This Week’s Industry News
Compiled by the Rocket Clicks Team
Top Stories
Overstock.com Points Finger at Google for Stunted Growth
Starting in May of this year Overstock.com began seeing a decline in search visibility that some have estimated to be has high as 35%. Overstock is blaming the decline on an algorithm update that came from Google, and it certainly looks like they have a case as the decline began very close to the roll out of Google’s “Quality Update.” Source: Search Engine Land
Bing Ads Editor to Be Released for Mac
Bing is working on releasing the Bing Ads Editor for Mac, which will be coming soon. Bing unveiled this version of the Bing Ads editor at an event in Redmond, WA on Thursday. The Mac version will come with a newly designed interface as well as several new features. These new updates and features will also be rolled out into the Bing Ads Editor for PC as well. Source: Search Engine Land
Google to Offer Offline Maps
After teasing the feature in May, Google has finally begun to roll out offline capabilities for Google Maps. According to Google, users will now be able to download any given area of the world to their mobile devices and open that map to utilize things that were previously only available with an internet connection like turn-by-turn navigation and searching for destinations. Android users will receive this update first, soon followed by iOS users. Source: Google Maps Blog
Yahoo Releases Product Search Ads
Just in time for the Holiday season, Yahoo has recently announced the launch of product search ads for mobile, tablet, and desktop. Yahoo stated that their product ads will allow advertisers to reach consumers for both search and display to improve ROI. These product ads will allow for superior targeting, expansive reach, and engaging ads according to Yahoo. Source: Search Engine Land
Google Search Results Interface for Tablets Now Matching Mobile
In predictably controversial fashion, Google has changed the interface of its SERPs for tablet users to more closely resemble what mobile users see. This change means that the above-the-fold content will feature ads and knowledge graphs much more heavily (making it both an uncomfortable transition for users and a more challenging situation for SEOs who value above-the-fold real estate). Source: Search Engine Land
New Structured Snippets for Black Friday & Cyber Monday in AdWords
Two new temporary heads for structured snippets will allow for advertisers to display Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions starting on November 20. These snippets can be set at the account, campaign, or ad group level and allow advertisers to show special Black Friday store hours or specific promotions. This new feature follows Google’s launching of a new test that lets consumers get text alerts on special holiday deals. Source: The SEM Post
Additional Commentary
Why Manual Link Building Will Never Be Obsolete
In case you hadn’t gotten your “Link Building Isn’t Dead” article for the week yet, Eric Ward of Search Engine Land has got you covered. Ward explains that his article was prompted by another recent article on a prominent business website claiming that “manual link building will become obsolete”. Ward then proceeds to back up his stance on the issue by detailing what good link building is and why it is never going away. Source: Eric Ward, Search Engine Land
Tips for Launching a New Account in AdWords
Michelle Cruz shares the seven specific steps when launching a new account in AdWords. According to Cruz, the first step in launching a new account is to establish campaign structure, followed by developing ad groups for each campaign. Then, you set ad targeting and conduct keyword research. Following that, you ad negative keywords and set keyword match type. The last step in this process is to write ad copy. After following this order, Cruz urges that you don’t “set it and forget it” after launch. Source: Michelle Cruz, Search Engine Land
