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# Digital Marketing News: SEO User Experiments, AdWords’ Redesign, and Virtual Solutions
- URL: https://capitolcommunicator.com/digital-marketing-news-seo-user-experiments-adwords-redesign-and-virtual-solutions/
- Published: 2016-05-06T16:50:25.000Z
- Updated: 2016-06-16T18:19:33.000Z
- Author: Greg Kihlström
- Tags: Digital, Insights, #wp-bottom-left-sponsored, #Import 2026-10-08 18:47

**We all forget to periodically check in** and keep up-to-date on important news in our industry. But don’t worry! That’s what updates from [Carousel30](http://www.carousel30.com/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com), a Capitol Communicator sponsor, are here for. Keep reading to find out what you may have missed during the past few weeks.

**SEO**

Did you happen to get hit with any[ Google penalties](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/2604824?hl=en&ref=capitolcommunicator.com) relating to product reviews, rich snippets, or clicks? Wouldn’t be surprising as Google has sent an estimated [500 manual actions per hour](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-webspam-report-22021.html?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) during the course of 2015\. One of the major penalties was geared towards [mobile sites that used redirects](http://searchengineland.com/google-penalizes-mobile-sites-using-sneaky-redirects-248818?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) to guide users to unwarranted websites from a search page. While Google wasn’t busy sending manual actions, they were up to other user experiments. [Google has begun to display automatic translations](http://searchengineland.com/google-now-shows-automatic-translation-search-results-words-248503?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) in search results for words that are not part of your typical language setting. In addition, Google has begun to show [extended featured snippets](http://searchengineland.com/google-featured-snippets-now-related-topics-extending-information-snippets-248849?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) to provide searchers with related topics. They have also taken away the ability of airline websites such as TripAdvisor and Expedia to [display product rich snippets](http://searchengineland.com/google-drops-price-rich-snippets-airline-pricing-web-sites-248737?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) in search results due to rich snippet spam. Google also recently introduced a [Mobile-Friendly website test](https://search.google.com/search-console/unavailable?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) in Search Console as well as the updated [Search Quality Evaluator guidelines](http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en//insidesearch/howsearchworks/assets/searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf?ref=capitolcommunicator.com).

While we’re on the topic of quality, Moz launched a keyword research tool called [‘Keyword’ explorer](http://searchengineland.com/moz-launches-comprehensive-keyword-research-tool-keyword-explorer-248678?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) that takes users through a keyword research process while providing metrics and scoring to help identify quality keywords during the keyword selection process. Bing also updated their iPhone app to enable [image-based search](http://searchengineland.com/bing-brings-image-based-search-iphone-app-248605?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) to help users find similar images (or existing ones) within the search query. Although this app has been said to be ‘hit or miss’, it’s a step in the right direction for Bing.

**Paid Search**

In addition to Google confirming a [live demo of the new AdWords redesign](https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GoogleAds/posts/TrcjNjcxcSb?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) on May 24, [AdWords has come out with an updated Editor ](http://searchengineland.com/adwords-editor-update-frequency-capping-display-app-install-campaigns-248733?ref=capitolcommunicator.com)interface which provides the ability to set frequency caps, review extensions, display app install campaigns, and more. In the chance that you aren’t familiar with AdWords, [learn how to succeed from Kobe Bryant](http://searchengineland.com/kobe-bryant-teach-succeeding-adwords-247865?ref=capitolcommunicator.com), and focus on implementing keywords that take into account what users [search via voice versus typing in a search engine](https://moz.com/blog/how-voice-search-will-change-digital-marketing-for-the-better?ref=capitolcommunicator.com). For those who frown upon AdBlockers, AdBlock Plus has partnered with Flattr to offer a [micropayment program](http://www.thesempost.com/adblock-plus-micropayment-content-flattr-plus/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) as a way for publishers to monetize off those who are blocking ads.

**Applications**

Application development is underway and is shaping the way consumers interact with brands in 2016\. Google released a [“travel assistant” app ](http://searchengineland.com/trips-app-will-google-finally-deliver-better-travel-experience-248638?ref=capitolcommunicator.com)to Level 2+ Local Guide Reviewers. The app is called “Trips” and will be an all encompassing app enabling users to record past trips and plan upcoming travel including flights, stay, and events/activities at the location. While this mirrors the [Local Guides](https://www.google.com/local/guides/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) Google currently features, the new app provides additional functionality. However, if you plan to use Uber while travelling, beware of their [new tipping policy](https://hbr.org/2016/05/ubers-new-tipping-policy-is-a-mistake?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) which could affect user experience both within the app and during the ride itself. Virtual Reality has caught the eyes of many in recent months, and while [Netflix has decided to take a step back](http://venturebeat.com/2016/05/05/netflix-ceo-hastings-explains-why-hes-not-ready-to-invest-in-vr-content/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) before emerging into VR, consumers are diving head first into the VR realm with [virtual assistance](http://www.cmo.com/articles/2016/5/3/Gartner-VP-Virtual-Assistant-Is-Next-Tech-Trend-To-Shake-Up-Marketing.html?ref=capitolcommunicator.com). It seems like the Mobilegeddon of 2015 will soon turn to the Virtualgeddon of 2016 as algorithmic marketing begins to hold a larger influence in the industry.

**In other news…**

In other news that you may have missed, [Google provided its AI engine with just under 3,000 romance novels](http://www.engadget.com/2016/05/05/google-neural-network-romance-novels/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) so that it could improve its understanding of language. [Reddit](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/reddit-mobile-app/161161/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) has officially launched an iOS and Android application, and [Periscope now saves broadcasts](http://www.engadget.com/2016/05/05/periscope-save-feature/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) beyond 24 hours. Facebook has updated their algorithm to [account for viewing time](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/facebook-viewing-time/162184/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com), improved the [diversity of posts within a user’s News Feed](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/facebook-viewing-time/162184/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com), and released [new ways to create and discover Live Videos](https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2016/04/introducing-new-ways-to-create-share-and-discover-live-video-on-facebook/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com), making Facebook comparable to YouTube. Instagram is also gaining a competitive advantage and is getting ready to release [Brand Profiles](http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/instagram-brand-profiles-are-coming-heres-first-look?ref=capitolcommunicator.com).