The Week In Search & SEO: June 7, 2019

A major Google Search Algorithm update dropped at the start of June, and they have also been throwing in a few layout tests on the side, some nice and some questionable. There's also some controversy and callouts being thrown around regarding a few major companies' positions on user privacy. [su_accordion] [su_spoiler title="Top Global Search News" style="fancy" class="greenfaq" icon="chevron-circle" open="yes"] Google Testing "More Results" Button In Place Of Pages On Desktop Google is testing infinite scrolling on desktop with a new button that will load the next page's contents continued underneath the result content above. New Desktop / Mobile Selection For Rich Results Test Sometimes your structured data can differ between your mobile and desktop pages. With Google's mobile-first indexing, they would like the data structures seen on your mobile pages to be correct before switching your site over, and this tool will help you verify that. "Google Algorithmic Penalties" Are Not Google Penalties SEOs like to use the term "Google algorithmic penalties" for site that tend to not rank well thanks to a search algorithm update. This "algorithmic penalty" is not the same as a proper Google penalty (manual action). Google's June 2019 Core Search Algorithm Update A major core update has landed, and Google themselves have said it was a big one. SEOs are still feeling a wide range of effects that are being caused by this big update. Rankings should hopefully settle soon as usual. Removing Image Alts Is "Sorta Okay" Alt text is primarily used for accessibility, especially for pages that do not clearly represent the image outside of the alt text. It is also used for Google Images ranking. Ignoring alt text is okay if you don't value Google Image search SEO, and your page is already perfectly accessible. The Winners And Losers Of The June Algorithm Update Are Clear The results of the recent major algorithm update are pretty clear so far. Tools have shown us that the changes in ranking for certain sites have varies wildly from significant gains to significant losses. Google Testing Rotating "People Also Search For" Feature A clickable drop-down element with rotating images that turns into the regular box when clicked. This feature is more compact than what's live, but it's a little confusing. You Should Care About The HTTPS Ranking Signal While having a broken certificate won't damage your rankings, having a valid one will give you a ranking boost. Bing Says You Should Disavow Links Google has been saying that it's not that important to disavow links, but Bing says the opposite. Bing recommends that you continue to disavow links wherever needed. Google's FAQPage Structured Data Works With Expandable FAQs If your FAQ page is using as expandable box setup, Google can still read it and is capable of putting it in the FAQ featured snippet like any basic FAQ would be. Google Testing Additional Search Refinement Levels The current carousel only includes single buttons that refine your search, but this new update that Google is testing changes this to be an expanding section with many more levels. Google Changing Site Diversity In Search Results Google is looking to change up site diversity in their search results. This change involves removing duplicate site results from the results page based on domain, so that a site can only show once in the results. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title="Top Local Search News" style="fancy" class="greenfaq" icon="chevron-circle"] Google Testing Local Pack Carousels (Again) A test was made in 2017 to try out carousels in place of the list style for the local pack, and now we're seeing it being tested again with a more modern look. Local Inventory Ads Out Of Beta For Bing Ads This feature already exists in Google Ads, but Bing's take at it is now leaving beta. Transferring your existing Google Ads data to Bing Ads is easy, so there's no reason not to go ahead and use this new feature. Organic Results And Local Knowledge Panel Seem To Be Merging Some changes to branded queries seem to be happening, essentially merging the Local Knowledge Panel with regular organic results. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title="Top PPC News" style="fancy" class="greenfaq" icon="chevron-circle"] A History Of Google Ad Labeling An interesting visual timeline and rundown of how Google's ad labeling has changed in search results over the years. New York Times Sees 40% Performance Increase For Ads Targeting Emotion The New York Times has been running tests for ads that target a user's emotions for clicks, and it's working. They have set restrictions on these ads for privacy reasons, but you really have to think if emotion-based targeting is already too exploitative. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title="Top Social Media News" style="fancy" class="greenfaq" icon="chevron-circle"] Instagram Lets Advertisers Boost Organic Posts As Feed Ads A brand can now boost posts and effectively convert them into a regular ad. This should be useful to brands that pay for sponsored posts from influencers, because they can then turn those posts into regular ads for their product. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title="Internet Marketing-Related Tech" style="fancy" class="greenfaq" icon="chevron-circle"] Web Host Vulnerability Discovered Across Several Hosting Companies The issue is fixed now, but you could still be affected. Check here to see if your site may have been affected by this vulnerability, and if so, you should check for anything suspicious. Periodic Table Of SEO Factors 2019 Overhaul SEO is always changing, so it's about time for a major overhaul of the iconic Periodic Table of SEO Factors created over at Search Engine Land. Firefox Calls Out Chrome And Facebook With It's New Privacy Settings Firefox has greatly expanded it's privacy settings recently with updates focused solely on privacy, going so far as to enable various privacy settings by default for new installs. Firefox is also calling out various tech companies for not their negligence to true privacy. New SEO Myth Busting Video Focused On JavaScript Google has come out with a new SEO Myth Busting video, this time focusing on JavaScript. [/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title="Best Opinion Pieces" style="fancy" class="greenfaq" icon="chevron-circle"] Google And Amazon Facing New Antitrust Inquiries The DOJ and FTC are supposedly going to be looking into accusations about Google and Amazon's current positions in the modern political climate. [/su_spoiler] [/su_accordion]