As Christmas trees are exchanged for well-thought-through resolutions, many digital entities are taking a moment to recap and mull over the happenings of the year. There were algorithm updates, new tools on the table, and giant leaps forward for very fundamental strategies. 2023 saw the rise of AI-powered marketing tools, along with a much-anticipated indexing completion. Join us and our staff here at Farfetched Studios while we highlight a few of the memorable trends that made their mark on the digital marketing space in 2023.
Google Analytics 4:
The most notable change for many in 2023 was the shift from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4. It took nearly 11 years for Universal Analytics to halt its data collection process while GA4 became the star of the show. GA4 boasts more user-friendly aspects, with everything you need in one convenient location. This release has allowed marketers to take a deeper dive into the process involved for customers finding websites, and their interaction behavior within that space.
Chat GPT & Other AI Additives:
2023 was a year that saw a huge amount of influence and change from ChatGPT and other very advanced AI tools. These changes were very rapid and influential, with some die-hard purists staying on the fence before jumping in. Other agencies and freelancers approached the notion with caution, as they weighed sheer productivity up against potential loss of quality. As some agencies desperately scramble to keep up releasing mediocre-at-best content that was created by AI, other artists and innovators thrived after seemingly mastering it!
Performance Max:
Performance Max was initially introduced two years ago, but experienced a huge uptick in popularity in 2023. It stands out from other applications by using machine learning to make the best use of placements and bids. Google has continued to roll out new features for this tool through 2023, as very crucial inputs can be tweaked to gain insight from Google real-time understanding of consumer intent. When board meetings, quarterly reviews, and other pressures begin to demand results, this tool helps to generate conversions by meticulously overseeing ad placement.
From Hashtags to Handshakes: Influencer Marketing’s Impact:
The rise of TikTok and Instagram Reels painted a very clear picture of influencing consumers by winning them over with appealing personalities. To take stock and how to use this for your benefit, micro-influencers have offered a very viable and accessible form of service. Their cost will be much less per post than the huge names now appearing in news feeds everywhere, and they may even provide work and exchange for products. Google even helps by categorizing available content with the “content by users for users” category, cluing browsers into the fastest way to locate reviews and demos from ordinary people.
From Vlogs to Viral: Video Content Dominates the Online Landscape
Video marketing has resonated so well with all types of demographics, as it is easily digestible, and rapidly stored in memory banks! With so many consumers turning to mobile searches to catch up on trends and discover products, this is where many brands need to quickly find a parking spot. Video content is known for always remaining current, and its widespread appeal to younger and discerning generations. 84% of online shoppers report that they had watched a video before making an e-commerce purchase, with platforms such as Shopify offering simple and innovative ways to integrate. That amazing CTA your team just came up with? It gets 380% more clicks when placed in videos.
Mobile-First Indexing:
It took 7 long years of continuous research and progress, but Google’s mobile-first indexing has finally officially rolled out. Now is the time to ensure that your website is more mobile-friendly than ever, as it is not just Gen. Z and millennials that are crowding the mobile space. Mobile-first Indexing means that Google’s very own web crawler will put top priority on the mobile version of a website’s content over its desktop counterpart, which in turn works wonders for rankings. One great way to at least get the ball rolling in this department is signing up for a free SIM rush account and using their site audit, which will crawl your site with a bot much like Google’s.
The Power of Featured Snippets for Digital Visibility:
Google SERPS are not sorted by pages anymore, as everything now appears as one continuous scroll. This change was rolled out to all users in the US by April 2023, and it renders top-page placement for your business even more important. Featured snippets are selected blocks of text that are at the top of the search results, and they look like advertisements featured before a website. If you have searched for a specific landmark, the featured snippet will appear before the results with a photo, location, and list of things to do there directly before the website it is attached to just below.
Heralding the New Year W/The Glass Half-Full:
At Farfetched studios we understand that predicting consumer behavior is a huge key to staying ahead in the days to come. Our data-driven strategies allow us to provide personal campaigns that are tailored to your target audience’s specific behaviors and preferences. For dynamic content that captures attention across numerous platforms, we offer custom-built campaigns that are analyzed daily for maximum placement. Our Ad Fuel programming delivers stellar results by remarketing and geo-targeting that has been proven to be effective in a space with an abundance of quite noisy offerings.
Connect with us today and develop a strategy to dominate the many intricate challenges of 2024!