Google Confirms Search Ranking Data Leak
The biggest story in SEO this week was a huge data leak related to Google’s algorithms and systems. The search giant released a statement on Wednesday (29 May) saying the public reveal of over 2,500 documents was authentic. However, it warned against making “inaccurate assumptions” based on what it claims to be “outdated” and “incomplete” information.
The documents have raised eyebrows for several reasons. One is the alleged use of clicks and Chrome user data as a signal for search rankings when Google has previously stated the opposite. News site Search Engine Land believes it's “hard to say for sure” whether Google has lied to SEOs and webmasters. There remains a lot for the community to unpack.
TikTok Tests DM Streaks
TikTok is testing a new “Streaks” feature as it continues to focus on updates for direct messaging. Users can unlock streaks by DMing other users in the app over consecutive days. They then get a notification highlighting their streak with a fire emoji and the milestone figure. TikTok has been rolling out more features for private sharing and messaging recently. This is in response to an emerging trend where users prioritise sharing content in group chats over public feeds.
Labour Party Takes Early Battleground on Socials
UK political parties are using social media platforms to try and court young voters ahead of July’s General Election. However, it’s been a bumpy start for the Conservative Party’s new TikTok channel. A 50-second clip posted on Sunday featuring Rishi Sunak was too formal and “very prerecorded” according to University of Sheffield professor Kate Dommett. She noted that TikTok is not the platform for “serious policy conversations”.
The Labour Party has fared better. Their campaign opened with a shorter, eleven-second video from Keir Starmer with its headline “Change” message. It then followed up with a series of irreverent clips and memes mocking the Prime Minister and plans for mandatory national service for teens. One viral video featured a clip from Cilla Black’s 90s TV show, Surprise Surprise.
The Reform Party currently has the most followers on TikTok (125,000), ahead of Labour (108,000) and the Green Party (34,000). Labour leads the engagement stakes though; it’s racked up 1.5m likes on the platform compared to the Tory Party’s paltry 175,000. Social media consultant Matt Navarra noted that Labour is “nailing numbers all over the place”.
Google to Remove Chat from Business Profiles
Google is sunsetting Chat in Business Profiles later this summer. It confirmed this week that it had decided to remove messaging features and call history reports from Business Profiles due to their “relatively low usage”. Google launched Chat seven years ago. It will now cease to exist after 31 July 2024.
Kevin Hart Beats the Kardashians on Insta
Kevin Hart is Instagram’s highest-earning American celebrity. A new infographic published by Bored Panda found the actor is taking home $28m a year from the platform. That figure puts him well ahead of Kylie Jenner ($16.8m), Khloe Kardashian ($16.7m) and Mark Wahlberg ($15.5m). Hart has 180m followers and racked up huge earnings across 26 ads promoting his brands.
