Weekly SEO and Marketing Recap: Oct 15, 2024

SEO Insights📈

1. Google Expands Store Ratings In Search Results To New Markets

Google has launched its Store Ratings feature in Australia, Canada, India, and the UK, enabling merchants to display customer feedback in search results. This update allows shoppers to easily access insights about product quality and customer service, helping them make informed purchasing decisions.

2. Google: Robots.txt Is Unreachable, Other Pages Reachability Matter

Gary Illyes from Google noted that if a robots.txt file is inaccessible for a long time, a site's search visibility relies on the accessibility of key pages like the homepage. While an unreachable robots.txt can be risky, sites may still operate effectively if essential pages are accessible, showcasing the intricacies of search engine crawling and indexing.

3. Google AI Overviews Not Linking To Sites Hit By Helpful Content Update

Google's AI Overviews seem to omit links and citations from websites impacted by helpful content updates, despite their strong rankings in standard search results. This trend has sparked conversations among SEO experts about a possible filter that keeps HCU-affected sites from being featured in AI-generated summaries.

4. Google Explains How Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) Is Measured

Google's Web Performance Developer Advocate, Barry Pollard, has shed light on how Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is measured, explaining that it's a unitless metric calculated by multiplying impact and distance fractions of layout shifts, with scores below 0.1 considered "good" for user experience and SEO.

5. Google Search Ranking Volatility Rumbling Again October 10th

Google Search rankings experienced significant volatility on October 10th, 2024, with SEO tracking tools and community chatter indicating major shifts. This follows a series of fluctuations since the August 2024 core update, affecting traffic and rankings for many websites, particularly in North America.

6. Why Google Search Is Broken Video Gets Millions Of Views

A popular YouTuber's video criticizing Google Search has gone viral, highlighting issues with search results, SEO manipulation, and AI changes. The video's success raises questions about Google's ability and willingness to address these problems, as well as the potential impact on their business.

Affiliate Marketing Updates💰

7. The Growing Role of AI in Affiliate Marketing: What It Means for Affiliates

The rise of technology is transforming affiliate marketing, making it easier for affiliates to target the right audiences and optimize campaigns. This shift is streamlining processes, offering new opportunities for growth and efficiency.

8. Affiliate Marketing: A growing revenue stream for news publishers

Affiliate marketing offers news publishers a valuable way to diversify their income by partnering with brands. Through strategic collaborations, publishers can turn their content into a growing revenue stream while providing their readers with relevant recommendations.

9. What retail media’s growth means for affiliates and affiliate managers

Retail media's growth offers exciting opportunities for affiliates and managers to tap into a booming advertising channel. With brands investing more in retail media platforms, affiliates can benefit from expanded reach and better performance tracking, while managers need to stay agile to leverage this growing space.

Media Buying- AdTech News📢

10. Google Ads Improved Console Sidebar Navigation

Google Ads has introduced a new sidebar navigation update in the console, streamlining access to important tools and features. This change enhances user experience by simplifying workflows and boosting efficiency for advertisers.

11. Google Ads Adds Gross Profit Optimization Campaign Setting

Google Ads has introduced a new "Gross profit optimization" campaign setting, which calculates gross profit using margins set by advertisers. Early tests show a 15% increase in campaign profit, but it requires cart data, COGS information, and setting the optimization goal to profit tROAS (POAS).

12. Adobe launches AI video tool and helps brands place ads on Meta, TikTok and Google

Adobe has launched an AI-powered performance marketing tool that integrates with platforms like Meta and TikTok, aiming to streamline campaign management and boost ROI for brands through automated optimization and creative generation.

13. Google Local Service Ads To Soon Require Google Business Profile

Google is implementing a significant change for Local Service Ads, requiring businesses to have a matching Google Business Profile by November 21, 2024, to continue displaying ads and reviews. This move aims to streamline the management of customer reviews and ensure consistency across Google's platforms.

Social Media Highlights📲

14. Snapchat Is Testing 2 New Advertising Placements

Snapchat is experimenting with two fresh ad formats: Sponsored Snaps, featuring full-screen videos, and Promoted Places, highlighting businesses on Snap Map, aiming to boost brand visibility and user engagement across popular platform features.

15. Reddit introduces AI-powered keyword targeting features

Reddit has introduced new AI-powered keyword targeting features for advertisers, aiming to enhance ad relevance and performance. The update includes Keyword Targeting, Dynamic Audience Expansion, and AI Keyword Suggestions, which collectively promise improved targeting precision and higher conversion rates.

16. LinkedIn Message Ads: Everything you need to know

LinkedIn Message Ads are a direct messaging tool for B2B marketers on the platform, delivering targeted messages to prospects through LinkedIn's messaging system. These ads offer higher engagement rates compared to traditional email marketing, with an average open rate of 50%, and can be used for website visits, lead generation, or website conversion objectives.

Affiliate Network of the Week💸

Eightcap Partners

Eightcap Partners offers comprehensive Forex partnership programs, leveraging over two decades of affiliate marketing expertise to support partners and their leads. The platform provides diverse marketing solutions, extensive trading tools, and robust reporting systems, positioning itself as a top-tier choice in the global Forex industry.

Thanks for joining us this week! 🌟 Stay tuned for more insights and keep pushing your SEO and marketing efforts to new heights!