Latest SEO Updates: Google AdSense Transition, Broad Core Update, and Bing AI-generated Descriptions
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Changes in Google AdSense
- Google's Broad Core Update
- Updates in Performance Max Campaigns
- Introduction of Search Generative Experience (SGE)
- Change in Page Experience Report
- November Review Update Rollout
- Malicious and Unwanted Software Policies
- New Report in Google Search Console for Learning Videos
- Introduction of Notes and Follow Features in Search Results Page
- Robots.txt Report in Search Console
- Revamped Google Analytics
- Microsoft's AI-generated Description in Bing's Search Results
- Yahoo's Historical Events in the Search Engine Industry
- Updates in Google's Search Quality Raters Guidelines
- Introduction of Emo Video and Emo Edit by Meta and Facebook
- Removal of Google's Crawl Rate Limiter Tool
- Discussion Forum and Profile Page Reports in Search Console
- Supercharged Information Type Schema Data by Google
- Conclusion
📰 Changes in Google AdSense
Google AdSense made an important announcement on November 2nd. They are transitioning from the pay-per-click model to the pay-per-impression model. This change means that websites using Google AdSense to display ads will be paid based on the number of impressions the ads receive rather than the number of clicks. While the pay-per-impression rate may be lower than the pay-per-click rate, Google assures that the overall revenue for publishers will remain more or less the same. This change aims to prevent scams where websites artificially inflate their click count, providing a more fair and accurate measurement of ad performance.
🔄 Google's Broad Core Update
On November 2nd, Google rolled out a broad core update. This update targets different parameters than the previous core update in October. While Google doesn't provide detailed information about core updates, website owners who experience a decrease in rankings can use tools like Evergreen Video Cum Dashboard to identify affected pages and potential reasons behind it. The broad core update aims to improve search results by refining the algorithm and ensuring that high-quality content is given priority.
🚀 Updates in Performance Max Campaigns
Google announced several updates in Performance Max campaigns on November 7th. These updates include the use of Generative AI in headlines and descriptions, the ability to use Generative AI to create images for campaign assets, AI-based editing for Google's own images, and the addition of watermarks to AI-generated images to indicate their origin. These updates aim to enhance the performance and effectiveness of Performance Max campaigns, providing advertisers with more tools to create engaging and visually appealing ads.
🌐 Introduction of Search Generative Experience (SGE)
Google introduced Search Generative Experience (SGE) on November 8th. Although still in beta, SGE offers users the ability to ask follow-up questions, utilize AI-based translation, and receive more accurate and contextual search results. With this introduction, it seems likely that Google will officially integrate SGE into search results in the near future, potentially replacing traditional featured snippets. This enhancement aims to provide users with a more interactive and personalized search experience.
🔍 Change in Page Experience Report
On November 8th, Google updated the Page Experience Report in Search Console. As announced in April, Google removed scores from the report, but the Core Web Vitals report and HTTPS report remain unchanged. This change allows website owners to focus on specific page experience metrics such as loading speed, responsiveness, and security without being distracted by subjective scores. The updated report provides more actionable insights to improve page performance and user experience.
🔄 November Review Update Rollout
Google launched the November Review Update rollout on November 8th. This update aims to improve the relevance and quality of reviews in search results. Over time, Google has witnessed an increase in artificially generated content and outdated examples within reviews. The November Review Update removes outdated examples and provides updated guidelines for different types of content, including shots and new types of content like video reviews. This update ensures that users receive reliable and up-to-date information when making purchasing decisions.
⚠️ Malicious and Unwanted Software Policies
On November 9th, Google announced a division of policies for malicious and unwanted software into three categories: Malicious Software, Compromised Site, and Unwanted Software. These policies address situations where websites attempt to download software, tools, or scripts without user consent or with harmful intentions. Google will provide a one-week warning to website owners before applying the respective policy, allowing them to rectify issues and ensure compliance. This update aims to protect users from potentially harmful downloads while providing advertisers with a more secure environment for running shopping ads and displaying products in free shopping listings.
🎓 New Report in Google Search Console for Learning Videos
Google introduced a new report in Google Search Console on November 13th specifically for learning videos. This report provides insights into the performance and search appearance of videos that teach various skills or topics. To have access to this report, website owners must implement learning video type schema data on the respective pages. This addition is especially beneficial for websites that publish tutorial-style videos, allowing them to track the visibility and impact of their educational content.
📝 Introduction of Notes and Follow Features in Search Results Page
On November 15th, Google launched two new features in the search results page: Notes and Follow. With the Notes feature, users can leave comments and insights on specific search results. These notes, provided by normal users (including competitor SEOs), offer additional information and perspectives on search results. The Follow feature allows users to follow specific topics, enabling Google to display more content related to their interests. This feature enhances the discoverability of relevant information and encourages users to engage further in their areas of interest.
🤖 Robots.txt Report in Search Console
Google introduced the Robots.txt report in Search Console on November 15th. This report offers useful details about the Robots.txt file, including errors, warnings, and a hidden feature that tracks the history of changes made to the file over a 30-day period. This feature provides transparency and accountability, ensuring that any modifications to the Robots.txt file are recorded and can be traced back to the responsible individuals. The report aims to simplify management and troubleshooting of the Robots.txt file for website owners and SEO professionals.
📊 Revamped Google Analytics
Google unveiled a revamped version of Google Analytics on November 15th. This update brings significant changes to the interface and organization of the tool, providing users with a more streamlined and intuitive experience. While the new layout may initially cause confusion, it also presents an opportunity for users to familiarize themselves with the changes and optimize their usage of Google Analytics. With this update, Google aims to enhance the reporting and analysis capabilities of the platform, catering to the evolving needs of website owners and digital marketers.
💡 Microsoft's AI-generated Description in Bing's Search Results
Microsoft announced on November 15th that it will utilize AI-generated descriptions in Bing's search results. Leveraging the capabilities of GPT-4, Microsoft aims to provide more relevant and informative descriptions for websites and webpages indexed on Bing. Website owners who wish to opt-out of using these AI-generated descriptions can do so by implementing no-archive and no-cache tags on their pages. This update aligns Bing with Google's existing practice of generating captions, titles, and descriptions using AI. As a result, website owners targeting the Bing market can optimize the presentation of their search listings.
🌐 Yahoo's Historical Events in the Search Engine Industry
Yahoo's brand provost shared a historical anecdote about Yahoo's journey in the search engine industry on November 15th. He highlighted pivotal moments, such as Yahoo's opportunity to acquire Google in its early stages, which they initially disregarded. Similarly, Google's rejection of Yahoo's acquisition attempts and subsequent missed opportunities shaped the dynamic between the two search engine giants. Yahoo's history serves as a reminiscence of the internet landscape's evolution and the strategic decisions made by key players in the industry.
🕵️ Updates in Google's Search Quality Raters Guidelines
On November 16th, Google updated its Search Quality Raters Guidelines after almost a year. The updated guidelines bring three main changes: simplification of the "needs met" category definition, provision of guides for different page types, and updates to examples provided within the guidelines. Outdated examples have been removed, while new examples for emerging content types have been added, including shots and new types of content like video reviews. Website owners and SEO professionals can review these guidelines to ensure that their content aligns with Google's quality standards and user expectations.
🎥 Introduction of Emo Video and Emo Edit by Meta and Facebook
Meta and Facebook announced the development of Emo Video and Emo Edit on November 16th. These video and image editing and generation platforms enable users to create videos and edit images by providing prompts within a chatbot-style interface. Although these tools have been announced, they have not yet been released to the public. Emo Video and Emo Edit aim to empower users with powerful tools for visual content creation and editing, potentially augmenting user-generated content across various social media platforms.
🚫 Removal of Google's Crawl Rate Limiter Tool
Google announced the removal of the Crawl Rate Limiter Tool on January 8th, 2024. This tool allowed website owners to control the crawling rate of Google's bots on their websites, regulating the number of requests per second. However, Google decided to retire this tool as it was not widely utilized and did not significantly impact the majority of websites. This update signifies Google's focus on autonomous crawling and emphasizes the importance of providing quality content that naturally attracts search engine bots.
📰 Discussion Forum and Profile Page Reports in Search Console
On November 27th, Google introduced two new reports in Search Console: Discussion Forum and Profile Page. These reports assist website owners who operate forums or allow user profiles on their websites. By implementing schema data specific to these types of pages, the reports provide insights into the appearance and performance of forum threads and user profiles in search results. These reports aid website owners in tracking the visibility and impact of their forum content and user-generated profiles within organic search.
🌟 Supercharged Information Type Schema Data by Google
Google announced an enhancement to the information type schema data on November 29th, allowing users to provide additional details about organizations. This update enables the inclusion of information such as legal name, alternate name, address, phone number, email, number of employees, founding date, tax ID, and more. These details enhance the understanding and visibility of organizations in search results, providing users with comprehensive information when evaluating businesses, institutions, or public entities.
Conclusion
In this month's SEO news, Google introduced various updates and enhancements across its platforms and search algorithms. These changes aim to improve the accuracy and relevance of search results, offer new tools and features for advertisers, and streamline webmaster experiences. From transitioning to the pay-per-impression model in Google AdSense to introducing the Emo Video and Emo Edit tools by Meta and Facebook, the search engine industry continues to evolve, presenting both challenges and opportunities for website owners and digital marketers.
📌 Highlights:
- Google AdSense transitions from pay-per-click to pay-per-impression model.
- Google rolls out a broad core update to refine search results.
- Updates in Performance Max campaigns enhance ad creation and editing.
- Google introduces Search Generative Experience (SGE) for interactive search results.
- Google revamps the Page Experience Report for improved user experience evaluation.
- November Review Update enhances the relevance and quality of reviews in search results.
- Google introduces policies for malicious and unwanted software to ensure user safety.
- New report in Google Search Console provides insights into learning videos' performance.
- Notes and Follow features allow users to engage and explore topics directly in search results.
- Robots.txt report in Search Console facilitates management and history tracking of Robots.txt file.
- Microsoft adopts AI-generated descriptions in Bing's search results.
- Yahoo reflects on its historical events in the search engine industry.
- Google updates its Search Quality Raters Guidelines to align with evolving trends.
- Meta and Facebook unveil Emo Video and Emo Edit for easy content creation and editing.
- Google removes the Crawl Rate Limiter Tool for autonomous crawling.
- Discussion Forum and Profile Page reports provide insights into forum and profile visibility in search.
- Enhanced information type schema data includes comprehensive organization details in search results.
📖 FAQ:
Q: How will Google's transition to the pay-per-impression model affect publishers?
A: The transition is expected to result in lower payment rates as impressions are more abundant than clicks. However, Google assures that the overall revenue for publishers will remain relatively the same.
Q: Can website owners opt-out of using AI-generated descriptions in Bing's search results?
A: Yes, website owners have the option to use no-archive and no-cache tags to prevent AI-generated descriptions from appearing alongside their website listings in Bing's search results.
Q: How can website owners prepare for Google's broad core update?
A: Since Google doesn't provide detailed information about core updates, website owners should focus on creating high-quality content that aligns with Google's quality guidelines. Monitoring the performance of individual pages using tools like Evergreen Video Cum Dashboard can help identify potential issues and adapt accordingly.
Q: What do the Notes and Follow features in search results aim to accomplish?
A: The Notes feature allows users to leave comments and insights on search results, contributing to a more interactive and collaborative search experience. The Follow feature enables users to stay updated on specific topics of interest, allowing Google to provide more relevant content recommendations.
Q: How does Google's Robots.txt report in Search Console benefit website owners?
A: The Robots.txt report provides detailed information about the Robots.txt file, including potential errors and warnings. Additionally, it maintains a history of changes made to the file, aiding in troubleshooting and ensuring accountability among website administrators.
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