Google Algorithm Overload
+ A useful new report in Search Console
Welcome to Part II of Edition No. 31 of my weekly newsletter, providing practical analysis in the world of digital content strategy.
ICYMI Tuesday: Watch Out for This Web + App Issue in GA4
Contents
I. Another Google Update So Soon? (Yes)
II. Now TikTok Has Copied BeReal
III. More Automated Recommendations from GA4
IV. Speaking of the ‘Helpful Content’ Update
V. Another Way To Make Money on YouTube
VI. ‘Community Chats’ Coming to Messenger
VII. Are You Ready for 10 Unskippable YouTube Ads?
VIII. HTTPS Report Added to Search Console
IX. Snapchat for Web Available for All (Plus Other Features)
I. Another Google Update So Soon? (Yes)
The much-discussed helpful content update from Google was completed a week ago, Sept. 9. This past Monday, Sept. 12, a new core update was announced.
Many SEOs complained on Twitter about the proximity of the updates:
But it’s not unusual.
June 12, 2021: Google finished a core update »
June 15, 2021: Google began a page experience update for mobileNov. 30, 2021: Google finished a core update »
Dec. 1, 2021 (the very next day!): Google began a product reviews update
So what’s a core update? “Several times a year, we make significant, broad changes to our search algorithms and systems. We refer to these as ‘core updates.’”
Although Google says it usually changes something in the algorithm every day, “We confirm broad core updates because they typically produce some widely notable effects.”
⚒️ Why does this matter? You should always monitor traffic sources for fluctuations, especially algorithm-based ones (i.e. social media and search). Pay special attention, though, when an update is publicly announced.
Google maintains that the best thing to do to maintain a healthy stream of organic search traffic is to create useful content. Just because you see a drop, though, doesn’t mean you have necessarily done something wrong.
pages that drop after a core update don't have anything wrong to fix. This said, we understand those who do less well after a core update change may still feel they need to do something. We suggest focusing on ensuring you're offering the best content you can.
While this is admittedly vague, Google does provide specific questions with which to analyze your content.
For my part I can say that I have never worked with a website that consistently produced quality, original content, written for humans first with SEO best practices added on top, that did NOT continue to perform well after a given search update.
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II. Now TikTok Has Copied BeReal
First Instagram. Now TikTok.
BeReal is a popular spur-of-the-moment app that has little depth of content, but is a refreshing alternative to algorithm- and meme-based social networks.
On Thursday, TikTok announced TikTok Now, which is nothing more than a BeReal-copied incorporation into its platform.
TikTok Now invites you and your friends to capture what you're doing in the moment using your device's front and back camera. You'll receive a daily prompt to capture a 10-second video or a static photo to easily share what you're up to.
BeReal gives you two minutes to post each day (though you can always publish a BeReal Later), while TikTok gives you three. Also, BeReal is only for photos while TikTok allows for videos.
⚒️ Why does this matter? I don’t know if this is bad news for BeReal, but it’s certainly not good news.
If the Instagram and TikTok versions of its idea pull enough users off BeReal, it will soon be another addition to the graveyard of fleeting social networks.
BeReal’s advantage is that it’s a hyper-focused, no frills app that doesn’t distract users (so far) with, again, an algorithm and countless other features. On the other hand…
“In the US, TikTok Now can be accessed from the TikTok app. In other regions, TikTok Now may be available as a new TikTok Now app, too.” (Emphasis mine.)
I guess this is an experiement to see which method – within the existing app or in a new one – is more effective in exterminating BeReal. I would put my money on in-app, which is probably why that’s the test being done in the most-valuable U.S. market.
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III. More Automated Recommendations from GA4
Google Analytics now surfaces tailored recommendations to help you get the most useful and accurate data and take advantage of new, relevant features as they become available. Google finds recommendations by looking at your property's history, your settings, and trends across Google Analytics.
You might not see any recommendations if your property recently started running, but be sure to check back again soon. Google Analytics regularly discovers and launches new recommendations for you.
⚒️ Why does this matter? As many users are still getting the hang of GA4, this is a nice feature to help them find their way around.
How convenient, though, that the example used in Google’s announcement promotes linking your Google Ads account i.e. a way for them to make more money.
That’s not to say that there won’t be other more useful recommendations soon. I checked multiple clients’s GA4 dashboards, and I still haven’t seen a live example of an automated recommendation. (Automated insights, yes, but not recommendations.)
If you recently set up your GA4 property, or you don’t get a lot of traffic, you may see this message for the time being:
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