A basic rundown on search console basics, I am not sure if there are specific guidelines for non-profits in here but it could be of help if you are new to Search console.

If you have a particularly large site and you have a sitemap file to reference other sitemap files using multiple tags then Google says they will not be processed. Just to avoid confusion when you have multiple XML sitemaps files in an index file with one sitemapindex tag like so that should be ok but if you have multiple sitemapindex tags like this then you might have problem Google processing it.

Google is now working on auto-generated narrators that turn any book into an audiobook. This feature is intended to benefit the Google Play Books store by making many more audio titles, with their inherent convenience, available.

Google’s solution is to automate the process and it’s working with US and UK publishing houses that own the rights to books. This publisher tool is “currently in beta” and will be available to all publishers early next year.

Google will soon start offering people access to paywalled content in partnership with select news publishers through News Showcase.

They will also offer a new type of News Showcase panel includes a list of important articles selected daily by their favorite publishers. For example, if a user follows a news outlet that covers their local news, they will see daily updates on the most important local stories, selected by that newsroom. Relevant publications, both national and local, will also now be shown within the For You feed, plus in a dedicated area to discover new News Showcase publications within Newsstand on Google News.

News Showcase has expanded to Google News on iOS and it will be coming to news.google.com and Discover soon.

News Showcase metrics will soon appear in Search Console so publishers will have more data to better understand which articles and topics users are responding to.

There are now close to 400 news publications in countries such as Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, France, U.K. and Australia.

Google Maps is introducing its own news feed called Community Feed, that includes posts from a local area. . The feed shows you the latest reviews, photos and posts added to Google Maps by local experts and people you follow as well as food and drink merchants, and articles from publishers ( looks like Google posts get surfaced here )

The community feed brings together helpful local information and tailors it to your selected interests. For example, if you’ve marked an interest in healthy food or Greek cuisine in your Google Maps food and drink preferences, you’ll see more recommendations, photos and business posts for that type of dining.

LinkedIn introduced a new data analytics tool LinkedIn Sales Insights with the goal of enabling sales organizations to tap into the professional network’s data pool. Real-time data from LinkedIn’s 722 million-plus members reflects the new normal of remote work, changing roles and evolving interests, providing sales teams and leaders with reliable, accurate data to craft their sales plans.

It will be available to the public in Feb, you can apply for it here.

Google launches a Shopping Gift Guide it uses U.S. Search trends to predict December’s most popular products.

This was announced in the USA in September but it looks like it’s starting to rollout to some UK accounts as well.

Discovery ads now offer two new immersive layouts to help you spark consumer interest across Discover, YouTube, and Gmail, plus a revamped audience workflow that makes it even easier to connect with the right shoppers as they scroll for holiday inspiration.

• a new 4:5 portrait aspect ratio helps you visually showcase your products and services more prominently with consumers as they scroll,
• lead form extensions let people share their information with you directly from your ad in Gmail.

By pairing your Discovery ads with existing campaigns—like Google Search, YouTube, or even social—you can now engage audiences with richer, more personalized ad experiences across more of the consumer journey. New data shows Search advertisers who add Discovery ads see 5% more conversions at their target CPA.

Google has a new FAQ on Core Web Vitals & Page Experience in this they mention that using page experience as a signal for ranking will apply only to mobile Search.

There is a lot to unpack there, it’s interesting to see AMPStory getting a schema type.

If you have a large site (1 million+ unique pages) with content that changes moderately often (once a week), or a medium or larger sites (10,000+ unique pages) with very rapidly changing content (daily) then this guide might be worth a read.

Starting today, Google is rolling out the ability for verified businesses to message with customers directly from the Google Maps app. Once you turn messaging on from your Business Profile, you can start replying to customers on Google Maps from the business messages section in the “Updates” tab. And soon you’ll also be able to see your messages right from Google Search (via the Customers menu on your Business Profile) and message customers directly from your computer.

In addition to clicking on the “Message” button on your Business Profile, customers can now start a conversation from any post you create (we saw this test earlier). And if they try calling and you don’t answer, they will be prompted to send a message.

You can now respond to customer messages straight from the Google Maps app.

Performance insights on Search and Maps

They are also rolling out more metrics to give you a deeper understanding of how customers discover your Business Profile. Soon you’ll see a more detailed list of the search queries customers used to find your business on Google. At the beginning of next year, you’ll see updates to the performance page that show whether customers saw your business via Google Maps or Search and if they saw it from a computer or mobile device. All your performance data will be available for up to six months.

Google worked with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality on what’s essentially a checklist. The tool surfaces common questions like “What is the test for” and “Why do I need this treatment” to “What are the possible complications.” Users can write their own and drag to adjust the order.

After completing, Google reminds you to bring a list of medications you’re taking, insurance card, and other documentation. Users then have the option to print out or email to themselves. The company says it “does not store any of the information,” and that the experience is accessible while signed out of your Google Account.

Still in the pilot phase, Google says that it’s currently available to a “limited number of people in the United States and will expand to more users over time.” “Start a checklist” will appear at the bottom of health-related listings in Search and Maps. You can also visit the tool directly at anytime here.

Google Maps is getting a new update that lets you create Street View photos using just a phone. Android users with ARCore-compatible devices can now capture imagery and publish it to Google Street View in certain areas. Google is allowing submissions initially in Toronto, New York, Austin, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Costa Rica. More regions will support this feature soon, and Google will use this user-generated content when it doesn’t have its own Street View imagery available.

It opens up the Street View feature to many more areas, including hard to reach places that even Google’s Street View trekkers and cars haven’t visited. Google will also use this imagery to update Google Maps with information like new businesses or publicly posted open hours, and the company will apply its standard Street View privacy features to blur out faces and license plates.

Some users are now getting the option to upload longer videos, I have a feeling this won’t perform that well on TikTok.

Upload longer videos: You have early access to uploading videos up to 3 minutes long on the TikTok app and desktop! To try it out, make sure your app is up-to-date and try uploading a video from your device to the app or tiktok.com.

In this test for a listing site (think real estate, jobs, coupons etc.), the test was adding “in January 2020” to title tags (the test was done in Jan 2020) to see if there will be a positive impact on rankings. The idea was to try to demonstrate the freshness of their listings is by including the date of the most recent update in titles or meta descriptions.

This test was a conclusive positive result, with the variant title outperforming the control group by 5%. Subsequent tests in other months showed that regardless of the time of year, including a freshness signal in the form of the current month and year in the title tag was beneficial for organic traffic. They also tested other title variations replacing the month and year with things like price, or other keywords, and these have been negative.

As is typical with these updates, it will typically take about one to two weeks to fully roll out. Keep an eye on your ranking folks.

Donation links in GMB was launched in May in response to the COVID pandemic. It would appear starting in January 2021 your existing gift card and donation links — along with any related you’ve shared — will automatically be converted into posts and move from the Overview tab to the Updates tab on your profile.