The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving and it can be hard to keep up with everything going on. From Google’s Core Update completion to new Consent Management Tools for advertisers, a lot has happened in the last month. Luckily the team at Wildcat Digital has got you covered with our September Marketing Roundup!
Keep reading to learn more about the latest SEO, PPC, and digital marketing news, plus some of the team’s favourite tools and the key dates for your October marketing plan.
Google’s August Core Update Rollout is Complete
Google’s August Core Update, which launched on August 15, is finally complete after 19 days. The updated guidance states:
“Things to keep in mind when making changes [include] prioritizing substantive, user-centric improvements rather than quick fixes. Removing content should be a last resort…suggesting it was created for search engines rather than users.”
The aim of the August Core Update (according to John Mueller, Search Advocate at Google) was to “continue our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search”. In particular, this update aims to promote small and independent sites that are creating“ useful, original content”, taking into account feedback from publishers who were hit hard by the March 2024 core update.
Key Takeaways
- Sites should prioritise high-quality, well-written content designed for people, not search engines.
- SEOs should focus on making substantive improvements rather than relying on quick fixes to boost rankings.
Google Introduces New Consent Management Tools For Advertisers
Google has introduced an integrated CMP setup to simplify privacy compliance and consent management for advertisers. It allows advertisers to set up a consent banner and implement consent mode within the Google tag user interface. Four CMP partners are initially integrated with this new system across Google Ads, Google Analytics 4, and Google Tag Manager.
Key Takeaways:
- Google’s new integrated CMP setup offers advertisers a simpler, less technical way to implement consent management.
- Currently only four CMP partners are intergated (but this is likely to change in the future).
Google Trends Email Subscriptions Will Stop on October 29
Google Trends email subscription service will stop as of October 29, 2024. Here’s what Google sent in an email to those with existing email subscriptions:
“Starting on 29 October 2024, Google Trends trend notifications will no longer be supported and existing alerts will no longer be sent. In addition, creating new trend alerts using the subscription page will no longer be possible.”
Google states that users who are still looking for trending information can subscribe to the Homepage Newsletter or RSS Feed instead. However, neither of these services offers the same depth of information as the Google Trends email subscription.
Key Takeaways:
- There will be no more Google Trends email subscriptions sent out after October 29, 2024.
- The only alternatives are subscriptions to the Homepage Newsletter or RSS Feed, which don’t offer the same features. Current email subscribers might need to look for alternative ways to get the same information.
Google Ads To Start Phasing Out Its Enhanced CPC Bidding Strategy
Google Ads is starting to phase out its Enhanced CPC bidding strategy. Existing campaigns have until March 2025 to transition to manual CPC or an AI-driven bidding strategy. From October 2024, the ability to choose an Enhanced CPC bid strategy will no longer be available for new Search or Display campaigns.
Key Takeaways:
- If you’re currently running a campaign with an Enhanced CPC bid strategy, you have until March 2025 to transition to a different strategy.
- You won’t be able to choose Enhanced CPC as a bid strategy for new Search or Display campaigns or switch back to this strategy if you’ve previously used it after October 2024
Google Docs: “Don’t Specify A Fragment URL As Canonical”
Google has updated its search developer canonical documentation to clarify that you shouldn’t specify a fragment URL as canonical because Google doesn’t support them. This is the bullet point that’s been added to the best practices section:
“Don’t specify a fragment URL as canonical, as Google generally doesn’t support fragment URLs.”
Key Takeaways:
- Don’t specify a fragment URL as canonical (which is something that the majority of SEOs have been aware of for some time, but it’s good to have official clarification from Google!)
Tools We’ve Loved in August
These are some of the tools that Team Wildcat have been loving recently:
Exploding Topics
This free SEO tool uses social media and search engine data to analyse topics and trends which are growing in popularity. You can drill down into a specific topic that’s important to your business to find emerging trends before the keywords get too competitive.
Try it out here.
Merkle’s Schema Generator
This easy-to-use tool generates local business, FAQ, product, and other types of schema markup so you don’t have to do it yourself. Structured data and schema markup help search engines better understand your content, but it can also be confusing and complicated, so having a tool that does all the hard work for you is invaluable. Once you’ve selected the type of markup you want and filled in the form, all you need to do is copy and paste the generated schema onto your site.
Try it here.
Dates For Your Marketing Diary – October
Planning ahead should be an integral part of any successful marketing strategy. Making the most of all the upcoming occasions is a great way to create engaging, timely content that meets the needs of your target audience. From International Coffee Day to Halloween, there’s a lot going on in October. Here are the key dates you should watch out for:
- 1st to 31st October – Black History Month
- 1st October – International Coffee Day
- 10th October – World Mental Health Day
- 16th October – World Food Day
- 18th October – Wear it Pink (Breast Cancer Awareness Day)
- 25th October – Global Champagne Day
- 31st October – Halloween
- 31 October – Diwali
- 31st October to 2nd November– The Day of the Dead
Keep Up To Date With All Things SEO & Marketing With Wildcat Digital
At Wildat, we’re always keeping up to date with what’s going on in the world of digital marketing so we can be sure we’re using the latest strategies for our clients. Don’t forget to check in each month for the latest in SEO, PPC, and everything in between. In case you missed it, here is August’s Digital Roundup.
Looking to punch above your weight online? Enquire about our tailored SEO, PPC and Paid Social services.
Kezia Humphries
SEO Executive
