Daily Search Forum Recap: May 2, 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 still says that helpful content recoveries are possible but may take a really long time. OpenAI may launch its own search engine really soon. Google Ads to automatically pause low-activity keywords. Forbes removed its coupon directory completely from its site, with the Google site reputation abuse policy coming. Google Ads now disallows deep fakes of a sexual nature. I posted the big Google Webmaster report for May 2024.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• 
  May 2024 Google Webmaster Report
  
  
  In the past month, in Google-land, we have spoken a lot about the March 2024 core update, which ended on April 19th, a week before Google notified us it was done. This core update was painful for many, especially those who were hit by the September helpful content update. But more is to come, we have the site reputation abuse penalty coming in the next few days – are you ready?
• 
  Google: Helpful Content Update Recoveries May Take Much Longer Than Others
  
  
  Google’s John Mueller responded to some questions around why sites hurt by the September 2023 Google helpful content update have not recovered with March 2024 Google core update. He said on X that while recoveries are still possible, “some things take much longer to be reassessed (sometimes months, at the moment), and some bigger effects require another update cycle.”
• 
  Google Ads To Automatically Pause Low-Activity Keywords Next Month
  
  
  Google Ads will automatically pause low-activity keywords starting in June 2024. That means campaigns with keywords that were created over 13 months ago and have zero impressions over the past 13 months will be paused.
• 
  Forbes Completely Removes (410 Server Status) Coupon Directory
  
  
  A couple of weeks ago Forbes blocked its coupons directory on its website from being crawled by Google. Now Forbes has completely wiped out all the coupons from its site, serving a 410 status code and removing the coupons link from its navigation.
• 
  Google Ads To Disallow Services For Deepfake Sexual Content
  
  
  Google Ads, Shopping Ads, Admob, and other Google Ads products will soon disallow deepfake sexual content, synthetic sexually explicit content, or synthetic content containing nudity services. I mean, this seems like something they should have disallowed before, but now any tool or service that is around these types of content will be disallowed.




• 
  Report: OpenAI To Launch Search Engine
  
  
  Over the past week or so, I’ve seen two signals that OpenAI will launch its own search engine of sorts soon. The first is that search.chatgpt.com is showing in the log files for some servers, and also, yesterday, there were more business-oriented rumors of OpenAI launching a search engine on May 9th.
• 
  Googlers Eating Matzah Before Passover
  
  
  Here is a photo of some Googlers at the Google New York City office eating matzah on a rooftop area. This was taken before Passover but I only spotted it now. This was shared on Instagram.

Other Great Search Threads:

• As a reminder, the last part of the March 2024 announcements, the new Google Search spam policies about reputation abuse, take effect after May 5, 2024. Find out more about these changes in the blog post https://t.co/FB8bo, Google Search Central on X
• Goodbye, Google Podcasts. Hello, @youtubemusic, Azeem on X
• Google is testing a more colorful version of their (German) navigation: the first item just got a blue background., Frank Sandtmann on Mastodon
• Submit your best example., John Mueller on X
• These DOJ Antitrust docs are so fascinating. Years ago I wrote an article that said Ad Rank is where Google could hide whatever they wanted to do in an auction… and here is Google changing their definitions away from “you pay t, Kirk Williams on X
• Why should it never happen? Ranking #1 does not mean that it’s a good result now, or that it was then. I don’t mean to be harsh, but the advantage of the web is that it moves quickly. That’s also a challenge sometimes., John Mueller on X
• Google is now testing out a “shop deals” banner for Mother’s Day, directing users to a page focused on gift ideas for moms. This test is part of a string of occasion-based banners that have been appearing as far back as October of, SERP Alert on X
• Many of the pages I’m analyzing with traffic/rankings shifts in the last months correlating with the update show a similar pattern to this one: Dropped right before the core update official release ****, touched bottom, Aleyda Solis on X
• Reminder!! We’re just 2 months away from the official turndown of Universal Analytics. For UA360 customers, the migration deadline is right around the corner. But this **** is important for everyone. Beginning July 1, you will, AdsLiaison on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

Industry & Business

• Google cuts hundreds of ‘Core’ workers, moves jobs to India, Mexico, CNBC
• Google lays off dozens more in Bay Area on way to record valuation, San Francisco Chronicle
• Google urges US to update immigration rules to attract more AI talent, The Verge
• Google, DOJ return for closing arguments, The Hill
• Google’s Payments to Apple Reached $20 Billion in 2022, Cue Says, Bloomberg
• What Google Investors Should Really Be Cheering, The Information
• 4 Google Execs Received 200% of Annual Performance-Based Stock Options, Business Insider
• U.S. v. Google: As landmark ‘monopoly power’ trial closes, here’s what to look for, NPR

Links & Content Marketing

Local & Maps

Mobile & Voice

SEO

PPC

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.