??Google's August Core Update, HUGE Change Coming to Instagram Profiles, and Enhanced Experience For YouTube CTV Viewers
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Hello and welcome to the latest (slightly shorter) edition of The Digital Dispatch!
I hope you had a great weekend.
There haven't been tons of new updates since we last published, meaning we've 'only' got 3 updates for you this week...
However, where they lack in numbers, they make up for in importance!
What are you waiting for? Stop reading this intro and get your fix of updates! ??
3 Helpful Digital Marketing Updates for This Week:
Google Commences Their August Core Update
Last week (in the days following our last edition), Google announced their August core update is underway...
"Today, we launched our August 2024 core update to Google Search. This update is designed to continue our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search."
Said Google Search Advocate, John Mueller.
"This latest update takes into account the feedback we've heard from some creators and others over the past few months. As always, we aim to connect people with a range of high quality sites, including small or independent sites that are creating useful, original content, when relevant to users' searches. This is an area we'll continue to address in future updates. This update also aims to better capture improvements that sites may have made, so we can continue to show the best of the web."
During past Google updates, some websites report seeing significant changes in their Search rankings.
Google have also updated their guidance for core updates and steps you can take if your website has been negatively affected.
Takeaway:
To minimise drops in rankings, Google advises that businesses should create content that is "helpful, reliable, people-first content" and you can use THIS GUIDE as a checklist for doing just this.
Instagram Changing Profile Grid Displays
Profile grids will soon be displayed as vertical/rectangular post thumbnails, replacing the square format that has been in place since the beginning of the platform.
It’s currently being tested with certain users, but, will soon roll out to everyone.
This is a significant shift, as the square profile grid has been around since the dawn of the platform - and is quite iconic in our opinion!
Instagram Boss, Adam Mosseri said:
“We’re actually testing a vertical grid, for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, for your profile, instead of squares. Now, squares are from way back in the day when you could only upload square photos to Instagram. And I know this can be annoying for some of you who really spend a lot of time curating and making sure everything lines up, but I would really like to do better by the content of today. And the vast majority of what is uploaded to Instagram today is vertical; it’s either 4:3 in a photo or 9:16 in a video, and cropping it down to a square is pretty brutal, so I’m hoping we can figure out a way to manage this transition.”
Image Source: Lindsay Gamble
Takeaway:
This could significantly impact the way content creation is approached - many businesses and creators design their thumbnails for this square mode to follow a specific pattern with the aim of aesthetically enhancing their profiles (it's up for debate as to what impact this really has).
If you're creating content for your business on Instagram, you may want to prepare for this update rolling out to everyone by creating your thumbnails to fit this vertical format.
领英推荐
?? What do you make of saying goodbye to the square grid? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! ??
YouTube Connected TV Increases Duration of Ad Breaks
YouTube adverts on Connected TV content will now appear less frequently but their duration will last for longer.
This comes following tests which resulted in 79% of viewers preferring longer grouped ad breaks over shorter, regular ads.
YouTube hope this change will enhance the viewing experience for users by boosting uninterrupted viewing sessions by 50%.
Romana Pawar, Director, Product Management, YouTube Ads said:
"Viewers on connected TVs still have the choice to skip to the next ad in an ad pod. Within this improved experience, viewers can still skip an ad after the first five seconds if the ad is not right for them. Further, advertisers have more opportunities to connect with their target viewers while minimizing interruptions to viewing sessions."
Whilst 'annoyance' from viewers might be reduced with fewer ad interruptions, they'll still have the chance to skip the ads anyway or just completely ignore this block of ads (like going on their phones or nipping to make a brew)...
not sure how exactly this gives advertisers more opportunities, however, the overall experience for viewers will be enhanced.
Takeaway:
Advertisers should monitor how this impacts campaign performance, as it's not clear how these longer ad breaks will impact the response rate.
Generally, these types of ads will be used for mostly for generating awareness over direct response, which is not always easy to measure the true impact of - definitely one to keep a close eye on!
Romana Pawar said:
"There’s no action required from advertisers. We’re always testing new ways to improve the ad experience for viewers, while helping advertisers achieve their goals."
That's All Folks!
That wraps up this week's edition of The Digital Dispatch! We hope you found these updates insightful and helpful for your business.
Stay tuned for more tips, trends, and tools to keep you ahead in the digital landscape.
Until next time!
Who are we? ??
We’re Add People – a group of down-to-earth digital marketing experts specialising in budget-friendly campaigns that help small-to-medium-sized businesses grow.
From Plumbers to Dance Schools, we’ve helped all kinds of SMEs tap into digital marketing.
If you would like help with your digital marketing, then contact us here.
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