Breaking Stories and Top Articles for July, 2015.
Here are the Stukent picks for July. Do you see important news we missed? Let us know in the Comments. Your suggestions are always appreciated!
1. PANDA 4.2 ROLLING OUT SLOWLY
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]SEO [/highlight]
Key Point: Google’s Panda algorithm updates have been seeking and burying low-quality websites since February, 2011, but the job’s not finished yet. Google says Panda 4.2 was released this month and will slowly make changes to the search engine results page (SERP). Some say the new release will help those who were hit hard by previous editions get restored to Google’s grace (assuming the appropriate changes were made). Others are undoubtedly hoping the big bear doesn’t find something questionable and push their pages down. Get the scoop from this Search Engine Land article: Panda 4.2 is Here
[line]2. GOOGLE UPPING THE GAME ON MOBILE MARKETING
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Online Advertising[/highlight]
Key Point: Google says the key to getting better conversions on mobile devices is by paying attention to the “micro-moments.” Be one of the 20% who swipe to see more about an ad and you’ll be led deeper and deeper into the micro-moment enhanced shopping funnel. Each little action you take influences what happens next. The bottom line: AdWords for mobile is getting smarter. Google says 28% of in-store sales were influenced by mobile last year – and that figure is bound to grow in 2015. Read all about it right here: Winning Shopping’s Micro-Moments
[line]3. THE FACEBOOK ALGORITHM NOW FACTORS IN VIDEO ACTIONS
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Social Media Marketing[/highlight]
Key Point: Just in case you haven’t heard, video is “hot, hot, hot” and Facebook is hip to video in a big, big way. It may not be a huge surprise, then, but it’s an important thing to know: Facebook recently announced that their algorithm now factors in the actions viewers take (or don’t take) on videos. One reason why the move is important to marketers is that there can be a huge difference between the number of users who are ‘shown’ a video versus those who interact with it. Turning the volume up, for instance, is a strong indicator that someone is listening. Here’s the Facebook announcement: News Feed FYI
[line]4. SPAM TAKES A NOSEDIVE
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Email Marketing[/highlight]
Key Point: Here’s some good news: Symantec says less than 50% of email is spam – and that’s the lowest spam rate observed since 2003! To get the data, Symantec registered 704 billion email messages in June and marked 353 billion of those messages as spam. Symantec’s most recent report on internet security released those figures, and you can read that report right here: Symantec Intelligence Report
[line]5. FACEBOOK CHANGES THEIR CPC DEFINITION
Topics: [highlight type=”dark”]Social Media Advertising[/highlight]
Key Point: Cost per click (CPC) is a fairly important metric to internet marketers – so Facebook’s announcement that the way they measure CPC has changed drew some attention this month. Facebook says CPC is now defined by “click links” – clicks that help advertisers realize “certain ad objectives.” If there’s one article anyone who cares about internet advertising should read this month – it may be this one. Find out how to get a better return from every ad dollar invested with Facebook… here’s that announcement: CPC Changes
[line]6. TWITTER INTRODUCES EVENT TARGETING
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Social Media Advertising[/highlight]
Key Point: Whether it’s the Tour de France or the Super Bowl, Twitter lights up with chatter about popular events. Seeing that as a prime advertising opportunity, Twitter says advertisers can now take advantage of special event targeting tools – a calendar, insights, and activation. Which events best suit your product or service? Check out the excitement on Twitter. Here’s the lowdown, straight from the Twitter Blog: Event Marketing
[line]7. LINKEDIN PULSE PASSES THE 1 MILLION WRITERS MARK
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]SEO[/highlight]
Key Point: In the 3 years it’s been in existence, LinkedIn Pulse has steadily increased in popularity – by writers and readers both. This month, the millionth (unique) writer posted an article on Pulse, adding to the 130,000 posts the open-to-the-public blog publishes each week. LinkedIn says 45% of Pulse readers are from the top ranks of industry and that posts typically reach executives in “21 industries and 9 countries.” But what does Pulse publication mean for SEO? Will taking an article already published (and doing well) on your own blog and republishing it on Pulse provide an SEO boost – or will it hurt? Do links in Pulse articles help you rank elsewhere? After you check out the LinkedIn announcement, strike up a conversation with your favorite SEO… and get ready for a lively discussion. This is one of those areas where there’s plenty of room for debate.
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Congratulations! You’re all caught up on your digital marketing news and updates for the month! Tweet your excitement!
That’s it for the July edition of Stukent’s News You Can Use. We do hope you leave with some valuable information under your belt (and hat). Do you see something we’ve missed – a story from July that should have been mentioned? Let us know in the comments. We love to hear about your experiences and observations.
