The Impact of Google’s March 2019 Algorithm Update
SEO is an integral part of any business website’s ability to rank high in Google’s search engine in order to be found by your prospects and customers when they type in various search queries to find you. Occasionally, Google makes changes to the their algorithm which determines ranking factors that business owners must adhere to if they want to maintain high quality rankings.
One such algorithm change was recently made by Google. This article, will explain what is known about the changes that Google made, and what you need to do, if anything, to keep your website in the good graces of the tech giant.
“On 12th March, Google confirmed that it had once again updated its core algorithm, after experts noticed changes in worldwide Google search indexes.
Dubbed the “March 2019 Core Algorithm Update”, Google has not actually confirmed what changes have been implemented, but many within the industry have been analysing the impact so far.
Here’s a run-down of what we know about the changes, and what this could mean for SEO in 2019.
A reversal of the medic update?
Google’s last update in August 2018, known as E.A.T or the ‘medic’ update, largely affected websites in health, fitness, and wellness-related verticals. These sites generally fall into the YMYL category, which refers to content about “Your Money or Your Life”. This update continued Google’s efforts to reward sites that adhere to its Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness (E-A-T) guidelines, which are top considerations for Page Quality……..”
Click here to read more: https://econsultancy.com/google-march-2019-algorithm-update-impact-seo/
McDonalds Is All In On Mobile, How About Your Business?
One of the most successful business franchises in history is in the middle of a dramatic shift to mobile. McDonalds announced that they are adding self-serve kiosks and mobile order technology to 1,000 stores every quarter for the next 2 years. They want to give their customers greater variety when it comes to ordering and paying for meals. McDonalds is all-in on mobile and staying relevant to their customers by expanding the use of mobile technology throughout their business.
Perhaps SMB’s can take some cues from McDonalds shift, and stay ahead of the curve with your product and service offerings. Check out this article that breaks down this dramatic change that will change fast food forever:
“In a very short time, this restaurant has transformed into one of the most innovative and modern restaurants in the U.S.
I’m speaking, of course, about McDonald’s.
Don’t believe me? McDonald’s mobile app is currently ranked #3 in Apple’s app store,with an average rating of 4.5 stars (out of 5) and over 56,000 ratings. (Compare competitor Burger King’s app,which has only 443 ratings for an average of 2.7 stars.)
But it’s the store’s most recent transformation that is sure to change the future of fast food: the placing of self-serve kiosks in every McDonald’s store in the U.S.
In a matter of months, customers will be able to go to any McDonald’s around the country and order directly from one of these kiosks, after which they can then pick up their food at a counter or wait on an employee to bring the meal directly to the table.
“It’s a dramatic change,” McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook told CNBC in a recent interview.
Easterbrook claims the kiosks, which are already in about 50% of U.S. stores, work well on numerous levels. “If people want to just dwell, have a little bit more time, they can go to a self-order kiosk, they can browse through the menu…they can start to see the broader ranges perhaps or they may want to customize the food they’ve got. Then, you can pay clearly on credit [or] debit there as well.”
When people have more time to dwell, explains Easterbrook, they tend to buy more, boosting the average check.
McDonald’s customers in international markets served as a test ground for the kiosks. McDonald’s confidently moved forward after a full rollout in the U.K., Canada, and Australia, where leadership deemed the project a success. To catch up, the company will be adding the kiosks to 1,000 U.S. restaurants per quarter–an average of over 10 per day.
But there’s a reason these kiosks are so successful.
Why these kiosks are a game-changer….”
What Every Digital Marketer Needs to Know About GDPR
For those that don’t know, GDPR stands for (General Data Protection Regulation) On May 25th, these new laws will take effect that change the way personal data is collected and used online. These rules apply to anyone and everyone who markets online.
Navigating data regulations is never easy, so it’s understandable that becoming GDPR compliant may feel a little overwhelming, but we’re all in this together.
The folks at Digital Marketer have done a good job of summarizing everything you need to know about the new regulations…
“The new GDPR rules go into effect in less than a month (May 25th to be exact), and if you find yourself unsure how or if GDPR applies to you, you’re not alone.
GDPR is about processing personal data. For example, something as simple as having someone’s name and email address. If you have data from citizens of the EU, you’ll need to comply.
And failure to comply is NO JOKE.
Fines have gone up to €20 million or 4% of your worldwide turnover for the last 12 months.
Now, if you’re a small company, you might think, “Those fines are for big companies, like Facebook. Even if it’s a law, who’s going to find out if I’m doing anything wrong? Who’s going to enforce it, etc.?”
Even if you’re not being slapped with heavy fines, there will be reputational damage for not complying. And with all eyes on the commercial use of personal data right now,…”
Key Takeaways from Jeff Bezos on How He Runs Amazon
Founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history. So when he gives any insight into how he runs his business, we should all just shut up, listen and take notes.
“In Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos‘ annual letter to shareholders, he shares seven “essentials of what we’ve learned (so far) about high standards inside an organization” in this age of “customer empowerment.”
His first rule: Intrinsic or Teachable? … People “are pretty good at learning high standards simply through exposure. High standards are contagious.”
- Universal or Domain Specific? … You “have to learn high standards separately in every arena of interest. … Understanding this point is important because it keeps you humble. You can consider yourself a person of high standards in general and still have debilitating blind spots….”
Facebook and Cambridge Analytica Scandal Explained
By now I’m sure you’ve heard something about the Cambridge Analytica and Facebook scandal. It’s all over the news and every where you look. But what is it all about, and what does it all mean? Below you will get the play by play to make sense of it all from a great article that explains everything from Wired’s Andrea Valdez, who does a great job a sifting through the drama and explaining everything you need to know.
On March 17, 2018, The New York Times, alongside The Guardian and The Observer, reported that Cambridge Analytica, a data analysis firm that worked on President Trump’s 2016 campaign, and its related company, Strategic Communications Laboratories, pilfered the data of 50 million Facebook users and secretly kept it. This revelation and its implications, that Facebook allowed data from millions of its users to be captured and improperly used to influence the presidential election, ignited a conflagration that threatens to engulf the already tattered reputation of the embattled social media giant.
Twitter is testing a Twitter Lite Android app, first in the Philippines
Twitter today has nearly four times as many monthly active users outside the U.S. as it does in its home market — 260 million versus 68 million — and this week it quietly launched a new app in an effort to boost those numbers further. The social network is testing a Android app for Twitter Lite, a native app version of a mobile web site Twitter launched earlier this year that uses less mobile data to work. The lighter data load means that the app is especially useful for emerging markets where data networks are often slower and more expensive for consumers to use.