It’s Monday which means Jamie and Tom are here to breakdown the top news headlines in the digital marketing industry. This week, Pinterest marketing comes into the spotlight after the company’s CMO encourages marketers to use the insights data to inform ideas, not strategies. Plus, a potential Google algorithm update is causing a stir in the world of SEO. Here are this weeks news stories to watch. 
Pinterest marketing insights from CMO
Tom: The CMO of Pinterest has suggested that data should not be used to provide answers but instead be used to inform ideas. CMO, Andrea Mallard, has pushed back against the idea that you can create a Pinterest marketing strategy from historical data. She also says that it can’t tell you where your business should go. Instead, it should be used to inform an idea. Overall, it does make sense and is a trap a lot of marketing teams fall into. Just because your brand is historically good with one demographic doesn’t mean that’s the only one you should focus on.
Possible Google ranking algorithm update late last week
Jamie: There’s a lot of chatter around a potential Google algorithm update last week with a number of volatility monitors showing an uptick. However, when asked, John Mueller said that this wasn’t an official update and that any changes seen will be falling into the ‘we make changes every day’ bucket. Keep an eye on your organic traffic over the past weekend to see if there are any noticeable drops!
What does the future of tracking look like without cookies?
Tom: We’ve heard plenty about Apple vs Facebook and Google removing cookies. The Drum has written an article that goes into the method of tracking which will replace cookies FLoCs. Based on aggregated group data, they aim to protect user privacy without impacting data quality for the end-users. Think LaL audiences. The focus on owning your own data makes sense and is going to be pivotal to brands moving forwards.
What is the link between UX and SEO and why does it matter?
Tom: UX tends to be an overlooked area for many new brands who are just starting out. But it could be one of the most important areas you work on if you’re designing a new site or starting from scratch. Business2Community explores the links between UX and SEO and how it’s becoming more and more intertwined moving forwards. UX is also important for your other marketing channels, the better the UX and CRO the better these channels will perform for you.
“Sites think about [links] much more than necessary”
Jamie: Regarding links as a ranking signal, John Mueller made quite a big statement in saying that sites think about them more than is necessary. This was in response to a tweet asking him whether Google would ever remove backlinks as a ranking signal. Links have always been one of the most influential ranking signals and many would argue that is still the case. But there’s no doubt that Google would like to move away from that due to the level of manipulation that goes on.
