In this week’s digital news to watch, Google has launched its new TV network, offering targeted ads across 125+ channels on Google TV. Microsoft Ads is set to allow Google Ads conversion goals import. Meanwhile, Google will stop indexing non-mobile-accessible websites starting in July 2024. Additionally, a study finds Google’s AI Overviews now show for only 15% of queries, down from 84%. Marketers are focusing on ineffective metrics, says a new report, despite slight improvements. And finally, a study reveals Gen Z’s preference for social media over Google for some searches.
Read on for more info on the hottest digital marketing news topics you need to know…
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The launch of the new Google TV Network
Google has launched the Google TV network, an advertising platform offering targeted, in-stream video ads across over 125 channels on Google TV. This network is accessible via Google Ads and Google Display & Video 360, allowing advertisers to reach audiences on Google TV and Android TV OS devices. Features include non-skippable and 6-second bumper ads, with future formats planned. Google TV supports various brands and offers integrated apps, smart home controls, and personalised recommendations. Read more here
Microsoft Ads to introduce new feature to import Google Ads conversion goals
Microsoft Advertising is introducing a feature to import Google Ads conversion goals, aiming to simplify workflows across both platforms. This feature, starting in two weeks, will import conversion goals by default, enhancing efficiency for advertisers. However, it may pose issues due to differing tracking codes between Google and Microsoft. Advertisers are advised to use a UET tag with Google Tag Manager and can opt out of this feature if preferred. This move reflects Microsoft’s efforts to attract advertisers by reducing friction between the two ecosystems. Read more here.
Google to stop indexing of all websites that are not accessible on mobile
Google has announced that, as of 5th July 2024, websites that are not accessible on a mobile device will no longer be indexed and ranked. Despite confirming the completion of the mobile-first indexing roll out last October, Google’s John Mueller revealed that they have still been crawling a small set of sites with desktop Googlebot. That is soon to change, however, as of 5th July all websites will be crawled only with Googlebot Smartphone.
This does not mean your website won’t be indexed if it isn’t mobile friendly (although we’d still recommend striving to make your site as mobile friendly as possible for UX), it means that your site won’t be indexed if it cannot load or render on a mobile device. For the vast majority of sites, this won’t be an issue, but if you find your site isn’t accessible on Android or iPhone, you should fix that now. Read more here.
AI Overviews only showing for 15% of queries
In a new study by enterprise SEO platform BrightEdge, Google’s AI Overviews have been found to only show for 15% of queries now, down from 84% when AI Overviews were first launched in the US. Numerous SEOs found examples of incorrect and dangerous AI-generated answers following the launch, which could explain why Google have scaled them back. The study also reveals that AI Overviews are 195% more likely to appear for queries that already show a featured snippet and confirms that question-based queries are the most likely to feature AI-generated answers. Read more here.
Marketers ‘preoccupied with wrong effectiveness metrics’, study finds
Marketers have been measuring the least helpful effectiveness metrics, according to a new report from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). There has, however, been a slight improvement in the measurement of marketing’s impact on broader business metrics after two years of decline. Based on a databank of more than 1,500 campaigns, the report identifies four categories of ‘meaningful KPIs’. These are response effects (short-term, performance marketing), brand effects (longer-term brand-building metrics), business effects (related to overall business performance) and campaign delivery effects (reach, frequency and impressions). While 92% of marketers claim to be able to distinguish between these effects, the report argues they have been too focused on campaign metrics that “tell us little about overall marketing effectiveness”. Read more here
Gen Z prefers social media to Google for some searches, study says
While it likely comes as no surprise to learn that younger audiences are far more likely than older groups to use social platforms for product discovery, it is interesting to know what people are searching for, specifically, within social platforms, and what they still turn to Google for when in need. That’s what the team from Forbes Advisor sought to find out in their latest study, for which they partnered with Talker Research to survey 2,000 U.S. internet users to get their insights into their evolving discovery behaviours. The main finding? Young people are increasingly using social apps, TikTok and Instagram in particular, for business discovery purposes. Read more here:
For more information on any of these stories, or for support with your digital marketing efforts, get in touch with our team. Whether you’re looking to expand your PPC campaigns, or explore affiliate marketing, send us an email to team@modo25.com