Google’s Year in Search 2025: These trending topics spiked big
Google’s list reveals 2025’s breakout topics and fast-moving trends that signal where search – and SEO opportunity – is shifting.
Topic: Iran
Google is evaluating additional PMax brand safety controls
Google was accused of serving ads on inappropriate websites last month in a report published by Adalytics.
Google denies placing search ads on compromising websites
Major brands were reportedly given the impression that their campaigns were exclusively appearing on Google.com.
This day in search marketing history: March 24
Google’s top 3 search ranking factors, plus: Google Maps blocks abusive business profile edits, Google penalties and more.
This day in search marketing history: January 19
Google's page layout algorithm, plus: Matt Cutts resigns from Google, Top Stories deduplication, mobile usability warnings and more.
This day in search marketing history: January 10
Google launches Search Plus Your World, plus: subtopics ranking, Google Ads custom dimensions, links within widgets and more.
Several WordPress SEO plugins are on the fritz
Site owners using Google Analytics Dashboard for WP, Yoast SEO and Rank Math should check for the following issues.
SearchCap: Managing multiple GMB listings, malicious content take down & more
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: How to manage multiple GMB listings for service area businesses Aug 24, 2018 by Brian Smith Contributor Brian Smith offers insights on how service area businesses can use GMB’s bulk syndication […]
Canada’s Supreme Court orders Google to de-index site globally, opening door to censorship
Decision is dangerous to free speech and the free flow of online information.
Japan Tells Webmasters Not To Use Google Maps Over Disputed Territory
Fox News reports Japan has instructed their government authorities and state-run universities to not use Google Maps on their websites because of a conflict over disputed territories. The territory is Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea. Apple Maps had a similar issue back in November of last year. The territory is based in […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, November 12, 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: Google Fined $208,000 In Australian Defamation Case, May Appeal Google has been told to pay the equivalent of $208,000 (USD) after recently losing a defamation case in Australia involving how it […]
Of “Magic Keywords” & Flavors Of Personalized Search At Google
When is personalized search not personalized search? A recently discovered shift on how Google may alter your search results based on what you — and others in aggregate — previously have searched for may have you wondering how to answer that question. To understand the latest development, I think it’s helpful to go back and […]
Why Google “Personalizes” Results Based On Obama Searches But Not Romney
Do a search for “Obama,” and you might find your subsequent queries for things like “medicare” seemingly personalized based on your initial Obama search. Do the same for Romney, it is doesn’t happen. Is Google biased toward Obama, as some are now writing? No. Is it the “filter bubble” of personalization out of control? Perhaps […]
VP Debate Spurs Searches Like “Shirtless” (Ryan), “Laughing” (Biden) & Other “Malarkey”
There’s a kind of Pavlovian response that happens with major national events in the U.S. (and probably elsewhere): internet users taking to the web to comment on and/or learn more about what they’re experiencing. As expected, conversation spiked on social networking sites during the Vice Presidential debate last night. Twitter says there were 3.5 million […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, May 17, 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 Search API Now On Paid Platform About a month ago, Microsoft informed us the Bing API would no longer be free and today is the day they migrated the Bing […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, February 13, 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: 7 Key Mistakes That Cost Advertisers ‘Mobile Super Bowl I’ By now, you may have already put Super Bowl XLVI in the history books. But let’s remember: this was the first […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, February 10, 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: Now, Mitt Romney Has A Santorum-Like Bing & Google Problem Perhaps Google may finally have to figure out a “fix” for Rick Santorum’s “Google Problem,” now that an anti-Romney site is […]
Google Maps Now Highlighting Borders Of Cities, Postal Codes & More
Google Maps has added a feature where it will highlight in a pink color the borders of a city, postal code or other borders based on your search. To see it yourself, go to Google Maps and search for a city name or even a zip code. You will see a pinkish highlight around the […]
Iran: Google Is A Spying Engine
In a sound byte that might remind you of Baghdad Bob*, Iran’s police chief has announced that Google is a tool for spying. And not only that, but the Iranian government is also using that and other concerns to form a “national internet” under state control. Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam made his comments this week to […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, September 21, 2011
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 “Action Buttons” Lets You Book Flights, Rent Cars & More Bing announced a new feature in the search results named “Action Buttons.” Action buttons give you quick links to perform […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, September 9, 2011
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Foursquare: More Than Fun & Games, A Potent Local Search Tool About a year ago, I was feeling Foursquare fatigue. Why on earth was I checking in? The badges were harder […]
Italians Issue Another Dubious Anti-Search Decision
Earlier this year the Italian Communications Authority decided that YouTube was effectively a TV broadcaster and imposed the same rules and restrictions that apply to TV in Italy — and potential penalties for their violation — on Google. It said that Google is now legally responsible for any content appearing on YouTube. Now an Italian […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, January 19, 2011
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 Knol Still Alive & Fixed, But Questions Linger About Its Future Google has fixed a bug that temporarily made Knol look like a ghost town this week. And, without exactly […]
Google Opens Up Downloads To Iran But Blocks Iranian Government
Google announced that after years of not allowing those in Iran to download their software, Google has opened up downloads of their Google Earth, Picasa and Chrome applications. Now if you are in Iran you will be able to download Google Earth, Picasa and Chrome to your computer. Google explained that the U.S. export controls […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, December 2, 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: Google Improves Copyright Protection Anyone who has found that their content has been stolen (or scraped) online faces the decision of either letting it go (and using best practices that help […]
Google Maps Image Sparks International Debate In Iran
Some in Iran are calling for the removal of a Star of David that’s still sitting atop the Iran Air headquarters in Tehran, some 30+ years after Iran broke off relations with Israel. The image above shows the Star on the building’s roof in Google Maps; the same image is apparently visible in Google Earth, […]
Too Late For Thanksgiving & Too Early For Diwali
So global search marketers, should you be studying major religious festivals to understand their impact on your peaks and troughs — after all they may explain why your seasonal patterns globally don’t match what you’re used to. Making notes of the major festivals which will take place during your campaign year in the markets you are targeting can help.
Google Updates Anti-Censorship Weapons
Earlier this year Google launched an innovative “Government Requests map,” which showed how regularly governments around the world were asking Google to remove information or content from its index and services. Google won plaudits for the initiative, as well as criticism from some governments that the map allegedly made look like censoring regimes. Yesterday Google […]
Let’s Celebrate Google’s Biggest Failures!
“We celebrate our failures,” Google CEO Eric Schmidt said yesterday when speaking at the Techonomy confernce, in response to the surprise closure of his company’s Google Wave product. When it comes to failures, Google’s celebrating more than you might realize.
Search Biz: Google Vs. Viacom, Pakistan Vs. Facebook, Google Vs. US, Apple Vs. Google & The Russians Are Coming!
It’s been a little while since we’ve done a Search Biz column. So it’s time to dust off the old snark machine and get right into it. First up there’s a very entertaining post on some new, unsealed records from the YouTube-Viacom litigation featuring a range of colorful expletives as both sides insult one another […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, March 22, 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: Google Stops Censoring In China, Hopes Using New Domain Meets Legal Requirements Beginning today, Google is no longer censoring results on its Chinese search engine, the company has announced. But rather […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, March 10, 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: comScore: Android Shows Strength As Mobile Web Usage Grows Metrics firm comScore released some new quarterly mobile data that shows strong growth for Android handsets in the US and an increase […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, February 11, 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: SEO Industry Cries Foul Over Google SEO ‘Services’ A vocal contingent of search engine optimizers is up in arms today, saying Google is “offering SEO consulting services.” There are posts on […]
Live Blogging The FTC Workshop On Journalism & The Internet
I’m at the FTC’s “Journalism & Internet Age” Workshop in Washington DC today, where we’re expecting addresses from Rupert Murdoch and Arianna Huffington, along with Josh Cohen of Google News and a variety of panels. I’ll be on one of those panels later today. I’m going to do a big live blog of things I […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 12, 2009
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Levinson Leaves Google’s Board Of Directors, Stays On Apple’s Arthur Levinson, a member of Google’s board of directors since 2004, has resigned from that position effectively immediately. Google’s announcement doesn’t give […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 9, 2009
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Dissecting The AP & Murdoch Speeches Against Those Internet News Thieves Associated Press president Tom Curley and News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch both made speeches yesterday in China that are being […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 6, 2009
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: SMX East 2009 Day Two Live Blogging Day two of the SMX East 2009 show is just about done. Here is some of the live blogging coverage from the day. If […]
SMX East 2009 Day Two Live Blogging
Day two of the SMX East 2009 show is just about done. Here is some of the live blogging coverage from the day. If I missed any, please comment below with those I missed. Ask the SEOs, outspokenmedia.com Iran & Michael Jackson – What Marketers Can Learn From How Consumers Search For Current Events, outspokenmedia.com […]
Danny Sullivan’s Preview Of Search Engine Land’s SMX East 2009 Search Marketing Conference In New York
In five weeks, our SMX East search marketing conference arrives in New York City from Oct. 5-7. The show features four to five tracks of sessions spread across three days and covers all aspects of search marketing. Below is a personal tour from me on what attendees can expect. Our SMX Advanced conference that sells […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, July 9, 2009
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Microsoft Lets You Bing Inside Your Hotmail Microsoft has announced the addition of Bing searches to its Hotmail email service. It works via Hotmail’s quick add feature and lets users search […]