SearchCap: Google expands reviews, disallows some negative reviews & top SEO columns

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

From Search Engine Land:

• 5 (less obvious) PPC trends to watch in 2018
  Dec 28, 2017 by Ginny Marvin

  Here are several trends that will affect nearly every search marketer in the year ahead.

• Google again showing third-party reviews in local results
  Dec 28, 2017 by Greg Sterling
  Program has been in place since 2016 and involves direct, opt-in integration.

• Going organic: Our top SEO columns of 2017
  Dec 28, 2017 by Jessica Thompson
  Search engine optimization saw another exciting year as readers consumed content on everything from video optimization tips to research on the latest ranking factors.

• Negative reviews from ex-employees are finally against Google’s guidelines
  Dec 28, 2017 by Joy Hawkins
  Google recently updated its review policies to clarify that reviews left by former employees are considered to be in violation of its guidelines. Columnist Joy Hawkins explains that this was (unfortunately) necessary.

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

• On Facebook, viral reach for branded-content ads eclipses standard ads
• We’re already seeing the fallout from Apple’s war on cookies
• From algo to aggro: How SEOs really feel about Google algorithm updates
• Here’s what you need to know for email marketing success in 2018
• Building social buzz: Our top 10 social media marketing columns of 2017
• Right behind the GDPR, there’s the ePrivacy Regulation

Search News From Around The Web:

• Google Help testing a colorful Material redesign on web, mobile that highlights search, 9to5Google
• Google: Long Term Noindex Will Lead To Nofollow Also, Search Engine Roundtable
• Starting An Effective PPC Account Analysis, PPC Hero
• Why is Citation Consistency Important?, Shimon Sandler