This Week in Digital Marketing - November 25, 2022

This week, we’ve got news for you from Shopify, Google, Meta (of course), and more! No matter what you’re doing in the digital space, you’ll want to check this out.

Shopify Is Testing A New Universal Search Feature
Google might soon face a new rival in the online retail space. Customers will be able to search across all Shopify merchants thanks to a new feature that the company is testing in its app.

You can search for previously bought items, shops that sell what you're looking for, and anything else that Shopify shops sell by using the new "Search for anything" search box.

Shopify businesses may need to start paying to appear first in search results or start preparing their SEO strategy as a result of the new universal search feature. Additionally, only results from stores on the app will be displayed to app users and consumers, which may restrict the alternatives for some products. Given that the platform has been used to build over 4 million stores, this might not be a problem. Additionally, it can persuade vendors to transfer their shops from other ecommerce platforms.

Google Publishes Document On More Notable Ranking Systems
The more "notable" ranking systems Google has used throughout the years, both those still in use and others that have been discontinued, are discussed in a new help article that Google has released. The document is named a guide to Google Search ranking systems.

This is incredibly helpful for identifying which larger ranking systems are still in use and which ones are no longer. This list is also helpful for understanding how each system is utilized, how Google defines it, and what it means for Google Search.

New Meta Privacy Updates For Teens
Everyone under the age of 16, or 18 in some countries, has recently received updated privacy updates from Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta.

Teens' default Facebook settings will now be more private as of November 21. Meta advises teens who are already using the site to manually make these changes. The new privacy settings affect:

• Who can see their friends list
  
• Who can see the people, Pages and lists they follow 
  
• Who can see posts they’re tagged in on their profile
  
• Reviewing posts they’re tagged in before the post appears on their profile
  
• Who is allowed to comment on their public posts
  

It's difficult to fault Meta for taking action to safeguard and stop harm to teenagers. Teenagers can still opt out even though they will automatically use the updated settings once they sign up. Additionally, existing platform users who are teenagers will have to manually choose the new alternatives, which many of them might not do. Parents of teens can at least now be informed of the new restrictions and take the necessary precautions to help protect their children.

New Report Shows Google Cost Per Lead Has Increased For 91% Of Industries
A new report shows that the cost per lead has increased for about 91% of industries in Google. The hardest hit industries are Arts & Entertainment (up 134%), Travel (up 69%), and Furniture (up 54%).

Industries that saw a decrease in cost per lead are Finance & Insurance (down 2%), and Education and Instruction (down 29%).

Knowing how your marketing costs stack up against industry averages is always a smart idea. It's probably because of the pandemic, inflation, recent changes in keywords, or automation if your brand or customer is among those who are most negatively impacted. To make sure your costs are under control, adhere to best practices and keep testing.

Digital Marketing Snippets

• BeReal is the latest social media platform, and it’s on the rise. The focus is more authentic content, compared to the overproduced content on other platforms.
  
• Tumblr is adding an “Activity Hub” that would allow users to follow people on other platforms without creating accounts on the other platforms.
  
• Several large companies have stopped advertising on Twitter due to the recent changes with Elon Musk purchasing the social media platform.
  
• Google’s working away from cookies and towards using first-party data.
  

Some of this information will be useful to your company, while some will not. This is where we can help you. We can sort through these updates and determine which ones are most significant to you and your company. Contact us for a consultation!