Hey everyone,  

Welcome to this week's episode of This Week in Marketing. I'm your host Sajid Islam.
 

Today we'll be covering all the notable news & updates in the Digital Marketing Space from the Week of May 4th, 2020. 

1. From our friend John E Lincoln at ignitevisibility.com we found out that Google has rolled out a new core algorithm update. It’s unimaginatively called the “May 2020 Core Update.” This gives new meaning to the phrase: “May the Fourth Be With You.”  

And Google's guidance remains the same as it has in the past.  That is to say, there’s absolutely no action you need to take in response to the update.  

 

In case you’re unfamiliar with the party line during these types of updates, it’s that you don’t need to worry about the algorithm change. Just get on with life as you normally would. 

 

Here’s what Google says about periodic algorithm changes: Several times a year, we make significant, broad changes to our search algorithms and systems. We refer to these as “core updates.” They’re designed to ensure that overall, we’re delivering on our mission to present relevant and authoritative content to searchers. These core updates may also affect Google Discover. 

 

However, just because Google says that you don’t need to take any action in response to the May 2020 Core Update, that doesn’t mean that nothing will happen to your rankings. 

 

This might be your first time attending a Google dance. 

Your keywords will likely bounce around from one spot to another while the algorithm works its way through the system. Search terms that were landing you top spots in the search engine results pages (SERPs) in the past might put you on Page 3 nowadays. 

 

So What Can You do to Hold your Rankings in the May 2020 Core Update? 

 

Again, nothing. Google says these kinds of rating gyrations are perfectly normal. 

Some people win by jumping to the top. Others lose by moving from the first page of the search results to the second. 

Google says there’s nothing necessarily “wrong” with pages that lose rank. They aren’t subject to manual actions and they haven’t necessarily violated the Google webmaster guidelines. 

It’s just that Google’s new algorithm has determined that some pages are more suitable for certain keywords than yours. That’s all. 

Here’s some more insight from Google with a relevant analogy: 

One way to think of how a core update operates is to imagine you made a list of the top 100 movies in 2015. A few years later in 2019, you refresh the list. It’s going to naturally change. Some new and wonderful movies that never existed before will now be candidates for inclusion. You might also reassess some films and realize they deserved a higher place on the list than they had before. 

 

Google offers lots of general advice on providing content that ranks well. But it all comes down to two words: user experience. 

 

Does the content you’re writing offer quality advice/research/guidance on the keyword you’ve selected? If so, then it should rank well. 

 

Here’s another question: does the content you’re writing offer better advice/research/guidance than what your competitors are providing on their websites? 

 

If not, then you know why you dropped. 

 

 

So if you want to get to the point where you don’t have to worry about doing the Google dance every time there’s a core algorithm update, make sure that you’re producing the kind of content that resonates well with your target audience. 

 

Now if you are asking yourself how do I find out if this  May 2020 Core Update affecting my Website?  

 

Take a look at the dwell time metric (Google Analytics) on your web pages. If you find that people are bouncing away after only a few seconds, that’s a sure sign that your content isn’t worth reading. 

 

Don’t be surprised if you lose rank in that case. 

 

In the meantime, pay attention to your rankings over the next few weeks. Once the dance is over, look at where your keywords have “landed.” 

 

That’s probably where they’ll stay for quite some time. 

 

2. Facebook's New UI has started to roll out and I have been testing it. Aside from it being much cleaner (3 columns/swim lanes) I also noticed that the right side desktop ad space has reduced to 1 from 2. Previously up to 2 ads used to be shown in this space. Now there is one. What this signal is that since Facebook ad network is an auction that is tied directly to supply and demand – expect to see increase ad costs for ads placements that are in the right-hand desktop column. 

 
3. Loom has launched an app. What I like about this app is this app allows you to switch the camera from front-back and back-front while in the middle of the recording. And it also picks up audio while using AirPods.  

 
4. Facebook Adds New Setting to Stop Private Groups Being Switched to 'Public'! 

 

Facebook is updating its group settings to stop any Facebook Group, of any size, from changing its settings from 'private' to 'public', in order to protect group users from unintended exposure.  

 

 5. From Techcrunch, I learned that Levi’s partnered with TikTok on social commerce and doubled its product views 

 

Levi’s is leveraging its advertising partnership with TikTok to connect online shoppers with the denim brand amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced retailers to close their doors — including most of Levi’s own stores.  

 

The company announced today its success as one of the first retailers to use TikTok’s “Shop Now” buttons that allow consumers to make purchases through links posted to TikTok.  

 

Though the implementation is still in the early stages, Levi’s says it has already seen high engagement and increased traffic to its website, as a result of initial tests. 

 

So if you have written off TikTok as a platform, it's time to bring it back again on your radar and maybe have a TikTok strategy drawn up. Keep in mind that the future is Social Commerce. 

 
5. And talking about Social Commerce, our last update of the week comes from SM Commerce, a Facebook premium partner agency out of UK on "How NOT To Get Your Page Banned – Don't manipulate your page score  (plus, how to do this the right way)" After all in this game, if you are banned then it is a big loss. 

 

So the idea is to get users/customers or buyers to submit their post-purchase feedback on your store by prompting them to do so before Facebook asks. 

 

That itself is a grey hat technique. 

Black hat is to incentivize them to do so. 

Some of you won't care. 

Some of you will assume Facebook won't find out. 

But did you know Facebook mystery shop sites? 

They often purchase, to see what the actual process looks like. 

This means they COULD end up seeing this too if you're offering an incentive (i.e. manipulating, in Facebook's eyes). 

Ultimately, take a step back here. 

Why would you need to manipulate Page Score if you're doing the right things? 

 

a.) You have a great product.

b.) Your advertising is true and non-misleading.

c.) Your sales messaging is clear and converts your ideal user into a purchase.

d.) People that buy your product buy it because it solves a problem or creates a new opportunity.

e.) You care about Customer Service - and use customer experience measures (NPS, CSAT) to continually keep a check on this.

f.) You care about Product Quality and check in on customer feedback to keep this high.

  

The Facebook game is easy.  Follow the 3 Laws of Facebook Advertising: 

i.) You shall follow the landlord's rules (that's Facebook).

ii.) You shall keep the tenants happy (that's the Users).

iii.) You shall profit and grow (that's you).

 

And the time for hacks and ignoring the 3 Laws of Facebook Advertising is ending. 

 

 

Alrighty, folks, that's all for this week, and Thank you for tuning in to this week's update. If you enjoyed this episode of this week in marketing than make sure to subscribe and rate us.  
 
Signing off until next week. 

 
Sajid