August came and went in a flash, and with it, a sizeable amount of updates within the digital marketing landscape. In this blog we’ll cover the latest and greatest updates from August, including:

  • SEO Market Updates: From Google’s Broad Core Algorithm update to new features added to Chrome mobile.
  • PPC Market Updates: Pmax best practice guidance update and Google Demand Gen campaigns.

SEO Market Updates

New Audience Report added to Google Analytics

In August, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) received a new Audience report that can identify your site’s most engaged and profitable audiences. 

The new Audience report is in the ‘Reports’ section on the left-hand side. Select ‘User’, scroll down to ‘User Attributes’, and click on ‘Audiences’. We find it’s particularly useful for big e-commerce sites with lots of product pages.

Google Chrome adds Search Suggestions & Trending Searches on Mobile

August saw four new features make their way to Chrome for mobile to “help you quickly find what you’re looking for”. 

The first is a search suggestions feature which allows users to tap the Chrome address bar whilst browsing a site and Google will serve relevant suggestions on where to browse next. In the announcement blog, Google gave the following example of its usage:

“Let’s say you’re reading an article about Japan as you plan for an upcoming trip. When you click on the address bar, you’ll see a new section labeled “Related to this page” with suggestions for other searches — like local restaurants or tourist attractions in Japan.”

The second new feature allows users to see trending Google searches directly in the address bar. This feature is currently available for Android and will come to IOS later in the year. 

The third new feature allows users to find related searches in Touch to Search. Touch to Search was introduced in 2015 and lets users quickly search a word or phrase directly from the page. Now this feature has been expanded to show a carousel of related searches.

The fourth feature brings users even more suggestions when searching. When you start typing within the address bar, Chrome will now serve you 10 recommendations instead of six. This was already the case for Android users, but now this is available on IOS.

Visibility of ‘HowTo’ and FAQ Rich Results Reduced in Search

Google announced in August that it would be showing fewer FAQ rich results in SERPs and limiting HowTo results to desktop.

In the blog announcement, Google said that the change was to “provide a cleaner and more consistent search experience”. 

From now on, FAQ rich results will only be served for “well-known, authoritative government, and health websites”. For everyone else, this rich result will “no longer be shown regularly.” 

Google stated that “sites may automatically be considered for this treatment depending on their eligibility.”

For How-To rich results, they will only be available for desktop search and not for users on mobile. 

Google Rolls out August 2023 Broad Core Update

Googled dropped their second broad core algorithm update of the year in August, with the previous hitting in March.

As always with core algo updates, there’s no real indication of what the update will involve and there’s no single fix for brands to implement. Monitor changes to your site and improve on the fundamentals to position for success. 

If you’ve found that your site has been negatively impacted by the update, get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.

“Mentioned in” Snippet Tested in Google Search

Googled was spotted testing a new snippet feature called ‘Mentioned in’ in August.

The new feature allows searchers to see which other sites are mentioning the site you are searching for.

There are currently two versions of this feature floating around. One which is hidden behind a drop-down, and one which is already expanded. Both features are on a carousel which users can slide through.

PPC Market Updates

Best Practices Guide for Performance Max Receives Update

Google refreshed its Performance Max (PMax) Best Practice Guide in August which includes new information on which strategies marketers can leverage to properly optimise their campaigns.

If you’re taking advantage of PMax campaigns, we recommend going over the new documentation to ensure you’re getting the most out of your digital advertising.

The document covers:

  • The benefits of PMax
  • Tips on running A/B testing
  • How to use the Performance Planner to plan budgets effectively
  • How to take advantage of seasonal action
  • Advice on consolidating your campaign structure
  • How to reach high-value customers
  • New reporting features

If you still haven’t launched PMax into your paid media activity and would like to discover how you take advantage of these campaigns, get in touch and speak to one of our experts.

Google Ads Rolls Out API Version 14.1

Just two months after version 14 was released, August saw the launch of Google Ads API version 14.1. 

We know you aren’t going to read the full updates – we won’t tell anyone. The key highlight is that there are no major changes, just a bunch of tiny new features across everything from campaigns and billing to shopping and reporting.

Make sure to upgrade your client libraries and client code to take advantage of the new API.

Google Demand Gen Campaigns Beta Opens

August saw the opening of the Google Ads’ Demand Gen beta, which was announced at Google Marketing Live back in May.

The new campaign type is to replace Google Discovery ads.

Google Ads Liasion, Gunny Marvin, explained the campaign type on Twitter: 

The beta allows users to try new features including:

  • Different ad formats in one campaign
  • Lookalike segments
  • Drive performance based on unique goals
  • New ad previews

Google Ads will open Demand Gen for all in October.

New Limited Ads Serving Policy Introduced by Google

Last month Google Ads introduced a new policy that set out to tackle scams and misleading ads.

Google said: “To protect the integrity of our Google Ads ecosystem, we limit impressions of ads that have a higher potential of causing abuse or a poor experience for our users.”

Who will be limited? Google stated that ‘unqualified advertisers’ will have their ads limited in specific scenarios to minimise the potential negative experiences for users interacting with ads. Google quantify these scenarios by taking into account:

  • User feedback
  • Prevalence of abuse 
  • Industry trends

Brands that are new to Google Ads and are affected by this policy will have to build a track record of good behaviour. Luckily, Google said that it would provide advice for brands on how to create clear ads. Follow best practice guidelines and you’ll be Gucci.

Has Your UA Kicked the Bucket?

We’ve noticed a lot of UA properties have stopped collecting fresh data, more so than in July. While some are still active, it’s imperative that all brands switch to GA4 and optimise your analytics account to make sure you’re seeing the data that could shape your marketing decision making.

Reach out to us if you’re in need of support.

by Jack Bell

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