Daily Search Forum Recap: June 18, 2024

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.

Google Search Console reports with # signs in them are not related to canonicalization in Google Search, it is related to Google Sitelinks. Bing Webmaster Tools can show clickthrough rates of over 100%, no joke. Google is testing black sitelinks. Google Maps added an edit and post button to the main buttons for Google Business Profiles. And no, Google Search does not always show the original source in its search results.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google: #s In Google Search Console Reports Are Unrelated To Canonicalization
  There is a lot of talk in the wider SEO community around pound signs, #, in the Google Search Console reports, meaning something about canonicalization. John Mueller from Google, along with a number of SEOs, said it has nothing to do with canonicalization. Instead, it has to do with Google tracking on-page sitelinks from the Google Search results.
• Google: Our Search Results Do Not Always Show Original Source
  Google's John Mueller said in the last SEO Google Office Hours video that Google's "search results are not an indication of what Google's systems consider to be the original source." This means that just because Google ranks a piece of content, it does not necessarily mean that the content is the original source.
• Bing Webmaster Tools Clickthrough Rate Over 100%
  Did you ever sort the Bing Webmaster Tools clickthrough-rate column from highest to lowest and notice that you can see a CTR higher than 100%, I even see 300%. Well, Fabrice Canel from Microsoft said this is possible when a searcher clicks on your listing more than once from the same search result set.
• Google Maps Adds Edit & Post Button To Business Profile Listing
  Google has added an "edit" and "post" button more prominently as big buttons to Google Business Profiles within the Google Maps interface. Previously, these buttons were not as accessible in the Google Maps interface.
• Google Search Tests Black Sitelinks
  Google is testing another variation of its sitelinks design, this one uses black font colors for the sitelinks. Of course, Google generally uses blue for those links, because links are generally in blue underlined font.
• Google Japan Zashiki Seating
  Daniel Waisberg was at the Google Japan office and he snapped some photos, shared them on LinkedIn. Here is one of one of the cafe areas that has the Japanese floor seating, also called Zashiki /Tatami seating.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Hmm...so NSR is just "New Site Rank?", Mic King on X
• On 12th June Google update Search Central page added - AI Overviews - Business details - Structured data carousels (beta) Removed Home Activity it was, Gagan Ghotra on X
• Starting today, we are testing an experimental feature to allow people to add notes to provide relevant, timely, and easy-to-understand context on videos. For example, this could include notes that clarify when a song is mea, YouTube Liaison on X
• Unconventional take: ultimately you're helping people with SEO., Gary Illyes on LinkedIn
• What part of the post needs updating? I'm not sure what you mean by "there is no auction." Ad Strength is just a diagnostic tool. It does not "punish your reach if you do not keyword stuff ad copy" or, AdsLiaison on X
• ah, this is a link typo (sadly, not new). fixing soon, Lizzi Sassman on X
• Google Search Status Dashboard, but a little more mobile friendly to view, Dave Smart On LinkedIn

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google’s $2.3 million check secures bench trial in adtech antitrust case
• Reddit unveils new Conversation Ads
• Social search and the future of brand engagement
• SCAMPER your way to better SEO and content marketing ideas

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• 6 Ways to Compare Websites (+ Competitor Analysis Tools to Use), Semrush

Industry & Business

• Google DeepMind Shifts From Research Lab to AI Product Factory, Bloomberg
• Google buys 115MW of geothermal energy to power Nevada data centers, Data Center Dynamics

Links & Content Marketing

• How To Market Your Marketing To Marketers [New Research], Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• Android Automotive gets Google Assistant redesign, 9to5Google
• Local Brand Loyalty Takeaways From That Time Ace Hardware Was Trending, Moz
• Apple’s fancy new CarPlay will only work wirelessly, The Verge

Mobile & Voice

• Apple outs first visionOS 1.3 developer beta, AppleInsider
• Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch X to be thinner and larger, AppleInsider

SEO

• An E-E-A-T Checklist for Auditing How Your Site Demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness & Trustworthiness, Digitaloft
• Choosing Between In-House and Agency SEO: What's Right for Your Business?, Loud
• Rand Fishkin Interview: Zero Click, Regulating Google & Marketing in a Zero Click World, Near Media
• SEO for planned & tentpole news events, WTF is SEO?
• The Top 5 Takeaways From Google's Search API Leaks, Go Fish Digital
• Why Does Google Change My Webpage Title in the Search Results? (And What To Do About It), BruceClay
• AI Overview Tracking in Google Search Console [SEO Experiment], Brodie Clark Consulting
• SEO Product Manager Reactions to SMX Adv Opening Keynote of Director, PM, Search at Google, Holly Miller Anderson on LinkedIn
• SEO Tutorial for Beginners: What to Prioritize (and What Not to), Semrush

PPC

• June 2024 update to Display & Video 360 API, Google Ads Developer Blog
• Making CTV accessible to everyone, Microsoft Advertising
• Consumer trust and ad potential in conversational search, Microsoft Advertising
• How to get refund for invalid clicks in Google Ads?, SEO Service Agency
• Reducing Your Dependency on Google Traffic – Part I: Social Search, PPC Hero

Search Features

• Chrome rolling out 'Listen to this page' TTS on Android, 9to5Google
• Google app puts Search bar at the bottom of its browser, 9to5Google
• Perplexity now displays results for temperature, currency conversion and simple math, so you don't have to use Google, TechCrunch

Other Search

• AI Images in Google Search Results Have Opened a Portal to Hell, 404 Media
• DeepMind's new AI generates soundtracks and dialogue for videos, TechCrunch
• How Apple will label AI images made via Image Playground, AppleInsider
• Can You Replace Google Search With Reddit? I Tried It for a Week, Wall Street Journal
• Gemini in India: Now on Mobile, Multilingual, and More Powerful For Your Everyday Tasks, Google Blog

Feedback:

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