LIVE updates: This month in search marketing [August 2024]

2nd August 2024

Microsoft delivers new Ad format for the automotive market

Microsoft Advertising has announced the global rollout of its Automotive Ads format. Initially launched in specific sectors such as travel and finance, the platform is now offering this specialised ad type to all advertisers within the automotive industry.
This development highlights Microsoft’s dedication to tailor advertising solutions for diverse sectors. By introducing Automotive Ads, the platform aims to enhance campaign performance and deliver more impactful results for automotive businesses

5th August 2024

Google Introduces new tool to identify SEO gaps

Google has introduced a fresh tool designed to streamline the SEO optimisation process for website owners. The new recommendations feature within Search Console offers tailored suggestions based on the platform’s indexing, crawling, and serving data.
Previously available information has been repackaged into actionable recommendations, aiming to simplify SEO efforts. This includes guidance on implementing structured data, creating sitemaps, and identifying trending search terms.
It’s important to note that this feature is currently in an experimental phase and will be gradually rolled out to websites. Google emphasises that the recommendations are suggestions and should be evaluated within the broader context of business SEO strategies.

5th August 2024

OpenAI backtracks on ChatGPT watermarking plans

OpenAI has made a significant U-turn on its plans to watermark ChatGPT-generated text. Despite developing a system claimed to be 99.9% accurate, the company has abandoned the initiative due to technical challenges and overwhelming user resistance.

Internal data revealed that nearly a third of users would reduce ChatGPT usage if watermarking was implemented, highlighting the potential negative impact on user experience and adoption. OpenAI has also expressed concerns about the potential for unintended consequences, such as the stigmatisation of AI-generated content.

While the company is exploring alternative methods like metadata embedding, the immediate focus is on addressing user concerns and refining the ChatGPT experience. This development underscores the complexities of balancing AI innovation with ethical considerations and user acceptance.

8th August 2024

Understanding Google’s August 2024 algorithm changes

Google’s August 2024 core algorithm update focuses on enhancing the quality of search results by prioritising genuinely useful content over material designed primarily to perform well in search rankings. This update introduces refinements to Google’s ranking system, emphasizing high-quality, original content that offers real value to users, reflecting feedback from creators and industry experts. As the update rolls out over two weeks, brands may see fluctuations in site rankings and visibility; these changes are part of Google’s ongoing efforts to improve search quality, not penalties. Website administrators should focus on improving content quality and relevance rather than seeking technical fixes, as this update also aims to recognize improvements made by sites following previous updates. Google’s updated help page provides detailed guidance for addressing any changes in performance.

12th August 2024

X announces removal of all ads for Premium+ subscribers

Beginning 27th October 2023, X has introduced two new subscription tiers: Basic and Premium+. Users who subscribed to Premium on iOS or the web can now upgrade to Premium+. Premium+ subscribers will now enjoy a completely ad-free experience, with ads removed from the For You and Following timelines, post replies, and profiles. Previously, ads could still appear in these areas despite the Premium+ subscription. Although Premium+ users might occasionally see sponsored content outside the standard ad inventory, this change largely aligns with Elon Musk’s strategy to reduce dependence on ad revenue and bolster subscription income. Musk’s goal is to generate 50% of X’s revenue from subscriptions to address revenue challenges and lessen the influence of advertisers on content moderation.

20th August 2024

Meta presents AI-Driven Ad tools for enhanced targeting and analytics

Meta has announced several updates to its advertising platform for Facebook and Instagram, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI)-driven optimisation, enhanced analytics integration, and improved conversion attribution. These upgrades, to be rolled out over the next few months, include a new “Conversion Value Rules” tool, which allows advertisers to adjust the value of different customer actions or groups within a single campaign. Additionally, Meta is introducing an optional incremental attribution model to optimise Ad delivery for conversions that occur due to Ad exposure. Early tests of this model show an increase of over 20% in incremental conversions.

Meta is also enhancing analytics integration by connecting directly with external platforms such as Google Analytics and Northbeam, with plans to add more in the future. This integration aims to provide advertisers with a more comprehensive view of campaign performance across various platforms, enabling more effective campaign management and optimisation.

21st August 2024

Google launches new AI crawler for Vertex AI clients

Google has unveiled a new crawler, Google-CloudVertexBot, designed for commercial clients using its Vertex AI product. This bot, detailed in the updated crawler documentation, is used to crawl websites at the request of site owners, unlike other bots associated with Google Search or advertising. The new crawler supports two types of website indexing: Basic and Advanced. While Basic indexing uses a subset of data already crawled by Google and does not require site owner verification, Advanced indexing—utilising Google-CloudVertexBot—requires domain verification and has indexing quotas. The documentation specifies that this bot does not crawl public websites but operates based on site owners’ requests.

The changelog notes that Google-CloudVertexBot was introduced to allow site owners to track and manage traffic generated by this new crawler

22st August 2024

Google SA360 integrates with Microsoft Automated Bidding

Google Search Ads 360 (SA360) has introduced a new beta program that allows advertisers to use Microsoft’s automated bidding capabilities within their SA360 bid strategies. This integration offers a significant opportunity for enterprise advertisers to optimise their campaigns across multiple search engines and potentially boost conversions.

Microsoft automated bidding works by optimising bids at the auction level in real-time. Advertisers can use Floodlight conversion data to improve performance on Microsoft search and shopping campaigns. By combining Microsoft automated bidding with Google’s auction time bidding, advertisers can create powerful cross-channel and cross-engine bid strategy portfolios powered by Google AI.

Key benefits of this introduction, include cross-engine optimisation, efficient budget allocation, and potentially improved performance by up to 5% through leveraging cross-channel and cross-engine optimisation.

To activate Microsoft automated bidding within your SA360 bid strategies, simply share Floodlight data with linked Microsoft advertising accounts and enable the feature in your bid strategy settings.

27th August 2024

Google releases AI-powered tools to help retailers

Google has introduced new tools to help businesses sell more products during the holiday season. These tools include real-time trends to see what people are searching for to adjust inventories and products descriptions, AI insights to get quick summaries and create custom reports using AI, and automatic in-store updates to keep websites and store inventory in sync.

With less time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, retailers need to be smart and use data to make the most of their sales. Google’s new tools can help businesses stay ahead of the competition and increase sales during the holiday season

28th August 2024

New Google tools boost first-party data strategies

Google has presented two new tools to help advertisers stay up-to-date with privacy rules and collect valuable customer data. These tools are called Tag Diagnostics and an integrated consent management platform setup.

Tag Diagnostics checks accounts for any problems and gives tips on how to fix them. Business can find it in Google Tag Manager, Google Ads, and Google Analytics.

The consent management platform setup makes it easier to create consent banners and implement consent mode. It works with Google Ads, Analytics, and Tag Manager and connects with popular consent management platforms like consent manager, Cookiebot, iubenda, and Usercentrics.

30th August 2024

Google Analytics 4 updates industry benchmarks 4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has rolled out a significant update that allows users to compare their performance with other businesses in their industry. This new feature provides valuable context for advertisers seeking to understand their standing relative to their peers and inform strategic decision-making.

To access benchmarking data, users must enable the “Modelling contributions & business insights” setting in their GA4 account. Benchmarks are refreshed daily and provide a summary that includes: trendline, the median performance of the business group and the range of performance within brands peer group.

GA4’s benchmarking feature offers customisable peer groups, ensuring data privacy, and covers a wide range of metrics to provide comprehensive insights. This update addresses a long-standing need in the analytics community for comparative data, enabling businesses to gauge their performance more accurately within their industry context.