Three Google updates, two lawsuits, and one case of AI Overviews not linking to high-ranking websites complete this week’s SEO news roundup.
While Google’s ongoing court battles matter little to most people, the recent updates to robots.txt, store ratings, and local service ads could have a massive effect on local businesses and independent site owners.
And AI Overview’s apparent refusal to link to sites hit by the helpful content update adds insult to injury, leaving many publishers unamused!
Google’s Robots.txt Update Clarifies Supported Fields
Google announced it updated its robots.txt files documentation to remove any confusion about which robots.txt fields it supports.
The new Search Central Documentation clarifies which unsupported robots.txt directives Google will ignore, helping developers and site owners ensure Google indexes their most crucial content.
Key takeaways:
- Google said it made the update because people often ask if Google supports fields that aren’t listed as supported.
- Google wanted to clarify that if a robots.txt field isn’t listed, it doesn’t support it.
- Search Central Documentation clarifies the four robots.txt files developers and site owners should use.
Google Ordered To Open Android App Store to Rivals
Google lost an antitrust lawsuit brought by Epic Games four years ago.
Last week a U.S. federal judge found Google guilty of running another monopoly. His verdict means Google must allow competitors to join its Play Store app.
Key takeaways:
- Epic Games, makers of the hit multi-member game Fortnite, filed a lawsuit in 2020 accusing Google of monopolizing Android devices and app transactions on its Play Store app platform.
- Judge James Donato’s order requires Google to allow rival app firms to use its Play Store platform for three years.
- Legal experts have said the ruling could challenge Google’s app market dominance and reduce consumer prices.
- Judge Donato told Google’s lawyers: “You’re going to end up paying something to make the world right after having been found to be a monopolist.”
Google Search Results Expands Store Ratings To New Countries
Google expanded its Search Store ratings to four more countries, enabling sellers in those regions to promote their reviews.
While the update is for the English-speaking market, India makes the list with 129 million English speakers, 9% of the global population.
Key takeaways:
- Google has updated its store ratings feature to include Australia, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom.
- Now, sellers in the newly added countries can use the feature to promote their businesses by showing customer reviews.
- Merchants have two options for joining Google’s Store Ratings.
- US sellers (who have had store ratings for years) already participating are automatically eligible to promote their store rating in Search.
Google Local Service Ads Update On The Way
Google announced an update to its Local Service Ads. The update means businesses using LSAs for marketing need a Google Business Profile to display their ads and customer reviews.
Key takeaways:
- Google’s local service ad update takes effect on November 21; after that date, any business without a Google Business Profile cannot use Local Service ads.
- Advertisers must create a Business Profile that links to their LSAs to continue using local service ads and show reviews.
- Google’s LSA update says: “Starting November 21, 2024, select Local Services advertisers must have an affiliated Google Business Profile to run Local Services Ads.”
From Around The Web
“Google Faces Potential Breakup: How DOJ Ruling Could Reshape Search”
Search Engine Journal writer Matt G. Southern reports on another Google antitrust case, where the U.S. Department of Justice has proposed how to address Google’s search monopoly.
Key takeaways:
- The Department of Justice accused Google of abusing its search and advertising position.
- The court ruled that Google had monopolized search results and advertising for over a decade.
- The Department of Justice’s proposed actions to remove Google’s monopoly includes four key areas.
- Google opposed the DOJ’s proposals, saying they weren’t relevant to the case and could harm future innovation and user experience.
- Google said it will appeal the ruling and that search is competitive because of the many AI-powered alternatives.
“Google AI Overviews Not Linking To Sites Hit By Helpful Content Update”
Search Engine Roundtable editor Barry Schwartz writes about how Google’s AI Overviews aren’t showing citations or links to websites affected by Google’s helpful content update, even when directly asking about a specific site.
Key takeaways:
- Many sites rank well in traditional search results but show zero links in AI Overviews.
- Shwartz said, “We know core updates directly impact AI Overviews, and we know the helpful content update is now part of the core updates.”
- Users reported on X, “When you type Who is XYZ site (and insert site affected by the HCU), the Google AI Overview result seems to not include links to that site. Just a bunch of other sites that talk about the site.”
Another user wrote, “It seems like there is some kind of filter in place to prevent HCU sites from being linked to in here.”
