We hope you are in good health. Here are some of the major SEO news updates of the week you need to know:

Search Related Updates and News from Major Search Engines

Google To Clearly Label Clinics That Perform Abortions

Google will identify abortion-related medical facilities in Google Maps and Search. Additionally, when someone searches for nearby abortion clinics, Google will only display verified facilities in the local search box. This modification comes two months after US senators urged Google in a letter to take action over false search results about abortion clinics.

Seven Things To Know As Google’s Helpful Content Update Launches

Google started implementing its helpful content algorithm update today, which rewards content that puts people first and devalues content created for search engines. Google announced the update’s impending arrival last week and offered numerous tools to assess if your content meets the criteria for “people-first.” Google confirmed the August 25 deployment of the helpful content update on its page for search rankings updates.

Updated Article Structured Data Guidelines from Google

Google revised the image requirements for Top Stories eligibility and updated its Article structured data standards to reflect the removal of the AMP requirement. Three modifications to the rules make it apparent that more publishers are now eligible for the top stories section, which can dominate the top of the search results.

Google Updates Structured Data Documentation for Education Q&A

Google added new content requirements and a manual action warning for websites that don’t comply with the new specifications to the Education structured data documentation.

PPC Related Updates and News

Launch of Performance Max Upgrade Tool by Google Ads

A solution that enables marketers to upgrade some Smart Shopping automatically and Local Campaigns to Performance Max is now available through Google Ads. Google announced earlier this year that Smart Shopping and Local campaigns would be discontinued because Performance Max provides the same fundamental capabilities. Around the end of September, Google will automatically upgrade campaigns to Performance Max. Advertisers are urged to improve their advertisements in advance nevertheless.

Social Media Updates and News

LinkedIn Enhances Post Search Results

A number of updates to LinkedIn’s post search functionality will enable it to provide quicker and more relevant results within a more user-friendly interface. While describing the complexity of its previous system, LinkedIn describes the process of developing a new system design. Two indexes, one for articles and the other for posts in LinkedIn’s main feed, previously provided search results for posts. Due to its complexity and difficulty in expanding upon it, LinkedIn decided to separate the two indexes. In a recent blog post, LinkedIn describes every step in agonizing detail. 

Twitter Will Allow Users To Block Adverse Reactions

With the use of an automatic reply filter, Twitter users will soon be able to weed out potentially damaging and disrespectful comments. App researcher Jane Manchun Wong discovered the new function and posted a screenshot on Twitter. Users can toggle the reply filter on and off by going to the privacy and safety settings. The filter can either be turned on or off; there doesn’t seem to be a way to personalize it. Twitter acknowledges that it may mistakenly censor answers that aren’t harmful, so it’s a good idea to check this part of the privacy and safety panel in case you missed anything. 

YouTube Expands Its Section for Podcasts

A new Podcasts “Explore” page on YouTube has been launched, making it simpler to find podcasts.

Although it wasn’t formally publicized, observant eyes picked up on the update and brought attention to the new podcasts section. The new podcast Explore page could increase podcasts’ exposure. 

Instagram Trials ‘Candid Challenges’ of BeReal Clone

Candid Challenges, a new photo-focused feature being tested by Instagram, is comparable to the increasingly well-liked BeReal app. Alessandro Paluzzi, an app researcher, discovered Candid Challenges, a function that pushes users to post selfies at an arbitrary hour each day.

Candid Challenges only makes use of Instagram’s dual camera feature, which simultaneously takes pictures with the front and back cameras. 

Author

Navneet Kaushal is the Editor-in-Chief of PageTraffic Buzz. A leading search strategist, Navneet helps clients maintain an edge in search engines and the online media. Navneet is also the CEO of SEO Services company PageTraffic which is one of the leading search marketing company in Asia.