Google has released documentation on merging data from Google Analytics 4 and Search Console to enhance SEO analysis. It describes how Search Console tracks pre-visit activity like impressions and clicks, while Google Analytics captures on-site user behavior. A new Looker Studio dashboard template helps marketers visualize and compare data. The documentation also addresses data discrepancies and offers resources for better integration.
Google is simplifying mobile search results by displaying only the domain in URLs, removing breadcrumbs that were previously part of the site hierarchy feature. This change addresses usability issues on smaller screens where breadcrumbs often get cut off. Desktop search results will still show breadcrumbs, and users do not need to change their breadcrumb markup. Feedback can be provided through LinkedIn or the Google Search Central Community.
Search Central Live will return to São Paulo in 2025, following successful events in 2023 and 2024, and will also visit Recife for the first time. SEOs, content creators, and others interested in Google Search can apply for invites for events on February 18 in São Paulo and February 20 in Recife. Speakers will discuss how Google Search works, AI usage, and measuring SEO efforts. Registration is open until January 23, with invitations sent on January 30.
Google has improved its Search Console by adding a feature to export hourly performance data for the last 24 hours. Users can download metrics in Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, and CSV formats. This feature aids in data analysis and debugging, offering insights into website performance. However, users should be aware that recent metrics may not be final and should validate this data against other exports, as it is limited to the previous 24-hour period.
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Google has launched the December 2024 spam update, a global rollout expected to take one week. This update targets sites violating Google’s spam policies but should not significantly impact most websites. It enhances Google's systems for detecting search spam, particularly improving SpamBrain. Websites with ranking changes should review compliance with spam policies, as violations may lead to lower rankings or removal from search results.
Google completed its December 2024 core update from December 12 to December 18 in just six days, making it one of the fastest updates. This update, following November's, aimed to enhance search result relevance through improvements to core systems. Significant volatility in search rankings was reported during the update. Google advises content creators to focus on helpful, user-centered content, avoid over-optimization, and maintain high-quality standards.
Google released a document on best practices for faceted navigation, addressing SEO challenges. While it enhances user experience, it generates numerous URLs, leading to overcrawling and delayed content discovery. Each filter combination creates distinct URLs, complicating SEO. Google suggests two strategies: blocking non-essential URLs with robots.txt and optimizing URLs with standard separators and consistent filter order.
The Dec. 2024 core update is rolling out and will complete in two weeks. This update follows the November update, as Google continuously improves its core systems. Core updates can significantly alter search algorithms, and Google states there are no specific recovery actions for sites affected by previous updates, highlighting the need for helpful content. The update may lead to fluctuations in search rankings, and its overall impact remains uncertain.
Google Search Console has introduced a '24 hours' view in performance reports, allowing users to monitor recent content performance with metrics like clicks, impressions, and average CTR. This view offers hourly granularity and displays data in the user's local timezone. Additionally, data freshness has improved, reducing average data delay by nearly 50%. These updates will be gradually rolled out across all properties.
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