It’s incredibly hard to believe that it’s June already! It feels like just last week that I was writing my views on the trends likely to shape 2024. Remarkably, one of them was actually kind of right, and was a key subject at MozCon this week; namely the future of Organic search. Let’s not dwell too much on the others.
Otherwise, there’s a slight silly season vibe about some of the news this week; Facebook didn’t really announce anything new, but did declare a slight change in strategy, while YouTube’s employees have some explaining to do in relation to some pretty major leaks.
Beyond that there are the usual tidbits, with Pinterest releasing a majorly self-serving study and Instagram trying to take back some advice it gave to creators last week. Plus an actually useful advertising feature from LinkedIn!
SEO is changing: Adapt or fall behind
That at least is the message this week from Tom Capper, Moz’s Senior Search Scientist. Given that Moz is a leader in all things Search, it’s fair to say that he’s worth listening to. Speaking at MozCon, he noted that traditional full-funnel search marketing is becoming increasingly problematic, particularly around informational searches.
Essentially, for everyday businesses and marketers, this means they need to rethink strategies. Instead of focusing on general information, they should target more specific, less competitive topics related to products or services they offer.
All of this is as a result of Google’s aggressive monetization tactics which have led to a steep organic decline. It’s no longer enough to be on the first page of search results; even ranking 2nd or 3rd might not be good enough. All of this of course is designed to push more people towards PPC.
Alternatively, you can try pivoting towards less competitive commercial queries, especially in niches like arts, hobbies, and property, where there is still decent potential for organic success. Additionally, local SEO remains a viable path forward, particularly for transactional queries (i.e. I need this now).
Ultimately, as readers of this newsletter know by now, by focusing on high-quality, authoritative, real content, you can navigate this increasingly tricky landscape.
The Kids are the future, says Meta
After years of (relatively) stagnant growth, Meta is doubling down on trying to get ‘young adults’ using Facebook again.
To do this, Facebook is enhancing features like Reels and Marketplace, and leveraging Facebook Groups to grow interest or local community connections. The company is also promoting Facebook Dating, which has seen growth among this demographic.
It’s a really weird thing to announce, and isn’t really news as such, but is nevertheless an interesting shift in strategy and mindset; until we see some figures backing up that the audience has migrated there in terms of time and engagement (beyond just having accounts) I will be very sceptical, but interesting nonetheless.
YouTube linked with huge leaks
Here’s one I bet you never thought about; when you upload content before a major announcement and schedule that launch time, who from the platform can actually see it?
This is something The Verge took a look at this week, with concern around some pretty major PlayStation and Nintendo leaks being linked back to YouTube and Google employees.
One remarkable incident I must admit I’d missed relates to a KSI giveaway in 2022, involving $10,000 in Amazon gift cards. However, the creator and his team then discovered that all of the gift card codes had been redeemed before the video was posted, leading to an investigation at YouTube.
So, if you’re about to announce something business critical and majorly newsworthy, maybe don’t upload it to social platforms until relatively late in the day.
Further Reading
LinkedIn is expanding its video offering, now allowing firms the opportunity to promote in-stream video ads.
X is now ‘allowing’ adult content. Experts point out this isn’t exactly new in real-terms, though it still seems curious in this era to try and position a platform as being brand unsafe.
TikTok has acknowledged an issue which enabled hackers to target high-profile accounts, including CNN, Sony and Paris Hilton. There was plenty going on at TikTok this week, with Trump (who tried to ban the platform) joining and the platform implementing some measures to try and ensure accuracy around the upcoming UK election.
A bit of a mouthful this, but Pinterest is apparently driving more total attention than other apps, according to a Pinterest study. Make of that what you will.
And last but not least, after publishing advice telling creators how to ‘hack’ engagement, Instagram is now telling creators not to hack engagement.
That’s it for another week – if you found this interesting then I would really appreciate if you shared this with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous, then I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week!