed crocodile toy by his desk when he was in the office the other day. I am not sure if there is an inside joke here, hence the

Other Great Search Threads:

DeepMind’s GATO: a step closer to AGI “The same network w/the same weights can play Atari, caption images, chat, stack blocks w/a real robot arm & more, deciding based on its context whether to output text, joint torques, butt, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
I’d just ignore then if you don’t care about them. The removal tool doesn’t remove it from indexing, it’s just not to show them in search (which they wouldn’t if they’re not canonical), John Mueller on Twitter
I’ve updated my Core SERP Vitals Chrome Extension to display the new experimental INP and TTFB metrics in the Google search results., Chris Johnson on Twitter
If Google is now making it easier for its users to reject all cookies, does that mean we won’t get as much data in tools like GA? https://t.co/8cWUZOthOl https://t.co/8KuYMluKsZ, Roxana Stingu on Twitter
In Universal Analytics, you’re very used to going to the source/medium, campaign, or channel grouping report to find answers to questions like “where did my traffic come from” or “what site referred to me”. You ca, Krista Seiden on Twitter
Today I received my Microsoft 25 Years of Service award! I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with so many passionate, driven, customer focused employees working to empower every person and every organi, Fabrice Canel on Twitter

Search Engine Land Stories:

New mobile Google ad experiment puts favicon in-line with display URLGoogle launches video health tools to help publisher monetizationSEO pioneer and expert Bill Slawski passes awayNew Yelp feature: Request a CallGoogle Ads issue with access to video pages frontendSurprise: ‘Near me’ brand names don’t rank higher for ‘near me’ searches

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

Behind Google’s New Migration Tool for GA4 Transition, CMSWire
Introduction to Google Analytics 4: Things you Didn’t Know, Startup To Enterprise

Industry & Business

Belonging at Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Google Blog
Court says Google can challenge patents in Google Assistant fight, Reuters
Focused on progress: Our 2022 Diversity Annual Report, Google Blog
Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2022, Google Blog
How we build with and for people with disabilities, Google Blog
Senate bill would break up Google’s ad business, Engadget
The Best Ways to Create Transparency With Clients, Go Fish Digital

Links & Content Marketing

Are You Overselling the Power of Data? [Rose-Colored Glasses], Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

Google Maps and Waze Are Still the Most Popular Navigation Apps, AutoEvolution
Yelp Launches Request a Call to Help Consumers Connect Quickly and Seamlessly with Services Businesses, Yelp – Official Blog

Mobile & Voice

Apple Debuts Siri Pause Time, iPhone Live Captions in Slate of New Accessibility Tools, Voicebot
Apple Shows Headset to Board in Sign It’s Reached Advanced Stage, Bloomberg

SEO

Canonicalization: What It Is & How It Works, Ahrefs
How Keyword Clustering Powers SEO, Practical Ecommerce
How to handle out-of-stock products for ecommerce SEO, Yoast
The importance of SEO testing for ecommerce websites, Search Pilot
What is Search Intent?, Seer Interactive
Branded Search vs. Non-Branded Search: What’s the Difference?, Ahrefs
Next Search Intent — Whiteboard Friday, Moz

PPC

Apple’s anti-tracking tech is mostly working, but it can’t block everything, AppleInsider
Key summer activities to look out for in 2022, Microsoft Advertising
See how automation can help your video ads business, Google Blog

Search Features

Anatomy of the SERP: A Complete Guide, Wix
Microsoft tests ‘interactive’ textbox on Windows desktop, The Register

Other Search

Google MUM and The Future of Search, iPullRank
Let’s talk about Web 3.0, Search Off the Record
Enjoy a warm cup of trends for International Tea Day, Google Blog

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, you can follow us on Facebook and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.