Digital Marketing Week in Review by Four Dots: April 2020, Week 2

Greetings, reader. We hope the latest edition of Digital Marketing Week in Review by Four Dots finds you well. We also hope that you are still bringing your A-game in terms of social distancing in the wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic. If you are, that probably means that you have time to read about some of the most relevant industry-related events that took place over the last 7 days or so.

The latest “April 2020: Week 2” edition brings you the following topics:  

• Lawsuit May Force Google to Reveal its Search Algorithm to an SEO
• Facebook Launches a Messenger Desktop App for Unlimited Group Video Calls/Chats
• Facebook Publishes 3 Guides for Businesses to Aid Them with COVID-19 Impact Struggles
• Google My Business Rolles Out COVID-19 Related Post Announcements
• Google Adds New COVID-19 Special Announcement Schema Markup in Search Results
• Twitter Provides a Content Calendar Full of Tweet Prompts to Marketers

Let’s dive right in! 

Lawsuit May Force Google to Reveal its Search Algorithm to an SEO

The long wait might finally be over. Google is currently involved in a lawsuit that may lead to the company revealing its holy grail that is the Google search algorithm. The lawsuit resulted in a scenario wherein the company has to either withdraw evidence to its defense or reveal the long-guarded secrets to how its search algorithm actually works.

The technicalities of the lawsuit in the latter scenario would force Google to disclose the algorithm details to a working SEO consultant.

There is, however, the third option as well, which would involve a lawsuit settlement of millions of dollars in damages.

More details on this interesting event available in this SEJ article.

Facebook Launches a Messenger Desktop App for Unlimited Group Video Calls/Chats

The social media giant has recently launched a desktop (standalone) version of their Messenger app that is currently available for macOS and Windows devices. With both audio and video calls taking place on desktop browser Messenger increasing 100% in the past month as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Facebook decided to create and launch a standalone desktop version of Messenger. 

(Photo Source: Facebook)

When compared to the features that Messenger via Facebook.com provides, the new version offers numerous benefits, including: 

• Group video calls
• Easy to connect
• Multitasking
• Notifications
• Chat syncing

You can find more info about the new desktop Messenger in this SEJ article. 

Facebook Publishes 3 Guides for Businesses to Aid Them with COVID-19 Impact Struggles

Facebook releases handy content amid the outbreak. The social media company recently published guides for 3 different businesses niches to help them ward off struggles and properly respond to the impact of the current coronavirus pandemic.

The content bundle, if you will, includes guidelines for the following three industries: retail, retail advertisers, and e-commerce advertisers.

The guides are available in the links provided below:

• Safe and Sound: How businesses can respond to the coronavirus
• Responding to the coronavirus: For Retail advertisers
• Responding to the coronavirus: For Ecommerce advertisers

Google My Business Rolles Out COVID-19 Related Post Announcements

Google My Business adds a new type of post to the listings. The new post type is designed specifically for the announcements that pertain to the details of the current COVID-19 outbreak.

Here are just some examples of the new announcements:

• Temporary closures
• New operating hours
• Changes to regular service, such as moving to takeout/delivery only
• Safety precautions being taken by the business
• In-stock, low stock, or out of stock announcements for high demand products…

The posts about COVID-19 updates will be appearing at the top of a business’s profile in local search, which means that posts containing regular content will continue to be published, but the content related to the coronavirus outbreak will be pinned to the top.

More information about COVID-19 posts on Google My Business available here. 

Google Adds New COVID-19 Special Announcement Schema Markup in Search Results

Google search results will soon support a new type of schema markup. The markup, that can now be added but isn’t yet visible in the results, is created for special announcements related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This new type of structured data is available to any organization that releases urgent announcements affecting “schedules and other aspects of everyday life.”

(Photo Source: Google)

Here are some of the COVID19 special announcements:

• Announcement of a shelter-in-place directive
• Closure notice (for example, closing a school or public transportation)
• Quarantine guidelines
• Travel restrictions
• Notification of a new drive-through testing center
• Announcement of an event transitioning from offline to online, or cancellation
• Announcement of revised hours and shopping restrictions
• Disease spread statistics and maps…

Twitter Provides a Content Calendar Full of Tweet Prompts to Marketers

In an attempt to help its users post better and more organized content in days to come, Twitter has given them a handy month-long content calendar. The social media giant also outlined some useful post ideas for all the weekdays that lay ahead. 

This may help marketers with their tweet ideas and content selections that should better shape their marketing campaigns. 

Twitter’s content calendar can be seen below:

(Photo Source: Twitter)

The team behind Twitter explained each of these in this informative article. 

That’s it for this installment of Digital Marketing Week in Review by Four Dots. See you next week, until then – feel free to check out our previous edition!

And remember – stay home and stay safe. 

Radomir Basta

CEO and lead SEO strategist at Four Dots and lecturer at Digital Marketing Institute Also an angry driver and huge tattoo fan. In love with growth hacking.

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