Pivotal Online Marketing Updates: Spring 2015
We’ve been hit by two separate waves of online marketing change in the last month – Google’s “Mobilegeddon” and Facebook’s Algorithm Update. Both of these events impact our clients and other small business owners in ways we’d like to explain below.
Google “Mobilegeddon”
Around April 21st, 2015, Google launched their new, real-time search algorithm that affects searches completed on a mobile device. Websites that are mobile-friendly are now being given higher rankings than those sites without a mobile layout or with a poorly-designed mobile layout.
What does it mean for small businesses?
Business owners who were not initially convinced of the importance of a mobile-friendly design (or a website at all) will begin to see an even greater reason to build and optimize a website for users of multiple devices. Competitors with mobile-friendly web designs will rank higher and ultimately receive more clicks and views from Google users. Business owners should get with their online marketing consultants or web developers to assess rankings and current website compatibility.
Our small business clients including those in the El Campo, Wharton, and Bay City, TX area are currently eligible for 50% off our Online Presence Audit, where Kapeesh will analyze things like search rankings, map listings, competitor positions, and other online marketing details. This special is only good through July 31st, 2015.
Facebook Algorithm Update
The social media giant is making 3 big changes to the way news feeds present information to users.
1. If users have few friends or very little activity from the friends they do have, Facebook will begin serving multiple posts in a row from the same source. Facebook previously had a rule that prevented this, but they claim to be “relaxing” that rule.
2. Content posted by friends a user cares about (or most interacts with) will take priority and show up higher in the news feed, so it is less likely to be missed. If the user often interacts with specific pages, that content will be ranked higher as well.
3. Facebook will be limiting the amount and visibility of “friend interaction” posts in a user’s news feed. Many users have complained about seeing so many stories about friends liking or commenting on another page’s post, so Facebook will be placing these stories lower in the news feed.
What does it mean for small businesses?
Facebook marketing has always been about repeat interactions and loyal engagement. These changes are not a threat to Facebook Page owners, but they do increase the necessity for a solid Facebook marketing strategy and focus when it comes to the types of posts, post frequency, and ad targeting. Business owners cannot expect to post anything they want and have it served up to thousands of Facebook users without carefully planning and executing said post.
We’ll be working with our Facebook Consulting clients to be sure they understand the gravity of these Facebook updates, and our Social Media Management clients can rest easy knowing we’ve got them covered with solid strategy and implementation.
Overall, these Google and Facebook updates should just serve as a reminder that the web is always evolving, and so should your online marketing strategy. If you’re not sure what else you could be doing online to improve your visibility, check out our FREE 8-Step Online Marketing Plan. Enjoy!