Google has lifted the previous demotions from all versions of Penguin in the search results. So if you are waiting to see rankings improve from any of the previous iterations of Penguin, those have now gone out in the search results for all impacted sites. In the early morning Pubcon breakfast session with Gary Illyes from […]
Google: Penguin is Not a Machine Learning Algorithm
Ever since the new real time Penguin algorithm was released by Google, there has been speculation that Penguin was either a machine learning algorithm or had a machine learning component to it. And if it was machine learning, would it be a supervised one or an unsupervised one. I asked Gary Illyes from Google, whether […]
Google Shows Special Ad Note for Vehicles in Local Ad Pack
If you are a care dealership or work in the vehicle industry, this new change Google has made to the mobile local pack ads is pretty interesting. It highlights the type of vehicle dealership it is at the top of the local pack ad units. I have spotted Google doing more testing of the local […]
Google Changes Product Listing Ads to Carousels on Desktop
Google has made a change where Google’s regular Product Listing Ads (aka Shopping Ads) are showing at the top of the search results in carousel format. Google has made this change to searchers in the US, although it is likely international as well, for those that have shopping ads in their country. Google showing a carousel […]
Google Showing “From the Menu” Photos, Adds Photo Uploads for Local Restaurants
Google has added a new feature to the restaurant local knowledge panels. It is a section called “From the menu” that shows photos people have taken specifically of the food from the restaurant. Here is what it looks like: Note the blue camera image on the right above the photos of dishes. You can click […]
Google Confirms Some Google Search Algos Look at History of Page/Site
In today’s Webmaster Office Hours, John Mueller was answering a question related to the frequency of Google updating ranking signals for pages in the search results. But one thing that was interesting was he confirmed that the history of a page or site plays a role in how some search algos rank it, something that […]
How Often Google Updates the Various Search Algo Ranking Signals
Do Google’s various ranking signals within the search algo get applied all at the same time, or can the various parts get updated in cycles with how it ranks a site? We do know that some – like Google Panda – work on a long running cycle. But what about the remaining 200 or so […]
Google AdWords Testing Click to Text Business Option in Mobile Ads
Google is testing a new click to text option in Google AdWords ads that appear on mobile. While some businesses have an option to call, these ones are specific to a text only option, allowing a searcher to text the business instead of phoning. Here is what it looks like (screenshot taken earlier this week): […]
Google Testing “Add a Missing Place” in Local 3-Pack
Google is testing a way to solicit new businesses from searchers in the search results, using the local 3-pack. When a local 3-pack shows up without a third listing, Google instead includes a “Something missing? Add the missing place” in this test. This is not just for searchers who might want to add their favorite […]
Only Add Structured Data Markup to Individual Products not Categories or Lists
Do you have structured data for products on your category or pages with lists of items? You might not be aware that it isn’t permitted by Google. The question came up in the last Webmaster Office Hours, specifically about adding the markup to category and lists. So in general the structured data markup should be […]