It may sound as a surprise, but the first half of 2018 has passed. Today is the official first working day for the second half of the year. Now, let’s try to take a look at what has transpired, and changed, in the digital marketing world since the beginning of this year, particularly in the search engine optimization and search engine marketing arena. There have been a couple of ups and downs that undoubtedly shook some business and panicked a lot of digital strategists. But, as they say, great minds think alike.
These changes and updates in the digital marketing industry have already been foreseen by some experts earlier this year. Although it really tested the ability (and patience) of many agencies and clients, some of the updates can be considered as resolvable and managing the rankings of some businesses went back on track.
In this article, we will take a look at some of the exciting updates in the SEO scene that we never knew is going to happen.
The Meta Dilemma
Earlier this year, Google announced the 320-character description rule, which means that any website can display longer description on their search results. It was amazing, actually. This update wind up the rankings of many leading websites and they were outranked by secondary website who took the time to update their Meta descriptions. More characters means more opportunity to sell your site to the users.
But, wait! There’s more! In May 2018, many SEO experts noticed yet another change in the Meta description display – it has fewer characters… again. This confused a lot of strategists. Of course, Google can write your own Meta descriptions and they can change it however they may please, but these short snippets are your only opportunity to entice your audience to click on your link and visit your site.
Well, in the end, Google will always have the final say. But as a bit of advice, keep your Meta descriptions short, straight to the point and sweet.
The Algorithm of Algorithms
What’s a Google update with no algorithm changes, right? Well, so far, Google has done four algorithm changes.
- There was an unnamed and unconfirmed update in February 2018. Users noticed a series of unpredictable changes in the rankings around February 20. This “update” quickly settled down but has indeed affected a couple of websites during its run.
- On March 8, Google confirmed a “Brackets” core update. But before its actual release, spiked volatility on rankings are already observed on the 4th of March and it has continued for the next two weeks.
- Another changes in March was called Zero-result SERP Test. Well, based on its name, it’s a test update that ran for a couple of days. Although it was not a permanent change, it still gets noticed. The test was for the Knowledge Cards on SERPS for inquiries about time, date, unit conversion calculators, and the like. Google started to show zero organic results and display “Show all results” button.
- After months of testing, Google finally and officially rolled out the Mobile-First Index on March 26. As part of including the performance of website’s mobile version, Google encourages all developers to migrate their sites to become mobile-friendly. Hence, the launch of responsive web designs.
Compared to last year with 7 updates as of June 2017, this year has not seen much changes yet in the Search scene.
New Form Of Ad Platforms
The most recent update of Google is launching 3 new integrated platforms for their advertising portfolio: Google Ads, Google Marketing Platform, and Google Manager.
Google Adwords will not be called Google Ads and basically handles all of the company’s advertising functions for all its properties such as Google.com, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Play.
The Google Marketing Platform, on the other hand, is the merger of Double Click and Google Analytics 360 Suite. It aims to provide the clients an opportunity to plan, buy, measure, and optimise the digital media and customer experience.
Lastly, Google Ad Manager is a consolidated platform of Doubleclick for Publishers and the DoubleClick Ad Exchange – a unified program that enables partners to earn more income and work more efficiently.
Basically, these new offerings are a means to help both the advertisers and the agencies to create a more personal approach in creating solutions for their businesses.
There’s (Probably) More To Come
Since we all know that the digital marketing scene is incredibly diverse, it is expected that there’s still more of these types of changes in the future. That’s why, it’s important to keep yourself informed with the latest news and updates about the search industry and all surrounding industries.
When all else fails, it pays to consult a team of SEO and SEM experts to make sure that your online business is at par with the trends. After all, change is the only constant thing in the world.
Featured image grabbed from this site.
