A surprising competitor has entered the arena of search engines, as Verizon Media has announced the launch of its privacy-focused search engine called OneSearch.
The search engine says it will not track, store, or share any data from users including personal and search-related information, aligning itself more with search engines like DuckDuckGo than Google.
The search engine is available now at OneSearch.com.
While DuckDuckGo may be more established, OneSearch hopes to make it easier for businesses committed to privacy by integrating the search engine with existing products.
“OneSearch doesn’t track, store, or share personal or search data with advertisers, giving users greater control of their personal information in a search context. Businesses with an interest in security can partner with Verizon Media to integrate OneSearch into their privacy and security products, giving their customers another measure of control.”
The search engine is also taking privacy a step further by adding an “advanced privacy mode” which delivers search results via encrypted links which will expire within an hour.
In the announcement, OneSearch highlights their full suite of privacy-centric features, including:
No cookie tracking, retargeting, or personal profiling
No sharing of personal data with advertisers
No storing of user search history
Unbiased, unfiltered search results
Encrypted search terms
As OneSearch promises not to sell users’ data, it will instead rely on advertising to provide its search engine for free. Rather than using users’ browsing data, the search engine says it will show ads based on contextual data such as the current keyword being queried.
Currently, the search engine is only available in North America on desktop or mobile browsers. The company says it plans to expand the search engine to other countries soon and will be launching mobile apps for Android and iOS later this month.
Google has announced it is rolling out a widespread update to its search engine algorithm which it is simply titled the ‘January 2020 Core Update’.
Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the January 2020 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before. Please see this blog post for more about that:https://t.co/e5ZQUA3RC6
The update began rolling out late yesterday and will affect how the search engine ranks all web pages around the world. However, as it is a “broad core” update, there is no specific issue or ranking signal being prioritized like in past mobile or speed-related updates.
Rather, Google’s recommendations for optimizing for this update remain the same as past core updates, which can be found here.
In the past, Google has described its broad core updates using a metaphor:
“One way to think of how a core update operates is to imagine you made a list of the top 100 movies in 2015. A few years later in 2019, you refresh the list. It’s going to naturally change. Some new and wonderful movies that never existed before will now be candidates for inclusion. You might also reassess some films and realize they deserved a higher place on the list than they had before.”
While the update is unlikely to radically shift search engine rankings, Google’s announcement of the update is relatively uncommon. Typically, Google prefers to quietly roll out broad updates and only confirm core updates when they relate to specific issues or are widely recognized.
This may signal that Google expects relatively large impacts on some search results, though it will take some time for the full impact of the update to become apparent.
If there is anything that has remained true about online marketing over the past decade, it is that online marketing is always changing. Even the most conservative estimates suggest that Google makes around 9 changes to their search engine algorithm every day.
To stay ahead of the curve, businesses can’t just understand where online marketing and SEO is today. They have to be able to look forward to predict the next wave of updates they can expect in the coming months and years.
With that in mind, I wanted to spend some time today talking about some of the biggest trends you can expect to see in 2020 and beyond:
1) Snippets Become The New “Number 1 on Google”
For years, Google has been using Featured Snippets to highlight quick information that may answer your query without ever having to click on a search result. You can see these when you search for recipes, look for lyrics to your favorite songs, or ask questions with relatively simple answers like “How big is the sun?”
Brands have long avoided targeting these snippets which typically appear above all other search results, believing that they reduce the chance of a person clicking onto their website or otherwise converting. However, growing evidence suggests snippets actually drive higher click-through rates and engagement by quickly establishing a single site as the authority.
Over the next year, the competition for these snippets is likely to continue rising, making them the next big fight for search engine results dominance.
2) Mobile Really Comes First
We’ve been talking about this moment for years. We officially use our smartphones and tablets to access the internet more desktop devices.
As such, Google has announced that its ‘Mobile-First Index” would become its primary search index. That means Google is now looking at the mobile version of your site before it ever considers the desktop version when ranking search results.
With this in mind, having a stripped-down mobile version of your site or not having a mobile site is no longer a viable option if you want to succeed online.
Site speed will also continue to be a major ranking factor because of its importance when accessing sites on the go from mobile devices.
3) Visual Search Gets Serious
Visual search has existed as a novelty in online marketing for some time now, slowly improving with each iteration. Now, we are reaching the point where visual search is becoming a major player in search.
While we don’t have statistics from Google Lens or Bing’s Visual Search, Pinterest’s Lens has been a revealing foray into the viability of visual search.
Within a single year of launch, Pinterest Lens was receiving more than 600 million visual search queries every month. This September, the company announced the tool was able to identify over 2.5 billion unique objects within the fashion and home industries.
With this in mind, it is easy to imagine a day in the near future when people regularly find it easier to snap a quick picture than come up with a precise text query when trying to find a specific item online.
4) Voice Search
Speaking of convenience, people are quickly turning to their Alexas, Echos, Siris, and Dots for their casual search needs – whether it is checking the weather or quickly ordering a product.
Out of all the coming changes, this may have the largest effect on how brands optimize their websites and content. This is because voice queries tend to be almost completely different than the types of queries we make when typing into a browser form.
With some estimates suggesting voice search could account for nearly half of all searches by the end of 2020, brands will have to begin optimizing for more conversational “long-tail” search queries and the unique capabilities of voice assistants.
5) Video Rules The Content Landscape
This is another online marketing trend that has been growing for years, but shows absolutely no signs of slowing down in the coming years.
The simple truth is that videos are more engaging than almost any other form of media, providing both audio and visual information in a quickly consumable package. Thanks to faster internet speeds and improved search indexing, they have also been an increasingly effective tool for sharing your content and driving actual engagement.
To give you an idea, some statistics suggest that videos can increase engagement by more than 80% compared to sharing the same information in simple text or audio clips.
Despite this, many brands have still avoided investing in video marketing because they believe it is inherently expensive or ineffective in local markets. Ironically, most users say they often enjoy videos shot using “authentic” methods like shooting selfie-style using a smartphone as much or more than slickly produced commercial videos.
Waiting for the “next big thing” to blow up before you jump in is a surefire way to always be a step behind your competition online. You don’t have to invest in every whim or indulgence of the digital marketing landscape, but focusing on these five surefire trends is sure to have you starting 2020 at the head of the pack.
https://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/5-Online-Marketing-Trends-To-Know-2020.png315560Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2019-12-10 17:15:152019-12-10 17:27:365 Online Marketing Trends You Need To Know Ahead of 2020
Have you ever wonder exactly how Google works? How it sorts through the billions upon billions of web pages to find the best results for users?
The latest video in the company’s “Search for Beginners” series helps explain the basics behind how the search engine functions, including crawling, indexing, and ranking sites in its search results – specifically from the perspective of a business owner trying to get their site ranking well.
While the video doesn’t get into more advanced concepts like Search Engine Optimization, it lays out a very clear picture of how the broad strokes of online search engines work.
If you’ve just set up your first website or you’re considering investing in online marketing, this clip will be enlightening and point you towards some valuable resources like the Google Webmaster guidelines, SEO starter guide, and Google Webmasters portal.
https://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/google-1018443_640.png244640Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2019-12-05 15:32:552019-12-05 15:32:55Animated Video Explains How Google’s Search Engine Works
Google’s latest search algorithm update made some significant changes to how local search results are compiled and processed, according to a recent statement from the company.
Though the rollout of the update began in early November, Google only this week explained that it has begun integrating neural matching into its local search algorithm.
In early November, we began making use of neural matching as part of the process of generating local search results. Neural matching allows us to better understand how words are related to concepts, as explained more here: https://t.co/ShQm7g9CvN
As for what neural matching actually is, Google referred people to a tweet from earlier this year which called the process “a super synonym system.”
In more detail, neural matching uses AI to better understand the meaning and intent behind search terms, allowing relevant results to be included even when they do not include a specific keyword in the original query.
“The use of neural matching means that Google can do a better job going beyond the exact words in business name or description to understand conceptually how it might be related to the words searchers use and their intents.”
To put it in plain English, this allows your site or local business listing to be included for relevant searches where you previously may not have been included.
As of yet it is hard to tell exactly what impact this will have on local search results. Despite rolling out globally last month, it may take some time for the true impact to become apparent.
Google has announced it plans to warn users of its Chrome browser about slow sites using a method called “badging”.
The idea is to provide a sign letting users know when a site typically loads slowly before they ever click a link to that site or while the site loads. Google sees this as a way to “reward” fast sites, saying:
“We think the web can do better and want to help users understand when a site may load slowly, while rewarding sites delivering fast experiences.”
For example, Google published one concept for what a slow speed badge could look like while a site is loading:
In this case, it is likely that the badge could increase abandonment rates for slow sites.
The company is also talking about using contextual menus that preview links and would include similar badges indicating a site is fast.
Another idea includes subtly changing the color of loading bars to indicate whether a site is fast:
As the company explained in its announcement:
“Our early explorations will look at a number of Chrome surfaces, including the loading screen (splash screen), loading progress bar and context-menu for links. The latter could enable insight into typical site speeds so you’re aware before you navigate.“
The web browser admits this idea is in the early stages, and may considerably change before they determine “which provides the most value to our users.”
Additionally, the company says they plan to expand the badges to include a number of metrics aside from speed:
“Our long-term goal is to define badging for high-quality experiences, which may include signals beyond just speed.”
https://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Google_Chrome_logo_and_wordmark_2015.png203655Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2019-11-14 15:56:042019-11-14 15:56:04Google Chrome May Warn Users About Slow Sites Before They Click
Are you an SEO beginner or a business owner trying to get a grasp on the basics of online optimization? Google is launching an animated YouTube video series called “Search for Beginners” aimed at you, with the goal of explaining the concepts and techniques behind beginner-level SEO.
Google described the series, saying it is:
“… a new fully animated series for anyone who is interested in learning the basics of creating an online presence and the right Google Search tools to help customers find their website.”
The “Search for Beginners” videos will be released every two weeks and cover a wide range of topics including:
How Google Search works
Frequently asked questions about search and discoverability
How to change what’s showing up in snippets in Google Search
How to correct inaccurate information about a business
How to set goals for a website
Tips for hiring a web developer
Tips for hiring an SEO specialist
Top 5 things to consider for a website
Best of all, the videos are designed to be able to stand on their own, meaning you can check in on particular topics of interest or watch every installment.
https://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Untitled-design.png312820Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2019-10-24 17:59:542019-10-24 17:59:54Google Launches Animated “Search for Beginners” Video Series
Bing has announced that its search engine crawler, Bingbot, will be going evergreen over the next few months by adopting the Chromium-based Edge browser to render webpages.
Essentially, this means it will be able to crawl, render, and properly index more of your content more closely to how to actual users see it.
By adopting Microsoft Edge, Bingbot will now render all web pages using the same underlying web platform technology already used today by Googlebot, Google Chrome, and other Chromium-based browsers. This will make it easy for developers to ensure their web sites and their Content Management System work across all these solutions without having to spend time investigating each solution in depth.
The additional upside is that this mirrors steps recently taken by Google, which suggests it may become easier to optimize for both search engines without specific steps for each platform.
Google has announced they will be rolling out a broad update to their core search algorithm starting later today.
Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the September 2019 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before. Please see this blog for more about that: https://t.co/e5ZQUAlt0G
While the updates are a regular part of maintaining and improving the company’s search engine, Google has typically been reluctant to give advance notice before the update has rolled out. In some cases, they have even been unwilling to address algorithm updates in-depth after their implementation.
This is only the second time the search engine has announced a broad core algorithm update ahead of time, suggesting they are being more proactive in communicating with webmasters.
Google’s Danny Sullivan says the update should start very soon and will take up to a few days to complete.
I expect it to begin in a few hours; these typically take a few days to fully roll out. Yes, we'll post when the rollout begins. We don't post when it ends because there's typically other updates that are always happening, too. But after a few days, as said.
The company’s announcement didn’t add any new guidance or recommendations for managing your site during and after the rollout of this update, but Google did recommend reviewing the existing guidelines for core updates:
Widely notable effects are to be expected, which can include drops or gains in search rankings.
Core updates are “broad” in the sense that they don’t target anything specific. Rather, they’re designed to improve Google’s systems overall.
Pages that drop in rankings aren’t being penalized; they’re being reassessed against other web content that has been published since the last update.
Focusing on providing the best possible content is the top recommended way to deal with the impact of a core algorithm update.
Broad core updates happen every few months. Sites might not recover from one update until the next one rolls out.
Improvements do not guarantee recovery. However, choosing not to implement any improvements will virtually guarantee no recovery.
https://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/google-1018443_640.png244640Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2019-09-24 15:54:072019-09-24 15:54:07Google is Rolling Out a Large Update To Its Core Algorithm Today
New research from Yext and Forbes reinforces just how important it is to keep the information on search engine results relevant to your business accurate and up-to-date.
The findings from more than 500 US consumers indicates that people automatically assume only half of the information they see in search results is accurate. Additionally, those consumers then hold the brands responsible for any inaccurate information about them, even when it appears outside of your official channels.
The study also revealed a few more bits of interesting information:
57% of respondents say they bypass search and visit a brand’s official website first because they believe the information there will be more complete and accurate.
50% of consumers regularly turn to third-party sites and apps to find information about brands.
48% of those surveyed said a brand’s website is their most trusted source of information.
47% say they are more likely to trust a third-party site over a brand’s website.
20% of current and new customers trust social media to deliver accurate brand information.
28% of consumers avoid buying a brand’s product after seeing inaccurate information.
Marc Ferrentino, Chief Strategy Officer of Yext elaborated on the findings, saying:
”Our research shows that regardless of where they search for information, people expect the answers they find to be consistent and accurate — and they hold brands responsible to ensure this is the case.
… there is a significant opportunity for businesses to differentiate themselves from their competition through verification on and off of their own websites.”
https://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/adult-boy-break-306534-1.jpg427640Taylor Ballhttps://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.pngTaylor Ball2019-09-10 15:05:042019-09-10 15:05:04Only Half of Consumers Believe Search Engine Results are Accurate
