Episode 198 contains the Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Feb 5 -9, 2024.

1. Google's SEO Starter Guide Revamp: Streamlining for Clarity and Efficiency - Google has recently overhauled its SEO Starter Guide, a move that marks a significant shift towards simplifying SEO practices for website owners and digital marketers. The revised guide has been condensed from approximately 8,639 words to about 4,058 words, making it nearly 53% shorter than its predecessor. This streamlining effort is aimed at eliminating redundancy and focusing on the core essentials of SEO. The reduction in content volume is matched by a decrease in the use of heading elements, from 92 in the original to 27 in the updated version, indicating a more orderly page structure and a tighter focus on key topics.

Key Takeaways from the Updated Guide:

This revamped SEO Starter Guide is a valuable resource that demystifies SEO by presenting it in a more digestible and actionable format. It highlights the shift away from technical SEO manipulations towards creating high-quality, user-focused content that naturally improves search rankings.

2. Decoding SEO: Understanding Google's Ranking Systems, Signals, and Factors - In a recent clarification, Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison, provided valuable insights into the intricacies of Google's ranking process, which is crucial for business owners striving to enhance their online visibility. Sullivan's explanation sheds light on the often-confusing terms within SEO: ranking systems, signals, and factors. He emphasized that signals and factors are used synonymously at Google, serving as the "fuel" for the ranking "machine" or systems.

This analogy is particularly enlightening for small business owners navigating the complex world of SEO. Sullivan described the signals and factors as the essential elements or criteria that Google's algorithms evaluate when determining the relevance and quality of a webpage for a specific search query. These can range from the use of keywords within the content to the speed at which a page loads and the quality of inbound links.

On the other hand, the systems are the algorithms themselves – the "machines" that process these signals or factors to rank content. This distinction is critical for understanding how SEO works and how to optimize content effectively. It highlights that while the signals or factors are the inputs or "fuel," the ranking systems are the engines that analyze these inputs to determine search rankings.

In summary, Sullivan's analogy provides a clearer understanding of how Google's search ranking process works, distinguishing between the inputs (signals/factors) and the systems that process them. For businesses, this means that SEO efforts should be holistic, focusing on improving all aspects of their website's content and user experience. By doing so, they can provide the right "fuel" to power the "machine" that determines their visibility in search results, driving more organic traffic to their site and ultimately, enhancing their online presence.

3. Clarifying Google's Stance: Page Experience and Core Web Vitals as Ranking Factors - Google's Danny Sullivan provided clarity on the ongoing confusion surrounding page experience and core web vitals as ranking factors. Despite previous discussions and documentation updates, Sullivan emphasized, "We don’t confirm any of the things [page experience or core web vitals] as a direct ranking factor." This clarification is crucial for business owners navigating the complexities of SEO to enhance their online presence.

Sullivan further elaborated that Google evaluates numerous elements to determine search rankings, indicating that no single factor, including page experience or core web vitals, directly influences ranking. This approach underscores Google's multifaceted evaluation system, which assesses a wide range of signals rather than relying on a singular metric.

The confusion stems from past updates to Google's helpful content guidance and page experience documentation, which led to mixed messages about their role in search rankings. While Google previously stated that page experience is a ranking signal, Sullivan clarified it is not a ranking system but rather one of many signals used by other systems. This distinction is vital, as it highlights the importance of considering a broad spectrum of factors in SEO strategies.

On X, Sullivan reiterated, "While not all aspects may be directly used to inform ranking, they do generally align with success in search ranking and are worth attention." This statement is a reminder that, although not every aspect may directly impact rankings, focusing on page experience and core web vitals aligns with overall success in search results.

4. Google Updates Extended Crawler Documentation for AI Model Training - Google has recently made updates to the documentation of its Google-extended web crawler user agent. Introduced on September 28, 2023, the Google-extended user agent allows web publishers to control how their sites are crawled, specifically offering the option to opt-out of having their content used in AI training datasets. This move by Google aims to give publishers more control over their content, addressing concerns about the use of web content in training AI models like Bard (now renamed Gemini Apps) and Vertex AI generative APIs.

The updated documentation clarifies that the Google-extended crawling is exclusive to Gemini Apps and has no impact on Google Search. This distinction is crucial for business owners who may worry that blocking the Google-extended crawler could affect their site's search rankings. The revised guidance reassures publishers that opting out of Google-extended AI data collection does not impact a site's inclusion or ranking in Google Search.

Key points from the update include:

5. Google Investigates Local Service Ads Exploit - Google is currently probing into a concerning tactic involving Local Service Ads (LSA) that has the potential to severely impact businesses by making their ads invisible. The exploit takes advantage of a loophole where competitors can maliciously link an LSA to another business's Google Business Profile (GBP), rendering the original business's ad invisible and effectively cutting off its lead generation. This tactic not only undermines fair competition but also poses a significant threat to the livelihood of affected businesses.

The problem came to light when a business owner noticed a sudden and unexplained drop in leads and discovered, upon investigation, that their GBP was linked to two LSAs, one of which was unauthorized. Google's current system does not allow for the easy removal of these unauthorized links, leaving businesses in a precarious position. Google advised completely deleting his original account and reviews and starting over with a brand new Business Page. This suggestion was, understandably, met with dismay by the business owner, who questioned the fairness of the situation. “Why would an unknown entity get to force us off of our own Google listing?” the frustrated owner wrote. “There must be a way where we can re-verify our account and eliminate any LSA’s we don’t approve of.”

Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin has confirmed that Google is aware of the issue and is investigating. However, this situation underscores the vulnerability of businesses to exploitative practices within digital advertising platforms. It also highlights the importance of vigilance and the need for robust security measures to protect one's online presence.

6. YouTube Podcast Now Supports RSS Feed Integration - YouTube has launched a feature that allows podcast creators to directly upload their podcast RSS feeds to YouTube Studio. RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, is a technology commonly used by podcasters to distribute audio content across different platforms. The new RSS feed integration simplifies the podcast distribution process by enabling automatic conversion of podcast episodes into static image videos on YouTube. This means that whenever a new episode is added to a podcaster's RSS feed, YouTube will automatically generate a video for that episode and upload it to the user's channel. This automation eradicates the need for manual video creation for each podcast episode, saving podcasters considerable time and effort.

Key Features and Benefits:

To Use the New Feature, follow these steps:

For those who already have podcasts on YouTube, go to the ‘Content’ tab, find the podcast you wish to edit, click the pencil icon under ‘RSS settings,’ and then click ‘Connect to RSS feed.’

This integration offers a unique opportunity to expand their reach. By leveraging YouTube's vast platform, podcasts can gain more listeners, views, and subscribers, enhancing overall brand visibility. The feature not only makes YouTube a more centralized home for podcast content but also aligns with the platform's efforts to cater to diverse content creators.

7. Pinterest's Growth and New Google Ad Partnership - Pinterest has announced significant developments in its Q4 performance, including user growth and a new advertising partnership with Google. In Q4, Pinterest saw an addition of 16 million monthly active users, bringing its total to 498 million. This consistent growth, especially after the pandemic-induced surge in 2021, underscores Pinterest's appeal to users with shopping intent. Notably, while the North American market added 1 million users, significant growth also came from the EU, Brazil, and Mexico. This geographical expansion is crucial for businesses looking to target a global audience.

The partnership with Google introduces a third-party app integration, allowing Pinterest to host ads powered by Google. This collaboration aims to enhance Pinterest's monetization processes and expand its advertising capabilities, especially in markets outside the U.S. Pinterest's CEO, Bill Ready, believes this integration will significantly boost the platform's revenue potential.

For small business owners, these developments offer new opportunities and considerations:

However, Pinterest's reliance on third-party partnerships for ad revenue raises questions about its long-term strategy. While these collaborations can drive short-term gains, they might also limit Pinterest's direct sales potential. Businesses should weigh these factors when considering Pinterest as part of their digital marketing mix.

8. Snap's Strategic Shift - In the final quarter of last year, Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, reported a 5% increase in revenue, reaching $1.36 billion. However, this figure was slightly below the expectations of Wall Street analysts, who had predicted $1.38 billion. Despite the shortfall, the company saw a reduction in net losses to $248 million, an improvement from the $288 million loss in the same quarter the previous year.

A significant development was the company's decision to lay off about 10% of its global workforce. CEO Evan Spiegel described the move as "painful" but necessary for achieving long-term goals. This action reflects the company's commitment to streamlining operations and focusing on profitability.

Snap also revised its advertising strategy, emphasizing direct response ads. These ads allow users to click on an advertisement and directly purchase products within the app. Although this shift initially resulted in lower sales, Spiegel believes it will strengthen Snap's advertising business in the future.

For small business owners, understanding these changes is crucial. Direct response ads can offer a more immediate and measurable return on investment, making them an attractive option for businesses looking to drive sales.

In 2023, Snap shared positive insights into its performance:

Looking forward, Snap anticipates its DAUs to reach 420 million in the first quarter of this year, with revenue expected to grow between 11% and 15%.

Evan Spiegel highlighted the year as pivotal, stating, "2023 was a pivotal year for Snap, as we transformed our advertising business and continued to expand our global community, reaching 414 million daily active users." He emphasized Snapchat's unique value in enhancing relationships, providing a solid foundation for long-term growth.