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 finally dropped most FAQ rich results from the search results. Google is now promoting the SGE experiment in the traditional search results. Google Maps and local is testing showing third party reviews. Google is testing trending labels in the Explore Brand section. Google product search has zoomable product images.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google FAQ Rich Results Now Only Displayed For Authoritative Sites
A month ago, Google told us that FAQ rich results in the Google search results will be shown for only authoritative sites but we waited over a month and nothing changed. That was until yesterday when FAQs in the Google search results are now barely showing up in the search results anymore.
Google Promoting Search Generative Experience In Traditional Search Results
Google is now showing banners and overlays to promote its new Search Generative Experience directly in its traditional search results interface. The overlay says “Search with an AI-powered boost, try out a new generative AI experiment from Google.”
Google Maps/Local Tests Third Party Reviews Again
Google Maps and Google Local are testing showing third-party reviews for Google Business Profile listings. It has been over a decade since Google Maps showed third-party reviews, reviews not left directly by a searcher on Google but placed on a third-party website.
Google Search Tests Trending Labels In Explore Brands Section
Google is testing adding trending labels to the Explore Brands section in the Google Search results. The Explore Brands section is not new, it was added a year or so ago, but the trending label, I believe is new.
Google Search Products Overlay With Zoomable Product Images
Google Search now zooms in on product images when you are previewing a specific from on the right-hand panel. All you need to do is hover your mouse cursor over the product image.
Google Upside Down Room In Brazil
We’ve seen a Google upside down room before but here is another one, this new one is in the Google Brazil office. I found this on Instagram.
Other Great Search Threads:
Google is going to have a lot of AI product descriptions to chew on soon -> Amazon debuts generative AI tools that helps sellers write product descriptions “Sellers can refine them, or they can directly submit the automatically generated content…”, Glenn Gabe on X
So we’re calling forum posting “forum sniping” now and pretending it’s a new “one weird trick” to rank? It’s not a strategy, wasn’t in the old days when it worked, and it isn’t now, Peter Mindenhall on X
There *is* a competition for eyes across platforms & media (even if there are more eyes), and it is absolutely not a given that webpages will remain a common way to share & find information. Webpages & “page-search” could go away one day, hopefully not so, John Mueller on X
Loving emoji kitchen from Google, Olesia Korobka on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
TW-BERT: End-to-end query term weighting and the future of Google Search
Google Ads enhanced conversions and first-party data
9 Amazon reviews best practices to boost sales and trust
4 reasons you should try Facebook Dynamic Ads
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
GA4 Recommended Events | Google Analytics Guide & Setup, Measure Minds Group
Website Analytics Tool Market to Witness Huge Growth by 2029, Benzinga
Industry & Business
Google is cutting hundreds of jobs in its recruiting organization, CNBC
Google, Apple, Meta Control Most of US Internet Usage, Bloomberg
In Antitrust Trial, Former Google Employee Details History of Search Deals, New York Times
CEOs from Alphabet, Walmart, Pfizer meet White House officials on refugees, Yahoo Finance
Google Moves to Cancel Voice-to-Text, Virtual Keyboard Patents, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
How a Viral Ad Turned Into an Award-Winning Content Campaign, Content Marketing Institute
What Are Content Mills? Everything New Writers Should Know, Semrush
Local & Maps
Google wants to turn your car into an Android tablet with wheels, Android Police
Online Shoe Seller Hey Dude, Inc. to Pay $1.95 Million for Violating FTC’s Mail, Internet, and Telephone Order Rule and Suppressing Negative Consumer Reviews, Federal Trade Commission
11 Ways to Win at Local Marketing (Online and Off) + Examples, Semrush
Mobile & Voice
Apple Watch Series 9 can handle Siri requests without your iPhone, Engadget
Siri gains access to health data, adds on-device processing on Apple Watch Series 9, TechCrunch
Why I’m switching from Google Assistant to Alexa, T3
SEO
7 SEO Best Practices You Can’t Ignore, BruceClay
Content Outlines: How To Create SEO Outlines, Go Fish Digital
Navigating Travel SEO: An In-depth Guide, Semrush
How Long Will it Take to Improve Your Website’s rankings?, Koozai
PPC
9th Circ. Judges Leery Of Claims Google Ads Trespass, Law360
How Important Is The Keyword In Paid Search?, Search Engine Journal
Research Briefing: Google may be on trial, but it still dominates marketing spend and confidence on the buy side, Digiday
Search Features
Emoji Kitchen comes to Google Search on web, iPhone, 9to5Google
Other Search
Introducing OpenAI Dublin, OpenAI
Microsoft Research: Generative Retrieval For Ranking Answers, Search Engine Journal
Feedback:
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