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.
We are seeing the first signs of a Google update after the confirmed August 2023 core update, maybe the first set of post-update tremors? An advertiser said they lost thousands of dollars in Google Ads budget after being put in an ads experiment they did not want to be in. Bing Chat is working on custom instructions. Google said meta description lengths do not matter to rankings. Google also said there is no “back to the same” after doing a website revamp.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google Search Ranking Update Volatility Tremors Around September 12th
I am seeing some early signs of maybe the first set of tremors post the Google August 2023 core update, which completed rolling out on September 7th. The new tremors seemed to have started yesterday morning and seem to be continuing throughout today.
Advertiser Lost Thousands Of Dollars Lost During Google Ads Experimental Test
A respected advertiser in the PPC community said that a Google Ads experiment that the customer did not opt in to or have the option to opt out of cost the company thousands of dollars in lost ad spend.
Bing Chat Working On Custom Instructions Through Useful Memory Feature
The CEO of Bing from Microsoft, Mikhail Parakhin, said that Bing Chat is working on custom instructions for Bing Chat in the form of “a less geeky, more useful way of “memory”.”
Google: No Such Thing As “Back To The Same” For Search Rankings After A Site Revamp
The other day we covered how Google’s John Mueller said that there is no way to prevent traffic loss after a website revamp. John this morning added that there is also no “back to the same” as you were in search rankings before that website revamp.
Google: Meta Description Length Does Not Matter For Ranking Algorithms
Google’s John Mueller said the length of your meta descriptions do not matter to the Google search ranking algorithm. He said on X, “I’m sorry to tell you, those numbers are all made up” when someone referenced specific numbers.
Google Ship Carrier
Here is a massive heavy loader ship carrier that looks like it has the Google super G logo on it. It is not the Google logo, it is GPO Grace logo but hey, it does look like the Google logo.
Other Great Search Threads:
August 2023 Google Core Update The @seoClarity Rank Fluctuation tracker (based on all our US keywords) 1 – start of the core update rollout (8/22) 2 – end of the rollout (9/7) Interesting we saw a spike to 51% volatility on the final day, which tape, Mark Traphagen on X
It is the same in both Consumer Bing Chat and BCE. We will expand it, but not quickly: all the algorithms are quadratic in context size, so, increasing to 8K would be 4x more expensive.(2) Mikhail Parakhin on X: “@AdamPFarnsworth It is the same in both Co, Mikhail Parakhin on X
No. It means if you make a new website (revamping the old), you will have a new website. You can’t change everything and expect folks to act like nothing changed. You’re making changes for a reason, maybe to “improve your SEO” – it wouldn’t be ok to have , John Mueller on X
Pro tip: there’s no “301 conspiracy”. There’s nobody trying to sell you 302 redirects., John Mueller on X
Thinking is best done with your head, not left to a language model., John Mueller on X
This commonly comes from international versions being essentially identical (eg multiple English versions being the same) and is by design. A page doesn’t need to be canonical in order to be considered for hreflang., John Mueller on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
Google CEO on SGE and Search evolution: ‘We’ll get it right’
Google Performance Max: Everything you need to know
Ecommerce marketing next year: 5 ways to set up for success
How AI is changing the game for PPC account managers
How the August 2023 Google core update compared to March 2023 core updates
Suspended Google Ads advertisers may be required to pass advertiser verification
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Blending UA and GA4 in Looker Studio, Parsnip
Medtronic Sued for Allegedly Sharing Health Info with Google | Knobbe Martens, JDSupra
Industry & Business
Can Yahoo Be Saved? How Apollo Is Rebuilding an Internet Icon, The Information
DOJ v. Google: What hapened the first day of the anti-monopoly trial, CNBC
Google Antitrust Trial: DOJ Says Company Pays $10B a Year to Maintain Monopoly, Bloomberg
Google’s adtech targeted by Dutch class-action style privacy damages suit, TechCrunch
Latest News on Google’s Antitrust Trial: Live Updates, New York Times
Why Google’s Antitrust Trial Is Not Like Microsoft’s, The Information
As the DOJ’s Google antitrust trial begins with opening arguments, here’s what you need to know, Digiday
Links & Content Marketing
Content Marketing Strategy: Create Your 5-Part Content Plan, Chris Garrett
Do You Love Your Content Marketing Job?, Content Marketing Institute
Free 10 day link building course for ecommerce sites, Freddie Chatt
How to Make AI Your Writing Sidekick for Content Marketing, Moz
Local & Maps
Ford F-150 Lightning drivers are getting an Apple Maps EV routing upgrade soon, T3
Google Maps lists were getting useless, then emojis came along, Android Authority
How to Save Apple Maps Offline on iPhone and iPad, How To Geek
Truck drives into a water reservoir as Google maps shows wrong route: Driver, cleaner swim out, Cartoq
Mobile & Voice
iPhone 15 hands on: USB-C and a big camera upgrade, The Verge
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max hands-on, The Verge
macOS Sonoma Sept. 25, iOS 17 & iPadOS 17 Sept 18, AppleInsider
SEO
Ask the experts: paywalls, subscription and SEO, The Audiencers
Blog Post Checklist: Check All Prior to Hitting “Publish”, SEO Smarty
Get your data included in Google Knowledge Graph with schema markup, Oncrawl
Google August 2023 Core Update: Winners, Losers & Analysis, Amsive
SEO for Publishers: How to Maximize Content Visibility, Semrush
What Is an SEO Specialist and How to Become One, Semrush
Be gone SEO myths!, SERP’s Up SEO Podcast
Technical SEO Issues That Can Harm Your Rankings, MarketingSyrup
The most common technical SEO issues that lower your rankings, Onely
PPC
Hit the Gas on Car Sales With PPC Advertising, DealerOn
How Much Does Advertising Cost?, PPC Expo
Why You Should be Paying Attention to Your Google Shopping Feed, Women in Tech SEO
Search Features
Who’s Stealing my Images? Guide to Reverse Image Search, Hallam
5 cool Google Search features you didn’t know about, Android Central
Other Search
An Ex-SEO Looks Back at 25 Years of Google, Out Of My Gord
Bing Chat Enterprise now has user-level admin controls plus your data questions answered, Microsoft Community Hub
Google Trial Puts LLMs On the Docket; Databricks Projects Explosive AI Spending, The Information
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