Google held its annual I/O developers conference from Tuesday to Thursday last week. As usual, the company announced a raft of updates and innovations with digital marketing implications, including doubling down on AI, bringing augmented reality (AR) functions to local search, and an expanded relationship with Shopify.
Aside from those high-profile announcements, there were also announcements pertaining to search engine marketing and rumours of algorithm updates floated around. Here’s what you need to know:
Google Ads: Google announced new Smart Bidding features last week aimed at making ‘automaton more intuitive to search marketers’ needs’ and better catering to ‘changes in each advertiser’s individual market,’ according to Search Engine Land.
These features include expanded use of ‘top signals’; manager level control over seasonality adjustments; expanded recommendations aimed at maximizing conversions; and Target Impression Share simulations. The goal of the changes as a whole is to make Google Ads automation more intuitive of managers.
SEO: May has been an unusually active month in terms of Google algorithm updates. As of Friday, Search Engine Land was reporting five updates for the month, on the first, the seventh through the ninth, the 13th, the weekend of the 15th, and on the 26th and 27th. None of these have been officially confirmed by Google, which usually only acknowledges core updates, but together they have caused raised eyebrows throughout the SEO community. If you’ve been experiencing ranking fluctuations for your website lately, this is why.
As a Google Premier Partner digital marketing agency with unique access to Google’s preferred practices, GrowthEngine Media is keenly tuned to news and updates in the search engine marketing world. With Google’s Page Experience Update now scheduled for next month, May and June 2021 could prove to be significant moments for digital marketers everywhere. Feel free to reach out if you would like to discuss your strategy.
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