The Week In Search & Social Ending June 19, 2020

The Week In Search & Social Ending June 19, 2020

No surprise, it was a busy week in search, with changes in how Google displays search results, “free” offering to local businesses from Google Ads, and Instagram making a name for itself as a news source.

Top Global Search News

Google Wants Examples Of .webp Logos With Logo Structured Data

Google is asking for examples of logos that are in .webp format that also uses logo structured data markup.

Google recently updated the logo structured data markup developer documents to add .svg to the supported file format list. But Google wants to add .webp format to the list but wants to test things first.

Gary Illyes from Google said he looked through the Google index for .webp format logos with the markup and after going through 10 billion documents, he came up with nothing.

Google Search Suggestions On Scroll

Google Search Suggestions On Scroll

Here is an interesting test from Google Search. You type in a query, go to the search results and as you scroll through the search results, the search box shows search suggestions. As you can see from the example by Yvo Schaap on Twitter (above), Google shows various grayed out suggestions to his query. 

The Google Page Experience Scores Will Use AMP Version

If you have an AMP version and your site is on mobile-first indexing, which all sites should be by the end of this year, then Google’s Page Experience update will measure your AMP page, not your mobile or desktop page.

John Mueller of Google explained this clearly in a Google webmaster video from last week at the 43:50 mark.

In short, he said that Google will use the page experience scores based on what the searcher will see after they click over from Google to the web page. And if you have AMP, Google serves the AMP version to users on mobile. Thus the AMP page is what Google will use for measuring with core web vitals and such.

Bing Site Scan Feature Supports BASE HTML Tag

Earlier this month, Bing launched the Site Scan feature in Bing Webmaster Tools. But there was an issue with it, where it thought pages with the Base HTML tag were pages that 404ed. Bing has resolved the issue and should now properly scan and audit those types of pages going forward.

Top Local Search News

Google adding Local Store Details to Shopping, Free Promoted Pins for Smart Campaigns, more

Google adding local store details to Shopping, free Promoted Pins for Smart campaigns, more

New features and updates are aimed at local businesses and services in the “reopening phase.”

  1. Pay-to-stay pricing model for hotels.
  2. Local store details in the Shopping tab.
  3. In-ad bookings from Local Services Ads.
  4. Local services consumer site.
  5. Tools for SMBS.
  6. Grants and credits. 
  7. Google Marketing Live.

 

Top PPC News

Square Promoted Map Pins

Google Square Promoted Map Pins

Google has rolled out square pins on maps for promoted pins. Attaining one is a simple matter of advertising through Smart Campaigns.

Their statement is that they’re bringing it free. We’re not really sure what that means, when you need to be an advertiser to get it.

Top Social Media News

Instagram to Surpass Twitter As a Popular News Source

Instagram to Surpass Twitter As a Popular News Source

A report on the digital news industry finds Instagram is set to become a more popular source than Twitter, with younger demographics leading the charge.

Best Opinion Pieces

8 Simple Google Ads Tips That Will Make You More Money

Having a profitable paid search campaign has many components. Here are eight ways to optimize your PPC campaigns to maximize your revenue.

  1. Make Your Landing Page Relevant
  2. Optimize Negative Keywords
  3. Use the Right Keyword Match-Types
  4. Alter Keyword Match Type Over Time
  5. Fill Out All Available Ad Content
  6. Use Every Relevant Ad Extension
  7. Adjust Bids for Geotargeting
  8. Look for Opportunities to Drive Budget to Mobile