This Week’s Industry News
Compiled by the Rocket Clicks Team
Top Stories
302 Redirects Pass Google’s PageRank
There has been some confusion in the SEO community about whether or not 302 redirects will pass PageRank, or “link juice”. Google’s John Mueller recently cleared up any existing confusion in a Google+ thread by labeling the thought that 302s don’t pass PageRank as “a myth”. While Google is getting better at handling 302 redirects, it’s still best practice to use 301 redirects when the redirect is meant to be permanent. Source: Search Engine Roundtable
AdWords for iOS Now Released
One of the most anticipated PPC announcements has finally happened: AdWords for iOS has officially been released. The app will allow users to do performance management, bid and budget adjustments, and billing management. The app also contains a simple design that’s expected from the AdWords platform, with some users express concerns about accidently “pocket dialing” while the app is open, which could lead to campaigns accidently being turned off. Source: PPC Hero
There’s a New Sheriff in (Search) Town
It was recently announced that Google’s head of search, Amit Singhal, is leaving the company on February 26th. Shortly after this announcement, current Google employee John Giannandrea was named his successor. Giannandrea’s background as former head of Machine Learning at Google suggests that Google will continue to place an emphasis on RankBrain and other machine learning-related features. Source: The SEM Post
Accelerated Mobile Pages to Support Ads from Over 20 Networks
Recently announced via a blog post regarding Accelerated Mobile Pages, or AMP, is the inclusion of over 20 ad technology companies like Outbrain and Kargo. These companies will have their ads prepared for the launch of AMP in Google’s search results with additional ad networks potentially joining in as well. Traffic will start being sent to AMP pages at the end of the month. Source: The SEM Post
Google’s New Format for Travel Search Queries Deemphasizes Web Results
Travel websites hoping to bring in more traffic via mobile search results were just dealt a major blow when Google recently unveiled its new trip planning experience on mobile. Users that search for things like “where to go in Germany” will be greeted with a hybrid of a knowledge graph and carousel. This feature, while undoubtedly helpful, essentially replaces typical web results and makes them difficult to navigate to. Source: Search Engine Land
Additional Commentary
Why You Shouldn’t Run Facebook Ads
JD Prater at PPC Hero shares several reasons not to run Facebook Ads. If Facebook Advertising isn’t part of your overall Facebook Marketing strategy, then you probably shouldn’t be advertising on this platform since it’s difficult to move the needle when relying on advertising alone. If you don’t have a long term business goal for being on this platform, then it’s time to look elsewhere so you don’t potentially waste advertising dollars. If you can’t measure your Advertising ROI from this platform, Facebook probably isn’t for you. Analysis: JD Prater, PPC Hero
Client-Based or Task-Based? Structuring Your Link Team
In this link building strategy piece, Julie Joyce examines the benefits and disadvantages of two types of link building team structures: client-based and task-based. According to Joyce, the client-based approach allows team members to gain a great deal of knowledge about the particular client. However, she says this approach can easily lead to “burnout and boredom”. On the flip side, Joyce argues that a task-based link team allows members to utilize their unique skills – which can lead to a much more efficient process. But, the challenge with this method is focusing on a single task for a long period of time can quickly become monotonous. Analysis: Julie Joyce, Search Engine Land
