Five things worth sharing from the last week or so, brought to you by a different member of the Browser Media team every Friday.
This week’s My Five is by Ali.
1. H1s, H2s: Does Google look bovvered?
Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst, John Mueller, confirmed that heading tags (H1s, H2s, etc.) are significant ranking signals, as he responded to a member of the SEO community in a forum this week.
Mueller has in the past downplayed the important of H1 headings and whilst he doesn’t go back on that, in his comments, he appeared to be making three main points:
- A site can rank without heading tags. (We’ve all seen this incredibly frustrating phenomenon when doing competitor analysis. Grrrr!)
- Headings will help Google understand more about the page (i.e. you have a little more control about what you’re aiming to rank for than without them).
- Heading tags are important, but it doesn’t matter too much which heading tags you use – H1s, H2s, H3s etc. – as long as you use some.
We still believe it’s helpful to think about the use of heading tags in a hierarchical sense to help organise the content on an individual page but Google is less bothered about the particular type of tag.
2. Ben and Jerry’s got political (and it worked)
How do you like a side of political campaigning with your Cookie Dough? It’s very much working for Ben & Jerry’s.
Last week they waded in on the political debate challenging the Home Secretary on the strategy to stop migrants making the journey across the channel.
Home Secretary, Priti Patel, played into the brand’s hand perfectly by calling the brand ‘over-priced junk food’ and Foreign Office minister accused the company of ‘virtue signalling’.
In a whole range of metrics, from the number of people talking about the brand, through to those more inclined to buy their products, Ben and Jerry’s risk seems to have paid off.
It was a bold move as many other companies have tried and failed in this area (with their social media accounts and reputation often left in tatters) but perhaps in our new world, political activism from snack manufacturers is going to become the norm.
3. Orange is the new chocolate
Everyone loves a Terry’s Chocolate Orange at Christmas and quite frankly if there isn’t one hidden at the bottom of your stocking, you’ve been short-changed or very bad!
But this summer has seen several orange-flavoured chocolate bars launched and social media is literally in heaven. Perhaps it’s just the happy distraction some people need at the moment?
Following a successful limited edition launch last year, Orange Twirl is back and created a Twitter storm with a presale on the Cadbury’s UK account. The first 5,000 visitors were given a voucher code to allow people to buy it from the comfort of their own homes.
And if that wasn’t enough good news, then Toblerone launched its Orange Toblerone Twist too. Currently available online and at Tesco (other stores will be available soon), the excitement is almost too much to bear.
One Twitter user said: ‘OMGGGG 2020 the year of the orange.’
Which other food manufacturers will jump on the orange bandwagon we wonder?
4. Samsung’s Alternative Careers Guide
I love a bit of research and enjoyed reading Samsung’s Alternative Career’s Guide as a snappy bit of PR-friendly news.
The research found that becoming an influencer, app developer and designing video games top the list of jobs that excite today’s youth. Half of teens think they’ll have more than one career and digital/tech careers are also becoming a priority for the 3,000 16-18 year olds interviewed.
According to the research, the top 10 alternative careers are:
- Social Media Influencer
- App Developer
- Video Game Developer
- Smart Home Designer
- 3D Prop Designer
- Software Developer
- Vaccine Developer
- Drone Operator
- Social Media Manager
- Forensic Computer Analyst
It’s a little odd that a tech giant such as Samsung is calling all of these careers ‘alternative’ as many do seem pretty mainstream now. However, it’s good to see that the research is backed-up by a fairly decent amount of online content – always an essential for a successful SEO campaign.
5. Epic Games’ parody of Apple’s 1984 ad
Following a spat between Apple and Fornite’s owner Epic Games, the latter has launched a parody of the former’s legendary 1984 ad. Called Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite, it’s a clever, if expensive, revenge tactic that rather amused us.
