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.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google Squashes Myths Around Passage Indexing
Let me start off by saying, I do not blame the SEO community for being confused over Google’s announcement of passage indexing. Heck, Google called it “indexing” but then told me it is not indexing, it is a ranking thing. Why they called it that? I have no idea. But at least Google officially posted on public channels more information about it.
Google Says Links In Commented Out HTML Do Not Impact Ranking
Martin Splitt of Google, in a rare case about talking specifically about Google rankings, said that he has confirmed that while Google can discover links within commented out HTML code, those links do not get used for ranking purposes in Google.
DOJ Sues Google Over Monopolistic Actions In Search & Search Advertising
The big business news in our industry yesterday was that the DOJ, US Department of Justice, sued Google alleging that Google acted anticompetitively to preserve monopolies in search and search advertising. Google shouted back that this is a “deeply flawed lawsuit that would do nothing to help consumers.”
Google Search Console Sends Notifications For Discover Optimization Tips
Yesterday, Google sent out a bunch of notifications via Google Search Console to let some publishers know that they are missing out on Google Discover traffic. Google has sent out notifications from Search Console for Google Discover before but this time this notice says that you are missing out on potential Google Discover traffic.
Google Search Augmented Reality For Car Manufacturers
Google has had 3D images, augmented and VR based images in search for over a year now. But now Google has added support for it for car manufacturers and it is live. Do a search on mobile for [volvo xc40 recharge] and you will see the “view in 3D” button and you can put that Volvo right in your living room.
Old MSN Search Web Site : How It Really Began
Frederic Dubut, the web ranking PM at Microsoft Bing, posted a screen shot of the old beta MSN Search home page from 2004, when Microsoft first got into search. We covered the betas and launches here
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
Make sure your ecommerce site is in tip-top shape In this episode of Search Console Training, @danielwaisberg discusses: SEO best practices Google Merchant Center Product structured data …and, Google Webmasters on Twitter
With the indexation problem being resolved, we’re seeing a handful of clients with new pages being added to Core Web Vitals (screenshots), & other structured data reports. Only one had a l, Ryan Mews on Twitter
Ugh, this is the only way to speed up getting hacked site spam out of the results, can take weeks otherwise. Any idea when it might be returning…?, Michael VanDeMar on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
DOJ antitrust suit: Google uses contracts, market power to neutralize rivals
Google confirms it doesn’t index passages separately
SEO for reactive JavaScript using React or Vue with NodeJS and other backend stacks
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Google Launches Updated Google Analytics, Including Improved Reporting and Data Tracking Options, Social Media Today
Industry & Business
A deeply flawed lawsuit that would do nothing to help consumers, Google Blog
Justice Department to File Long-Awaited Antitrust Suit Against Google, Wall Street Journal
Links & Content Marketing
How to Build Hundreds of Links in a Month (with Less Resources), Search Engine Journal
Local & Maps
Basic Reputation Management for Better Customer Service, Moz
Mobile & Voice
Make sure your Signed Exchanges serving is up and healthy, The AMP Blog
SEO
6 Elements of a Powerful SEO Product Description, SEM Rush
How to Become an SEO Expert (What it Really Takes in 2021 and Beyond), SEM Rush
Why Your Pages Aren’t Indexed by Google – Confirmed Indexing Issues, Cognitive SEO
PPC
Webcast: Investing in Financial Services, Microsoft Advertising
Other Search
Five ways publishers can drive more revenue this holiday season, Google Blog
