Best of the SearchBot showcases Search Engine Land’s SearchBot’s responses to prompts submitted by readers. The language model is based on content from Search Engine Land layered on top of ChatGPT. The editors of Search Engine Land selected this response for its usefulness and have supplemented it with additional relevant content. I am the first generative AI chatbot for search marketers. I am trained with Search Engine Land content. Here’s something somebody asked me! After that, how you can improve prompts to get even better answers from me. Prompt: What suggestion do you give me ..read more

Google allegedly prevented Yahoo Japan from accessing crucial technology required to generate targeted ad revenue from mobile searches from 2015 to 2022, according to Japan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC). Google only changed its behavior after the FTC flagged the issues. Google then committed to giving Yahoo Japan access to keyword-tied targeted advertising technology, Bloomberg reported. Why we care. Any practices that would impact an advertiser’s choice or limit access to targeting technologies can lead to increased advertising costs. Precedent. This is the FTC’s first-ever administrative ac ..read more

TikTok is no longer just an entertainment platform – it has rapidly evolved into a powerful search engine, particularly for the younger generation. With a staggering 74% of Gen Z using TikTok as their go-to search platform in 2024, brands can no longer afford to ignore it.  This comprehensive guide delves into the intricacies of optimizing for TikTok, exploring strategies, tools and best practices to help you enhance your visibility, engage your target audience and ultimately drive success on this rapidly growing platform. Why TikTok is threatening Google’s supremacy TikTok is changing t ..read more

More keyword data isn’t your problem.  No, what’s holding you back has nothing to do with your advanced ability to slice and dice keyword data dumps.  Data dumps on their own won’t help you; they’ll probably only hurt you. Here’s why, how this mindset routinely sabotages keyword research and how to fix it. Why keyword research is hard (and misunderstood) Anyone anywhere can fire up a keyword research tool and export a giant list of “relevant” keywords. That’s not the problem.  The problem is that this haphazard, spray-and-pray approach doesn’t work. Not when your competitors (b ..read more

It’s no stretch to say the marketing data landscape has changed quite a bit over the past two years. For one, the ways companies collect user data have been under the microscope, and policies from Apple and Google are forcing marketing data analytics changes across the board.  Also, customers are more thoughtful than ever about what information they’re willing to share and how it’s being used. Finally, scalability and personalization have become buzzwords, but you can’t accomplish either without strong analytics – and getting that has been an uphi ..read more

Meta AI answers now may include Google Search results, making this the first AI assistant to include search results from both Google and Microsoft. That said, I’ve yet to find a query that triggered Google Search results. Meta AI launched with Microsoft Bing integrated in September. Why we care. Gartner predicted search traffic will fall due to the rise of AI chatbots, virtual agents and AI answer engines providing direct answers, as opposed to having to click on a website to find an answer. However, the models (like Meta’s Llama 3) don’t have access to real-time data – so it makes sense for ..read more

Google is developing a two-hop proxy to enhance privacy for Chrome users, which has three big implications for advertisers: For ad location targeting, you’ll only have the option to target regions designated by Google, which won’t be accurate. Because Google Chrome will use a proxy to connect to websites, it will mask users’ identities, meaning advertisers cannot distinguish between genuine and bot traffic. Google is increasing its collection of uniquely valuable location data, which could increase advertisers’ costs. Why we care. The two-hop proxy is only implemented on Chrome, meaning Goo ..read more

Airbnb is the leading advertiser in search sentiment, closely trailed by Viacom and Netflix, according to a new analysis of 100 top advertisers. Why we care. Looking at search sentiment can help marketers better understand how consumers feel about them in real-time and what contributes to brand loyalty and sustainability. AirBnB made a significant shift from search marketing to brand marketing. As they have taken the lead in this search sentiment report, it will pique the curiosity of other advertisers to go down the same path to improve their customer sentiment ranking. The big picture. The ..read more

Over the years, Google has seemingly established a pattern in how it interacts with the web. The search engine provides structured data formats and tools that allow us to supply information to Google. Think: meta tags, schema markup, the disavow tool and more.  Google then consumes and learns from this structured data deployed across the web. Once sufficient learnings are extracted, Google then retires or de-emphasizes these structured data formats, making them less impactful or obsolete. This cyclical process of giving structured data capabilities, consuming the information, learning fr ..read more

Rebranding happens when companies grow or face big PR problems. As a marketer and SEO expert, you’ll deal with it due to acquisitions, executive decisions or investor demands. Regardless of the reason, traffic will drop when things go wrong. But don’t panic. Both branded and non-branded traffic can be recovered. It depends on the cause of the loss and what you do next. Below are common situations in which we’ve helped clients regain traffic post-rebranding, sorted by situation and traffic drop types.  I’ve also included non-SEO things to look for so your company can save money, as revenu ..read more