1.Google Launches First-Ever Game Based on Google Search Trends
Test your knowledge of Google Search in 2018 by taking the new ‘Game of the Year’ quiz. Every year Google releases a roundup of top search trends, but this is the first time the company has developed a game based on search data. [Source: Search Engine Journal]
2.Facebook introduces Boomerang support and selfie mode for Messenger
Facebook announced a host of new camera features for its Messenger app. As well as native support for looping Boomerang videos, there’s also a Selfie mode that automatically blurs out the background, and an augmented reality feature that lets you place Messenger’s stickers in your photos and videos. [Source: The Verge]
3.Instagram Adds New Ways to Engage With Followers
Instagram has rolled out a series of new features designed to form stronger connections with followers. These new features can be used with Instagram’s fastest-growing channels – stories and live videos. [Source: Search Engine Journal]
4.Google Now Pays For Conversions Bidding In Display Campaigns
Google manages to take people off-guard with some update or another. The latest one in the line being, conversion-based bidding called “Pay-For-Conversions” available for display campaigns. [Source: Logicserve Digital]
5.3 prospecting features for Google Display campaigns
Google discussed three features aimed at helping advertisers reach new customers with Display campaigns in a blog post on Tuesday. These include Dynamic prospecting with product feeds, Fine-tuned audience expansion and Auto-generated custom intent segments. [Source: Search Engine Land]
6.Twitter Rolls Out New Button to Easily Switch Between Chronological and Algorithmic Timeline
Twitter is now bringing it’s new ‘Sparkle’ button to all users, which will enable everyone to easily opt out of the algorithm-defined feed and see the most recent tweets from those they follow first. [Source: Social Media Today]
7.Google’s mobile-first indexing now powers over half of Google’s search results
Google announced that over half of the pages shown in search results globally are from Google indexing that content using mobile-first indexing procedure. That means that it is more likely that the pages you visit from a Google search are based on how Google crawled and indexed that content based on the mobile version of that page. [Source: Search Engine Land]
8.Google Assistant will proactively tell you if it thinks your flight will be delayed
Google is planning to roll out a new feature for Google Assistant that will give users a better idea of whether their flight might be delayed, which is a nice thing to know during the holidays. [Source: The Verge]
9.YouTube ad campaigns target ‘TV screens’ by default, coming to AdWords API in Jan
The AdWords API capabilities for TV targeting will be available as of January 8.With the API, “Connected TV” will appear as a new platform name along with desktop, tablet and mobile with an ID of 30004. [Source: Search Engine Land]
10.Google Outlines the Evolution of Google Lens, and the Future of Visual Search
Google has this week published a blog post which details the development of its Lens image search option, outlining the range of additions and innovations they’ve made to make it a more effective, accurate tool. [Source: Social Media Today]
