As part of this months’ digital roundup we focus on the recent Core Algorithm Update and what you can do to ensure your content is not negatively impacted. We also discuss some recent changes to YouTube ads that you could take advantage of.
Keep reading to learn about more relevant updates from across the digital marketing industry as well as key dates you should add to your digital marketing calendar.
November 2024 Google Core Update Roll Out
Google launched its latest core update on 11th November and it is reported to take at least 2 weeks to roll out. In a recent post, Google explained that this update is designed to continue with the goal of improving the quality of search results delivered to users. Aiming to ensure that users find content genuinely useful rather than content just appearing because it performs well in search.
What to Do If Your Website Is Impacted?
It is quite normal to experience volatility throughout the period of a core Google update and you may find that performance changes quite drastically throughout this time. You can utilise the SEMrush Volatility Tracker to see how different industries are being affected in the two weeks.
Google has explained that this update is no different to previous algorithm updates that focussed on content so as long as you are doing the following your website should not be affected too much.
- Writing unique, well-researched and useful content
- Drawing from trustworthy sources without copying the information
- Offering more content value than other competitors in search results
- Content title and descriptions provide a helpful summary
For more information on how to refresh your content to help with SEO ranking factors, take a read of our blog ‘How Do I Refresh Old Content for SEO’.
Enhanced Shorts Monetization : YouTube Ads
YouTube has announced updates to its advertising platform which enhance buying controls, measurement tools and creator partnerships.
- Buying Controls – Advertisers will now be able to run campaigns exclusively in the Shorts feed or focus on horizontal traditional in-stream content.
- Measurement & Performance Tools – Data segment capabilities for Shorts viewers are expanding. Advertisers will now have access to more comprehensive audience targeting and analytics data tools.
- Creator Partnerships – YouTube has launched partnerships ads globally across all AI-powered campaign types on Google Ads.
How Will This Benefit Advertisers?
According to YouTube, 40% of their YouTube Short users don’t use competitor platforms such as Instagram or Tiktok reels. YouTube supposedly delivers a 2.3x higher long-term return on Ad spend compared to other social media platforms. Therefore, it is possible that the recent updates could enhance performance and deliver stronger results.
Google Confirms GA4 Reporting Issues
On November 18th, Google announced:
“There is an issue affecting the generation of standard reporting tables. Granular reports (accessed via the explore module) and BigQuery exports are unaffected. We are working on restoring the reporting tables.”
This comes after many users had been noticing discrepancies in website data pulled from GA4 in comparison to Google Search Console. Whilst real time traffic data is accurate, historical data used for reporting and comparisons is not. Affected metrics include:
- Overall traffic volumes
- Channel attribution data
- Landing page metrics
- Event tracking
Why is This Important?
Google has not yet found a solution to this issue and it is proving problematic for anyone that uses the data to inform decisions. Whether that be for marketing agencies or for internal marketing teams, without accurate data it does make decision making more difficult. We advise to rely on tools such as Google Search Console until this issue is resolved by Google.
Useful Tools We Recommend
Google Search Status Dashboard
As digital marketers we rely on updates from Google to inform us on relevant changes that could impact our client campaigns. The Google Search Status Dashboard is the best place to find updates directly from Google.
SEO Schema Visualisor
We have also found the SEO Schema Visualisor plugin is ideal for checking the schema implemented on pages of websites quickly. Not only that, you also gain access to quick links for validating your schema through Rich Results Tests or Schema.org which only speeds the process up more.
This can be particularly useful when you are reviewing all of the pages on a website for the correct schema. It can also be useful for checking particular pages when you optimise them for the correct schema.
Dates For Your Digital Marketing Planning
- 1st December: World AIDS Day
- 2nd December: Cyber Monday
- 4th December: Wildlife Conservation Day
- 7th December: Small Business Saturday
- 8th December: National Brownie Day
- 10th December: Human Rights Day
- 21st December: Winter Begins
- 24th December: Christmas Eve
- 25th December: Christmas Day & Start Of Hanukkah
- 26th December: Boxing Day
- 31st December: New Year’s Eve
Elevate Your Online Presence with an Award-Winning Agency
The digital marketing industry is constantly evolving and adapting to become more advanced. Keeping up with these changes can be time consuming and complicated, especially if you are not an expert in the field. Trust Wildcat Digital, an award-winning digital marketing agency, to guide your business’ digital marketing strategy to success.
Contact us today to discuss how our SEO, PPC and Paid Social services can help you punch above your weight online.
Molly Sturgeon
Senior SEO Account Manager
