Research from SEMRush reported on in "Campaign" has found that the biggest ranking factor for SEO performance is direct website visits, followed by how long those visits last and how much content is consumed.

Google will devalue Russia Today and Sputnik within its search algorithm so stories coming from the sites are not ranked as high as they previously were. The BBC reports that Google did not want to censor the sites, but wanted to ensure that if they are spreading fake news, their performance would be throttled back so stories from more reliable sources can be placed more prominently.

If you're trying to wrap your head around why WPP has backed down and accepted Bain Capital's GBP25 per share takeover of ADK, "The Drum" might be worth a read. It speculates that Bain is considering whether it will allow WPP to buy a non-controlling, minority stake in a "vehicle" that could potentially own the Japanese agency.

A school is threatening to sue parents who have made derogatory remarks on Facebook about its anti-bullying record, "The Telegraph" reports.

After 8 years with JWT, Debenhams has handed its creative account to Mother, "The Drum" reports.

An investigation by "The Guardian" has shown that Russian trolls were quoted more than 80 times in the UK media before Twitter got around to shutting down accounts.

T"he Financial Times" has revealed it has surpassed 700,000 paying readers for the first time in its 130-year history. "Press Gazette" reveals that digital subscriptions have been boosted by Brexit and the US Presidential election.

Black Friday will account for 40% of Christmas shopping, with a little over a quarter of festive spending then being spend in the final two weeks' run up to the big day, Netimperative reports.

Figures from Zenith reported on in "The Drum" predict that two in three of all ad dollars spend by 2019 will be on programmatic.

"The Times" is not the place for brands seeking festive joy today. It is citing Visa figures in an article that suggests the high street is about to have its worst Christmas in at least five years. The statistics show that consumers are not well off enough to splash out this Christmas as inflation overtakes weak wage growth.