#ThinkSearch September Wrap Up Search Highlights

To keep you up to date with the latest Search highlights from September, we have put together some of the key industry updates across SEO, PPC and Digital Content.

Twitter tests doubling the length of tweets from 140 to 240 characters

Last week Twitter announced that they will be trialling an extended character count from 140 to 280 characters in an effort to help users become more expressive. Users will begin to see 280 character tweets in their newsfeed as the company test the new feature on a small group of people in the initial testing phase.

If Twitter does decide to officially change the character count to 240 it would mark the biggest change to the social network since it started in 2006. Whilst the extended character count will allow users to feel less restricted in what they say, it will also remove Twitter’s focus on brevity – something that sets Twitter apart from other services and social channels.

How do you think longer tweets will change the nature of the social media platform?

Google local finder rolls out website mentions matching your query

Google is rolling out a feature that shows local listings can surface content available on local business websites.  This means website mentions in the local finder show the searcher if their query matches any of the content found on the local business website.

Why is this important?

Interestingly, this demonstrates that Google does crawl local website content even though they haven’t officially said that site content is a factor in local rankings.

More than a quarter of the UK now uses Instagram

According to eMarketer’s latest forecast, by the end of 2017 16.7 million people will be regular users of Instagram. The social media platform is becoming a powerful force, allowing businesses to engage with current users and reach new audiences through the content they produce.

The power of visual content is becoming increasingly important. Businesses that aren’t already using Instagram should integrate it into their content strategy in order to keep up with their competitors.

Google has agreed to start competing on equal terms in shopping search

Google has agreed to change how it displays shopping search results in Europe following a $2.7 billion fine by the European Commission back in June. This is in response to claims that Google ranks its own shopping service ahead of others.

So what will change?

Product ads will start to be displayed based on auctions whereas previously product ads displayed in the Shopping carousel would always come from Google. This new change could bring a lot more competition to the market as Google will now be competing in the auction against other merchants as a standalone business. 

Read our blog post by Andrew, our PCC Account Manager, to find out his opinion on the latest changes to Google Shopping.

YouTube is adding restrictions on which accounts can add external links

YouTube has changed the rules regarding videos with external links at the end, known as end cards. Adding an end card to a video is a way to drive traffic to a website as it directs viewers towards clicking a link once the video has finished. However, there are now requirements that every account needs in order to be able to use end cards. Users must:

• Join the YouTube Partner Program
• The channel must have 10,000 total public views or more

If YouTube is a part of your digital marketing strategy, make sure to join the YouTube Partner Program so you can continue to use end cards to drive traffic to your site. 

Google AdWords Ad Extensions for Call-Only Campaigns

A recent update from Google now allows advertisers to include ad extensions within Call –Only Ad campaigns. What does this mean for advertisers? Read our blog post by Dom, our Paid Media Manager for the full lowdown.

Do you have any search highlights from August? Comment below or tweet us at @Honcho_Search – we would love to hear your thoughts!