Daniel Flynn

Marketers have relied on paid and organic search to deliver steady results time and again over the past decade. Changes occurred gradually, giving marketers ample time to adapt their strategies.  But today, the pace of change in search marketing is accelerating, with more shifts expected in the next two years than in the past eight combined.  Evolution in search has been a slow march toward automation and consolidation. To get ahead of the curve, we must stay current on what’s changing and learn the reason behind it. Here’s a rundown of events that have a significant ripple effect on the search marketing industry.  1. Privacy legislation and signal loss  In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was enforced across Europe. GDPR gave EU citizens many rights over personal data, including access to correct, delete, and port data. Organizations that violate the GDPR can be fined up to €20 million or 4% of their global annual turnover, whichever is greater.  Anot

Well, it’s 2023, and we’re still trying to convince businesses that SEO isn’t just a fancy acronym for “some extra options.”  It’s like trying to teach an old dog new tricks, except the dog is a business and the trick is “not being invisible in the search engine results.”  Some things never change. It’s not the company leadership’s fault. In most cases, they are aware of SEO. Still, some don’t understand the value it can bring.  This is an issue when there’s competing budgets and the allure of other, more familiar marketing strategies. You’ve probably heard it before, but educating leadership on SEO is one of the most important things you can do to convince them of SEO’s value.  And that means you must show how SEO is a strategic initiative for any business – and deserves a seat at the table. Here are steps you can take to help leadership understand why they can’t ignore SEO and why they should get excited about it.  1. Define SEO Depending on what type of company you’re dea

Bard is now showing images in responses – and Bard will show the source of each image, Google announced today. What’s new. This update continues Google’s push to try to make Bard more visual and useful – now by showing images from Google Search in responses. Bard now includes Google Search images for visual responses, when relevant. You can also specifically ask Bard for images. Clicking on an image will show its source. This update is limited to English responses. What it looks like. In this Twitter thread from @JackK (Jack Krawczyk, senior director of product, Google), you can see examples of it in action: Bard ( https://t.co/FycdN2l1HQ ) starts its image journey today The first of many features we discussed at I/O is live right now: images in responses. Enjoy some extra visual flair to help you imagine more possibilities. Click an image to see the source for each one. 1/ pic.twitter.com/k4ruuhcELl — Jack Krawczyk (@JackK) May 23, 2023 Why. In a new entry on th

Two new campaign types are coming to Google Ads that help with very specific needs: video views and demand generation. These campaigns have a specific goal and appear to be video-first campaigns, with all placements on Google-owned and operated properties. Here’s what we know about the new campaigns announced at Google Marketing Live today.   Video view Campaigns. This campaign type does precisely what it is named, maximize views. A study showed that with Video view campaigns, advertisers saw on average 40% more views than in-steam skippable CPV campaigns, according to Google. Video view campaigns combine a variety of formats including skippable in-stream ads, in-feed ads, and Shorts ads to get the most out of a budget. The beta for Video view campaigns will launch globally, next month. Demand gen campaigns. New Demand Gen campaigns will leverage AI and help to engage and drive action with consumers. These campaigns will work across: YouTube Shorts. YouTube in-stream. YouT

Bing Search is the default search engine on Open AI’s popular ChatGPT service, Microsoft announced today. Microsoft said that Bing is now the default search experience on ChatGPT. Who will see it. First ChatGPT Plus subscribers will begin to see Bing Search as an option starting today. Then free users of ChatGPT will “soon” be able to use it by enabling a plugin. What it does. This will give ChatGPT more up-to-date information and timely information powered by Bing Search. ChatGPT has a data set from 2021 or earlier, which is why using Bing Chat provided a better experience for more timely questions. Now, with Bing Search in ChatGPT, the service can “provide timelier and more up-to-date answers with access from the web,” the company wrote. What it looks like. Here is a screenshot showing how it is enabled for Plus subscribers: Why we care. This should help make ChatGPT even more useful to searchers and people with questions. It will be interesting to compare ChatGPT with Bin

Winning an industry award can greatly impact how customers, clients, and colleagues regard your brand. Showcase your achievements and celebrate your professional excellence by entering the Search Engine Land Awards — the highest honor in search marketing! Since its inception, the Search Engine Land Awards have honored some of the best in the search industry — including leading in-house teams at  Wiley Education Services, T-Mobile, Penn Foster, Sprint, and HomeToGo  – and exceptional agencies representing  Samsung, Lands’ End, Stanley Steemer , and beyond. This year, it’s your turn. And now is the best time to apply: Super Early Bird rates expire at  11:59pm ET this Friday, May 26 …  submit your completed application  before then to  save $300 off final rates  (per entry!). Have any questions? Check out our  FAQ page , explore the 2023  categories , or email reg@thirddoormedia.atlassian.net and we’ll be happy to help! Don’t miss your opportunity to participate in the only awar