There is a nice chat recorded in the last Google webmaster hangout between Mihai Aperghis and with Google’s John Mueller. Where they talked about the times you canonical a URL to another to consolidate signals but those URLs have different content on them.

Google in the local pack is now expanding its “justifications” (weird word for this) to show not just general justifications about the business and not just what is on the menu but highlights from the menu. Luca Bove noticed this and Mike Blumenthal pointed it out, that this is new.

Google has published its annual “Ads Safety Report” and disclosed that it has blocked or removed over 3.1 billion ads for violating its Google Ads policies, it restricted over 6.4 billion ads, suspended over 1.7 million advertiser accounts, and removed ads from over 1.3 billion pages in 2020. Google also said it added or updated over 40 policies for both advertisers and publishers.

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…

Yesterday, Google sent out a slew of notifications through Google Search Console about security or web compatibility issues upcoming with the site and Chrome 91. The email says there are new requirements for SharedArrayBuffers (SABs).

Google lets businesses that do not want to display their addresses (like home based businesses) on Google Maps or Google Search the ability to label their business as “service level businesses.” But starting last Friday according to Tricia Clements (@yourbizwatchdog) Google is now showing the street views for these businesses, which is obviously scary, creepy and not what these businesses owners want.

Over the past couple of days I am seeing more reports of people seeing Google multiple display product image thumbnails throughout the mobile search results snippets. Not just a few but in excess. Yes, Google does show product image thumbnails in the snippets, they have been for years, but it seems like Google may be dialing it up to show more.

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…

Over the past week or so, there has been a lot of chatter in the SEO industry around the potential threat third-party browser extensions can have on your core web vitals scores. Specifically how it might impact your rankings in Google Search based on how a user who visited your site may have installed a plugin that impacts maybe the CLS score on your pages.

A couple of years ago we reported Google showing emojis in part of the search suggestions and autocomplete suggestion as you type your query into Google Search. Well, I am seeing reports of this again, not just on the desktop results but also the mobile search results.

Google My Business has launched a new tool where you can not only see the reviews for your business, but also quickly report those reviews for policy violations and even better, check the status or reviews you already reported. Plus, if that review was not removed, you can quickly submit an appeal.

Bryant Suellentrop spotted a new ad placement in the Google Maps interface that Ben Fisher confirmed with me is new. In short, if you are browsing Google Maps and click on a business pin, Google will overlay the local result on the map interface. Now Google is showing an ad listing in that overlay.

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. Search Engine Roundtable Stories: Google Blocked 3.1 Billion Ads…

What is sync licensing? “Synchronization” is the use of music in visual media such as TV, film, advertisements, trailers, or video games. It literally describes the “synched” pairing of audio and visuals. In a narrow sense, the sync license specifies the negotiated terms of that usage: placement, permissions, payments, etc. It’s an agreement between the owner of the visual media and the owner(s) of the music.  But sync licensing has taken on a broader and more active meaning in the 21st Century. It’s become shorthand for the whole process of finding sync opportunities, pitching specific songs, negotiating terms, and getting […]

The 2021 Grammy Awards saw twenty-nine current and former CD Baby artists nominated across almost as many categories. In the virtual ceremony held on March 14, three of those artists claimed the big prize! Join us in celebrating these Grammy winners distributed by CD Baby: Jim “Kimo’ West: More Guitar Stories (Best New Age) Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra: Four Questions (Best Latin Jazz Album) Joanie Leeds: All The Ladies (Best Children’s Music Album)   Congrats to these three amazing artists! They found success on their own terms, and deserve every bit of this wider industry recognition. Want to get nominated for […]

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…