There haven’t been a lot of news updates from Google This Week but there are some big rollouts, including new core algorithm updates announced, the first half of which is rolling out now. Google has also developed a new tool for manual experiments in Google Ad Manager and added support for negative match regex in Search Console.
ICYMI, here’s what happened at Google This Week.
- Search Console Supports Negative Match Regex Filter
- Google Ranks News Sources Based on Transparency
- New Core Algorithm Updates Alert
- New Updates in YouTube Studio
- New Crypto Ads Policies
- Manual Experiments in Google Ad Manager
Search Console Supports Negative Match Regex Filter
After receiving many requests to add a negative match option to the regular expression (regex) filter, the Performance report filter now supports both matching and not matching regex filters. You can find this through a secondary dropdown, which appears when choosing the “Custom (regex)” option in the filter selector.
Google Ranks News Sources Based on Transparency
Google has shared details about how it ranks news sources and transparency is a major factor. In a blog post, Google detailed how it assesses transparency to determine which publishers to prioritise across Google News and the top stories carousel in search results.
To determine transparency, Google looks at publishing date, author bylines, author bios, contact information and background information about the publisher, company or network. Other principles Google uses to determine transparency include regional and country-level expectations, varying editorial practices and availability to users.
New Core Algorithm Updates Alert
A new broad core algorithm update began rolling out on Wednesday called the June 2021 Core Update. Google’s Danny Sullivan also announced a July 2021 Core Update expected next month. The full update is not ready to roll out in its entirety this month so it is planned to finish rolling out in July, in two parts.
“Of course, any core update can produce drops or gains for some content. Because of the two-part nature of this release, it’s possible a very small slice of content might see changes in June that reverse in July.”
The update is rolling out globally and is expected to take about two weeks before the second half of the rollout begins in July. We expect the first half of the rollout to be complete before the page experience update slated for mid-June.
Later today, we are releasing a broad core update, as we do several times per year. It is called the June 2021 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates is here:https://t.co/e5ZQUA3RC6
This will be followed by the July 2021 Core update. Here’s more information about that…
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) June 2, 2021
New Updates in YouTube Studio
YouTube Analytics is getting new updates to give creators access to more data on how users engage with their content. The updates include,
- More data about channel memberships
- More data on mobile (previously exclusive to desktop)
- Clearer information about video performance
- Insight into revenue changes
- Engagement metrics for YouTube posts
New Crypto Ads Policies
Google Ads has announced updates to the scope and requirements for cryptocurrency ads to be allowed on the platform. On August 3, crypto exchange and wallet advertisers need to meet new requirements and be certified by Google to advertise.
You will need to be duly registered with either FinCEN as a Money Services Business and with at least one state as a money transmitter, or a federal or state-chartered bank entity.
You’ll need to comply with legal requirements, including any local legal requirements, whether at a state or federal level, ensure your ads and landing pages comply with all Google Ads policies.
Any previously approved Cryptocurrency Exchange certifications will be revoked. The new application form will be published on July 8.
Manual Experiments in Google Ad Manager
Google has developed a new tool, Manual Experiments, to enable you to run your own tests in Google Ad Manager. Choose from one of the available experiment types, configure the amount of traffic to experiment with and set the test duration. Once the experiment is complete, you can review performance and implement the change in one click.
“During the beta period, Manual experiments that were implemented by publishers achieved a 6.5% lift in revenue on average.”
Manual Experiments are now available to all publishers in Ad Manager, with three experiment types.
- Category block experiments: Let publishers see the impact of allowing specific ad types to show on their sites which they are currently blocked.
- Unified pricing rule experiments: Let publishers see the impact of lowering or raising the floor price on specific inventory.
- Native ad style experiments: Let publishers compare the results of two sets of native ad styles to determine which would perform better in their network.
Google plans to roll out more experiment types in the future.
Thank You for Reading
Have you noticed any changes from Google this week?
Check back next Friday for the latest from Google This Week.
