Search Buzz Video Recap: Google Search Algorithm Update, Google Shopping Is Free, Question Hub & Search Tips For COVID-19
Today is the 8th anniversary of the Google Penguin update and we have a special theme at the Search Engine Roundtable. In the news, there looks like there was a Google search algorithm ranking update on April 16th. Google Shopping is now free…
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Google Search Console Inviting Publishers Into Question Hub
Yesterday we reported how Google launched a pilot in the US to expand the question hub feature. This is a feature where searchers can say the search results do not answer my query, let me type in my question manually for a content creator to look at a…
Google Has Free COVID-19 Posters For Your Business
Google is now offering free printable posters for your local business with messages related to COVID-19. The posters can be hung in your business door window and they range from messages about takeout and delivery and no contact delivery.
Google Easter Egg Scrolls Number Of Search Results – Marquee Tag
If you search for [marquee tag] in Google, you will see a new easter egg. The section that shows the number of results will scroll like a marquee board.
Google Can’t Help Its Internal SEO Team With Search Questions
Google’s John Mueller said in a recent published video that he is not able or allowed to help Google’s internal SEO team with SEO questions. In fact, he said he wasn’t able to help answer a redirect question that the Google SEO team wanted an answer on…
Google Shopping Is Free – Froogle Is Back, For Real This Time
Google announced some big news – Google Shopping is now free. That means you can add your products for free to the Google Shopping tab in Google Search. Google said “Beginning next week, search results on the Google Shopping tab will consist primari…
Yesterday’s Google Indexing Issue Seems Resolved
Yesterday afternoon I reported on Search Engine Land that Google seemed to be having issues indexing new content. This was maybe for an hour or two, where if you published new content, Google would not index or show it in the search results. Based on…
Google Tests New How To Recipe Results Interface
Google seems to be testing a new interface for how to results, maybe just with recipes or maybe more wide spread. Brian Freiesleben shared this recipe result that shows the old and new interface side by side.
Google Performance Reports Filter Out Automated Queries
Google’s John Mueller said on Twitter that Google tries to filter out the automated queries from rank checking tools and similar tools in its performance reports within Google Search Console. John said “We do filter out a ton of these, but I imagine …
Google Tests Questions Box In Search Results In US For COVID-19 Queries
Google has expanded the Google Question Hub feature, where Google shows a question box in the search results. Google told me they are piloting this now in the US specifically for COVID-19 queries where Google’s search results may not have content to sa…
Bing Places Integrates GoFundMe
Bing announced it has partnered with GoFundMe to integrate it into Bing Places. This enables businesses that need funding from its community an easy way to highlight that need in Bing Search and Bing Maps.
Google Tests Side Bar Filters Design In Search Again
Back in September we reported Google was testing a new search results design that had search filters on the left hand side, with more colors. I personally cannot replicate it but it seems more and more people are seeing this test now.
Google: HTML Noindex; Google Won’t Process Meta Robots In JavaScript
Martin Splitt from Google clarified that if Google sees in the initial HTML a noindex; it won’t be able to process any meta robots changes or information from within your JavaScript. Martin said “I tested if we process changes to the meta robots in JS…
Google Local Services Ads COVID-19 Services Selections
Google has added options for some local businesses to highlight the types of services they are offering during the COVID-19 outbreak. This is within the Google Local Services Ads and you can select, depending on your business type, what levels and typ…
Google Continues To Tests Favicons In Search Results After Removing Them
In January Google started to display favicons in the desktop search results, only to mostly remove them a month later after a lot of criticism. But since then Google has been testing showing these favicons to a limited number of searchers and they con…
Google: Too Many Heading Sections Is A Waste Of SEO Time
Google’s John Mueller responded to a thread on Reddit saying that having too many heading sections, like as deep as H6, can be a waste of time for SEO. He said “Having this many sections is almost never going to make sense, and changing anything in th…
Google: Limit HREFLANG Implementations To Where You Have Unique Content
Google’s John Mueller said when it comes to hreflang implementations and translating your pages, it is better to do less than more. He said 140 regions seems like way too much, he said on Twitter “I’d recommend limiting yourself to the number of regio…
Google Testing Too Many Searches Related To Options
You’ve all seen the searches related to box at the bottom of the Google search results page. Well, here is a version of it where Google is showing way too many options in that area. Instead of two rows of related searches, Google added a third row. I…
Google Search Algorithm Ranking Update Possibly Around April 16th
Last Thursday, April 16th (the last day of Passover) there may have been a Google search ranking update. There was 100% chatter and some of the rank checking tools notices blips in changes on that day. Google has not confirmed any update but there ma…