Welcome to the first Technical Roundup of 2019, where you will find a list of important updates and news for the major search engines, Google and Bing.

If you're considering porting a website across to PWA, Jon's article offers a rounded view of both the benefits and concerns surrounding a switch, as well as going into detail about when the best time could be to do so.

Accompanying his tweet was also a useful article that he had written, which discussed whether or not a business should convert its site to a web app.

In response, SEO Jon Henshaw replied , stating that: "It's always about UX. If the UX is better on a native app, I'll download and use the app instead. I'll only use a website if it's for reading or accomplishing simple tasks."

While in the research phase of creating her next presentation, Aledya Solis asked her twitter followers why people might choose to download an app instead of using its corresponding website.

Page load time is a critical factor on how people interact with websites, as well as being an important aspect of technical SEO. This is a very actionable resource for improving load times for developers.

The guide also features a video that you can watch as you follow each step using the example source code provided by Google:

In a series of over 50 well-documented and easy to follow steps, the guide is aimed at users without pre-existing knowledge of load performance. Although, Kayce does note that knowledge of basic web development (for which there's also a class available) and familiarity with DevTools is something of a prerequisite.

Early in January Google technical writer Kayce Basques published a resourceful guide that teaches site owners how to use Chrome DevTools to improve page load times.

Google

Search Console's URL Inspection Tool Adds HTTP Response, Page Resources, JS Logs, and Rendered Screenshot

On 16 January, the official Google Webmasters account on Twitter announced that a range of new additions had been added to Search Console's URL Inspection Tool.

Webmasters can access the new features in the new Google Search Console by clicking on the URL Inspection Tool. From there, enter a URL to conduct a live test so that you can access and view the new features, including HTTP response codes and blocked resources.

Google will also present your JavaScript log and site owners will be able to view how the search engine renders the page.

Action Point Acclimatise yourself to the new features and UI. You may already be getting this data from another source or tool, but it's worth checking to see whether the new features can be incorporated into your monitoring process.

Index Coverage Report Expanded

Just a day after additions were made to the URL Inspection Tool, Jamie Alberico tweeted to report that the Index Coverage Report had been expanded.

The additions now include:

Duplicate non-HTML page

Blocked by page removal tool

Blocked due to unauthorised request (401)

Page removed because of legal complaint

Queued for crawling

Submitted URL dropped

Action Point If you were previously receiving inadequate information from GSC as to why a particular URL isn't indexed, check again to see if the expanded functionality helps categorise the kind of issue you're experiencing.

Find out how to use Search Console to inspect URLs on accounts you don't have access to

On 23 January Oliver Mason wrote about an experiment whereby a webmaster could use Search Console to inspect the URLs of profiles that they have not been verified on.

Using a new feature within the URL Inspection Tool, which shows how Google renders JavaScript, a webmaster can bypass restrictions on other non-verified profiles with the following steps:

Use a verified Search Console profile to any site available. Set up a redirect from the verified website to a URL on the non-verified website. Inspect the redirected URL in the Search Console. Use the "Test Live URL" function.

To view more than a preview of the Rendered Source, you only need to:

Copy the HTML from the page that you tested

Inspect the element in Chrome and edit as HTML

Overwrite this by pasting what was rendered by Google's User Agent

Press enter and view the rendered page.

Two limitations are known:

It's not possible to edit the User-Agent. However, this will most likely be GoogleBot Smartphone for all mobile-first enabled sites. If the destination is blocked in the target site's Robots.txt, this won't work.

Action Point Offensive strategy: It would be possible to check competitor web pages to understand how Google renders their source code. However, the information does not contain anything highly sensitive or actionable. Defensive strategy: It's not currently possible to block competitors from looking at this information.

Google publishes Guide for Google News

On 17 January Google published "How to Succeed in Google News", offering publications a variety of guidelines and tips for 2019. Some of the major takeaways include:

Presenting clear headlines, including within the HTML title tag.

Providing accurate times and dates, as clarified in the Google Guidelines.

Using structured data, including datePublished and dateModified schema.

Don't artificially freshen a story (changing the date and time without adding new information).

Avoid duplicate and scraped content and block content that is rewritten.

Be transparent to visitors and do not try to deceive them.

Most of the above are relatively well-known guidelines that have been published before. We must consider why Google published the article, as some suggest that Google could be preparing penalise news sites that do not follow its guidelines in the future.

On the same day, Danny Sullivan tweeted, saying that: "This is a reminder that these are important guidelines to follow, which is an important part of helping publishers in Google News with these issues. We do take action on violations."

Google has been known to make algorithmic changes in the past after posting such guidelines however.

Action Point It's hard to predict whether Google will punish publishers in Google News for not following its guidelines in the future. Edging on the side of caution, having an early adoption strategy in place could be a safer position. Familiarise yourself with its guidelines to ensure that you are not penalised.

John Mueller Previews Image Search Changes at Meetup

On 24 January John Mueller hosted a meetup in New York and discussed some incoming changes for Image Search and the closing down of the old Search Console.

Regarding images, Mueller said that Image Search was going to have a more significant and different presence in 2019.

According to Barry Schwartz, John said that searchers might start using image search to "accomplish tasks, complete goals, buy online, learn something new and more."

He also stated that the changing behaviour will mean that SEOs and webmasters will have to think differently about how they optimise images.

Regarding the old Search Console, which Google is "sunsetting", Mueller stated that even more reports are to be dropped, including the crawl error report.

It is expected that the old version is to be discontinued entirely in March.

Action Point Image optimisation can often be overlooked, but this is a factor that is becoming increasingly important and perhaps even a strong competitor to the likes of Pinterest. If you're not optimising your images, now may be a good time to start.

Google Pushes Focus to New Search Console

Writing on 25 January, Google published an article regarding upcoming changes in the new Search Console, as well as some that have already been implemented:

Crawl errors in the new Index Coverage report

Google stated that it is going to change its focus on "issues and patterns" used for site indexing so that webmasters can locate and fix issues much quicker.

As a result, the search engine is going to remove the old Crawl Errors report (as discussed by Mueller), for desktop, smartphone, and site-wide errors.

Additionally, the old crawl errors API is to be depreciated, although there isn't a replacement for it yet. Users will be directly informed of this change.

Sitemaps data in Index Coverage

Since the new sitemaps report has most of the old report's functionality, the latter is going to get turned off.

Google says that it is "aiming to bring the rest of the information — specifically for images & video - to the new reports over time."

The article also says that to track URLs submitted in sitemap files, the Index Coverage report can be used for filtering sitemap files, which makes it easier to focus on essential URLs.

Improvements already live and being used

The article also discusses a range of new improvements, such as the ability to use the URL inspection tool to "fetch as Google", the fact that user management can now be located within settings, and that several new structured data reports are available in the console.

Dropped features

The article also discusses some of the features that Google is to drop from the Search Console, including:

HTML suggestions

Property Sets

Android Apps

Blocked Resources

Action Point As Google transitions from the old Search Console, older features will be deprecated in favour of new ones. Ensure your business is aware of Google Search Console updates in order to capitalise on new insights and functionality.

A variety of updates were added to Google Assistant in January, leading some to question if the app will be built around transactions, rather than through advertising.

Some of the major updates include:

Foreign Language Translation

Announced and tested out among the public at CES, Google said that it was rolling out foreign language translation for Google Home devices and that it was to rollout Google Assistant integration into Maps.

The new function will support more than 25 languages and will also be available on Google Assistant supported third-party smart displays. Statements can be read out to users, as well as appearing onscreen.

Airline Check-ins and Hotel booking Integration

The Assistant now allows for select airline check-ins and hotel bookings.

For the moment the booking capability is only available on smartphones, but Google has stated that it is currently working with multiple hotel chains and booking companies so that it can expand the feature.

The search engine has admitted being in talks with Choice Hotels, AccorHotels, InterContinental Hotels Group, Priceline, Expedia, Mirai, and Travelclick.

It also said that this was "just the first step" in funnelling hotel bookings through the Assistant.

Regarding airline check-ins, Google has also said that it is in talks with more airlines so that people can check in using the Assistant.

Assistant Introduced to Google Maps

It was announced last year that Google Assistant would be introduced to Maps, which means that users can now send texts, play podcasts, or listen to music through the app.

In the Android version, there will also be additional capabilities such as sending messages through third-party apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.

Action Point The updates suggest that Google is working to ensure that the Assistant becomes a transactional platform. For marketers, this should be of significance as Assistant grows in popularity. Ensure structured data markup is clear and correct so that the correct information is offered to users.

Mueller Reminds Webmasters not to put Organisational Schema on Every Webpage

During a Google Webmaster Central hangout, John Mueller explained that organisational markup should not feature on every page on a website, and that in most cases, the best place for it will be on the contact page.

Action Point Review your structured data and ensure that organisational data isn't found on every page. If the website only contains one business, the contact page can often be a good place for it. Watch the clip from the hangout for further clarification.

Google Creating Featured Snippets from PDFs

On 16 January Kevin Indig tweeted, reporting that he had witnessed Google providing Featured Snippet results from PDFs.

Google pulling featured snippets from PDFs. pic.twitter.com/DcSvA1MRQj — Kevin_Indig (@Kevin_Indig) January 16, 2019

This is quite significant, as we now know that Google can utilise PDFs for featured snippets, which are lucrative for high levels of traffic and are sometimes referred to as "position zero".

Action Point If you have any PDFs on your site, such as guides, learning texts, or product manuals, ensure that they can be found by Googlebot and consider optimising them for the opportunity to get featured within a snippet.

Voice Input and Spoken Results Added to Mobile Web Search

On 28 January it was reported that Google had added a microphone symbol to the Google.com search field on Android phones; enabling its Voice Search technology. The below image shows the difference between Android and iPhone chrome apps:

Android users can now have spoken responses, which could be useful for when someone is asking a question when they are busy, such as "what is the time?"

It's unclear for the moment whether the technology is Google Assistant in action.

Action Point The internet is becoming increasingly focused on mobile technology, and Voice Search is an essential aspect of that. Read through Google's Voice Search guidelines to ensure that you're abiding by best practices.

Google Tests new Interface for Movie and TV Streaming Options

Two days into the new year, Valetin Pletzer tweeted that he and many others had witnessed Google testing new layouts for movies and television shows in the SERPs.

Featuring a variety of streaming providers and options, you can see what the layout looks like on mobile, below:

This isn't the first time that Google has toyed with the idea however, as it also tested the feature out in 2017, which looked like this:

With more people turning to and signing up for streaming services to watch their favourite shows and movies, it makes sense that Google would integrate these into its service features, especially as the search engine owns YouTube.