Google has officially deprecated the Sitemaps ping endpoints. Now, when you try to access it, Google responds, “Sitemaps ping is deprecated,” with a link to the post about it going away. Here is a screenshot of the error: Google did tell us several months ago that it will stop working around now and Google was … Read more
Google seems to be testing longer search result snippets again. We saw this recently with Google Ads, some really long Google Ads descriptions and now we are seeing it with the organic/free listings. This was spotted by AbhisheK Kasaudhan who shared this screenshot with me on X: This is what I see for those snippets: … Read more
Google has updated its policy where an identifier exists issue will no longer lead to disapproval of your product listings. Instead, Google will first issue you a warning for identifier exists. Google explained that “Unique product identifiers (UPIs) define the product you’re selling in the global marketplace. They uniquely distinguish products you’re selling and help … Read more
Google Ads will stop responding to multicall requests within hybrid setups from January 2024. The announcement comes as the platform continues its gradual transition from waterfall to real-time bidding auctions for publisher apps. Why we care. Publisher apps must ensure they comply with the updated rules, as Google Ads has issued a warning that it … Read more
Google may be testing showing longer-form justifications in the Google local results. In the example below, provided by Miriam Ellis on X, it showed a more extended description/justification provided by Yelp. The “The 25 most photographed restaurants in Greater Cleveland, according to Yelp” is the justification part of the snippet. As a reminder, Google was … Read more
Google Ads has stopped supporting Store Sales Direct (SSD) as a standalone product. The update means that SSD conversion upload requests to the Google Ads API are also no longer supported. Why we care. Marketers must stay informed about updates in reporting data and sales measurements to maintain accurate reports. This ensures effective campaign optimization … Read more
Google has been downplaying the importance of links in its ranking algorithm for the past couple of years now. But last Thursday, at PubCon, Gary Illyes from the Google Search team said he wouldn’t even put links into the top three ranking signals Google Search uses. Gary was quoted saying this in several posts on … Read more
YouTube is testing longer but fewer ads on its connected TV app. The platform is hoping to improve the user experience and boost engagement for non-premium subscribers by running extended ads in the middle of videos as opposed to short ads throughout. YouTube is yet to confirm the duration of these new ads and the … Read more
X (Twitter) has paywalled Tweetdeck for both brand and personal accounts. Users now need to be Blue subscribers to access the tool, which has been rebranded as XPro under Elon Musk’s reign. Why we care. Some people will feel disgruntled about paying for a tool that has historically been free, so may leave the platform … Read more
Microsoft is working hard to upgrade the Bing Chat infrastructure. This will not only make Bing Chat faster and more reliable but also enable features like third-party plugins and nosearch. But this upgrade is taking longer than expected, according to Bing’s CEO, Mikhail Parakhin. Mikhail Parakhin was asked for an update on both plugins and … Read more
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