Google’s AI Search Shift: The Current State of SEM
Your 2024 Digital Priorities
AUTHOR:
Priya Iyer Doshi
As we step into the bright and promising year of 2024, the digital marketing landscape evolves at almost a breakneck pace. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral and powerful force in the marketing landscape. The imminent end of Google Chrome’s support of third-party cookies* spurs a reevaluation of our strategies within established platforms and forces us to embrace new approaches. Digital consumers demand more privacy and transparency from brands they trust without sacrificing their expectations of great user experiences on our websites.
*On July 22, 2024, Google reversed its decision to deprecate third-party cookies. Here’s the latest guidance from CI on this change.
This reminds me of a time in 2007–the release of the first-ever iPhone (and the birth of CI just a year later!). Like then, we are heading into uncharted digital waters; the way the internet works now is vastly different than the way it has worked for the majority of our digital marketing careers! The changing landscape presents challenges but also a great opportunity to strategically reassess our priorities heading into a new year and era.
Read, Watch + Learn
As we dove into the new year, the CI team honed in on 5 key areas of focus, linked below. Starting the week of March 11, we’ll host livestream conversations with CI consultants on each topic for an even deeper dive.
2024 offers a great opportunity to forge deeper connections with our audiences. We can (and should) welcome changes with enthusiasm and an innovative mindset. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so too shall we.
2024 Digital Priority #1
Diversifying Beyond Google and Meta
We’ve always used audience attention to inform which platforms we leverage. As attention turns in different directions, so does our ability to reach and influence audiences. TikTok, Connected TV, and Spotify are key explorations for 2024. We must nimbly shift media budgets and adapt our content strategy to the highest-performing channels beyond Google and Meta. All these platforms offer robust, real-time data so we can continue to analyze performance and allocate budget effectively.
CI Deep Dive: Register here to watch on-demand.
2024 Digital Priority #2
Maximizing Your Website with Data and Analysis
Data-driven decisions are the bedrock of our ability to market smarter. If 2023 was the year of migrating to GA4, 2024 must be the year of leveraging the platform to measure website performance, user behavior, and areas of opportunity. Strive to keep a user-centric website strategy at the forefront of decisions. A/B test new approaches on your existing website to ensure excellent UX, and don’t fall into the common trap of overlooking SEO–make it easy for Google to crawl and index website content. You’ll earn critical organic traffic—and more potential audiences walking through our doors!
CI Deep Dive: Register here to watch on-demand.
2024 Digital Priority #3
Investing in Email to Increase Engagement
Time and again, email has proven to be the most influential channel for driving sales and attendance. With recent privacy shifts, a focused email strategy that integrates automation, segmentation, ongoing testing, reporting, and analysis is critical. A strong first-party data strategy is non-negotiable to center your website (for gathering data) and email (using it). Email communications are your key to delivering personal, anticipated, and relevant messages to the right audiences at the right time.
CI Deep Dive: Register here to watch on-demand.
2024 Digital Priority #4
Leveraging AI in Google and Meta
This does not mean creating AI technology from scratch. Embrace these integrated technologies within the platforms we already rely on! Google and Meta offer world-class AI solutions for audience targeting, content optimization, and conversion attribution: Performance Max, Conversions API, Enhanced Conversions, Dynamic Ads, and Advantage+ are just a few. Keep an open mindset and make AI an ally in your journey.
CI Deep Dive: Register here to watch on-demand.
2024 Digital Priority #5
Building Trust by Respecting User Privacy
Privacy can seem like a maze, but in 2024, start with something. Assemble a privacy-focused task force whose first task is to review your existing policy and ensure compliance with privacy regulations. Update how you’re collecting data on your website if necessary. Talk with colleagues at other organizations about their approach to privacy. One of the best things about the arts is our community–use it to collectively learn and grow. User privacy is a good thing for humanity. It just means we have to reassess how to build and engage audiences in new ways.
CI Deep Dive: Register here to watch on-demand.
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