SEO Weekly Digest on 19-23 of February 2024

Google Enhances Image Removal Guidance

Google has updated its guidance on removing images from the search index, offering clearer instructions for both emergency and non-emergency situations. The new documentation details multiple methods for quickly removing images, addressing challenges such as lack of access to the Content Delivery Network (CDN) hosting the images or Content Management Systems (CMS) that do not support blocking indexing. It also elaborates on the use of robots.txt and the implications of the noimageindex robots tag, ensuring webmasters have the necessary tools to control the visibility of their images in search results.

New Search Features in Europe by Google

To comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Google is rolling out new search features across the European Economic Area (EEA). These features include carousel-style rich results for travel and local services, dedicated aggregator links, and flight information boxes, aiming to enhance user experience and improve the visibility of different market participants. Google’s initiative is a direct response to the DMA’s requirements, focusing on creating a more competitive digital market and providing businesses with new opportunities to appear in search results.

Clarification on rel=canonical Usage

Google has made updates to its rel=canonical documentation to clarify the extraction and processing of canonical annotations. This update does not represent a change in Google’s handling of rel=canonical annotations but aims to make the process more transparent. The documentation now emphasizes the explicit use of rel=canonical link annotations as outlined in RFC 6596 and advises against using canonical tags for purposes other than identifying duplicate content, such as specifying alternate versions of a page.

Google’s “How Search Works” Video Series

Google has introduced a new video series titled “How Search Works” on its Search Central YouTube channel. Featuring Google engineer Gary Illyes, the series aims to demystify the complexities of search engines and improve the visibility of websites in search results. By breaking down the processes of crawling, indexing, and serving search results, the series seeks to provide viewers with a deeper understanding of Google Search’s inner workings and the importance of quality content for achieving favorable search rankings.