We hope you are in good health. Here are some of the major SEO news updates of the week that you need to know:

Search Related News and Updates from Major Search Engine

Google New Updates Regarding Discover Follow Feed Guidelines 

Google recently updated its feed guidelines for Google Discover, which offers Chrome Android users a personalized selection of content relevant to their interests. The new standards are designed to provide a way to connect with people on a more personal level while still meeting all requirements of Google. By focusing on the essential elements that should be included in each feed and increasing user engagement with the content, this update ensures an optimized and enjoyable experience for users. The update to these guidelines also ensures that Google Discover will remain a key traffic source for those looking to capture and track audiences who may not use traditional search or news outlets. With this refined approach, Google hopes to better serve users and publishers with an improved experience regarding the content in Discover feeds.

Google Announced that Optimize and Optimize 360 will be Discontinued 

With the approaching end of the road for both Google Optimize and Optimize 360 on September 30, businesses everywhere are facing an urgent challenge: ensuring their websites continue to provide a seamless user experience. GA4 is expected to offer a new solution. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be available soon enough for businesses that need it; as such, they will have to look beyond Google’s offering and explore other alternatives to ensure that their web pages are optimized for performance. Luckily, there are still several weeks left before the deadline, so businesses that have come to rely on Google can start doing their research and find the right solutions quickly.

Microsoft Bing Testing New Features for Image Search 

Microsoft Bing is making some interesting changes to its image search page. The vertical search options, like videos, news, and web results, have been moved to a drop-down bar beneath the search field for easier navigation. Even more interesting, Microsoft Bing has added two new features labeled “explore” and “collect,” so users can either delve deeper into the topic they are searching for or save what they find to refer back to later. Investigating these new options could result in a more streamlined experience on Microsoft Bing’s image search page. With this new interface in place, whether you are searching for images or actively exploring categories of profound interest, Microsoft wants Bing users to interact with its platform quickly and efficiently.

What Google Says on Generating Fake URLs for your Competitor’s Site

In a Google Webmaster Hangouts each month, John Mueller of Google provides online business owners with valuable insights and advice. He recently addressed the issue of generating fake URLs for a competitor’s site to steal organic traffic. Surprisingly, John Mueller stated that bulk-generating fake URLs should not cause ranking or negative SEO issues for the target website. While initially counterintuitive, it makes sense when you consider the simple fact that search engine algorithms review genuine and counterfeit links to separate those with higher authority or relevance. With this in mind, the search engine algorithm would likely discover any unnatural links before they can affect other websites’ page rankings. Considering this latest development from Google, web admins can rest assured that their competitors’ sites won’t suffer due to practices such as link generation.

Canonical URLs Should be Included in Your Sitemap File

To ensure visibility on search results and have accurate indexing, web admins must employ as many methods as possible to identify the intended canonical version in their Google search results. Google’s Gary Illyes reiterating advice about including URLs in sitemaps is not mere restating of the obvious. His additional explanation adds clarity to why this practice matters. Google wants web admins to specify which version of duplicate content should be the canonical version and that submitting these URLs in a sitemap, along with other hints like rel-canonical tags and redirects, helps to signal which version is desired. Sitemaps provide this hint, though Illyes admits that it is less powerful than other methods, such as redirects or rel-canonical tags. In any case, having clear direction conveyed in your sitemap makes sure that Google knows which version of a page you would prefer them to index.

Social Media Related News and Updates From Major Search Engines

Twitter Rolls Out New Ad Unit – Search Keywords Ads 

Twitter appears to be pushing for additional advertising revenue with the new Search Keywords Ads, a promoted tweet appearing in searches for specific keywords chosen by advertisers. This is a smart move from Twitter and could help the company increase their profits in what has been a difficult year. This new ad unit adds to the existing powerful opportunities that Twitter provides marketers to reach potential customers on its platform. This could boost many businesses when attempting to promote their products or messages. With the addition of Search Keywords Ads, Twitter has opened up another way to communicate with and attract user attention, leading many businesses to turn to the platform to generate further reach among target audiences.

LinkedIn Rolling Out New Feature Related to Newsletters 

This new feature will make staying informed in your professional circle easier. You’ll find valuable content you may have missed by seeing what newsletters other users on LinkedIn are subscribed to. It can help enhance your industry knowledge, and relationship-building through the feature will also strengthen business connections. It allows people to express their interests and spark conversations with colleagues or potential employers. For those looking for insight into a specific field or want to crack open a discussion about an industry trend, knowing what newsletters subscribers read can provide a great angle of approach that puts one foot firmly in front of the other in developing positive professional relationships.

PPC Related News and Updates From Major Search Engines

Google Testing New Feature for Paid Shopping Results

Google is always looking for ways to enhance the features offered to merchants and consumers alike, so it’s no surprise that the tech giant is testing a new feature for the trusted store badge in the paid shopping results. As part of its Google Trusted Stores program launched in 2012, featured sellers will now benefit from visual layout changes and a bolder badge presence in organic search results. This will help shoppers more easily identify where their purchases are coming from and which stores have earned the company’s approval. This improved design should further enhance trust between merchants and customers while encouraging greater transparency within the retail industry.

Tips for Optimizing Product Pages for Google Merchant Listings 

Making your products easy to find is key to driving conversions and getting customers shopping on your website. To make this easier, Google offers a variety of merchant listing experiences in its search results, from product snippets and popular products to shopping knowledge panels and even image searches. With these options now available, businesses want to ensure their products can be eligible for such experiences by providing rich product data for Google Search. Luckily for merchants, there are some great ways to optimize their product information to become suitable for Google’s merchandising experiences outlined in the latest E-commerce Essentials series video on YouTube with Developer Advocate Alan Kent. This video provides helpful instructions that help business owners ensure they get the most out of Google Search and maximize the visibility of their products.

Author

Navneet Kaushal is the Editor-in-Chief of PageTraffic Buzz. A leading search strategist, Navneet helps clients maintain an edge in search engines and the online media. Navneet is also the CEO of SEO Services company PageTraffic which is one of the leading search marketing company in Asia.