Meta reinvests in ‘traditional’ products once again

Throughout 2022, much of the Meta-based news has stemmed from the company’s investment in the metaverse. However, with the year now drawing to a close, Meta appears to be pivoting back towards its ‘traditional’ products once again. This is because the company has made big changes to both WhatsApp and Instagram, two of its core […]

Google releases December 2022 link spam update

Google Search have released a link spam update which uses the power of SpamBrain to reduce the impact of unnatural links on search results. This is a global update affecting all languages and it will take two weeks to rollout. Google have confirmed it will continue to roll out the December 2022 helpful content system, while […]

What is the future impact of AI ChatGPT on SEO?

Spike’s Head of SEO Training, Steve Bailey, takes a rather surprising look at how ChatGPT, and other versions of AI content creation, are now being deployed, and shares his views on how they are likely to change the digital landscape.  

Is Sustainability Now Crucial For Business Success?

“B Corps”. “Ecopreneurs”. “Zero Carbon Brands”… In recent years, as the pace of climate change hastened, so has the pressure on businesses to do something about it. Yet a majority of companies still have no real sustainability strategy. Many are understandably concerned about potential impacts on revenue and loss of custom. Are these worries justified?.. […]

Yahoo! purchases 25% of Taboola, but why?

Although its revenues are declining thanks to weaknesses in the digital advertising market, internet giants Yahoo! have purchased a 25% stake in advertising network, Taboola. As part of the deal, Yahoo! has finalised a 30-year exclusive advertising partnership with Taboola. In addition, the deal also allows Yahoo! to use Taboola’s tech to manage its native […]

Apple and MLS announce MLS Season Pass will launch next year

Prior to the new season starting on 25 February, 2023, Apple and Major League Soccer (MLS) have announced that MLS Season Pass will launch on February 1. Pricing for MLS Season Pass will be announced at a later date, but those who purchase a full-season ticket package with an MLS club will receive MLS Season […]

TikTok announces plan to sell books directly to users

TikTok has announced new partnerships with HarperCollinsUK, Bloomsbury and retailers WHSmith and Bookshop.org. As a direct result, book lovers will now be able to buy their favourite books without leaving the TikTok app. The growth of #BookTok and TikTok’s move towards book sales In creating these new partnerships, TikTok hopes to build on the success […]

WhatsApp Move into Location Based Marketing with Discover Businesses

As part of a product development push on WhatsApp Business, WhatsApp has launched a new local business directory in Brazil, the UK, Indonesia, Mexico, and Colombia. For now, WhatsApp users in the UK can’t see the directory functionality, but users in Brazil can, with testing initially starting in Sao Paulo. WhatsApp Business launched in 2018 […]

Google predicts strength of backlinks as a ranking factor to drop over time

About This Result – Links always likely to benefit your website Steve Bailey, Spike’s Head of SEO Training takes a closer look at backlinks, following the recent comments by Google Search Advocate, John Mueller, who suggested that the strength of backlinks, as a ranking factor will drop over time. John Mueller recently stated; “Well, it’s […]

Everything you need to know about social media platform Mastodon

News of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has caused some to look for alternates to the social networking giant. As a result, interest in the open-source social media platform known as Mastodon has spiked. Labelled by some as a ‘Twitter killer’, the Mastodon app has shot up the charts on iOS and Android over the […]