It was recently found out that the latest speed update on mobile search algorithm implemented by Google dubbed as the “Speed Update” has had minimal to no impact on the search results that it is targeting prompting a lot of digital marketers and site owners to reduce their focus in improving the speed of the pages that they maintain. Link Assistant conducted a test in periods covering both the time before and after Google has rolled out the Speed Update. This also involved analysing the top 30 positions for every 33,500 queries per 1 million URLs. Instead of getting the anticipated results, the test found out that the correlation of a page’s speed optimization was almost the same before and after the implementation of the Speed Update. The data obtained by the same study by Link Assistant also showed that there is there is no correlation between the metrics of the FCP (First Contentful Paint) & DCL (DOM Content Loaded) and ranking position.
Based on the data obtained by the Link Assistant’s study, it was revealed that the actual growth of average First Contentful Paint/ DOM Content Loaded metrics prior and after the implementation of the Page Speed Update was minor. In fact, it is measured to about 0.030 seconds and 0.028 seconds respectively. Due to this, it is quite correct to conclude that there is a minimal-to-no impact on the search results one week after the rolling out of the Page Speed Update. The study also noted that the only thing that has changed due to the update was the performance of web pages. According to Link Assistant, the Optimization Score points of an average web page which occupies the first 1-30 positions in the mobile search ranking has improved by 0.83 within three months. Given these results, a majority of digital marketers who are engaged in mobile SEO will most likely reduce the efforts that they exert to boost the loading speed of their mobile pages.
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Google finally confirmed that they had removed the tool used by a lot of digital marketers and site owners for public URL submission. Upon hearing the confirmation, many SEO practitioners were somehow alarmed since they consider this a major blow against their content promotion campaigns given that most of them heavily rely on such tool to promote the products and services that they offer. After giving the confirmation, Google also provided some advice to individuals or groups who are most likely to be heavily hit by the newly-implemented changes. In fact, it is advising the users of the removed tool utilise their Search Console’s Fetch & Submit tool. Also, Google informed their users that they can now notify Google regarding new pages using a sitemap file. Unfortunately, most of the Google users who regularly use the recently-removed tool are not yet acquainted with the Search Console’s Fetch & Submit tool which is being introduced as an option. This prompted a lot of SEO experts who are familiar with the new tool’s mechanism were quite quick in accommodating the immediate knowledge.
A good example of the said effort manifested when Search Engine Journal published an article which tries to educate many Google users. According to the post, users can submit a URL to Google’s index via Search Console by following the steps below. Step 1: Conduct a fetch request for a URL using the Fetch feature. Step 2: Click the “Request indexing” icon located near the fetch icon within the fetch history table. Step 3: Choose the desired crawling mechanism. The tool comes with a feature that allows users to select whether they want the single URL to be crawled or that new URL along with its direct links. Step 4: Click “Submit” icon to have the request queued Given these steps, many SEO experts are expecting that the users will soon become familiar with the new tool’s functions. However, Google hinted that they would allow site owners to submit up to 10 individual URLs daily. Finally, Google revealed that they would only allow verified site owners to submit URLs from their sites. YouTube will now be using hashtags on videos to help users conveniently search for as well as discover more videos of similar topics. Upon hearing the news, a lot of digital marketers and site owners agreed that YouTube’s move is quite beneficial since this will assist them in promoting their content to the site’s users. It was recently revealed that the hashtags would start to appear on videos that YouTube users have viewed using the Android mobile app and the web browsers but will not be shown in the iOS app. YouTube allows these hashtags to appear above the title of the video in blue text to enable users to search YouTube for more videos with the same hashtags. They can do this by clicking or tapping a specific hashtag that they want to use for a search.
Also, the site’s users are also allowed to type a hashtag directly into the search bar and conduct a manual search for related videos with a similar hashtag. Aside from that, news reports explained that the new update from YouTube enables the creators to use hashtags by including them in the description of a video. However, it was recently learned that the first three hashtags included on a video description would be allowed for display above the title. Also, creators can also add hashtags directly within the title of the video. But to do these techniques, Creators are required to follow YouTube’s policies in using hashtags which includes not using hashtags that promote hate speech and harassment, or those that intentionally redirect users to misleading content. The same set of hashtag policies also prevents users from over-tagging, which is according to YouTube’s definition as acts of using 15 or more hashtags within a single video. Finally, YouTube stressed out that violations of the hashtag use policies will most likely result to the site’s ignoring of hashtags, removal of a video from the site’s search results, or the removal of the same from the platform. Instagram has recently implemented a significant update which most digital marketers believe as the company’s way of improving the platform’s user experience. It was found out that the recent update allows Instagram users to see the online status of the friends that they have direct messaged. In a post published by Search Engine Journal, it was revealed that the new feature that Instagram introduced seems to work the way the Facebook Messenger does. This means that a green dot is now found on the profile picture of an Instagram user, indicating that he or she is online. Furthermore, the same post also explained that the green dot or the online indicator is designed to appear in the DM inbox of a user as well as on its friend’s list in case he or she would share a post from their feed. However, the online status of an Instagram user will only be visible to his or her followers. Also, the online indicator will be visible to people that the user has previously direct messaged. Given this setup, it is quite clear that Instagram still values the privacy of its users. This is because the online indicator is only visible to people that a user is connected to.
In addition to that, users of Instagram are given the option to control how to broadcast their online status. Users who don’t want to broadcast their latest online status can turn this off via the account’s setting menu. Those who want to broadcast their status can use the same feature to make them visible to their followers. Finally, Instagram hinted that the new feature is now available to all iOS and Android users who are using the updated version of the app. Twitter has recently announced that the company is currently locking suspicious accounts. Aside from that, Twitter also hinted they will remove these accounts from the follower count. Such move is at some point presently referred to by many digital marketers and SEO experts as the purge. When asked to comment about the latest announcement many site owners firmly believe that Twitter’s move was intended to boost the amount of trust that Twitter users have towards the company while availing the services it provides. Aside from that, many SEO experts have come up with some significant impacts that the recently-implemented Twitter purge will most likely cause to social media marketing. Among the most notable of these are the following. 1. Provide more benefits to advertisers
One of the most significant impacts that the Twitter purge provides social media marketing is providing more benefits to advertisers. The purge does this by eliminating a lot of suspicious accounts. Since probably millions of suspicious accounts are removed, advertisers are given a chance to save money by preventing them from running ads on such accounts. Thus, the amount of budget that they are wasting by airing ads on suspicious accounts that usually don’t cause them any good is significantly reduced. Also, the removal of suspicious and usually fake accounts allows advertisers to place their ads on actual consumers. As a result, the positive effect of their promotional campaigns is boosted since these will most likely count more. 2. Twitter becomes more transparent and worth trusting. The purge is also a good way for Twitter to boost its degree of transparency to users and advertisers. Since a lot of suspicious accounts are locked and eventually removed from the follower count, advertisers will be encouraged to place more ads on Twitter mainly because the company clearly shows that they are quite responsive to the needs of advertisers particularly in helping them maximise the output of the promotional content that they are running using the platform. Also, the latest move will surely encourage new users to use the platform given that a comprehensive check is in place to make sure that the actual Twitter community is made up of real users that are driven by their desires to connect with each other virtually. 3. Provide more benefits to honest users The purge can also provide more benefits to honest users. It does this by reinforcing the credibility of individuals and groups operating on Twitter as well as allow the user to conveniently determine who to trust. Furthermore, the purge is also expected to boost Twitter users’ interactions since they are more confident that their tweets will be read and impact real people. Google has recently allowed users who are using the Google My Business to add the “Call Now” buttons to the posts that they create using the service. Given its nature, many digital marketers and site owners are convinced that the latest improvement will help Google My Business users to make use of the service more conveniently. It was also revealed that the “Call Now” feature is designed to allow the readers of any Google My Business post to contact the publisher of the content since tapping any of the designated buttons will automatically initiate a phone call to the primary phone number which is included on the listing of the service. A post published by Search Engine Journal hinted that new “Call Now” feature was first spotted by Colan Nielsen who immediately broke the news on Twitter. The same post also shared that Nielsen has observed that the said feature seems to be available in almost all business categories included on the Google My Business list. Aside from Nielsen’s observations, Search Engine Journal also shared Joy Hawkin’s experience when she stumbled upon the “Call Now” feature. According to her, tapping the designated button does not only allow the audience to make a phone call to the post’s published but doing such also prompts them to leave a review of the publisher’s business. Given such, the businesses who are making use of the feature are encouraged to provide excellent service via phone since the customer will most likely be requested to provide a review of the business as soon as the call ends. Google recently announced that it is taking a new step intended to help YouTube creators in protecting their copyrighted work. Based on current reports, Google is on the process of releasing a new “Copyright Match tool.” This tool is designed to search for content that has been re-uploaded by various YouTube users on other channels. With its initial set of functions, the tool is regarded as a helpful feature for most digital marketers that use YouTube.
Google also hinted that with the help of the tool, creators could upload their videos as well as allow YouTube to scan and try to search for other videos that can be regarded as similar or duplicates of what they uploaded. As soon as a match is found this will automatically appear in the “matches” tab which is readily available within the tool for the Copyright Match. Given this information, the creator is given the option to decide on what to do next. They can get in touch with the applicable channels where the content was re-uploaded. Aside from that, they can also initiate a request to take this down as well as do nothing at all. Due to the tool’s programmed mechanism, a relevant question surfaced, and this involves determining the rightful owner of the video. Fortunately, Google came up with a realistic way of knowing this. To determine the real owner, Google and YouTube will be looking at who uploaded the video first. Google, however, noted that this tool is designed to find full videos that were re-uploaded. This simply means that the clips with content will not be detected and shown in the tool’s “matches” tab. In case the creators of videos happen to find clips that are showcasing their content that was already uploaded by other channels, the creators or owners can conveniently report the issue using the web form intended for copyright concerns. Finally, Google hinted that he Copyright Match tool will be rolled out next week. The initial roll out will apply to creators with more than 100k subscribers. The company also explained that the tool would eventually become available to all creators that are part of the YouTube Partner program. Page speed is currently among the essential factors that directly affect the ranking of pages that are searched using mobile devices. Due to this, Google has recently rolled out the “Speed Update” for mobile searches worldwide. It can be remembered that before the actual roll-out, Google has been providing a lot of notice. In fact, the first notice was provided last January, and most of these hinted that the said update would be rolled out in July. Thus, the latest development proved that Google’s timetable intended for the update proves to be on track. A lot of digital marketers and site owners currently believe that Google’s latest move was triggered by the mere fact that page speed is now a significant factor in determining the ranking of mobile pages. Unlike before wherein the page speed factor is only exclusive on desktop searches. When asked about the potential effects of the new speed update, Google hinted that this would only affect mobile sites with the slowest loading speed. Google also pointed out that making an already fast site faster by a few microseconds will not automatically improve its rankings. Given this premise, slower sites will most likely benefit in the long run most especially when they can reduce the amount of time that the users are spending to view their content using mobile devices.
Aside from detailing the potential effects of this update, Google also explained that relevancy of content remains as the major factor that affects the ranking of mobile pages. This simply means that if a slow loading page still provides the most relevant content, it may still rank favourably in search results. This is because users usually go for sites that offer the best responses to their queries. Given this information, it is better for mobile site owners to continue posting relevant content to their websites at the same time boost the loading speed. Since doing such enables the users to access the content that they need faster. IIt was recently announced that Facebook advertisers are now once again allowed to run cryptocurrency ads. Given this announcement, a lot of digital marketers and site owners currently regards this as Facebook’s move to finally reversed the ban that was in place for such ads since January. It can be remembered that when Facebook banned cryptocurrency ads way back then, they made it clear that the banning policy could be changed in the future. Thus, allowing such type of ad to run on the platform again, it simply showed that Facebook’s banning policy for cryptocurrency ads only lasted for about five months. Although this move from Facebook can be considered as a bold move, it is worth noting that the social media platform has placed a series of checks to those who wish to promote cryptocurrency along with other related content. This includes the pre-approval requirement which is now enforced and must be adhered to by those who wish to run cryptocurrency ads on Facebook. Also, advertisers who wish to promote cryptocurrency content on Facebook are now required to submit their applications to allow the company to assess the eligibility of the applicant. Such assessment usually focuses on certain criteria particularly the licenses they obtained, the information whether the applicant has traded on the public stock exchange or not and the public background of the business. Given this setup, it is quite clear that not all who wish to promote cryptocurrency content in Facebook will be able to do such. However, Facebook hinted that they will continue to revisit the policies in place and will surely create more revisions to enable more advertisers to be able to place their ads without the need to compromise the eligibility check of the applicants.
As of the present, Facebook is the only major advertiser who now allows the running of cryptocurrency ads. Bing and Google AdWords also banned cryptocurrency ads at almost the same time Facebook did in January. 7/1/2018 0 Comments Google Reduced Spammy LinksGoogle has recently released a new series of statistics. This time, such figures significantly revealed the outputs that they have achieved since they started the campaign which is centered on fighting web spam in 2017. It was found out that the said statistics are part of the search giant’s annual Webspam Report. The recent report released also presented the information regarding the most common webspam practices that many website owners and digital marketers have utilized throughout the year along with the information showing how Google was able to combat the strategies that these bad actors have been using. Furthermore, the same report showed the proactive efforts that Google exerted to help boost the protection that site owners have against the identified webspam tactics employed by bad actors. It can be remembered that Google has previously provided a detailed definition of “spam” which eventually led for it to be regarded as anything that contains specific violations of the webmaster guidelines. Due to the given definition, the search giant has now quantified the number of spammy sites present in search results which is currently around 0.5%. Aside from that, Google’s existing mechanisms have identified that hacked sites are among the top spam tactic that many bad actors have employed since 2017. It was also revealed that bad actors are hacking some sites to either manipulate their search rankings or to merely spread malware. But since Google already marked them, it was able to remove over 80 percent of hacked sites from the search results. Thus, Google successfully reduced spam links to almost half.
Finally, Google has also hinted that they will continue to come up with the needed adjustments and develop certain mechanisms that will eventually allow them to deliver an abuse-free web user experience. |
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November 2018
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