Each day Search Forum Recap: February 7, 2024

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.

Google said big changes to improve search quality are coming in the near future. Google Business Profiles are being nuked through a Local Service Ads loophole. Google Search has this popular products spam listings issue. Google made some minor updates to its JavaScript documentation. Google Ads to sunset its commission bidding on hotel ads. Microsoft Advertising is expanding enhanced conversions and more updates.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google: Search Quality Improvements Coming In Near Future
  

  For the past few months now, Google has been saying there are big improvements coming to address some of the search quality issues we’ve all been seeing in the Google Search results. Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liason, wrote yesterday that these improvements “are on the way in the near future.”

• Google Popular Product Spam Search Listings
  
  Google seems to be having a bit of an issue with spam getting into its popular products section. This may be fed in through Google Merchant Center or normal rich results – I am not 100% sure. But here is a screenshot showing one company listing the same product over and over again, even though it should be 10 different stores.
• Google Business Profiles Nuked Through Local Service Ads Loophole
  
  Google seems to have this loophole where you can essentially hijack or destroy a Google Business Profile that is also using Local Service Ads. What happens is if someone else links their Local Service Ads to that same Google Business Profile, the Local Service Ads will stop performing.
• Google Minor Updates To JavaScript Docs & Drops Most Of Dynamic Rendering Details
  
  The Google Search team has made a number of relatively minor changes to its JavaScript documentation and also removed much of the dynamic rendering documentation, as it has been deprecated as a workaround for many years now.
• Microsoft Advertising Enhanced Conversions Expansion, RSA Updates & More
  
  Microsoft Advertising published its monthly what’s new feature announcing changes and new features to its advertising platform. Microsoft announced enhanced conversions is rolling out to more markets, new targeting options, new ways to set up campaigns, an update to hotel center subaccounts and RSA reporting updates.
• Google Ads To Drop Support For Commissions Bidding For Hotel Ads
  
  Google Ads will stop supporting Commissions (per Stay) and Commissions (per Conversions) bid strategies for Hotel Ads in October 2024. Google says this is because third-party cookies are being phased out and these models will not work in the future.
• Google W2 Email
  
  A couple of weeks ago, Google employees started to receive their W2 forms for their employment salaries to be filed with the various tax agencies. Here is a screenshot of Malte Ubl’s W2 email from Google. Malte left Google last year but still worked at Google long enough to get a W2 in 2023.

Other Great Search Threads:

Search Engine Land Stories:

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

Industry & Business

Links & Content Marketing

Local & Maps

Mobile & Voice

SEO

PPC

Other Search

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.