How the August 2023 Google core update compared to March 2023 core updates
We asked some of the Google tracking data providers for data on the latest Google algorithm update.
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Barry Schwartz's latest articles
Suspended Google Ads advertisers may be required to pass advertiser verification
This policy kicks in on October 10, 2023 and will impact some advertisers.
Google Search Console rolling out new Merchant Center integrated reports
These new reports will show you issues with products not showing on Search and changes in visibility of your product listings.
Google Search updated its language matching systems
This update was released a couple of weeks ago and helps Google match the searchers language to documents in its index.
Google August 2023 Core Update rollout is now complete
The update took 16 days to roll out - we hope you only saw increases in visibility.
Google Site names now work for all languages
So if your site is not in English, check how your Site name appears in Google Search.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
Google Search Generative Experience officially rolls out links to webpages within answers
Launching first in the U.S., Google said it will keep testing how it presents results and prioritize driving traffic to websites.
Google Search testing “Mentioned in” search snippet
Google's expandable carousel search snippet feature informs searchers which other webpages mention a website.
Bing Chat now works on Chrome, Google’s browser
Apple Safari support is coming soon to Bing Chat as well.
Google Search can now index CSV files
Google updated its help document to say it can now index Comma-Separated Values (.csv) files.
Bing Chat data may never come to Bing Webmaster Tools
After promising this for months, Microsoft has never released it and now won't offer a comment.
Google releases August 2023 broad core update
This is the second Google core update of 2023. The rollout is expected to take up to two weeks to complete.
Google stops testing links in Search Generative Experience snapshot answers
This test began earlier this month and it seems Google has now paused showing links in these AI-generated answer results.
Google Business Profiles to let you manage your social links
While Google showed social media profile links for local listings for a long time, Google Business Profiles may soon let you manage those links.
Google Search Generative Experience adds SGE while browsing
Paywalled content will not work with the new SGE while browsing feature. Google SGE also added definitions and color coding syntax.
Google Merchant Center adds 3D model link [virtual_model_link] attribute
This attribute helps Google Merchant Center showcase your 3D and AR product images.
Google reduces the visibility of HowTo and FAQ rich results in search
You may see a drop in click through rates from Google Search if you are impacted.
GPTBot: OpenAI releases new web crawler
You can now prevent OpenAI's ChatGPT from accessing your website, or parts of it, using robots.txt.
Google Search Console link report fixed
Two weeks ago Google confirmed its link report had reporting issues, those reporting issues are now resolved.
Google Chrome adds search suggestions, trending searches on mobile
Google has updated the mobile version of Chrome with four new search-related features you might find useful for content planning and research.
Google Search Generative Experience adds videos to AI-generated answers
Google also confirmed adding links to the AI-generated answers and continues to work to improve speed.
Google testing links directly in Search Generative Experience snapshot answers
Google's SGE's AI-generated answers have failed to cite sources. This test aims to correct that. Here's what it looks like.
New Google Merchant Center policy: AI-generated reviews are spam
In addition to its Automated Content policy, Google clarified its existing Merchant Center policies and enforcement behavior.
Google Search rolls out site name updates and workarounds
After much frustration over the new Sitenames feature in Google search, Google released some additional updates.
Bing Search and Bing Chat officially rolling out dark mode
A new "dark" setting will appear in your search settings under the "appearance" section.
Naver, Korean search engine, now supports IndexNow
That makes four search engines that now support IndexNow; Bing, Yandex, Seznam, Naver.
Bing Chat not yet available on Chrome or Safari browsers
Despite reports, not all Google Chrome and Safari users can access Microsoft Bing AI Chat. But it should be coming any day now.
Google to fix link report in Search Console
After numerous reports of Google showing a fraction of the sites links, Google said it will fix an issue with the report.
Google confirms related search operator is going away
The related search operator would show you sites related to the URL you asked about. Google said it hasn't worked well.
Visual Search now live in Bing Chat
You can now upload photos to Bing Chat and ask the AI search engine a question based on that images.
Google fixes Google News indexing bug
This bug impacted the the traffic of may news publishers for a 3 week period.
Google expands Bard to more countries, more languages and adds new features
The new features include pin and rename conversations, export code to more places, share answers, use images for prompts, listen to answers and adjust responses.
Google’s Core Web Vitals INP issues email causing concern
Google Search Console sent out emails to site owners where their INP scores are not meeting the mark.
Google confirms bug with Google News impacting publisher traffic
This bug may be impacting publisher traffic from Google News.
Google updates page indexing report in Search Console with more fine-grained issues
Some SEOs began to notice a spike in errors and issues being reported by Google Search Console. Google said it is not an issue, but a reporting change.
Google to explore alternatives to robots.txt in wake of generative AI and other emerging technologies
Google said it will engage with the web and AI communities with public discussions during this process.
Google Ads Editor version 2.4 is out with 8 new features
The new features can help advertisers save time, make more informed decisions, and improve the performance of Google Ads campaigns.
ChatGPT Browse with Bing temporarily disabled
Open AI said they disabled this feature "out of an abundance of caution" after users were able to access content behind some paywalls.
Twitter didn’t just block unregistered users, it blocked Google Search
While Google still has access to the Twitter firehose, Google has still dropped over half of the Twitter URL it indexed.
Bing adds new AI-powered shopping tools
That includes new price match monitors, buying guides and review summaries powered by Bing Chat.