22 Dec AWD SEO & PPC 2024 Round Up

As we wind down 2024, it’s time to reflect on the year and debate what’s to come in 2025 and how I can turn my knowledge gained over the past 12 months into further success for my clients.

What keeps some going in the digital marketing industry is that it’s always changing and that no two days are ever the same. What excites me also terrifies me and staying up to date with all of the latest technology changes is a never-ending task.

Early 2020 we were plodding along unbeknown to what would happen just a few months into the new year. As the COVID pandemic took hold, E-commerce accelerated at least ten times faster than expected. Although face masks and social distancing feel like a lifetime ago. This year has given similar feelings of unease as AI has burst into the mainstream and will once again change life as we knew it.

The digital marketing landscape has undergone significant transformations, particularly in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising but this is only the very tiny tip of the iceberg of AI that’s going to plough into our industry even further into 2025. Let’s delve into the most impactful changes of 2024 and how they might influence your digital marketing strategy.

SEO Developments:

• Enhanced E-E-A-T Criteria: Google has refined its quality guidelines, introducing ‘Experience’ to the existing Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) framework. This addition emphasizes the importance of content creators and authors demonstrating firsthand experience in their subject matter to improve search rankings. Creating content for content’s sake isn’t going to work in 2025. But writing honest, first-party human experiences will help you achieve visibility.
• AI-Powered Search Experience: The integration of artificial intelligence into search algorithms has led to more intuitive and context-aware search results. This advancement requires SEO strategies to focus on creating high-quality, user-centric content that aligns with AI-driven search preferences. If the launch of ChatGPT Search and ChatGPT’s access to the internet wasn’t enough of a shift. OpenAI (The clever people behind ChatGPT) Are currently rolling out a 12 days of OpenAI with new features and updates daily!!! You can be forgiven for not managing to keep up with the latest changes in the AI ecosystem when they are coming through this fast!!

In 2024, Google implemented several significant core updates to its search algorithms, each aiming to enhance the quality and relevance of search results.

• March 2024 Core Update: Launched on March 5, 2024, and completed by April 19, this update was one of the most extensive taking a whopping 45 days to complete it’s rollout. It focused on reducing low-quality, unoriginal content, resulting in a 45% decrease in such material within search results. The update also targeted spammy practices, emphasizing the importance of original, high-quality content and ethical SEO strategies.
• August 2024 Core Update: Started on August 15 and concluded by September 3, this update continued Google’s efforts to refine search result quality. While specific details were not disclosed, it underscored the ongoing need for websites to provide valuable, user-centric content to maintain or improve their search rankings.
• November 2024 Core Update: Rolled out on November 11 and lasting over 23 days, this update further adjusted search algorithms to enhance result relevance. Websites experienced fluctuations in rankings, highlighting the necessity for continuous content quality improvements and adherence to SEO best practices.
• December 2024 Core Update: When Q4 is already crazy busy. Google throws not one but two updates into December. The first was released on December 12 and completed by December 18, this update was another core update just one month after the November core update. It aimed to fine-tune the changes from previous updates, ensuring that search results remained helpful and reliable for users. On the 19th of December a Google Spam update started rolling out and to date is still rolling.

PPC Advancements:

• AI and Automation: The integration of artificial intelligence and automation in PPC campaigns has become more prevalent, enhancing campaign performance through improved targeting and bidding strategies. Marketers are increasingly relying on AI to optimize ad spending and maximize conversions.
• Performance Max Enhancements: Google Ads introduced new features in Performance Max campaigns, including AI-powered image enhancements and improved asset coverage and conversion reporting. These updates provide advertisers with more tools to optimize their campaigns across multiple channels. Also coming to Pmax should be Pmax negatives but I am yet to see these in client accounts.
• Audience Targeting Challenges: With the phasing out of third-party cookies and stricter data privacy regulations, PPC marketers face challenges in audience targeting. There’s a growing emphasis on building and leveraging first-party data to create effective, compliant advertising strategies. The further death of third-party cookies in early 2025 will once again change how we run marketing but further strengthen how 1st party data is absolute Gold for every business.

These developments highlight the dynamic nature of SEO and PPC in 2024, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and a focus on quality, user-centric content and strategies. As we move into 2025 good quality, reliable first party data will be the number one goal to achieve. Yes you can build audiences on social media platforms but you never really have control of these followers and run the risk of loosing them. Does anyone still use Twitter since Elon Musks purchase or is everyone now on BLueSky? Building your first party data, and using it. Will be even more paramount as we enter 2025 and beyond.

If you need assistance navigating these changes or optimizing your digital marketing strategy, feel free to reach out. Together, we can ensure your business stays ahead in this evolving landscape.