This Week’s Industry News
Compiled by the Rocket Clicks Team
Top Stories
Search Console Redesign Features Announced
In a recent Webmaster Central Blog update, Google announced two of the newest features they are beta testing for an upcoming, extensive, Search Console redesign. The first feature announced was a new AMP fixing flow that will help to identify underlying errors that you can then repair and request Google to recrawl to verify the fix. Additionally, the new Index Coverage report will display indexed pages, information regarding pages not indexed and tips to fix indexation issues.
Source: Google Webmaster Central Blog
Google Adds Swipe-able Shopping Carousels for Mobile
Google has started a new test with a variation of the mobile product card units where the format more resembles the mobile price extension format, including filters. Selecting any of the filter options will bring users to the Google Shopping overview page. These store cards also contain additional information about the model of the product that is being advertised. This test doesn’t appear to be too limited, as experts have been able to replicate it on several product searches.
Source: Search Engine Land
Google Releases Third Quality Rater Guidelines Update of 2017
On the heels of two Quality Rater Guideline updates that occurred in spring, Google quietly updated them again. Most of the notable changes are focused on international non-English results and the continued battle against fake news. There was also a removal from the guidelines related to ads since most ads are now targeted, it is unlikely to get NSFW ads on non-NSFW pages.
Source: TheSEMPost
Google Ads Continuing to Mimic Organic Results
PPC experts have noticed a number of interesting ads that are starting to look more and more like organic listings. In these ads, they found that callout extensions were being merged into their ad’s description line. With this format, the only real difference between the organic results and paid ads is the ad label. But, some advertisers did say that this format helped increase their click-through rate.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Local Panel Swaps Share Button for Save Button
Google subtly updated the Local Panel by changing the Share button to a Save button. The saved locations show up underneath the search bar of Google Maps for easy selecting. This update was released in tandem with the addition of a hamburger menu on Google Mobile. When expanded, the new menu contains a home button and saved button as well as settings and help options.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable (1) (2)
Analysis
Can Image Size Affect Display Ad Performance?
PPC Hero’s Bryan Gaynor covers the impact that display ad file size can have on your ad performance. The short answer to the title question is: yes, it can impact ad performance. Naturally, the smaller file size your ad is, the faster it will load for a user, especially when paired up with multiple other ads in multiple formats. When he pulled data following a test, he found that a 39KB display ad both had a higher click-through rate and number of conversions compared to a 79KB display ad. Of course, this data may not be conclusive, but it indicates that this theory might hold some weight.
Source: Bryan Gaynor, PPC Hero
Refresh Old Posts to Boost Content Engagement
The importance of content is no secret for SEOs, including making old content fresh again instead of constantly searching for new topics. Content Strategist and Moz Blogger, Jen Carrey shared four strategies to improve the reach of existing content. The internet changes quickly so refreshing old posts with updated links, headlines and images can keep users engaged. Writers can also repackage their content by changing the format of the content from a standard blog to a “best of” post and try reaching and testing with different audiences. Lastly, automating your social sharing makes the tedious task a lot easier and you can usually schedule post times to match when audience engagement is at its peak.
Source: Jen Carney, Moz Blog
