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 updates its spam and abuse prevention guide
Google updated its spam and abuse information page on Google Search Central in a way that website owners would like. The key changes, instead of concentrating on how to monitor for abuse, are more robust recommendations to stop it and identify spam accounts.
With its most recent acquisition, Yahoo acquires source credibility algorithms
The Factual, a news evaluation organisation that rates media bias and reliability, has a deal to be acquired by Yahoo. Yahoo will utilise this score to give users more information about the authenticity and dependability of the content they consume. Yahoo stated in a press release that the acquisition “continues Yahoo’s commitment to providing reliable news and information to its close to 900 million consumers worldwide and builds on the company’s future vision of news.” The deal’s financial details, which concluded on August 23, were not public.
Google: The upcoming core update could make the helpful content signal stronger
According to Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, future algorithm upgrades may strengthen the helpful content ranking signal. The useful material update has been available for two weeks. Early responses from publishers and SEOs indicate that the new ranking signal has little impact on search results. Despite evidence to the contrary, Sullivan addressed the concerns last week and emphasised how important the helpful content update is. As the update is ongoing, its effects will become more noticeable over time as opposed to earlier upgrades like Panda and Penguin, which instantly resulted in noticeable changes in search results.
Google updates its meta description documentation
Google included examples of the best and worst practices in its documentation on writing high-quality meta descriptions that will appear in the search results. The documentation for managing the snippet in the search results was updated recently.
Updated Reviews by Google May Affect Search Console Reports
Google has announced that it has started converting some review-type results in Search into product-type results and has created some new product-type results. Your Search Console’s performance and rich results report may be altered as a result of this, which began on August 22, 2022.
Google Experiments With Rounded Favicons & Site Name Above URL In Mobile Search Results
In the mobile search result snippets, Google is once more experimenting with displaying the site name above the URL and description. Additionally, those snippets contain more rounded favicons. Since 2011, Google has tested site names in the search result snippet numerous times in various contexts and applications.
PPC Related Updates and News
Google will reject ads leading to pages with intrusive advertising
According to the Coalition For Better Advertisements, Google Ads is implementing a new policy requiring landing sites to adhere to the “better ads standards.” According to a modification to Google’s destination criteria policy, if an advertisement directs users to a page that doesn’t meet the higher ad standards, Google will not approve the advertisement. Google is telling advertisers through email the policy change, giving them about a month to make the necessary modifications.
Custom Conversion Values For Store Visits Are Now Available With Google Ads
Now that custom conversion value criteria can be established, businesses utilizing Google Ads to promote in-store visits have more control over smart bidding. Businesses can specify the value of a conversion goal using conversion value rules. Spending is optimized through smart bidding around the business’s established values. You can now increase your bid for ads that drive in-store purchases at a physical location.
Options for New Google Ads Setup Ad Groups Column
Google is updating the Google Ads ad groups column reports with a new set of data metrics. Eight additional metrics are part of the new options, which are included in the “Setup” section. These new data metrics include Ad strength details, Number of disapproved ads, Number of eligible images, Number of suitable responsive search ads, Number of eligible ads, Number of eligible site links (upgraded), Number of qualified keywords, Number of eligible site links (legacy), and Number of suitable site links.
Microsoft Advertising Adds Pinterest Import, Additional Google Imports, Editor Updates, and More
Microsoft Advertising revealed a number of new capabilities, including the option to import from Pinterest, Google Import for Performance Max campaigns, support for multimedia advertisements in the Microsoft Advertising Editor, the availability of cruise ads, tours, and activity ads, and subdomain support for dynamic search ads.
By October 2022, Google Ads Top Content Bids will no longer function
Google Ads will transition campaigns employing content bid adjustments to automatically default to 0% in October 2022 after discontinuing support for the highest content bid adjustments. Following his discovery, Lawrence Chasse tweeted the alert through his Google Ads account. According to the notice, “all campaigns with top content bid adjustments will automatically default to 0% beginning in October 2022.”
Social Media Updates and News
Four ranking cues for videos on Facebook, according to Meta
Four key signals are shared by Meta, whose algorithm determines which videos get widespread Facebook distribution. Originality, Audience Retention, Audience Loyalty, and Engagement are the indications that impact how videos are distributed. The Facebook video ecosystem promotes deliberate and devoted consumption and prioritizes original content. We want the videos on our platform to be sincere, durable, and enjoyable so that they can convert casual viewers into ardent followers. In other words, your content will probably appear more frequently if you create original videos that consumers keep returning to see.
Top 20 In-Demand Skills on LinkedIn
Based on an analysis of job postings, LinkedIn just released a report on the most in-demand skills. 78% of job advertisements list the top 20 skills. The report’s data was gathered over the previous three months and contrasted with the top competencies professionals possessed in 2015. According to LinkedIn, employment skill sets have changed by about 25% since 2015, and by 2025, they are predicted to have changed by 41%. On the list of abilities that are most in demand is digital marketing. The list included social media marketing as well. Hard skills make up more than half of the list, divided into hard and soft skills.
