Heya,

Summer’s flying at us fast and so is the digital marketing news!

• While we agree with the synchronicity strategy of looking at SEO and SAIO optimization as interrelated in this “keyword research meets prompt research” story, we don’t agree comparing keyword volume with prompt volume as a driver for that strategy. Prompt volumes are currently very volatile. We’re currently looking at overlaps between top organic search result pages and top pages for AI citations via Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to identify optimization synergies and gaps. Eventually, getting click data will take it a step further.

• AI responses are haunted. 👻 JK, but they are offering “ghost citations”. That’s when a brand is cited as a contributor to the prompt response, but the brand itself is not mentioned directly in the prompt response. The rate of ghost citations varies by AI platform, but it happens about 40% of the time on average. One solution is tying your brand name more explicitly to your citation-worthy content snippets. This can help prevent ghost citations and build your brand authority.

• Reddit’s CEO revealed the platform’s intent to show more evergreen content like recommendations and reviews. At the same time, it is working to make its search bar more engaging by integrating ad modules. It sounds like they want to cash in directly on their content rather than having it fuel AI results (and ad revenues) on other platforms like Google’s AI Overviews or ChatGPT.

• What metrics best demonstrate marketing’s impact? Marketing Charts shows the top 4 of 5 metrics mentioned were revenue-related. The fifth metric cited by only 3% of respondents was “Share of voice/brand equity.” The story behind the chart reveals there remains misalignment of KPIs between marketing teams and finance teams within companies that trickles over to their agency teams.

• Hyperlinks… in Google search ad descriptions? Oh yeah, it’s being tested now.

Most of us recognize that cute panda logo associated with the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF). For 60+ years, they’ve been spearheading conservation efforts worldwide. They work with local communities to conserve, advocate, protect, and restore natural resources. Learn more about them and their projects: WWF.

Keep kicking butt and takin’ names, y’all!

Natalie

When small things weigh you down, ask yourself:

Will this matter later?

Not every moment has to be treated with serious precision. 

In fact, sometimes, seriousness drains potential joy from the moment.

Here’s some other ways to help you view life more lightly.

Pssst… hey!

We’ve got some digital marketing news for ya. Ready? Good, ‘cuz here it is!

• Google rankings and GenAI chatbot responses are mentioning the same brands. The point? Brands featuring high-quality content that answers questions people are asking are being rewarded in search engine results and GenAI chatbot responses. Keep up with insights on Search AI Optimization for GenAI here!

• Reddit took a hit in Google rankings. Don’t get us wrong, they are still being shown, but their Organic Search traffic dropped last week. Will this be temporary? We think yes with the $60 billion dollar deal between Reddit and Google.

#HashtagStrategy

Social platforms are getting smarter. We know they know what’s in our posts… even without hashtags. So, what’s the point of hashtags? We’ve got a 2025 Hashtag Strategy POV you don’t wanna miss.

• The TikTok ban went to the Supreme court on Friday. The Supreme court was not convinced by the first amendment argument TikTok lawyers posed, however, they may be open to an administrative stay (or a hold) on the deadline to divest on January 19th. If you’re looking for a quick, video summary, here’s CBS coverage. Here’s an EMARKETER article to keep your brand competitive on other platforms.

• Here’s a headline that grabbed our attention: “In 2025, the AI-infused world will require humans bring strategy and judgement.” The article neatly breaks out the human role in managing AI contributions to specific marketing tasks and initiatives. And we agree with the article’s conclusion: “This is a new era of marketing, where humans and machines work hand in hand to deliver exceptional experiences. Now, use your best strategy and judgement.”

• Getty Images acquired Shutterstock. What does this mean? The company will have a deeper library to better train AI tools. However, their long-term success depends on how they compete with AI-image generating platforms like Meta, Adobe, and OpenAI.

• Remember when we talked about Meta AI profiles? Well, it comes as no surprise that there’s been push back. The 28 profiles have been shut down. Meta claims the accounts were shut down because of the inability to block the accounts, others believe it was in reaction to public outcry. We’ll see where they take us on their AI-integration journey.

• YouTube is testing automated Shorts creation from longer clips. It’s being tested with a small group of creators. We’ll see if it gets released to the public!

• Good news on the B2B marketing and sales front. MarketingCharts reports that 47% of marketers surveyed say there is a “significant overlap” of shared KPIs and/or objectives between sales and marketing teams. It seems the proverbial silos mentality appears to be fading.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

Do you give your brain time to breathe? 🧠

With our dopamine-driven natures, we search for gratification to fill the gaps between activities:

• Podcasts on our commutes
• Music on our walks
• Social media with our breakfast
• Television after dinner
• YouTube while washing dishes

While they are all nice, our brains process in the spaces between activities. It’s like making every day “leg day” at the gym — you’ll never see any gains without rest.

I’m not saying to get rid of all of it. Start with one brain break a day and see how you feel.

Wishing you the best this week and beyond!

Natalie

Fun Fact: P.S. stands for the Latin phrase “post scriptum” (modernly called “postscript”), which means “written after.”

Hello out there!

What’s that? You missed us? Oh, stop! You’re making us blush!

Here’s your weekly dose of digital marketing news compiled just for you!

• 🔥 Hot Tips from DBE 🔥We’re continuing the conversation around AI… Our latest vlog goes over how AI is influencing SEO and social content creation. Watch to learn what we can all do now and what may be coming in the future. 🧠

• You may have heard last week, but thousands of subreddits went dark (switched to private) last week. Reddit, as a company, announced that they wanted to charge for commercial access to their API, which many third-party developers rely on to power their Reddit-based apps. Get the scoop in Vox.

• Millennials and GenZers are becoming more dominant in the B2B buying process and expect digital-first experiences that mirror their B2C journey. With that comes the dominance of social media as the top contributor to businesses achieving upper-funnel goals. Cool insights: read more in Insider Intelligence.

• Social media platforms have character counts, but does SEO? Search Engine Land says no. Write as much as makes sense for the piece. The real question is whether your page meets the intent of your desired audience. 🤔💭

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 National Civil Rights Museum 🌟

This week, we commemorated Juneteenth by supporting the National Civil Rights Museum. In order to push forward into a future of equality, we must take time to remember the past. The National Civil Rights Museum continues the legacy of sharing stories that changed our nation. Learn how you can help: National Civil Rights Museum.

• Google’s updating their trademark policy🗺️ Per Google: “Beginning on July 24, 2023, we will accept and process trademark complaints only against specific advertisers and/or ads, rather than all advertisers in the trademark owner’s industry.”

• In case you missed it, the SMX Advanced Online Conference was held last week. No surprise, the keynote was split between Microsoft and Google VPs discussing how AI is evolving in their platforms.
  • One question that our SEO VP, Marc Engelsman, asked in the session chat was: Will Google Analytics break out organic search traffic driven by the AI bots vs. traditional SERPs? The question was “liked” by a number of attendees but, unfortunately, was not answered. Time will tell. What do you think?
  • While there were quite a few AI-related sessions, there were also a number of sessions devoted to more traditional best practices in SEO and PPC. Topics included E-E-A-T (which we previously covered in What’s Hot Wednesday), mastering Performance Max and YouTube ads, offline conversion tracking, leveraging GA4 for reporting, and more.
  • Sorry you missed it? Don’t be: all the sessions are available on demand and registration is free.

Sending positivity your way!

Natalie

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