Daily Search Forum Recap: February 29, 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.

There may have been another unconfirmed Google Search ranking update. Most SEOs dislike Google more now than they did in the past. Microsoft will bring back Bing Deep Search for testing. Google is testing popular opinion carousels in Search. Google Ads support reps may use Google Translate to communicate. Google Local pack results have “people like” justifications in blue.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

Early Signs: Google Search Ranking Update On February 28 & 29th

I am seeing early signs of a possible Google Search ranking algorithm update starting yesterday, February 28th, and into today, February 29th. The chatter started to spike yesterday amongst the SEO community and some of the third-party rank tracking tools are showing a spike in volatility.

Bing Deep Search To Start Testing Again This Week

Microsoft may start to test Bing’s Deep Search features again in the wild after pulling back its testing earlier this month. As a reminder, Deep Search is an enhancement to Bing Search that provides “deeper and richer exploration of the web,” Microsoft originally said.

Survey Says Most SEOs Dislike Google Now More Than Before

There is no doubt that Google is going through a rough patch right now on many fronts. Between all the complaints about search quality, all the search bugs, the revelations from the DOJ investigation, shaking the cushions, Gemini’s faults, the list goes on and on… It is no wonder SEOs like Google far less today than they did years ago.

Google Ads Support Chat Reps May Be Using Google Translate

Did you know that some Google Ads support representatives you are chatting with may be using Google Translate? They may be automatically translating your questions from English or whatever language and then responding with Google Translate from their language to yours.

Google Local Pack People Like Justifications

Google is testing a new design and feature for its local justifications section. There is this “people likes” section that is shaded in blue and really stands out under the local pack snippet results.

Google Popular Opinions Search Carousel

Google Search is testing a section, a carousel, named “Popular opinions.” The section shows articles with opinions on products or other topics. The example below shows, what looks like, review articles probably fitted with affiliate links.

Making Origami Lanterns At Google

Here are some Googlers and others making origami lanterns at the Google office. This is at the GooglePlex, the main Google headquarters in Mountain View, California.