This week: lots of news about Snap and AMP, Google says you should go straight to HTTPS, and there are some changes in Google Image Search.
Here’s what happened this week in digital marketing.
Google: More Than 100 Ad Networks Support AMP
Last year, Google started delivering display ads to AMP pages. After several months, the company is sharing some stats.
According to the Big G, more than 31 million domains are using AMP technology. Publishers who use AMP are earning as much as three times more revenue per day than companies that don’t use AMP.
Google also says that more than 100 ad networks now support AMP.
Snapchat Rolls out Analytics Tool for Influencers
Influencers have been asking Snapchat for an analytics tool. Now, they’re getting one.
Snapchat is going to give some influencers access to a tool that will them how their Stories perform and offer audience insights.
Specifically, the tool will show the following metrics:
- View counts – how many views their Stories received over specified time periods
- Viewership details – how much time on average people spend viewing a Story and the percentage of users who viewed a Story to completion
- Audience breakdowns – viewership by demographics and interests
Snapchat Opens Advertising API to Everybody
More than a year ago, Snap launched its advertising API for a limited group of developers. Now, it’s making that API available to everybody.
That means you can develop your own software to buy and target ads on the Snapchat platform.
“We’ve been listening closely to third-party developers as we transition Snapchat ad products onto our self-serve platform. Today we’re opening up our Marketing API to give every developer tools to build the Snapchat ad solutions that perform best for them and their customers,” said James Borow, Snap’s director of revenue, in a statement.
Last week, Snap said that 90% of ads sold in the fourth quarter were purchased using the API.
Snap Offers Free Credits to Companies That Bought Ads on Other Social Media Platforms
Snap has taken some hits from competitors lately, but the company is fighting back.
Now, Snap is offering free credits ito companies that recently bought ads from Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. In fact, Snap will also give credits to brands that purchased ads from digital billboards.
The program is only open to advertisers who haven’t run ads on Snapchat before. There are no minimum spending requirements.
If approved, advertisers will receive credits to run Snapchat’s vertical video Snap Ads.
Google Announces Changes to Image Search
This past week, Google announced two changes to image search.
First, Google is removing the “View Image” button. Many publishers hated that button because it enabled other webmasters to steal their images.
In fact, there’s a rumor that Google was forced to remove the button as part of a settlement.
Today we're launching some changes on Google Images to help connect users and useful websites. This will include removing the View Image button. The Visit button remains, so users can see images in the context of the webpages they're on. pic.twitter.com/n76KUj4ioD
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 15, 2018
The second change is that the search by image feature has been removed. That will make it a little more challenging to find pirated images.
You can still do a reverse image search from the search bar on Google Images.
Google Announces AMP for Email
This was inevitable: Google has released an AMP for email specification.
Google announced the new spec at its conference in Amsterdam this past week. Now, developers can create rich, interactive email experiences for end users.
For example, you can send an embedded form to a business partner asking to coordinate details about an upcoming meeting. The partner can respond to you by filling out the form in the email and won’t have to click a link to visit an external site.
Expect to see AMP for email used extensively in productivity apps in the near future.
Google Is Testing AMP Stories in Search Results
Apparently, the “Stories” concept is really catching on. Not only did Instagram and Facebook steal it from Snapchat, but now it looks like Google is swiping it as well.
The search giant is testing a new feature called AMP stories. It allows publishers to post tappable content that can take a user to any website.
Unlike social media stories, though, AMP stories are indexable by Google.
Google wants to make the process of publishing AMP stories easy with predefined templates, UI widgets, and components that make it easy to add additional content.
If you’re interested in learning more, check out the tutorial on how to create AMP stories.
Google: New Sites Should Go Straight to HTTPS
If you’re launching a new website, don’t even think about going with HTTP. Use the more secure HTTPS protocol.
Why? Because Google said so.
If you're setting up a new website, just use HTTPS. It's not required, but it's a signal, and it's easier to do it from the start than to add it later.
— John ☆.o(≧▽≦)o.☆ (@JohnMu) February 13, 2018
This past week, John Mueller tweeted that new webmasters should use HTTPS from the get-go. He added: “It’s not required, but it’s a signal, and it’s easier to do it from the start than to add it later.”
70% of Google’s Page 1 Search Results Are HTTPS
Speaking of HTTPS, RankRanger reported this week than more than 70% of Page 1 Google search results are from sites that use the secure HTTP protocol.
That’s another great reason you should consider adopting it if you haven’t already done so.
Mozcast puts the number a little higher, at 78%.
