November 2024 Search Industry Updates

Published on Mon, 23rd Dec - 2024

Zach Jackson

From Google policy updates to emerging AI search trends and paid media news, here are the key search industry developments for November 2024.

Google Search

Google uses site-wide and page-level ranking signals

After causing some doubt at their October creator summit, Google has now confirmed that their algorithms consider both page-level and site-wide search signals.

Page-level signals: The quality and relevance (to a search query) of each individual webpage on a website is assessed.
Site-wide signals: The website is assessed as a whole.

Google’s has updated their search ranking systems guide with the following statement on the matter:

‘Our ranking systems are designed to work on the page level, using a variety of signals and systems to understand how to rank individual pages. Site-wide signals and classifiers are also used and contribute to our understanding of pages.

Having some good site-wide signals does not mean that all content from a site will always rank highly, just as having some poor site-wide signals does not mean all the content from a site will rank poorly.’

For publishers...

This means it’s crucial to focus on both individual page quality and overall site credibility.

Balance your efforts between creating standout individual content and maintaining a well-optimised, reliable, and high-quality website as a whole.

Google updates their site reputation abuse policy

Google introduced a site reputation abuse (also known as parasite SEO) spam policy alongside their March 2024 core update.

Initially, this policy suggested that any third party content published without first-party oversight or involvement would be considered a spam violation.

Now, Google has updated the documentation to make it clear that third-party content can still be classed as spam even when there is evidence of first-party involvement or content oversight.

The newly generalised site reputation abuse policy now reads:

‘Site reputation abuse is the practice of publishing third-party pages on a site in an attempt to abuse the search rankings by taking advantage of the host site’s ranking signals.’

Chris Nelson, of Google’s Search Quality team, elaborated on the Search Central Blog:

‘We're making it clear that using third-party content on a site in an attempt to exploit the site's ranking signals is a violation of this policy — regardless of whether there is first-party involvement or oversight of the content’

The site reputation abuse policy is yet to be baked into Google’s algorithms. For the time being, it will be enforced through the issuing of manual actions.

For publishers…

Understanding the difference between white and black hat collaboration is key to avoiding penalties.

Here are some examples to clarify:

Approved collaborations: A guest post from a relevant industry expert that aligns with your site’s audience and adds genuine value.
Violations: A low quality or irrelevant third-party page stuffed with keywords or links to manipulate rankings, e.g., generic blog posts linking to unrelated affiliate sites.

DOJ suggests severe puntiive actions following Google monopoly ruling

In November, we got our first concrete glimpse at what punitive action could look like following Google’s monopoly case.

The Department of Justice asked US federal judge, Amit Mehta, to enforce the following remedies:

Divestment of Chrome - Google would have to sell their browser and forfeit any influence over the property.
Restriction of Google Search on Android - Google Search would no longer be the default search engine on Android devices, i.e., users would have to manually select Google Search as their preferred search platform.
Banning default search deals with Apple and others - Google would no longer be permitted to forge search deals that make them the exclusive or default search engine on devices manufactured by Apple or other companies.

Note, this is just the initial proposed final judgement offered by the DOJ - and will likely lead to a sequence of appeals and amendments before the gavel comes down.

Vehemently opposed to these requests, Google responded:

‘DOJ’s wildly overboard proposal goes miles beyond the Court’s decision’ and that ‘DOJ’s approach would result in unprecedented government overreach that would harm American consumers, developers, and small business - and jeopardise America’s global economic and technological leadership at precisely the moment it’s most needed.’

For publishers…

This means potential changes to how users access Google Search, which could impact search traffic patterns.

If Chrome or Android search defaults are restricted, users may diversify their search behaviour across competing engines, reducing reliance on Google.

Publishers should monitor developments closely and consider optimising for alternative search engines to maintain visibility and traffic.

AI Overviews answering shorter, generic questions

AI Overviews primarily appear for long-tail, conversational queries, but November saw an increase of AI-generated results for shorter, more generic queries.

As the intent isn’t always clear with shorter queries, AI Overviews presents a series of “cards” focused on different subcategories the reader can click on to open a dedicated overview and learn more.

For publishers…

This signals a thinning gap between AI Overviews and traditional Search, hinting at Google’s progress toward a fully integrated Gemini search experience.

As discussed in our analysis of Google’s November 2024 core update, we’re also seeing more overlap between sites cited by AI Overviews and those listed in top blue link positions

This would provide some damage control, but if Gemini becomes the standard, publishers may still face reduced visibility, as AI responses could capture more user engagement before reaching traditional organic results.

GBP guideline changes for businesses with minimum-age products/services

Google has updated Business Profile guidelines, stipulating that any business that offers minimum-age products or services must have a set, physical shop front in order to qualify for a GBP account.

In other words, shop front and hybrid businesses (have a shop front but also deliver products/services to customer addresses) with minimum-age offerings are welcome on the local search platform. Meanwhile, purely service area businesses (no physical shop front) with minimum-age offerings are not.

Google stated:

‘Businesses associated with products or services that require the customer to be a certain minimum age, like alcohol, cannabis, or weapons, aren’t permitted as a service-area business without a storefront.’

This is just the latest an chain of GBP developments rolled out over the last two years.

For local-serving businesses…

This means that if your operation is associated with minimum-age products, you can no longer use GBP to bolster local SEO.

Short of drastically rethinking your business model, your best option is to focus on alternative local SEO strategies, including:

Using local keywords in content
Creating location-specific webpages
Trying to build a respectable local review profile
Being active on social media, using location tags to signify relevance to your service area
Earning local backlinks
Using schema markup to help search engines understand your location, services, and other business details

"Term drift" has a significant impact on your Google rank

Term drift is a recently coined SEO phrase that describes the steady shift in meaning words and entities can exhibit over time - and the implications of this change for SEO.

For example, the term “cloud” initially referred to physical infrastructure, but over time, it has evolved to primarily describe cloud computing services.

If your content focused on the original definition and hasn’t updated its context, it might now be less relevant to search queries that align with the modern understanding of “cloud.” This shift in meaning - “term drift” - can affect your ranking, as search engines favour content that accurately reflects current user intent and language trends.

Google My Business is another example, as is Bing Ads, as these services still exist but under different names. Old content that uses this wording and doesn’t at least acknowledge the change may not perform as well on Google’s SERPs.

For publishers…

This underscores the importance of auditing and updating old content. Research shows that resolving term drift alone can have a significant impact on rank stability.

YouTube is the most cited website in AI Overviews

New research revealed YouTube is the most cited website in AI Overviews, narrowly beating Wikipedia out for the top position.

The subsequent 8 spots seem to be reserved for government and high authority medical/educational resources.

For publishers…

This means being active on YouTube can significantly increase your visibility in AI Overviews - and open a new route for customers to reach your content and website.

Diversifying content type and delivery channels has been important for a while now, but this update directly links video content hosted on YouTube to an enhanced presence in AI search results.

SearchGPT

In November 2024, OpenAI launched ChatGPT's new Search feature, now available for Plus and Team users, with plans for broader access in the future.

This feature allows ChatGPT to pull live web data, offering timely responses and citing sources directly within the chat interface.

The citations can be accessed through a new "Sources" button, presenting references to news articles and blog posts, which enhances information transparency.

For publishers…

This means non-Google, AI-driven search is quickly going to become more widely available to the general public, making it more important than ever to start considering AI-specific digital marketing options and optimisations.

Paid media

Google tests 'More sponsered results' button in Search

Google is testing the waters with a paid media equivalent of the ‘More results’ button that reads ‘More sponsored results’.

Clicking on this button loads more ads, giving users more control over what they see whilst simultaneously boosting visibility for advertisers without restricting user access to traditional SERPs.

This may not stick, but it’s an interesting idea to boost Google’s ad revenue in a user/advertiser-friendly manner.

For advertisers…

This means increased opportunities for ad visibility, as users actively choosing to load “More sponsored results” may indicate higher intent or engagement.

If implemented broadly, this feature could lead to more targeted impressions and potentially higher ROI.

Google warns against using harmful ads

Google has updated its Customer Match policy, effective January 13, 2025, warning advertisers that they may lose access to this feature if their ads cause harm to users or provide a poor experience.

The decision will consider factors like user feedback, abuse severity, and repeated policy violations. Google assures that account suspensions will not happen immediately but will include a warning at least seven days in advance.

As for what “harmful” actually means:

Using someone’s email without consent
Targeting children
Making the ad seem as though it’s targeted at any single specific user
You’re targeting people who explicitly opted out of seeing your ads
Violating Customer Match rules

For advertisers...

This means you must ensure your PPC ad campaigns comply with Google’s standards to avoid losing access to Customer Match. Pay attention to user feedback, avoid repeated policy violations, and aim for a positive user experience to maintain your ad capabilities.

Stay current with TDMP

As the search industry evolves, staying informed and agile is key for success.

Whether it’s optimising content for AI Overviews, navigating new policies or algorithms, or adjusting to shifts in consumer behaviour - TDMP can help you adapt to these changes.