This Week’s Industry News
Compiled by the Rocket Clicks Team
Top Stories
Google Reveals How it Handles New, Unique TLDs
John Mueller recently put together a quick FAQ-style post on the Google Webmaster Central Blog that answers some of the concerns webmasters have been having regarding new top-level domains like .guru, .how, or .BRAND. In short, Mueller says that Google will not treat new gTLDs any differently than the more common .com or .org. Furthermore, Mueller mentioned that region or city TLDs (like .london) will still be treated like gTLDs with the caveat that they may be geotargeted somewhere down the line. Source: Google Webmaster Central Blog
Manufacturer Center for PLA Product Info to Be Launched by Google
The new Manufacturer Center tool is being launched by Google. It will allow brands to submit product information to help sellers sell their product and to help buyers obtain detailed information regarding a product that retailers may not include. This update goes along with the tests earlier in the month which contained additional product information in longer PLAs. Currently, this tool is only available to manufacturers who are selling their products in the US. Source: The SEM Post
Analytics Issue Likely Causing Perceived Drop in Bing Search Traffic
It appears that there might be a bug causing Google Analytics to show a moderate drop in organic Bing traffic while simultaneously showing a huge spike in Bing referral traffic. There isn’t a lot of concrete info at the moment, but the author of this article guesses that “it has to do with how Bing is sending over the referrer” and that it might be “confusing Google Analytics and other tracking tools.” Source: Search Engine Land
Search Results Including Images Being Tested by Bing Ads
Recently being tested by Bing Ads, some users have recently noticed an addition to ads at the top of the results page for Bing. Next to the description line a thumbnail sized logo is shown and stands out quite a bit. Testing does seem quite limited, as these top of the page ads accompanied by an image are only appearing for select advertisers. Source: The SEM Post
Google to Focus More on Pointing Out Unsafe Sites to Searchers
Google’s announced that its ‘Safe Browsing’ filter will become more robust in the coming weeks to better protect users from unwanted software, phishing, malware and similar dangers. This update will be applied across all browsers and operating systems. Source: The SEM Post
Bing Native Ads Now in Beta
Recently brought into beta testing, Bing Native Ads will allow advertisers to target user intent. The beta for this platform will include user interests based on past search queries, user actions on an advertiser’s site, and intent signals from the content within the experience during any point. Bing Native Ads can track user intent while also offering the same targeting and bid options that are in Bing Ads. The beta is now available in the US with a full release expected later this year. Source: PPC Hero
HTTPS Sites Getting Most Search Impressions, According to Google
This past weekend, Google’s Gary Illyes announced that the top ten verified sites in Google Search Console (according to search impressions) have all shifted to HTTPS. This demonstrates a major shift from when Google announced HTTPS as a ranking signal back in 2014. Expect to see this trend continue as smaller, but still influential, websites follow suit. Source: Search Engine Journal
Shopping on Pages to Be Tested on Facebook
Soon, a Facebook test will be underway that will allow users to purchase products within Facebook pages. These Facebook pages will include an e-commerce experience with the shopping experience taking place entirely on Facebook. This is regarded as an expansion of Facebook’s commerce experience, going along with the addition of a “Buy” button last year. Shopping pages could end up being a powerful addition in the near future due to Facebook’s great ad targeting features. Source: Marketing Land
Additional Commentary
How to Get Featured Snippets for Your Site
Guest author for Search Engine Land, Eric Enge, brings up a few very interesting points regarding featured snippets and whether or not sites should be happy when Google chooses them as a source for one. After presenting some case studies, Enge offers compelling data to show that a featured snippet can drive valuable traffic to the website that gets credited. Analysis: Eric Enge, Search Engine Land
Keyword Mistakes to Avoid in a PPC Account
Jacob Fairclough covers keyword mistakes that are commonly made when managing a PPC account. He recommends you avoid targeting too broadly and making sure your broad match keywords aren’t reaching further than they should. The author also covers avoiding a poor negative keyword strategy, suggesting you funnel queries rather than exclude them. Lastly, he suggests analyzing keywords that have been running for too long, as they may lose relevance over time. Analysis: Jacob Fairclough, PPC Hero
