Month: February 2016

Google removes right-hand side ads from results pages

Posted on by Jen Mottram

rsz_shutterstock_365832824

In its most recent shake-up, Google is no longer showing ads on the right hand side of its results pages.  In place of these ads, Google will now start showing an additional ad at the top of the search results, though it claims this will only occur for ‘highly commercial queries’.

Although the change has not yet been formally announced, a Google spokesperson has confirmed that the change will be rolled out globally.  It is thought that Google began implementing the change last Friday, but this is actually something that’s been in testing since 2010. The rollout was finalised last night, with right hand side ads now phased out completely on desktop and tablet devices.

There are however two exceptions; product listing ads and the knowledge panel. This signals an increased focus on Shopping Ads from Google…

rsz_capture2

 

The change comes in line with Google’s efforts to synergise desktop and mobile search results. For ads to be visible above-the-fold, advertisers will need to make sure that they’re above third or fourth position.

What does this mean for advertisers?

First and foremost, higher CPCs. The competition for the top positions will become much more aggressive, with advertisers increasing bids in order to avoid dropping to the bottom of the page. As a result of this, any ads that are below the third or fourth position are likely to see their clickthrough rate decline from now on.

Not only will this affect PPC, but organic results will also be pushed further down the page; so a bigger focus will be placed on improving organic rankings. As you can see in the screenshot below, a search for ‘hotels in leeds’ generates 4 ads at the top; therefore pushing organic results below the fold.

rsz_hotel

Google has identified that ads on the right hand side tend to see lower average clickthrough rates, and therefore by increasing the focus on the ads at the top of the results page, Google’s profitability can be increased through more clicks at a higher CPC.

Although this may increase the costs for advertisers, it may be a blessing in disguise. This move will see advertisers work harder to increase quality score through better ad relevancy and landing page experience, which in turn will improve the user experience. With the value of paid search clicks expected to rise, conversion rate optimisation will become more important in advertisers’ efforts to turn clicks into conversions.

Twitter Updates Its Algorithm

Posted on by Helen Hargreave

rsz_shutterstock_375769369

We were waiting for it to happen…and it’s finally here. Twitter has now started to roll out a Facebook-style algorithm that means content will no longer appear chronologically but, instead, show you the ‘best tweets first’.

This concept of social media channels curating bespoke content is not alien. Facebook has engineered a similar algorithm over the past couple of years which serves your friends and companies content that they feel you’ll most likely want to read/watch/engage with first.

Furthermore, handpicked ‘best tweets first’ content also isn’t unknown for Twitter which has had a ‘whilst you were away…’ section pinned to the top of our screens for some time now.

When will this roll out?
At this stage such content is only shown on an ‘opt in’ basis; Twitter users have to tick a box within their settings for the channel’s well-known chronological feed to be disrupted.

Twitter screenshot

However, it is anticipated that the update will be rolled out to all users in the coming weeks.

What impact will have this on social media marketing?
Like any marketing strategy, the update only spurs on the fact that marketing channels, social media included, must strive to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.

We anticipate that, like Facebook’s decline in organic reach, activity must be content-led; a dependence on killer content is key to ensure content on Twitter is seen first. However, like any great content, it needs to be put in front of the right audience at the right time – a better focus on audience behaviours (income more social listening tools) and use of advertising are absolutely paramount.

Fusion SEO Market Updates: January 2016

Posted on by Joshua Carter

Jan 16 - Search Update

Google core search algorithm updated

In mid January Google confirmed that an update to it’s core ranking algorithm had taken place.

Core Search

The news came after a number of webmasters reported significant ranking fluctuations, leading many to believe that the impending Penguin update was to blame.

On top of this, Google stated that it’s Panda algorithm, which is responsible for detecting poor quality or “spammy” content, is now incorporated within the it’s core search algorithm. However, it’s been made clear that Panda wasn’t refreshed within the recent core update.

Whilst details of the exact nature of the update are still thin on the ground, many of the ranking drops reported by webmasters occurred on sites that had thin or poor quality content; publisher websites were particularly hard hit.

With this in mind, and with the Penguin update set to drop soon, webmasters should be checking rankings regularly.

Title tags not a “primary ranking factor”

In a Google Q&A session last month, John Mueller stated that having title tags is not a “primary ranking factor” for a page.

Mueller’s initial statement was that title tags are not a “critical ranking factor”, which led many to assume that tags are not a ranking factor at all.

Title Tags

However, in a clarification Mueller said that “titles are important! They are important for SEO. They are used as a ranking factor”, but that specifically targeting a large number of keywords in a title tag is likely to have negligible benefit for the page. “It’s not worthwhile filling [title tags ] with keywords” as this won’t help a page rank, and can be bad for user experience.

Instead, Mueller stated that the main ranking signal on a page is the content, saying that “the actual content on the page” is a critical ranking signal, and that if a page has good content it could in theory rank without a title tag. Whilst this doesn’t mean that title tags have no importance, it’s perhaps a sign for webmasters to rethink how they’re using them.

Google updates webmaster guidelines

Checklist (resized)

Last month Google carried out quiet changes to it’s webmaster guidelines, the best practice document that acts as a “do’s and don’t’s” list for webmasters.

consisted of clarifications or minor edits to existing points, the new changes contain entirely new guidelines, with the removal of certain guidelines.

One of the most significant new additions is the recommendation that sites use HTTPS, with Google saying “If possible, secure your site’s connections with HTTPS”. Whilst this has been something Google has informally pushed for a while, the update makes having HTTPS a best practice requirement.

The updates now also include optimisation for mobile as an official guidelines, stating “Design your site for all device types and sizes, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.”

Other additions relate to accessibility, and the use of content containing tabs, with Google saying that any important content that might be hidden by a tab should be made “visible by default”.

Outbound links not a ranking factor

Links

In a recent Google hangout, Google’s John Mueller cleared up the question whether linking out externally to high quality websites provides any benefit.

When asked if Google considers external links to other sites as a ranking factor, Mueller stated “external links to other sites, so links from your site to other people’s sites isn’t specifically a ranking factor”.

Whilst not commonly accepted as a ranking factor, external linking has been viewed by some SEO’s as something that could bring a small benefit to the linking site, in part due to the fact that inbound links do have a ranking benefit.

However, Mueller says that the only potential benefit of external links has is that they can “bring value to your content”.

Whilst this has been stated by Google before, this is perhaps the clearest answer we’ve had on the matter so far.