Daily Minute Master Series – September 27, 2019

Social Media

Facebook Begins Hiding Total Like Counts on Facebook Posts in Australia

Facebook has confirmed that it is beginning a test of hiding total Like counts on Facebook, with TechCrunch reporting that the new test will begin with Australian users this week. That’ll certainly rattle the cages of a lot of Facebook users, who rely on their Like counts as a type of validation – which is exactly what the broader initiative is designed to reduce. The removal of public like counts, according to Mosseri, could reduce social comparison, and its associated negative impacts. Being based in Australia, where Instagram Likes have been hidden for the past few months, it has been interesting to read the coverage, and some of the misconceptions about the test. First off, you can still see the full Like listing on any Instagram post – your own or from others – you just can’t see the total number. As an experiment, it’ll be interesting to see what the actual impacts are, and if Facebook and Instagram are able to quantify any positive benefits of the change. Some influencers and industry analysts in regions where the change has been implemented have suggested that it is already having significant negative impacts, but it’s hard to know without hard data, and without seeing what the platforms themselves are using as their metrics for success.

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Marketing

Keywords Everywhere tool goes paid on Oct 1

On October 1, keyword research browser add-on Keywords Everywhere will move from a free to a pay-as-you-go model, the developer announced on September 25. The move to a paid model was necessitated by an increase in bot activity. Kevin said the deluge of bots forced him to disable the Import Keywords and Analyze Page features as well as “constantly upgrade hardware in order to keep the software functional for our real users.” Keywords Everywhere said it will use the funds to add support for other countries, build additional features and reintroduce features blocked due to bot-related activity. On October 1, the browser add-on will stop retrieving volume, CPC and competition data for all keywords; however, “related” keywords and “people also ask for” keywords will still be shown. Users will have to purchase account credit to gain access to volume, CPC and competition data.

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Google My Business Lets Restaurants Opt-Out of Online Ordering

Google My Business is letting restaurant listings remove links to online ordering. In order to remove links to third-party ordering systems, businesses have to fill out a form. Google’s new form gives restaurants the ability to remove links to online ordering via third-party partners. A restaurant might want to do this if they accept orders directly through their website. Third-party ordering systems – such as DoorDash, Postmates, and the like – charge fees to restaurants for utilizing their service. In theory, if a restaurant removes links to third-party food delivery partners, then they could funnel more orders through their website and pay out less money in fees. Of course, many restaurants rely on third-parties as their only means of fulfilling delivery orders. In cases such as those it likely wouldn’t be in the restaurant’s best interest to opt-out of displaying online ordering links on their Google My Business listing. Though they still could if they want to.

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Google Ads Changes the Design of Call-Only Ads

Google is rolling out a new look for call-only ads which is said to help drive higher quality leads. The updated layout for call-only ads displays the business’s phone number at the top, while business name and headline is now placed below the phone number in smaller text. Google says that, in testing, the new call-only ad design has had a positive impact on phone calls and conversions while keeping costs down for advertisers. Call-only ads that are already in place will be automatically switched over to the new design this week. There is no additional action needed on the part of advertisers.

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