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…

Microsoft sent me an email yesterday asking me to use the Bing URL Submissions Plugin for my WordPress site. No, this is not a WordPress site, but the intent was nice. Plus, this site already integrates with the URL submission API directly. So I am not sure why I received the email but hey, I am happy Bing is notifying users of Webmaster Tools of this.

The BrightLocal tool picked up one of the the biggest updates I’ve seen it report in a long time or maybe even ever. It normally runs at the 2.x in terms of local pack changes but yesterday, Wednesday March 11th, it showed 6.78 out of 10 in terms of fluctuations in the local search results.

I know, I know, this is getting ridiculous, at what won’t do I stop reporting on all these Google algorithm updates that are unconfirmed. But the beginning of 2021 is unlike anything I’ve seen from Google in terms of how volatile the organic search results are.

There may be a bug with the Google My Business Google Posts feature. There is a spike in the number of complaints about rejection notices for Google Posts. So when a business owner posts an update to Google Posts, those updates are more likely to be rejected now.

In 2019, Google had issues with displaying images in the rich results recipe carousel for a nice number of recipe sites. The issue I think was resolved twice and ultimately fixed. But it might be happening again, in 2021.

Google has added a local restaurant or businesses online ordering forms to the call to action overlays it provides in Google Maps and the local pack. Previously, Google only showed 3rd party integrated platforms in this overlay, not the custom URL order form option.

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

John Mueller of Google wrote something on Twitter that caught my eye (well, everything he writes on Twitter catches my eye but this one more than others). He said “Yeah, the difference between technically indexed, and practically indexed is tricky.” So I asked John to explain the difference.

Spotify is one of the most important and versatile streaming services for independent artists. From its direct playlist pitching portal, to its profile customization options, to the way their algorithms throw fuel on the fire for a song that shows strong engagement, Spotify has a host of tools and features that empower musicians to shape their own destiny on the platform.  And the more frequently you release music, the more Spotify rewards you, helping you reach both existing fans and new listeners. How far can that reach extend? Well, Spotify is a wildly popular, global music streaming platform. To put that […]

Google is likely going to keep releasing new features and functionality for Google Search Console over the years. John Mueller of Google kind of confirmed that when he said on Twitter that the Search Console team is preparing for “future functionality that’s not yet released.”

Google has updated the directions icon it uses for its local search results. Before the icon had a shape with an arrow in white within it, now it has a simple arrow upwards. This is present both in the local pack and in the Google Maps listings on mobile.

Google announced that full coverage news is now rolling out in Google Search on mobile devices in the United States. I thought it rolled out in 2019 but here is Google’s official announcement that it is now rolling out officially, officially.

Frank Sandtmann, an SEO who sends me tips every now and then, sent me a screenshot of Microsoft Bing showing three columns in the search results interface. I suspect it is a bug because it just looks wrong and when I collapse the screen, the right box goes into the second column.

Google has upgraded the Search Console reports specifically for the Q&A and FAQ structured data. Now Google will check the validity of FAQ and Q&A structured data that is below the root entity level.