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’s link spam update is finally done rolling out, it took them two-weeks longer than expected. Google admitted it made changes to how it produces titles in the search results, the big change is Google no longer uses the query for it. Google Search Console performance reports are having some reporting issues, you are not alone. Google Posts can be displayed on third-party sites now. Google My Business products show status of approval. Google continues to test people also ask in the search suggestions and more.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google Link Spam Update Took A Full Month To Roll Out
Google announced that the link spam update that initially began rolling out on July 26, 2021 is now done rolling out as of August 24, 2021. That is over a full-month of rolling for that update and two-weeks longer than Google initially said.
Google Confirms Titles Did Change To Not Use The Searcher’s Query
A week after Google made a change to the titles it produces in its search results, the search company confirmed it actually did make these changes. I mean, why didn’t Google just write about it when they first noticed it, did they think we wouldn’t notice?
Google Search Console Performance Reporting Is Currently Stuck
This morning I’ve been noticing a lot of complaints about the Google Search Console Performance report being delayed and data not fully being represented. It seems to be a global issue and even John Mueller of Google confirmed there is an issue at the moment.
Google Posts Can Now Appear On Third Party Sites Without Your Knowledge
Google now has a notice when you add Google Posts in Google My Business that those posts can appear not just on Google properties but third-party sites. Claire Carlile posted a screenshot of Google notifying her of this and asked on Twitter “which third party sites would posts appear on?”
Google My Business Products Approval Process
Google now may decide to review your Google My Business product uploads manually and approve or reject those. Usama Ali posted screenshots on Twitter of the this happening for his product uploads.
Google Continues Test Of People Also Ask & People Also Search For In Autocomplete
Last September, in 2020, we reported that Google was testing the people also search for in the auto-complete search suggestions drop down. Well, those tests have not stopped. Here are more examples from Brodie Clark from the past week or so.
Google Hong Kong Office Utilization Monitor?
This photo is from a recent photo uploaded to Instagram from the Google office in Hong Kong. This shows a TV screen with boxes and green and red statuses. I am thinking, but I am not 100% sure, that
Other Great Search Threads:
If the page is blocked by robots.txt, then we can index it (and use the signals from links) by URL, but without the content. Usually that’s not very useful though. If it’s a large part of the links, that’s worth f, John Mueller on Twitter
Responsive Display Ads now support lead form extension on mobile devices.!!! #googleads, Konda Reddy Gowreddy on Twitter
Google search quality keeps dropping like a rock, BlackHatWorld
It could also go up, too :-). My advice for debugging things like that is first to look at the search results yourself. Tools can only tell you so much, sometimes a glance at what’s shown makes the story ea, John Mueller on Twitter
It’s the same with a normal noindex on a page – we don’t render those either. I don’t think there would be any practical difference between using the x-robots-tag noindex & the noindex robots me, John Mueller on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
Is your brand facing an identity crisis?
Google confirms it changed how it creates titles for search result listings
Google link spam update done rolling out
PPC campaign launch checklist
The shifting sands of SERPs; Tuesday’s daily brief
Delta variant has marketers less eager to return to in-person events this year
Google Shopping issues in the UK lead to sharp KPI declines
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Why the Landing Page Report is Key & Where to Find it in Google Analytics 4 [Video], Business 2 Community
Industry & Business
Google says staff have no right to protest its choice of clients, The Seattle Times
Google self-driving spinoff Waymo begins testing with public in San Francisco, Reuters
Links & Content Marketing
5 Examples of eCommerce Content Marketing, iPullRank
7 Cross-Channel Marketing Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make, WordStream
Local & Maps
Reviews on Apple Maps: A Complete Guide, Near Media
Google Local Search Trends I: Personalization, Street Fight
Google mobility data shows visits to shops, supermarkets and workplaces plummet amid level 4 lockdown, Stuff
Mobile & Voice
Microsoft Translator Adds Regional Accents, Voicebot
Nest Hub Max can now read web pages out loud using text to speech technology, Chrome Unboxed
SEO
Google Click Through Rate Stats – Changes Report for Q2 2021, Advanced Web Rankings
How to Craft a Headline That Gets More Clicks, BruceClay
How to Create a Sitemap That Strengthens SERP Performance, I Love SEO
The Top Skills to Look for When Hiring Your Next In-House SEO, Moz
Travel SEO: Segmenting Hotel Identifier Codes at Scale, SEO Clarity
Why Is On-Page SEO Important? (& How It Helps You Rank Higher), SEO Arcade
Yoast SEO 17.0: SEO in your mother-tongue, Yoast
PPC
2021 holiday retail season: 6 moments, Microsoft Advertising
Feed-based Extensions Migration Reminder and Opt Out Instructions, Google Ads Developer 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 or just contact us the old fashion way.
