Sean Walsh
Sean is a Director at Intelligency heading up our digital marketing and client services operations. Sean has 15+ years experiencing working both in-house and agency with brands including Lloyds, Alstom, Hitachi, Lufthansa, Viaplay, DFDS Seaways and Mercedes-Benz.
Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s Intelligency Digital Roundup.
In today’s roundup, we have some significant updates from the digital world. Google has rolled out its November 2023 core update, marking the second major algorithm change in recent months. Meta has unveiled a suite of new lead-generation tools for Facebook and Instagram, enhancing opportunities for businesses. Additionally, Google has completed its transition to mobile-first indexing, a move that prioritizes mobile versions of websites in search rankings.
Let’s dive into the details of these developments.
Google’s November 2023 Core Update
Google recently announced its November 2023 core update. This marks the second major change to its search algorithm in just two months, and it’s expected to roll out in the coming weeks fully.
These updates are designed to enhance the relevance and quality of search results. Notably, this update improves a different core system than the previous month’s update.
What Webmasters Need to Know
Most website owners won’t need to make significant adjustments, particularly if they’re already focused on creating user-centric content. However, if changes in traffic or rankings are noticed, Google advises reviewing their core update guidance.
This update is part of Google’s ongoing efforts, with previous ones in March, August, and October. Each update involves multi-week rollouts.
Google also offers a Q&A section addressing common queries about search updates and encourages posting questions in the Google Search Central community forums for those experiencing significant changes in site performance.
However, the general guidance is if you follow the webmaster guidelines, it’s rare to see negative rankings.
Enhancing Lead Generation on Facebook and Instagram
Meta has introduced a suite of new tools for Facebook and Instagram, aimed at bolstering business lead generation. These tools include AI features and CRM partnerships, enhancing campaign performance while saving time and money for marketers. The emphasis is on acquiring quality leads, which are more likely to convert into sales, thereby boosting campaign efficiency and return on investment
But what are these new tools?
The list of new tools that business accounts will have access to are as follows:
- Click to WhatsApp Lead Gen: This extends the lead objective to Facebook and Instagram ads that initiate a WhatsApp chat, enabling marketers to foster higher-quality leads through messaging. A Q&A flow will also be available in Ads Manager for select advertisers.
- Instant Form Ad Format: Users can connect with multiple businesses simultaneously, like sharing contact information with several related services after signing up for a trial. This feature not only provides convenience for users but also opens new opportunities for small businesses to be discovered.
- Calling Leads on Facebook: Currently in testing, this feature allows businesses to call potential customers through Facebook, providing reassurance and displaying business details like logos and names.
- Advantage+ for Lead Gen: This involves testing full campaign automation for lead generation, utilizing Meta Advantage. It enables the application of AI across various campaign facets to improve performance and efficiency.
- HubSpot Integration: Meta has teamed up with HubSpot as a new CRM integration partner. This partnership simplifies the setup process and is complemented by streamlined CRM integration with Zapier.
Meta highlights that integrating a CRM with their Conversions API and using specific performance goals can significantly enhance campaign performance, reducing costs per quality lead and increasing conversion rates.
Google Fully Embraces Mobile-First Indexing
After a lengthy transition period, Google has completely switched to mobile-first indexing. This significant change emphasizes the importance of mobile versions of websites in Google’s indexing and crawling processes.
The Evolution of Mobile-First Indexing
Google’s transition to mobile-first indexing began years ago, reflecting a shift in focus towards mobile users. Initially, Google updated its algorithm in 2015 to favour mobile-friendly sites.
By the following year, the company prioritised mobile pages over desktops in its indexing process. This move aligns with the growing dominance of mobile web traffic, where in some regions, people primarily use their phones for internet access.
Impact and Future Directions
With mobile usage surpassing desktop globally, crawling mobile versions of websites provides a more accurate reflection of user experiences on mobile devices. Websites have adapted by enhancing their mobile pages to be as comprehensive as desktop versions.
However, Google acknowledges that some sites may still not be fully mobile-optimized and will continue crawling desktop versions for these cases. As part of its resource conservation efforts, Google plans to further reduce desktop crawling.
In line with this shift, Google has also removed indexing crawler data from Search Console, its webmaster tool. This data removal signifies the completion of the mobile-first indexing process, underlining mobile devices’ central role in modern internet use.
