We hope you are in good health. Here are some of the major SEO news updates of the week you need to know:
Search Related Updates and News from Major Search Engines
Google’s Core Update for May 2022 is now complete
Google has confirmed that the core algorithm upgrade that began on 25th May is now complete. You can now get a precise assessment of the impact. The completed rollout was announced at 3:44 a.m. EST; however, you may have already noticed the update’s effects. If that’s the case, and the changes you’re seeing follow the same pattern, you were most likely affected by the Core Update in May 2022.
You Can Limit Search Engine Access To XML Sitemaps, According To Google
According to Google’s John Mueller, restricting access to your XML Sitemaps to only search engines is legal. As a result, you can potentially prevent humans from viewing your XML sitemaps while allowing Google to do so. This came up when Christoph Cemper inquired about specific sites utilizing Cloudflare to limit access to their XML sitemap files. Christoph enquired, “Cloudflare had “protected” an XML sitemap. I’m curious if Googlebot would enter that Captcha, if it would simply retry later, or if it would simply disregard the map. @JohnMu, do you have any experience or advice in this area?” On Twitter, John answered, saying: “That’s all right. These sitemap files are intended for search engines, and some websites wish to limit access to them.”
Under the Search Bar, Bing is experimenting with the Ads tab.
Microsoft Bing appears to be experimenting with an “advertising” button beneath the search box, where you may view possibilities for images, videos, maps, news, shopping, and more. To be honest, this looks out of place, but hey, Bing, like Google, tests a lot of cool stuff. Khushal Bherwani found this and shared it on Twitter, and we was able to recreate it after much trial and error. If ads are present and you select the ads tab, you will only see advertisements.
Material, Product Line, and Other Search Features Expanded by Google
Google appears to have expanded the browse by the tool to allow you to filter product search results by material, product line, and other criteria. Although we’ve seen several forms of this previously, it’s good to see Google likely dynamically increase these browsing by selections and refinements.
When there are multiple HTTP Result Codes, Google chooses the first one.
At the 1:20 mark of Friday’s Google hangout, Google’s John Mueller was asked about serving two or more HTTP result status codes. Which one does Google Search choose if you serve two more people? The answer is usually the first, and the first HTTP response code is used.
PPC Related Updates and News
For Finance Ads, Google Increases Verification Requirements
Google is expanding its finance ad verification program, requiring advertisers in more countries to demonstrate that they are permitted to promote financial services. Verification gives an extra degree of security against financial fraud, ensuring that individuals aren’t duped into clicking on search adverts. In September 2021, Google introduced this program in the United Kingdom, which has apparently resulted in a significant decrease in ads promoting fraudulent services. After a successful launch in the United Kingdom, Google is spreading the verification program to new nations, beginning with Australia, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Version 11 of the Google Ads API is now available.
The Google Ads API version 11 is now accessible, according to Google. Versions 10.1 and 10.0 were released on April 27th, 2022, and February 9th, 2022, respectively. Also, on April 27th, Google announced the sunset of the AdWords API, which will cease to function entirely by the end of July.
Social Media Updates and News
The new Instagram Update Might Impact the Reach of a few Accounts
Instagram is expanding a function that filters out sensitive information, which could have an impact on some accounts’ reach. Users can choose how much sensitive content appears in Search, Reels, Accounts You Might Follow, Hashtag Pages, and In-Feed Recommendations by going to the Settings menu and selecting Sensitive Content Control. Sensitive Content Control was first implemented in July 2021, but only for the Explore feed. If enough individuals use Sensitive Anything Control, your posts’ reach may be reduced if you publish content that Instagram considers sensitive.’ Impact Reach For Some Accounts.
