Welcome to our monthly review of major happenings in the digital space. Here are a few significant updates that might interest you;

• Google Rolls Out Search Ads 360 Integration For Google Analytics 4

Google has just launched Search Ads 360 integration for Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This enables advertisers to see sessions, users and conversions within the context of dimensions such as source, campaign, medium and default channel grouping. Users will also be able to see cross-channel attribution data in their Model comparison and Conversion paths reports. For more information about the update, click here. 

• Google’s Free Hotel Booking Links Arrive on Search and Maps

In March 2021, Google started offering free listings within Google Hotel search. Now, the company is adding support for free hotel booking links on the Search results page and Google Maps. When a user clicks on these links, they’ll be taken to the hotel’s (or online travel platform’s) site where they can complete the booking. For more information about the update, click here. 

• Cloudflare Announces Free Web Application Firewall

Cloudflare is now offering a free Web Application Firewall (WAF) to subscribers on the free plan. The WAF will provide access to the WAF user interface which comes with a ruleset that can be used to block known threats automatically. The managed ruleset has been tested against the Cloudflare network and it allows users to activate their firewall and begin enjoying the benefits of a firewall right away. For more information about the update, click here. 

• Instagram Launches New Moderator Option for IG Live Streams

Instagram is introducing a new option to manage live broadcasts in the app, with a new live-stream moderator feature. This will enable users to assign a moderator within a stream giving the mod the capacity to report comments, remove viewers from a stream and turn off comments for a specific viewer. For more information about the update, click here.

• TikTok Launches Search Ads in Beta for Selected Partners

TikTok has just launched beta testing for ads in search results. This is to provide TikTok creators with another way to reach their audience via the search terms that they use. Now, TikTok advertisers can target searchers looking for specific terms, which is a great way to reach people with higher purchase intent and interest. In addition to this, TikTok will also provide advertisers with a listing of the search terms that drove clicks on their campaigns, adding another potential targeting element for ads on the platform. For more information, click here. 

• YouTube is Moving into Podcasts

.YouTube is developing a new podcast discovery home within the app. Now, podcasters will be able to feed their audio shows via RSS, with YouTube offering audio ads, analytics, and more to help them showcase their audio offerings. YouTube has not provided any official information about the podcast plans but it did hire a podcast executive to lead its efforts and recently, it’s been offering deals to popular podcasters to film episodes of their shows on the platform. Podcast is just another element that provides more ways for creators to get maximum value from their efforts, all in one place. For more information, click here. 

• WhatsApp Announces New Improvements for Audio Recordings in the App

WhatsApp is now looking at new ways to enhance the audio experience on its platform. With over 7 billion voice messages per day, on average on the app, new audio features seem to be a great idea. Here is a list of the new voice message additions:

• Out of Chat Playback: Listen to a voice message outside of the chat so you can multitask or read and respond to other messages
• Pause/Resume Recording: When recording a voice message, you can now pause the recording and resume when ready, in case you’re interrupted or need to gather your thoughts
• Waveform Visualization: Shows a visual representation of the sound on the voice message to help follow the recording
• Draft Preview: Listen to your voice messages before sending them
• Remember Playback: If you pause when listening to a voice message, you can pick up where you left off when you return to the chat
• Fast Playback on Forwarded Messages: Play voice messages at 1.5x or 2x speeds to listen to messages faster on both regular and forwarded messages.

For more information about the update, click here.

• Google May Require Double Verification for Some Business Profiles

Google has just updated its document on how to verify your business in Google Business Profiles through more than one verification method. This update was introduced because of the fraudulent business profiles being created using one of the verification methods. Now, some business needs to double verify their profiles. For more information about the update, click here.

• Instagram Launches Automated Captions for Feed Videos

Instagram is introducing auto-generated captions in Instagram feed videos. Now, users will be able to switch on auto-captions for any Instagram feed post, providing another way to expand their consumption options in the app. Instagram’s auto-captions for feed posts will be available in 17 languages, with more to come soon. For more information about the update, click here. 

• TikTok Confirms that 10 Minute Video Uploads are Coming to All Users

TikTok has confirmed that all users will soon be able to upload 10 minute long videos in the app. This is a significant expansion of the current time limits on TikTok and users are already being notified of the update. Longer videos are coming to TikTok, are you excited?  For more information, click here. Thank you for reading. See you next month for more news and interesting reads in the digital space.