This Week’s Industry News
Compiled by the Rocket Clicks Team
Top Stories
Google’s RankBrain Now Ingrained in Every Query
Just a year ago, Google was utilizing its machine learning system, RankBrain, for less than 15% of queries. Fast forward to today, and RankBrain plays a part in every query Google sees. This is big news coming on the heels of the news from a few months ago that RankBrain is the number three ranking signal behind content and links. Source: Search Engine Land
New Google Tool Will Allow Users to Personalize Ads They See
In the coming weeks, Google will introduce a new tool called Ad Personalisation which allows users to personalize paid ads they see both on Google and on third-party sites. By logging into their account, users can choose areas of interest along with adding in new topics. All topics provided are based on user activity on Google and YouTube and can be turned on and off. Users will also have the ability to mute ads they do not wish to see. Source: Computer World
A Before G Equals Gold for Amazon
Consumer engagement firm Performance Reviews recently surveyed 1,000 US consumers and found that Amazon is the leading starting point for product search on the internet. According to the survey, 38 percent of consumers start their product search on Amazon, compared to 35 percent on Google, 21 percent on a brand or retailer website, and 6 percent on other ecommerce marketplaces. Consumers that chose Amazon said that reviews, product selection, free shipping and pricing were their main reasons for doing so. Source: Search Engine Land
Chinese Government Tightening Control over Search Ads
In order to protect the public from “shady” advertising, the Chinese government is now requiring search engines to verify advertisers’ qualifications and report anything deemed as banned content. This crackdown is partly in response to the case of Wei Zexi who died after receiving dodgy cancer treatment that was advertised on Baidu. This change will protect users in China from false advertising, but also tightens the Chinese governments grip when it comes to censorship. Source: Search Engine Land
Google Testing Verification via Video for Businesses
A member of Local Search Forums recently posted an email they received from Google explaining that they were eligible for video verification. In the email, Google made it clear that this verification method is currently in a testing phase, but it seems like a logical improvement on the old school method of verifying via snail mail. Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Additional Commentary
Getting the Most Out of a Smaller PPC Budget
Pauline Jakober shares several tips on how to dominate paid search when managing a modest PPC budget that happens to be in an expensive industry. Bidding on brand terms and exploring remarketing top her list but Jakober also recommends taking shared budgets into consideration to give all campaigns a chance. If your client is in a very expensive industry like legal, then you should also consider only targeting local to save some dough. Last and most importantly, don’t forget to keep a beefy list of negative keywords and act swiftly on this if you’re launching a new campaign. Analysis: Pauline Jakober, Search Engine Watch
10 Illustrations of How Fresh Content May Influence Google Rankings
In this examination of how the newness of content can affect its ability to rank, Cyrus Shepard lists ten different ways you can freshen up your pages to get Google’s attention. And while Shepard shaped this list partially by referencing Google’s patents, he cautions that although this information is legitimate, there is no way of knowing how exactly google factors these patents into the algorithm. A few of the most notable freshness factors Shepard lists are: inception date, amount of change when content is updated, the rate of change, and new page creation. Analysis: Cyrus Shepard, Moz Blog
