Google removes more fake reviews than ever before 

Google blocked 170m+ reviews in 2023, which is a 45% increase from the previous year. Google says its increasingly adept machine learning algorithm is doing much of the heavy lifting. Its complex systems are now doing a better job of detecting questionable reviews and removing them from the platform. Google says it’s also better equipped to target “one-off cases and broader attack patterns”. Suspicious 1-star reviews can be disastrous for small businesses that rely on local customs. They also make the task of online reputation management that much harder.

A few other statistics from last year: Google jettisoned 12m fake business profiles and removed 14m videos that violated its policies. Spam and fake information can still be an issue for business owners and marketers but Google’s sophisticated techniques are now more proficient at preventing and removing spam. That’s important, when Google says roughly 20m contributions are made on Search and Maps every single day.

TikTok partners with Team GB for Paris ‘24

The 2024 Olympics are now just six months away. Team GB is targeting a record medal haul and has partnered with TikTok to deliver exciting coverage and moments from the elite sporting competition. In a statement, TikTok said: “The partnership aims to help Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes share their unique journeys, connect with new audiences and grow their personal fanbase through TikTok, while encouraging support for the entire teams across the UK in the lead up to Paris 2024.”

Taylor Swift supercharges Super Bowl

X, formerly Twitter, is also likely to be a prime destination for engaging sports fans this summer. The latest Super Bowl was the best yet on X, with user posts and video views surging by 31% and 41%, respectively. Frequent shots of Taylor Swift attracted a new, celeb-obsessed, casual sports fan this year; ‘Taylor’ was the fourth most-used term, behind ‘Usher’, ‘Chiefs’ and ‘Super Bowl’. X says there were 10.5bn impressions across 19.2m posts during the annual season-closing match. 

British politicians “ditch” TikTok

While sport is lighting up TikTok, politicians in the UK at least are taking a back seat. A report by Politico this week claims many in the establishment have “ditched” the platform entirely. Official channels for the big parties are thin on the ground; neither the Conservative Party, Labour Party nor the Liberal Democrats have an official channel. Are they missing the chance to engage a young audience in election year?

Insta limits hashtags

Selecting relevant hashtags is a vital part of any social media marketing campaign. Instagram might be streamlining that process slightly with a new limit for tags in posts. Previously, it was possible to add 20+ hashtags but a new screenshot shared by Insta expert Jenn Herman this week showed a pop-up warning stating: “You can only add 5 hashtags to a post.” Meta has a similar limit on Threads. 

More search volatility but no confirmed update

Volatility in search results is a long-running theme now after Barry Schwartz again detected disturbances that point to an as yet “unconfirmed” update to Google’s search ranking algorithm. Big swings were previously tracked in late January and early February. The SEO community has noted issues with featured snippets that have been disappearing. The cause for that is believed to be a bug. Traffic is also fluctuating elsewhere, though, but Google again has not officially confirmed anything.