2020 Digital Marketing Predictions
Marketing, technology and consumers behaviour are forever evolving. In 2020, it’s crucial for marketers to anticipate trends and prepare their digital marketing strategy accordingly.
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As we enter a new decade, it’s necessary to be aware of the latest developments within the search marketing world.
Give your business a competitive advantage by taking note of four key updates from the past month, and how they could impact your business’s digital strategy in 2020.
1. Federal government pledges $26.9 million to new digital platforms unit
Last month, the Australian federal government pledged $26.9 million to the creation of a new digital platforms unit within the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Following recommendations from the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry, the government is committing to “world-leading” reforms addressing the market power and transparency of tech companies.
The unit’s first phase will focus on creating a regulatory “code of conduct” framework for media platforms and companies, as well as an inquiry into online activities by advertising and media agencies. Updates on these new regulations are expected to come later in the year. For now, find out more here and here.
2. Surprising information about E-A-T
How well do you really know Google’s E-A-T? This SEO concept, which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, was created as a fair guideline for third party raters to judge search results without personal bias. A lot of misinformation has spread around, and it turns out that popular tactics like link building and author bios have no correlation with improving E-A-T ratings.
Since E-A-T is a judgement and not a metric, it doesn’t represent Google’s algorithm or ranking factors. This means that there is no measurable way to optimise for it. Want to know more? Learn more about E-A-T here.
3. New updates to App + Web properties
Google recently introduced enhancements to the new App + Web property allowing users to measure their app and website in the same place. This update offers the ability to measure up to 50 data streams, view aggregated metrics, and further customise the Analysis module using the new ‘cohort analysis’ and ‘user lifetime’ techniques. Both automated and custom insights are now easier to access too, and becoming smarter and more useful over time. Find out more here.
4. Google testing out live TV show commenting
Google is currently testing user comments for live TV shows, a feature which is already working well for live sporting events. On mobile search results for live TV shows such as The Bachelor, users may be able to see a section where they can chat with others. All comments are public and appear under the name and picture of a Google account.
This update adds a social engagement aspect to Search and provides another way for marketers to monitor and analyse real-time conversations. Learn more here.