Weekly SEO News August 19-23

Google Questions: Common SEO Audit Advice

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj42gKDQxYI&t=716s

Google has recently questioned the effectiveness of certain SEO recommendations provided by automated tools. While some advice may be valid, Martin Splitt of Google pointed out that much of it has little to no impact on actual SEO. He acknowledged that these audits can be useful for other purposes but emphasized their limited direct influence on search rankings.

Key Points:

• Automated SEO Audits and Their Limitations
• The Subjective Nature of SEO
• Balancing SEO Advice

Google Offers Solutions for Inaccurate Product Pricing in Search

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj42gKDQxYI&t=350s

In a recent Google SEO office-hours Q&A video, Senior Search Analyst John Mueller addressed concerns about inaccurate prices appearing in search results. His advice is particularly relevant for retailers struggling with Google displaying incorrect prices for their products.

Ensuring Accurate Product Prices in Organic Search Results

• Issue: Retailers are concerned about ensuring accurate prices are displayed in organic search results.
• Solution:

Addressing Currency Discrepancies in Rich Results

• Issue: Wrong currencies appearing in rich search results can lead to customer confusion and lost sales.
• Cause: Google’s systems may mistakenly view pages as duplicates if content is nearly identical across different regional site versions, even when prices differ.
• Solution:

Key Takeaways for Retailers

• Use Google Merchant Center to ensure accurate pricing in search results.
• Differentiate content on regional product pages to prevent duplicate content issues.
• Monitor search results and rich snippets for accuracy in prices and currencies.
• Seek help from Google’s support forums if issues persist.

Google: Search Console Data Remains After Domain Expiration

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj42gKDQxYI&t=242s

Google cautions that Search Console data persists even after a domain expires, with no option to reset it. Temporary removal can hide expired sites, but data remains accessible to new domain owners.

Key Points from Google’s SEO Office-Hours Q&A

• Domain Expiration and Search Console Data
• Temporary Site Removal

Why This Matters

• Impact on Future Owners: This topic is crucial for website owners who may sell or lose their domain, as Search Console data remains accessible to future owners.
• Data Protection: Understanding these points can help you protect your data and manage how your content appears in search results, even when domain ownership changes.

What to Do

• Keep the Domain: If you plan to let your domain expire, consider keeping it to control who can access your Search Console data.
• Use Temporary Removal: If you can’t access your site anymore, use Search Console to hide it from search results temporarily.
• Inform New Owners: When selling a domain, notify the buyer of any data or removal requests tied to the site.

Google Quietly Launches a New AI Crawler

Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/overview-google-crawlers?hl=tr#common-crawlers

Google has quietly introduced a new bot, Google-CloudVertexBot, designed for commercial clients of their Vertex AI product. This new crawler operates differently from other bots, specifically crawling websites at the request of site owners.

Key Details About Google-CloudVertexBot

• Purpose:
• Crawling Types:
• Documentation Insights:
• Changelog Information:

User Agent Details

• User Agent Token:
• User Agent Substring:

Should You Block the New Crawler?

• No Need to Block:

Google’s Martin Splitt Explains Why Pages Aren’t Indexed

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5kYrmzNhcU

In a recent “SEO Made Easy” video, Google’s Search Relations Advocate, Martin Splitt, addressed the common concern of pages not being indexed by Google. He clarified the meaning of the "Discovered-currently not indexed" status in Google Search Console and provided advice on how to address it.

Understanding The Indexing Process

• Indexing Overview:

Reasons for ‘Discovered – Currently Not Indexed’ Status

• Crawl Priority: Googlebot may prioritize other URLs, causing delays.
• Technical Challenges: Poor server performance, such as slow responses or HTTP errors, can hinder crawling.
• Content Value: Low-quality or thin content is the most common reason for non-indexing.

Addressing The Issue

• Wait: Some pages may simply need more time to be crawled.
• Review Crawl Stats: Check server performance in Search Console.
• Collaborate with Hosting Providers: Fix server-side issues to improve crawling.
• Enhance Content Quality: Improve the substance of affected pages.
• Improve Internal Linking: Better integrate new content with existing pages.

Why This Matters

• Visibility: Pages not indexed don’t appear in search results, impacting traffic.
• SEO Focus: Helps identify where to prioritize efforts.
• Site Quality: Can indicate broader quality or technical issues that need attention.

How This Can Help You

• Audit Content: Improve thin or low-quality pages.
• Boost Server Performance: Ensure smooth and efficient crawling.
• Prioritize Key Pages: Focus on high-value content.
• Improve Internal Linking: Enhance site navigation for Googlebot.
• Monitor Google Search Console: Stay informed about indexing issues.
• Be Patient: SEO improvements take time to reflect in search results.

Google Analytics Missing Data for Recent Days

Source: https://support.google.com/analytics/thread/292488259/ga4-shows-no-reporting-data-since-22-august-2024?hl=en&sjid=10389803941400557366-EU

Many users are reporting missing data in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) overview reports for yesterday and today. Although real-time data appears to be functioning, historical data seems to be absent.

Current Status

• Missing Data: Users are noticing a lack of data in GA4 reports for the past two days, though real-time reports are working.
• Complaints: There are numerous complaints on Google Analytics Forums and social media about this issue.
• John Mueller’s Input: Google’s John Mueller, who is not part of the GA4 team, recommended posting in the forums for updates.

Potential Resolution

• Data Delays: It appears that the missing data might be due to delays rather than a loss. Data is starting to flow back in as of 10:45 am ET.

Action Steps

• Monitor Updates: Keep an eye on Google Analytics Forums for official updates and fixes.
• Check Data Flow: Verify if data starts appearing in your GA4 reports over the coming hours.

Google: Unanswered Comments Don’t Impact Search Rankings

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj42gKDQxYI&t=864s

Martin Splitt from Google has clarified that unanswered comments on your site or webpages do not negatively affect your Google Search rankings. Google Search does not consider whether comments are answered or left unanswered.

Key Points from Google’s SEO Office Hours

• No SEO Impact:
• Comment Text:

Additional Notes

• Personal Experience: The question about unanswered comments is not commonly asked. While replying to comments can be beneficial for community engagement, it is not done for SEO purposes.

Summary

• Unanswered comments on blog posts or webpages do not affect your search rankings.
• Google Search does not assess the status of comment responses for ranking purposes.