SearchCap: Google offensive results, Google Fred update & Google Assistant

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 launches new effort to flag upsetting or offensive content in search
  Mar 14, 2017 by Danny Sullivan

  Using data from human “quality raters,” Google hopes to teach its algorithms how to better spot offensive and often factually incorrect information.

• Did Google’s Fred update hit low-value content sites that focus on revenue, not users?
  Mar 14, 2017 by Barry Schwartz

  Google won’t comment about the “Fred update,” but based on our own analysis, many affected sites saw up to a 90% drop in traffic.

• Your guide to using Google Assistant and the Google search app on Android & iPhone
  Mar 14, 2017 by Danny Sullivan

  Google Assistant is coming widely to Android phones. Here’s how to use it and other ways to Google on your smartphone — even for iPhone users.

• Report: Google earns 78% of $36.7B US search ad revenues, soon to be 80%
  Mar 14, 2017 by Ginny Marvin

  Amazon and Yelp expected to see biggest search revenue growth rates in US.

• 10 AdWords ad copy testing ideas you can use right now
  Mar 14, 2017 by Jason Puckett

  Wondering where to begin with ad copy testing? Columnist Jason Puckett shares some ideas to get you started.

• Selling the value of link building to management
  Mar 14, 2017 by Andrew Dennis

  You know that link building is necessary to achieve the results you want, but how do you sell the C-suite and secure budget? Columnist Andrew Dennis shares his advice.

• Yext files for long-awaited $100 million IPO
  Mar 14, 2017 by Greg Sterling

  Last year the company announced a revenue “run rate” of $100 million.

• How 7 leading brands are winning at paid search
  Mar 14, 2017 by Digital Marketing Depot

  Whether your goal is to maximize revenue generated with existing budgets, boost profitability, reduce costs, or grow revenue within targets, using 7 real-life examples this white paper from [24]7 can help you get there. This white paper covers: how Predictive Search Bidding gives you the power to optimize every bid, maximize ROI, and reduce costs. […]

• SMX West is just days away. Reserve your seat now!
  Mar 14, 2017 by Search Engine Land

  We’re one week away from the 10th edition of SMX West – the premier search marketing conference on the West Coast! Don’t miss your chance March 21-23 in San Jose to get actionable SEO and SEM tactics that will drive your campaign’s success. It’s not too late to secure the best pre-conference rates! Become a […]

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

• Seasonal SEO: Identifying your merriest times of the year
• Assessing the maturity of your organization’s messaging program
• Manufacturing FAQs: The workhorse of content and search marketing
• Marketers: Track emotions, not just numbers
• Study: Ads in editorial stream beat search, social for visibility and recall
• The rise of bad content marketing advice
• Report: Facebook’s display ad domination to grow as US digital ad spend hits $83B in 2017
• SMX West is just days away. Reserve your seat now!

Search News From Around The Web:

Industry

• SEO Sends Message To Google Via Robots.txt File, Search Engine Roundtable
• The State of Searcher Behavior Revealed Through 23 Remarkable Statistics, Moz

Local & Maps

• Google Earth Imagery Update – Plane Crash, Derailed Train, Fireworks Explosion and World Series, Google Earth Blog

Link Building

• Biggest Link Index Hits New Highs with Historic Update, Majestic Blog
• Google Mocks PBNs, Suggesting They Don’t Work, Search Engine Roundtable

SEO

• 22 Tips for SEOs to Attract More Twitter Followers, Search Engine Journal
• Does Google’s Gary Illyes Latest Tweet Reference Fred?, Search Engine Roundtable
• Google Says Revoked Manual Actions Have No Leftover Effects, Search Engine Roundtable
• Meta Information for SEO: Understanding Its Value, Stone Temple
• Near Duplicate Content Can Cause Google to Choose Wrong Snippet, The SEM Post
• Recent Google Changes: SEO Tactics that Move the Needle in 2017 #semrushchat, SEM Rush
• SEO Keyword Mapping – The Ultimate Guide, 3Q Digital

SEM / Paid Search

• New PPC Account Analysis For Beginners, PPC Hero
• Paid Search Ad Spend for Online Small Business Loans Up 66% from 2014 To 2016, AdGooroo

Search Marketing

• Slay Search Terms Report Analysis to Save Serious Cash, aimClear Blog

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About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry can be followed on Twitter here.