Local Memo: Prospect of TikTok Ban Looms

In this week’s update, read about the upcoming ban of TikTok in the U.S.; the new “Trial Reels” feature from Instagram; and the debate over schema markup for local SEO.

Prospect of TikTok Ban Looms

The News

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a ruling on Friday siding with the government’s case that, according to a law passed earlier this year, TikTok will be forced to divest from parent company ByteDance or else be shut down in the U.S. as of January 19. On Monday, attorneys representing ByteDance filed an emergency motion asking for a delay, arguing that the case would likely be overturned by the Supreme Court and that more time was needed for deliberation. Incoming president Trump has vowed to “save” TikTok, but does not take office until the day after the ban is set to begin. President Biden could issue an order delaying the ban by 90 days, but according to the law, this would require that TikTok has already made progress toward divesting its U.S. app and simply needs more time, which is not the case according to reports. 

What It Means

This is a dramatic story with an uncertain ending. The court is expected to rule on ByteDance’s emergency request by December 16, but even if an extension is granted, it’s unclear whether the legal process that has already been set in motion can easily be stopped. However, a Slate column by Scott Nover argues that Trump could petition Congress to repeal the law, direct the Justice Department not to enforce it, or negotiate a “qualified divestiture” as a compromise. Nover also points out that a ban would be hard to enforce; users might still have the app on their phones, but would be unable to update it. We’ll watch this story as it develops.

Instagram Introduces Trial Reels for Experimenting with Content

The News

Instagram has launched Trial Reels, a feature designed to let creators test content with non-followers before sharing it with their audiences. The feature begins its global rollout today and will be available to eligible creators in the coming weeks. This tool aims to reduce the hesitation creators often feel when experimenting with new ideas or formats that might not align with their usual style. If the Trial Reel performs well, creators can either manually share it with their audience or automate the process. This allows Reels to be seamlessly shared with followers if the content is seeing strong performance within 72 hours.

To post a Trial Reel, creators toggle the “Trial” option when uploading a Reel. These Reels remain hidden from followers’ feeds and the creator’s main profile grid unless shared publicly. Engagement data becomes available approximately 24 hours after posting. Creators can review metrics such as views, likes, and shares, as well as comparisons with previous trial performances. These insights provide clarity on a Reel’s potential success.

Why It Matters

Trial Reels were tested earlier this year, and Instagram has integrated feedback into the feature’s final design. Creators who participated in the beta reported success in reaching new audiences while maintaining relevance with their existing followers. This initiative reflects Instagram’s ongoing commitment to empowering creators with tools that foster creative expression and audience growth. 

The Benefits of Local Business Schema in the Age of AI

The News

A new article on the Whitespark blog from Miriam Ellis helpfully discusses some of the myriad positions taken recently by local SEOs on the use of schema markup. This can be a confusing subject, because the role of semantic markup is contested and because there are so many kinds of schema code you can potentially add to your website. Perhaps the most relevant for local SEO is local business schema, which is used to identify the contact info and other details of local businesses, but some businesses have also seen an impact from implementing product schema, review schema, and FAQ schema.

Ellis reviews the perspectives of experts, in particular Colan Nielsen, Claire Carlisle, and Mike Blumenthal, which do not line up with each other but contain interesting snippets; for instance, Blumenthal suggests that local business schema is not useful for SMBs but should be employed by multi-location brands to help search engines keep their location data straight. 

Ultimately, Ellis makes the case that the most important reason to pay attention to schema is the rise of AI. Schema can help to undergird customized AI responses by contributing to structured datasets like Google’s Knowledge Graph.

What It Means

The debate about the value of schema is likely to continue, but it’s reasonable to suggest that large language models (LLMs) will require the support of structured semantic data to help ground them in reality, prevent hallucination, and provide accurate and reliable answers to user queries. If, indeed, schema markup helps search engines and LLMs to understand your content properly, it doesn’t have to provide anything so direct as a ranking benefit or review snippet in order to be valuable.