The number of Internet users worldwide has reached 46.1 percent according to a November report.
Google Webmaster Trends Analyst Gary Illyes says that the digital marketing initiative Google will prioritize in 2016 is Accelerated Mobile Pages, or AMP. Through the project, developers and webmasters can use AMP approved JavaScript components hosted on Google's CDN to "dramatically improve the performance of the mobile web" so that content appears in an instant, regardless of the device being used.
Google revised its public timeline for the Penguin update. Do not expect the link spam algorithm to be refreshed before the year's end.
Google released a new About Me identity center that allows people to view their own profile information, see who has access to view each item, and make changes as desired.
Google search results for a local-business query no longer show a one box or a pin, as of Dec. 4. The local business’s data (address/phone) and pin symbol no longer appear below the standard title and description.
In February 2016, Google Shopping advertisers will have new policies to follow. You can view a preview of the new policies now to check that your campaigns are in compliance.
Structured snippets for Google AdWords ads has been expanded to two showcase lines.
A study by 4C Insights showed that Pinterest ad spending is up — 7.7 times higher than at the beginning of the year — and those ads are driving results such as a 3.3 times rise in ad impressions and a 2.0 times increase in ad click-throughs since January. Noting that the cost per click has risen just 1.2 times higher during the same period, 4C's CMO Aaron Goldman recommends that advertisers "jump in now before the true market saturation begins as click costs rise."
Twitter has changed its "Favorite" star to a "Like" heart after a beta test saw engagement increase with the new symbol.
Twitter removed share counts from its share button as of Nov. 20, a change that not only affects many blogs and websites displaying numbers next to their social share buttons, but also impacts Twitter’s share numbers. A study by Shareaholic found that Twitter’s share of voice has declined more than 11 percent since the change.
Facebook began allowing Google to crawl and index Facebook’s mobile app. This enables Google searches on smartphones to include some content from the app (such as public profile information, not private data) with "deep links" to take users to the relevant part of the Facebook app.
Facebook tweaked its News Feed algorithm to push down viral news stories that people report they do not want to see. The social network also opened up live streaming mobile video to individuals where previously only verified celebrities could use this feature. Business Pages do not yet have access to the feature.
Facebook is making it easier for nonprofits to collect donations and manage fundraising campaigns. An improved Donate button is available on pages and posts, and users can make a donation without leaving Facebook.
Facebook is testing new tools to let users hide an ex's activity and manage who can see what after a relationship ends. Available in the U.S. mobile market first, the beta feature can be accessed through the Facebook help center.
There is public speculation that the Yahoo board of directors is considering a sale of the company.
The Yahoo Small Business directory has ceased to exist. Local businesses can get listed with its replacement, Aabaco Small Business, although some report difficulties in switching accounts. Aabaco is currently a Yahoo-owned business, but will soon transfer to a new parent company, Aabaco Holdings.
Music-streaming service Pandora has purchased the struggling music subscription company Rdio for $75 million.
Google introduced a "fully redesigned" Google+ interface that is intended to be simpler to use and more focused on the interest-based features known as Communities and Collections.
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