The digital marketing news roundup that kicks off every episode of the EDGE of the Web podcast keeps you up-to-date on all the latest developments you should know about. The latest features Site Strategics CEO Erin Sparks and Creative Studio Producer Jacob Mann with special guest Bill Slawski, Director of SEO Research at Go Fish Digital. Here’s the news roundup from Episode 323 of the award-winning EDGE of the Web podcast:
Google Search Console Now Reports on More Types of Structured Data
From Matt Southern on Search Engine Journal we learn that Google Search Console Now Reports on More Types of Structured Data. Google is adding three more types of structured data to the rich results report in Search Console, including product markup, sitelink searchbox markup, and unparsable types
- Erin Sparks: Bill, please unpack why structured data is so important and what these three new elements really mean.
- Bill Slawski: Schema markup came out in 2011. It’s not intended to be read by people. It’s machine readable and the purpose is to help structure your website content more precisely. It is one of the fastest growing areas in SEO and is being updated frequently, like on a monthly basis, with new features, such as speakable markup that Google could use to provide spoken answers to questions via Google speaker devices.
- Erin Sparks: And Google is looking at a lot more that what it feeds back to you in the search console.
- Bill Slawski: Yes, which means you should be putting a lot into your schema markup just to anticipate what Google might or might not be looking at, such as an author’s name or who edited the content and so on.
- Erin Spark: Fill in those schema markup fields because they are going to be immensely valuable in the future.
- Bill Slawki: GS1 is the company that came out with scannable barcodes 40 years ago. They rolled out schema last year and it has now been approved as the schema for eCommerce websites. GS1 has a wizard tool on their website you can use to build your schema for an eCommerce website.
Google My Business Adds Bulk Reviews For Multiple Listings
According to Barry Schwartz on Search Engine Roundtable, Google My Business adds bulk reviews for multiple listings. Google wrote “businesses can view reviews for multiple listings at once. With bulk reviews, you’ll be able to view, reply to, and flag reviews for multiple listings from one place.”
- Erin Sparks: It seems like we’re seeing a lot more investment in tools and opportunities to be able to manipulate data inside of Google My Business. Bill, are you seeing this growth as one of the new frontiers of brand-building and engagement with consumers?
- Bill Slawski: Local search has been around for years and it’s an alternative way to index the web. It is different from information retrieval and authorities like PageRank to rank pages. It’s based on the distance, relevance of title to inquiry, and what they call location prominence, which is how often you are mentioned or cited in places. There is something else that came up last week that talked about quality visits.
- Erin Sparks: Yes, and we’ll talk more about that during the in-depth interview.
Podcast listening growth continues: Mobile app usage up 60% since January 2018, study finds
On Marketing Land, George Nguyen reports that Podcast listening growth continues: Mobile app usage up 60% since January 2018, study finds. 25% of listeners have bought products discovered through podcast advertising. Podcast mobile app usage has risen 60% since January 2018, and the sector’s growth is expected to continue as 45% of listeners said they plan on tuning into more podcasts in the future, according to a study conducted by Adobe Analytics
- Erin Sparks: Podcasts are unique to a level of consumption no other marketing medium really has because you have an intimate relationship with listeners, even more, intimate than getting into their email inbox. The users are literally voting with their downloads. They are spending time with you. There is such a level of advocacy and authenticity inside a podcast you simply never get on any other platform. Bill, are you a big podcast listener and what are your thoughts on that report that you saw there?
- Bill Slawski: I listen to audiobooks more than podcasts. But the study shows how there is real value in understanding the traction of podcasts. An improvement would be the ability to jump to a certain point in a podcast for specific information you want.
- Erin Sparks: Google is already putting podcasts directly into search results now, and you can bet they’re transcribing them in order to know what they’re about and what people are listening to. I think that the ability to hone in on a specific point in a podcast will probably happen. The organic authenticity is important too. Podcast content isn’t intentionally packed with keywords and other spammy SEO factors.
Connect with Bill Slawski and Go Fish Digital (GFD)
Twitter: @bill_slawski (https://twitter.com/bill_slawski)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slawski/
SEO by the Sea: http://www.seobythesea.com
GFD Website: https://gofishdigital.com
GFD Twitter: @GoFishDigital (https://twitter.com/gofishdigital)
GFD Facebook: @GoFishDigital (https://www.facebook.com/GoFishDigital)
GFD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/go-fish-digital/
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