Google SEO News
Ongoing Google Search Ranking Volatility for Two Weeks
For the past two weeks, there has been consistent and significant volatility in Google Search rankings, continuing a trend observed since mid-July. Prior fluctuations were noted in updates on July 23rd, 18th, and 9th. This follows several months of weekend ranking volatility. A forthcoming Google core update is expected soon, which may explain some of the recent fluctuations.
SEO Recommendations by Jason
It will be very interesting to see how long these fluctuations last. I expect that as we come out of the summer season, which tends to be the most volatile, we will see a more steady response in search results and algorithm updates. However, when the Google Core update is rolled out, this could again affect some sites, creating ongoing volatility.
Google: Core Update Imminent Amid Publisher Concerns
Google's John Mueller responded to publisher complaints about missing image thumbnails, suggesting patience until the imminent core update. Mueller's comments, echoed by Danny Sullivan, indicate the update is weeks away but lack a specific timeline. Google attributes the issue to site quality, with ongoing internal reviews potentially delaying solutions. Meanwhile, publishers continue to experience ranking volatility.
SEO Recommendations by Jason
As always, our iconic friend at Google, John Mueller, is remarkably vague about important technical updates. With that being said I haven’t seen the issue with Open Graph Tags not showing up correctly. As Google rolls out its core web updates, I expect we will see bugs resolved and potential changes in impressions or site volatility.
Bing SEO News
Reddit Blocks Bing and Others, Allows Google Crawling
Reddit updated its robots.txt file on July 1, 2024, blocking most search engines and AI crawlers except Google. This move, linked to Reddit's $60 million annual deal with Google, led to Reddit content disappearing from Bing. Microsoft's response emphasized compliance with Reddit's directives. Despite some negative PR, Reddit's decision leverages its partnership with Google, maintaining visibility in Google Search while excluding competitors.
SEO Recommendations by Jason
This is huge! This shows the future of user-generated content communities could be inclusive and not available to wider searches, promoting exclusiveness and avoiding gibberish plagiarism of its content. I do believe we will see this more and more, even on unique sites such as Amazon or even Quora. What are the benefits of doing this? Well, avoiding AI bots and crawlers elevates the genuineness of their content, driving value to their brand. Also, cashing a 60 million dollar check helps, too 🙂
Microsoft Testing New Bing Generative Search Experience
Microsoft has started testing a new Bing generative search experience, combining generative AI and large language models to improve search results and overall user experience. This small-scale test includes AI-generated summaries, document indices, source citations, and traditional search results. Microsoft aims to maintain click-through rates and support a healthy web ecosystem while optimizing search accuracy.
SEO Recommendations by Jason
This is very similar to Google AI Overview. I think it's a “liter” version and is less dynamic, but it still improves the user experience. Personally, I haven’t seen any major changes in Bing traffic or volatility in impressions, but do feel smaller sites with bland content or lack of content density could be hit if this rolls out across all searches. We don’t know when this exactly will be rolled out but don’t feel it will be that long; Google is gearing up to launch AI Overview to all users, and Bing wouldn’t be that behind.
General Search Marketing News
OpenAI Introduces SearchGPT
OpenAI has unveiled SearchGPT, a prototype search engine offering real-time, relevant search results with linked sources. Unlike ChatGPT, SearchGPT mimics traditional search engines with a Google-like interface. Early access is available via a waitlist. SEO remains crucial as search engines evolve, emphasizing content production, topical authority, and backlinks. This new development presents opportunities for those who adapt quickly to AI-based search environments.
SEO Recommendations by Jason
I do think this is an obvious move by OpenAI, expected, but it will be very interesting to see how this compares to other major search engines and, most importantly, what search term data or webmaster data will be available from this. Or maybe it will be a black box? LOL.
SearchGPT will be a mix of search results and AI generative snippets. I don’t know if the UX will be good for all users, but it's great to see more platforms appearing on the scene to compete with other major search engines. From an SEO standpoint, ranking for long-tail and highly specific long-tail searches can help you consolidate your authority, although semantically optimizing your content clusters shouldn’t be overlooked.
