Digital Digest: June News Roundup

In our upcoming digital marketing newsletter, we'll explore the newest trends and developments in SEO, Digital PR, Paid Media, Online Marketplaces, and E-commerce. Stay tuned for our monthly newsletter to stay informed about the latest updates in digital marketing, where we'll highlight the importance of digital marketing and its evolving trends. AYKO stands out as a premier agency specialising in E-commerce solutions on Magento and Shopify platforms, providing exceptional marketing strategies to enhance your business.

SEO

Google Search Console Merchant Listings Experience Report?

Google has recently introduced a new filter within Google Search Console, allowing users to track the appearance of the 'merchant listings' experience specifically within Google Images.

This feature provides valuable insights into the visibility and performance of merchant listings on this platform, enabling users to optimise their strategies accordingly.

Google To Stop Indexing Desktop-Only Sites?

After July 5th, 2024, Google will cease indexing websites that are not optimised for mobile devices, emphasising the importance of mobile responsiveness for maintaining visibility and accessibility on the search engine.

This change underscores the significance of ensuring that websites are mobile-friendly to align with Google's indexing criteria and reach a broader audience effectively.

RIP to the Continuous Scroll

Initially introduced in October 2021 for mobile and December 2022 for desktop, Google is discontinuing the continuous scroll feature and will return to pagination instead.

This change will take effect on June 25th for desktop users and the following month for mobile users.

The purpose of this transition is to enable Google to deliver search results more swiftly and to prevent the automatic loading of results that have not been requested.

Could this be anything to do with making room for AI on the SERP?

Pro Tip: Expired Content

Don’t hold on to ‘expired’ content - learn when to say goodbye.

Users and Search engines favour newer, ‘fresh’ content because it is more likely to be still relevant today.

Don't hesitate to ‘Kill’ pages when:?

• Information is outdated and references are made to things that don’t exist today;
• Engagement starts to drop and there is a drop in search engine rankings.

There is an alternative solution…

Pro Tip: Evergreen Content

Create Evergreen pages for seasonal content for events like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, the Euros etc.

By reusing the pages each year it saves time and resources:?

• Less resource-intensive – utilise a ‘template’ format that makes it easy to update content to make it relevant for today. Can still adapt a trend-led approach, i.e. changing images/videos etc.;
• Builds authority – easier to accumulate backlinks, social shares etc. Gives opportunity for search engine rankings to rise;
• Builds consistency – keeping the same URL and content structure provides a better experience for Google and its users. Ensure they are in the strategy, to track SEO performance (may be missed when removed from the nav)

Google Confirms Using Branded Keywords Won't Hurt Search Rankings

Jake Boly, a content creator, had initially asked on X, why his articles featuring unique content consistently ranked on pages 3-4, speculating that it may be due to branded terms.

In response, SEO professional Taleb Kabbara suggested that mentioning branded keywords could harm rankings, and advised against using terms like “new balance” in titles.?

This prompted the Google Search Liaison to step in and confirm that as long as the branded terms used are helpful to users, including them isn't the problem. Their official response reads: “No, you shouldn’t be afraid to mention the brand name of something you are reviewing. It’s literally what readers would expect you to do, and our systems are trying to reward things that are helpful to readers.”

Verdict:

Write the best content for readers rather than attempt to game the system by avoiding specific terms.

Here’s How Google Evaluates Your Content - Data Study following Helpful Content Update

A recent extensive Google ranking study demonstrates the significant role of topical authority in search rankings.

The presence of a page on a larger website is indicative of higher rankings, emphasising the importance of digital PR.

• In order to rank well, content for informational searches must be more finely tuned for SEO compared to buyer intent searches;
• Informational pages typically cover topics more comprehensively and are more sensitive to the absence of related keywords;
• eCommerce websites employ intricate frameworks, with Google placing greater emphasis on technical SEO factors to gauge buyer user experience, a factor less critical for informational pages;
• For sites with a substantial product range, category pages often feature more detailed content that users and Google seek before delving further, underscoring the significance of category descriptions.

Pro Tip: Following The Data Study?

To attain top rankings, it is essential to create comprehensive content that thoroughly covers topics (semantic SEO):

• Understand the various intents behind search queries related to your topic, such as informational, navigational, and transactional, and develop content that fulfils these intents, such as how-to guides, detailed explanations, and product reviews.
• Maintain the freshness of your content by consistently updating it with new information, trends, and insights. This practice demonstrates to search engines that your content remains current and pertinent.

Does your business need a foolproof SEO content strategy? Get in touch with our experts today!

Digital PR

How To Create Shareable, Link-worthy Content In The AI Era

Content-based link building is an SEO strategy employed to obtain backlinks through the creation and promotion of top-notch content.

Such content, which tends to attract high-quality links, typically fits into specific categories, such as:

• Case studies
• Industry reports
• Controversial or opinionated pieces
• Interviews with industry experts

96% Of Sites In Google’s Top 10 Positions Have 1,000+ Links From Unique Domains

According to a recent study, only 0.3% of websites ranking in the top 10 possessed fewer than 100 backlinks, with none having 50 links or fewer.

Can you rank in the top 10 of Google with very few links? Not according to a new analysis, which found that:

• Over 96% of websites ranking in the top 10 of Google had more than 1,000 backlinks from unique domains.
• Only 0.3% had less than 100 backlinks.

The results are based on an analysis of the top 10 Google Search results, consisting of 1,113 unique websites, for 200 random commercial intent keyword phrases.

Curious how our PR team can collaborate with your brand or business to secure links in national publications? Reach out to us today, and let’s explore the potential opportunities and how we can help your business reach millions of readers through targeted and impactful stories. Connect with our PR team today!

Paid Search

Conversion Paths Report Change

The recent Google Ads update introduced the inclusion of video impressions in the conversion paths report, helping advertisers to enhance their understanding of YouTube's role in their marketing strategies.

Previously this report only included clicks and engaged-view conversions.

This change does not affect bidding or Data-Driven Attribution (DDA); it is solely for reporting purposes.

Some of the key benefits of this update are:

• Video Insights: Gain insights into the effectiveness of video ads, even in cases where users do not engage immediately.
• Streamlined Cross-Platform Video Analysis: Simplify the process of measuring video performance across different platforms with view-through conversions.
• Campaign Type Coverage: Video impression reporting is available for YouTube (Reach, View, Action), Shopping campaigns, and DemandGen, excluding Performance Max campaigns.

Google Is Testing New PLA Labels

Google is seemingly testing a label "Latest Deals: Deals added in the past 24 hours" on Google Shopping ads.?

This feature would be beneficial, especially in verticals where deals and discounts are short-lived, often lasting only a day. It will assist users in prioritising their purchases.

From an advertiser's perspective, particularly in such verticals, deals can emphasised and introduce time pressure, thereby enhancing the conversion rates.

Shopify Launch Audience Integration With Ad Platforms, Including Google Ads

Shopify has launched direct audience list integrations, which include Google Ads. Advertisers can simply install the Shopify Audience app and connect audiences to platforms including:

• Google Ads
• Meta
• Snapchat
• Criteo
• Pinterest
• Tik Tok

Google Ads Switches To New Interface

Google has been migrating to the new Google Ads interface for some time, however, this month they officially switched users to the new interface.

The interface includes a reorganisation of the main settings menu moving most elements to the left-hand side of the UI.

The old interface will officially be deprecated on the 30th of August with users able to navigate back for now.

Auto-generated Horizontal Images For PMax

Google Ads has introduced a new feature for Performance Max campaigns to enhance ad visuals.

In instances where advertisers do not supply horizontal images, Google Ads automatically generates them by utilising vertical assets and incorporating a blurred background.

This functionality eliminates the necessity for specific horizontal images, allowing for the utilisation of this feature instead, which is meant as a short-term solution to improve overall Ad Strength. Advertisers should still aim to create high quality creative for long-term strategies.

Paid Social

Meta Rolls Out Beta GA4 Integration

Meta has launched an integration between GA4 and Meta to better report meta campaign performance data in Google Analytics. This simplifies the use of UTM parameters and uses Meta's data to better show user journeys in Google Analytics.

Meta's New AI Chatbots And Business Messaging Tools

Meta has introduced a suite of new AI-powered solutions including AI chatbots on Messenger.

The chatbots can converse with customers about products and provide support, this will also save businesses on service costs.

Select advertisers can now create, organise and send paid marketing messages on Messenger to opted-in customers, similar to WhatsApp’s recent marketing messaging capabilities.

Want to make the most out of your Paid Social activity? Speak with our team today!

Marketplaces

Amazon Introduces Lost Metrics Data

New Lost Metrics data enables analysis of the frequency with which customers click on competitors' ads instead of yours for your brand terms. This feature aids in identifying missed opportunities, refining bidding strategies, and enhancing brand visibility.

Users can now track the click frequency of competitors' ads and the subsequent order placements resulting from those interactions.

Prime Day Officially Announced

Amazon’s 10th Prime Day event starts on 16 July at 00:00 and runs until 17 July at 23:59 in the UK.?

Prime members will get exclusive access to hundreds of thousands of deals on top brands and small businesses

Are you interested in exploring how online marketplaces can help grow your eCommerce business? Get in touch today and see what we can do for your business!

Data

Google Updates GA4 Attribution Models

Google has recently updated the GA4 attribution models to enhance the precision of paid search campaigns starting from June 10th.

As a result, users utilising a GA4 conversion in Google Ads may observe a rise in attributed conversions, necessitating the monitoring of bid strategies. Conversely, there may be a decrease in conversions across other channels.

For further information on leveraging Google's updated GA4 Attribution Models to your advantage, please Contact us today to explore how these enhancements can benefit your business.

As we conclude this edition of our newsletter, we hope you've found valuable insights and inspiration for your digital marketing efforts. If you have any queries about any information you have learnt here today please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of the team. We welcome your feedback and questions. Don't hesitate to reach out to our team for any assistance or to share your success stories with us. Contact: [email protected]

About AYKO

AYKO is an Adobe Gold Partner & certified Adobe Commerce Specialist. Forged from the merger of two other Magento-certified agencies and one digital marketing agency in 2019, AYKO was formed to create one of the largest full-service digital, Magento eCommerce, and Shopify Plus agencies in the UK. Currently, with a team of 56 industry specialists, they specialise in design and development alongside performance marketing to accelerate your website and customer experiences.