LAST MONTH WAS A SURPRISINGLY ACTIVE PERIOD FOR SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA. THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED GOOGLE MARKETING LIVE EVENT TOOK PLACE RECENTLY, MEANING MUCH OF THE NEW INFORMATION SHARED WAS PUT INTO PRACTICE OVER THE LAST MONTH (JUNE THROUGHOUT JULY). IT’S NOT JUST GOOGLE, THOUGH. META, TIKTOK, AND OTHER MAJOR PLAYERS KEPT US ON OUR TOES WITH NEW ALGORITHMS, GUIDELINES, AND UPDATES AIMED AT IMPROVING ONLINE CONTENT QUALITY. LET’S EXPLORE THE CURRENT TRENDS IN DIGITAL MARKETING.
LONG-FORM VIDEOS ARE BACK – BECAUSE WHO NEEDS A SOCIAL LIFE ANYWAY?
The instant gratification of a TikTok, a snappy Reel or a YouTube short is quite hard to beat, but even platforms renowned for that short and sweet content are considering extending video length.
Many of our favourite social platforms are taking the leap and extending the length of their videos. Instagram Reels can now be up to 15 minutes long, with rumours suggesting TikTok is following suit and is set to introduce 15-minute long uploads. Anyone who subscribes to the new Premium X (previously known as Twitter) can also post longer videos, with the length increasing to 2 hours! Just imagine Elon Musk lecturing us on the future of space travel, electric cars, and… who knows what else, all in one marathon session on X. Can our attention spans stretch this far? Probably not, but we can hope for the best, right?
GOOGLE ADS GOES AI
In the latest Google Marketing Live 2024, Google introduced a suite of AI-driven innovations for Google Ads that could make even the savviest digital marketers raise an eyebrow. Here’s the rundown:
AI-POWERED IMAGE EDITING
Google is adding AI tools that allow advertisers to edit images directly within Google Ads. These tools offer functionalities like object removal and background extensions, making it easier to adjust images to fit various sizes, orientations, and ratios. No more blurry faces and photobombers ruining your paid social ads – t’s a bit like Photoshop has decided to move into Google Ads and set up shop (so to speak).
NEW AD PLACEMENTS
Google is expanding where your ads can appear, including visual search results and AI overview sections. The company’s search and shopping ads will now show up in AI Overviews – although this feature is exclusive to the United States for now. This new placement has the potential to change the game on visibility. The ads from existing AI-powered Search and Performance Max campaigns might appear in the AI Overview’s “Sponsored” section when they are relevant to both the user search and the AI-generated content. It’s the Google way of saying, “We know what you want before you do, so here’s an ad.”
AUTOMATIC AD PLACEMENTS
Google’s latest experiment involves automatically placing Search, P-Max, and Shopping Ads in AI Overview boxes. These ads will be clearly labelled as “Sponsored” to separate them from organic and AI-derived content. Another great feature is that you don’t need to lift a finger – Google will automatically place these ads when they match the intent of both the query and the AI Overview.
Google’s AI might know more about where to place your ads than you do soon, so it’s worth testing these tools and tracking the results.
GOOGLE’S JUNE 2024 SPAM UPDATE – THE TIME FOR SHADY SEO TACTICS IS OVER (OR IS IT…?)
June 2024 saw the latest rollout of spam detectors from Google. Google confirmed the completion of this spam update on 27 June, following a rollout that began on 20 June. Announced via Google’s Search Central Twitter account, the update aimed to improve user experiences by ensuring higher quality search results. The commitment to cracking down on dodgy and spammy content has become one of the main things Google is known for, and this update was no different, focusing on specific policy violations, including:
Automatically Generated Content – a focus on bringing down websites that create content solely to manipulate search rankings.
Buying or Selling Links – old school link farms and those scores of shady link builders in your inbox have also been targeted with penalties, in an attempt to limit the purchase or sale of links to artificially boost rankings.
Thin, Duplicated, or Low-Quality Content – so many websites churn out poor, barely comprehensible content and this is not what Google is looking for, so these sites got hit too.
Deceptive Techniques – websites using hidden redirects and other misleading tactics were also targeted to cut down on the seemingly endless supply of spam out there on the web.
Getting SEO right is a bit of a balancing act and leaning towards the dark side might seem tempting. However, with Google’s regular spam updates it’s clear the world’s leading search engine is committed to creating a high-quality, trustworthy web, where high-quality, authentic content rises to the top.
WRAPPING UP OUR ROUNDUP
Digital marketing trends are clear, driven by the big players who seem to control everything digital. Long-form videos are back, with Instagram and TikTok pushing the boundaries. Google’s latest AI and spam updates promise a future of quality and authenticity, which we can all support. Staying informed is key to staying ahead and not getting caught out by the next big digital marketing change. After all, who wants to be left behind when the puppet masters pull the next string?
