The SEO landscape is constantly shifting, and the latest updates showcase some major changes that could significantly impact your strategies. Here’s what you need to know this week.
Google Rolls Out AI-Organized Search Results
Google has started rolling out AI-organized search results, initially focusing on recipe pages. This update is expected to expand to queries that are open-ended or don’t have a single correct answer. Could this be the beginning of a new era in search, moving away from traditional SERPs? Only time will tell, but it’s definitely a development to watch closely.
Google Lens Adds New Ways to Search
Google Lens is stepping up its game by allowing users to search using videos, photos, and voice. This feature lets you record a video or snap a photo and combine it with real-time questions. This multi-modal search capability could change how users interact with search engines and find information online.
ByteDance’s Aggressive Data Scraping
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has been scraping data at an incredibly rapid pace. Its crawler, Bytespider, is scraping data 25 times faster than OpenAI’s GPTbot and 3,000 times faster than Anthropic’s ClaudeBot. This might raise concerns for content creators and site owners, as it highlights the increasing speed and intensity of data collection in the digital world.
Google Tests Full-Width Rich Card Section for E-commerce Searches
Google is currently testing a full-width rich card section at the top of e-commerce search results. The new design features a 2×4 grid of products, a list of 5 popular stores, and some informational content on the right-hand side. This layout could potentially push organic results further down, making it essential for e-commerce businesses to adapt their strategies. (Source: Brodie Clark)
Replacement of ‘EnergyConsumptionDetails’ Schema with ‘Certification’
In another structured data update, Google has replaced the ‘EnergyConsumptionDetails’ schema with ‘Certification’. This is part of Google’s ongoing effort to make product-focused structured data more relevant and user-friendly.
Google Warns Against Using JavaScript for Product Schema
A new warning in Google’s schema documentation advises against using JavaScript for Product schema. The documentation mentions that “dynamically-generated markup can make Shopping crawls less frequent and less reliable.” This serves as a cautionary note for those relying heavily on JavaScript for their product listings. (Source: Chris Long)
Google Introduces CrUX Vis for Core Web Vitals
CrUX Vis is Google’s new tool for visualizing Core Web Vitals. It allows users to track their site’s performance across various devices and network conditions. This tool offers a comprehensive view of how well a site is performing, making it easier for webmasters to identify areas for improvement. (Source: Carl Hendy)
Sticky Filters in Google Search Console Performance Reports
A small but handy update: Google Search Console performance reports are now sticky. If you set a filter in one performance report, it will stay active when switching to another report, streamlining the analysis process.
Google Testing Moving Products to the Bottom of the Knowledge Panel
Google is experimenting with shifting a business’s products to the bottom of the Knowledge Panel. This could be a controversial change, as businesses typically want their products to be front and center, rather than secondary to elements like social media links. (Source: Tim Capper)
Bing Expanding Generative Search for Complex Queries
Bing’s generative search will soon cover more complex informational queries. This feature is still in beta, and early feedback indicates significant loading times. However, its expansion signals Bing’s commitment to providing more nuanced search results.
Ongoing Ranking Volatility in Google Search
October has seen continued ranking volatility in Google Search, marking the longest period of heated search volatility ever recorded. This comes despite the August 2024 core update having been completed over a month ago. It’s clear that the dust hasn’t settled yet, so expect more fluctuations in rankings. (Source: Barry Schwartz)
Removal of Noarchive Documentation
Following the removal of the cache: search operator, Google has now removed its noarchive documentation. This shift towards using links to the Internet Archive instead of Google’s cache could change how SEOs and webmasters manage their content’s visibility over time.
If you found these updates helpful, they are part of our CoreUpdates[dot]com newsletter, released every Monday. The newsletter includes more SEO tips and a deep-dive podcast with Jack Chambers-Ward.