November 6, 2023

4 SEO and Digital Marketing Updates From October 2023

How will the proliferation of AI change your company’s approach to digital marketing?

Will privacy concerns make your analytics data less valuable?

How can your organization stay ahead of the curve, edge out competitors, and drive revenue growth?

Answering these crucial questions is key to setting yourself up for online success. No one has a crystal ball, but keeping up with the latest SEO and digital marketing updates is one way to stay agile in this ever-changing digital world.

That’s precisely why we’ve compiled this list of the four most vital updates from October 2023: To empower you as you navigate the shifting sands of the digital marketplace.

From algorithm alterations to new advertising tools and a look at what’s coming over the horizon, here are the most important things that happened in digital marketing last month.

Google Rolls Out Broad Core and Spam Updates

October saw the rollout of two meaningful Google updates: a broad core update and a spam update.

The October broad core update, which includes changes to Google’s search algorithms and systems to better assess and rank search results, came just after a similar update in August.

Did you notice any rankings volatility in the wake of these updates? Have one or more of your key pages still not recovered?

You can always improve your pages and content to better align with Google’s goal of providing the most helpful, valuable results to searchers. As you do so, focus on Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines and keep quality top of mind.

Unless you take action, don’t expect affected pages to recover.

Meanwhile, the October 2023 spam update addressed specific types of spam in certain languages. The update was rolled out in response to reports from community members.

Google also said that another spam update will roll out in the near future, and if you haven’t heard yet, the November 2023 Google Core Update dropped on November 3.

New AI-Powered Features for Digital Marketers

October also brought a slew of new AI tools to help digital marketers do more with less.

Google Releases Demand Gen

Google rolled out Demand Gen globally. This tool, which saw its initial but limited rollout in June 2023, targets social platform advertisers and allows them to reach new audiences with a streamlined process centered around visually engaging content.

In short, this new AI tool allows marketers to integrate their best-performing visual assets across YouTube, YouTube Shorts, Discover, and Gmail, with a monthly user base totaling over 3 billion.

Meta Rolls Out AI Tools for Ad Creative

It’s no secret that increasing creative fatigue continues to make social media marketing an uphill climb. To address this, Meta is releasing new generative AI tools such as Text Variations, Background Generation, and Image Expansion.

These will be particularly valuable for enterprise digital marketers, allowing them to produce fresh creative at scale while conserving or reallocating bandwidth.

Amazon Unveils Generative AI Tool for Product Lifestyle Images

Finally, Amazon Ads released a similar AI image generation tool in October. The goal is the same: to let advertisers produce more fresh, compelling creatives without spending hours in the design studio.

Specifically, the new tool—available in the Amazon Ads Console—generates lifestyle-themed images around your products. Amazon says this type of visual context can lead to CTR increases as high as 40%.

The initial promise is apparent, and there’s no question that these tools will allow digital marketers to increase efficiency. However, there are concerns about how quickly the shine will wear off and whether these tools represent a true solution or a short-term patch. Give them a try yourself and monitor the results.

AR Beauty Ads Enable the ‘Virtual Try-On’

One of the most significant and long-standing hurdles for beauty digital marketers has been the try-on process or lack thereof.

Buying your tried-and-true lotion or deodorant online is one thing. But when it comes to makeup, many people simply will not make a purchase if they can’t try it on first.

Enter AR Beauty Ads: a new interactive feature from Google that leverages augmented reality to give potential customers a virtual try-on experience.

Currently available for lip and eye makeup, AR Beauty Ads will soon see the addition of foundation products. Shoppers can also try different hair colors using a new AR beauty category.

Google isn’t stopping there, either. These interactive try-on experiences will soon be available on mobile browsers—not just the Google mobile app.

The obvious advantages for brands are more conversions and better ROI. Additionally, Google says these tools encourage users to spend more time on your site, improving engagement and giving you more opportunities to connect with your target audiences.

Google Will Soon Block Third-Party Cookies

If you’ve been keeping up with digital marketing news over the past few years, you already know Google has big plans for third-party cookies. Specifically, Google is set to block them for all Chrome users in 2024.

But you may not have expected that the first removals will begin in Q1 2024 when Google plans to get rid of third-party cookies for 1% of Chrome users.

It will be the beginning of a gradual phasing out which Google intends to complete by Q3. The Q1 change will give Google time for small-scale testing before eliminating cross-site user tracking for good.

How Concerned Should You Be?

Digital marketers should expect to see changes to everything involving user data, from site traffic figures to your ability to leverage dynamic retargeting.

This deprecation could very well mark a seismic shift for the entire digital ad industry.

It is absolutely vital that digital marketers get ahead of this change by devising and implementing new means of serving relevant ads and collecting meaningful analytics data.

While the future of online advertising remains uncertain, one thing is for sure: We’re entering a new era in which privacy is top-of-mind for individuals, advocacy groups, and governments alike.

If anything, the movement toward a more private, more secure web is only picking up steam.

Make VELOX Media Your Business Intelligence Wing

From emerging AI and AR tools for digital marketers to search algorithm updates and increasing calls for privacy protections, the web is constantly evolving. In this rapidly changing landscape, advertisers must keep up or be left behind.

VELOX is the ROI-focused digital marketing agency that growth-minded enterprises turn to when they need results. Informed by leading-edge business intelligence and implemented by experts leveraging the latest technology and proven techniques, VELOX campaigns are how enterprises achieve sustained search engine dominance.

Contact VELOX to see how our PPC, SEO, and SMM specialists can help you crush your KPIs and drive exponential growth.