Google Introduces WordPress Plugin With Integrated Analytics, Search Console, More
Google has introduced a new WordPress plugin which brings insights from Google tools to users’ dashboards.
About
Matt G. Southern, Senior News Writer, has been with Search Engine Journal since 2013. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, Matt specializes in gathering details, checking facts, and making complex subjects easy to understand. In addition to writing articles, Matt oversees strategy development for SEJ’s news department.
Articles
Google to Shut Down Google+ Earlier Than Expected
Google is shutting down Google+ four months earlier than originally planned following a second data breach.
Reddit Now Gets 1.4 Billion Native Video Views Per Month
Reddit released its 2018 Year in Review report which reveals the rapid growth of video content since introducing native uploads.
Google is Adding Personalized Audio News Feeds to Assistant
Google Assistant will soon be capable of delivering personalized audio news after users say “OK Google, play the news.”
85% of Consumers Think Local Reviews Older Than 3 Months Aren’t Relevant
A new study reveals the importance that consumers place on local reviews from other customers.
Google Refutes DuckDuckGo’s Claims of Creating a “Filter Bubble”
Google has refuted DuckDuckGo’s recent study which claims that Google’s personalized search results create a “filter bubble.” After we covered the results of DuckDuckGo’s study,...
Google Introduces Structured Data for Livestreams
Google is introducing a way for publishers to markup livestreams with structured data.
Google Introduces 4 New Tools for Responsive Search Ads
Google is rolling out a series of updates to responsive search ads which includes more languages and new reporting tools.
YouTube Videos Will Now Autoplay in the Home Section
YouTube videos in the home tab will now be set to autoplay by default, without audio.
Google Expands Rich Results for Q&A Pages in Search
Google’s rich result type for question and answer pages is now available to all websites.
Google Shows Personalized Search Results When Logged Out, According to New Study
Google personalizes search results even when users are logged out or in private browsing mode, according to a recent study.
Facebook Explains How its Search Results Work
Facebook has put together a short explainer video with details about how its search results work.
Google Answers Questions About AMP Indexing
Google has compiled the most common questions about indexing AMP pages in search and answered them in a help thread.
Instagram Lets Users Share Stories With a Select Audience
Instagram is launching a new feature that will allow users to share stories with close friends only.
YouTube Stories Are Now Available to More Users
YouTube is rolling out its Instagram-like stories to more users, a feature that has been in testing since last year.
Bing Search Comes to SwiftKey for Android
Bing has integrated its search engine capabilities with SwiftKey, which is a third-party keyboard for Android devices.
Google Assistant Will Now Respond Differently When Users Say “Please”
Google has rolled out new features for Assistant, including a new way of responding to users who ask polite questions.
Instagram Lets Users Add Alt Text to Photos
Instagram is introducing the ability to add alt text to photos in an effort to make the platform more accessible.
Facebook Makes it Easier to Find Local News and Information
Facebook is connecting more people to local news and information with an expansion of its “Today In” section.
Google Highlights 3 Ways YouTube Viewing Habits Are Changing
Google has revealed that viewing habits of YouTube users are changing in three key ways.
Google Recommends Using One URL for All Seasonal Content
Google’s John Mueller recommends websites with rotating seasonal content should keep it all contained on one URL.
YouTube is Removing Video Credits in Early 2019
YouTube has disabled the creation of video credits, and existing credits will be removed from videos on January 31, 2019.
Google Ads Can Now Count Calls from Location Extensions as Conversions
Calls from Google Ads location extensions can now be counted as conversions as long as account-level call reporting is enabled.
YouTube to Remove All Annotations in January 2019
YouTube quietly announced that it will stop showing all existing annotations starting January 15, 2019.
Google to Serve Ads Across Disney Properties Through New Partnership
Google has formed a new partnership with The Walt Disney Company, which allows Google to serve ads across Disney properties.
Google May Support Other Types of Structured Data if it’s Used by More Sites
Google’s John Mueller revealed the search engine may support additional structured data types if more websites were to use them.
Google Shows Zero Search Results for Some Direct Answer Queries
Google has begun hiding full search results for certain types of queries and providing only direct answers instead.
Google Assistant on iPhone is Now Easier Than Ever to Activate
Google Assistant on iOS has received an update which makes it easier than ever to activate.
Google Lets Users Add Hashtags to Business Reviews
Google reviews in Maps and Google My Business can now include hashtags, making them even more searchable.
Uncommon Blogging Tactics Are Highly Effective, New Study Shows
A recent study on blogging in 2018 shows that the least common blogging tactics are most likely to be successful.