Zentury Spotlight – Google Updates Image Removal From Search Index Guidance

Google Makes an Update on Image Removal From Search Index Guidance

Google clarified the paperwork by adding specifics to their updated guidelines for both emergency and non-emergency image removal.

For both emergency situations and non-emergencies, Google provides a number of methods for image removal from the search index.

Although there have been some very little alterations, the following themes have undergone varying degrees of change:

• How to apply image removal fast.
• What to do if the CMS doesn’t provide a mechanism to prevent indexing or if there is no way to access the CDN holding the pictures.
• More information about using pictures from robots.txt.
• How to modify robots.txt to utilize wildcards
• A warning regarding the robots tag noimageindex use.

The Google documentation has been updated regularly; this is the most recent. Pages that are too long are condensed by editing. Some are altered for clarity, such as this webpage.

Google Reacts To Proof Of Bias In The Review Algorithm

Google addressed a small publisher who provided a detailed explanation in her article of how large corporate publishers are abusing the Google Reviews System Algorithm and getting away with it. This suggests that Google has a bias in favor of large brands, which has a detrimental effect on smaller independent publishers.

For instance, it mentioned the high ranking of several publishers for a pricey air purifier that HouseFresh (as well as Consumer Reports) evaluated and discovered to perform worse than less costly options, consume more energy, and need annual purifier repair costs of $199.98. However, the product received excellent reviews from the major brand websites, probably because the high price increases affiliate profits.

Amazingly, they demonstrated how product images from many major brand publishers were obtained from the same photographer in what seems to be the same place, subtly suggesting that the individual publishers did not independently assess the goods.

HouseFresh provided a detailed analysis of what they maintain are instances in which Google favors phony reviews.

A clear and concise explanation of the claimed bias of Google’s Reviews Systems algorithms against tiny, independent websites who provide honest reviews, as well as their consistent loss of traffic under the company’s iterative algorithm updates, was provided by HouseFresh.

On X (formerly Twitter), Google’s SearchLiaison provided a response that considered the allegations carefully. Google does not manually verify any claims found on webpages, unless they are included in a request for reconsideration following a human action. Phrases intended to indicate a hands-on assessment are not used as ranking signals by Google’s algorithms.

Google Will Use New Markup To Display More Product Options

Expanded structured data support for product variations in Google Search results has been announced by Google.

Online retailers will be able to highlight the various product variations they provide, including those pertaining to color, size, material, and more, thanks to the new markup.

Google used to offer structured data for shipping, refunds, and individual items. Product variants can have parent-child connections according to the new product group structure.

Sites must utilize the Schema.org ProductGroup type and the following three related attributes in order to apply the new markup:

• hasVariant: Product variations are nested beneath the relevant “parent” ProductGroup using this attribute.
• variesBy: This property enumerates the traits that set each variation apart.
• productGroupID: This attribute designates the “parent SKU” of the ProductGroup and acts as a unique identifier.

To help with implementation, Google offers validation tools and guidance in Search Console.

Structured data may help search engines comprehend complicated events, services, goods, and other things when used properly.

A uniform vocabulary for entity types and attributes is offered by Schema.org. Schema markup is used by major search engines like Google to produce rich results, which include event information, product carousels, review snippets, and more.

Google Is Introducing New Search Features In Europe

New search interfaces from Google will soon be available throughout the European Economic Area (EEA).

Google made these adjustments in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) of the European Union.

A rich result for searches like “hotels near me” that is in the manner of a carousel is one noticeable update.

Additionally, Google is introducing specialized “aggregator units” that provide connections to significant aggregator websites associated with the query.

Google describes its goals as being to “present users with rich and relevant information for their searches” and “improve the visibility of ecosystem participants” in a blog post.

Soon, Google will launch a new search function that shows rich results in the form of carousels for inquiries pertaining to retail, local services, and travel.

Users will be able to browse among tiles displaying more information, such as pricing, ratings, and photographs, in a horizontal manner thanks to this new style.

The presence of the proper structured data markup on web sites is required for the carousel results. In the absence of such markup, pages will display the typical text search results.

Google is testing the carousel for retail inquiries in Germany, France, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom, despite its original introduction for travel and local searches.

Google is required by law to abide by the DMA, which is why it is implementing these features in Europe.

Aiming to regulate big internet businesses labeled as “gatekeepers” because of their market power, the EU just passed the DMA.

It is scheduled to take effect in March and necessitates substantial adjustments from Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and ByteDance.

As the official gatekeeper, Google has to make the necessary changes to services like Search, Maps, and the Android app store.