• 02 Feb 2021
  • 4 Min read

January 2021: Digital marketing news and Google updates

Are you up to date with all of the SEO and digital marketing news from January 2021? We’re here to make sure you are!

We saw a lot of interesting developments last month: a number of updates were rolled out by Google, from the redesign of its mobile Search interface to the launch of new Google My Business performance reports. John Mueller also explained why certain types of duplicate content can actually benefit your SEO, and subtopic ranking was rolled out.

Here, we’re going to talk you through all of the latest updates, so you can start February with all of the information you need to succeed.

New performance reporting launches for Google My Business

At the beginning of January, Google started rolling out new performance reports for Google My Business (GMB). This was to give brand owners a better idea of how their GMB listings are connecting with their audiences.

The new reports provide extra data, such as how many calls and messages a company has received over the last six months and what people searched for before coming across a particular listing.

Certain metrics that could be monitored in the previous version of these reports are currently unavailable, but it’s likely these will be reintroduced in due course.

If you would like more of an insight into this story, make sure you check out our full update on the launch of new performance reporting in Google My Business.

Google announces Search Console coverage report improvements

On 11 January, Google announced that it was updating its Search Console coverage report.

This report is designed to show the indexing state of all the URLs Google has visited on a particular website. In the past, SEO professionals would be told when the search engine was unable to crawl or index a particular page, but they wouldn’t be given any information as to why. From now on, Google will try to provide you with as many details as possible.

If you would like to learn more about this development and see a list of the changes that are being made, check out our full news story about Google making Search Console coverage report improvements.

Google says identical content in different formats isn’t duplicate

On 22 January, Google’s John Mueller confirmed that there’s no problem with publishing identical content in different formats. This was in response to a question that was asked during a Google Search Central office hours stream.

There has been a lot of speculation in the SEO world about what constitutes duplicate content and how it can be detrimental to a website’s search engine visibility. But Mueller confirmed that repeating the same information in different forms isn’t a terrible idea — in fact, it could help you to reach more people, as we all have our own preferences when it comes to consuming content.

Google updates mobile Search design and interface

At the end of January 2021, Google announced that it would be rolling out a new design for its mobile Search results.

While the updates are subtle, they include new fonts, shapes, and colours. Key elements such as Featured Snippets and knowledge panels also have a more streamlined look.

The company has been testing new designs for a few months now, but its team have finally decided what tweaks need to be made. The changes are already being rolled out and, if you can’t see them on your smartphone already, it won’t be long before you do.

If you would like to learn more and see how the new interface will look, check out our blog post about Google’s new mobile Search design.

The SEO and digital marketing landscape is changing all of the time. Staying up to date with the latest developments and tweaking your strategies accordingly can be difficult — especially when you’re juggling all the other elements of running or marketing a business.If you would like help with staying on top of things and getting the best possible results, our SEO, paid search, and affiliate marketing experts can help! Get in touch today to discuss your needs.


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