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.
Googlers spoke, “off the record,” about ranking updates. Bing Chat is now testing “nosearch” with Bing Search disabled. Google said a page doesn’t need to rank in the top ten to be eligible to be a featured snippet. Google’s auto-expanding map in the local pack seems to be rolling out. Google is testing new icons for the “about this result.” And Bing is testing tags and hashtags in search.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google: A Page Doesn’t Have To Be In The Top 10 Results To Be A Featured Snippet
Google’s John Mueller said there is no rule that a page has to rank in the top ten search result positions for it to be considered eligible for a featured snippet position.
Bing Chat NoSearch With Bing Disabled In The Wild
Bing Chat is now testing the nosearch feature, where Bing is disabled for Bing Chat responses. We first heard this was coming in early July but we were just waiting for a Bing Chat infrastructure update to happen before it was released.
Google Ranking Updates – Off The Record
Google’s Search Off The Record podcast had Danny Sullivan, John Mueller and Martin Splitt on the topic of Google ranking updates. While most of what was talked about is not necessarily new, it is a good refresher on that focusing on the big picture can often be more important that focusing on specific details around doing better with Google algorithmic updates.
Google Local Pack Map Auto Expand Is Now Live
Since April, Google has been testing a local pack in the search results that auto-expands the map section when you hover your mouse cursor over it. This now seems to be live or rolling out fully.
Google Search Testing New Icons For About This Result Snippet
Google is testing replacing the three vertical dot button for the About This Result feature in the Google Search results with the circle i button and, previously covered, triangular dot button and a question mark icon.
Bing Search Tests Snippet Tags
Bing Search is now testing search result snippet tags and labels within the search snippets. This is something Google has been testing on and off for years.
Google Jeweled Signage At Bay View Campus
Here is a fancy looking and jeweled up Google sign at the Google Bay View office. It looks like the Google logo made up of some jewels, don’t you think?
Other Great Search Threads:
Whoa, an Instagram Stories clone to add public notes about webpages? -> Google Labs readies Instagram Stories clone for search results “One use case is that you may want to add a Note on the quality of a particular recipe or explain how, Glenn Gabe on X
1000 alone doesn’t mean it’s common. We document them because people sometimes see them, John Mueller on X
Google autocomplete asks “Did You Find This Useful?”, Punit on X
Noticed that Google shows multiple images in the preview section for multi-store and single-store products images., Shameem Adhikarath on X
Yeah, that language is there because we are not checking for copywrite violations and such (people can ask it to draw anything), but we are not trying to limit the use of creatives. We are discussing right now how to clarify that in the agreement language, Mikhail Parakhin on X
Core Web Vitals A Lot Worse On Real World Data, WebmasterWorld
Today’s #GoogleDoodle celebrates the first landing on the moon’s south pole! Congratulations to the Chandrayaan-3 for making history! Learn more about the mission, Google Doodles on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
Reddit launches first-party measurement tools
[September 1 deadline] Are you an “award-winning” marketer?
How generative AI will change SEO as a profession
Reddit doubles interest targeting categories for ads
How to safeguard your content strategy in an AI-driven search landscape
No, AI won’t change your marketing job: A contrarian perspective
Google sending notifications that UA has stopped processing data
How to build SEO into a new website from the ground up
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
5 Google Analytics 4 questions, answered by an expert, Insider Intelligence
How Google Analytics 4 Uses AI To Enhance Your Marketing Data, Search Engine Journal
Industry & Business
Complying with the Digital Services Act, blog.google
Google vows more transparency on ads as new EU rules kick in, Reuters
Links & Content Marketing
How To Optimize Your Content for Google’s Search Generated Experiences, Content Marketing Institute
Here’s the Deal: AI & Marketing Content Creators Need Each Other, CMSWire
Local & Maps
Why Google Reviews Matter For Your Local Business, Amsive
Local Authorities Erect Road Signs Against Navigation Apps, Stop Using Google Maps Now, AutoEvolution
Mobile & Voice
“Project Moohan” is Google and Samsung’s inevitable Apple Vision Pro clone, Ars Technica
Google’s AR projects are reportedly facing even more setbacks, The Verge
Inside the Apple Vision Pro labs, Apple Developer
Updates coming to live TV on Google TV, Google Blog
SEO
Analyzing the removal of FAQ and HowTo snippets from the Google search results [Data], GSQI
Cracking Google’s Code: The Impact of Core Updates and Search Intent on Your SEO , Amsive
SEO for Startups: How to Get SEO Results on a Budget, Semrush
PPC
How to Conduct a Social Media Audit in 5 Steps, Cypress North
Scale Your B2B Google Ads Strategy Across Multiple Languages, Search Engine Journal
Search Features
Google News rolling out customizable ‘Following’ feed, 9to5Google
Google’s Chrome Browser Testing Bottom-Placed Address Bar on iOS, MacRumors
Other Search
Google, Microsoft Tools Behind Surge in Deepfake AI Porn, Bloomberg
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
