Digital Marketing: latest News from the World – January Part 3

Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing: latest News from the World – January Part 3

Welcome to our blog, where innovation meets strategy in the dynamic realm of digital marketing! In this post, we’ll examine the latest developments and emerging trends that are transforming the digital landscape. From recent updates in social media algorithms to AI-powered marketing techniques, these changes offer exciting possibilities for brands and marketers.

Get ready to learn how these advancements can revolutionize your campaigns, broaden your reach, and boost your ROI. We’ll analyze the key developments shaping the future of digital marketing, offering detailed insights to help you stay ahead in this rapidly evolving field. Don’t miss this comprehensive look at the current trends and news that are at the forefront of digital marketing!

Artificial intelligence

Do this to get ChatGPT to mention your brand

Digital Marketing

The relationship between Google search rankings and mentions in language models like ChatGPT (based on LLM) is transforming the way brands approach SEO and digital marketing.

An analysis by Seer Interactive reveals that companies that rank higher in search results are significantly more likely to be included in responses from these AI tools. However, it is not just classic SEO that drives these mentions, but also factors such as content strategies and PR.

This broader approach suggests that, to stand out in AI-generated responses, brands need to optimize their search engine presence and relevance as a trusted source. The combination of traditional SEO, high-quality content and effective branding strategies can maximize opportunities in this new digital environment.

Google’s influence on LLM model mentions

Seer Interactive’s report highlights that search rankings are a determining factor in the mentions made by language models. The data shows that brands present on the first page of Google are more likely to appear in responses generated by tools such as ChatGPT. This relationship can be explained by how these models train their algorithms, based on accessible and relevant information from prominent sources.

Although other search engines, such as Bing, also have an influence, Google still leads in terms of impact on mentions. This reinforces the importance of optimizing for this search engine, albeit with an updated approach that prioritizes not only keywords, but also context and information quality.

Factors such as backlinks and the variety of multimedia content did not show a significant influence on mentions within the language models.

Beyond classical SEO: additional factors

While search engine positioning is crucial, the report highlights factors that also have an influence:

  • Public relations and branding: a brand’s visibility in media and social networks increases its relevance for language models.
  • Structured content: creating well-organized content that directly answers users’ questions improves the likelihood of being mentioned.
  • Multi-platform presence: having consistent and accessible information in different formats and channels (such as blogs, videos and social networks) reinforces brand trustworthiness.

In addition, companies should consider how their structured data (rich snippets, FAQs, etc.) is used by search engines to provide direct answers, something that LLM models often integrate into their generators.

How to improve brand mentions in AI models

To stand out in LLM model responses, brands should take a holistic approach that combines traditional and modern strategies. Some recommendations:

  • Optimize content: make sure web pages are not only optimized for SEO, but also useful for answering specific user questions.
  • Increase domain authority: working on the quality and relevance of backlinks is still essential, but should be complemented by a focus on digital PR.
  • Focus on frequently asked questions and semantic content: answering the most common user queries can position a brand as a preferred source for language models.

The future of SEO and LLM mentions

The growing influence of language models on digital interaction suggests that traditional SEO must adapt to a more holistic approach. As users turn more to tools like ChatGPT for information, brands that manage to integrate into this ecosystem will have a competitive advantage.

In addition to strengthening a brand’s visibility, mentions in AI models influence perceptions of trust and authority. Therefore, investing in branding strategies, relevant content and optimization across multiple channels is essential to stay relevant in the digital environment.

How the study was conducted

To conduct the report, more than 300,000 keywords related to the finance and SaaS sectors were collected, using both organic and paid sources. The selected terms were analyzed in Google and Bing to identify their rankings and data on the results pages (SERPs). From there, nearly 600,000 queries were extracted from the “People Also Ask” (PAA) sections, which were narrowed down to 10,000 relevant queries, selected as representative of actual user questions.

These questions were processed through OpenAI’s GPT-4 API, focusing on those that would naturally generate brand mentions (e.g., “What is the best CRM for small businesses?”). Finally, the responses were analyzed to extract and count brand mentions, assessing their frequency and relevance in the dataset.

News

More and more advertising is being invested in apps

According to a study by AppsFlyer, a specialist in marketing measurement, attribution and data analysis, in 2024 Spain recorded a 15% increase in advertising investment in non-gaming apps, standing out as one of the most dynamic markets in Europe. In contrast, gaming apps, although stable compared to other countries, recorded a slight decline of 3%.

In terms of installations, non-gaming apps grew by 30%, while gaming apps increased by 3%.

Globally, app user acquisition grew by 5%, reaching $65 billion. In addition, in-app purchases within non-gaming apps grew 20%, and ad spending by financial apps grew 61%, driven by the growth of cryptocurrencies and fintech, while ad spending by shopping apps declined 8%, following aggressive global market penetration by large Asian players in 2023.

Advances in AI and hybrid monetization strategies

Generative AI has revolutionized the industry, achieving a 200% increase in paid app installs. In addition, hybrid monetization strategies continue to gain prominence, combining advertising revenue and in-app purchases. These strategies drove 26% growth in non-game app ad revenue and 7% growth in games.

At the install level, entertainment apps, such as casinos and gambling (+102%), sports betting (+93%) and lifestyle (+43%), experienced significant growth, reflecting a shift in user preferences toward more entertaining experiences. The ‘needs-based’ app categories, such as transportation and utilities, remained stable.

Remarketing and deep linking

Remarketing outperformed paid installs with 22% growth in conversions in paid channels. In parallel, deep linking adoption grew significantly, led by Web-to-app (+77%), followed by email-to-app (+45%), text-to-app (+29%) and QR-to-app (+16%). These technologies have enabled brands to maximize the value of existing users through more personalized experiences.

Predictions for 2025: what to expect?

Looking ahead to 2025, more and more non-gaming brands and apps are expected to invest in in-game inventory. In-app purchases will also grow, driven by three enduring factors: the refinement of blended monetization strategies, efficient loyalty programs and evolving consumer behavior. These habits include more frequent purchases of low-cost products, prioritizing quantity over quality, and a growing familiarity with online shopping.

Paid installations are also likely to increase with the anticipated growth in budgets. Remarketing initiatives will continue to be significant, underscoring the positive impact of monetization strategies: the goal is to reactivate as many existing users as possible, foster loyalty and increase user lifetime value (LTV).

In that sense, AppsFlyer’s EMEA-SANI managing director, Netta Lev Sadeh explained that “The data we are seeing demonstrates not only the growth of the app economy, but also the incredible creativity at play”,and advanced that for this year “we expect further integration of the gaming and non-gaming sectors, more optimized monetization strategies and increased adoption of owned media technologies such as deep linking, which will drive personalization and hybrid experiences”.

Google

How to stand out in Google Shopping

Digital Marketing

A new study analyzing 5,000 Google Shopping keywords sheds light on the factors that correlate with higher rankings.

The research, conducted by Jeff Oxford, Founder of 180 Marketing, reveals trends that could help ecommerce stores improve their visibility in Google’s free Shopping listings.

Amazon Dominates Google Shopping

Amazon ranks in the #1 position for 52% of Google Shopping searches, outpacing Walmart (6%) and Home Depot (3%).

Beyond Amazon’s dominance, the study found a strong correlation between website authority and rankings, with higher-ranking sites often belonging to well-established brands.

Takeaway: Building your brand and earning trust is vital to ranking well on Google Shopping.

Backlinks, Reviews, & Pricing

The study identified several trends that separate higher-ranking pages from the rest:

  • Referring Domains: Product pages in the top two positions had more backlinks than lower-ranking pages. Interestingly, most product pages analyzed (98%) had no backlinks at all.
  • Customer Reviews: Product pages with customer reviews ranked higher, and stores with star ratings below 3.5 struggled to rank well.
  • Pricing: Lower-priced products tended to rank higher, with top-performing listings often featuring prices below the category average.

Takeaway: Building backlinks, collecting customer reviews, and offering competitive pricing can make a difference.

Meta Descriptions A Top Signal

Among on-page factors, meta descriptions had the strongest correlation with rankings.

Pages that included exact-match keywords in their meta descriptions consistently ranked higher.

While keyword usage in title tags and H1 headers showed some correlation, the impact was much smaller.

Takeaway: Optimize meta descriptions and product copy with target keywords to improve rankings.

Structured Data Findings

Structured data showed mixed results in the study.

Product structured data had little to no correlation with rankings, and Amazon, despite dominating the top spots, doesn’t use structured data on its product pages.

However, pages using review structured data performed better.

Takeaway: Focus on collecting customer reviews and using review structured data, which appears more impactful than product structured data.

Shipping & Returns Scores

Google Shopping evaluates stores on shipping, returns, and website quality metrics.

The study found that stores with “Exceptional” or “Great” scores for shipping and returns were more likely to rank higher, especially in the top 10 positions.

Takeaway: Prioritize fast shipping and clear return policies to boost your Google Shopping scores.

What Does This Mean?

According to these findings, success in Google Shopping correlates with strong customer reviews, competitive pricing, and fast service.

Optimizing for traditional SEO—like backlinks and well-written metadata—can benefit both organic search and Shopping rankings.

Retailers should prioritize the customer experience, as Google’s scoring for shipping, returns, and website quality affects visibility.

Lastly, remember that correlation doesn’t equal causation—test changes thoughtfully and focus on delivering value to your customers.

Artificial intelligence

ChatGPT launches Tasks: schedule tasks and reminders

Digital Marketing

OpenAI continues to work on ChatGPT’s capabilities to provide a more complete and active service. To this end, it has just launched Tasks, a new feature that allows this AI to schedule tasks or reminders.

Tasks is already available for Plus, Pro and Teams users in beta version in both the app and the web version, and will soon be activated for everyone with a ChatGPT account.

How ChatGPT Tasks works

Tasks offers two key possibilities, scheduling tasks that the AI itself will perform at the set time or notifying reminders. For example, you can ask ChatGPT to show you a selection of relevant news published the previous day every morning at 8:00 am, or to send you a reminder at a specific date and time so that you don’t forget that important meeting.

To do this, open the ChatGPT model selector and check the “GPT-4o with scheduled tasks” option to access the feature. After that, all you have to do is tell the AI which reminder or task you want to schedule. Of course, you will have to do it in writing, as the advanced voice mode does not yet allow this capability. When the time comes to execute the action, ChatGPT will notify you.

You can manage and modify the tasks and reminders you have created directly in the conversations or through the new “Tasks” section (although the latter is only operative on the web). It is important to note that for now there is a limit, only 10 active tasks can be executed simultaneously.

OpenAI seems to be moving towards the creation of an artificial intelligence model with more independent capabilities. We have already seen a step in this direction with the release of Canvas, the ChatGPT interface in which the AI acts as an active collaborator. Moreover, this aspect has also been strengthened thanks to ChatGPT’s memory capacity.

The next step in this direction has been Tasks. Although it is still a simple function that other assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant or Alexa have been performing for years, this time it is combined with the advantages and advanced language capabilities of artificial intelligence. That said, there is still a long way to go to reach the goal of the autonomous AI agent.

Latest Tech and Digital Marketing Updates

📌Decathlon joins the party. More and more brands are launching a second-hand platform. Decathlon promotes sustainability with options such as product repair, equipment rental and second-hand sales.

📌The CES 2025 roundup. The world’s most important technology event brings many, many unimaginable novelties: batteries that charge in seconds, air fryers with AI, portable TVs, therapeutic headphones or rings that do electro cardiograms. Check out all the novelties here.

📌SEAT on the hunt for novices. They have launched the “Permiso B” campaign offering a 700 euro discount to novice drivers on the purchase of a new car.

📌Update TikTok case. The US Supreme Court seems to decide towards banning TikTok due to national security concerns related to its ties with China. January 19 is the final date for the ruling.

📌Google Cloud helps retailers. They have launched a suite of AI tools to help personalize shopping experiences, conduct search, improve online store recommendations or personalize marketing campaigns.

📌The most competitive marketplace ever. That’s what they’re calling the Super Bowl 2025 ad space next Feb. 9. Fox has created a long waiting list for brands that want to advertise, and there are already 15.

📌Shein’s success with Real Time Retail. They have more than 19 own brands aimed at different audiences: men’s fashion, women’s fashion and pets. Their “Real Time Retail” model allows them to spot trends in real time, produce in small batches and scale according to demand.

📌Changes to Amazon’s product titles. Starting January 21, Amazon will limit product titles to 200 characters, prohibit certain special characters, and restrict excessive repetition of keywords. Make the necessary changes.

📌The ‘.AI’ domain is more secure. It is now managed by Identity Digital, improving its security, reliability and speed. The migration guarantees 100% availability and advanced protection against cyber-attacks.

📌Google updates review snippets. They recommend that ratings in review snippets include a written comment and the author’s name, to provide transparency and context behind the ratings.

📌Chinese sellers dominate Amazon. More than 50% of the top sellers on Amazon are based in China, while Americans account for 40% of the total market share, according to Marketplace Pulse.

📌Designers, get this: Adobe Photoshop has released in beta a real-time co-editing feature for multiple users to edit the same file at the same time. Thus, improving creative collaboration and dividing tasks efficiently.

What do you think?

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