Daily Search Forum Recap: November 17, 2023

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 updated its search quality raters guidelines. Google is working on fixing its obituary spam issue in Google Search. Bing may use AI to rewrite your snippets. Google's Danny Sullivan shared his Google presentation on X. Google Business Profiles adds a new verification method. Yahoo Search will launch its new experience in the coming months. Plus, I posted the weekly SEO video recap.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Quality Raters Guidelines Updated With Fewer Pages
  Google has updated the Google search quality raters guidelines and it is now only 168 pages, down from 176 pages - so it takes less time to read. I scanned through the changes and I did not see any massive changes like with the December 15, 2022 update.
• Google Search Actively Working On Fixing Obituary Spam Problem
  Google is actively working on fixing the problem it was with showing too much spam for obituary-related queries. Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison, said "it's something we're actively looking at ways to improve."
• Bing May Now Use AI To Write Your Snippets With AI-Generated Captions
  Bing announced this week that it may use AI to create your snippets. Bing is calling this "Generative AI Captions" and if Bing uses AI for your snippet, it will label it as such.
• New Yahoo Search Experience May Launch Soon
  The new Yahoo Search experience may launch as soon as a few months from now. Brian Provost, the Senior VP and General Manager of Yahoo Search, said the new Yahoo Search experience will be launching in the very early days of 2024.
• Google Business Profiles Verification Method: Upload Photo At Customer Location
  Google Business Profiles is adding a verification method for some categories of businesses to make it easier for them to verify their business with Google. This one, you can upload a picture of your vehicle in the local area where you meet your customers.
• Danny Sullivan Posts His Google Search Presentation On X
  Last night, Danny Sullivan, the Google Search Liaison, shared the presentation he gave at brightonSEO online on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The presentation covers Google Search results not being perfect, how Google update aim to improve those results, and how Google's guidance to creators needs to improve.
• Smart Google Cupcakes - Google For Education Cupcakes
  Here are some really smart looking cupcakes that are from the Google office in Dublin. They say Google for Education on them with the Google for Education logo?
• Search News Buzz Video Recap: Buckle-Up, Google Reviews Update Weak, Hidden Gems Rolled Out, Personalized Google, Follow & Notes, SGE, Bing Chat, Copilot, SEO, Local, Ads & More
  For the original iTunes version, click here. It was a very busy week, so I apologize for the length of this video, so buckle up and get ready. Not that Google wanted to say that...

Other Great Search Threads:

• Bard's first self portrait, Jack Krawczyk on X
• FWIW chat doesn't imply AI. People have been making chat apps since (and before) the dawn of the internet., John Mueller on X
• Now live! (Bard Updates), Jack Krawczyk on X
• So, I asked my daughter (19) and son (16) what they thought of Notes in the SERPs. I asked them separately, but their answers were similar. They *probably* would not be interested in posting Notes, and they would be leery of any note, Glenn Gabe on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google admits to paying Apple 36% of Safari revenue – after witness lets figure slip
• Google updates search quality raters guidelines
• Google search antitrust trial updates: Everything you need to know (so far)
• Apple ‘quietly asked Amazon to block competitor ads on its product pages’
• How to use Bard to get ahead of Google algorithm updates
• Google Search goes after fraudulent and manipulative DMCA takedown requests
• How to create and manage an SEO budget
• Better, non-programmatic ways to go up the B2B funnel
• Google rolls out new AI features in SGE to boost product visibility and conversions

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• GA4: User Acquisition vs. Sessions, Practical Ecommerce
• A/B Testing in Google Analytics 4: Life After Optimize, SEM Rush
• Google Analytics Steps Up With New Admin & Email Updates, CMSWire

Industry & Business

• Google Antitrust Judge Says He Has ‘No Idea’ How He Will Rule, Wall Street Journal
• Google has serious user trust issues — it's high time it changed that perception, Android Police
• Google search antitrust trial: What we learned in court, Vox
• The EU will finally free Windows users from?Bing, The Verge
• US wraps up antitrust case against Google in historic trial, Reuters
• Cracks in Google’s dominance on show in tech’s trial of the century, Telegraph

Links & Content Marketing

• A Definitive Guide to AI Tools for Content Marketers, Medium
• Ecommerce Benefits of Content Marketing, Practical Ecommerce
• Is OpenAI’s Custom GPT the Next Frontier?, Content Marketing Institute
• The New Content Marketing Paradigm: AI-Human Collaboration, Forbes

Local & Maps

• How to Do Local SEO for Lawyers, BrightLocal
• Google Maps can now suggest when to leave for Thanksgiving, CNBC
• Google Maps tweaks transit directions, adds emoji reactions and collaborative lists, The Verge
• Yes, Google Maps has new colors. No, you’re not the only one who hates 'em., Mashable

Mobile & Voice

• Google’s Bard Expands Chatbot Usage to Teens as ChatGPT Usage Surges, The Hollywood Reporter
• How to quickly set an alarm on your Android phone, Android Police
• iOS 17: How to set Siri to listen for 'Hey Siri' instead of just 'Siri', Macworld

SEO

• 10 Best SEO Podcasts to Listen to Now, Semrush
• 3 tips for setting up a sitemap, Google Search Central YouTube
• Core Web Vitals’ Impact on Traffic and Conversions, Portent
• Do a few companies have a monopoly on the search results?, Yoast
• Rethinking AMP: Is it time for SEOs to let go?, Wix SEO Hub
• What Pandu Nayak Taught Me About SEO, Blind Five Year Old

PPC

• 16 Effective Ad Copy Examples (& Why They Work), Semrush
• ALPHV (BlackCat) Ransomware Using Google Ads to Target Victims, Hackread

Other Search

• Responsible AI at Google Research: Adversarial testing for generative AI safety, Google Research Blog

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.