The digital marketing world is always changing, and it can be hard to keep up with all of the newsworthy updates that happen. That’s why, we’re starting a news series where each month we’ll be rounding up the most important digital marketing news items and curating them for you in one place.
May has been an exciting month in digital marketing. WordPress continues to work on its open-source software to help users create better websites, Google has continued to improve their algorithm to provide its users with the best information, AdWords is helping marketers promote their products and services with more headlines, and so much more. Let’s dig right into all of the great advancements we’ve seen the past month.
Google Confirms Broad Core Algorithm Update
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google confirmed mid-April they have updated their algorithm, which has been named “Broad Core Update.” This is a routine update that happens throughout the year. With all core updates, there isn’t a major overhaul on what the search engine algorithm does with its ranking factors. They are minor fixes that can help some websites that deserve visibility get pushed up a bit in the results. With that, anyone seeing drops in ranking and traffic should not be upset over it or believe there is something wrong with their site. It’s simply a natural fluctuation of search term results. The only way to handle this and other core updates is to continuously provide value to website users.
WordPress 4.9.5 Is Released with Security and Maintenance Updates
Source: WordPress
WordPress users were notified of an update for version 4.9.5 in early April. This version has some important security and maintenance releases to be aware of.
- Localhost is not being treated as the same host.
- Safe redirects are going to be used for redirecting the login page when there is a forced SSL.
- The version string will be escaped for use in generator tags.
In addition to the security improvements, there were 25 bug fixes. Some of the biggest ones were:
- Users can crop on touchscreen devices.
- There are clearer strings for error messages.
- The attachment placeholder position is now fixed.
- Improvements were made with PHP 7.2 capabilities.
For the entire list of fixes, click here.
Google AdWords Responsive Search Ads Show 3 Headlines
Source: Search Engine Land
Google AdWords has some new responsive search ads that can show 3 headlines. Although in beta, the new responsive search ads will give marketers better ways to identify which headlines produce the best ROI.
The advancement allows users to set up an ad with multiple headlines and descriptions. Google will use different combinations of the headlines and descriptions to achieve the campaign goal.
Advertisers will also have the ability to show up to three headlines (instead of the two they are allowed now), and up to 90 character descriptions versus the one description of 80 characters.
DuckDuckGo Gains Momentum with Privacy Policy
DuckDuckGo seems to be growing in popularity as many website owners and marketers are seeing traffic coming from the search engine. Why is it being used much more these days? It’s all about data privacy.
With Facebook’s huge data breach and Google’s tracking of users, DuckDuckGo offers something that many online users want these days: privacy.
DuckDuckGo reports they never store your personal information or search history. It doesn’t use your search queries to show you ads as you go from one site to another, either. The search engine’s mantra says, “no tracking, no ad targeting, just searching.”
In addition to privacy, DuckDuckGo has partnered with Samsung and Brave. This is major for them, as implementing their search with these two companies’ offerings means more people will be using it in the near future.
New Live Video Tools from Facebook
Source: Social Media Examiner
Facebook Live users have been demanding more from the platform, and they are finally getting it. In the latest update, Facebook introduced new Live tools.
The social network reported the new tools are “focused on making it easier for publishers to go live on Facebook.”
Users will now be able to:
- Rewind Live broadcasts. Before this update, watchers would have to wait until a Live was published on the page to fast forward or rewind.
- Users can crosspost Live videos on Facebook pages.
- Encoded persistent stream keys allow teams to collaborate on Lives.
Google Reverts to Shorter Search Snippets
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Not too long ago, Google increased the number of characters allowed for meta descriptions to 320 characters. It was great while it lasted because now, it’s back down to 160 characters or less for desktops and 130 characters for mobile devices.
Well, there you have it. The most important digital marketing news over the last month. Exciting changes happen every month, and we’re going to be here to tell you all about it. Stay tuned for next month’s roundup!
