YouTube Shorts – Google’s Answer to TikTok?
Google’s foray into short-form video content begins with YouTube Shorts, a new feature being tested in limited markets.
About
Matt G. Southern, Senior News Writer, has been with Search Engine Journal since 2013. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, Matt specializes in gathering details, checking facts, and making complex subjects easy to understand. In addition to writing articles, Matt oversees strategy development for SEJ’s news department.
Articles
Facebook Messenger Lets Users Watch Videos Together
Facebook Messenger now allows up to 8 users to watch videos together with the new ‘Watch Together’ co-viewing experience.
Google Confirms Search Console Reporting is Delayed
Google Search Console is affected by an issue that’s causing delays in updating the Index Coverage report.
Google Experiencing Indexing Issue With New Articles
Google is currently fixing an indexing issue affecting new articles appearing in the ‘Top Stories’ section of search results.
Google My Business Gains More New Attributes for Listings
Google My Business listings can now highlight the health and safety measures they’re taking to protect customers during the pandemic.
Google’s New Measures to Protect Search Results From Vandalism
Google is investing in new efforts to ward off vandalism in search results and ensure information remains relevant and reliable.
Google SEO Mythbusting: Is More Content Better?
Google’s Martin Splitt, and Lily Ray of Path Interactive, discuss the most common concerns SEOs have when it comes to creating website content.
Shorter Content Earns the Most Backlinks, Study Says
Shorter content earns the most backlinks, on average, according to an analysis of thousands of articles.
Twitter to Add Automated Captions to Audio and Video
Twitter is working on adding automated captions to audio and video as part of a larger effort to make the platform more accessible.
LinkedIn Adds 3 New Features to Company Pages
LinkedIn is adding new features to company pages to address challenges created by the pandemic and resulting shift toward remote working.
TikTok is Letting Creators Sell Merch Through the App
TikTok is launching a partnership with Teespring that will allow creators to sell merchandise through the app for the first time.
Twitter Showing Why Topics Are Trending
Twitter is going to help users discover why certain topics are trending by adding context with a representative tweet.
Google Lightning Talks: HTTPS Explained
In the latest Google Lightning Talks video, John Mueller provides an introduction to HTTPS and goes over the basics of site migrations.
Pinterest Tests Product Ratings, “Best Seller” Labels, More
Pinterest is currently testing a number of new shopping features designed to draw more attention to products pins.
2020 Local Voice Search Ranking Factors [STUDY]
As 58% of voice search users employ it to run local business queries, a new study looks at factors that go into ranking the results.
Google Shows “Licensable” Badges in Image Search Results
Google is now displaying a “Licensable” badge in image search results on photos that can be purchased for legal use on other websites.
Instagram Carousels Are the Most Engaging Post Type [STUDY]
A recent study finds posts on Instagram are likely to be more successful if they contain a carousel, versus a single photo or video.
Official AMP for WordPress Plugin Updated to Version 2.0
Version 2.0 of the Official AMP for WordPress plugin is now available and comes with a number of useful features for site owners.
Google SEO 101: Site Migrations
Google’s Martin Splitt, and Glenn Gabe of G-Squared Interactive, get together to discuss the most common questions SEOs ask about site migrations.
TikTok Shares Total Number of US Users For the First Time
For the first time since the app has been available in the US, TikTok reveals its total number of active daily and monthly users.
Google Has a More Efficient Way to Report Urgent Bugs
Google is piloting a new system for site owners to report bugs and security issues in a timely manner.
Facebook Shops & Instagram Checkout Expand to All US Businesses
Facebook is rolling out a dedicated shopping tab, and expanding Shops and Instagram Checkout to all US businesses.
Google: Most Sites Don’t Need to Worry About Crawl Budget
Google’s Search Relations team says most sites don’t need to worry about crawl budget in the latest episode of the Search Off the Record podcast.
Google Lets Retailers Customize Product Info in Search Results
Retailers have new ways to control how their products appear in Google search results through the use of robots meta tags and an HTML attribute.
Google Launches Career Certificates For High-Demand Fields
Google is launching new certificates that offer a way for people to fast-track their career toward digital jobs in high-demand fields.
Instagram is Adding Suggested Posts to the Main Feed
Instagram’s main feed will now show posts from people you don’t follow, after you’re caught up with content from the people you do follow.
Google Makes it Easier to Find Jobs, Recipes, and Products
An update to activity cards in Google Search will allow users to pick up where they left off with searches for jobs, recipes, and products.
Bing to Share Future Updates Via New Twitter Handle
Bing’s engineering team has a new home on the web for sharing official news and answering questions from site owners.
Google Chrome to Highlight Fast Pages on Mobile
An update to Google Chrome will highlight certain pages with a “fast page” label. That’s determined based on whether they provide a good user experience.
New Google Search Console Insights For Content Creators
Google Search Console Insights, a new experience tailored for content creators and publishers, is now being tested with select users.