Mackerel Media’s Search and Digital Marketing Roundup – November 2024
This November, the search and digital marketing world has been dominated by Google, with new ranking and search updates, ad enhancements and ongoing legal challenges around its Chrome browser.
Google’s in Hot Water
The latest news is that the U.S. Department of Justice has proposed that Google may have to sell their Chrome browser and potentially its Android operating system due to antitrust concerns and their alleged search monopoly. A court ruling found that Google maintained its online search dominance through restrictive agreements and ensuring that Google is the default search for third party developers. Google has called this proposal a “radical interventionist agenda” which they plan to appeal. A hearing is planned for April next year.
On November 11th, Google launched its latest core algorithm update. This update aims to improve search results by prioritising content which is useful to users, rather than content designed to rank well. Many websites which were negatively impacted by the Helpful Content Update (HCU) back in September 2023, especially review sites and how-to sites, are still in the process of recovering. Google has cautioned there is no guarantee that this new update will help restore previous rankings and stresses the importance of writing valuable, user-focused content.
AI Goes Shopping!
Google has introduced new AI-powered features to search, including a new inventory feature in Google Maps which displays product inventories for local stores. This makes it easier for users to check the availability of items before visiting. They have also updated Google Lens to include price comparisons for product searches. Both of these new features will affect purchasing decisions and could lead to increased competition among online retailers.
Google ads has been updated to track Whatsapp started conversations, meaning that advertisers can track how many message-based ad interactions they receive. For performance Max campaigns, Google has introduced new brand guidelines, allowing users to customise elements of their campaign such as business names, logos, colours and fonts so that they better align with their existing brand identity. This new feature helps to ensure that a company’s branding is consistent across all of Google’s ad placements, including YouTube and display networks.
YouTube’s New Toolkit
Finally, YouTube has improved its platform with new creator tools and a content disclosure system. This recent update includes features such as allowing creators to produce YouTube Shorts up to three minutes long, a DreamScreen tool for generating images and a new content disclosure system which can authenticate videos filmed with compatible devices for added transparency. These updates aim to provide content creators with greater flexibility and build trust with audiences.
