Google Core Update Rumbling, Manual Actions FAQs, Core Web Vitals Updates, AI, Bing, Ads & More

This past weekend (a week ago) we saw the first ranking volatility likely from the Google March 2024 core update. We also some saw possible reversals or recoveries a few days later. Then today, Friday, March 15th, I am seeing more ranking volatility likely related to the core and spam updates. Google posted its official FAQs for pure spam manual actions. Google has clarified its page experience and core web vitals help documentation and how it relates to rankings. Google has replaced FID with INP as a core web vital metric, as expected. Google said sites use AI for some articles but don’t specify which are the lowest quality pages. Google explains that double down on AI content may be a bad idea now. John Mueller’s site dropped out of the Google index this week, no joke. Bing Webmaster Tools may provide up to 24 months of data. Bing Webmaster Tools’s new top SEO insights report can tell you if you have inadequate links. Bingbot now supports Brotli compression. Google Top Stories has this “more context” section written by AI. Google image search is testing like buttons. Google Local panels are testing numerous interface changes. Google local reviews can show photos related to reviews and related photos to photos. Google is testing placing website links next to hotels and restaurants. Google Business Profiles shows services with book now buttons. Google Merchant Center Product Studio released themed templates, with the first being for St. Patrick’s Day. Microsoft Advertising is testing a new advertising console. Microsoft Copilot is now using GPT-4 Turbo. Copilot is now in that Microsoft Advertising console. And if you want to help sponsor those vlogs, go to patreon.com/barryschwartz. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable. SPONSOR: Wix Studio lets digital marketing agencies get all of the benefits Wix has to offer from best-in-class SEO capabilities to 99% up-time with the added value of an extensive client and team management system baked right into the platform. 0:00 - Introduction 0:49 - Google March 2024 Core Update Ranking Changes Have Begun 1:14 - Google March 2024 Core/Spam Update Early Reversals (It's Far From Done...) 2:00 - Google March 2024 Core & Spam Update Movement Today 2:34 - Google Official FAQ On Pure Spam Manual Action 3:00 - Google Clarifies Page Experience & Core Web Vitals Related To Search Rankings 4:14 - Reminder: Google Core Web Vitals Replaces FID With INP Tomorrow (March 12) 4:49 - Google: Sites Using AI For Some Articles But Don't Specify Which Is Lowest Quality Pages 5:27 - Google Explains Doubling Down On AI Content Now May Be A Bad Idea 6:06 - John Mueller's Site Dropped From Google Search 6:58 - Bing Webmaster Tools May Provide Up 24 Months Of Data 7:12 - Bing Webmaster Tools Tells You When Your Inbound Links Are Inadequate 7:41 - Bingbot Supports Brotli Compression 8:16 - Google Top Stories More Context Section Is Generated By AI 8:34 - Google Image Search Results Testing Like Button 8:52 - Numerous Google Local Panel User Interface Updates 9:30 - Google Local Reviews Related To Photos In Local Panel (& Related Photos) 9:53 - Google Hotel & Restaurant Search Listings Tests Adding Website Link 10:05 - Google Business Profiles With Bookable Services 10:21 - Google Merchant Center Product Studio With Themed Templates Including St. Patricks Day 10:45 - New Interface For Microsoft Advertising Console 11:00 - Microsoft Copilot Now Using GPT-4 Turbo 11:21 - Copilot Now In Microsoft Advertising Console 11:31 - Conclusion