In this episode of the SEO 101 Podcast, we explore significant updates from Google, including recent search ranking volatility and the launch of new recommendations in Search Console. We also discuss Googlebot’s link crawling behavior, shedding light on how it impacts SEO strategies and website performance. Tune in for insights like this every week!
Show Notes:
NON SEO NEWS
- Federal Judge Ruling on Google Antitrust
- Judge Mehta ruled Google violated antitrust laws, confirming it maintained an illegal monopoly in search and advertising.
- Focus on Google’s exclusive search deals with Android and Apple devices.
- Google’s search monopoly grew from ~80% in 2009 to ~90% in 2020.
- Ruling due to a 10-week trial; focuses on liability, not remedies.
- Google Ads Credit Bug
- A bug led some users, including Tom Waddington, to receive notifications of multi-million dollar credits.
- Actual credited amount was significantly lower after Google corrected the error.
SEO NEWS
- Search Volatility
- Significant search ranking volatility noted after DOJ ruling against Google, confirmed by search tools.
- Google Trends Update
- New, less flashy design for the “Trending Now” section rolled out.
- Search Console Recommendations
- Launched feature providing optimization opportunities and suggested actions for websites.
- Googlebot Crawling Practices
- Gary Illyes clarifies that Googlebot collects links and returns later, contrary to previous beliefs.
LOCAL SEO NEWS
- Google Business Profiles Call Data
- The “Call” tab missing from Performance Reports is a confirmed bug, to be fixed soon.
- This is separate from the earlier removal of call tracking.
AI NEWS
- Reddit’s AI-Powered Search
- Reddit planning tests for AI-powered search results to summarize and recommend content.
- Notable growth with 54% year-over-year revenue increase.
- OpenAI Watermarking Plans
- OpenAI abandons plans for watermarking AI-generated text due to user backlash (30% opposed).
- New methods to circumvent protection were also a concern.
- Instagram Label Change
- Instagram changed “Made with AI” label to “AI Info” after backlash.
- Issue arises from AI metadata added by Adobe, affecting photographers using standard editing tools.
- Potential implications for SEO as AI content labeling becomes more prevalent.
Sources:
Federal Judge Rules Google Violated Antitrust Law – Overview of the federal judge’s ruling on Google’s antitrust violations.
Breaking Article on Google Antitrust Ruling – Breaking news report detailing the implications of the judge’s decision against Google.
Google Ads Million Dollar Credits Bug – Discussion of a bug in Google’s credit system leading to inflated credit notifications for users.
Significant Google Search Volatility – Report on the observed volatility in Google search rankings following the DOJ ruling.
Google Trends New Design – Announcement of a new, less flashy design for Google Trends’ “Trending Now” section.
Google Search Console Recommendations – Introduction of a new feature in Google Search Console that offers optimization recommendations to websites.
Googlebot Link Crawling Clarification – Insights from Gary Illyes regarding Googlebot’s crawling practices and how it handles links.
Google Business Profiles Call Data Bug – Notification about a bug that removed the call data tab from Google Business Profile Performance Reports.
Reddit Explores AI-Powered Search – News on Reddit’s plans to test AI-powered search result pages to improve content discovery.
OpenAI Scraps ChatGPT Watermarking Plans – Report on OpenAI’s decision to abandon watermarking for AI-generated text after user opposition.
Instagram Changes AI Label – Discussion of Instagram’s label change from “Made with AI” to “AI Info” following backlash from users.