Google’s Web Crawler Fakes Being “Idle” To Render JavaScript
Google’s web crawler simulates “idle” states to better render JavaScript-heavy sites, improving indexing of deferred content on webpages.
About
Matt G. Southern, Senior News Writer, has been with Search Engine Journal since 2013. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, Matt specializes in gathering details, checking facts, and making complex subjects easy to understand. In addition to writing articles, Matt oversees strategy development for SEJ’s news department.
Articles
Google Says There’s No Way To Block Content Only From Discover Feed
Google confirms no option to block content only from Discover, unlike News, highlighting limitations in crawling control.
YouTube Expands Shorts Toolkit: Auto Layout, Text-to-Speech, & More
YouTube Shorts introduces new creation tools, including auto layout, text-to-speech, enhanced captions, and more.
Google Renders All Pages For Search, Including JavaScript-Heavy Sites
Google renders all webpages, including JavaScript-heavy sites, for search indexing.
Google Simplifies Adding Shipping & Return Policies For Online Stores
Google introduces Search Console feature for online stores to easily manage shipping and return policies.
New YouTube Feature Aims To Spark Viral Trends In Shorts
YouTube tests “Add Yours” sticker for Shorts, allowing creators to start trends and viewers to respond.
Google Struggles To Boost Search Traffic On Its iPhone Apps
Google struggles to shift iPhone searches to its apps, reaching a low 30% adoption, as antitrust concerns loom over the Safari partnership.
Meta Pushes GA4 Integration, Boasts 22% Conversion Boost
Meta urges advertisers to link GA4 data, claiming a 22% conversion boost. Integration offers insights but has limitations.
Instagram Algorithm Shift: Why ‘Sends’ Matter More Than Ever
Instagram prioritizes shareable content in rankings and reveals that the sends-to-reach ratio is key for improved visibility.
You Don’t Need Robots.txt On Root Domain, Says Google
Google’s Gary Illyes shares an unconventional but valid method for centralizing robots.txt rules on CDNs.
Google’s AI Overviews Coincide With Drop In Mobile Searches
Study reveals Google’s AI overviews coincided with decline in mobile search volume, likely causing Google to pull back on the feature.
Robots.txt Turns 30: Google Highlights Hidden Strengths
Google’s Gary Illyes highlights robots.txt file’s error tolerance and unexpected features as it marks 30 years of aiding web crawling and SEO.
Google Search Console Bug: Performance Reports Delayed
Google Search Console is experiencing delays updating Search Performance reports, impacting websites’ ability to access timely data.
Google’s E-E-A-T & The Myth Of The Perfect Ranking Signal
Google clarifies E-E-A-T’s role in search rankings, emphasizing quality content over chasing specific signals for improved search performance.
Google Warns Of Soft 404 Errors And Their Impact On SEO
Google’s Gary Illyes warns of soft 404 errors’ impact on web crawling and recommends proper error handling to improve SEO and site efficiency.
Google On The 2 Types Of Searches It Still Struggles With
Google still struggles with complex search queries, particularly those using “not” and prepositions, despite AI advancements.
Google Completes June 2024 Spam Update Rollout
Google completed the June 2024 spam update, targeting policy-violating websites. As search quality improves, search rankings may fluctuate.
Google Reveals Its Methods For Measuring Search Quality
Google measures search results using surveys, experts, and user behavior. Improving quality leads to trickier searches and ongoing challenges.
Google Ads Revamps Query Matching: What You Need to Know
Google Ads revamps query matching, adding misspelling tools and brand controls to boost campaign efficiency.
Google Announces New GA4 Features As Universal Analytics Sunset Nears
Google enhances Analytics 4 with AI insights, cross-channel reporting, and budgeting tools as Universal Analytics shutdown nears.
Google Debunks SEO Myth: Branded Keywords Won’t Hurt Rankings
Google debunks SEO myth: Using branded keywords in content doesn’t harm rankings.
GA4 Update Brings Alignment With Google Ads Targeting
Google enhances GA4 advertising data, aligning user counts with Google Ads for improved remarketing abilities.
Gen Z Ditches Google, Turns To Reddit For Product Searches
Study reveals Gen Z’s changing online habits: social media displaces search engines for product discovery, challenging traditional marketing strategies.
Study: Google Favors Ecommerce Sites & User-Generated Content
Study reveals Google search shifts: ecommerce and user-generated content rise, while product review sites lose visibility.
Google Dials Back AI Overviews In Search Results, Study Finds
A new study finds Google is reducing the frequency of, but lengthening, AI overviews in search results.
Google Launches June 2024 Spam Update
Google begins rolling out the June 2024 spam update, which should take a week to complete.
Reddit Traffic Up 39%: Is Google Prioritizing Opinions Over Expertise?
As Reddit ranks higher in Google searches, its traffic has reportedly grown 39% year-over-year.
Is Google Crawling Your Site A Lot? That Could Be A Bad Sign
Google’s Gary Illyes says sudden crawling spikes may signal hacked sites or other issues.
YouTube Tests Crowdsourced Annotations For Videos
YouTube tests crowdsourced context notes, allowing creators and viewers to annotate videos.
Google Analytics Adds User Conversion Rate Metrics
Google Analytics helps businesses better track and improve conversions by adding user and session conversion rate metrics.