Instagram is Fighting Off Fake Accounts With ID Checks
Instagram is furthering its efforts to fend off bots and fake accounts by requiring certain account holders to confirm their identity.
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 Merging With Instagram Direct
Facebook is giving users the option to merge their Messenger inbox with Instagram Direct, which grants the ability to send messages across platforms.
Google to Remain Default Search Engine on Firefox
Google will remain the default search engine on Firefox after renewing a lucrative deal with Mozilla.
How Google Improves Search Results
Google gives a beginner-friendly explanation of how it improves search results in a new video published to the company’s YouTube channel.
Google My Business: Edit Listings From Search & Maps
Google is letting businesses make edits to their GMB listings while they’re being viewed in Google Maps and search results.
Google SEO 101: All About Canonicalization
Google’s Martin Splitt, and Rachel Costello of Builtvisibile, discuss common questions about canonicalization in the latest episode of SEO Mythbusting.
LinkedIn Sells SlideShare to Scribd
LinkedIn is selling SlideShare to Scribd, a digital library leader for books, audiobooks, and other professional works.
Facebook Warning Users Before Sharing COVID-19 Links
Facebook users are seeing a new notification screen when sharing COVID-19 links, warning them the content may be old or inaccurate.
Google May Lose Market Share When This Change Rolls Out
A study commissioned by DuckDuckGo finds Google will lose mobile market share when Android’s search preference menu starts rolling out to users.
Google’s Rich Results Test Tool Supports ‘Article’ Markup
Site owners can now use Google’s Rich Results Test tool to validate their ‘article’ structured data markup.
Google Holding First-Ever Virtual Conference on August 26th
Google is holding a virtual conference later this month for the first time in the company’s history. Registrations are open until August 19th.
Top YouTube Searches During COVID-19 Pandemic
YouTube published a new set of insights with information about the most popular video topics since the pandemic started.
Facebook Messenger Plugin For Websites Receives Major Update
Major updates to the Facebook Chat Plugin for business websites allow it to be used by people who aren’t logged into Facebook.
Google SEO 101: Mobile-First Indexing Problems
In the latest installment of Google’s Lightning Talks video series, Martin Splitt identifies the top issues site owners run into with mobile-first indexing.
Google Ads Advertisers Can Now Capture Leads From YouTube
Google is giving advertisers new ways to capture leads by adding lead form extensions to YouTube and Discovery campaigns.
Google Ads Rolling Out Multiple Updates to App Campaigns
App campaigns in Google Ads can now be optimized specifically for driving as many app installs within as short a timeframe as possible.
Instagram Reels Launches Worldwide to Compete With TikTok
Instagram Reels, a new way to create and share 15-second TikTok-like videos, is officially launching in the US.
Google’s Search Quality Raters Do Not Directly Influence Rankings
Google published a detailed explainer about how changes to search rankings are evaluated internally before being rolled out to users.
Google: Be Careful Relying on 3rd Parties to Render Website Content
Google’s Martin Splitt cautions site owners about the challenges that come with using JavaScript content rendered by third-parties, such as blog comment sections.
41% of Google’s First Page Contains Links to Google Products
Results of a recent study show nearly half of the first page of Google’s search results is made up of links to its own products.
Twitter is Considering These Premium Features in a Subscription Model
Twitter is actively exploring the option of adding a premium subscription model that would give users access to exclusive features.
New Google Easter Egg Makes Search Results Dance
Google is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the “Cha-Cha Slide” with a unique Easter egg that literally gets the search results moving.
Google Doubles Up on Articles in the Top Stories Carousel
Google’s top stories carousel in search results may display multiple results for the same story, adding a second link for context.
Google Maps Goes Social Giving Each User Their Own Profile
Google is turning Maps into a social network of sorts by giving each user their own profile filled with photos and reviews they’ve submitted.
LinkedIn’s Sharing API is Broken, Not Fetching Images
There are currently issues with sharing links on LinkedIn, as its sharing API is not fetching display images.
Google Highlights Black-Owned Businesses in Search Results
Google is extending its support for Black-owned businesses an update to Google My Business and an announcement of two new initiatives.
Google Updates Search Console With More Structured Data Support
Google is updating Search Console with support for image license structured data, which can now be tested with the Rich Results tool.
Google Advises Site Owners of Rise in ‘Work From Home’ Searches
Google is notifying site owners via Search Console of an increase in searches related to work from home jobs.
Google CEO Says Company’s Continued Success is Not Guaranteed
CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google testified before US Congress today during a hearing on the market dominance of each company.
Bing URL Submissions WordPress Plugin Experiencing Issues
There are currently a “large number of failures” associated with Bing’s new URL submissions plugin for WordPress, according to the company’s outreach team.