This past week: WhatsApp reaches a new milestone, Google dumps instant search, and wait until you hear how many page one results include HTTPS results.
Here’s what happened this week in digital marketing.
A Classic Google Feature is Out and a New Feature May Be Rolling Out
Google Dumps Instant Search
Google has officially dropped Instant Search.
In case you haven’t heard of it, Instant Search is a feature that showed you results as you typed them in the Google search bar.
It was launched in 2010, back when Marissa Mayer was part of the search engine giant. She called it a “fundamental shift in search.”
Now that more than half of all searches are conducted on a mobile device, Google sees no need to continue with Instant Search.
Google sees no need to continue with Instant Search.
Here’s what the company had to say about the change:
We launched Google Instant back in 2010 with the goal to provide users with the information they need as quickly as possible, even as they typed their searches on desktop devices. Since then, many more of our searches happen on mobile, with very different input and interaction and screen constraints. With this in mind, we have decided to remove Google Instant, so we can focus on ways to make Search even faster and more fluid on all devices.
Even though Instant Search is gone, you’ll still see suggestions as you type queries in the search bar.
Google Tests Auto-Playing Videos in Search Results
If you’d like to see video results auto-play in Google search, you might soon get your wish.
Google confirmed this past week that the company is conducting limited testing on auto-playing videos in search results.
WOW -> Google Adds Autoplay Video to Search Results Page https://t.co/5fdMPkwMbN
— Jennifer Slegg (@jenstar) July 24, 2017
“[W]e are constantly experimenting with ways to improve the search experience for our users, but have no plans to announce at this time,” Google said in a statement.
Numerous people have already commented on social media that auto-playing videos in search results would be very annoying.
Report: 99% of Google’s Page One Results Have at Least One HTTPS Result
Here’s a stat that might convince you to move to HTTPS: 99% of page one results have at least one HTTPS result in them.
That’s according to RankRanger, but Moz’s feature tool also shows HTTPS results gaining popularity in the SERPs.
Still, there’s been no announcement by Google that the HTTPS ranking boost has changed in any way.
WhatsApp Reaches 1 Billion Daily Active Users
Messaging service WhatsApp reached 1 billion monthly active users last February. This past week, the company announced 1 billion daily active users.
To put things in perspective: Facebook, the company that owns WhatsApp, currently enjoys 1.33 billion daily active users.
WhatsApp also reported that 250 million people now use WhatsApp Status everyday.
Of WhatsApp’s 1 billion users, only 20 million of them are in the United States. That means the messaging service has broad, global appeal.
WhatsApp doesn’t run ads yet, but you can be sure that will change soon. When it does, it’s going to present a great opportunity for marketers trying to reach a global audience.
