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 […]
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 […]
Google Testing Rounded Sitelinks Carousel Buttons on Mobile
Google has been testing multiple variations of a less colorful and more black mobile UI this year. This test includes an interesting feature – adding bubble style buttons in place of the usual sitelinks links at the bottom of some search results. Here is the screenshot of the test, shared by Faisal Ahmed on Twitter. […]
Google Asking Searchers to Submit Tags in Movie Knowledge Panel
Google is making a new change to their movie knowledge panels. Google is asking searchers to add tags related to the movie they search for, at the bottom of the movie knowledge panel on mobile. Paul Shapiro spotted the test. When you click to vote for tags, it brings up a pop over to […]
Google Adds Follow Button to Search Results in Google Search App
Google has added an interesting new feature to their Google search app – the ability to follow search results, allowing Google to show updated stories related to those searches in the Google search app feed. Here is what it looks like: When you click the follow button, you get the confirmation that stories related to […]