Latest News from the World of Digital Marketing – August 2024 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!

Google

New August Core Update

Digital Marketing

On this occasion, Google has hinted that the core update is aimed at correcting some deficiencies in its search results as a result of the implementation of past updates, especially the one developed in March of this year and the helpful content update of September 2023, which caused complaints from small publishers who saw their websites fall into irrelevance.

Thus, in a statement John Mueller, Search Advocate of the company, explains:

“This update is designed to continue our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people actually find useful and less content that appears to be created just to perform well in search.

This latest update takes into account feedback we’ve heard from some creators and others over the past few months. As always, our goal is to connect people with a variety of high quality sites, including small or independent sites that create useful and original content, when it is relevant to users’ searches. This is an area we will continue to address in future updates. This update also aims to better capture improvements that sites may have made, so that we can continue to showcase the best of the web.”

The truth is that the volatility in the SERPs associated with this type of core updates was already palpable before the 15th. If we look at the graph of the Semrush Sensor tool, we can see that in the last two weeks we have lived in a “high” range of volatility, which was accentuated last weekend, after the launch of this last core update:

Google

Google expands AI reviews globally

Digital Marketing

Google is constantly updating its services, and this time, it was the turn of AI Overviews, the feature that uses artificial intelligence to summarize the most relevant information on the web directly in search results. Since its initial launch, this tool has generated divided opinions, and recently, Google has implemented a series of improvements that seek to improve the user experience and, at the same time, keep content creators happy.

More prominent links for smoother navigation

One of the most notable changes is the new arrangement of links to sources in AI Overviews results. Now, in the desktop version, these links appear in a column on the right, making it easier for users to find the original source of the information without having to search too hard. On mobile devices, simply tap the site icons at the top of the screen to access the list of sources. This update is a direct response to critics who accused Google of hiding sources, and according to the company, this change has succeeded in increasing traffic to publishers’ websites.

In my opinion, this move is a wise one. We’ve all been in that situation where we read an AI-generated summary and then wonder, “Where did this information come from?” This new design responds to that need for transparency, something essential in a world where misinformation is the order of the day.

In-text links: helpful or distracting?

Google is also testing the inclusion of links directly within the text of AI Overviews. The idea is that users can directly access the source by clicking on a part of the text. According to Google, this feature has shown positive results in increasing traffic to publishers’ sites. This is interesting, because it could change the way we browse the web, making the process of finding information more fluid and less fragmented.

However, I wonder if this could become counterproductive. Imagine reading a summary and every sentence has a link: would you stay focused on reading or would you end up overwhelmed? Personally, I prefer to have the links handy, but not in my face all the time. It’s a fine line that Google will have to handle with care.

New features: save and simplify

Another new feature Google has introduced is the ability to “save” these AI-generated summaries for future reference. This feature seems useful for those conducting research or simply wanting to recall a specific search without having to start from scratch. You can access these saved abstracts from the interests page in your Google (Search Engine Journal) profile.

In addition, for those who find the summaries can be too complicated or technical, Google is testing an option to simplify the language with a single tap. This is especially useful for those who are unfamiliar with certain terms or who prefer a clearer, more straightforward explanation (Search Engine Roundtable).

As someone who works in technology and writes about these topics at WWWhatsnew.com, I think this simplification option is a great step towards accessibility. Not everyone has the same level of technical knowledge, and this feature allows more people to understand the information they are looking for.

International expansion: the power of localization

Finally, Google has expanded AI Overviews to six new countries: the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil. Each of these markets will be supported in their local language, demonstrating Google’s commitment to making its tools useful globally. This expansion not only facilitates access to information, but also respects the cultural and linguistic particularities of each region.

Facebook

Maximize your ROI with Meta Ads

Meta announced Wednesday that it is working on a series of AI-based optimization updates to its advertising system so advertisers can customize business goals and measure incrementality. Meta, which already offers advertisers the ability to connect its third-party analytics tools directly to its ad platform via API, is also testing integrations with Google Analytics and Northbeam, and plans to add Triple Whale and Adobe Analytics soon.

AdExchanger has announced this in an article that includes the words of Fred Leach, Meta’s VP of Product Management:

“These additions are part of a long-term journey. We’re making changes to improve the system and eventually offer customized optimizations for each advertiser. Obviously, that’s aspirational, but it’s where we ultimately want to go.”

One step on that long-term path is the launch of a new feature called “conversion value rules,” which is still in testing and allows advertisers to optimize campaigns based on their definition of a “valuable conversion.” “It’s amazing how much variability there is, even within the same vertical, in how advertisers conceive of their business,” Leach says.

Reaching specific audiences

In the coming months, Meta plans to expand its testing so that advertisers can apply conversion value rules to specific audiences. As an example, the media outlet cites the case of a fashion retailer running a campaign to reach trend-setting 18-25 year olds. As the campaign progresses, different segments (maybe older, maybe younger) start following the brand. Instead of segmenting those new targets and running a separate campaign, a retailer using conversion value rules could prioritize new audiences on the fly and automatically set a higher bid to reach them.

“It’s like being able to adjust the value of different conversions at different times,” Leach says. Because, while “value” can have different meanings depending on the business, all advertisers want incremental conversions.

In addition, Zuckerberg’s company plans to launch a new tweak to its ad platform later this year so advertisers can optimize for conversions that Meta believes wouldn’t have happened without that person seeing a Facebook or Instagram ad.

Youtube

YouTube and Shopify strengthen their partnership

Digital Marketing

The war for e-commerce dominance in social networks is intensifying. YouTube, Google’s video platform, announced this week an expansion of its partnership with Shopify in order to strengthen its shopping affiliate program and to face the dizzying growth of TikTok Shop in the United States.

YouTube boosts tools for creators

Through this agreement, YouTube creators will have access to thousands of new brands to tag in their shopping videos, significantly more than the few hundred they have had so far.

This will allow them to earn more money through their participation in the affiliate program, while providing their audiences with more product options.

“We are working to make YouTube the ultimate destination for creators to drive their businesses and sell products to their communities,” the company said in a statement.

TikTok Shop’s accelerated growth in the U.S.

TikTok is also betting big on e-commerce. According to reports, the Chinese company is looking to multiply its TikTok Shop business in the United States by 10 times, with the aim of reaching US$17.5 billion in sales this year. In fact, the social network reported that, by the end of 2023, it already had 500,000 merchants operating on this platform.

To accompany this expansion, YouTube also launched a new Chrome extension that will allow creators participating in the affiliate program to save products while browsing brand and retailer sites, thus facilitating their subsequent tagging in videos.

Latest Tech and Digital Marketing Updates

📌 Global launch. ElevenLabs launches its reading app globally that transforms text into high quality audio. In case you were looking for new ways to interact with your audience or improve the accessibility of your content.

📌 Shoppers’ priority. 54% demand easy return policies, underscoring the importance of optimizing this process in your strategy. The easier the returns, the better the user experience, loyalty and conversions.

📌 Partnerships: Google and VTEX have teamed up to integrate Google Pay into ecommerces, making payments easier for customers. This can increase conversions by offering a fast and secure payment option. Nice.

📌 Apple gives up exclusivity. The multinational will allow developers to use the Tap to Pay feature on iPhone. This means new opportunities to simplify contactless payments in mobile apps, an improved user experience and a possible increase in sales on platforms that adopt this technology.

📌 SHEIN is strengthening its data protection to gain the trust of users. And investing in digital security not only protects your customers, but also enhances your brand’s reputation. All advantages, hey.

📌 TikTok AI. The social network presents Jimeng AI, a tool that generates videos and images from text. This innovation offers new possibilities for making engaging visual content. And give it to experiment with creative formats and differentiate yourself in a saturated market.

📌 Netflix continues to bet on advertising. They are expanding their advertising strategy by closing deals with large companies and improving their campaign measurement tools. In addition, they plan to launch their own ad tech platform by 2025 worldwide.

📌 New features in Threads to help you connect with new and existing audiences: more measurement tools, save up to 100 posts in drafts and the option to schedule content.

📌 Google is still in trouble. A court in the US has reopened a case against Google accusing them of collecting browsing data from Chrome users without consent.

📌 Discord will no longer be needed to access Midjourney. Many users had been asking for it for a while, and now the image-generating AI has its own web.