What Did Google Search News Announce in June ‘22 About Ecommerce Essentials and Google I/O?

TL;DR

Google Search News for June ‘22 announced the Ecommerce Essentials series, a Search Console and Data Studio bubble chart guide, a preview of a search video report, and the May Core Update. It also covered returning events, sitemap tag changes, the URL parameters tool deprecation, and the annual Webspam Report. Read on for specific guidance about each update.

Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING] JOHN MUELLER: Hi, everyone and welcome back to the Google Search News. I hope life is treating you reasonably well wherever you are. I'm your host today, John Mueller, here from Google Switzerland. Well, it's June already. And today we have updates for you on a new video series, bubble charts, events, and more. So ready or not, here... Read More

Key Insights

• Google launched a new video series, 'Ecommerce Essentials,' focusing on key elements like images to enhance user experience on eCommerce sites.
• A blog series explains how to connect Google Search Console to Data Studio, enabling users to visualize data with tools like bubble charts.
• Google is returning to in-person events, alongside virtual UnConferences, offering opportunities for community engagement and discussion.
• The Google I/O event previewed a search video report for Search Console, highlighting plans for integrating video data into search analytics.
• Google's May Core Update impacts search rankings, with guidance available for site owners on adapting to these changes.
• Bill Slawski, a significant figure in the SEO community, passed away, remembered for his contributions to understanding search-related patents.
• The URL parameters handling tool in Search Console is deprecated due to improved crawling systems, with robots.txt recommended for managing crawling.
• Google's annual Webspam Report details efforts to combat spam and malicious content, ensuring the integrity of search results.
• "The first episode is about one of the most critical elements for user experience, images." (0:40)
• "This shows which queries are performing well for your site and which ones could be improved." (1:31)
• "We make these updates multiple times a year." (3:04)
• "We recommend that websites use the robots.txt file to provide information about crawling instead." (4:42)
• "These will stop being used in August of this year." (4:57)

Questions & Answers

Q: What does Google's Ecommerce Essentials video series cover?

Ecommerce Essentials focuses on important topics for ecommerce websites, beginning with images as a critical element of user experience. Other episodes cover optimizing JavaScript and making sites mobile-friendly, and the information can also be used for other kinds of websites.

Q: How can Google Search Console and Google Data Studio help visualize search performance?

A blog post series guides users through connecting Google Search Console to Google Data Studio and creating a bubble chart. The chart shows which queries perform well for a site and which could be improved.

Q: What did Google I/O announce about video reporting in Search Console?

The search session at the hybrid Google I/O previewed a search video report in Search Console. Google did not provide a timeline, but website owners who use videos could view the session to see the current plans.

Q: What are Google's UnConferences, and will more be held?

UnConferences are smaller virtual events where everyone participates and discusses topics with people from Google. Events were held in Japanese and English, but the next one had not been finalized.

Q: How can the May Core Update affect websites?

The May Core Update affects the core of Google's systems and can change results across Search and Discover. Google said broad core updates typically produce noticeable effects, so some sites may experience drops or gains.

Q: Who was Bill Slawski, and what did he contribute to SEO?

Bill Slawski was highly active in the SEO community and worked to correct misinformation about SEO. He was passionate about search-related patents and wrote about them frequently.

Q: Why did Google deprecate the URL parameters handling tool in Search Console?

Google deprecated the tool because its crawling systems had improved significantly over the years, making the feature less critical for websites. Google recommends using the robots.txt file to provide crawling information instead.

Q: Which sitemap extension tags was Google planning to stop using?

Google announced that it would stop using several sitemap extension tags, including image geolocation and video category, in August of that year. Other sitemap data would continue to be supported.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• John Mueller introduces the June episode of Google Search News, covering topics like the new 'Ecommerce Essentials' video series and updates to Google Search Console. The video provides insights into optimizing eCommerce sites and visualizing search data effectively.

• The episode discusses Google's return to in-person events and virtual UnConferences, highlighting community engagement opportunities. It also covers announcements from the Google I/O event, including a preview of search video reports in Search Console.

• Recent changes include the deprecation of the URL parameters handling tool and some sitemap extension tags, reflecting Google's evolving approach to search optimization. The annual Webspam Report outlines efforts to maintain search result integrity by combating spam.