In this weeks digital news to watch, our Senior Performance Marketing Manager Tom, and Senior Performance Marketing Executive Kylie, discuss fluctuations in Google search results, Google maps updates, investing in EVP, Google SEO and why you shouldn’t rely on Google Discovery Traffic.
Fluctuations in Google search results continue
Google search results continue to be volatile which are leading to high volumes of conversation surrounding the topic. The flections are so bad that some companies will not see SEO pieces take off before Christmas. The ongoing chatter on WebmasterWorld has spiked, with SEO’s discussing the results being erratic and leading them to wonder if it is related to Googles search algorithm updates. Tracking tools are as a result extremely hot right now, where SEO’s can see the volatility from the past few weeks. There have been many updates to Google over the past year, with many more confirmed and unconfirmed updates coming up. All SEO’s can hope is that the fluctuations will calm down in 2022.
Dock button added to Google maps
A new Google Maps update has introduced a feature which allows users to dock local listings to the bottom of the app. There is now a ‘dock to bottom’ button, which triggers Google to dock a location for easy access to be reopened later. There are many uses for this new update. Users can dock multiple places to view later, for example, users can dock multiple restaurants that they wish to save.
Why you should invest in EVP to modernise your business
Since March 2020, the world has undergone some significant changes. Increases in competition for talent, higher staff costs and retention of employees are all included within these changes. Companies have had to reevaluate their employment strategies to become an employers of choice to drive attraction and retention. Therefore it is becoming more important to invest in EVP (employee value proposition). EVP will keep businesses evolving and research has shown 75% of jobseekers are more likely to apply to positions where the employer offers a good EVP.
Is language a Google ranking factor?
A question asked my many SEO’s is whether or not using different languages can effect your search rankings on Google. Websites in many different languages will target consumers based on their language preference. However, if you want to target English people, then your article should be written in English, yet this will effect your search ranking in countries such as Spain or China. There is a solution to the problem. You can tell search engines which country they will be targeting by using the hreflang attribute or the content language meta tag. Although it is not 100% confirmed by Google, there is evidence to suggest that language is a ranking factor as language and country settings can impact visibility.
Google Discovery Traffic and why you shouldn’t rely on it
Google’s John Muller has explained why companies should not rely solely on Google Discover Traffic as their main source of traffic. John talked about Google Traffic potentially drying up and raised a caution about businesses building their entire processes on the platform. John Muller continues to elaborate why Google Discovery Traffic is not consistent, unreliable and how core updates can affect the software.
If you need any help with your digital marketing or in-housing, don’t hesitate to get in touch at team@modo25.com.