Google Search News: Updates on Core Web Vitals, News Websites, Generative AI, and Search Console

Introduction

In the latest episode of Google Search News, John Mueller provides updates on various topics related to Google Search. From Core Web Vitals to news websites, generative AI, and Search Console, there are plenty of exciting announcements to discuss. Let's dive into the details and explore these updates further.

Core Web Vitals

One of the updates mentioned by Mueller is Google's clarification on how they use Core Web Vitals in their helpful content ranking system. For more in-depth information, Mueller recommends referring to their blog post and documentation. Additionally, Google announced that mobile friendliness will no longer be a factor since most sites are already mobile-friendly. Consequently, they will be removing the mobile usability report and the mobile-friendly testing tool from Search Console, including its API, by the end of the year. Furthermore, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) will become a part of Core Web Vitals, replacing First Input Delay (FID) in March 2024. Search Console already provides data on INP, and it's advisable to take the necessary steps to address any identified issues. It's crucial to remember that a great page experience involves more than just Core Web Vitals. Adopting a holistic approach is highly recommended.

News Websites

Mueller acknowledges the importance of news websites and announces new updates specific to them. Google has created guidance and best practices for news websites, highlighting two informative videos on SEO best practices and using Search Console effectively for news sites. Search Console offers crucial insights into how Google crawls, indexes, and displays news websites in Search and Discover. To further support news sites, Google has started incorporating news topics in their events. If you're working on a news site and come across one of these events nearby, it's recommended to take advantage and learn from the experts.

Generative AI and Search Labs

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an inevitable part of our lives. Google recognizes this and has launched Search Labs, a platform where users can sign up and try out new AI-powered products and ideas. Initially, Search Labs is available to users in the United States. One exciting feature included in Search Labs is the Search Generative Experience (SGE). This uses generative AI to offer more information and context to users' searches. While these AI systems are still in their early stages, the progress made by the team has been remarkable. Google encourages users to provide feedback on their experiences with these AI features since it helps them improve and refine the technology further.

Search Console Updates

Search Console continues to receive updates to enhance user experience. First, an update to the rich results test now allows code editing, making it easier and faster to experiment with markup fixes. Furthermore, Search Console Insights now supports users without Google Analytics, simplifying the process of monitoring a site's performance in Google Search. Another noteworthy update is the addition of finer-grained information on video indexing issues in the video indexing report. This allows publishers to identify and resolve any problems with video indexing. To further assist webmasters and SEOs, Google has concluded another season of Search Console training on their YouTube channel. The training covers various topics, including how to address traffic drops.

Changes in Sitemap Handling

Google provides updates on changes in sitemap handling. While Google continues to support sitemaps in Search Console, they have announced the pending deprecation of the ping endpoint for sitemaps. This decision is based on the observation that the data received through the ping endpoint is not particularly useful. As a result, Google plans to turn off the ping endpoint by the end of the year. Users do not need to make any changes to their sitemap submissions, as they can still submit sitemap files through Search Console and robots.txt.

Community Highlights

Mueller takes the opportunity to highlight some noteworthy contributions from the community. He mentions a post by Lily Ray on preparing for AI features in search engines. Although the future is uncertain, the possibilities are intriguing, and SEO continues to be valuable. Additionally, he references an article by Jes Scholz that delves into website crawling, emphasizing its significance in the search engine ecosystem. Lastly, Mueller mentions Bryan Casey's article about the effectiveness of concise marketing content on IBM's website. These contributions provide valuable insights and contribute to ongoing discussions in the SEO community.

Miscellaneous Updates

Mueller concludes the episode with a series of shorter updates. These include changes in Google's documentation, such as the introduction of a new generic crawler, reorganization of the Google crawlers page, and the addition of IP addresses used by Google crawlers. Google has also revamped the spam report, making it easier for users to report problematic search results. Additionally, there has been a recent change in how Google treats the top-level domain ".ai" in Google Search. It is now classified as a generic country code top-level domain. This presents an opportunity for individuals interested in creating websites related to the Swiss Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, a region famous for its cheese. Mueller ends the episode by expressing his love for cheese and bidding viewers farewell.

Conclusion

In this episode of Google Search News, John Mueller covers a wide range of updates and announcements. From Core Web Vitals to news websites, generative AI, and Search Console, Google is actively working to improve the search experience for users and provide valuable insights to webmasters and SEOs. By staying up to date with these updates and recommendations, website owners can optimize their sites for a better user experience and enhanced visibility in Google Search. As always, providing feedback and engaging in the broader SEO community helps shape future developments and improvements in search technology.