Latest News from the World of Digital Marketing – June 2024 Part 1

In the dynamic world of SEO and digital marketing, the key to success lies in being fast and accurate. That’s why we’re bringing you the latest developments that are transforming the digital landscape, straight from industry giants like Google, Microsoft and booming artificial intelligence.

Google

Google's SEO secrets exposed

Digital Marketing

Google’s search engine dominates the digital landscape. Its importance is such that the business of SEO has become crucial for achieving good rankings in searches and driving traffic to all types of websites. The company has never provided many details about the functioning of its ranking algorithm, but now something has been discovered that helps to better understand how it behaves.

A massive leak

A few weeks ago, thousands of documents seemingly from the so-called Content API Warehouse, an internal Google repository, were leaked on GitHub. These documents ended up being shared with Rand Fishkin, one of the co-founders of SparkToro, and Michael King, CEO of iPullRank. Both Fishkin and King have conducted in-depth analyses of the documents.

The secrets of Google’s Search Engine

According to their analyses, these experts seem to agree that if the documents are legitimate, they reveal a substantial amount of information about Google’s Search ranking algorithm. This information is almost like a goldmine for SEO experts.

Every webpage has its own history

While the documents discuss the characteristics considered in ranking, they do not specify the โ€œweightโ€ of each factor. What has been discovered is that Google maintains a copy of all versions of each webpage to remember the changes made. It only takes the last 20 changes into account when analyzing them.

Links and clicks matter

It was already assumed, but the documents confirm that to rank well, it is important to have a variety of relevant links. Additionally, user experiences based on their clicks are considered; these clicks are measured and rated to evaluate each page. Previous documents made public in the US vs. Google trial confirm the importance of clicks and their monitoring, according to SearchEngineLand.

Brand matters more than anything else

But what truly positions a site is the brand. Fishkin emphasized that to improve in organic searches and traffic, โ€œbuild a notable, popular brand with recognition in your segment, outside of Google search.โ€ This is one of the factors that can make Google boost your businessโ€ฆ or ruin it.

Neglecting quality is dangerous

Another factor Google monitors is โ€œsite authority,โ€ a characteristic that evaluates if the quality of the content fluctuates. Google denies having used such a metric in recent years, although it apparently did consider this type of characteristic in its initial Panda algorithm updates.

Whitelists

There appears to be a series of domains that are on a whitelist, exempting them from these considerations when being ranked. This is the case for certain websites that, for example, provided information about COVID or elections.

Freshness and titles

Google takes into account the dates of content and URLs to highlight the freshness and update status of a website. It also continues to consider titles โ€” ensuring they are aligned with potential future searches โ€” and even the font sizes of the content.

Google confirms the leak

A Google spokesperson indicated to The Verge, โ€œWe caution against making inaccurate assumptions about Search based on incomplete, outdated, or otherwise contextually incomplete information. Weโ€™ve shared extensive information about how Search works and the types of factors our systems take into account, while also working to protect the integrity of our results against manipulation.โ€

Implications for SEO professionals

This leak offers unprecedented insight into the inner workings of Google Search. While the company continues to protect the most specific details of its algorithm, these documents provide valuable clues for SEO professionals. They can now adjust their strategies with greater precision to navigate the complex ecosystem of the world’s most powerful search engine.

The revelation that Google tracks every version of a webpage underscores the importance of consistent content updates. SEO experts must ensure that their content remains relevant and up-to-date, given that only the last 20 changes are considered.

Moreover, the emphasis on links and user clicks reinforces the need for high-quality, engaging content that encourages user interaction. The confirmation of the importance of brand recognition highlights that SEO is not just about technical optimizations but also about building a strong, recognizable brand presence.

The existence of whitelists indicates that some sites have a significant advantage, but it also suggests that exceptional circumstances can lead to preferential treatment. SEO professionals must be aware of these dynamics and strive to produce content that stands out despite these challenges.

GOOGLE

Google Business Profile chat disappears

Google has announced that the chat feature in business profiles will no longer be available starting July 31, 2024. This change may affect many businesses that have used this tool to communicate directly with their customers. In this post, we will explain in detail what this update means, key dates to keep in mind, and how you can prepare for the transition.

Key Dates

  • July 15, 2024: customers will no longer be able to start new chat conversations with your business. Customers with existing conversations will be notified that the chat feature will be discontinued.
  • July 31, 2024: the chat functionality will be completely disabled. You will not be able to receive new chat messages from this date onwards.

What You Can Do

To adapt to this change, Google suggests several actions:

  • Download chat history: if you want to retain a record of previous conversations, you can download your chat history through Google Takeout.
  • Migrate to alternative chat solutions: consider inviting your customers to use other chat platforms to continue the conversations. Some popular options include WhatsApp Business, Facebook Messenger, or even integrated chat systems on your website.

How will this change affect your business?

Although the chat feature will be removed, your customers will still be able to find your business and contact you through Google Search and Google Maps. They will be able to obtain information about your business via links to your website, business descriptions, photos, and other information you share on your business profile.

Preparing for the transition

To ensure a smooth transition, here are some steps you can take:

  • Notify Your Customers: inform your customers about the upcoming change and provide them with alternative ways to contact you.
  • Update Your Contact Information: make sure your contact information is up-to-date on Google Search and Google Maps.
  • Explore Other Communication Tools: look into other messaging and communication tools that can be integrated into your business operations to maintain effective customer interactions.

While the discontinuation of the chat feature in Google business profiles may seem disruptive, it also presents an opportunity to explore and implement more robust communication tools. By proactively preparing for this transition, you can continue to engage with your customers effectively and ensure that your business remains accessible and responsive.

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Latest Tech and Digital Marketing Updates

๐Ÿ“Œ YouTube is getting seriousโ€ฆ about dealing with ad blockers. It is fast-forwarding videos, even ending them or playing them without sound, if they detect the presence of an ad blocker. After all, there’s too much money coming in from adโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ“Œ Prevent Meta’s AI from using your data. Meta has updated their privacy policy. To put your mind at ease, they have put a form for you to choose if you want them to use your photos and texts for the benefit of their Artificial Intelligence.

๐Ÿ“Œ New top WordPress plugin. It is โ€œThe Fewer Tagsโ€ and it will solve the architecture problems of your websites that are hurting you in the ranking. It has a paid Pro version with more features.

๐Ÿ“Œ PayPal creates PayPal Ads. It will use user data to help advertisers reach the audiences they want, and consumers discover more of what they like.

๐Ÿ“Œ UdioAI: create songs from text. You can compose lyrics, choose the musical genre and the AI will generate a complete song that you can edit later. It has a free plan with two songs per day and two paid versions.

๐Ÿ“Œ New from Telegram: an official Copilot bot. It is available in beta version. You can chat and ask it anything you can think of. Downsides: it can’t generate images and you have a daily limit of 30 message shifts.