Our Marketing Pit Stop is back! We take a look at the most important digital marketing news and updates from the 21st December – 10th January, for our automotive audience. News included in this edition includes Google testing short-form video in search, Twitter acquiring podcast app, Breaker, Facebook Pages redesign and more.

Let’s take a pit stop and get into it.

Google Tests Short-Form Video in Search Results

Google has started to test carousels displaying short-form video in the search results, with links to the relevant clips on Reels or TikTok. The test is no surprise given the rise in popularity of short-form video but it’s only a test for now and only time will tell as to if they’ll launch it or not.

Bing Webmaster Tools Gets New Search Performance Metrics

Microsoft has added a selection of new metrics to Bing Webmaster Tools. The metrics have been added to the search performance report section and include crawl errors, crawl requests and indexed pages. This will provide some nice new data insights for automotive businesses monitoring Bing search performance.

The Request Indexing Tool is Back in Search Console

Google Search Console’s request indexing tool went down back in October and it was expected to be back up and running before December. However, it took 69 days before it was added back to Search Console on Dec 22nd.

Instagram Test New Desktop Stories Layout

Instagram has started testing a new way to display Stories on desktop devices. The updated layout is designed to make it easier for users to browse Stories, presenting them in a carousel format. It’s only available for a small number of users at this time and there’s no news right now on a wider rollout.

Twitter Acquires Breaker

Twitter has further amped up its focus on audio content by acquiring the popular podcast app Breaker. This comes off the back of its recent testing of the “Spaces” feature and the app will be used to help build out and enhance that experience.

Facebook Expands Engagement Alerts for Groups

Engagement Alerts were launched for Facebook Groups in May last year. The alerts are now being made available to more group admins and new alert options have been added. Engagement alerts help group admins to stay on top of discussions that are happening.

TikTok Small Business Resource Center

TikTok aims to help small to medium-sized businesses to get more out of the app with its all-new Small Business Resource Center. The section features a range of creative tools, case studies and explainers, providing pointers on how to succeed.

Facebook Pages Redesigned and Gets New Features!

Facebook is beginning the rollout of an updated Pages design for creators and public figures that puts more emphasis on followers instead of likes. Additionally, new features for Pages include easy navigation, actionable insights, a dedicated News Feed, safety and integrity features and improved page management tools. With the News Feed, in particular, Pages will be able to interact and join in conversations for the first time.

Snapchat’s Marketing Partner Program Relaunched

The relaunch has redefined its two partner categories to Strategic Partners and Certified partners – aiming to clarify the types of assistance available. Here’s what Snapchat had to say…

“Introducing our new Global Partner Solutions program – a partnership with industry-leading companies that help advertisers connect with the Snapchat community in exciting, innovative ways. From strategic collaboration to creative execution and campaign optimization, our select group of partners make advertising on Snapchat simple for advertisers looking for managed and ad technology solutions.”

New Reports Added to Google My Business

New performance reports are now available within the Google My Business insights section. The metrics in the report show calls and messages your business has received in the last 6 months rather than just 3 before the update, with data plotted by month. It also gives insight into the search queries that were used to find your business. Notable metrics are missing, however, including website clicks and driving directions asked for. Hopefully, these are available soon.

That wraps up the latest Marketing Pit Stop. Subscribe to our blog and follow us on social media so you don’t miss the next one!

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