Everything you need to know about the Google MUM update

30-second summary:

• Google’s Multitask Unified Model (MUM) update landed in June 2021, seeking to deliver search results that overcome language and format barriers to deliver an improved search experience
• The Google MUM update uses an innovative solution that accesses a wealth of previously hidden information around a core query, providing more of what we want without having to carry out multiple different searches
• Google MUM can understand and translates 75 different languages, including text and images
• MUM will see us bid farewell to BERT

They say Mum always knows best but can the same be said for Google’s MUM update? Giant search engine, Google, launched their latest update as the answer we have been looking for to make internet searching more intuitive and inclusive.

But what does this mean for website owners, SEO practitioners, and agencies providing marketing services?

What is Google’s MUM update?

The Google Multitask Unified Model (MUM) update, aims to answer modern search demands by using an AI-powered algorithm to improve online search capability. When searching the internet, contradictory to expectations users are faced with multiple searches, geographical, and language barriers due to a lack of intuition on the search engine.

Why MUM matters

MUM interprets meaning in a people-friendly way, breaking down language barriers to provide us with the most comprehensive search engine capability ever.

It’s fast, far-reaching, and thorough as compared to any previous search engine update. This matters in a world where users want detailed, relevant, and accurate answers in seconds – anywhere, anytime.

This will remove silos in search dropping all the veils of language barriers and lack of intuition. It will view user queries, questions and comparison need from all angles reducing the time we spend trying to find the right answers to elicit what we need.

Read more: Everything you need to know about the Google MUM update

How to write ad copy that actually converts (and 3 major mistakes to avoid)

When testing copy, make it worth testing. Use power words or emotional calls-to-action to really analyze what messaging has a stronger appeal and why.

When it comes to creating ads that convert searchers into customers, many advertisers dive into the structure, testing, and more, and gloss over one of the most important elements of any campaign: copy. Your ad copy is the very basic building block of your advertising. Getting it right can be the difference between a milquetoast conversion rate and driving huge value for your clients and stakeholders.

In her session at SMX Convert, Alyssa Altman did a deep dive into writing ad copy that actually converts including understanding search engines, funnels, intent, and more. Check out our recap of her popular session below:

The evolution of search engines

“Google, Microsoft, and other search engines have reversed engineered their search algorithms over time (and re-engineered them) to make sure that they are giving someone the best answer to their ‘question’ as humanly possible,” started Altman. Many pieces of information that used to exist solely on websites are being pulled directly into the search engine results (things like weather, mortgage rates, math problem answers, etc.). That means there’s a lot of competition for clicks in SERPs as a result.

The reality of funnels and intent

Ad copy that converts starts with narrowing down the funnel, instructed Altman. The traditional notion of the marketing funnel assumes the user does a search to gain awareness of solutions to a problem. From there they consider a company/solution, and then they convert.

But most paid search marketers know it’s not that simple. The conversion process is not as linear for most customers, especially given how cross-channel marketing works. “Our searches don’t actually connote what we are looking for,” said Altman. “There’s this assumption that Google or Microsoft knows what we’re thinking before we think it… but someone could type in a company name and they could be thinking two completely different things.” One person could be looking for a website while another might be looking for a contact form, for example.

Read more: How to write ad copy that actually converts (and 3 major mistakes to avoid)

The case for advertising on search engines other than Google

It can be easy to equate search marketing with Google marketing, because, well, statistically, it is. But it shouldn’t be. By focusing on Google above all else, we perpetuate a cycle that disenfranchises smaller competitors and keeps the search behemoth at the top. 

Below, I’ll outline a few reasons why we, as search marketers, should take a more active role in encouraging ourselves and our clients to incorporate nascent search engines into our SEM and SEO strategies and our everyday lives. We’ll give an overview of the current state of the global search market and highlight a handful of underdog search engines worth exploring. 

Search is (a little) bigger than Google

Since 2009, Google has locked in a roughly 90% share of the search engine market. In the same period, other search engines have come and gone faster than you can say “indexing issue.” But at any given point in the last 12 years, there have been between 13 and 29 smaller search engine options, excluding even Bing and Yahoo, that serve countries all over the world.

Collectively, these “fringe” search engines have made up between roughly 2-4% of the market each year. And the story of these small players is similar. They burst onto the scene, squabble for that 10% share with Bing and Yahoo, and find themselves either outcompeted or relegated to a fractional market share. All the while the big three keep an iron grip on the industry. 

Search is (a little) bigger than Google

Since 2009, Google has locked in a roughly 90% share of the search engine market. In the same period, other search engines have come and gone faster than you can say “indexing issue.” But at any given point in the last 12 years, there have been between 13 and 29 smaller search engine options, excluding even Bing and Yahoo, that serve countries all over the world.

Collectively, these “fringe” search engines have made up between roughly 2-4% of the market each year. And the story of these small players is similar. They burst onto the scene, squabble for that 10% share with Bing and Yahoo, and find themselves either outcompeted or relegated to a fractional market share. All the while the big three keep an iron grip on the industry. 

Read more: The case for advertising on search engines other than Google

More news: YouTube Search Engine’s Brand New Functions

LinkedIn Removing Stories on September 30

LinkedIn stories are going the way of Twitter’s Fleets, as the company announces the feature will be removed at the end of September.

It turns out stories isn’t a one-size-fits-all feature that will be a runaway success on all social media platforms.

LinkedIn discovered users love the idea of more video content on their profiles, but stories wasn’t the right approach to it.

Here’s more about why stories failed on LinkedIn, what it means for users and advertisers, and what the company has planned for the future.

Source: LinkedIn Removing Stories on September 30

Google Search Console lost performance report data for August 23rd and 24th

Last week, Google had one of its typical reporting issues where we thought maybe the data was delayed due to some pipeline bug. But it turns out the data that was lost, is likely gone forever and won’t be backfilled in the Search Console performance report.

The statement. Google posted a statement saying that between August 23rd and August 24th “an internal problem caused a data loss in Search and Discover performance during this period. Users might see a significant data drop in their performance reports during this period. This does not reflect any drop in clicks or impressions for your site, only missing data in Search Console.”

Lost data. John Mueller of Google said this means that “it looks like this is really data loss and won’t be back-filled.”

Performance report. The Google Search Console performance report is a report many marketers rely on to see how much visibility and traffic Google Search sends a site. It shows you impressions, clicks, average position in search results; click through rate; and any special features (such as rich results) associated with your results. Learn more about this report over here.

Example of data loss. There are plenty of examples on Twitter of shocking graphs showing huge declines in clicks and impressions in the performance report. But you are not alone, many are noticing this as well. The issue is, if the data looks normal to you, I would not assume all the data is there. You are probably missing data and I would think it is safe to assume you had a better performing day than what Search Console is telling you on August 23rd and 24th.

Source: Google Search Console lost performance report data for August 23rd and 24th

WooCommerce Blocks 5.8.0 Release Notes

A new version of WooCommerce Blocks has been released! Version 5.8.0 is now available for download from GitHub and WordPress.org.

This release contains a new block! When used on a page with the All Products block, the Filter Products by Stock block allows you to provide a way for shoppers visiting a store to filter the visible products by the stock status for the products. Big thanks to @grogou who made this community contribution to the WooCommerce Blocks repository.

Source: WooCommerce Blocks 5.8.0 Release Notes

WordPress-powered websites to get new makeover via Frontity acquisition

WordPress parent company Automattic has added yet another company to its roster with the acquisition of open source software firm Frontity.

The firm says it hopes to contribute to the WordPress open source project to help improve the full website editing developer experience.

Frontity first arrived on the scene in 2017 following a project launched with big Spanish WordPress publishers who wanted to improve the performance of their mobile sites.

Have a look at our list of the best WordPress website builder right now

Take a look at our list of the best WordPress social media plugins available 

Check out our roundup of the best web hosting services on the market

By 2019, Frontity decided to launch an open source framework for those who wanted to use WordPress as a headless CMS with a React frontend. 

Source: WordPress-powered websites to get new makeover via Frontity acquisition

How Google and Yelp handle fake reviews and policy violations

Review platforms, like Google and Yelp, enable local businesses to expand their online visibility and establish credibility through customer reviews — two important aspects of marketing that SMBs may otherwise struggle with.

Over the last few years, maintaining an accurate online presence has gone from being an important marketing tool to being a lifeline for local businesses. In fact, platforms like Google and Yelp churned out a slew of new features last year in response to the coronavirus pandemic, enabling businesses to rapidly communicate business hours or service changes to their customers.

Unfortunately, bad actors may seek to harm a business’s online reputation through fake reviews or by crowding them out with fake listings. While Yelp and Google both have extensive systems and policies to fight bad actors, there are important distinctions that every local marketer should be aware of, and knowing them can help frame your expectations for each platform as well as enable you to make more informed decisions about where to spend your time and resources.

In addition to a side-by-side analysis of Google and Yelp’s respective detection systems and ramifications for violators, we’ve also featured insights from experienced local search marketing experts on the efficacy of each platform; you can read their insights towards the end of this article.

Source: How Google and Yelp handle fake reviews and policy violations

How Google and Yelp handle fake reviews and policy violations

Both Google and Yelp have implemented automated systems as their first line of defense against fake reviews and bad actors. And, they both use human moderators for tasks that the technology isn’t suitable for. However, their respective policies and approaches, which inform the deployment of their technology and human staff, are the most important distinctions to keep in mind as you establish your online presence.

Google’s approach seems to emphasize prevention at scale via machine learning algorithms that help to tackle fake reviews and listings. Yelp focuses heavily on the integrity of its reviews and seems to have more robust punitive measures in place for violators. 

Source: How Google and Yelp handle fake reviews and policy violations

What Is Core Web Vitals? And Why Your WordPress Hosting Choice Matters

WordPress is currently the most popular content management system (CMS) online. This is a free site that hosts personal blogs, small businesses and even large organizations. If the Core Web Vitals of the site is not optimal, they would lose users. Therefore, choosing the best WordPress host for your website is critical.

Understanding Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals, a recent initiative by Google, has been designed to measure and improve user experience on the web. Core Web Vitals focuses on how a WordPress site’s performance connects to delivering a high-quality user experience. Online users measure how fast a user can start interacting with a page. There are currently three Core Web Vitals, namely Largest Contentful Paint (loading performance), Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability) and First Input Delay (interactivity).

Source: What Is Core Web Vitals? And Why Your WordPress Hosting Choice Matters

More News:

Facebook Messenger Turns 10, Adds 4 New Features

Gallery Block Refactor Expected To Land in WordPress 5.9

Google is working on rewriting Title Tags in SERPs

Google’s Page Title Update is Dynamic and Reactive to Changes

Google’s new system for generating web page titles is dynamic and will respond to changes to HTML tags.

As more new information comes out about Google’s update to generating web page titles, we learn it’s dynamic and will react to on-site changes. That means the replacement text Google chooses for page titles is not set in stone.

When you modify a page’s HTML title tag, Google will take the updated text into consideration and react accordingly. This is stated by Google’s Danny Sullivan on Twitter in response to a question from Lily Ray.

Ray asks how often Google will refresh its selected title for a page, noting that it’s common for news outlets to modify titles after publishing.

Sullivan says he believes Google’s new title tag system is dynamic. Further, he reveals refinements have already been made and more are on the way. “I’ll have to check by I believe it’s all fairly dynamic and reactively to changes. I’ll also reiterate what we said in the post. We’ve already made some refinements and plan more.”

Google Wants Feedback on Page Title Update
Mueller started a tread in the Search Console Help forums where you can share your experience with this update and how it’s affecting your site.

He asks that you be as detailed as possible in your submission. Include the URL of the page, the title shown, the device type used, and any feedback you have on that title. You can even include a screenshot if you wish.

At the time of this writing there are only two replies to the thread, so not a lot of feedback so far. Though it appears Google has some issues to work out.

Source: Google’s Page Title Update is Dynamic and Reactive to Changes

Instagram rolls out sponsored product listings for all merchants

After testing over the last few weeks, Instagram is now rolling out its new feature. This new feature is promoting the product listings option in the form of a Shop tab. It will help all the merchants in this app.

Brands with their product listing can now promote them using the Shop tab. They will need to use this feature with a “sponsored’ disclaimer marking for the paid posts.

Instagram explained that after successful research, they are now launching ads on the Instagram Shop tab. It will make it easier for people to discover the shop from the brand when they are browsing. These ads will appear in the form of a turtle on the Instagram Shop tab home page.

Instagram has not yet said what ‘successful’ means in this context. But it seems like the promoted listings have not yet had any negative impact on user engagement. It could be helping in driving results for early brands.

Clicking on the sponsor product will take users through a thorough journey on the product details page. They will be able to learn more about that particular item from that place. The details page will also highlight additional products from that particular brand.

Source: Instagram rolls out sponsored product listings for all merchants

WordPress Classic Editor Support Extended for at Least Another Year

Last week, I reached out to several members of the core WordPress committers to see if we could get an official word on whether Classic Editor support would continue beyond the mere months it seemingly had left to live. I received a semi-official answer but was asked to hold off on publishing for a more detailed and nuanced response.

Earlier today, WordPress executive director Josepha Haden Chomposy announced the official decision. It was just as expected. The WordPress project would continue supporting the Classic Editor plugin for a while longer.

“At the time, we promised to support the plugin through 2021 and adjust if needed as the deadline got closer,” she wrote. “After discussing this with Matt [Mullenweg], it’s clear that continuing to support the plugin through 2022 is the right call for the project as well as the community.”

Source: WordPress Classic Editor Support Extended for at Least Another Year

Calling all future-focused search marketers, submit a pitch for SMX Next!

SMX Next returns virtually on November 9-10, 2021 focusing on forward-thinking search marketing.

AI and machine learning have already become part of both paid and organic search performance. Commerce platforms are just as powerful as the traditional search engines for driving sales. And new ways to deliver content across search and social platforms are giving creative marketers more options for driving engagement.

SMX Next will explore next-generation strategies, equipping attendees with emerging SEO and PPC tactics as well as expert insights on the future of the search marketing profession.

Whether you’ve been speaking for years or are just dipping your toes into speaking, please consider submitting a session pitch. We are always looking for new speakers with diverse points of view.

Here are a few tips for submitting a compelling session proposal:

• Present an original idea and/or unique session format.
• Include details about what an attendees will be able to do better or different as a result of attending your session.
• Include a case study or specific examples and explain how they can be applied in different types of organizations.
• Be realistic about what you can present in the time allotted. You can’t cover everything about your topic. Going more in-depth on a narrow topic is often more valuable to the attendee.
• Provide tangible takeaways and a plan of action.

Source: Calling all future-focused search marketers, submit a pitch for SMX Next!

Facebook Messenger Turns 10, Adds 4 New Features

Facebook is adding new features for its 10th anniversary, including the ability to send cash and play games with friends.

As Facebook Messenger turns 10 years old, it’s adding four new features to enhance communication with friends, family, and colleagues.

Among the new capabilities are a way to send and receive cash gifts, as well as a way to create polls in group chats.

Here’s more about what’s being added today, and a look what Facebook has planned for Messenger in the future.

4 New Features in Facebook Messenger

1. Send & Receive Cash Gifts

2. Group Chat Poll Games

3. Birthday Expression Tools

4. New Way to Share Contacts

Upcoming Feature: Word Effects

Source: Facebook Messenger Turns 10, Adds 4 New Features

More News:

Google is working on rewriting Title Tags in SERPs

Gallery Block Refactor Expected To Land in WordPress 5.9

Google Redesigns ‘How Search Works’ Website

Google’s new page on search features allows you to consume all the content seamlessly by scrolling down the page. No clicking necessary.

In fairness, while I couldn’t find any new information on the updated site,  what was already there was plenty sufficient

After writing a whole post announcing the redesign, Google’s Danny Sullivan got the news out on Twitter as well which made this feel like a major change.

If you looked at the site thinking, “what’s new?” The answer is: not a lot!

This is the kind of update that probably would have gone unnoticed had Google not said anything about it.

You can judge for yourself by perusing the updates to the How Search Works site.

Source: Google Redesigns ‘How Search Works’ Website

Gutenberg 11.3 Introduces Dimensions Panel, Adds Button Padding Support, and Speeds Up the Inserter

Gutenberg 11.3 landed in the WordPress plugin directory. The latest update introduces a new dimensions panel for toggling spacing-related block options. The Button block now supports the padding control, and the Post Featured Image block has new width and height settings.

One of the release’s highlights was a speed improvement for both opening and searching within the inserter. The opening time dropped over 200 ms, from 370.35 ms to 137.28 ms. Search speed went from 190.37 ms to 67.24 ms.

The latest release includes a simplified color picker library. Rich previews for links, a feature introduced in Gutenberg 10.9 for external URLs, now works with internal site links.

Theme authors should enjoy the reduced specificity of the reset and classic editor stylesheets. Such changes always make it a little easier for theme authors to match editor and front-end styling.

Source: Gutenberg 11.3 Introduces Dimensions Panel, Adds Button Padding Support, and Speeds Up the Inserter

WooCommerce 5.7.0 Beta 1

The first beta for WooCommerce 5.7.0 is now available as part of the September release cycle. You can download directly from WordPress.org or through our WooCommerce Beta Tester Plugin.

Highlights

• Product variations manual menu ordering is now working correctly.
• The Marketplace section has been redesigned with better styling and usability.
• Added local currency formatting support.
• Reverted legacy Select2 library back to version 4.0.3 (Previously overwritten by SelectWoo 1.0.9).
• Product attribute permalinks now work correctly with non-ascii characters.
• WooCommerce Blocks 5.6.0, and 5.7.0. These updates contain a number of enhancements, bug fixes, and improvements.
• WooCommerce Admin 2.6.0. This update contains a number of enhancements, bug fixes and improvements.

You can see more notable improvements in this list of PRs. For all the changes in all the included packages, see the changelog file.

Filters and actions

This release adds one hook:

Source: WooCommerce 5.7.0 Beta 1

An Update on the Classic Editor Plugin

Before the release of WordPress 5.0 in 2018, the Classic Editor plugin was published to help ease the transition to the new block editor. At the time, we promised to support the plugin through 2021 and adjust if needed as the deadline got closer. After discussing this with Matt, it’s clear that continuing to support the plugin through 2022 is the right call for the project as well as the community.

Still, if you’ve been putting off using the block editor, this is an excellent time to give it another shot. Since it first appeared in 2018, hundreds of WordPress contributors have made a lot of updates based on user feedback. You will be pleasantly surprised at how far it’s come!

Big thanks to everyone who has been working on WordPress, Gutenberg, and the Classic Editor plugin. And thank you to every WordPress user and tester who has provided the feedback we need to make the software even better.

Source: An Update on the Classic Editor Plugin

WordPress Vulnerability Report: August 2021, Part 4

Vulnerable plugins and themes are the #1 reason WordPress websites get hacked. The weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report powered by WPScan covers recent WordPress plugin, theme, and core vulnerabilities, and what to do if you run one of the vulnerable plugins or themes on your website.

Each vulnerability will have a severity rating of Low, Medium, High, or Critical. Responsible disclosure and reporting of vulnerabilities is an integral part of keeping the WordPress community safe.

Source: WordPress Vulnerability Report: August 2021, Part 4

Gallery Block Refactor Expected To Land in WordPress 5.9

Last week, a GitHub pull request I had been watching since October 2020 on the Gutenberg repository was finally merged into the codebase. It changes the structure of the WordPress Gallery block to be a container for nested Image blocks. The new format is expected to land in WordPress 5.9.

For those who want to begin testing it early, it should ship with Gutenberg 11.4 next week. However, you can grab the nightly test version from Gutenberg Times to see it in action now. To use the new Gallery format, you must enable it from the Gutenberg > Experiments admin screen.

“If you have ever added a custom link to an image block and then tried to do the same on a Gallery image, you will understand the frustration and confusion of not having consistency between different types of image blocks,” wrote Glenn Davies in the refactor announcement post. “This inconsistency is because the core Gallery block stores the details of the included images as nested <img> elements within the block content. Therefore, the images within a gallery look and behave different from images within an individual image block.”

At the surface level, the Gallery block refactor does not change much for many users. They will still add images to galleries as they have for years. However, for more advanced usage, it opens a world of possibilities.

One oft-requested feature is the ability to add links to individual images in galleries. In the past, users could only link to attachment pages or the media file itself. Both options applied to all images. With the most recent change, users can modify each Image block, including customizing its link.

Source: Gallery Block Refactor Expected To Land in WordPress 5.9

More News: Google is working on rewriting Title Tags in SERPs

YouTube adds video chapter previews, auto-translates captions in new search engine functions

To simplify users’ searching, Google – YouTube’s owning company has published the new updates about the built-in search generator operation on Tuesday.

Timestamp previews and auto-play snippets added to mobile. “These time-stamped images detail the different topics covered in videos and let you better evaluate the video you’re about to watch. You can also jump directly to the section most relevant to your specific interest,” said Pablo Paniagua, director of product management, in the announcement.

YouTube has previously had short autoplay with captions when desktop users move their mouse over a video to help them know what they’re about to watch. This option allows you to find exactly what you’re looking for (or find a video that does cover the topic you want to learn about). The quick auto-play will also be available on mobile upon scroll.

Read more: YouTube adds video chapter previews, auto-translates captions in new search engine functions

Facebook’s First-Ever Report On Most Viewed Content

Facebook published its first-ever report on the most widely viewed content in users’ news feeds.

Facebook published a report that offers a first-ever look at what content gets the most views in people’s news feeds.

The report published today is the first in a series of reports. It focuses on which domains, links, pages, and posts get the most views in the US.

Facebook’s Widely Viewed Content Report

Facebook says this first quarterly report aims to provide clarity around what people see in their news feed.

Here are some general takeaways:

• The content that’s seen by the most people isn’t necessarily the content that also gets the most engagement.
• 57% of posts that people see is from their family and friends.
• Fewer than 13% of content views were on posts with links.
• Most viewed news domains account for 0.31% of all content views. Of those domains, mainstream media dominate by views.
• Of posts with links, around a quarter of the most viewed domains were news publishers.

“It depends” doesn’t have to be the answer if you ask the right questions; Thursday’s daily brief

After moderating so many Overtime Q&A sessions for SMX, I’ve noticed that many professionals formulate their questions something like this: relevant background information, goal, “What should I do?”

Numerous reports of images not loading in Google’s Top stories carousel began surfacing on Twitter yesterday morning. We were able to replicate the issue (shown above) and the carousel shows either blank or blurred featured images, but some of the reports we’ve seen include screenshots of the carousel in which one or two of the images did successfully load. Google has confirmed that it’s a bug and is working on a fix but has not provided a timeline. We’ll continue to provide updates as they come in.

Read more: “It depends” doesn’t have to be the answer if you ask the right questions; Thursday’s daily brief

Four ways to improve page speed and master Core Web Vitals

Google’s latest major update to its search algorithm focuses greatly on the user experience through a new set of ranking factors metrics, called Core Web Vitals. Early results from Core Web Vital audits reveal that the average website performs below these new standards. Searchmetrics’ research revealed that, on average, sites could reduce page load time by nearly one second by removing unused JavaScript.

This provides an amazing opportunity to outperform other websites by boosting your own page rankings.

Here is everything you need to know about Core Web Vitals plus four simple steps to improve your metrics.

What are the Core Web Vitals metrics?

Core Web Vitals are an extension of Google’s page experience signals that include mobile-friendliness and HTTPS. The three Core Web Vitals metrics measure loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability, which Google views as providing an accurate depiction of a real-world, user experience.

How to check your page speed insights

There are many online tools that check your page ranking score, including PageSpeed Insights, Chrome User Experience Report, Lighthouse Audit, and Search Console. These sites measure page speed in various elements and display the results using a traffic light system. PageSpeed Insights provides a breakdown of the results and highlights areas of improvement.

Read more: Four ways to improve page speed and master Core Web Vitals

How to craft a winning Search Engine Land Awards entry: Past judges share their advice

Since its inception in 2015, the Search Engine Land Awards has recognized exceptional marketers on an annual basis — showcasing their outstanding work, providing well-earned exposure in coverage and interviews, and bestowing upon them the highest honor in search.

But the road between deciding to begin an application and winning the award can be a long one. Although this year’s submission process has been significantly streamlined — it’s never been faster or easier to apply to the Search Engine Land Awards — there’s still a story that has to be told. And while the way in which you tell that story is entirely up to you, we thought we’d look back on some advice from past judges about what really wows them, what they would love to see more of, and what areas are best avoided...

Google’s tool to report indexing bugs is now available in the U.S.

The tool provides a way for SEOs to escalate their issues with Google Search.

Google’s reporting tool for indexing bugs is now available to all signed-in Search Console users worldwide (although it can only process reports filed in English), the company announced on Monday. The tool, which was first announced as a pilot program back in April, can be accessed at the bottom of the URL inspection help document and indexing coverage report document.

Indexing issues in Google Search are fairly common. In fact, we’ve reported numerous confirmed indexing issues with Google over the years. Now that this tool is out of the pilot program, SEOs and site owners in the U.S. have a way to escalate these indexing issues, which should help them get closer to resolving them

Read more: Google’s tool to report indexing bugs is now available in the U.S.

Google Ad’s New Conversion Value Rules: What They Are & How to Use Them

What Are Conversion Value Rules?

Conversion value rules allow advertisers to tell Google Ads what factors are most important to them by applying rules.

The rules allow advertisers to indicate instances when a conversion is worth more or less than the average conversion, based upon various characteristics of the auction. Having this control will also allow advertisers and smart-bidding algorithms better data to bid and budget more effectively.

How To Use Conversion Value Rules?

Rules are applied at the time of auction-based upon the criteria provided.

No matter how many rules are set up, only one rule can be applied to a given conversion. If a customer meets the conditions for multiple value rules, Google decides which one to use based upon the following logic:

• For the location rule, the most precise location rule is applied.
• For audiences, Google will follow the hierarchy below. If there is a tie, Google will choose a rule using the “multiply” logic over the “add” rule. If a tie remains, Google will choose the highest adjustment.
• This is the hierarchy used for audience application, meaning that customer match rules trump all other audience rules in situations where they overlap and so on down the line:
  • Customer Match
  • Remarketing & Similar Audiences,
  • Affinity & In-Market audiences
  • Detailed Demographics

Source: Google Ad’s New Conversion Value Rules: What They Are & How to Use Them 

Advertisers can adjust conversion values in Smart Bidding in the coming weeks

“You can adjust conversion values based on characteristics like location, device, and audience. By applying a rule to these characteristics, you can adjust conversion values to align more closely with your business outcomes,” said Stephen Chang, Product Manager, Google Ads in an announcement.

This added feature means that businesses can use their inherent knowledge of what’s working in their industry to improve their conversion rates in Google Ads. For example, if advertisers know certain audiences or people in certain locations are most likely to convert, they can set a rule to multiply the conversion value for the chosen group by two.

Source: Advertisers can adjust conversion values in Smart Bidding in the coming weeks

Facebook’s First-Ever Report On Most Viewed Content

Facebook published a report which offers a first-ever look at what content gets the most views in peoples’ news feeds. It focuses on which domains, links, pages, and posts get the most views in the US.

A view is counted when content appears on a user’s screen for any length of time. A user does not have to engage with the content to ‘view’ it.

Industry folks argue this report falls short of what it is, but there’s at least some interesting insights. We’ll look at those arguments at the end. First, let’s look at the data.

Most viewed domains:

Facebook’s full report contains a list of the top 20 domains by content views. In the interest of brevity, here’s a look at the top five.

• youtube.com (181.3M views)
• amazon.com (134.6M views)
• youtube.com (181.3M views)
• unicef.org (134.4M views)
• gofundme.com (124.8M views)
• twitter.com (116.1M views)

Source: Facebook’s First-Ever Report On Most Viewed Content 

YouTube adds video chapter previews, auto-translates captions in new search functions

To make searching for videos on YouTube easier, the company announced two new updates on Tuesday to the way its on-site search function operates.

Timestamp previews and auto-play snippets added to mobile. “These time-stamped images detail the different topics covered in videos and let you better evaluate the video you’re about to watch. You can also jump directly to the section most relevant to your specific interest,” said Pablo Paniagua, director of product management, in the announcement.

YouTube has previously had a short autoplay with captions when desktop users move their mouse over a video to help them know what they’re about to watch. This option allows you to find exactly what you’re looking for (or find a video that does cover the topic you want to learn about). The quick auto-play will also be available on mobile upon scroll.

Auto-translated captions in different languages. “We’re starting to show search results from other languages with automatically translated captions, titles and descriptions when relevant content in the local language isn’t available,” explained Paniagua. This means that language may no longer be a barrier, especially for educational or how-to content on YouTube. The plan to supplement captions will start with English language videos and roll out to other languages.

Source: YouTube adds video chapter previews, auto-translates captions in new search functions

Google is working on rewriting Title Tags in SERPs

Google is now rewriting its title tags for the limited amount of pages in its search results. It often replaces the text with the H1 tag of the page. We are familiar with the fact that Google adjusts the titles in SERPs. It performs some small tweaks like appending the name of a business to the end. But now Google is working on overriding the titles with different texts.

SEOs have recently started taking note of this form on August 16. This is evident from the tweets which are mentioning about the “massive” title rewriting on Google.

Source: Google is working on rewriting Title Tags in SERPs

Google Top Stories not loading images: Here’s what is happening

Google is apparently facing a bug with its top stories carousel, which is not loading all the images for the listed articles. Multiple reports have cropped up on Twitter with people complaining about the issue. The issue is causing solid colour windows to appear instead of the images when searching for specific keywords like “News”, “Redmi Note” and more. 

We tried testing the issue and it replicated for us on many keywords. While some of the carousels seem to have been fixed, like for the keyword “covid booster shot” it could simply be that the issue will show up for different keywords for everybody.

People are not yet much familiar with this scale of title rewriting. But it is now widespread enough for the multiple SEOs who have encountered it already. Evidence is suggesting that Google is pulling texts from the H1 Tags for the rewrites. Lily Ray notes that she has seen Google replacing the title of the page with anchor text from an internal link.

Source: Google Top Stories not loading images: Here’s what is happening