EDGE of the Web - The Best SEO Podcast for Today's Digital Marketer

YouTube is Beta-Testing New Viewer Applause Feature

For now creators have to be invited by YouTube to test the new content monetization product, but it lets users support a video by paying $2 to put a clapping animation to appear over videos they like.

Editing and Uploading Instagram Stories May Get Even Easier

This new option would provide a video slider trimming tool built into Stories. If it works, then users wouldn't need third-party editing apps to trim their content before uploading.

New Google Ads Partner Requirements Leave SEMs Frustrated

SEMs are complaining about new requirements such as doubling the ad spend, upping certifications, and bowing to Google's recommendations over what SEMs think is best for their clients.

When it comes to ad success, it's important to know who is active on the various social channel platforms. The divide of ages between the social platforms is an important attribute to your success that many people don't know about. That is why we brought in Susan Wenograd, CMO of Aimclear, as our featured guest for the THIRD time to discuss not only mastering Instagram story ads but how they can work better than other social platforms. If you don't know Susan in the digital marketing world, we have to assume you've been living under a rock! She is a speaker and columnist who speaks at industry events and company events including SMX, Pubcon, Digital Summit series, brightonSEO, PPC HeroConf, State of Search and other events. She also contributes a lot of her knowledge on industry web sites like Marketing Land, Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal and much more. It is not just limited to paid search topics but also social media paid ads, including Facebook ads. Trust us when we say, she knows her stuff! You won't want to miss getting EDGEucated by Susan on episode 343. Some key takeaways from this show:

• The demographics of who exactly is active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.
• Why Instagram story ads can bring your company more success
• The various CTAs that you can use on Instagram

Google Shopping Ads are Coming to Gmail

Beginning on March 4, 2020, Shopping Ads will be eligible for placement in Gmail. Advertisers must opt-in their campaigns to YouTube, Gmail, and Discover. Data will be reported under the Google Display Network.

SEOs Complaining About Google Post Rejections Based on Image Guidelines

Google appears to be cracking down on enforcing its image guidelines, which include not using stock photos. There are other image guidelines that are vague and confusing.

Over is a Content Creation App Recently Acquired by GoDaddy

The mobile app for small and medium-sized businesses is for rapid content creation for websites, email, and social media platforms. It will soon be part of GoDaddy's Website + Marketing platform.

Is your company putting enough time and attention into the strategies behind your content writing? Are you even using a specific strategy when it comes to blogs and landing pages on your company website? 2020 is the year to follow the content operational model and provide your target audience with knowledgeable content! This week's EDGE of the Web featured guest, Robert Rose, Chief Troublemaker (yes that is his title) at The Content Advisory! He helps us bring awareness and understanding to the importance of content creation in a tactical way, not just to get content out the door! Robert is a content marketing strategist, advisor and storyteller. He has spent his career helping fellow marketers tell their story more effectively through digital media. His bestselling book, Killing Marketing, which he co-wrote with Joe Pulizzi is considered to have rewritten the rules for marketing.Some key points we discussed during the show:

• The struggles of getting content out the door
• Investing in good quality content
• The Content Operational Model
• Social corporate responsibility when it comes to journalist

Lazy-Loading for All Images in WordPress 5.4

The impact of this change means publishers who use WordPress will no longer have to rely on third-party plugins or JavaScript for lazy-loading of images.

Google Search Console Adds New Version of Removals Report

The new version allows site owners to temporarily hide a page from appearing in Google search results. Other features in the new version include outdated content and SafeSearch filtering requests.

Surprises in Super Bowl 54 Commercials

Although most critics weren't overly impressed with this year's Super Bowl commercials, Google managed to produce a real tear-jerker of a spot.

Many people in the work space have a hard time with providing feedback without worrying about hurting someone's feelings. Other times, superiors have a hard time providing feedback in a respectable manner. What if we told you there was a way to challenge your coworkers while also caring personally? When you want to transform your workplace culture for the better, then you need to meet Kim Scott, Co-Founder of Candor Inc., who happens to be our featured guest on episode 341! Kim is the author of the book, "Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity". She shares her insight on her book and how it actually works in the workplace!

Some key points we discussed during the show:

• What exactly Radical Candor is
• Candor with the peers
• Candor with the boss

Wondering what you really need to know about BERT and natural language SEO? Our listeners get the perspective of an international SEO and digital strategy consultant speaker, trainer, and lecturer this week to dive deeper into what NLP, natural language processing, and how you can optimize your content for NLP. This week's featured guest Dawn Anderson, Managing Director at Bertey, shares her knowledge about BERT and natural language SEO.

Some key topics discussed during this show include:

• What natural language SEO entails
• Challenges in optimizing for NLP
• Steps for optimizing content for NLP

The Next SEO Obsession: Dwell Time When searchers click on a SERP link to check it out, may or may not then return to the SERP to look at other results. SEOs are now becoming obsessed with how much time users spend on a webpage for going back to the SERP.

Legal Woes Continue for Facebook Four little-known tech companies are mounting an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook, claiming the social media giant maintains a brazen anticompetitive scheme, including the acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp.

No More Double-Dipping on Page 1 of Google SERPs As of today, Danny Sullivan confirms that webpages with a Featured Snippet will not get a repeat listing in the organic listings on page one. Some were enjoying taking up two coveted page 1 of SERP real estate.

The marketers who will win in today's environment are those who understand it's all about providing a great experience. It's no longer about GRABBING attention, it's about HOLDING attention. Although a surprising number of professional marketers aren't as good as you'd think they would be at marketing themselves to get more clients. That leaves a big question, how do professional marketers who need clients market themselves?

This week's featured guest, Jay Acunzo, Founder of Marketing Showrunners, has been helping marketers do exactly that through podcasts and video series. Learn more about how he does that successfully on episode 339 of EDGE of the Web!

Some key topics discussed during this show include:

• Following the best practices
• Components of running a show
• Holding ATTENTION, not just GRABBING it

Google Chrome to Phase Out Third-Party Cookies

The digital media industry has two years to plan how it will identify audiences online when "cookie-pocalypse" descends. It's a big deal given Chrome accounts for more than half of all installed web browsers.

Fallout from Google's January 2020 Core Update

This classic broad core update rolled out January 13-16. YMYL (your money, your life) sites with thin content were among the biggest losers, which means many solid YMYL saw big gains.

New Podcast Ad Tech from Spotify

Spotify has begun rolling out the ability to embed interactive targeted ads into podcasts based on real-time data analysis. SAI (streaming ad insertion) for now is only in Spotify's original and exclusive podcasts.