Google Helpful Content System Update, Continuous Scroll On Desktop & Topic Refinements

This week we had another confirmed update to the Google helpful content system; it is now global. Google also had a lot of volatility over the previous week, unrelated to this confirmed update. Google officially rolled out continuous scroll on desktop search this week. Google also officially launched topic refinements in the mobile search results but is also testing it on desktop. Google Search Console said the Subscribe with Google sites might see an increase in impressions and clicks in the search performance report. Google’s Gary Illyes recommended you load content before JavaScript if you get a Search Console notice. Google is testing removing the estimated number of search results. Google is testing showing short product reviews in the product thumbnail images. An SEO poll asks if link building is as effective or not. Google said SafeSearch could be triggered by a lot of explicit and extreme cursing. Google said set up tests to see if your site is blocking Googlebot. Google Business Profiles has a bug with uploading logos or images. Google updated the keyword planner to let you organize keywords into ad groups. Microsoft Advertising released a bunch of new features. I posted the monthly Google webmaster report this week. Finally, Google posted the top trending searches for 2022. 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: This week's video recap is sponsored by Semrush. Search Topics of Discussion: December 2022 Google Helpful Content Update Rolling Out With Global Impact Large Google Search Ranking Algorithm Updates & Volatility Continues Official: Google Continuous Scroll Now On Desktop Search Google Launches +Topic Search Bar Refinements After Several Months Of Testing Google Tests +Topic Search Bar Refinements On Desktop After Launching On Mobile Google Search Console: Sites Using Subscribe With Google May See Increase In Impressions & Clicks Have Content Load First For JavaScript Heavy Sites Says Google Google Tests Removing Estimated Number Of Search Results Again Google Search Tests Short Product Reviews In Image Thumbnails Google Clarifies Using Noindex & 404 Status Codes For Crawl Budget Optimization Poll: 40% Of SEOs Say Link Building Is As Effective As It Always Was Google SafeSearch Can Be Triggered By Use Of Explicit & Extreme Cursing Google: Using A CDN Or Cloud Hosting, Set Up Routine Tests To Ensure Googlebot Is Not Blocked Businesses Cannot Upload Their Logo & Photos To Their Google Business Profiles Google Keyword Planner Organize Keywords Into Ad Groups Officially Live In English Microsoft Advertising Gains Flyer Extensions, Retract & Restate Conversions, Ad Schedule Calendar View & More December 2022 Google Webmaster Report Google 2022 Year In Search - Top Searches