Google has once again very quietly updated their Google Quality Rater Guidelines with a brand new version. This update comes as the third update this year so far (following ones in March and May), only months after we saw major changes with fake news. There are some notable changes, especially for those SEOs who […]
Archives for 2017
Submitting Disavow File Not a Spam Signal to Google
I sometimes hear from people who are concerned about proactively submitting a disavow file for any reason, thinking it might signal to Google as either a spam signal or some kind of flag that alerts Google to have a closer look at the site’s backlinks. But is it a valid concern or not? The question […]
Use Rel-Canonical to Match Identical Pages Across Multiple Sites
An interesting question came up on Twitter. Someone is ranking with identical pages across multiple sites and asked how best to tell Google they should be considered the same page, if it should be with noindex or via rel=canonical. And according to Google, the answer is rel=canonical. I'd rel-canon them — Gary "鯨理" Illyes (@methode) […]
Google Ignores Canonicals When Likely Implemented in Error
Anyone who has done website audits has probably come across situations where canonicals have been set up incorrectly, sometimes to disastrous results. But how does Google handle canonicals when a large number of pages are pointing to the same page, or if the canonicals are set up in such a way that it is likely […]
Bing Adds Deal Tag to Local Pack in Search Results
Bing is testing a new feature in their local pack… adding a “Deal” tag directly into the local pack results when there is a coupon code Bing has sourced for the store. Here is what it looks like: As you can see, Bing is pulling the coupon information from the partial list that shows in […]
Google Testing “See More Results” on Mobile, Reduces Results Per Page
Google has a new mobile test which is taking a cue from infinite scroll design by adding a “see more results” button at the end of the search results, instead of the usual “next” button. And in addition, Google has reduced the number of results on the page dramatically, reducing it to 4 results from […]
Google Adds Vacation Rentals to Hotel Search
Google is getting into the vacation rental space by adding specific vacation rentals to their popular hotel search. Now, when you do a hotel search for some locations, Google will add a prompt asking if you’d rather search for vacation rentals instead. This is a huge change and could have a huge impact on the […]
Google Adds Autoplay Video to Search Results Page
If you hate when videos auto play, then you really won’t like this new feature in the Google search results. Google is now autoplaying video when you do a search query that brings up a video in the knowledge panel on the right side of the results. Yes, Google begins autoplaying the video when loading […]
Google Adds Dictionary Search Box to the Google Search Results
If you do a search in Google for a word that triggers the definition box, Google is now including an added search box just for searching definitions, directly to the answer box at the top of the search results. + AM spotted it yesterday and posted a screenshot to Twitter. Here is what it looks […]
Changes to Impressions & Position Data in Google Search Console
If you have noticed changes in Google Search Console reporting with impressions and position data, that is to be expected. Google made some changes to make searches with lower positions more accurate, which is reflected in the changes. Google has posted an update in their Data Anomalies list, as well as including a notation when […]