Inbound and Digital Marketing Blogs & Insights | StraightArrow

Social Media and SEO News - April & May 2018

Written by Maria Ysabel Go | 5/31/18 11:00 PM



Over the past few months, there’s been a lot of new information and updates in the virtual realm. We’ve been introduced to the Instagram Story design boost, which includes placing transparent GIFs and videos when posting stories. Recently, we're bombarded with Facebook news and updates in response to the GDPR.


Keeping up to date with such developments helps ensure your brand remains agile, relevant and competitive. But easier said than done, right?

This blog post summarizes all the latest social media and SEO updates you should know. A few of them may even become the game changer for your next marketing strategy!

Facebook newsfeed feature to identify which sites are spreading fake news

The never-ending stream of fake news is coming to an end. The recent Facebook update now lets you identify friends who have been sharing misleading or inaccurate information.

The feature launched on April 2 for U.S. users and is an extension of an older newsfeed update done last October 2017.

The recently rolled out option is relatively easy to find: as you scroll through your newsfeed, you will find a small “i” above and to the right of the headline.

Tap on it, and you’ll get additional info on the article that includes:

  • data about the publisher
  • a couple of related articles
  • a map showing where the article has been shared
  • a list of friends who have shared the similar articles

Facebook also stated that it would also be testing a new update that will let some users tap an author's name in Instant Articles to get additional information, including:

  • info from the Wikipedia page
  • their recent articles
  • a button to follow their profile or page

This info will only be visible if the publisher has implemented author tags on their website and will initially only be available for a small subset of users in the U.S.

Facebook now requires verification for larger pages

Last quarter, Facebook made many significant changes, but this has got to be one of the most important ones since it will affect many businesses. The social media platform’s latest update will enable users to identify advertisers that missed the authorization process.

Zuckerberg states, “This will make it much harder for people to run pages using fake accounts, or to grow virally and spread misinformation or divisive content that way.”*

It has yet to be made clear what constitutes a ‘large page,’ precisely what the verification process entails, or whether the verification will be the publicly displayed blue check badge.

*See Zuckerberg’s complete statement.

Image source: Imgix

Additional Changes for Instagram

April was also a busy time for Instagram. Here’s a brief overview of the great new features in everyone’s favorite visual platform.

You can now add tags to your profile.

When you type an @ (see next update) or a # followed by text in your bio, it’ll appear as a live link on your profile. By clicking them, visitors can access other profiles or see posts with the same hashtag. This is an excellent way to promote your branded hashtag to get clicks.

Instagram is preparing for the release of “Nametags

- It’s Instagram’s version of Snapchat’s QR codes. It works by letting users create unique images that people can scan with their stories and immediately let follow afterward.

Instagram is reportedly developing a portability tool

This new tool will allow users to download content they’ve already uploaded, including pictures, videos and possibly even messages.

Pinterest Makes It Easier For You to Filter Skin Tones

Makeup and skincare brands will surely benefit from this update. As the go-to design inspiration platform, Pinterest’s update will make the site more user-friendly, especially when choosing your look for a night out.

Previously, users had to scroll through hundreds, if not thousands, of images to find photos of makeup that would complement their features.

But now, thanks to an option to filter skin tone from a choice of four palettes near the search bar, makeup moguls and beauty fans can find and pin pictures of models that have similar complexions.

Image source: Allure

Instagram Lets You Mute and Get All Caught Up

The photo social network is preparing to launch a new mute option and a “You’re All Caught Up” indicator. The mute option would allow users to hide photos from specific users without unfollowing them.

And the “You’re All Caught Up” indicator will show whether you have seen all of the images and videos posted within the last 48 hours by users you follow.

The mute feature is comparable to the Follow/Unfollow feature on Facebook, the Mute feature on Twitter and Snapchat’s “Do Not Disturb.”

The mute feature will be rolled out in the coming weeks, so you might not be able to see it yet.

BONUS SEO UPDATE

Google core algorithm update affects web search appearance and rankings.

Google constantly tests updates and tweaks to its search algorithm. Sometimes these are small and occasionally huge, dramatically affecting how they return search results for users.

The most recent major Google algorithm update was focused on better ranking for sites with good website quality.

Several factors, including:

  • determine your site’s quality
  • page load time
  • how much original content do you have
  • technical items like 404 errors
  • internal links,
  • and backlinks.

There’s much more; they aren’t things you can’t fix and build up overnight.

Takeaway

Businesses that haven’t employed any black hat SEO tactics are more likely to benefit from this update by improving their keywords' rankings. Other spammy sites in their industry will likely take a hit from this update.

Those are just some of the significant updates for the last month. While there are an overwhelming number of changes, there are still many great things users and marketers should be excited about.

Knowing about SEO, social media and all facets of digital marketing will help improve existing strategies and, in the end, produce positive results.