Google Ranking Doc Leak, TikTok Layoffs, & True Creativity

Hi all,

Missed you last week, but we’re back with all the digital marketing action today!

Another week, another “HUGE” Google story has the SEO world buzzing. No, it’s not more about AI Overviews (that’s so last month). It’s about a document leak that reveals the inner workings of Google’s ranking algorithm. Rand Fishkin, SparkToro co-founder (and formerly, a founder of Moz) shared the documents from Google’s Content API Warehouse that were shared with him and added his thoughts. There’s a lot to unpack, but in DBE’s tradition of Omotenashi, here are the quick hits:

• We used to say there were over 200 factors in Google’s search ranking algorithm. Turns out, the API documentation includes over 14,000 attributes. The depth of the data Google is collecting to feed its API is astounding. For example, they aren’t just cataloging “clicks” – there are “goodClicks”, “badClicks”, and “lastLongestClicks” attributes.

• BUT the documents do not include data on how each feature is weighted in search ranking.

• How does this impact SEO strategies and best practices? Initially, not much. We already factor many of the attribute categories into our recommendations. In the longer term, when we have a better sense of weighting, we will tweak our recommendations accordingly. Here’s the release from Fishkin and Search Engine Land’s coverage. 

• What’s the most important word in marketing? Marketing expert, Mark Schaefer, lays down a real-life example of this word in action. What’s the word, you say? It’s maneuver. While I don’t believe it needs be compared to “warfare” per say, he still makes an excellent point. Marketers need to be swift, accurate, unexpected, resourceful, flexible, and decentralized in leadership. Read more to get the full picture.

• After the big TikTok ban news, the company announced layoffs of ~1,000 employees in operations, content, and marketing. The LinkedIn News page has a variety of opinions and perspectives on the issue. Business Insider gives quotes from ex-employees who were surprised at the abruptness of the scenario.

• In lighter news, you ever wonder who was really behind the Duolingo marketing stunts. Duolingo on Ice? A fake reality TV show where no one speaks the same language? The Super Bowl Ad? That’s the brand team. Zaria Parvez, their Global SMM, interviews Duolingo’s Creative Director, James Kuczynski, to see how the social and brand teams create uniquely original, viral content.

• EMARKETER shares data that “nearly a quarter (23%) of US adults say they research a product online and purchase it in-store”. Their chart also shows other interactions between online and in-store behavior. All the more reason to leverage omnichannel marketing strategies.

• Techie news (particularly helpful for tech startups and media companies): Some brand websites are exploring the fediverse as a way to get referral traffic. The fediverse allows people to interact with others via different federated social platforms (like Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky). This way, your audience can reach you from their platforms of choice. Digiday does a much better job explaining it if you are interested.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

We know AI can do lots of things for us.

But what does it take away when we allow it to create for us?

We lose the flavor, pizazz, complexity, passion, excitement, unknown, truth that’s wrapped up in the creative process. It’s not always easy – coming in inspirational waves, drawn by mysterious currents. You find it buried underneath the blank stares at empty pages. The process can lead us down a pothole-packed road that is miles off the highway on which we started. Sometimes, it hits us in the face with brilliance. Other times, it has the humble presence of the “b” in the word “subtle.”

The meaning of the fluffy paragraph above is: No person or robot is going to say things exactly like you.

You are the originality – the authenticity – this automated world craves. Don’t look down on yourself for not being as perfect as the autogenerated piece… because it’s the imperfections that make lasting impressions.

Keep on keepin’ on,

Natalie

The writer’s voice is one of the key reasons a reader keeps reading.

If you’re an editor, how are you preserving that? Check out this piece from Proofed for advice!