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.

You can send your site to Google if it lost a lot of traffic in Search, Discover and/or News. Google Search Console has a bug with some of its experience reports. Google Search notes are public and crawlable and can thus be found in the Google Search results. Google announced the small business shopping search filter. Bing Chat will offer a read aloud option. Google Ads performance max product segmentation is out. I also posted part two of the vlog with Dave DiGregorio. Oh, and what a wild weekend for OpenAI and Sam Altman (those stories in the industry section below).

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

How To Let Google Know That Your Google Search, Discover & News Traffic Significantly Dropped
On Friday, Google’s Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, said you can reply to a thread on X or post a help thread in Google’s forums to let him know about sites that saw a significant drop in Google Search, Google Discover and Google News traffic recently.
Google Investigating Issue With Search Console Experience Report URL Declines
Google is currently investigating a likely issue or bug with the Google Search Console experience reports. The issue is that they seem to be showing a decline in the number of valid reported URLs across the core web vitals, HTTPS, AMP, mobile usability and other page experience reports.
Reminder: Google Search Notes Are Public & Can Show In Google’s Search Results
This is just a reminder that the new Google Search and Discover Notes feature that launched as a Search Labs experiment are crawlable, indexable and visible in Google Search. You can see them both in the Search Labs experiment when looking at notes but also if you search for them outside of the Search Labs experiment.

Bing Chat To Offer Always Read Aloud Option
Microsoft is working on a feature or setting to allow searchers and users to have Bing Chat always read aloud the responses without having to request it manually each time. Mikhail Parakhin from Microsoft said the team is working on such a feature.

Not New: Google Announces Small Business Shopping Filter
Remember when Google announced its new small business attribute, where businesses can self-claim they are small, which would add a “small business” icon to their products in Google Search? Well, Google now announced
Google Ads Performance Max Products With Brand & Custom Labels
Google has added to the Performance Max product campaigns within Google Ads brand and custom labels. This allows advertisers the quick ability to segment your products also by brand and custom labels.

Google Pumpkin Patch At GooglePlex
Here is the annual Google pumpkin patch set up at the GooglePlex. This is at the main Google headquarters in Mountain View, California. I believe Google sets these up annually around Halloween.
Vlog #249: Dave DiGregorio On Local Pack Reductions, Diversifying Traffic, Services & The Community

In part one with Dave DiGregorio we spoke about his journey from working in sports memorabilia to getting into SEO. Then in part two, we talk about some local pack reductions, diversifying your local SEO efforts, the services feature…

Other Great Search Threads:

To clarify: there have not been any product changes to Seasonality Adjustments recently., AdsLiaison on X
You’re site is primarily for Sweden, right? So that’s what you should be looking at. And I know when you look at it, you don’t see your content and consider that a bug. And then you go to other countries and, Google SearchLiaison on X
Do I need to move to WordPress?, Reddit
We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and have confidence in our product roadmap, our ability to continue to innovate with everything we announced at Microsoft Ignite, and in continuing to support our customers and partners. We look forward t, Satya Nadella on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

Apple pulls all ads from X amid antisemitic and far-right content concerns
Shocker – Sam Altman out at OpenAI in huge CEO change
Meta unveils new AI tools for video asset creation and picture editing
TikTok launches new tool to provide more insight into how ads drive conversions
Instacart unveils new tools to boost discovery for up-and-coming brands
The latest jobs in search marketing
How to ‘un-ruin’ the internet: The ultimate guide for SEOs
How to integrate user-generated content into your SEO strategy

Other Great Search Stories:

Industry & Business

Google and Apple’s complicated relationship, Marketplace
A statement from Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella, The Official Microsoft Blog
‘This Is Insane’: OpenAI Investors Blindsided By Sam Altman’s Firing, Forbes
Breaking: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO, The Verge
Interim OpenAI CEO: Microsoft Has ‘Utmost Confidence’ in Startup Following Altman Departure, The Information
Microsoft is a key investor in OpenAI. It was blindsided by Sam Altman’s exit., Axios
OpenAI announces leadership transition, OpenAI
OpenAI Negotiations to Reinstate Altman Hit Snag Over Board Role, Bloomberg
‘I’ve never seen anything like this’: how OpenAI’s dramatic weekend unfolded, Financial Times (Sub)
Dozens of Staffers Quit OpenAI After Sutskever Says Altman Won’t Return, The Information
Emmett Shear Becomes Interim OpenAI CEO as Altman Talks Break Down, The Information
Microsoft hires ex-OpenAI leaders Altman and Brockman to lead new AI group, TechCrunch
OpenAI is hiring former Twitch chief Emmett Shear as CEO, CNBC

Links & Content Marketing

How to find and implement internal linking opportunities at scale, Antoine Eripret
In a world of AI perfection is the odd spelling mistake your marketing secret sauce?, Marketing Mag

Local & Maps

Google Maps widely rolling out new color palette, 9to5Google
How To Use Chat GPT to Optimize Your Content for Local Search, Sterling Sky Inc

Mobile & Voice

Spatial Video, Nothing’s iMessage gamble, M3 Max, AppleInsider
Apple Vision Pro shipment expected in March, AppleInsider

SEO

5 Soft Skills SEOs Should Build – Whiteboard Friday, Moz
SEO Writing: 12 Tips for Creating SEO-Optimized Content, semr

PPC

How will Google’s IP Protection impact ad targeting and measurement?, econsultancy
SEO vs. Google Ads: What’s the Best Strategy for Your Business?, semr
Update to Click tracker certification program (November 2023), Google Advertising Policies Help
What Is Conversion?, BruceClay
Google shares plans for blocking third-party cookies in Chrome, Bleeping Computer

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