SearchCap: Google Fred confirmation, mobile-first index status & future of search

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

From Search Engine Land:

• Google: Our search leads won’t let us talk about the Fred update
  Mar 23, 2017 by Barry Schwartz

  Gary Illyes from Google said the techniques Fred went after specifically are mentioned in their webmaster guidelines.

• How much is a happy customer worth?
  Mar 23, 2017 by Digital Marketing Depot

  In today’s highly analytical marketing world, is it really possible to place a value on customer happiness? Well, yes. And that’s just what we’re going to cover in our upcoming webinar, “The Value of a Happy Customer: Action steps to a great customer experience.” We’ll hear from customer experience expert Christine Crandell, who will explain […]

• How AI will shape the future of search
  Mar 23, 2017 by Justin Freid

  Artificial intelligence is changing the way users access information online. Columnist Justin Freid discusses where the trends are heading and what this might mean for search marketers.

• Google’s mobile-first index is (still) months away
  Mar 23, 2017 by Matt McGee

  At SMX West, Google’s Gary Illyes said the company is still experimenting with its mobile-first index and doesn’t have an exact timeline for launch.

• Beware these 7 sneaky PPC attribution tricks
  Mar 23, 2017 by Andrew Goodman

  You may think you’re hitting your conversion goals, but columnist Andrew Goodman warns that faulty attribution can lead to inaccurate or misleading performance data.

• An answer box experiment (my journey into known and unknown factors)
  Mar 23, 2017 by Bill Sebald

  Many SEOs have sought to obtain placement within a featured snippet or answer box in the search results pages, but how does one achieve that? Contributor Bill Sebald shares his experiment in pursuing the answer box.

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

• Are technical and content audits still relevant?
• Google site search is on the way out. Now what?
• Content Attribution: Identifying content that converts
• 3 steps to overcoming site issues that impact performance
• Facebook’s shoppable ‘Collection’ ad is its latest iAd-like format
• People are starting to see Facebook’s disputed content alerts
• BKON Connect unveils an expanded platform for browsing the real world
• It’s true: Smiling at an ad means sales will go up
• 6 tips to get subscribers to open marketing emails
• Google Posts now gives museums, movies, musicians & sports groups dedicated space in search
• Major US brands now pulling ads from YouTube & Google over extremist content

Search News From Around The Web:

Industry

• Google Pulls Off Another Successful Google Dance, Search Engine Roundtable

Local & Maps

• Google Earth imagery updates – Sport, Google Earth Blog
• Google Local Reviews With Emojis, Search Engine Roundtable
• Google Local Reviews With Guardian Top Ten Icons, Search Engine Roundtable

Link Building

• Former Google Employee Doing Paid Links For SEOs?, Search Engine Roundtable

SEO

• 5 Common SEO Mistakes You Should Fix Before Your Next Audit, Portent
• Google’s Mobile First Index Won’t Launch Until Results Are "Quality Neutral", Search Engine Roundtable

SEM / Paid Search

• 3 Easy Ways to Optimize Landing Pages With Low Traffic, PPC Hero
• Drive More Non-Brand PPC Conversions with AdWords Position-Based Attribution Model, Metric Theory

Search Marketing

• Keyword Research Strategy: Search Volume, Competition & Relevance, searchenginepeople.com