Daily Search Forum Recap: October 28, 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 has systems to downgrade rankings when portions of your site’s content is starkly different from the rest of your site. Google had more search ranking volatility over the weekend, it just won’t calm down. Google Search Console updated its performance reports and it freaked out SEOs big time. Google updated its URL structure, favicon documentation and added new Google Trends docs. Google has mentioned in products carousel snippets. Google Business Profiles can show reviews within photos now. Google Ads to sunset call ads.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• 
  Google Search Downgrading Rankings Of Content Starkly Different From Main Content
  
  
  Google is now saying it has ranking systems that “aim to understand if a section of a site is independent or starkly different from the main content of the site. This helps us surface the most useful information from a range of sites.” This is the reason that sites like Fortune Recommends, Forbes Advisor and other sections of sites saw declines in Google Search rankings over the past several weeks.
• 
  Google Search Ranking Volatility Again On October 26th & 27th & 23rd & 24th
  
  
  While I was offline, it seems we had two bouts of Google Search ranking volatility, one starting around Wednesday, October 23rd and 24th, and then again in the past 24 hours, starting on October 26th and 27th. I mean, this is a lot of the same as my previous Google Search ranking algorithm update coverage.
• 
  Google Search Console Performance Report Showing Almost No Data Today
  
  
  Google Search Console’s performance report seems to have a bug where it is showing almost zero data for today. I can replicate this across numerous Search Console properties, so maybe something is stuck with Search Console right now. This might be a feature where Google is showing more real-time data.
• 
  Google To Sunset Call Ads; Migrating To Responsive Search Ads
  
  
  Google Ads will be sunsetting call ads sometime next year and will be migrating those to responsive search ads. Google wrote, “Call ads are being upgraded to responsive search ads to enable new features and simplify asset creation and management.”




• 
  Google Updates URL Structure, Favicon & Adds Google Trends Docs
  
  
  Google has added a new search document on Google Trends while also making some small updates to the URL structure, best practices documentation, and favicons documentation. Google has been doing a lot of videos around Google Trends, so the new documentation around that topic is not a surprise.
• 
  Google Search Snippet With Mentioned Products Carousel
  
  
  Google is testing showing a carousel named mentioned products, that can be displayed under a search result snippet that shows the products mentioned in that search result. This came up for Reddit results, in the Discussions and forums section in Google Search.
• 
  Google Business Profiles Testing Reviews Within Photo Carousels
  
  
  Google is now testing showing reviews within the photos carousel within a Google Business Profile listing. So when you scroll through the photos for a business, Google can also show review snippets.
• 
  Google Business Profiles: Answer Questions About Your Inventory
  
  
  Google Business Profiles may now ask you to verify your information about your store inventory within the Products section of your profile. Google will ask “Do you sell these products in-store?”
• 
  Google Nuts In An Ice Cream Cup
  
  
  Here is an ice cream cup with a Google super G logo sticker on it with nuts on top. Yep, Google nuts.

Other Great Search Threads:

Search Engine Land Stories:

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

Industry & Business

Links & Content Marketing

Local & Maps

Mobile & Voice

• Apple Intelligence expands in iOS 18.2 developer beta, adding Genmoji, Visual Intelligence and ChatGPT, Engadget
• Apple releases APIs for Apple Intelligence and localized English language support, TechCrunch
• Apple restarts betas with bigger Apple Intelligence push, AppleInsider
• Apple Sharply Scales Back Production of Vision Pro, The Information
• Hands on with Image Playground, ChatGPT, and Genmoji in iOS 18.2, AppleInsider
• Here’s how ChatGPT integration works for Apple Intelligence, TechCrunch
• iPhone 16 orders cut by around 10 million units for 4Q24–1H25; no evidence yet that Apple Intelligence could boost iPhone shipments in the near term, Ming-Chi Kuo
• Vimeo brings spatial videos to the Apple Vision Pro, Engadget
• Apple teases ‘week’ of Mac announcements starting on Monday, The Verge
• Apple Vision Pro guest mode may soon be controlled via iPhone, AppleInsider
• Apple’s AI testing applications — An inside look, AppleInsider

SEO

• AI Search Engines & SEO’s Future, SERP’s Up SEO Podcast | Wix Studio SEO Hub
• Announcing MozBar V4 – A New Era for Moz’s SEO Browser Extension, Moz
• The SEO Framework: Core Web Vitals & Web Performance, Oncrawl
• Unveiling Google’s Secret Influence on SEO and Data Collection: The Implications of Chrome’s Data Pipeline – Part 3 of 3, MobileMoxie Blog
• Elevating Your SEO Career and Team in the AI Era — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
• Google Merchant Center: A guide for ecommerce retailers, Yoast
• SEO Horrors: 10 Mistakes That Will Haunt Your Website, Koozai
• The Billion-Dollar World of Parasite SEO: How to Cash In, Lars Lofgren
• The Impact of Generative AI on SEO Strategies, Bitvero UK Ltd
• Best AI SEO Tools For Keyword Research, Influencer Marketing Hub
• International SEO Strategies: Expanding Your Global Reach, Level343

PPC

Search Features

Other Search

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