With another year in the books, it’s time to take a look back before we plan for the year ahead. Here’s a roundup of some of the top digital marketing stories from 2021.

1) Google Reveals Top Searches of 2021
December 8, 2021 | Search Engine Journal
Google has revealed the top searches of 2021, from AMC Stock to Squid Game. Plus, which of those marketer-coveted long-tail terms hit the charts this past year?
2) WordPress 5.9 Delayed Until January 2022
November 18, 2021 | WPTavern
WordPress 5.9 has been delayed due to significant blockers that could not be resolved in time for Beta 1, which was previously scheduled to be released November 16.
3) Google Rolling Out New PageSpeed Insights
November 16, 2021 | Search Engine Land
Google rolled out a new upgraded PageSpeed Insights that makes the tool “more intuitive” when measuring performance and improves using real-world and lab data.
4) Facebook Company is Now Meta
October 28, 2021 | Facebook
At Connect 2021, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced Meta, which brings together our apps and technologies under one new company brand. Meta’s focus will be to bring the metaverse to life and help people connect, find communities and grow businesses.
5) What iOS 15 Means for Marketers
September 29, 2021 | CMSWire
Apple’s June update announcement left marketers scrambling, particularly regarding user privacy. As more user privacy-focused updates become available, marketers will have to reorient to adapt.
6) LinkedIn Pages Can Now Publish Long-Form Content
September 15, 2021 | Search Engine Journal
LinkedIn’s new Articles For Pages gives companies the ability to publish long-form content for the first time, rather than being restricted by a character count. In addition, company pages are getting a new way to produce live content, and new campaign options in LinkedIn Ads.
7) More Time, Tools, and Details on the Page Experience Update
April 19, 2021 | Google Search Central
In late 2020, Google announced the page experience ranking change would go live on Google Search in early 2021. However, Google has now announced that the roll-out will be gradual, starting mid-June.