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🔍 New Google Shopping | Markup mixup

Good morning, search marketers, is it a forgive and forget kind of Monday?

Google apologized for forgetting to tell anyone it has been ignoring rel=next/prev pagination markup. SEOs have been venting their frustrations about being in the dark. Most say they're sticking with the markup even if Google doesn't use it.

Google Express wasn't going to scare Amazon, but a new Google Shopping experience could help it claw back some product search. France is getting a first look at the new Google Shopping that features personalized recommendations — and more significantly, incorporates Google Shopping Actions right into the Shopping interface. Users can browse products, add those from merchants participating in Shopping Actions directly to a shopping cart and check out all from within Shopping. I expect this new flow will get more merchants to give Shopping Actions another look.

Old habits die hard. Maybe it's because people have been accustomed to asking Google questions for so long, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Google Home owners do more with their devices than Alexa owners? Google Home's market share lags behind Amazon Alexa, but a new survey shows some interesting behaviors that indicate it could gain traction. At some point these behaviors will have business and marketing implications. 

Our new associate editor, George Nguyen (welcome, George!), spoke with expert SEO and search patent explorer Bill Slawski about a patent that suggests how at least one Googler is thinking about how CTR and time on page could be used in search rankings.

Lots more below, including a Pro Tip on how to deal with Google My Business spam.

Ginny Marvin
Editor-in-Chief

Quick links to stories mentioned above:
+ New personalized, Shopping Actions-enabled Google Shopping debuts in France
+ Patent suggests how CTR, time on page could be used in search rankings (if Google did that sort of thing)
+ Survey finds Google Home users do more, have 'far higher' satisfaction than Alexa owners
+ SEOs frustrated by Google's belated pagination announcement
+ Google apologizes for rel=next/prev mixup

 
 
 
Pro Tip
 

Here's how to deal with Google My Business spam

"With Google My Business now such a critical part of the consumer's journey, it's inevitable that people would seek to take advantage of weaknesses in the system in order to benefit their businesses' positions," explains Jamie Pitman of BrightLocal. "Thus we have Google My Business spam, and with it no end of keyword-stuffed business names, fake listings, fake reviews and more."

He offers this advice, "Keep building up those Local Guide levels, keep suggesting edits, keep filling out Google's 'Business Redressal Complaint Form,' keep reporting spam to GMB Twitter and Facebook and stay positive."

READ MORE »

 

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Search Shorts
 

The Times They Are a-Changin'

Relax there, buddy. There is no ETA to when Google will be able to crawl and render JavaScript pages in one process. It will get done, when it is done, Google says.

SEO experience takes time. Listen to how Joe Youngblood talks about his journey through the process of going solo as an SEO.

Deep thoughts. Aaron Bradley talks us through the controversy around Google removing Patrick Moore as the founder of Greenpeace.

 
What we're reading
 

We've curated our picks from across the web so you can retire your feed reader

Digital News Innovation Fund: three years in, and 662 total projects supported – Google Blog

SEO Is a Means to an End: How Do You Prove Your Value to Clients? – Moz

Bing Maps adds colored traffic info to routes – OnMSFT.com

Google Does Not Have An Organic Traffic Budget – Search Engine Roundtable

Google Maps for web gets a few Material Theme changes – 9to5Google

Google's Algorithm Update Impact On Digital Publishers (March 2019) – Ezoic Blog

Google's March 2019 Core Update – Seobility Blog

Is Javascript Bad For SEO? Do Bears Poop In The Woods? – Portent

Optimizing For Search Entities Can Improve Your SEO – Conductor

The One-Hour Guide to SEO, Part 2: Keyword Research – Whiteboard Friday – Moz

 
 
 
Join Us
 

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Attend Search Engine Land's SMX Advanced, June 3-5, 2019 for expert-led sessions, networking (including the 2019 Search Engine Land Awards), and top amenities including WiFi, delicious meals, and snacks. This is your once-a-year event to learn only advanced SEO and SEM tactics. You'll come away with at least one tactic that you can immediately put to use… we guarantee it. View rates and register today!