Google testing an answers carousel within the search results snippets

Google has started testing and potentially rolling out a new feature in search that shows a carousel with a list of answers directly within the search results snippets. It shows the main search result snippet, and below it, it shows a carousel of answers picked from the content on the page the snippet is linking to. This comes in handy with forum-related threads where someone asks a question and multiple people give their answers. In addition, Google is labeling which answer is the “best” and shows that answer first in the search results. Here is a picture from @glenngabe: I suspect Google is picking the best answer from a label in the thread itself. Of course, this can be a concern for those who run answer sites. Instead of a searcher clicking from Google’s search results to an answer site webpage, the searcher can quickly see a snippet or the full answer in these answer carousels. The post Google testing an answers Search Engine Land Source

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Links: To speed or not to speed

When we first started as an agency, our link builders were evenly split into two camps: One would send out a flurry of emails to all sorts of sites and deal with them if they responded. The other would spend a significant amount of time doing due diligence prior to outreach so that anyone who did respond had already been vetted. I always thought it was a good idea to let each new link builder find his own way, so I didn’t usually express a strong opinion about this divide. I could see the points of view of both sides, too. Why bother doing a lot of work up front if the webmaster wasn’t even going to respond? Why disappoint webmasters who did respond when you couldn’t work with them? On the whole, I have grown to favor the prior due diligence approach as opposed to casting a wide net. I’m firmly of the opinion that some link-building tasks Search Engine Land Source

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PPC agencies will play these 4 roles when automation takes over

Earlier this year, I wrote about how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are driving automation in PPC and then again about how Google’s latest wave of AdWords innovations is driven largely by these same technologies. As the move towards automation accelerates, how should agencies and PPC managers update their strategy? What processes will they need to remain competitive? And what can they really expect from automation tools in the market today? I’ll cover all these topics in a series of upcoming posts, so I’d love to hear your ideas. But today, let’s begin by looking at what roles humans and agencies will play in PPC. . 1. Agencies will teach machines to learn Now that machines can learn, they certainly will surpass humans, right? The reality is that machine learning is still very dependent on humans. We program the algorithms, we provide the training data, we even manipulate the training data to help the machine get it right. Machine learning often Search Engine Land Source

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Seattle Search Engine Optimization. Rob1SEO.com SEO Internet Marketing Consultant

Seattle Search Engine Optimization. Rob1SEO.com SEO Internet Marketing Consultant http://ift.tt/1phIXq3 Seattle Search Engine Optimization. Rob1SEO.com 425-737-0283 27010 NE Ring St, Duvall, WA 98019. Increase your website traffic and Google rankings with Seattle’s top SEO Internet Marketing Consultant.

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Top 10 local search insights of 2017

Is it just me, or does it seem time flies faster in the local search industry? Another year has gone by, with many changes and developments to boot. Here’s a list of my top 10 insights from 2017: 1. Customer data is the new competitive edge SMBs often feel at a competitive disadvantage compared to larger companies who benefit from scale at every level, including the purchase of search advertising or other marketing services. Data is helping even the playing field as it emphasizes quality over quantity. Better data resulting in better targeting means that local businesses experience lower costs, higher conversion rates and greater ROI. And while targeting is not a new strategy, what’s new is the access to and quality of data. Just as the price of technology drops with increased adoption, data will be cheaper, more accurate and more insightful. The Internet of Things (IoT) is driving growth in data much faster than what could be achieved by Search Engine Land Source

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Google Santa Tracker is live, counting down the days until Christmas with holiday games & resources

Google has launched its annual Santa Tracker to count down the days until Christmas, serving up holiday games and educational resources. This year’s offerings include coding games to make a dancing elf and one to create original artwork. There is also an elf filter available via a “Santa Snap” game on the Android app: “You can fly your jetpack-ed elf around the globe in Google Maps and take ‘elfies’ with famous world landmarks.” Google’s Santa Tracker is available for Android, iOS and Chrome. Same as last year, there is an Advent-style calendar on the Santa Tracker home page that will continue to publish new holiday games and information between now and December 24. So far, Google’s Advent calendar has offered a link to its Santa Tracker Android app, a code instruction game for building a snowflake, holiday translations and a link to the following “Day at the Museum” video: Starting December 24, Google says the Google Assistant will be able to Search Engine Land Source

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It’s time to change your SEO reports!

You’d think that after a year or so of these posts, I’d run out of things to be on the soapbox about, right? Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, since they give me material to write about), there are still tons of mistakes and missteps out there in SEO land — and lots of marketers who need help. This time around, I’m talking about SEO reports. I’ve taught several intensive Local SEO training courses at conferences all over the world, and monthly reports always come up. Marketers never seem to be really satisfied with what they’re providing to clients, and clients never seem to be really satisfied with the report they’re given every month. The big problem is that most of us live in our little Local SEO bubbles and don’t fully consider how a layperson thinks about SEO. We live, eat, breathe and bleed SEO — some of you out there even name your pets after algorithm updates. No one Search Engine Land Source

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