Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, was interviewed by Andrew Ross Sorkin at the New York Times DealBook Summit, where he discussed what to expect from Google Search in 2025 but also struggled to articulate Google’s concern for content creators. When asked to compare where Google is today relative to the rest of the industry and whether … Read more
Google simplifies analytics tracking with new one-click key event features in GA4, powered by machine learning. Google released one-click event tracking in GA4 with two features: “Mark as key event” and “Create key event.” Machine learning identifies important site events automatically, eliminating manual setup time. These features are now available for all GA4 properties and … Read more
Google stresses the importance of using actual user data to assess Core Web Vitals instead of relying only on lab data from tools like PageSpeed Insights (PSI) and Lighthouse. This reminder comes as the company prepares to update the throttling settings in PSI. These updates are expected to increase the performance scores of websites in … Read more
In a recent episode of Google’s Search Off the Record podcast, Allan Scott from the “Dups” team explained how Google decides which URL to consider as the main one when there are duplicate pages. He revealed that Google looks at about 40 different signals to pick the main URL from a group of similar pages. … Read more
Google’s “Search Off the Record” podcast recently highlighted an SEO issue that can make web pages disappear from search results. In the latest episode, Google Search team member Allan Scott discussed “marauding black holes” formed by grouping similar-looking error pages. Google’s system can accidentally cluster error pages that look alike, causing regular pages to get … Read more
Google announced it will launch a new Dating and Companionship Ads policy and certification program on March 4. This update aims to improve oversight of dating ads on Google’s advertising platforms. New Policy Highlights Advertisers must get certification from Google to run dating or companionship ads under the new policy. The policy bans certain ads, … Read more
In a recent YouTube video, Google’s Martin Splitt explained the differences between the “noindex” tag in robots meta tags and the “disallow” command in robots.txt files. Splitt, a Developer Advocate at Google, pointed out that both methods help manage how search engine crawlers work with a website. However, they have different purposes and shouldn’t be … Read more
Google Search Central has launched a new series called “Crawling December” to provide insights into how Googlebot crawls and indexes webpages. Google will publish a new article each week this month exploring various aspects of the crawling process that are not often discussed but can significantly impact website crawling. The first post in the series … Read more
Most marketers don’t realize that Google has been losing search market share in EU countries. Image Credit: Kevin Indig The drop in market share comes at a time when Google’s business is under siege: The DoJ recommended separating Google from Chrome and Android amid a lawsuit against Alphabet. (I summarized the lawsuit and potential outcomes … Read more
Google removes sitelinks search box documentation, marking full deprecation of the legacy search feature. Google has removed all documentation for the sitelinks search box feature. The ‘nositelinkssearchbox’ rule has been archived. This documentation removal marks the feature’s full retirement. Source link
Google has updated its Business Profile rules for service-area businesses that sell age-restricted products. Now, businesses selling alcohol, cannabis, weapons, and similar items must have a physical storefront to maintain their Google Business Profile. We were alerted to this update by Stefan Somborac on X: Google actually uses the phrase “Businesses associated with…” not “Businesses … Read more
Google Search’s market share in the UK weakened this year, with user reach dropping to 83% from 86%, according to Ofcom’s Online Nation report. This decline comes as concerns grow over AI-powered search results, with only 18% of users confident in their accuracy. The Rise & Fall of AI Search Adoption Microsoft’s Bing gained popularity … Read more
Google Analytics adds new features to help merchants identify and fix hidden product listings, improving visibility on Google Shopping. Google Analytics now shows product disapproval alerts directly in its dashboard. Custom Channel Groups now support manual ad content parameters for better tracking. This can help fix product listings ahead of the busy shopping season. Source … Read more
Google is beginning a test that will change hotel search results for users in Germany, Belgium, and Estonia. This test will remove features like the map and hotel listings, replacing them with regular blue links to hotel websites and comparison sites. The experiment will only affect users in these three countries, whether searching locally or … Read more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Google gave their final arguments on Monday in an antitrust case regarding Google’s digital advertising technology. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema is expected to make a decision by the end of the year. DOJ’s Argument The DOJ claims that Google has built and kept a monopoly in open-web display … Read more
Google’s click-through rates (CTRs) experienced notable changes across industries and search categories in Q3, according to a report from Advanced Web Ranking. This report compares Q3 data to the previous quarter. It shows how CTRs can vary and what that means for website traffic. Key Findings: Branded searches on mobile saw a 1.07 percentage point … Read more
Google Analytics launches Customer Match beta, enabling advertisers to enhance remarketing using first-party data instead of third-party cookies. Google Analytics now lets advertisers use first-party customer data to improve ad targeting. The feature automatically works with Smart Bidding campaigns on YouTube, with Search and in-feed ads coming soon. Advertisers can implement this by setting up … Read more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has proposed that Google sell its Chrome web browser and possibly the Android mobile operating system. This suggestion is part of a larger effort to address the company’s alleged monopoly in online search. In a 23-page brief submitted to the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., the DOJ outlined … Read more
