Google Black Ad Labels, Favicons, Instagram shop, LinkedIn Ad Tabs, Twitter Go Live and more. Here are the latest updates from the world of digital search and social.
1. Google Marketing Live – Key Takeaways SEO and SEM
The annual Google Marketing Live event was held in San Francisco.
1. New Ad Formats and Enhancements
i. Discovery Ads
ii. Gallery Ads
iii. Showcase Shopping Ads
iv. Bumper Video Ads
v. Google Shopping (Several enhancements)
vi. More Functionalities for Local Ads
2. Google Ads mobile app will be more useful for the on-the-go marketer with features to create and edit responsive search ads directly from the app.
3. Google is planning to do some changes toward its privacy settings wherein Users will have more options to manage their privacy settings. With this Google asks marketers to be ready for decreased data to work within the future.
4. Campaign-level conversions: By setting conversions at the campaign level, you control exactly what the algorithm will optimize for.
5. The Google’s travel planning portal is now live on desktop and features flights, hotels, sights, and even package trips.
More details at https://blog.google/products/ads/new-ad-innovations-new-consumer-journey/
2. Google Now Showing Podcast Results in Search
Users can now see the podcasts directly on the search results screen and it is available in the mobile and desktop results. Zack Reneau-Wedeen, founder and head of product for Google Podcasts, posted this news on Twitter.
Here is a screen shot of the search on desktop
Here is what it looks like on mobile
When you click on the “more episodes” you are taken into the Google Podcast interface.
The Announcement
Rolling out this week you'll be able to search for and play podcasts directly in Google Search across Android, iOS, and desktop browsers, a step toward making audio a first-class citizen across Google. pic.twitter.com/29ohC7W9z8
— Zack Reneau-Wedeen (@ZackRW) May 9, 2019
3. Google Rolls Out Major Changes in Mobile Search
Now there will be a new look for Search results on mobile for Ads. The black “Ad” label replaces the Green outline label.
The new interface for organic mobile search results also includes favicons at the top of snippets. Here are the favicon guidelines by Google - https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9290858
In its announcement Google stated, “with this new design, a website’s branding can be front and center, helping you better understand where the information is coming from and what pages have what you’re looking for. “
Previous and current search comparisons
Read the announcement https://www.blog.google/products/search/new-design-google-search/
4. Instagram launches @shop Account to Boost Interest in Shoppable Posts
In its latest announcement, Instagram said “@shop is a new account created for our community of people who love to shop, brought to you by the team at Instagram”. Products featured on @shop will have a product tags that Users can tap to shop.
Read details at https://instagram-press.com/blog/2019/05/09/shop/
5. Facebook Updates its Video Ranking Algorithm
In a newsroom announcement Facebook said, “we’re introducing a series of ranking updates over the coming months that will further prioritize original videos that people seek out.”
They also shared the three factors that impact video ranking on Facebook:
1. Loyalty and intent
2. Video and viewing durations
3. Originality
These are not new principles, but in the blog they stated, they will be strengthening their influence among the multiple factors that determine video distribution.
Read details at Read more at https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2019/05/updates-to-video-ranking/
6. New in Structured Data: FAQ and How-to
Google now supports more structured data and adds two new enhancement reports within Google Search Console.
Google also offers support for FAQ and How-to structured data on Google Search and the Google Assistant, including new reports in Search Console to monitor how your site is performing.
Check out our new post on how to monitor structured data with Search Console to enhance your search results. ???? We have some new reports for your structured data kit! https://t.co/rjegSRtCSa pic.twitter.com/uEw8pLFrYW
— Google Webmasters (@googlewmc) May 2, 2019
Visit site at: https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2019/05/new-in-structured-data-faq-and-how-to.html
7. LinkedIn Introduces a New Ads Tab on LinkedIn Pages
In an effort to bring greater transparency to ads, LinkedIn has announced a new Ads tab on its pages that will enable Users to view all Sponsored content from advertisers. When Members click on the ads, advertisers will not be charged for these engagements and the clicks will not impact campaign reporting.
Read the news at https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/blog/linkedin-news/2019/making-advertising-more-transparent-on-linkedin-/
8. Twitter Officially Rolls Out 'Go Live with Guests' Option
Twitter has this week officially announced its new live-streaming option, which will enable users to add audio-only guests into their streams.
Go live with guests! It’s more fun than talking to yourself. We promise. pic.twitter.com/CB5qSLebwq
— Twitter (@Twitter) May 29, 2019
Read the announcement at https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/product/2019/Go-live-with-guests.html
Author Bio: Soumya is a Digital Marketing Analyst with 9 years solid experience focusing mainly on SEO aspects. Her skillsets which were gathered from researches, Google Patent followup, networking with other industry leaders, content creation and link building techniques helped hundreds of clients over a decade. Whenever required, she kick-starts social media promotions and campaigns to enhance her client’s brand reach. Her free time includes reading books and improving her knowledge in the digital marketing industry.