Facebook to use yearly spend to determine Ads volume limits
The change will affect advertisers starting February 2021. Pages spending under $100K a month on Facebook Ads will be limited to showing 250 ads at a time.
Google Ads to pass on digital services tax (DST) to advertisers
Advertisers will be charged the fees on top of existing budgets beginning November 1, 2020. The new fees will affect ads shown in the UK, Austria, and Turkey.
‘Fast’ debuts one-click frictionless checkout that’s similar to Shopify’s but can be used on any platform
Capitalizing on Amazon’s expired 1-click patent, Fast officially launched its frictionless one-click checkout service that can be used by practically any ecommerce store. They promoted the service as making the internet faster.
SugarCRM acquires AI software company Node Inc.
SugarCRM is investing in the connective intelligence power of Node Inc. to bring CRM-focused AI to its CX platform, which includes sales CRM, marketing automation, and customer service modules.
Cloudflare launches beta of 1.1.1.1 VPN with WARP for macOS and Windows
First announced in April 2020, Cloudflare has finally released beta versions of its 1.1.1.1 VPN with WARP for macOS and Windows. The VPN service also includes support for 1.1.1.1 for Families, which blocks malware and adult sites.
Microsoft 365 now includes Transcription for Word
The business software can transcribe live or previously recorded audio and lets users add all or part of the transcription directly to an associated document.
Apple showing signs it may soon launch a search engine to compete against Google Search
Changes in Spotlight Search on iOS and iPadOS 14 beta, a significant update to its Applebot support page, and an increase in crawling from AppleBot signify that Apple may be launching a search engine soon.
Facebook announces Paid Online Events
Facebook Paid Online Events are available for qualifying Pages. Small business owners booking events through Facebook Pay on the web or Android will keep 100 percent of the event’s revenue for at least the first year of the program.
Google adding “Fast page” label to Chrome browser
Google is utilizing Core Web Vitals to label web pages as fast in the next version of its Chrome browser.
Drift introduces Prospector and rebrands to ‘Revenue Acceleration Platform’
The Prospector tool combines the Drift Conversational Marketing and Sales tools with buyer activity data from third party software. The company has also changed their branding in order to better fit today’s combined sales and marketing teams.
WordPress 5.5 now has automatic updates for plugins and themes, but you may want to avoid it
A much-anticipated feature was added to version 5.5 of WordPress. The popular CMS gained the ability to turn on auto-updates for plugins and themes. However, the new feature comes with risks.
AVIF, a next-gen image format for the web, will have to wait in line behind WebP
WebP is on the verge of replacing JPEG and PNG as the best image to use on the web thanks to Safari 14 finally supporting it. However, an even better image format, AVIF, is already looking to replace it.
Stack Overflow Raises Series E Funding for Teams Product
Stack Overflow raised $85 million in Series E funding for its Teams knowledge management product following a strong first two years of growth. Investor and consumer interest shows how digital work has changed knowledge management needs for many companies.
Mozilla VPN extends data protection tool set to full devices
The $4.99 per month VPN protects up to 5 Android and PC devices, with iOS, Mac, and Linux versions promised soon. Mozilla partnered with Mullvad VPN and WireGuard for this comprehensive security coverage.
Google testing $50 monthly fee for ‘Google Guaranteed’ badge in organic GMB local search results
The 'Google Guaranteed' consumer protection program has been reserved for businesses using Google Ads. Google has started testing making the badge available to profiles using Google My Business (GMB) for a fee.
TikTok makes Business Ad Manager self-serve, but future of platform in U.S. remains uncertain
The company is offering $100 million in ad credits to support small and mid-sized businesses impacted by the pandemic.
Snapchat focuses on ad growth and engagement via ‘Snap Focus’ learning portal and Brand profiles
In addition to introducing coursework aimed at advertisers and agencies, the company is giving a select number of brands the ability to post permanent content.
LinkedIn gives brands new ways to target engaged audiences via its platform and Audience Network
LinkedIn advertisers can now run retargeting campaigns directed at users who have watched a video ad or opened a lead gen form.
iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 betas bypass Google Search on iPhones and iPads with Spotlight Search
Apple introduced a new Spotlight Search feature to iOS and iPadOS 14 that enables users to search and go directly to a site, completely bypassing Google’s search result pages.
Facebook opens access to new brand safety tools and launches a redesigned control hub
Publisher whitelists for Audience Network ads, content whitelists and enhanced delivery reports can be found within Facebook’s Business Manager platform.
