SEO Wash-up Monday 2nd August 21

Google Updates

Google maps now tailors results to you & the time of day – There have been a few updates to Google Maps but the one that most SEO professionals care more about is that Google Maps will begin to tailor the map results based on the time of day and who the searcher is.

This is an example that Google have given, ‘If you live in New York and open up Maps at 8 a.m. on a weekday, they will feature nearby coffee shops rather than dinner spots, so you can start your day with caffeine. If you are on a weekend getaway, then it will be easier to spot local landmarks and tourist attractions right on the map. You can always click on results to drill deeper into the results you want, Google added.

Google app ads now has deep linking features, analytics & tools – The search giant has announced various Google Ads updates to app based advertising, in order to push people to your apps. The main purpose of these updates is to drive users back into your mobile app and increase engagement in your app.

• Deep linking validator and ROI tool – They have added a new deep linking validator and other tools for your app campaigns. The search giant said that deep linking will help bring users directly to a specific destination or landing page within an app, however it requires tedious technical work. Google’s new tool helps developers be able to easily fix deep links that aren’t working and understand the ROI for implementing deep links on their Google Ads.
• Google App campaigns on desktop – You can drive people to download your Android apps directly to their Android phones. This is without them having to be searching on their mobile device. They also mention that App campaigns use machine learning to find the right users across Search, YouTube, Play, Discover and their network. Furthermore, Google is extending its reach to desktop versions of Google.com and the Google Display Network for campaigns running on Android. So if a user clicks on your app ad from their desktop browser, they will be directed to the Google Play Store desktop website. Desktop traffic and performance for your app ads will automatically show under “Computers” in your campaign reports.
• Google Analytics for Firebase updates – They have made upgrades to their analytics for Firebase, for event creation & modification. So it now allows marketers as well as developers to create and edit custom in-app events without code. You can change an event name or parameters, or create new ones without any developer resources required.

Google featured snippets tests ‘Also covered on this page’ – They are at it again by testing, maybe even rolling out a new feature for its featured snippets section named ‘also covered on this page.’ Google seems to be adding below the main featured snippet, other topics the page covers, that hyperlink, anchor you down and then highlight that content. The hyperlink, anchor you down and then highlight that content is not new, but the “also covered on this page” section is new.