How Google Search uses AI
Explore how Google's AI systems like RankBrain, BERT and MUM influence search results and what it means for your SEO strategy.
Topic: Ben Gomes
Ex-Google Search head worried his team was ‘too involved with ads’
Google declared a Code Yellow in 2019 when it looked like the company might not meet quarterly search revenue goals. Ben Gomes had concerns.
Modern link building starter guide
Link building means prioritizing quality and relationships. Learn how to avoid common mistakes and achieve meaningful results today.
How to improve E-A-T for YMYL pages
Learn what type of content Google considers to be "Your Money or Your Life" and where to focus your SEO efforts to improve Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness for those pages.
‘What’s an ads guy doing running Google search?’
Some people may be unfamiliar with Prabhakar Raghavan's background.
Google promotes Prabhakar Raghavan to lead Search, replacing Ben Gomes
Jerry Dischler becomes the new head of Google Ads, Gomes takes over Google Education, while Google veteran Jen Fitzpatrick takes on engineering.
A quick guide to understanding Google’s quality rater guidelines
Jennifer Slegg explains the most important themes for brands.
Google’s March 2019 core quality update: Stories of recovery
Here's an early look at a nutrition, small e-commerce and larger informational site after the March update. Each made changes based on clues from Google’s Quality Raters’ Guidelines; all saw gains in traffic after the update.
Machine vs. man: What really matters for SEO success
Changes to the core concepts of quality and authority over the past year have altered the course of SEO forever, with Google both improving algorithms and increasingly relying on human "quality raters."
SEO Year In Review: 2018 saw Google updates and a focus on mobile
Here is our recap of what happened in SEO in 2018 - with links and summaries of some of the bigger changes throughout the year in search and SEO.
Google announces cards, discovery tools, revamped image search at 20th anniversary event
Most of the new features were for mobile devices and focused on structured data and machine learning.
SearchCap: Bing Ads extensions, Apple hires Google exec & local image bug
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: In big win, Apple hires Google AI chief John Giannandrea away from GoogleApr 4, 2018 by Greg Sterling Apple must succeed in AI if it is to remain competitive with rivals. […]
In big win, Apple hires Google AI chief John Giannandrea away from Google
Apple must succeed in AI if it is to remain competitive with rivals.
Updated: Google’s Ben Gomes expands role to head all of search as John Giannandrea moves to Apple to head AI
Role previously held by John Giannandrea to be split between Jeff Dean and Ben Gomes
SearchCap: Google’s AMP Project, John Harrison Google doodle & more
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Google Now is dead, long live ‘the feed’
Google is killing the 'Google Now' name but improving the underlying functionality to make it more controllable, engaging -- and searchable.
Google’s ‘Project Owl’ — a three-pronged attack on fake news & problematic content
Google hopes to improve by better surfacing authoritative content and enlisting feedback about suggested searches and Featured Snippets answers.
Google studying ways to deal with offensive search suggestions & results
Facing criticism over "fake news," inappropriate search suggestions and more, the search company is looking for long-term and comprehensive solutions.
FAQ: All About The New Google “Hummingbird” Algorithm
Google has a new search algorithm, the system it uses to sort through all the information it has when you search and come back with answers. It’s called “Hummingbird” and below, what we know about it so far. What’s a “search algorithm?” That’s a technical term for what you can think of as a recipe […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, September 10, 2013
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’s Cutts: Auto-Generated Content & Search Results In Our Index Violate Our Guidelines In a recent video from Matt Cutts, Google’s head of search spam, Matt discussed a pretty obvious spam […]
An Unprecedented Video Glimpse Into How Google Crafts Its Search Results
How does Google create its search algorithms, its recipes for making the listings and search results you get? For the first time, the general public gets a glimpse into the decision making process, through a video that Google has posted of one of its search quality meetings. The Video I was fortunate enough to witness […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, March 1, 2012
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing Testing New, Google-y Local Search Results If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the folks at Bing Local are paying Google a very nice compliment with a new display […]
Video: How Google Improves Their Search Algorithms
Google published a nice 4 minute video on how they go about improving their web search algorithms, the quality of results and the user interfaces. They talk about finding problems, coming up with new ideas, testing those ideas, approving or rejecting those ideas and implementing the ideas. Overall, much of this is not new to […]
Video: The “Brains, Brawn & Look” Of Google Search Speak Together For First Time
On Wednesday, I moderated a special panel at the Churchill Club involving the Googlers who oversee Google’s search algorithm, its search features and its spam fighting efforts. We covered a wide-range of search issues, and a video of the talk is now available. Three Kings Of Search In my opening to the session, I joked […]
Live Blogging The “Google Instant” Press Event & How To Watch Live
Google’s holding a highly anticipated “can’t miss” press event today. The news? Perhaps the new results-as-you-type your search feature that started showing today. Perhaps something else. We’ll know at 9:30am Pacific Time today, when the event gets underway. Stay tuned for live blogging. UPDATE: For more, see our article, Google Instant: The Complete User’s Guide. […]
Google Announces Can’t Be Missed Press Event On Search – What’s Up?
Google’s announced a special press event for next Wednesday on search that “you won’t want to miss.” What big news could there be? Let’s speculate — but I wouldn’t get too excited. Here’s what the invite says: We invite you to join us on Wednesday, September 8, to share our latest technological innovation and to […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, August 23, 2010
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Back to School Time: A Refresher Course on Writing Great Ads In this month’s column, we’ll take a quick refresher course on what goes into writing great ads and then we’ll […]