TL;DR Summary of Search Forum Updates: Crawl Declines, Ad Tests, and Google Ads Enhancements
Optimixed’s Overview: Key Developments in Search Console, Bing Ads, and Google Shopping Campaigns
Recent Crawl Rate Declines in Google Search Console
Many SEO professionals and site owners have reported noticeable declines in crawl activity within Google Search Console beginning around August 8th. While the reason remains unclear, the drop in crawl rate is impacting site indexing and monitoring for some but not all users.
Bing’s Ad Presentation Tests
- Larger Fonts for Ads: Microsoft Advertising is experimenting with increased font sizes in Bing sponsored ads, aiming to make ads more prominent compared to organic search results.
- Bolding Site Name on Hover: Bing is testing a feature that bolds the site name in search snippets when users hover over them, enhancing visual emphasis.
Enhancements in Google Ads Shopping Campaigns
Google Ads has rolled out new functionality allowing audience exclusions for Shopping campaigns. Previously unavailable, this feature now enables advertisers to more precisely control which user segments are excluded from Shopping ad targeting, improving campaign efficiency.
Google Search Console Reporting Bug Affecting Android App Search Appearance
There are reports of a possible bug in the performance report filter for Android App search appearance within Google Search Console. Users have noted missing impressions, clicks, and other key data points, which may affect app-related SEO analysis.
Additional Search Community Insights
- Discussions continue regarding scraped content ranking highly on Google without opt-out options for users.
- Google Finance is expanding access with opt-in features via Search Labs.
- Various UI issues have been reported with Google’s AI Overviews in Chrome browsers.
- Privacy and consent improvements are underway with Microsoft Clarity tools.
