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 said not all sites must be an authority to rank, well, if they want to rank for non competitive terms I guess. Google in dark mode does not use your specified AMP logos in the top stories carousel. Bing launched a bunch of new travel search features. Google said links to 404ed pages do not count. Google has its Winter and Summer season Doodles up today. Google also posted its Christmas decorations and easter eggs today.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google: Not All Websites Need To Be An Authority
Google’s John Mueller said in a video hangout the other day that not all websites need to be an authority. He said there are tons of small websites that just try to sell something, something small, not in a competitive niche and you don’t always need to be an authority he said.
New Microsoft Bing Travel Search Features
Microsoft Bing announced new travel search features including suggested itineraries and inspiration, 360 immersive views, drink and dining information and coupons and deals. This currently is live in the United States.
Google Top Stories Won’t Show AMP Logos In Dark Mode
Danny Sullivan of Google confirmed that Google won’t show the AMP specific logo for your news articles in the top stories carousel when the searcher is in the beta version of dark mode. Kenichi Suzuki spotted this and posted the examples below.
Google Confirms Links To 404 Pages Are Not Counted
If you have a lot of links to your site, but some of those links are pointing to pages that no longer exist and serve a 404 not found status code – those links technically are not helping or hurting your site in Google Search. John Mueller of Google said on Twitter if “link goes nowhere, so we drop it.”
Google Christmas Decorations With Special Pagination Bar Now Update For Holidays
Google has put up its Christmas decorations for the holidays. It includes a few little touches including the family by the tree at the top right corner, the easter egg when you click on the present that takes you to the Santa Tracker and the pagination bar being a string of Christmas lights.
Google Winter Season Doodle
Today is the first day of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere and for it, Google has this hedgehog walking through the snow. But did you know the hedgehog’s sibling is also in the Southern Hemisphere walking through the beaches with a first day of Summer Doodle?
Google Staircase Rainbow Prism Wow Effect
Here is an eye catching photo I found on Instagram from the Google Dublin office. You can see how this glass staircase has the sun hitting on it causing this amazing rainbow prism effect.
Other Great Search Threads:
Being able to save product filters in Google Merchant Center is the UI addition I didn’t know I needed! Loving it. #ppcchat https://t.co/JPPtdRGy8V, Kirk Williams on Twitter
If you block a portion of your users, at least you don’t have to wonder why you’re only getting a portion of the traffic., John Mueller on Twitter
FYI, if you’re noticing a drop in ad revenue, but not necessarily a drop in traffic or pageviews, then it could be that Chrome is blocking ads that are using too many resources. It’s just another reason to seriously watch your, Glenn Gabe on Twitter
Going to go out on a limb and say that Google has now rolled out full-width Featured Snippets. Important to note that the full-width treatment doesn’t apply to all FS formats. For example, if images aren’t included, or if it, Brodie Clark on Twitter
Google is a slave of AI-generated content, BlackHatWorld
If it’s just moving from one domain to another usually you’d see the effects in search analytics within a few weeks. I wouldn’t worry about the indexed page count, and definitely not the numbers in a site: query, John Mueller on Twitter
Ignore them. Spend your time doing things that matter. It’s easy to spend too much time on links when the only ones who care are SEO tools, and they won’t send you any traffic – you even have to pay them t, John Mueller on Twitter
Ip addresses are fine. The internet has tons of them., John Mueller on Twitter
Was looking at some LSAs. Saw this for the first time: “Google verified job.” I’m sure it’s not new but I hadn’t noticed before. https://t.co/b2LejGQBxj, Greg Sterling on Twitter
Search Engine Land Stories:
Non-stop updates: SEOs share the impact on their day-to-day, work-life balance and career outlook
5 ways marketers can support entry-level SEO talent
Google Ads rolling out new icons more widely
The ‘Vicinity Update’: Winners and losers from the November 2021 local update
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Adswerve Q&A: What You Need to Know When it Comes to Analytics and IFrames, Adswerve
Google Analytics and Salesforce Marketing Cloud Integration – Salesforce Consulting Services by Best Certified Salesforce Consultants, Concret
Google Optimize: Easy Testing For Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Klient Boost
Taking Advantage of Data Studio Community Connectors, ClickInsight
Industry & Business
Biden administration worked with Google to help people track down COVID testing sites, Fox Business
Google strikes deal to restore Disney networks to YouTube TV, AppleInsider
Links & Content Marketing
Top 11 Challenges of Content Outsourcing [Semrush Marketplace Study], Semrush
Why a Content Formula Isn’t Lazy – It’s a ‘Hallmark’ of Bingeable Series, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
Apple rolls out new updated 3D maps for Philadelphia, AppleInsider
What I Learned from 50 Examples of the New Local SERP, Street Fight
Mobile & Voice
Use HOOBS to add smart home devices to HomeKit, 9to5Mac
Apple doubled its smart speaker market share in 2021 thanks to HomePod mini, AppleInsider
Chrome OS users ‘engaging’ with Android apps 50% more, 9to5Google
Google finally stops selling the Home Mini after four years, 9to5Google
Google is turning off the controls for OnHub routers at the end of 2022, The Verge
SEO
1-Hour Guide to Writing a Year-End SEO Report, Jenny Munn
3 Effective Ways to Quickly Identify Your SaaS Brand’s Top SEO Competitors, Moz
Improving Core Web Vitals, A Smashing Magazine Case Study, Smashing Magazine
PPC
How To Increase Conversion Rates, PPC Hero
The Microsoft Advertising Celebrated Partners for September—October 2021, Microsoft Advertising
Upcoming changes to Simulations in the Google Ads API and Bid Landscapes in the AdWords API, Google Ads Developer Blog
Top 3 features advertisers loved in 2021, Microsoft Advertising
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, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
