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’s Martin Splitt Explains Rendering Strategies and Their Impact on SEO
In an episode of Google’s Search Central Lightning Talks, Martin Splitt, a Developer Advocate at Google, dives into key rendering strategies and their impact on SEO. He highlights how different rendering methods—pre-rendering, server-side rendering, and client-side rendering—affect website performance and search engine visibility. Pre-rendering is ideal for more straightforward sites as it enhances SEO and security. Server-side rendering, while supporting dynamic content, requires more resources. Over-relying on client-side rendering can lead to SEO issues, such as poor content visibility. Splitt emphasizes balancing rendering techniques to optimize user experience and search engine rankings.
Google’s John Mueller Explains How Search Console Manages 404s, Redirects, and Site Migrations
John Mueller shared insights on how Search Console manages 404 errors, redirects, and site migrations. He clarified that the “mark as fixed” feature only tracks reprocessing and doesn’t accelerate the process. If a page isn’t meant to be a 404, it’s essential to resolve the issue, implement redirects, ensure the content returns a 200 status, check internal links, and update sitemaps. No action is needed for pages that return a 404, as it’s correct for non-existent pages. The reprocessing time can vary, especially for larger site migrations or extended periods of inactivity.
Google’s John Mueller addressed the use of generative AI in creating blog posts and content solely to acquire backlinks. According to Mueller, this practice will likely violate Google’s spam policies. This statement came in response to a complaint regarding such activity being carried out on a website outsourced by their SEO firm to a third party. Website owners and SEO professionals must know Google’s guidelines and avoid any practices the search engine could view as spammy or manipulative.
Google Business Profiles Introduces ‘Add to Menu’ Option for Enhanced Customization
Google Business Profiles has introduced a new feature called ‘Add to Menu.’ This option provides businesses with enhanced customization capabilities, allowing them to showcase their menu items directly on their Google profile. With this new feature, businesses can easily update their menu offerings and provide customers with up-to-date information on what they offer. This enhances the user experience for customers searching for businesses on Google and helps businesses attract more potential customers by providing enticing menu options. The ‘Add to Menu’ option is valuable to Google Business Profiles, allowing businesses to optimize their online presence further and drive more traffic to their establishments.
Google’s John Mueller on Rapid Link Loss: ‘SEOs Often Overestimate Links
When a website loses a significant number of links in a short period, it can hurt its Google search rankings and overall SEO performance. Links play a crucial role in determining a website’s authority and relevance in the eyes of search engines. Losing many links can signal to search engines that the website is no longer trusted or valuable, potentially dropping rankings. However, it is essential to note that John Mueller has stated that SEOs often overestimate the importance of links. This suggests that while losing links can have an impact, it may not be as significant as some SEOs believe.
Google Experiments with ‘People Also Ask’ and ‘People Also Search For’ Refinements
Google constantly strives to enhance the user experience by introducing and refining new features. In line with this objective, Google is currently conducting experiments with the ‘People Also Ask’ and ‘People Also Search For’ sections of its search results. These sections provide additional information and related queries that users might find useful. The new search refinement options allow users to expand their queries within these sections, allowing for a more comprehensive search experience. By giving users more control over their searches, Google aims to provide more relevant and accurate results, catering to the diverse needs of its users.
Unconfirmed Bug Suspected in January 2025 Google Local Ranking Update
A significant shake-up in Google Maps and Local Search rankings has been reported, sparking discussions among SEOs and businesses. Many noticed drastic changes in local listing rankings starting over the weekend, with some seeing their positions shift dramatically. While tools to monitor local ranking volatility publicly are limited, the local SEO community has been abuzz with speculation. The changes have raised questions about whether this is an intentional algorithm update or an unintentional bug within Google’s systems. At this point, the nature of the update remains uncertain, and SEOs are closely watching for further developments or official clarification from Google.
PPC Related News and Updates from Major Search Engine
Google Experiments with Removing Review Stars from Local Pack Ads
Google is constantly testing and experimenting with various features and elements of its search engine results pages (SERPs). One of the recent experiments conducted by Google involves the removal of review stars from local pack ads. The local pack is a section in the SERPs that displays local business listings related to a search query. Typically, sponsored results in the local pack include review stars, which give users a quick indication of the business’s reputation. However, in some instances, Google has removed these review stars from sponsored results in the local pack.
PMax Campaigns: Google Ads Experiments with Pause/Enable/Remove Options for Conversion Actions
Google Ads is constantly looking for ways to improve its advertising platform and provide more control to advertisers. In line with this, they have recently started experimenting with a new feature for Performance Max campaigns. This feature allows advertisers to have more flexibility in managing their conversion actions. Advertisers now have the option to pause, enable, or remove conversion assets at the asset group level. This means that advertisers can change their conversion actions for specific asset groups rather than making changes at the campaign level. Additionally, some advertisers can enable, pause, or remove individual conversions within their Google Ads accounts.
