Meta launches new AI tools for advertisers. Image source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/meta-ai-tool-now-driven-by-new-more-powerful-llama-3-model-meta-says/
It’s time for our monthly roundup, where we discuss all the exciting digital marketing news that happened in August.
If you’ve arrived here from our newsletter, you already have an overview of this month’s key developments.
We like to provide more information in our blog posts, answering some of the questions our clients ask us about each important topic. More specifically, we talk about how these changes affect the work you’re doing in marketing, with some actionable next steps.
Head straight to:
1. Search: Google’s August 2024 Core Update
What’s happened?
The latest core algorithm update went live on the 15th August, and lasted for 19 days and 4 hours. This means you likely saw some ranking disruption towards the end of August, with rankings settling in early September.
What did this core update focus on?
As has been for the last core updates, this update focused more heavily on rewarding high-quality, user-first content. This means it’s prioritising content that genuinely benefits your users, shifting away from content that was previously writing to “rank for SEO”.
Uniquely, this update also helped to improve the visibility of smaller, independent websites. The aim of this was to reduce the dominance of larger established websites that may have traditionally had an advantage on rankings despite poor user experience.
Another interesting change during this Google algorithm update was that Google addressed feedback from past updates. This is a response to feedback received after the September 2023 helpful content update. It attempts to rectify the disproportionate impact on smaller sites by better recognising site improvements made since past updates.
My rankings have dropped significantly now we’re in September. What can my team do?
If you noticed ranking changes in August, but your rankings recovered in September, there is no issue. If your rankings did not recover in September, it’s likely that Google has deemed your content not as useful as competitors.
Here’s the step by step process we go through with clients should they find themselves negatively affected by a core ranking update:
1 . Identify the issue
First, understand the problem. Is this issue site wide, or are specific pages or categories affected? You’ll need to understand whether this is a content specific issue or more of a site wide problem.
2 . Conduct competitor analysis
SEO is a competition. A competition between your site and the thousands of other sites that are trying to rank for the same keyword. If you’ve slipped in rankings, that also means that Google has favoured other sites above yours.
What have these sites got that you haven't? Compare the customer experience on top ranking sites, taking a note of design, messaging, UX and product or service offering. Understanding why Google has favoured a site is a good starting point. Look at their content. What information do they offer? How do they communicate the information? Are the pages that rank in blog format or landing page format?
3 . Create an plan - and action it ASAP
You should have enough information now on what changes you need to make to recover your rankings. It’s important to act on these changes as soon as possible as it can take weeks or months for your rankings to change after the changes are made. Remember to ask Google to recrawl the pages via Google Search Console!
2. AI: Google Expands AI-Powered Search Overviews Globally
What is Google’s AI Overview?
AI Overview is a new feature within Google Search that uses AI to summarise search results at the top of the search results page.
It uses multiple sources across the web to answer the query. This is part of Google’s push to make Google search more interactive. Similarly, OpenAI’s SearchGPT prototype is pushing in the same direction by leveraging conversational AI to refine search interactions.
Where has it expanded to?
Initially launched in the U.S., but rolled back because of issues with accuracy, AI Overviews have now expanded to six additional countries: the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil.
Google is also testing new features, like in-text links within the overviews, and has added a “save” function for users to store these summaries for later use.
What is the public perception of it?
The public reception has been mixed. While Google claims that AI Overviews lead to higher-quality clicks and users spending more time on websites, some content creators and publishers are concerned about the potential for reduced referral traffic.
These summaries might prevent users from clicking through to original sources since they provide concise answers upfront.
How does this affect my marketing strategy?
The inclusion of AI summaries at the top of search results could reduce the number of clicks to your site. However, optimising for quality content and relevance becomes even more critical since these summaries are based on information that the AI deems most valuable.
It might also be beneficial to monitor the types of queries generating AI Overviews and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
What can I do to make my content AIO-friendly?
To make your content more likely to be included in AI Overviews:
Focus on creating clear, authoritative, and well-researched content.
Ensure your content directly answers users’ queries in a comprehensive way.
Include structured data and ensure your content is easy for AI to parse.
Avoid “clickbait” and ensure your content provides real value, as AI favours genuinely helpful information.
Reference your sources whenever possible to improve your E-E-A-T
Regularly update your content to ensure it remains relevant and informative, which can improve its chances of being surfaced in AI-driven summaries.
3. Social: Meta’s New AI Tools and Instagram Updates
Meta’s August 2024 update for WhatsApp introduces several AI-driven tools designed to streamline customer interactions.
Key features include AI-powered language translation and automated chatbots. These new tools allow you to handle customer queries faster and more efficiently, offering real-time responses and improving customer service across different languages.
How will these updates impact businesses using WhatsApp?
These tools can help to improve customer engagement. The language translation feature is particularly useful for brands operating in global markets, allowing them to easily communicate with customers in multiple languages without needing additional software.
AI chatbots will also enable businesses to automate repetitive tasks, offering faster resolution to common queries.
Are there any AI-driven updates for Instagram that I should be aware of?
Yes, Instagram is testing new AI-powered editing tools that simplify the process of creating high-quality Reels.
These tools can help brands and content creators streamline video production, making it easier to create polished content.
How can I benefit from these Instagram updates?
The new AI editing tools mean quicker content creation without sacrificing quality. The improved content recommendation system also offers more precise targeting, enabling you to deliver their content to users who are more likely to engage, potentially increasing conversion rates.
4. Data: Google Trends Reveals Hidden Features
Google Trends engineer manager, Omri Weisman, released a video in August explaining some hidden features of the much loved trends tool, Google Trends.
What were the 7 hidden features of Google Trends?
1. Real-Time Search Trends
This feature shows what’s trending in real-time, allowing you to react quickly to news or viral content. For marketers, it’s a great tool for jumping on relevant trends and aligning your content or ad campaigns with what people are currently searching for. It keeps your brand relevant and timely.
2. Trend by Category
You can filter trends by specific categories like “Health,” “Technology,” or “Business.” This is especially useful if you operate in a niche market. By focusing on trends in your industry, you can create more targeted campaigns, ensuring your content resonates with your specific audience.
3. Localised Search Insights
Google Trends allows you to break down search data by region. For marketers, this is a goldmine for geo-targeted campaigns. Whether you’re tailoring ads for different regions or creating location-specific content, understanding local search behaviour can help improve engagement and conversion rates.
4. Comparing Search Terms
The ability to compare search terms side by side gives valuable insights into which keywords are performing better. For SEO and content strategy, this helps you optimise your keyword choices, prioritise what’s more relevant to your audience, and adjust paid search campaigns to focus on the most effective terms.
5. Search Interest Over Time
This feature shows how interest in a topic changes over time. Understanding seasonality is crucial for marketing planning, especially if your product or service experiences peaks and dips. With this, you can schedule campaigns at the right times, making them more effective.
6. Related Queries and Topics
Google Trends offers suggestions for related search queries and topics, revealing what else your audience might be interested in. This can inspire new content ideas, helping you to cover topics that haven’t been fully tapped into but have strong search potential.
7. Year in Search Data
Google releases yearly data showcasing what topics were popular over the last year. For long-term planning, these insights can help marketers understand broader trends and shape strategies for the coming year. It’s a useful tool for identifying emerging interests and planning future content or campaigns.
Why Are These Features Useful for a Marketing Strategy?
By tapping into real-time trends, regional interests, and keyword performance, you can optimise content, refine ad targeting, and create more relevant campaigns.
Plus, understanding search interest over time allows for better campaign timing, ensuring you reach your audience when they’re most likely to engage. These tools could give you the competitive edge in a crowded market.
5. PPC: New Updates to Performance Max Campaigns
The 2024 updates bring even more precision and control to these campaigns, making them a powerful tool for marketers looking to optimise performance across multiple channels.
Here are the key updates and how they can benefit your marketing strategy:
1. Enhanced Audience Targeting
Google has improved audience signals in Performance Max, allowing advertisers to leverage first-party data more effectively. This means you can now target your audience with greater precision by using customer lists, website visitors, and other custom segments. For marketing managers, this enables better personalisation and more focused campaigns, leading to higher-quality leads and conversions.
2. New Asset Grouping Tools
Performance Max now allows marketers to organise assets into groups based on campaign objectives. For example, you can separate creative assets like images and videos according to specific themes or goals, such as brand awareness or lead generation.
This makes it easier to tailor messaging and visuals to different audience segments, improving ad relevance and campaign efficiency.
3. AI-Powered Insights and Recommendations
Google is rolling out more robust AI-driven insights, including suggested bid strategies, budget allocation tips, and keyword opportunities.
For marketing managers, this means you can reduce the guesswork and manual effort involved in tweaking campaigns for better results, and focus more on content quality and messaging.
4. Customisable Reporting
With the new updates, Performance Max now offers more customisable reporting options, allowing you to drill down into performance by asset, audience, or conversion type.
This level of detail helps marketers understand what’s driving results and where adjustments are needed, offering clearer insights for refining strategy and boosting ROI.
5. Cross-Channel Measurement
The new cross-channel measurement capabilities allow you to see how your ads are performing across different platforms, including YouTube, Gmail, and Google Display.
This provides a more holistic view of your campaign’s performance, making it easier to adjust and optimise for the channels that deliver the best results.
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