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Search Engine Land’s most engaging stories of 2016: A whole lotta Google

From AdWords updates to algorithm changes, the arrival of Expanded Text Ads to the sunsetting of PageRank score... there was a lot going on with the Big G this year.

Lauren Donovan on December 30, 2016 at 3:21 pm

sel_yir_2016_1920x1080_gen I wasn’t exaggerating with that title. Sure, we cover a lot of Google-related news here on Search Engine Land, but now it can be definitively stated that it’s (in part) because that’s what you, our readers, crave.

We tallied all of the likes, favorites, shares, clicks, retweets and so on for every single social post across the Search Engine Land Facebook and Twitter communities over the past 12 months. Out of the top 10 most socially engaging stories across those communities — 20 stories in total — only ONE was not about Google. (Even the honorable mention in the Twitter roundup was from the Google Dance earlier this year during SMX West. It literally was our 7th most popular tweet of 2016. Scroll down and have a watch. You’ll see why.)

From AdWords updates to algorithm changes, the arrival of Expanded Text Ads to the sunsetting of PageRank score… there was a lot going on with the Big G this year. Let’s take a look back at the issues and announcements that scored the most social engagement across the board. (Catch up with all of our Search Engine Land Year In Review stories, while you’re at it!)

Search Engine Land’s Most Social Tweets Of 2016

1. Google officially throttling Keyword Planner data for low spending AdWords accounts — by Greg Finn, August 13

Google officially throttling Keyword Planner data for low spending AdWords accounts https://t.co/QgkyQCMmf9

— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) August 13, 2016

2. Confirmed: Google To Stop Showing Ads On Right Side Of Desktop Search Results Worldwide — by Matt McGee, February 19 (This story actually made the list three times. Three different tweets promoting this story throughout the week of publication ranked on the top 10 list, so… it’s kind of a big deal.)

Confirmed: @Google To Stop Showing Ads On Right Side Of Desktop Search Results Worldwide by @mattmcgee https://t.co/TEtYEaQNPy

— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) February 20, 2016

3. RIP #Google PageRank score: A retrospective on how it ruined the web — by Danny Sullivan, March 9

RIP #Google PageRank score: A retrospective on how it ruined the web by @dannysullivan https://t.co/WWIDXw8uii

— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) March 10, 2016

4. Moz trims product line to focus on search, lays off 28% of staff — by Barry Schwartz, August 17

Moz trims product line to focus on search, lays off 28% of staff by @rustybrick https://t.co/1HvNShmfOb

— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) August 17, 2016

5. Google expanded text ads are live, and device bidding & responsive ads for native roll out — by Ginny Marvin, July 26

Google has officially launched expanded text ads. https://t.co/271xtkomzD #ppcchat #SEM pic.twitter.com/PyTkvwW8aR

— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) July 26, 2016

6. Google is completely redesigning AdWords: Offers first peek — by Ginny Marvin, March 28

Google is completely redesigning AdWords: Offers first peek by @ginnymarvin https://t.co/B9Zg98eDKH

— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) March 28, 2016

7. Google’s New SERP Layout: The Biggest Winners & Losers — by Larry Kim, February 24

Google’s New SERP Layout: The Biggest Winners & Losers by @larrykim https://t.co/a40OWmnLEh

— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) February 25, 2016

8. Saying a third of mobile searches are local, Google brings “Promoted Pins” to Maps — by Greg Sterling, May 24

The Big G is introducing new local search ads on @Google and @GoogleMaps: https://t.co/oDs0NarrCQ pic.twitter.com/FII0PHAEXS

— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) May 24, 2016

9. Everything you need to know about Google’s “Possum” algorithm update — by Joy Hawkins, September 21

Everything you need to know about Google’s ‘Possum’ algorithm update by @joyannehawkins https://t.co/lVF5VUh59Q

— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) September 21, 2016

10. The real impact of Google’s new paid search ad layout on organic search — by Winston Burton, March 28

What is the real impact of Google’s new paid search ad layout on organic search? Check in with Winston Burton: https://t.co/jyPbxyHabe #SEO

— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) March 29, 2016

Honorable Mention

.@dchordigian shutting it down at #GoogleDance #SMX 👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/71JWbay6St

— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) March 3, 2016

Because obvi.

Search Engine Land’s Most Social Facebook Posts Of 2016

1. Confirmed: Google To Stop Showing Ads On Right Side Of Desktop Search Results Worldwide — by Matt McGee, February 19

2. Google Panda Is Now Part Of Google’s Core Ranking Signals — by Barry Schwartz, January 12

3. Google Had A Major Core Ranking Algorithm Update This Past Weekend — by Barry Schwartz, January 12

4. Google has confirmed it is removing Toolbar PageRank — by Barry Schwartz, March 8

5. Google is completely redesigning AdWords: Offers first peek — by Ginny Marvin, March 28

6. Google expanded text ads are live, and device bidding & responsive ads for native roll out — by Ginny Marvin, July 26

7. Everything you need to know about Google’s ‘Possum’ algorithm update — by Joy Hawkins, September 21

8. Google+ Accounts No Longer Required For Leaving Local Reviews In Google — by Barry Schwartz, April 4

9. Study: Quality Backlinks & Comprehensive Content Are Still Biggest Factors In Google Rankings — by Greg Finn, January 20

10. iPhone Users, The AdWords App For iOS Has Arrived — by Ginny Marvin, January 28

Methodology: Top tweets were identified by native Twitter analytics. Top Facebook posts were identified using Simply Measured analytics.

About The Author

Lauren Donovan

Lauren Donovan has worked in online marketing since 2006, specializing in content generation, organic social media, community management, real-time journalism, and holistic social befriending. She currently serves as the Content Marketing Manager at Third Door Media, parent company to Search Engine Land, Marketing Land, MarTech Today, SMX, and The MarTech Conference.