New study reveals ecommerce SEO ranking factors
A new study has been published revealing the top ranking factors for ecommerce web sites. Ranking well for an ecommerce site has long been a double-edged sword, with the larger size and number of pages often giving enough resource for strong rankings, but problems with duplicate content and link building posing many a headache for digital marketers.
The research, carried out by Searchmetrics, studied retail-specific ranking factors to give a play-by-play of signals for ecommerce sites.
Its findings suggest that as well as the obvious requirement to have an online store above the fold, ecommerce sites tend to have:
- Larger file size
- More content with greater use of bullet points
- Fewer advertising links on page (such as Adsense)
- More internal links per page and
- Greater interactive elements on the page
than benchmark (non-ecommerce) sites.
The findings also revealed the importance of retail-specific techniques which reflect an understanding of search intent. The report is concise and an easy read. For full details download here: http://www.searchmetrics.com/knowledge-base/ranking-factors-ecommerce/
YouTube makes changes to its live streaming function
YouTube has been offering live streaming in some form or another for the last six years but this week it has announced the roll-out of new functionality for creators and audiences alike.
It has debuted a new mobile live streaming feature, with early access granted to creators with more than 10,000 subscribers, and promising that other users will also get access shortly. Built as part of the YouTube app, mobile live streaming has been in testing for some time in order to refine the experience. Following feedback from hundreds of beta users, mobile live streaming will slow down live chat to keep the feed running at speed.
As part of the same announcement, YouTube also debuted Super Chat – a new way for creators to monetize their live streaming activities. Super Chat gives those watching a live feed a way to pay for a more prominent chat message, such as sending their message to the streamers in a colored bar, in order to stand out from the crowd.
These two additions give publishers a new avenue in which to connect with followers and up their social media interactions. Read the full story here: https://youtube.googleblog.com/2017/02/mobile-live-streaming-super-chat-live.html
Google publishes new guide to driving sales with Gmail
In the wake of giving an update on the progress of the AdWords overhaul last week, Google has published a brand new guide to improving performance of Gmail adverts on its blog. The search engine cites Gmail’s huge user base (over a billion users around the world) as a core reason for perfecting Gmail ads.
While Gmail has flown a little under the radar in terms of ad properties, the creation of this new guide could suggest that Google plans to make more of it as the AdWords revamp gets closer to completion. Read the new guide here: https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/7298390?utm_source=inside_adwords&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=bpguidelaunch
LinkedIn gives users more control over published content
LinkedIn gave its publishing platform a facelift recently as part of wider changes to the user interface. The publishing platform updates were designed to give the more than 3 million weekly contributors a cleaner, clearer writing experience. Following on from that change, it is now rolling out more control for contributors, including the ability to manage comments on longer form articles directly.
Publishers will be able to turn comments on and off for their published long form posts and report inappropriate comments to the network. LinkedIn says the driver for the change is its desire to foster a productive environment – a statement which suggests that additional changes may still be to come. Read the full post here: https://press.linkedin.com/site-resources/news-releases/2017/giving-members-more-choice-over-their-content-on-linkedin
