Understanding searches better than ever before
For the first time Google is using the latest Cloud TPUs to serve search results and by applying BERT models to both ranking and featured snippets in Search, Google is able to do a much better job helping find useful information. In fact, when it comes to ranking results, BERT will help Search better understand one in 10 searches in the U.S. in English, and we’ll bring this to more languages and locales over time.
Google Corporate Contact Markup For Knowledge Panels Deprecated
Google has officially deprecated the corporate contact markup for knowledge panels. Lizzi Harvey from Google posted about it on Twitter, she said “Corporate Contact markup for Google knowledge panels is deprecated. If you’re verified as an official rep of a Google knowledge panel, you can suggest a change directly.”
Google’s Advice on How to Determine if Your Business Needs a Website
If your business only has a physical storefront, then Google recommends starting with Google My Business. If your business sells products online, then Google actually recommends investing your time in social media before building a custom website. Google suggests building a strong social media presence while maintaining a basic e-commerce storefront. When a business grows, then Google recommends investing in a custom website built from scratch.