The Latest & Greatest in Digital Marketing
#1 Google Unveils Rebranded Webmaster Tools
In a move to reach out to more users who care about search marketing, Google has rebranded Webmaster Tools as Search Console. The traditional idea of the “webmaster” reflects only some of its users, according to Google.
By rebranding Webmaster Tools, the company hopes the product will serve a broad spectrum of users, including hobbyists, small business owners, SEO experts, marketers, programmers, designers, app developers, and of course, webmasters. Search Engine Watch
#2 Indexed Tweets Are Now Live in Google Mobile Searches
Tweets have returned to Google search on mobile devices as of today, the company stated in an announcement on its blog. When searching on either the Google mobile app, or on a browser on your smartphone or tablet, you will now see tweets indexed in real-time right in the search results pages.
Google’s announcement suggests that indexed tweets are more likely to show up in search results when searching for information about something that’s happening right now in real time. Google says it’s working on rolling this experience out to desktop devices, as well as to more countries in more languages. At this time, it’s only available for English queries on mobile devices in the United States. Search Engine Journal
#3 Google Confirms Changing How Quality Is Assessed, Resulting In Rankings Shake-Up
It’s not your imagination. Google’s results have changed since the beginning of this month, and Google’s officially confirmed to Search Engine Land that this is due to a change with how it assesses content quality. Call it “The Quality Update,” if you will.
Google wouldn’t provide specifics about how quality is now assessed. We know from past statements by Google that a wide range of individual factors determines quality. It could be that Google is now weighting some of those factors more and others less. Search Engine Land
#4 Google to Add Buy Buttons in Sponsored Mobile Search Results
In a move to increase its retail search traffic and advertising revenue, Google is going to add buy buttons to its search results pages on mobile devices.
The buttons will show up in paid search results under a “Shop on Google” heading at the top of a page. They won’t appear in the unpaid results or when users look for products on desktop.
Google is not the first technology company that is tapping into buy buttons. Last year, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram also experimented with this functionality. “It’s a logical next step when they put ideas and products in front of people. “By adding buy buttons, those platforms can keep users in their own garden and make them buy through its own system.” ClickZ
