Happy Tuesday!
This week we're back with more exciting news in the world of internet marketing. We'll look at how WordPress 5.4 will enable lazy-loading to all images. As well, how Google will stop deduplicating right-sidebar featured snippets and that the death of cookies is going to bring life to advertising! Also, did you know Google is reconsidering paid search redesign and that their Search Console’s revamped removals report can temporarily hide pages? Learn all this and more by reading on!
WordPress 5.4 will Add Lazy-Loading to All Images
Wordpress recently announced that their 5.4 version would feature image lazy-loading by default. This feature will enable the "loading" HTML attribute on all IMG elements. This means that Wordpress publishers will no longer have to use JavaScript or third party plugins for lazy-loading their images!
The lazy-loading HTML attribute instructs a browser to either wait or downloads the image right away. There's no need for JavaScript anymore! Out of the three kinds of lazy-loading attributes, only two matter now: lazy and eager.
Lazy-loading will be enabled in WordPress by default, speeding up the user experience on the site. The "eager" attribute will tell the browser to download the image immediately. WordPress 5.4 is set to release on March 31st, 2020. According to the comments on WordPress, the lazy-loading attributes will be implemented in a way that a user could easily remove them if desired.
Currently, the Wordpress team has officially released a lazy-loading plugin designed for testing purposes. Publishers who want to test it can download the plugin and give it a try!
Google has Stopped Deduplicating Right-Sidebar Featured Snippets
We've seen URLs shown in featured snippets that appear in the right rail of Google desktop results. These URLs will now continue to be displayed on the main organic listings for the time being.
Google plans on removing featured snippets from the right rail and moving them to the main listings. URLs for the pages that earn the right-sidebar featured snippet will now appear twice on the first result page.
Since this is temporary, site owners should monitor their traffic and click-through rate. As the format gets pushed into the main column, the URLs will only appear once within the organic results. This is the same as they do for regular featured snippets. Also, deduplicating will only occur for the exact URL in the featured snippet. This is not applicable for rich results like video featured snippets, Top Stories, or Interesting Finds.
The main column featured snippet deduplication rolled out globally on January 22, 2020. At first, many featured snippet URLs were also appearing as the first listing on the second results page. Google clarified that this was not by design. According to search analytics company Rank Ranger, the URLs used in the main column of featured snippets will no longer appear within organic results!
Soapbox: The Death of Cookies will Bring New Life to Advertising
As marketers, we are well aware of the fact that remarketing is based on cookies. But what if these cookies were dead? Will it bring new life to advertising?
In this article, Robert Ravenberg tells us that the death of cookies is a bitter pill for many of us to swallow. However, it’s a switch that’s been a long time coming. Since the start of online advertising, targeting users based on every small behaviour has always been more than just selling. It meant working better than any other channel!
Digital marketing has become a victim of its own success. The good side: it sells products and creates a great experience. The bad side: it swings elections, spreads misinformation, and turns people against each other.
As the days of cookies come to an end, we as marketers will have two important tasks at hand: to tell stories that matter and to use strategies that put the consumer’s real needs front and center throughout.
Google Reconsiders Paid Search Redesign amid Criticism
Google continues to experiment with the look of paid search results on desktop following the release of a mid-January redesign. The redesign drove an increase in ad clicks, according to a report from CNBC, but was confusing users. Google positioned the redesign of paid search results with the users in mind.
The rise in click rates shows that the redesign has been successful in driving results for advertisers. Google's paid search redesign comes amid growing scrutiny of digital media giants from regulators and society. In fact, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia called out Google for making it harder for users to tell the difference between paid advertising and search results!
As we know, Google is known for making small changes to improve the consumer experience and stir up the marketing world. They did so when announcing their intentions to block third-party cookies in Chrome web browsers within the next two years. Google's moves are powerful and will influence millions of businesses and people. With all these changes, all we can do is hope for the best!
Google Search Console’s Revamped Removals Report can Temporarily Hide Pages
The Google Search Console is a tool that webmasters use to manage a site's presence on the search engine. Google recently added a new removal report feature to the Search Console to help users identify filtered content.
In this article, you will see how the new version of the removals report lets them temporarily hide pages while providing other related information.
Here are the three areas of the Search Console Report:
1. Temporarily Remove Pages from Google Search
Webmasters and SEOs can now use the temporary removal request to remove certain content on their site from Google search results. A successful removal can take as much as six months, according to Google. This will give site owners enough time to find a long-term solution to these issues.
2. Outdated Content
Google pointed out that anyone can use the Remove Outdated Content tool. This is so they could update search results showing information that's no longer on a page. Site owners can now track these actions!
3. SafeSearch Filtering
The SafeSearch suggestion tool allows any user to report URLs as adult content. Google will then review the page and decide whether to tag it as adult content. There will be no more wondering which content is no longer there due to SafeSearch. This is because the new Removals Report will help with better communication.
To access the tools, launch the Google Search Console and check under the "Index" menu. There, you'll find it under Removals.
Click here to learn more about Google Search Console’s revamped removals report!
Conclusion
In conclusion, there's a lot that's been happening in the world of internet marketing this week. From updates to Wordpress to Google not deduplicating featured snippets on the right sidebar for the time being. Not only that, cookies are being phased out and marketers need to keep on the lookout for what this will mean for remarketing. Google will start reconsidering paid search design with the criticism they've gotten. Finally, we saw how Google Search Console's revamped removals report will be able to temporarily hide pages. There's been quite a bit going on lately! Look out for next week's blog to keep up to date on all your internet marketing news!
