[Ep123] - Google Officially Launches “Helpful Content” Update On Aug 25, 2022

In 12 mins, get up to speed on the must know Digital Marketing Updates from the week of Aug 22-26, 2022.
1. LinkedIn Is Updating Post Search Algorithm - LinkedIn has announced that they are updating the search architecture for posts, which will lead to faster and more relevant results. LinkedIn Post search uses an intermediate language called Interest Query Language (IQL) to translate a user query into index-specific queries used to serve search results. They now have a new user interface that allows people to search for posts from a specific author, posts that match quoted queries, recently viewed posts, and more. The new algorithm will considers the following aspects to rate a post:
  • Relevance of the post to an user query 
  • Quality of the post 
  • Personalization & User Intent - Combine real-time signals for the users intent, interests, and affinities
  • Engagement (Likes, Reacts, Comments, Shares)
  • Post freshness/recency (especially for trending topics)

2. LinkedIn Now Allows You To Pin Comment - LinkedIn has long enabled business users to pin an update on their LinkedIn Company Page, while you can also ‘feature’ your own top posts at the top of your profile, which is functionally the same thing as pinning. And now, you can pin specific replies as well, which opens up new considerations for maximizing LinkedIn engagement, and interacting with your network in the app. 

The option to Pin comments is now being rolled out to all users, while you can unpin a comment via the three dots menu on a pinned response.


3. Twitter Updates Measurement Solution For Advertisers - Twitter announced that they’ve launched three new and improved measurement solutions to all advertisers globally. 
  • Improved Twitter pixel - The new Twitter pixel has additional functionality such as allowing advertisers to measure more actions, such as add-to-cart.
  • Conversion API - The Conversion API (CAPI) enables advertisers to connect to the API and send conversion events to Twitter without using third-party cookies. CAPI can also be used to improve and optimize ad targeting without the pixel. Multiple data signals including Twitter Click ID or email address can be used to send conversion events to the API endpoint and help advertisers understand the path users are taking as a result of their campaigns.
  • App Purchase Optimization - Now available only on Android, it enables advertisers to deliver ads to people most likely to install an app or make a purchase by using machine learning to identify audiences that are most likely to take action. Early testing saw that 89% of advertisers saw a reduction in cost-per-purchase.


4. YouTube Launches A Podcast Page - YouTube’s podcast page is now available to a small subset of people, providing a full overview of podcast content in the app. Here is what YouTube wrote: 
“The podcast destination page on YouTube helps users explore new and popular podcast episodes, shows and Creators, as well as recommend podcast content. It’s currently available in the US only.”


5. Google Ads Will Automatically Update Local Campaigns To Performance Max - Google Ads announced that Google will start the process of automatically "upgrading" accounts to Performance Max for Local campaigns. Automatic upgrades will gradually progress and finish in September for most advertisers. As a note, performance max campaigns has been available to all advertisers since November 2021 and a beta launched October 2020. Google started this process with auto-upgrading accounts to Performance Max for Smart Shopping campaigns in July.

Google wrote "if your campaigns are not eligible for the self-upgrade tool and you are not notified about an automatic upgrade, then your Local campaigns will not be upgraded to Performance Max until 2023. If your campaigns have access to the self-upgrade tool and do not auto-upgrade by the end of September, you will continue to have access to the self-upgrade tool until auto-upgrade resumes in 2023. This will ensure you do not see any campaign disruption during the busy holiday season."


6. Google Search Console’s Video Indexing Report Is Live - In July 2022, Google started to roll out Video Indexing report to some properties. It was covered in Episode#117.  Now, the report is fully live for all properties where Google can detect video on the site.

The video indexing report shows how many indexed pages on your site contain one or more videos, and how many of those pages a video could be indexed. The report shows the status of video indexing on your site. It helps you answer the following questions: In how many pages has Google identified a video? Which videos were indexed successfully? What are the issues preventing videos from being indexed?


7. Google Officially Launches “Helpful Content” Update On Aug 25, 2022  - Last week, we covered “Helpful Content” update in episode#122. Now on its official search rankings update page, Google confirms the release of the helpful content update on August 25 and states that it will take up to two weeks for the rollout completion. Here are seven things you need to know to ensure you’re creating people-first content based on guidance provided by Google.
  1. Don’t Stray Too Far From Your Main Topic - “Do you have an existing or intended audience for your business or site that would find the content useful if they came directly to you?”
  2. Do Demonstrate First-Hand Experience - “Does your content clearly demonstrate first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge (for example, expertise that comes from having actually used a product or service, or visiting a place)?”
  3. Don’t Combine Multiple Topics Into One Site - “Does your site have a primary purpose or focus?”
  4. Do Provide Sufficient Answers To Searchers’ Questions - “After reading your content, will someone leave feeling they’ve learned enough about a topic to help achieve their goal?”
  5. Don’t Neglect The Overall Reader Experience - “Will someone reading your content leave feeling like they’ve had a satisfying experience?”
  6. Don’t Answer A Question That Has No Confirmed Answer - “Does your content promise to answer a question that actually has no answer, such as suggesting there’s a release date for a product, movie, or TV show when one isn’t confirmed?”
  7. Do Follow Google’s Guidelines For Other Major Updates - “Are you keeping in mind our guidance for core updates and for product reviews?”