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 My Business Updated Photo Views Insights Report
Andy Simpson posted about this Google My Business update on Twitter. He said, “Now you can see who’s photo gets the most views in GMB dashboard.” He also added, “I noticed this filter back in September 2020, but I don’t think many people know about this filter option.” Now, you can easily identify who uploaded the image – owner or customer.
New Metrics “Platform and Device Breakdown” Added by Google My Business
You are now seeing new additions to the GMB insights section that breaks down how many people viewed your business profile on both Google Maps and Search, broken down by mobile and desktop. Google will also add directions, bookings and website click to those new Google My Business performance metrics.
Google Stopped Showing Review Snippets For Lawyers
Now, Google has stopped showing the results review snippets for attorneys and lawyers in the Google search results. Joy Hawkins shared a screenshot from January 10, 2021, with ratings showing in the Google search results and then on January 26, 2021, they are gone. He said, “It’s looking like Google removed gold stars in the organic results for attorneys this month.”
Google Reforms Mobile Search Results
Google updated the design of mobile search results with a modern experience that makes it easier for individuals to find what they’re looking for. With this new version of mobile search, Google aims to improve users’ experience in three ways: Easier reading, Simpler design, and Modern approach.
Google Add A New Rich Result Related To The Product Structured Data
Google introduced the product structured data documentation with a new price drop search appearance for product pages. The price drop appearance will show price drop information in the search rich results. Google opt specific structured data types to show rich results in Google search results pages (SERPs).
Why Google Search Console Sending Messages With Errors
Google Search Console is sending emails suggesting the use of domain properties, emphasizing how much data is missing without one. The email starts with a headline representing the amount impressions data a site’s reports can gain with a verified domain property. Such messages were received with an error at the beginning where the site’s URL either had a few characters missing or was completely wrong.
See What’s Trending On Google Maps In January 2021
Google Maps search data offers a look into what people are doing when they leave home when travel is discouraged. It reveals that people are doing a lot of the same things they do every January, with a unique approach to it this year. People are more searching for local travel and at-home workouts.
Data on Cookie Replacement Mechanism Releases By Google
Google has been working towards a cookie-less future on Chrome. This statement is followed by a “we’ll see what that means” for advertisers most of the times. This certainly means no individual-level data, but many wondered what would replace it.
Social Media Updates And News
Facebook Updates Its Account Quality Dashboard
Facebook upgraded its Account Quality dashboard, which is tucked inside the Business Manager. While the feature itself is not new, it appears Facebook is boosting to integrate Page-side information along with an upgraded user interface. The dashboard contains four sections: Account Issues, Account Status Overview, Facebook Account and Business Accounts.
YouTube Counts Views For Shorts
YouTube gives insight into how views for its Shorts video format are counted, and discuss whether it impacts channel metrics like average view time. YouTube Shorts was launched in September 2020 and still remains in beta. The 60-second vertical format shares similarities with other popular types of short-form content.
LinkedIn Introduced New Feature For Its Users
LinkedIn gives its users the ability to control who can see and comment on their posts, allowing content to be shared with specific audiences. Now, users can specify the audience they want to get to when creating a post. When sharing a post, they can choose if they only wish to connections to respond or if everyone can answer.
YouTube Introduces A New Feature Called Clips
YouTube introduces a new feature called Clips, allowing users to make short, shareable videos out of creators’ live streams. Clips allow creators and viewers to grab footage from a live stream, between 5 to 60 seconds in length, and share it with other people.
