Loop Digital June Digital Marketing Industry Update

Welcome to the Loop Digital June 2024 Digital Marketing Industry Update! This month, we dive into the exciting world of digital marketing, uncovering the latest trends and game-changing innovations that are revolutionising the landscape. From breakthrough advancements in SEO and PPC to the ever-evolving realms of social media and web technologies, June has been a whirlwind of transformation. 

Major industry shifts, cutting-edge technological advancements, and impactful regulatory updates have defined this month. Join us as we explore the most pivotal updates, offering insights that will keep you ahead in the fast-paced world of digital marketing.

Digital Marketing Highlights

Anthropic Unveils Groundbreaking Claude 3.5 AI Model

Anthropic has announced the release of its latest AI model, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, which is said to outperform OpenAI’s GPT-4 Omni on a range of benchmarks. According to the announcement, the new Claude 3.5 model sets new industry standards for graduate-level reasoning, undergraduate-level knowledge, and coding proficiency. It operates at twice the speed of the previous Claude 3 Opus model. Anthropic has also introduced a new interactive workspace called Artifacts, which allows users to edit and expand upon AI-generated projects, including the creation of an 8-bit video game.

ChatGPT to Achieve “PhD-Level Intelligence” by 2025

In a bold prediction, OpenAI’s Mira Murati has revealed that the company’s ChatGPT model is expected to reach “PhD-level intelligence” by late 2025 or early 2026. This ambitious goal underscores the rapid advancements in large language models and the potential for AI to tackle increasingly complex tasks and challenges.

Microsoft Makes Copilot Less Useful on New Copilot Plus PCs

In a controversial move, Microsoft has limited the functionality of its Copilot AI assistant on new Copilot Plus PCs. According to reports, the key keyboard shortcut to activate Copilot has been removed, making it less accessible and potentially less useful for users.

AI Startup Perplexity Aims to Disrupt the Search Business

AI startup Perplexity is making waves in the search engine market, with its innovative AI-powered search solution gaining attention for its potential to offer users a more intelligent and personalised search experience. The company is seeking to challenge the dominance of traditional search engines, planning to rival Google.

Apple Unveils AI (Apple Intelligence), OpenAI Partnership at WWDC

At the recent Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple unveiled a new partnership with OpenAI, the prominent AI research company. This strategic alliance could pave the way for innovative applications of AI technology within Apple’s platforms, potentially reshaping the user experience and content generation capabilities for global users.

The Rise of Zero-Click Marketing

The digital marketing landscape is evolving towards a new concept called “zero-click marketing.” This approach focuses on delivering relevant and valuable content directly to users, without requiring them to click through to a website. This shift underscores the growing importance of optimising for voice search, featured snippets, and other AI-driven search features.

OpenAI’s Growing List of Partnerships

OpenAI’s expanding list of partnerships underscores the company’s ambitions to expand the reach and impact of its AI technologies. These strategic alliances could lead to groundbreaking applications of AI across various industries and platforms. Now, we can keep track of the OpenAI partnerships list from Originality AI.

SEO Highlights

Google Search Ranking Algorithm Leaked

A significant leak of internal Google documents has revealed insights into the company’s search ranking algorithm in Github, by an automated bot called yoshi-code-bot. While the full implications of this leak are still being assessed, SEO professionals are closely examining the information such as backlinks, clicks, content, entities and Chrome data to understand how they can adapt their strategies to better align with Google’s evolving ranking factors.

Strategies for High-Ranking, High-Quality Content in 2024

As Google continues to refine its search algorithms, SEO professionals are advised to focus on creating truly valuable, high-quality content that aligns with user intent. The leaked information on Google’s ranking factors can provide insights to guide content development and optimisation efforts for maximum visibility and engagement.

Google Unleashes June 2024 Spam Update

Google has rolled out a new spam update for June 2024. This update may take up to one week to complete. Google has stated that this is a normal spam update and is not related to the site’s reputation abuse policy enforcement or link spam.

Websites that see changes after this spam update should review Google’s spam policies to ensure they are complying. Sites that violate these policies may experience lower rankings or even be removed from the search results entirely.

Google AI Overviews Showing Less Often, with Less Reddit Data

Google’s AI Overviews feature is now being shown less frequently with a noticeable reduction in the use of Reddit data to power these overviews. According to data from Search Engine Land, AI Overviews are now appearing for only 7-9% of searches on average, down from previously higher levels.

While Reddit has dropped out of the top 10 most referenced domains, this shift suggests Google is adjusting its approach to AI-generated content in search results, potentially in response to concerns over the accuracy and reliability of the information provided.

Google Ties Local Services Ads Advertisers to Maps App

Google has announced a new integration between its Local Services Ads and the Google Maps app. This move aims to provide a more seamless experience for users searching for local services, while also offering additional visibility and opportunities for advertisers.

Head of Google Search: AI Mistakes Won’t Prevent Progress

In response to the recent controversies surrounding Google’s AI Overviews, the Head of Google Search has stated that while AI mistakes may occur, they will not prevent the company from making progress in this area. Google remains committed to continuously refining its AI systems and improving the quality of the information provided to users.

Google Search Adds Support for Return Policy Markup

Google Search now supports return policy markup at the organisation level. This update allows businesses to provide more detailed and structured information about their return policies, which can be displayed directly in search results to help inform and assist consumers.

YouTube Tests Image-Based Search via Google Lens

YouTube has begun testing a new feature that allows users to search for content based on images, leveraging the Google Lens technology. This integration could enhance the platform’s visual search capabilities and provide users with additional ways to discover relevant video content.

SEO Insights

• A study found that 96% of sites in Google’s top 10 search results have 1,000 or more links from unique domains, highlighting the continued importance of link-building strategies.
• Another survey revealed that 54% of people now look through more search results compared to 5 years ago, indicating evolving user behaviour and expectations.

Stay tuned for more updates on the rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape.

Google AI Overviews Visibility Drops to 15% of Queries

Google’s AI Overviews feature (which was referred to as Search Generative Experience) is now only appearing in search results for around 15% of queries, down significantly from previous higher levels. This suggests Google is scaling back the visibility of these AI-generated summaries, potentially in response to concerns over the accuracy and reliability of the information provided.

Google to Stop Indexing Non-Mobile-Friendly Sites After July 5th

Google has announced that it will no longer index websites that do not work properly on mobile devices after July 5th, 2024. As John Mueller from Google stated on the Google blog –  “The small set of sites we’ve still been crawling with desktop Googlebot will be crawled with mobile Googlebot after July 5, 2024,”

This move underscores the search giant’s continued emphasis on providing a mobile-first user experience and incentivises website owners to ensure their sites are optimised for smaller screens.

Perplexity Pages Appearing in Google AI Overviews and Featured Snippets

The AI-powered search startup Perplexity has seen its pages begin to appear in Google’s AI Overviews and featured snippets. This development indicates that Google is incorporating content from alternative search providers into its AI-generated summaries, potentially signalling a shift in the search landscape.

SEO Professionals Navigate the Google Content Warehouse API Leak

In the wake of the Google search algorithm leak, SEO experts are working to understand how they can leverage the newfound information to improve their clients’ search engine visibility. This includes exploring ways to optimise content and site structure in line with the revealed ranking signals.

Google to Honour New Privacy Laws and User Opt-outs

Google has confirmed that it will respect new privacy laws and user opt-outs, potentially impacting the data and targeting capabilities available to advertisers and SEO practitioners. The key updates include – Restricted Data Processing (RDP). This shift underscores the need for a more privacy-conscious approach to digital marketing strategies.

Google to Limit AI Overviews for “Nonsensical” Queries

In response to the controversies surrounding its AI Overviews feature, Google has stated that it will limit the use of these summaries for “nonsensical” queries in the SERP. This move aims to address concerns over the reliability and trustworthiness of the information provided by the AI system.

PPC Highlights

Google Ads Phasing Out Card Payments for Bank-Based Payments by July 31st

Google Ads is phasing out card payments in favour of bank-based payments by July 31st, 2024. This move aims to streamline the payment process for advertisers and improve the overall security of the platform.

Google Streamlines Product Listings via Website Crawl, Reduces Merchant Center Use

Google is optimising the product listing process by leveraging website crawling technology and reducing the reliance on the Merchant Center. This change is designed to make the listing process more efficient for advertisers.

Pinterest Launches AI-Powered Ad Tools

Pinterest has introduced new AI-driven advertising tools for marketers. These advanced capabilities are expected to enhance targeting, creative optimisation, and campaign performance on the platform.

New GA4 Update Improves Paid Search Attribution

The upcoming GA4 update will provide more accurate attribution of paid search campaigns for driving conversions. This enhancement will help advertisers better understand the impact of their search engine marketing efforts.

YouTube Embeds Ads Directly into Videos to Combat Ad Blockers

YouTube has implemented a new strategy to combat the use of ad blockers by embedding advertisements directly into video content. This move aims to ensure advertisers maintain visibility and reach on the platform.

Microsoft Ads Allows Google Conversion Goal Imports

Microsoft Ads now supports the import of conversion goals from Google Ads campaigns. This integration streamlines the process for advertisers managing campaigns across multiple platforms.

Google Ads Launches Brand Recommendations Powered by AI

Google has introduced a new AI-powered feature called Brand Recommendations within Google Ads. This tool provides advertisers with tailored suggestions to enhance their brand presence and messaging.

Google Launches “Accelerate with Google” Resource Hub for Advertisers

Google has unveiled a new educational resource hub called “Accelerate with Google“. This platform offers customised training and support to help marketers build expertise in leveraging AI and other advanced advertising technologies.

Google Sued by Publishers Over Alleged Pirate Textbook Promotion

Google is facing a lawsuit from publishers who allege the company is promoting pirated textbook content. This issue raises concerns about brand safety, fair competition, and the integrity of ad placements on the platform.

Google Faces £17 Billion UK Lawsuit Over Ad Tech Dominance

Google is facing a major lawsuit, with allegations that the tech giant has abused its dominance in the online advertising market. The £17 billion lawsuit claims that Google’s practices have stifled competition and unfairly disadvantaged other players in the ad tech ecosystem.

This lawsuit underscores the growing scrutiny and regulatory pressure Google is facing in the UK over its market power and business practices. Advertisers and publishers will be closely watching the outcome, as it could have significant implications for the future of the digital advertising landscape in the country.

PayPal Prepares Advertising Platform Powered by Transaction Data

PayPal is building a new advertising platform that will leverage the wealth of consumer purchase data it has accumulated. By tapping into its troves of transaction information, PayPal aims to offer advertisers highly targeted and data-driven marketing opportunities.

This move by PayPal represents a strategic shift towards becoming a more prominent player in the retail media and AI-powered advertising space. Advertisers may welcome the additional targeting capabilities, but privacy advocates will likely raise concerns over the use of such sensitive consumer data.

Google Implements Restricted Data Processing and Feed Simplification

In response to evolving privacy regulations, Google has enabled Restricted Data Processing, similar to the Consent mode V2 measures introduced in several US states. Additionally, LinkedIn has implemented a “feed simplification” update that reduces the visibility of third-party link previews on the platform.

These changes underscore the ongoing efforts by tech giants to adapt their platforms and advertising offerings to comply with stricter data privacy requirements. Marketers will need to closely monitor the impact of these updates on their targeting and engagement strategies.

Google Adds Opt-In Video Enhancements for Ads

Google has introduced an opt-in feature for advertisers that allows its AI to automatically generate additional video ad versions in different aspect ratios, such as square (1:1) and vertical formats. This move aims to help brands better optimise their video creative for diverse placements and user experiences across Google’s advertising network.

TikTok Unveils AI and Automation Tools for Advertisers

TikTok has introduced a suite of new AI-powered and automated tools for advertisers, including TikTok Symphony for script writing, video production, and asset optimisation, as well as automated ad optimisation capabilities and a centralised hub for accessing creators, tools, and measurement solutions.

These advancements underscore TikTok’s commitment to providing marketers with more sophisticated advertising capabilities to reach and engage their target audiences on the platform.

Social Media Highlights

TikTok Launches New Image Sharing App “Whee”

TikTok has unveiled a new image-sharing app called “Whee”, diversifying its offerings beyond the core short-form video platform. This move could open up new opportunities for brands and creators to engage with audiences through visual content on the TikTok ecosystem.

Instagram Tests Video Ads That Stop Scrolling

Instagram is experimenting with a new type of video ad that is designed to stop users from scrolling further. This innovative ad format aims to capture user attention and potentially drive higher engagement rates for advertisers on the platform.

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