INSIGHTS

Digital marketing industry roundup: August 2024

So many updates, so little time. Core algorithm update completed, Instagram testing a new profile feed, brand search incrementality testing, enhanced goal testing and so much more. August was another month packed with big updates, we’ve curated the biggest, most impactful ones for you.

SEO

Core algorithm update completed 9/3. The update emphasizes high-quality, user-focused content over content created primarily for ranking purposes.

TLDR: Google officially launched the latest core algorithm update on August 15th, which completed on September 3rd. The primary aim of this update is to address websites producing content mainly designed to influence search rankings. Instead, Google is focusing on prioritizing genuinely useful content from a diverse range of sources, including smaller, independent websites.
Our POV: As with previous Google core algorithm updates, websites that adhere to SEO best practices and prioritize human-first content in line with Google’s EEAT quality guidelines do not need to worry. Google continues to emphasize this type of high-quality content.
Moving forward: NPD will continue to monitor the effects of this update and assess its impact on client performance in upcoming monthly reports.

Source: Search Engine Journal

Google Search Console rolling out recommendations feature. Google is experimenting with providing optimization opportunities on the Overview page.

TLDR: Recommendations pertaining to indexing, crawling and serving will be provided on the GSC Overview page. GSC recommendations will include optimization opportunities and suggested actions to improve presence on Google Search such as using structured data, adding sitemaps, and checking trending queries. GSC will only provide recommendations if it has a recommendation available for your website.
Our POV: While the data that GSC will utilize to provide recommendations was already available to users, the recommendations feature will make it easier to quickly uncover and prioritize opportunities.
Moving forward: NPD will review GSC recommendations that become available for clients to decipher how useful they are.

Source: Google Developers

Google search expands AI Overviews globally. Education, entertainment and ecommerce queries saw the largest drops in June.

TLDR: Google has expanded their AI Overviews to show in the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil. Google has also added new features to AI Overviews including: A new link display on desktop and mobile to showcase relevant websites, experimental in-text links within AI Overviews, a save function for specific AI Overviews, an option to simplify the language in some summaries.
Our POV: The inclusion of these new features may have impacts on click through rates as users find answers to questions via AI Overviews.
Moving forward: We will continue to monitor and report on the presence of AI Overviews and how they impact traffic going to sites.

Source: Search Engine Journal

AI Overviews now come strictly from top 10 organic results. Google adjusted where AI results are pulled from, now showing top 10 organic results 99% of the time.

TLDR: After scaling back how often AI Overviews was being shown in typical SERPs, Google has now updated it to show sources from the top 10 organic search results 99% of the time. This is a significant change as these sources were different from first page results 93.8% of the time, sources which might have been less trustworthy or authoritative than what’s typically found on the first page. This also indicates Google is incorporating more traditional search ranking signals into its AI model.
Our POV: To secure a spot highlighted in a given AI overviews result, it’s now important that websites rank in the top 10 for that term first. This highlights the importance of achieving higher rankings to take advantage of this SERP feature.
Moving forward: AI Overviews will naturally continue to evolve and change, and NPD will monitor these updates so that our clients have the best information and strategy as possible to be successful.

Source: Search Engine Land

Organic Social

Instagram expanded number of photos/videos per post. Instagram is rolling out the feature where you can add up to 20 slides to a carousel post.

TLDR: Instagram has recently expanded the number of photos and videos that can be added to a single in-feed post. Each carousel post can now have up to 20 photos or videos. Before, users could only add up to 10 pieces of content to each carousel post.
Our POV: This offers a great opportunity for brands to share more context to each carousel post without having to squeeze everything into 10 slides. However, just because you can, doesn’t necessarily mean you should.
Moving forward: Remember to keep the rule of “quality over quantity” when creating social posts. Just because you can add up to 20 graphics per carousel post, doesn’t mean you should every time, only when there’s VALUE behind it.

Source: The Verge

Instagram is testing a new profile feed. Instagram is now changing profile grid displays to a vertical version for some users.

TLDR: Instagram is currently testing a new vertical grid display on user profiles, which switches from the traditional square-shaped thumbnail images to longer vertical images.
Our POV: Instagram is still testing this feature with only select users, so you might have not seen this update just yet!
Moving forward: Until Instagram officially changes photo/graphic ratio, continue creating square-shaped posts. But keep in mind it may shift to a 4:5 ratio, as the platform is going to be trying to re-align its platform around video content, in alignment with usage shifts. Until then, we’ll keep you updated!

Source: Social Media Today

Instagram shares tips for content performance. In a recent Q&A, Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri shared some quick tips to help improve your IG content performance.

TLDR: Two tips Mosseri gave in a recent Q&A, were that #1 – reposting your Reels to Stories will expand your reach and #2 – if you’re creating a “collab post” you tend to see better performance when the account with a bigger following sends the collab request.
Our POV: The first tip is a great best practice (but not new for NPD) – we generally recommend sharing your Reels on your story as well in case your video gets lost in your followers’ feed. We also recommend testing out the second tip, so if you’re planning on creating a “collab post” (with an influencer for example) make sure which ever account has the largest following be the one to send the collaboration request.
Moving forward: Although, you may not see high increases in your content performance, keep these tips in mind and incorporate them into your social strategy as they may bring more eyeballs to your content!

Source: Social Media Today

Influencer Marketing

FTC bans fake reviews and testimonials. New rule targets deceptive online practices, ensuring consumer trust.

TLDR: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has implemented a rule prohibiting the use of fake reviews and testimonials. This rule aims to protect social media consumers from misleading online content and holds businesses accountable for promoting genuine customer experiences.
Our POV: This new regulation highlights the increasing importance of transparency in influencer marketing. Brands must prioritize authenticity to build and maintain trust with their audiences, moving away from deceptive practices that can damage long-term relationships with consumers.
Moving forward: We recommend that businesses conduct thorough audits of their partnered influencers and ensure compliance with the new FTC rule. Integrating genuine user testimonials and leveraging authentic customer experiences will be critical in maintaining consumer trust and avoiding potential legal repercussions.

Source: Federal Trade Commission

Netflix’s ‘The Influencer’ showcases the power of creators. New series highlights the allure and challenges of life as a digital influencer.

TLDR: Netflix’s new series, ‘The Influencer,’ delves into the world of social media stardom, exploring the lives of those who’ve made a career out of influencing. The show portrays the highs and lows of being an influencer, shedding light on the personal and professional challenges these digital stars face.
Our POV: ‘The Influencer’ is a timely exploration of the social media landscape, underscoring the growing significance of influencers in today’s culture. For brands, this series emphasizes the impact that influencers can have on shaping public opinion and driving consumer behavior. It’s a powerful reminder of why influencer marketing is more relevant than ever.
Moving forward: We encourage brands to leverage the insights from this series by deepening your collaborations with influencers. By aligning with the authentic, relatable stories of these content creators, brands can forge stronger connections with audiences. As the show highlights, influencers are not just trendsetters—they’re powerful voices that can amplify your brand message in a meaningful way.

Source: Marie Claire

Content Marketing

ChatGPT can be a helpful tool, with the right prompts. Utilizing ChatGPT to assist with content strategy requires the right prompting.

TLDR: When utilizing ChatGPT to help with content or SEO research, it’s important to know how to properly prompt it to ensure you are getting the most accurate and helpful information. Within this article are examples of good and bad prompts for a variety of requests from lists of ideas to keyword clusters and even outlining. Bad prompt examples include asking for a whole process or not providing enough detail/oversight to help guide the tool.
Our POV: AI is a helpful tool that can be utilized in a variety of ways. However, it is important to remember the limitations of AI, and to ensure that you are prompting it properly. The more detailed the better, and never take something straight from ChatGPT without double checking facts and giving it a human review. These prompts can be a great starting point as you begin to trial some requests through ChatGPT.
Moving forward: The Content Team at NPD utilizes AI in a variety of ways, and concurrently works on defining processes and prompts to help ensure we are utilizing ChatGPT in the best way possible.

Source: Search Engine Land

Take your content strategy research beyond competitors. Content strategy for search everywhere optimization should expand beyond competitors.

TLDR: A good content strategy uses a variety of tools and tactics—that go beyond looking at what our competitors have produced—to determine what topics to cover and where to promote them. We should be looking at what’s trending, what the target audience is talking about in forums like Reddit, industry-specific research, what competitors are not writing about, and social media, to name a few. This expanded research helps us scale our content strategy.
Our POV: We have been using a variety of these tactics to create content strategy recommendations for our clients. Our research starts with competitor analysis and then expands into trending news, gap analysis, social media analysis, and more.
Moving forward: We will continue to utilize multiple tools and facets of research to provide holistic content strategy recommendations that will not only help you catch up to the competition, but leave them in the dust.

Source: Search Engine Journal

Paid Search

GPT vs Google: Who will win the hearts of searchers?. Bet on Google to remain the dominate search engine – GPT still has its challenges.

TLDR: GPT-powered search engines are challenging traditional search platforms like Google, offering more conversational and personalized results. This shift could disrupt how paid search and SEO are currently approached, based on a study comparing various search engines, including Google, Bing, Perplexity.ai, and others.
Our POV: As both a media buying and SEO agency, we must adapt to the potential decline of traditional search engines by exploring new ad formats, focusing on conversational SEO, and preparing for a shift in user behavior.
Moving forward: Monitor developments in GPT-powered search engines. Begin testing and optimizing for conversational search queries. Explore emerging ad formats within GPT-powered platforms. Adjust client strategies to anticipate changes in search behavior and ad placements. Based on the data we’ve been analyzing we do not anticipate that there will be a significant impact to the present day google search landscape, but only time will tell.

Source: Ad News

Brand search incrementality testing. Results from a test indicated that influencer marketing was a better investment.

TLDR: Newton Baby, after incrementality testing, eliminated branded search from its strategy, focusing on more effective channels like influencer marketing. Constant testing in paid media is crucial for success.
Our POV: Supporting clients’ testing desires is essential. We shouldn’t stick to brand paid search just because it’s traditional; instead, we should lead with proactive, flexible strategies. Regular testing helps uncover inefficiencies and allows us to adapt quickly, ensuring optimal results. By guiding and supporting these tests, we build stronger, more effective client relationships.
Moving forward: Use incrementality tests to find underperforming areas. Shift funds from less effective search terms to better-performing channels. Partner with any agency that’s not afraid to make bold moves to support overall website performance goals – there is no such thing as too much testing.

Source: AdExchanger

Paid Social

Meta: conversion value rules. Optimizing for value with profit or predicted lifetime value.

TLDR: Meta is enhancing its ad system to better customize results based on each business’s unique objectives, such as optimizing for conversions or value. These updates include new tools like Conversion Value Rules and analytics integrations, allowing advertisers to express what they value most and optimize campaigns for better performance across platforms.
Our POV: Meta is evolving its ad system to tailor results to your business’s specific goals. With tools like Conversion Value Rules and enhanced analytics integrations, you’ll have more control over what you value most, allowing us to optimize campaigns to deliver the best performance across platforms.
Moving forward: Meta is focusing on more precise campaign optimization by allowing businesses to clearly define what they value most, whether it’s total conversions, higher-value conversions, or specific customer segments. By integrating external analytics tools like Google Analytics and Northbeam, advertisers can feed valuable cross-channel data directly into Meta’s system, which will help refine campaign performance and deliver better results. This shift allows for more personalized and effective advertising strategies, making it easier for businesses to maximize their ROI.

Source: Meta

Linkedin: Newsletter sponsors. Over 184,000 newsletters are now hosted in the app and engagement has risen by 47%.

TLDR: LinkedIn is introducing sponsored newsletters, allowing businesses to promote their own or other members’ newsletter content through Campaign Manager. With the rise in newsletter engagement and publishing on LinkedIn, this feature helps brands extend their reach, attract more readers, and drive deeper engagement.
Our POV: With over 184K newsletters and a significant rise in both publishing and engagement, this feature enables you to connect with a broader audience and enhance your content strategy. By sponsoring your own or other members’ thought leadership, you can effectively tap into the growing LinkedIn newsletter community, leveraging high-quality content to build stronger brand engagement.
Moving forward: By promoting your company’s newsletters or collaborating with thought leaders, you can expand your audience, boost engagement, and generate meaningful interactions. With the global availability of this feature, now is the ideal time to experiment with sponsored newsletters to refine your content strategy and enhance brand presence on LinkedIn.

Source: LinkedIn

Snapchat: Maximizing ad results. Machine learning, AR, and AI-driven tools.

TLDR: Snap’s Q2 2024 earnings reveal major growth in its direct response (DR) business, fueled by improvements in machine learning models, signals, and ad formats. These advancements have driven a surge in active advertisers and better performance across the marketing funnel, from demand capture to demand generation, with innovations in lead generation, app installs, and AR advertising.
Our POV: By leveraging larger machine learning models, optimized ad formats, and precise targeting, advertisers can effectively capture demand and engage users at all stages of the funnel. Whether focusing on lower-funnel DR tactics like lead generation or taking advantage of immersive brand formats like AR, Snap provides powerful solutions for brands looking to grow and optimize their campaigns. Snap’s updates to tools like Value Optimization and AR ads mean marketers can create highly personalized, impactful campaigns that deliver measurable results.
Moving forward: To capitalize on Snap’s latest updates, integrate its enhanced lead gen and app install tools for direct response and take advantage of new AR formats for brand building. Pairing AR with video can drive significant ad awareness and engagement. Additionally, tap into AI-driven creative tools like the GenAI Copy Generator to streamline content production, especially in international markets. With Snap’s growing capabilities, it’s essential to use its full funnel approach to maximize both demand capture and generation.

Source: Snapchat

User Experience

Enhanced goal testing. Define your test goals based on currency, product value, or custom code.

TLDR: Crazy Egg released an important new feature that allows users to define an A/B test against a variety of value-based criteria.
Our POV: Directly assigning currency values for your goals while building the test helps you quantify the worth of each goal and track your progress with a clear financial perspective. This is especially helpful with the Page Element Integration, which functions similar to how you see variable pricing in a shopping cart. And for even more flexibility, direct-coding input allows for unique code to set the value of your goals in a way that suits your personal or organizational needs.
Moving forward: NPD clients can benefit from a discount for Crazy Egg. Ask how our UX team can help you better understand the value of your web pages by testing an optimized design against lifetime value!

Source: CrazyEgg

Increase engagement with micro-animations. Add motion to web design without sacrificing page speed performance.

TLDR: With Google reporting that the probability of bounce increases 32% as page load time goes from one second to three seconds, it’s reasonable to think that adding motion graphics will add unnecessary load time to your website. Not so with Lottie animations, which function like a .gif but are a much lighter file size while packaged in a scalable format.
Our POV: Lottie animations can improve Google’s Core Web Vitals metric by ensuring that interactive elements are responsive and load swiftly, thereby enhancing the user experience and boosting SEO performance.
Moving forward: Want to modernize your website without sacrificing performance? Ask how NPD’s team of UX experts can help you stay one step ahead of your competitors by innovating alongside the ever-evolving discipline of Web Design.

Source: LottieFiles

CRO

Boost conversions by 49% with targeted cross-channel strategies. Study finds tailored multi-channel approaches drive significant gains in conversions rates.

TLDR: CleverTap’s latest report emphasizes the need for region-specific cross-channel marketing strategies while maintaining global cohesion. Businesses using four or more channels saw up to a 49% increase in conversion rates, with significant engagement boosts in fintech, gaming, and subscription platforms.
Our POV: For NPD, this report underscores the importance of customizing marketing strategies to regional and industry-specific nuances. Leveraging a diverse mix of channels, especially in high-engagement areas like fintech and e-commerce, can significantly enhance client results.
Moving forward: Focus on integrating multi-channel strategies tailored to specific regions and industries. Regularly assess the effectiveness of channel mixes and prioritize platforms like email, SMS, and WhatsApp based on target demographics to optimize engagement and conversion rates.

Source: PR Newswire

CRO software market poised for strong growth amid digital shift. Rising demand for optimization tools fueled by online and mobile growth.

TLDR: The Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) software market is set to grow significantly through 2028, driven by the increasing shift towards online and mobile channels. Key features of CRO software, such as A/B testing, heatmaps, and funnel analysis, are essential for optimizing user experience and conversion rates.
Our POV: NPD should capitalize on the rising demand for CRO tools to offer enhanced services that drive client conversions. Staying updated on emerging software features and trends will be crucial for maintaining a competitive edge.
Moving forward: Focus on integrating advanced CRO tools into your service offerings, particularly those that enhance user experience and leverage data-driven insights. Monitor the evolving market landscape to identify new opportunities for growth and client engagement.

Source: Open PR

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Digital marketing industry roundup: August 2024

SEO

Organic Social

Influencer Marketing

Content Marketing

Paid Search

Paid Social

User Experience

CRO

Need help executing your strategy? Let’s talk!

Digital Marketing Industry Roundup: June 2024

Google SEO Document Leak: What you need to know

Navigating Google’s New Generative AI Search Experience

Establishing a Game Plan for the TikTok Ban

Search Engine Rewind: ’23 Reflections, ’24 Trends

GLOBAL

COMPANY

RESOURCES

LEGAL

Social

Partners

MINORITY OWNED

Digital marketing industry roundup: August 2024

SEO

Organic Social

Influencer Marketing

Content Marketing

Paid Search

Paid Social

User Experience

CRO

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Need help executing your strategy? Let’s talk!

GLOBAL

COMPANY

RESOURCES

LEGAL

Social

Partners

MINORITY OWNED