Searchmetrics

Conductor acquires Searchmetrics

US-based SEO platform Conductor has acquired Berlin-based Searchmetrics, signaling a strategic consolidation in enterprise SEO and MarTech. The deal was announced by Searchmetrics CEO Matthew Colebourne on the company blog. Conductor, founded in 2006 and at one point owned by WeWork, pairs its content-marketing and enterprise SEO capabilities with Searchmetrics’ data, software and consulting solutions to broaden offerings in Europe. The partners say the two organizations will initially operate with their own headquarters, resources and customer bases, and view each other as cooperation partners rather than competitors. Long-term plans call for a merger to deliver the best enterprise SEO platform on the market, drawing on the combined experience, data and know-how. In the near term, there will be no changes for customers as the integration progresses; further details will be shared on the blogs as the journey continues.

Semrush acquires Backlinko.com

Semrush announced it has acquired Backlinko.com, a marketing and SEO training platform that reports over 500,000 monthly visits and offers video and text content, widgets, code, and SEO techniques since its 2012 founding. Backlinko describes itself as 'the place for next-level SEO training and link building strategies,' and its learning resources will be integrated into Semrush Academy to broaden Semrush's training offerings. The move aims to build a self-service digital marketing training platform and set a standard for education in the field. Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko, welcomed the acquisition, noting the collaboration will enhance learning opportunities for millions of marketers. Semrush’s Chief Marketing Officer, Andrew Warden, highlighted that the combined resources will create one of the web’s most robust digital marketing training libraries. This acquisition follows Marcus Tober’s earlier January move to join Semrush.

Desktop Page Experience Report in Search Console

Google announced and began rolling out the Desktop Page Experience signals, with February–end of March 2022 identified for the desktop rollout. To support this, Search Console now includes a dedicated Desktop section in its Page Experience report to help site owners assess desktop user experience. The same Core Web Vitals metrics used for mobile—Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and First Input Delay (FID)—apply to desktop, and the desktop signals use the same performance thresholds as mobile. Additionally, pages should maintain HTTPS security and avoid disruptive interstitials. Google provides official guidance and further optimization resources, including seven detailed Core Web Vitals tips and a dedicated FAQ. The article also notes historical context, such as a spring 2021 Searchmetrics finding that only around 3% of German websites had good Core Web Vitals, illustrating Page Experience as one of many ranking factors.