Latest News from the World of Digital Marketing – June 2024 Part 4
New episode of SEO Office-Hours
Google answers questions about SEO and Google Search in its “SEO Office Hours” video, submitted via a form.
Answers to frequently asked SEO questions
The video addresses questions about website rankings, URL structure, indexing and more. According to the source, having multiple websites is not a problem, but spending time creating high quality websites is crucial*(Google’s algorithms can penalize low quality sites).
SEO and server errors
Removing a website from Google searches can be done using the robots.txt file or a robots noindex meta tag. A 503 server error for short periods (e.g. 10-15 minutes) will not affect SEO and crawl rate. If a website has been hacked, it may appear in search results with URLs created by bots, which can negatively affect SEO.
Tips to maintain SEO
Changing the host of a company’s website should not have a negative effect on SEO if done correctly. Using the indexing API is generally limited to job postings and broadcast events. If a website has been hacked, it may appear in search results with URLs created by bots, which can negatively affect SEO. For SEO purposes, it is best to **avoid putting text in image files**, as it makes recognition difficult for search engines and some users.
Other SEO recommendations
Multiple hreflang values can be used for the same page to indicate preferred locations. When moving a website from HTTP to HTTPS, it is recommended to create a new property in Search Console or check at the domain level. “Fake 404s” that Googlebot crawls cannot be attributed to a drop in rankings.
The Google account used to verify a domain in Search Console does not have to match the owner of a new Google Site. Sitemap filenames can be anything and it is not mandatory to have a sitemap.
Recommendations on mobile sites
Redirecting the mobile site URL to the common desktop URL is not recommended due to the difficulties it creates for SEO, analytics, maintenance and testing.
Google gives you 1200€
Yes, you read that right. Google Ads has launched three offers for advertisers using the platform for the first time, and you can get a credit of up to 1200€! The three options are:
- Spend €400 during your first 60 days to get a €400 credit.
- Spend €1200 in those 60 days, and get €800.
- Hit it hard and hit it with €2400 during those first 60 days, and get €1200.
It is a unique opportunity to start investing in paid advertising and reach a larger audience more effectively. Of course, you have to meet these requirements, but they are simple, don’t worry.
And if you want to know how you can launch your first campaign, Google explains all the possibilities you have in this link.
Social Networking
The New Social Networking Paradigm in 2024
Uri Sabat and Romuald Fons chat in this fascinating podcast about the current state of social media content creators. With the best information, tips and a complete overview of the industry, these two experts guide us through the challenges and opportunities facing content creators today. Plus, you’ll learn how to use social media to build a business, elevate your existing business or enhance your personal brand. You know, click and enjoy.
One of the first points that Uri and Romuald address is the fundamental requirements to make a living from content creation. Starting at minute 01:18, they explain that, first of all, you need to have something unique and valuable to tell, based on your personal knowledge and experience. It is essential to avoid simply copying what others have already said. Authenticity and originality are key. In addition, you must be able to communicate that message effectively in front of a camera, which is a skill that develops with practice and dedication.
At 13:38, the podcast goes into a debate about whether social media should be viewed as a business. Uri and Romuald discuss the usefulness and importance of social media in today’s world, pointing out both the benefits and problems that can arise. They highlight how these platforms are not only for entertainment, but are also powerful tools for generating business and connecting with people. The right approach can transform your social media presence into a significant source of revenue and professional growth.
The topic of media cancellation is addressed starting at minute 33:58. The talk focuses on whether we have reached a point where churn is accepted and normalized due to high media impact. Uri and Romuald explore how, ironically, cancellation can increase a content creator’s visibility and growth, although it also poses considerable risks. This segment offers an in-depth reflection on the ethical and personal challenges facing creators in the digital age.
At 41:01, the conversation turns to artificial intelligence and its relevance in today’s world. Uri and Romuald emphasize that the first thing is to have a clear understanding of your product or service. Then, it’s about explaining to the AI who you are, what you want to sell and how you want to sell it. This process, according to them, is not so different from working with an agency or employees, but it requires a strategic and well-defined approach.
Finally, at 51:41, they discuss whether you need to be completely dedicated to content creation to be successful. They stress that it’s not a path suitable for everyone; you need passion, skill and the ability to withstand pressure. The key to success, they say, lies in leveraging your personal brand and finding a sustainable balance in your creative endeavors.
With these learnings, this podcast becomes an essential guide for anyone interested in the world of content creation and digital marketing.
Spotify
Spotify creates its own in-house creative agency: Creative Lab
Spotify has launched its new in-house creative agency, called Creative Lab, with the aim of facilitating the connection between brands and their audience more effectively. This pioneering service will be operational in 11 global markets, including India, USA, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Australia, UK, Germany, France and Italy.
Creative Lab aims to work closely with brands and agencies, providing a creative approach tailored to the specificities of each local market. Through workshops, inspiration sessions and co-creation of ideas, Creative Lab teams will work closely with advertisers to develop impactful campaigns targeted to Spotify’s specific audience.
Prominent brands such as The Coca-Cola Company and Royal Enfield are already leveraging Creative Lab’s services to strengthen their brand storytelling in India. According to Arjun Kolady, Spotify’s Head of Sales in India, this additional service seeks to help brands expand their reach and reputation among the streaming platform’s users.
Rockstar Energy Drink and Aperol are among Creative Lab’s first clients. The collaboration between Spotify’s in-house creative agency and Aperol will debut next week, when the popular Italian drink launches its summer campaign on the streaming music platform.
Amazon
Digital advertising is on the rise
Amazon is commonly known for being the world’s number one ecommerce where millions of users access daily to buy all kinds of products online. However, in the coming years it will also be a benchmark in terms of digital advertising.
Jeff Bezos’ company does not yet give many details of the size of its advertising business, but analysts estimate that it accounts for most of what the multinational includes in its results under the concept of “other”. In the first quarter, this section generated revenues of $2.716 billion, 34% more than last year. According to eMarketer, Amazon will have $14 billion in advertising revenue this year, making it the fourth largest player in digital advertising. The figures are a far cry from Google’s $100 billion and Facebook’s $40 billion, but despite these dominant positions, analysts expect Amazon’s growth to continue exponentially in the coming years.
In short, Amazon is becoming a player to be reckoned with in digital advertising, something that is already worrying not only Google but also Facebook. But what is the reason for the sudden strength of this sales portal in a sector dominated by these two technological giants?
First of all, it should be noted that 54% of Internet users currently perform their first product search directly on Amazon, compared to 23% who do so on other search engines. For some time now, Google has been concerned about the rise of Amazon, with whom it competes directly in the search advertising business.
This success is due to what Amazon Advertising calls Sponsored Ads, pay-per-click ads that appear in product search listings within Amazon and on product detail pages. Like other digital advertising solutions linked to search, advertisers must bid on keywords to position their products ahead of the competition.
artificial intelligence
Runway Gen3, the AI that everyone is talking about
Runway has released Gen-3 Alpha, the first in a series of models trained on a new infrastructure designed for large-scale multimodal training. This version, which will be available “in the next few days,” aims to be a significant improvement in fidelity, consistency and motion over Gen-2, and a further step towards creating what Runway calls “general world models,” self-consistent universes in which different elements interact in a coherent way.
Innovations in fidelity and motion
Gen-3 Alpha has been jointly trained on video and images, enabling it to generate high-quality content in a wide range of applications. Key enhancements include:
Fidelity and consistency – Gen-3 Alpha models deliver greater consistency in video quality and transitions between scenes, achieving a more realistic and engaging visual effect.
- Detailed temporal control: Descriptive captions allow users to make imaginative transitions and precise control of the elements in the scene.
- Photorealism: Gen-3 Alpha is capable of generating expressive human characters with a wide range of actions, gestures and emotions. For example, a cinematic portrait of a man illuminated by the glow of a television.
- Artistic creativity: As shown in your presentation Gen-3 allows the creation of videos ranging from a man made of rocks walking through a forest to a cyclone of broken glass in an urban alley.
For example, a video of an astronaut running down an alley in Rio de Janeiro or a first-person shot flying through an underwater neighborhood filled with colorful coral can be generated, demonstrating the versatility and detail this model offers.
In short
Latest Tech and Digital Marketing Updates
📌Let’s see how it works out for them… Instagram is working on creating AI bots for content creators that will be versions of themselves. The goal is to make tasks like replying to comments easier for them, but for followers it may be all too cold….
📌 Krea.AI is born. With this Artificial Intelligence, from now on you can create images from sketches and prompts, edit images and generate videos of up to 10 seconds through text prompts and still images.
📌 The YouTube-AdBlockers war continues. The platform is starting to insert ads directly inside the videos and thus dodge the blockers. They have to secure one of their main sources of revenue.
📌 Improvements to LinkedIn newsletters. Improved cover image design, more top notifications for subscribers, being able to mention other LinkedIn profiles in articles and the option to preview links before publishing.
📌 Chrome on Android reads web pages to you. It’s including this feature, which has several playback controls like pause, change reading speed, fast forward or rewind 10 seconds. Like you’re listening to a podcast, wow.
📌 WhatsApp’s new features: 32-person video calls on any device, featured speaker so someone has the floor overhead, and the option to share screen and audio at the same time. Perfect for presentations and meetings.
