Google is testing a much more visible version of their AMP logo in the search results. Instead of the usual light grey that you see in the mobile search results, the new test shows them in black instead. Aleyda Solis posted screenshots of the new style on Twitter. They show in both the regular search […]
Google: Check Your Mobile Site Has Alt Text Tags on Images
Most site owners are pretty good about ensuring their images have alt tags, especially ones that might also be used as links, as Google will use that alt text for SEO purposes. But John Mueller had an interesting side note about the use of images when they are on a mobile site, which could have […]
Google Converting Non-Mobile Friendly Pages to Mobile Friendly for Searchers
Google is testing a new feature that offers to convert a non mobile friendly page to a mobile friendly one for searchers when they land on a page that isn’t. Kiran Nagula spotted the test. When you view a webpage that isn’t mobile friendly, Google adds a closeable banner to the bottom of the page […]
Google Adds Expandable AdWords Ads With Carousels on Mobile
Google is running a new style of AdWords ad that includes an expandable section which will then display an added carousel on the bottom of the ad. This format is similar to some carousels we have seen used in AdWords ads, except these ones cannot be viewed without expanding the section first. Here is it […]
Google Testing New Black UI on Mobile
Google doesn’t run nearly as many of their color UI tests on mobile as they do desktop. But they are currently running a black UI version of their mobile search results for some users. Felicia Crawford spotted the changed UI on mobile. The search results look normal, except Google has dropped the usual blue and green […]
Publishers Reporting Huge Drop in AMP Traffic in Google Analytics
[Updates at bottom] If you are seeing a huge drop in AMP traffic on your sites, you are not alone. Many publishers are seeing a similar drop across all of their properties. The issue seems to have started around midnight for many publishers. Working with a publisher with a large amount of AMP traffic, we […]
Google: Expect Conflicting Info on Mobile First Prior to Launch
Google’s Gary Illyes, speaking at Next10x yesterday, said that we can expect to hear conflicting information on the mobile first indexing change prior to its official launch and Google’s official blog post about the launch. .@methode: You will hear "conflicting information" on mobile-first until Google posts officially on the blog #Next10X — Stone Temple (@stc_corp) […]
Google’s Mobile First Index Unlikely to Launch Before 2018
There is a little bit more breathing room for those sites needing the time to get their mobile sites ready for mobile first indexing change by Google. It now sounds like it is unlikely to launch prior to 2018. Gary Illyes from Google commented at Next10X during his keynote that he doesn’t think it is […]
Google Partners Adds New Mobile Sites Certification
Google has added a brand new Mobile Sites certification to their Google Parners program. The certification gives a Google stamp of approval that the bearer of the certificate is knowledgeable in “best practices for creating, managing, measuring, and optimizing mobile websites.” Those that take the exam must answer 65 questions with an accuracy of 80% […]
Google AdWords Testing URLs Above Title on Mobile Search Results
Yesterday we posted about Google testing the breadcrumb version of the URL above the title tag in the mobile search results. It appears that this same test is also implemented for AdWords ads too, which could significantly affect the CTR of these ads, especially those whose landing page URL might not seemingly match the query, […]