Bing Tests Lock Icon In Search Results For Secure Websites
Bing is testing showing a lock icon in the Bing Search results for snippets from secure websites. Previously, Bing tested secure site labels and HTTPS labels in those positions but now Bing is testing showing a lock icon.
Google Search Tests European Union Energy Labels On Products
Google is testing displaying the European Union energy labels or icons on some product search results. The energy efficiency of the appliance is rated in terms of a set of energy efficiency classes from A to G on the label, A being the most energy eff…
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Helpful Content Update, Post Google Core Update Tremors, FAQ Rich Results Drop, Search Console Merchant Center Reports & More
We got another official Google ranking update, the September 2023 helpful content update. This week, we had our first post-Google core update tremors and fluctuations. After saying they would a month ago, Google also finally dropped the FAQ-rich result…
Google September 2023 Helpful Content Update Rolling Out With Improved Classifier
Last night, Google began to roll out an update to the Helpful content system – the Google September 2023 Helpful Content Update. What is new is not the part about finding hidden gems (that will come later) but a new “improved classifier.”
Google: Site Name Issues Massively Dropped Since Last Algorithm Update
Danny Sullivan, the Google Search Liaison, said on X that the number of issues and complaints posted in the forums about site names being wrong in Google search has “massively dropped” since the last Google site names update in July.
Google Drops All How-To Rich Results For Desktop (& Mobile) Search
In August, Google announced it would do away with How-to rich results on the mobile search results. Now, Google has decided to completely do away with How-to rich results both on mobile search and also on desktop search.
New Google Merchant Center checkout_link_template Attribute
Google Merchant Center has added a new attribute named checkout_link_template. Including this new attribute lets you include a checkout URL in your product data which gives online shoppers the option to go directly to your checkout page from your free …
Google Business Profiles Attributes For Nursing Room & Are Children Allowed For Restaurants
Google has added a couple of new attributes to Google Business Profiles. One is for does the location has a nursing room for mothers to feed their babies and the other is an attribute to specify if the location allows children to enter.
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 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 sho…
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 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-…
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.
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.
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: There Is No Way To Prevent Search Traffic Loss From A Website Revamp
Google’s John Mueller was asked if there is a way to prevent search traffic loss while launching a new website revamp. This specific case has URL changes with folders and subfolders. John Mueller was quick to say no; there is no way to prevent traffic …
Google: Very Few Robots.txt Files Are Over 500KB
Gary Illyes shared a nice little tidbit on LinkedIn about robots.txt files. He said that only a tiny number of robots.txt files are over 500 kilobytes. I mean, most robots.txt files have a few lines of text, so this makes sense but still, it is a nice …