Each week the Croud SEO team collate the latest news from relevant sources around the web so you don’t have to. Read through the top SEO news stories for this week below and follow us on Twitter or sign up to our newsletter.
Some April Google Search Console data lost, manual actions disappeared
01/05/2019
Google has fixed the bug relating to the delay in Coverage Report data in Search Console, however it has filled the missing period (9th to 25th April) with data from the 26th April instead. Manual action also disappeared though have since returned. Whilst the Performance Report appears to have been unaffected, it’s worth bearing in mind the data across the period for the Coverage Report (and other enhancement reports) are unreliable.
Yoast adds image and video Schema with 11.1 update
30/04/2019
The Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress has been updated to include image and video Schema, allowing webmasters to more easily enhance the way results appear in the SERPs – this is particularly useful as Google started showing more images within the results in recent weeks.
Here’s what you need to know about image optimization for SEO
29/04/2019
SEL takes a deep look at image optimization and why it matters for SEO. This includes how to properly optimise images for search, choosing the right format, sizes and dimensions, properly hosting and caching images, how to audit images on site, how to report on their performance, and developments in image recognition and search features.
Google may decide to charge for Google My Business listings
29/04/2019
Google appears to be considering charging a monthly fee for Google My Business listings, which has raised some questions about the future of how Google monetises search; essentially charging for a search listing.
Google bug may select unrelated canonical URLs, could impact indexing
26/04/2019
Google tweeted on Thursday that it may have selected unrelated canonical URLs for certain pages meaning that breadcrumb trails on mobile may show the unrelated URL. In some instances this could prevent proper indexing – check any suspect pages using the URL inspection tool in Search Console to view the Google selected canonical URL.
Google: No Plans Yet On Migrating Disavow Link Tool
26/04/2019
Google’s John Mueller has stated that there are no plans to migrate the Disavow Link Tool over to the new Search Console. It is unclear if this means the tool will be removed along with old Search Console however.
The Adyen Unified Commerce Index
26/04/2019
A report by Adyen indicates that shoppers who regularly buy both online and in-store spend 15% more than those who purchase through a single channel, it also suggested that loyalty rises with omni-channel too with shoppers more likely to spend more often.
IMRG Capgemini Sales Index – April 2019
26/04/2019
UK retail sales saw slow growth of 5% YoY in March, which fell below the 12 month average of 10.2%, this is despite the improved weather this year and the snow last year. Online retailers saw marginally better average at 8.9%, however home/garden and clothing saw record slow growth, with a 1.6% and 3.7% increase YoY respectively. Health and beauty however saw a strong sales growth of 15.6%.
