Gary Illyes from Google explained how Google Search may or may not handle special characters within Google Search. He explained this in the latest Google SEO office hours at the 16:10 mark. Gary was asked, “How does Google handle special characters like the superscript e in search results.” For example, a Latin letter E with…
Google is rolling out Local Services Ads on its Maps app, starting with iOS, to help advertisers generate more leads directly from the navigation platform. Why it matters. This expansion brings local business ads to a highly-intent user base actively searching for nearby services, potentially increasing lead generation for advertisers. How it works. Google will…
In Reinforcement learning (RL), effectively integrating human feedback into learning processes has risen to the forefront as a significant challenge. This challenge becomes particularly pronounced in Reward Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF), especially when dealing with multiple teachers. The complexities surrounding the selection of teachers in RLHF systems have led researchers to introduce the…
The rapid advance of artificial intelligence has generated a lot of buzz, with some predicting it will lead to an idyllic utopia and others warning it will bring the end of humanity. But speculation about where AI technology is going, while important, can also drown out important conversations about how we should be handling the…
Google is expanding its AR beauty ads to foundation and hair dye products. Shoppers can now try on different shades of hair dye before deciding whether to make a purchase, with plans to extend this virtual try on experience to foundation “soon”. This capability was initially launched for lipstick and eyeshadow products back in 2020….
Google Ads is concerned there may be some confusion around its sales and support departments. Marketers recently claimed that support is at an all-time low, accusing reps of bombarding them with “aggressive” phone calls pushing for the implementation of automated solutions. But Google now tells Search Engine Land that the employees making those calls aren’t…
The launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 has been a real game changer for digital marketers across the world. SEO professionals are still trying to navigate the potential benefits and power of this technology. The ability to type in search queries through live chat and get perfectly and uniquely written content hosts several advantages for…
It is like the Google August 2024 core update didn’t finish rolling out, or maybe something else is going on, because I am still seeing a lot of signals of intense search ranking volatility in the Google Search results. The tools are all still heated and the chatter within the SEO community is still pretty…
Google is testing wider and larger image thumbnails on snippets in the desktop search results interface. The images look about twice as wide, maybe even more, the the normal image thumbnails you’d see Google display in the desktop search results. Mordy Oberstein captured a screenshot of the wider images and posted it on Twitter. He…
Google updated its definition of top ads in its Help Center to better reflect how ads can appear in Google Search A spokesperson told Search Engine Land that this just a “definitional change” and that it would not affect how performance metrics are calculated. What are top ads? Top ads are ads that appear above…