Instagram Lets Users Share Stories With a Select Audience
Instagram is launching a new feature that will allow users to share stories with close friends only.
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
YouTube Stories Are Now Available to More Users
YouTube is rolling out its Instagram-like stories to more users, a feature that has been in testing since last year.
Bing Search Comes to SwiftKey for Android
Bing has integrated its search engine capabilities with SwiftKey, which is a third-party keyboard for Android devices.
Google Assistant Will Now Respond Differently When Users Say “Please”
Google has rolled out new features for Assistant, including a new way of responding to users who ask polite questions.
Instagram Lets Users Add Alt Text to Photos
Instagram is introducing the ability to add alt text to photos in an effort to make the platform more accessible.
Facebook Makes it Easier to Find Local News and Information
Facebook is connecting more people to local news and information with an expansion of its “Today In” section.
Google Highlights 3 Ways YouTube Viewing Habits Are Changing
Google has revealed that viewing habits of YouTube users are changing in three key ways.
Google Recommends Using One URL for All Seasonal Content
Google’s John Mueller recommends websites with rotating seasonal content should keep it all contained on one URL.
YouTube is Removing Video Credits in Early 2019
YouTube has disabled the creation of video credits, and existing credits will be removed from videos on January 31, 2019.
Google Ads Can Now Count Calls from Location Extensions as Conversions
Calls from Google Ads location extensions can now be counted as conversions as long as account-level call reporting is enabled.
YouTube to Remove All Annotations in January 2019
YouTube quietly announced that it will stop showing all existing annotations starting January 15, 2019.
Google to Serve Ads Across Disney Properties Through New Partnership
Google has formed a new partnership with The Walt Disney Company, which allows Google to serve ads across Disney properties.
Google May Support Other Types of Structured Data if it’s Used by More Sites
Google’s John Mueller revealed the search engine may support additional structured data types if more websites were to use them.
Google Shows Zero Search Results for Some Direct Answer Queries
Google has begun hiding full search results for certain types of queries and providing only direct answers instead.
Google Assistant on iPhone is Now Easier Than Ever to Activate
Google Assistant on iOS has received an update which makes it easier than ever to activate.
Google Lets Users Add Hashtags to Business Reviews
Google reviews in Maps and Google My Business can now include hashtags, making them even more searchable.
Uncommon Blogging Tactics Are Highly Effective, New Study Shows
A recent study on blogging in 2018 shows that the least common blogging tactics are most likely to be successful.
Google Local Search Study: Businesses on First Page Have an Avg. 4.4 Star Rating
Businesses ranking on the first page of Google local search results have an average review rating of 4.42 stars.
YouTube to Test Showing Two Ads Before Videos
YouTube will soon begin testing two ads shown back-to-back before a video starts.
Instagram to Roll Out Redesigned User Profiles
Instagram announced it will be introducing redesigned user profiles, which are set to roll out over the next few weeks.
2018 Local Search Ranking Factors: Google My Business Signals Up 32%
The impact of Google My Business on local search rankings has seen significant growth in 2018.
Popular AMP for WP Plugin Patches Critical Security Flaw
A top AMP plugin for WordPress, AMP for WP, has released a patch for a critical security vulnerability. AMP for WP, which currently has 100,000+...
Google Ads Brings Merchant Promotions to Shopping Actions
Google Ads is bringing its Merchant Promotions program to Shopping Actions for retailers.
Google Slashes Incentives for Retailers to Create Comparison Shopping Services
Google has drastically reduced incentives for retailers to create what some allege are “fake” comparison shopping sites.
Instagram to Remove Fake Followers, Comments, and Likes Generated by Third-Party Apps
Instagram is taking steps to limit inauthentic activity on its network by removing fake followers, likes, and comments.
Bing Updates Expanded Text Ads With Ability to Add Even More Text
Bing updated its expanded text ads, which now allow for even more text in both the headline and description areas.
Google Explains What to Do if You’ve Acquired a Domain With Bad History
Google’s John Mueller provides guidance on what to do if you’ve acquired a domain with bad history attached to it.
Facebook is Changing Chatbot Permissions for Subscription Messaging, Effective December 31st
Facebook is making changes to subscription messaging permissions that will affect chatbots.
Google’s New ‘Target Impression Share’ Helps Ads Show Up More Often
Google Ads has rolled outTarget Impression Share, which automatically sets bids according to where the ad will show up.
Instagram Rolls Out More Ways for Businesses to Sell Products
Instagram has expanded its shopping features with the ability to tag video posts with links to products.