This Week: Google Updates, Instagram, Coronavirus, and YouTube Marketing

This Week In Internet Marketing

Happy Tuesday everyone!

This week we’re back with more exciting news in the world of internet marketing. We'll look at Google’s ‘no follow’ link policy changing the game for link strategists. As well, we'll take a look at the introduction of the TikTok analytics tool element to its creator marketplace. Instagram is testing a new video response option for IGTV. The impacts of coronavirus on search marketing. Finally, we'll take a look at some news on YouTube studio letting their creators view analytics side-by-side!

Google Updates "No Follow" Link Policy, Changing the Game for Link Strategists 

Google nofollow link policy

In the previous week, we saw how Google started penalizing guest posts. This was Google's attempt to make amendments to the way they see no-follow links. But as of now, Google will officially treat no-follow links differently.

So, what do webmasters need to know about Google's new link plans?

In this article, Deepak Lepak starts by telling us what no-follow links are and guides us through how Google will be treating no-follow links.

As of March 1st, 2020, Google will treat no-follow links as "hints." But what does this mean?

Google will now consider no-follow links as a "hint" that the link shouldn't be given credit, not a rule. This allows the Google algorithm to process the data for all of those links, while still preventing signal boosts on many of them.

However, this doesn't mean people are going to spam your site's comment section again! The move to a hint model won't change the nature of how such links get treated. The links will be treated the same as before!

Google is introducing two new attributes to help webmasters further clarify the intent of links:

  • rel="sponsored": This is  for sponsored links (e.g., ads, sponsorships, etc.)
  • rel="ugc": This is for user-generated content (e.g., comments, forums, etc.)

Webmasters will have to follow the new link attribute structure starting immediately. You probably won't notice any immediate changes to your website. But, if you want Google to have a better understanding of your content, we recommend updating your rel tags.

TikTok Introduces Analytics Tools Element to its Creator Marketplace

TikTok marketing

TikTok, a platform with its own user base, wants to take its platform to where different people with different needs can interact.

The popular video-sharing social networking service has introduced analytics tools in its creator marketplace. This allows marketers to see real-time insights into influencer campaign views, engagement rates, engaged audience demographics and more.

The main motive of introducing the analytics tools is to allow brands to locate relevant TikTok users for partnerships based on focus topics, location, and reach.

With the analytics tools, marketers will be able to measure the response rates of their campaigns. This gives them a more specific way of understanding how their target audience is responding and what further optimization is needed to improve performance.

Instagram is Testing a New Video Response Option for IGTV

Instagram testing IGTV

Instagram is looking to add in a TikTok-style video response option for IGTV. The new "Video Reaction" option in testing will enable IGTV creators to allow viewers to respond to their content with their own videos.

This new video reaction option is another way to engage with clips on the platform. Reactions and duets have been a large part of the TikTok experience. This is because it provides a way for viewers to share their responses to posted clips.

IGTV is looking for longer content. By adding the personal, visual nature of video reactions, it will provide more engagement potential for IGTV.

Coronavirus Impact on Search Marketing

Coronavirus

The outbreak of the coronavirus has significantly affected the lives of humans across the globe. Yet the economic impact is even worse. While the depth of the impact is hard to predict, there are signs there may be a ripple effect if the current trends continue.

Here are some of the trends:

Shop from Home Trend

If the outbreak worsens, people will start shifting to more online shopping as they will be reluctant to leave their homes to go out and shop.

Conference Cancellations

Many conferences are getting cancelled because of the fear that large gatherings can pose a danger.

Google cancelled their April 6, 2020, CloudNext conference in San Francisco and decided to stream it instead. As well, they cancelled a Las Vegas event scheduled for March.

Travel Predicted to Suffer

Travel is a crucial affiliate niche in itself. But it also affects locally based businesses in the restaurant and hospitality niches.

Looming Product Shortages

Less supply means less inventory. Merchants selling Chinese products as well as affiliates who depend on sales of Chinese made goods on Amazon will be impacted.

Impact on Seo Consulting

Most of the search marketing community tends to think of SEO as being about ranking number one in search engines. But, ranking is not the end; it's just the means. The ultimate aim of ranking is sales.

Yet ranking number one will mean nothing if there are no sales.

YouTube Studio lets Creators View Analytics Side-by-Side

YouTube Studio update

One thing creators say is that YouTube Studio needs to be revamped. This is because creators couldn't see the performance of their videos on the YouTube Studio app.

For example, creators have said that they want more granular details of how their video is performing, which cannot be viewed on the Studio app. Having said that, YouTube has just updated its app to show more details.

From now on, you'll be able to compare your YouTube metrics side-by-side, which will be available in the "Deep Dive" section of the Studio website.

Also, you will see a new metric named "view versus revenue" that will most likely answer the age-old questions of how many views does it take to earn a dollar off of AdSense.

Conclusion

A lot happened this week. We saw Google coming up with their new link policy for no-follow links for guest posts. TikTok has its own analytics tools element to its creator marketplace. Instagram is back with something new as they introduce the new "Video reaction" option, allowing users to respond to the videos with a clip. We saw the impacts the coronavirus has brought to SEO and sales. Finally, we saw how YouTube creators can view the performance of their videos side-by-side with a Studio update that will give access to more metrics.

It's a competitive market. Contact us to learn how you can stand out from the crowd.

Read Similar Blogs

Post a Comment

1 Comment

Ready To Rule The First Page of Google?

Contact us for an exclusive 20-minute assessment & strategy discussion. Fill out the form, and we will get back to you right away!

What Our Clients Have To Say

L
Luciano Zeppieri
S
Sharon Tierney
S
Sheena Owen
A
Andrea Bodi - Lab Works
D
Dr. Philip Solomon MD