Here's a list of threads on current "hot topic" Google issues and some basic FAQs as well. Please check here before asking a "quick question." Also check the Google Forum Charter [webmasterworld.com] to be sure your post is in line with our policies - otherwise we may not publish your message.

Share your observations and ideas about changes in rankings:

Most Recent Panda Update -
January 22, 2013 [webmasterworld.com]

Google Updates and SERP Changes - May 2013 [webmasterworld.com]

Google Update History [webmasterworld.com]

Panda Iteration Dates [webmasterworld.com]

--- IMPORTANT BUSINESS LESSON ---
Depending on Google has Hurt Businesses [webmasterworld.com] - since at least 2002

-- THE SERPs ARE EVOLVING --
Favorite SEO Tools [webmasterworld.com] -learn new tools or add your own
How I Make Sense of Google's Complex Algorithm [webmasterworld.com] -it's a brand new world
More Than Two Results From a Domain [webmasterworld.com] -when the query has navigational intent
Altered Page Titles [webmasterworld.com] - added keywords and company names
Full Page Previews? [webmasterworld.com] - is Google experimenting?
Google Uses Sentiment Analysis for news and blogs [webmasterworld.com] - but not search
Social Media Signals Are Used in Some Search Results [webmasterworld.com] - Google confirms it
Google & Traffic Shaping [webmasterworld.com] - a hidden method to the quality madness?
SEO is from Mars, SMM is from Venus [webmasterworld.com] - two mindsets with the same goal

-- SOME BASICS --
New to SEO [webmasterworld.com] - what have I gotten myself into?
Google PR [webmasterworld.com] - Page Rank FAQs
The End of PageRank? [webmasterworld.com] - the 2009 edition
The link: Operator [webmasterworld.com] - it's not what you might expect
The Grey Bar PR0 Phenomenon [webmasterworld.com] - white and gray are different

Personalized Results [webmasterworld.com] - even when logged out
The Google Search Query [webmasterworld.com] - a technical look
The site: Operator [webmasterworld.com] - digging deeper returns more urls
Sitelinks [webmasterworld.com] - extra links under some results
The Nofollow Attribute [webmasterworld.com] - Matt Cutts clarifies
Trust and Authority [webmasterworld.com] - they are not the same thing

-- SOME GUIDELINES --
Link Building Ideas (video) [youtube.com] - from Matt Cutts
Site Relaunch Checklist [webmasterworld.com] - lots of critical details
Keyword Density [webmasterworld.com] - time to forget about this antique
Title and Description [webmasterworld.com] - keeping within character count limts

Moving to a New Web Host [mattcutts.com] - this link goes to Matt Cutts' website
Moving to a Different Domain [webmasterworld.com] - new or already existing
Moving to a New Domain [webmasterworld.com] - official advice from Google
Changing Domain Owner [webmasterworld.com] - can whois info affect ranking?

Article Pagination [webmasterworld.com] -actions that improved Google Search traffic
Changing URL Structure [webmasterworld.com] - take on tasks in a logical order
Site-wide 301 Redirects [webmasterworld.com] - how long for Google to index

-- PENALTIES, SANDBOX & TRUST --
Reconsideration Requests [webmasterworld.com] - tips for filing
Natural vs. Un-natural [webmasterworld.com] - in SEO and the Google Algorithm
Good Early Rankings [webmasterworld.com] - but they disappear

The -950 and Minus 30 Penalties [webmasterworld.com] - ongoing mysteries
Help with Minus 50 Penalty [webmasterworld.com] - from Dec 2009
Minus 50 penalties that were removed [webmasterworld.com] - reports of success
Paid Directories [webmasterworld.com] - does Google penalize?

The Google Sandbox [webmasterworld.com] - building trust to get beyond the filters
Selling and Buying Links [webmasterworld.com] - Google doesn't like it
"This Site May Harm Your Computer" [webmasterworld.com] - malware warning message in the results

-- OPEN QUESTIONS --
Google Traffic Throttling [webmasterworld.com] - revisited: yes or no, and if so, how
Different Ranking for Capitalized Terms [webmasterworld.com] - an inconsistent mystery
The Yo Yo Effect [webmasterworld.com] - up and down the same day, day after day
Position #6 "Penalty" [webmasterworld.com] - a very informative bug!
Google Throttling Traffic? [webmasterworld.com] - at least in some cases?
More Brand Authority in SERPs? [webmasterworld.com] - the "Vince" update?

-- DEFENDING YOUR RANKINGS --
"Block all listing from this site" [webmasterworld.com] - message after a short bounce back to the SERPs
Spam Backlinks Causing Penalty [webmasterworld.com] - tips about handling
DNS Cache Poisoning [webmasterworld.com] - a nasty trick
Hacked Servers Hurt Traffic [webmasterworld.com] - detecting and fixing
Proxy Server Hijacks [webmasterworld.com] - and how to defend
Scraped/Stolen Content [webmasterworld.com] - what to do first
How to Verify Googlebot [webmasterworld.com] - avoid rogue spiders

The Mega Menu Problem [webmasterworld.com] - how menu growth can hurt ranking
Pagination and Ranking [webmasterworld.com] - keyword cannibalization, and more
Reconsideration Requests [youtube.com] - Google's Tips Video
Thin Affiliate Pages [webmasterworld.com] - with comments from Google's Adam Lasnik

-- DUPLICATE CONTENT --
--cross domain--
Duplicate Content Due To Scrapers [googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com]
Same site on both .com and country domain [webmasterworld.com] - not a duplicate concern
Links to the Original Version Help [webmasterworld.com] - comments from Matt Cutts
Crediting the Original Version [webmasterworld.com] - experience vs. what Google says
Legitimate Cross-Domain Duplication [googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com]

--same domain--
There Is NO Duplicate Content 'Penalty' [webmasterworld.com] - you control it all
Spam words in a query string [webmasterworld.com] - do these backlinks hurt rankings?
Duplicate Content [webmasterworld.com] - get it right or perish
Duplicate Content Overview [webmasterworld.com] - will I be 'penalized?'
Boilerplate & Stub Pages [webmasterworld.com] - comments from Google's Adam Lasnik

--canonical issues--
Search Engines Agree on "Canonical tag" [webmasterworld.com] - a very helpful fix
Custom Error Pages [webmasterworld.com] - beware the server header status code
Canonical URL Issues [webmasterworld.com] - many ways to introduce duplicates
Why "www" & "no-www" Are Different [webmasterworld.com] - the canonical duplicate issue
HTTPS versus HTTP [webmasterworld.com] - one more duplicate area
Domain Root vs. index.html [webmasterworld.com] - yet another kind of duplicate
Vbulletin [webmasterworld.com] - Wordpress [webmasterworld.com] - PHPbb [webmasterworld.com] - duplicate url pitfalls
IP Address in the Index [webmasterworld.com] -you want the domain name

-- GEO-TARGETED SEARCH --
Seeing Country-Located Results [webmasterworld.com] - from outside the country
Same site on both .com and country domain [webmasterworld.com] - not a duplicate concern
Tell Google Your Site Location [webmasterworld.com] - with Webmaster Tools

How To Show Up As A Map [webmasterworld.com] - in local results "OneBox"
Multi-language Sites [webmasterworld.com] - and geolocation
Geolocation, IP Delivery, and Cloaking [webmasterworld.com] - Google clarifies

-- DATA CENTERS --
Data Centers & IP Addresses [webmasterworld.com] - how can I know where results come from
Up on all Data Centers [webmasterworld.com] - but down on google.com
Data Center List [webmasterworld.com] - updates and changes

-- SUPPLEMENTAL INDEX --
Supplemental Tags - GONE [webmasterworld.com] - still in action, just not labelled
Supplemental Results [webmasterworld.com] - what exactly are they?

-- THEORY: KEY PATENTS & PAPERS --
Google's Rank Modifying Patent for Spam Detection [webmasterworld.com] - granted 2012
Identifying Inadequate Content Areas on the Web [webmasterworld.com] - granted 2010
Large-scale Machine Learning [patft.uspto.gov]
Human Editorial Input [webmasterworld.com] - 2006 patent
Phrase-Based Indexing [webmasterworld.com] - six 2006 patents
Query Revision [webmasterworld.com] - 2006 patent on highly-ranked queries

Duplicate Content Detection [webmasterworld.com] - the 2007 patent
April 2007 Patents [webmasterworld.com] - Traffic & Query Analysis, Links, Document Date
Selective Search of Database Partitions [webmasterworld.com] - 2007 patent describes the Supplemental Index
Image Search [webmasterworld.com] - 2008: automatic keyword tagging
Backlink Factors [webmasterworld.com] - 2007: includes query terms

Duplicates and Near-Duplicates [appft1.uspto.gov] - patent granted in 2008
Interleaving Search Results [appft1.uspto.gov] - 2008 about Universal search
Historical Data [webmasterworld.com] - 2008 patent granted

Monster Patent List [seobythesea.com] - from slawski [webmasterworld.com]
Papers Written by Googlers [research.google.com] - link goes to Google's site
Google's Video Channel [youtube.com] - webmaster help on YouTube


-- AND THE CLASSIC --
Successful Site [webmasterworld.com] - in 12 Months with Google Alone

[edited by: tedster at 1:41 pm (utc) on May 25, 2013]