Product card extensions
Google are trialling a new panel for product name searches, which includes a wealth of product information like critic and user reviews, shopping ads, videos, and stockist locations.
This answers several common user queries immediately without a second search.
However, it may also mean that promoting product pages organically for these searches is more difficult, as they are pushed down the page by this panel.
Mid-November Google update
Search position tracking tools were displaying high levels of fluctuation throughout November, especially on the 15th.
Some webmasters reported lots of movement with their sites; others none at all. Analysis showed that affected sites had lots of ads and thin content.
Google have not commented on this volatility.
Knowledge panel in local pack
For brands with physical locations and a knowledge graph entry, Google may now combine them when searching for the brand name.
The new display includes a list of map locations, as before, now headed with the brand name, logo and a follow button for Google Posts.
The About tab lists all the knowledge graph information, including the website link and description from Wikipedia.
Google increases snippet length
Google have updated their SERP displays, increasing the average length of descriptive snippets shown under the links.
A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land that this change was “to help people better understand how pages are relevant to their searches”.
It would not be necessary to update meta descriptions, however, as these longer snippets are often generated from the content in the body of the page.
by Zack Cornick
