December is a wonderfully chaotic time of year. Often frantic and relaxing in equal parts: The mad rush to wrap up work (and presents), followed by countless hours spent eating, drinking, and snoozing by the fire.
But while we take the weight off our feet during the festive break, the world of digital marketing never sleeps. You can be sure of that. So to get you back in the know, we’ve rounded up the very latest digital marketing news and thrown it into this bitesize blog. Enjoy!
Google’s helpful content update rolled-out
Google has released a major update to its helpful content system, which was initially launched back in August 2022.
The update is global, affecting all languages, and will allow Google's systems to better detect low-quality content — created for search engines rather than people — on a much larger scale.
Additionally, Google has introduced a new spam filter to neutralise the impact of unnatural links on search results, for example, those that have been bought, or sites solely used for the purpose of passing outgoing links.
“It’s always best practice to include backlink analysis as part of your SEO review process. Identify and remove irrelevant links where possible — they’ll do you no good. At the same time, rather than ‘writing SEO copy’, focus on creating content that’s valuable and informative to your audience (Google will pat you on the back). SEO should be used to understand demand, direct the content need and help inform its format and structure."
Ant Kenny
Head of Organic Performance
TikTok introduces “why this video?” feature
The TikTok algorithm is highly personalised and scarily accurate, providing niche content to users based on their interests and watch habits. But have you ever wondered just why you're being shown a video of a dog dressed in pyjamas?
The platform has launched a new explainer feature labelled “Why this video” which will pull back the curtain on why each video is being recommended on your For You page. The feature can be accessed by heading to the share panel and clicking a question mark icon.
It explains that there are many reasons why a video might appear in your feed:
- The video has gone viral in your region
- The video was posted by an account you follow, or TikTok recommends you should follow
- The video is similar to other videos you previously searched for and engaged with
“While this feature is great for users who want to understand how the algorithm is curating their feeds, it's also a really insightful tool for marketers. For example, if you specialise in bespoke pyjamas for dogs and want to attract a new customer base, understanding how the algorithm might push your content to interested viewers means you can tailor and create content that ticks all these boxes.”
Jess Hodgson
Senior PR & Social Media Executive
Instagram outlines 3 key focuses for 2023
Instagram had a somewhat mixed year in 2022, with the platform achieving a new high in monthly active users but also facing criticism for mimicking TikTok (and losing its own identity in the process).
Instagram’s top dog, Adam Mosseri, recently shared some insights on the platform's priorities, highlighting three key areas of focus for 2023:
1. Inspiring people to be creative
Instagram aims to introduce more visual customisation and editing tools, including a focus on AR creation and integration of 3D objects and experiences. This ties up with the platform's history of offering filters and overlays for image customisation.
2. Helping people discover the things they love
Instagram wants to offer its users more content from a wider range of sources, planning to increase the amount of content delivered by its AI recommendation engine from 15% to more than 30% by the end of 2023.
3. Sparking connections
People are now more likely to share and discuss posts privately, such as in DMs and Stories, rather than publicly on the main Instagram feed. In response, the platform is actively adding new features like 'Notes' to tap into this shift towards private and group sharing.
“While you can’t help but feel Instagram has lost its way a little in recent times, it will remain a useful channel for marketers, even if just for the sheer size of its audience. I hear you wondering — how can my brand get the most out of Instagram in 2023? My recommendation would be this: listen to and learn about your Instagram audience, explore and get creative with its latest features, and encourage conversations outside of your main feed, through stories and DMs.”
Lloyd Preston
Marketing Manager
