SearchCap: Google authority score, hotel reviews & Bing image backstory

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.

From Search Engine Land:

• How Google assesses the ‘authority’ of web pages
  May 3, 2017 by Danny Sullivan

  Google has no single authority metric but rather uses a bucket of signals to determine authority on a page-by-page basis.

• New Google test shows hotel reviews grouped by traveler type & categories
  May 3, 2017 by Barry Schwartz

  Google tests hotel reviews summarized by categories: rooms, location and service & facilities and traveler types — couples, families, solo and business travelers.

• Bing now sharing backstory of its home page photo & gallery of past pictures
  May 3, 2017 by Amy Gesenhues

  In addition to a summary of the picture, Bing is also including a map of where the picture was taken and the option to like, download and share the image.

• Google’s Chrome will add new ‘Not secure’ warnings later this year
  May 3, 2017 by Barry Schwartz

  Have a search box or form on your website that runs over HTTP? You might want to switch your pages over to HTTPS by October.

• 5 steps to success for low-conversion-volume accounts in AdWords
  May 3, 2017 by Anna Shirley

  You may be stressing over how to make improvements to your paid search campaigns when data is scarce, but columnist Anna Shirley shows how a low-volume account can be a great opportunity to be more creative and inventive.

• 5 ways SEO experts say you should optimize for RankBrain
  May 3, 2017 by Nate Dame

  It may be difficult to optimize for RankBrain, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Here, columnist Nate Dame has gathered wisdom from some of the top voices in the search industry.

• How agencies can create new revenue for their SMB clients
  May 2, 2017 by Digital Marketing Depot

  With all of today’s digital marketing opportunities – from email to social channels to display advertising and beyond – many SMBs find themselves lost and unsure of the necessary steps to take in marketing themselves effectively. Marketing agencies answer the call: they provide expertise, guidance and the marketing management necessary to help small businesses succeed. […]

Recent Headlines From MarTech, Our Sister Site Dedicated To Internet Marketing:

• A new test extends Google Shopping ads to the Display Network
• The robots who will warm your heart — and drive your branding
• The great big list of landing page tests to try
• How customer identity solutions slash churn — and boost revenue
• 3 predictions about the future of SEO
• Top mistakes new online retailers make
• Zvelo complements its free bot detection with first page-level breakdown
• MailChimp’s email automations are now free to everyone
• Use these 5 tips for more engaging client presentations
• Turn customers into brand advocates with a review response strategy
• Apple’s $52.9B in revenue misses estimates, iPhone sales below expectations

Search News From Around The Web:

Industry

• Google rater fired after speaking to Ars about work conditions, Ars Technica
• Italy tax chief says close to deal with Google over tax dispute: paper, Reuters

Local & Maps

• Google Spam Hall of Shame, Mike Blumenthal
• Google Testing 3 Ads In The Local Pack With A Carousel Interface, Search Engine Roundtable
• The new Google Earth imagery database, Google Earth Blog

Searching

• Answer: Can you build an interactive widget for the island viewing problem?, SearchReSearch

SEO

• The Site Speed and SEO Connection, problogger.com
• 41 of the Best SEO Job Interview Questions, Search Engine Journal
• Ashley Madison Now Ranking Normally Again In Google, Search Engine Roundtable
• Domain names and their influence on SEO, Yoast
• Google Doesn’t Forget, They Keep A Lot Of History, Search Engine Roundtable
• Google RankBrain & Page Session Duration & Organic Ranking, SEM Rush
• How To Do Local SEO Keyword Research, Search Engine People
• Offline & Organic: The Two Rivers That Feed Modern Local SEO, Moz
• On-Page SEO Basics: URLs, SEM Rush

SEM / Paid Search

• How To Make Gmail Ads More Effective, PPC Hero