Pandemic Impacts on Small Businesses Assembled by Facebook
The report is based on Facebook collecting responses from 86,000 small-to-medium-sized businesses, as well as 9,000 who are self-employed in providing personal goods and services.
By: Andrew Hutchinson
From: Social Media Today
Backlash Against Businesses with Coronavirus Surcharges
A wide variety of businesses, including restaurants, salons, and even some dentist’s offices, are tacking on extra fees to recoup coronavirus costs. Needless to say, there is social media backlash.
By: Brie Stimson
From: Fox News
Major Zoom Crash Across the United Kingdom
With so many people, businesses, and organizations relying on Zoom for meetings and contact, a major platform outage like the one in the UK leaves everyone feeling angry and frustrated.
By: Bhvishya Patel
From: Daily Mail
Coronavirus has been affecting a lot of businesses over the past few months. Adjusting the way you operate your business during a global pandemic isn't easy but this week's featured guest is here to help! Katy Mann, Founder of Indy with Kids, is our special guest this week on the award-winning EDGE of the Web podcast. Her business is events-based, and when a global pandemic comes along and cancels everything, then no events = no business. What to do? It’s about shifting and adapting and still finding ways to build your local brand. Tune in to episode 355 of EDGE of the Web to learn some strategies on how to keep business flowing!
Key topics discussed during the show:
Keep Calm and Carry On! Google’s Latest Core Update
On May 4, 2020, Google started rolling out what appears to be a big, broad core update. The full effect may not be felt for another week, but by all indications this was a very significant update.
By: Barry Schwartz
From: Search Engine Land
Lily Ray on the May 2020 Google Core Update
Her analysis of 550 domains through the Sistrix US visibility index. As with other recent Google updates, YMYL (your money, your life) websites were once again a major focus.
By: Lily Ray
From: Path Interactive
Omni-Channel Updates in a Time of Coronavirus
Everyone’s been shopping online during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now Shopify and Yelp rolled out updates to help SMBs up their omni-channel marketing game.
By: Vin Gaeta
From: IMPACT
Every time Google rolls out a new core update, as they did earlier this month, it unleashes a storm of panic and frustration as people try to figure who are the winners and who are the losers. This week’s special guest is Mordy Oberstein, Chief Marketing Officer at Rank Ranger, and he’ll help put all this in a better, more productive perspective. Mordy’s expertise in this field comes from his experience writing original SEO insights and analysis. He also is a Search Engine Land author, industry speaker, and host of The In Search SEO Podcast. We reference him as a search marketing educator!
Key topics discussed during the show:
Online Meeting Services are Collecting More Data Than You Think
An analysis of the privacy policies of Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx show that while they’re basically “safe” to use, they are collecting call length and IP addresses of all participants.
By Chaim Gartenberg
Has Google Slowed Web Crawling Because of the Pandemic?
This is one story that just won’t seem to die. John Mueller of Google has now announced again that crawling has not been slowed down at all because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
By Barry Schwartz
The Pandemic’s Impact on Digital Marketing May Have Bottomed Out
The latest earnings reports and media buyer data seem to be signaling the worst is over in terms of ad spends, but plenty of companies are still cautious in the face of ongoing uncertainty.
By Ginny Marvin
This week’s special guest is Bill Sebald, Managing Partner of Greenlane Marketing. He has always approached SEO work like a detective trying to solve a complex mystery. He’s been doing this since 1996, so you can count on some incredible insights he has gained over the years. During episode 353 of EDGE of the Web we deep dive into how SEO agencies have been responding to the changes within the digital marketing industry from COVID-19. Whether you are an SEO agency or a client of an SEO agency, gain some knowledge of what you need to be doing during this time to keep business flowing.
Key topics discussed during the show:
Work from Home Content Engagement Spikes on LinkedIn
The biggest rise in people engaging with remote working content on LinkedIn is in the US, but not just any content. What’s resonating is an emphasis on support, care, and community.
By: Matt Southern
From: Search Engine Journal
Facebook Expands Video Chat Capabilities with Messenger Rooms
The sudden huge rise in Zoom users is prompting Facebook to up its game with Messenger Rooms that can handle up to 50 participants, and doubling WhatsApp video chats to 8 people.
By: Casey Newton
From: The Verge
When Search Results are Disappointing, Google will Offer Query Tips
The new feature in Google Search will be triggered when the search engine can’t find good results for a query and will include suggestions for how to rephrase a search.
By: Barry Schwartz
From: Search Engine Land
When Google does core updates, there are inevitably winners and losers, and it often doesn’t feel fair for sites that did nothing to intentionally violate and rules! Devaluations from Google updates and manual actions can feel like the end of the world but Kristine Schachinger of Sites Without Walls has advice. Kristine has spent years helping companies through the post-update recovery process. She also has 17 years of digital experience including a focus on website design and implementation, accessibility standards, and all aspects of website visibility involving SEO, social media, and strategic planning. Deep dive into the solutions of Google core updates during EDGE of the Web’s episode 352.
Key topics discussed during the show:
Will the Pandemic Change SERP Permanently?
Google’s coronavirus search results now has a “sticky” menu (it follows you as you scroll down) to give a pandemic-related set of topic categories. Will this approach become permanent for greater personalization?
By: Mordy Oberstein
From: Search Engine Land
Google Gives a Break to News Publishers by Waiving Ad Serving Fees
Google’s latest way to help during the pandemic focuses on journalism and news sites that rely on Google ad placements for revenue. For five months, those publishers will not pay ad serving fees.
By: Susan Wenograd
From: Search Engine Journal
Was There a Google Algorithm Update in Mid-April?
There’s a lot of chatter out there about this one and people describing impacts they saw, but if there was an update, it was pretty minor. As we like to say, take a breath and check your data.
By: Barry Schwartz
From: SEO Round Table
Search behavior is something that has always been changing over time, but there have been unprecedented shifts caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Google continues its focus on E-A-T and page quality, but how a global pandemic impacts search behavior also has to be factored in. This week’s special guest Lily Ray, SEO Director at Path Interactive, will shed some light on how digital marketing should respond to changes in search behavior. Tune in to episode 351 of EDGE of the Web to get ahead of your competitors by being smart with your SEO strategy during this time.
Key topics discussed during the show:
Both Apple and Google are Mapping Social Distancing Performance
Without a vaccine, the best weapon to battle the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 is social distancing. So how well are we doing? Google and Apple weigh in with mapping data.
Need work? Amazon is Hiring
Amazon is having a hard time keeping up with orders and has had to hit pause on new signups for its grocery service. And it wants to hire 75,000 more people, even amidst criticism from many that it’s not doing enough to protect workers.
How the Pandemic is Affecting Search Behavior
It’s fascinating to see Google dig into what people are searching for during the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic, as well as provide bits of advice for how to respond to these emerging trends.
Change is the name of the game in digital marketing, and while many times the changes can be good, sometimes they’re not. Change has been especially rapid during the pandemic, and that includes PPC and paid social. Episode 350 of EDGE of the Web's featured guest Amy Bishop, Owner of Cultivative Marketing has been seeing a lot of change happening in PPC and paid social during the pandemic, including shifts in Google Ads Benchmarks by industry and Google PPC Credits.
If you don't know Amy yet, you need to! Amy has built and implemented multichannel digital strategies for a variety of companies of all sizes ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 and global organizations spanning several industry verticals. Her expertise includes e-commerce, lead generation, and localized site-to-store strategies. She regularly speaks at industry conferences across the United States and internationally, including HeroConf and the SMX circuit among others. Amy is the local chair for SEMPO-Louisville. Amy also writes for leading industry publications Search Engine Land and Marketing Land.
Learn about the impact COVID-19 has on PPC across the digital marketing industry by tuning in to episode 350 of EDGE of the web!
Key topics discussed during the show:
The Economic Slowdown Hits Yelp Hard
The coronavirus pandemic’s economic impact has forced Yelp to lay off 1,000 of its workers and furlough another 1,100. Yelp is all about local business reviews, which has declined sharply with shut-downs and social distancing.
During a Recession, SEO More Important than Ever
Although the novel coronavirus outbreak has brought the overall economy to a screeching halt, a survey reveals SEO can and should be maintained as a high priority moving forward through the recession.
New Google Blog Series on SEO Value with Case Studies
A surprising number of businesses still look at SEO with skepticism, questioning its value as an investment among competing priorities for scarce resources. Google’s aim is to convince them SEO is worth it.
Nearly 17 million have filed for unemployment in the past three weeks. The economy has come to an abrupt hard stop. What should digital marketing professionals focus on during an unprecedented crisis like the one we’re now experiencing? This week’s featured guest Jon Henshaw, Founder of Coywolf, has been in the SEO space for a long time now! He joins the show to share his knowledge of what digital marketers should be doing to help their clients during this time.
A few questions we get answered by Jon:
Finally, New Smart Speaker Integrations for Google Podcasts
Compared to other podcast platforms out there, Google has been behind the curve on podcast integrations, but is finally catching up with queues, auto-downloads, and more.
2020 Ad Spend Projections on the Decline as Pandemic Rises
Projections for worldwide ad spending has been reduced by 3% thanks to the new coronavirus and COVID-19 global pandemic, which leaves room for an overall increase on this year, but it’s too soon to tell.
In COVID-19 Crisis, Google My Business Stops Reviews
Since many businesses are supposed to be closed, Google decided to remove the ability for users to post reviews, along with the ability for businesses to respond to reviews.
Too many companies have SEM strategies entirely focused on keywords or what's “most likely to convert” according to Google, as opposed to what makes the most sense to the real customers on the other side of the marketing equation. Especially in a time of crisis, it makes even more sense to use smart automation and data analytics in your SEM work. This week’s special guest Aaron Levy, Group Director of SEM at Tinuiti, will share his insights for making it happen. If you haven’t had the opportunity to know Aaron then this is the perfect time to. He's an internationally recognized speaker, Search Engine Land/Search Engine Journal author and a 7-time member of PPC Hero's Most Influential list. In addition to his roles at Tinuiti, Aaron’s also an adjunct at Drexel & University of Vermont as well as a student mentor at Villanova, working to grow the next generation of marketers. He knows his stuff and we were excited to be able to get him on episode 348 of EDGE of the Web!
Need Support for Google Ads or Google My Business? Be Prepared to Wait
You’d think much of digital marketing wouldn’t really be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but you’d be wrong. Google has said users seeking support will experience delays.
How Much Will Digital Marketing Suffer from the COVID-19 Pandemic?
There’s enough anxiety about the pandemic pushing the economy into recession that many businesses are putting the brakes on all kinds of spending, including digital marketing.
What are Marketers Doing to Deal with the COVID-19 Pandemic?
The pandemic is changing consumer behaviors in real-time, and marketers must look at how they can pivot strategies quickly to adapt to the rapidly-evolving situation.
A lot of companies are responding to the health concerns happening worldwide by sending employees home to work remotely. The digital marketing industry is lucky that a lot of work can be done via computer, video conference, etc. Some individuals have experienced working remotely in the past and others, this is their first time. It can be quite challenging to work at home with distractions causing workers to not be as productive as they are in office. This week's featured guest is JD Prater: Quora Evangelist at Quora, is very knowledgeable in this space since he’s been working remotely for the past 5 years! He shares his tips and tricks on how to stay motivated and work hard from home. We also deep dive into his experience from Quora about paid ads. You won’t want to miss episode 347 filled with helpful information for remote work and paid ads!
Update Your Local Listings if Affected by COVID-19
For companies with a Google My Business listing, Google is asking everyone to make sure their open hours and other information is accurate if COVID-19/coronavirus is impacting operations.
One of Trump’s Retweets Gets a “Manipulated Media” Label
Twitter’s new policy to label some content as “manipulated media” (significantly and deceptively altered or fabricated) has been applied to a video President Trump retweeted.
Marketing Conferences Cancelled or Postponed
The latest search marketing conference to be postponed is Pubcon Florida 2020. More event cancellations and postponements are expected as COVID-19 concerns are on the rise.
This week’s featured guest is Britney Muller, Senior SEO Scientist at Moz, here to EDGEucate you on the specifics within SEO that you need to focus on throughout 2020. Britney continuously researches SEO concepts, creates educational content, helps educate people about SEO (internally and at conferences around the world), and communicates SEO trends and desires to the product teams at Moz. She is an SEO scientist people… she knows what she’s talking about! Britney wrote a great blog, SEO for 2020 - Whiteboard Friday, to help you determine what SEO factors to focus on as we take on the year 2020 head first!
Some key points discussed during the show:
Are Your WordPress Plugins Being Hacked?
There has been an uptick in hacker attacks against WordPress sites, and the common thread running through them is the exploitation of security flaws in at least eight different popular plugins. Protect your sites!
New Nofollow Link Policy Launched. Guest Post Penalties?
Nofollow keeps Google algorithms from learning about linking context, it is now being treated as a hint, not a command. Also, some websites are receiving manual actions for paid outbound links in guest posts.
Big Tech Cancelling Events Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus
Google just cancelled its huge developer conference (Google I/O), following suite with other tech giants: Facebook cancelled its similar F8 event, and Amazon is not sending anyone to SXSW and other events.
This week’s featured guest is Chuck Fields, President and Founder of SpaceTech, has been teaching businesses better ways to work, especially getting more done faster. He works with mid-size companies to streamline business processes, reduce data errors, and eliminate bottlenecks which helps businesses improve their bottom line rapidly by getting things done faster and more efficiently. He has also developed not one but two podcasts; Online Coffee Break and Your Space Journey. We deep dive into creating podcasts about topics you are passionate about. You won’t want to miss this episode of EDGE of the Web!
Some key points discussed during the show:
New Image License Metadata at Google
Beta testing is now underway at Google on new ways to display licensing information for material appearing in Google Images.
75 Million Google Maps Reviews GONE via AI and Human Moderation
This was an effort by Google to identify and remove content that violates its policies by leveraging the power of machine learning and automatic detection with people helping out.
Do Keywords in Descriptions Affect Google My Business Rankings?
Google’s response to the question feels like a big “maybe.” There’s no guarantee the practice will improve rankings, but it could depend on a variety of other factors.
Claiming your Google My Business is a great way to start optimizing a FREE listing Google provides a lot of companies. If your business has a location address and a phone number then you might already have a GMB without even realizing it… but someone else may be running it or at least updating your content for you. You don’t want that! It’s time to take ownership of your company’s GMB and optimize it so that you are ranking in the local 3-pack! This week’s featured guest Sherry Bonelli, Owner of Early Bird Digital Marketing and Google My Business Silver Product Expert, shares her insights on the 7 steps to optimize your GMB! She lives and breathes learning all things about GMB, hence why she was recently named as a GMB Silver Product Expert! You won’t want to miss getting EDGEucated by Sherry during episode 344 of EDGE of the Web!
Some key points discussed during the show:
YouTube is Beta-Testing New Viewer Applause Feature
For now creators have to be invited by YouTube to test the new content monetization product, but it lets users support a video by paying $2 to put a clapping animation to appear over videos they like.
Editing and Uploading Instagram Stories May Get Even Easier
This new option would provide a video slider trimming tool built into Stories. If it works, then users wouldn’t need third-party editing apps to trim their content before uploading.
New Google Ads Partner Requirements Leave SEMs Frustrated
SEMs are complaining about new requirements such as doubling the ad spend, upping certifications, and bowing to Google’s recommendations over what SEMs think is best for their clients.