by Laura Schiele for Search Engine Land As 2023 draws near a close, marketers have to admit this about Google: they’ve been busy. Between Bard/SGE headlines and antitrust lawsuit admissions of auction gaming, Google has produced its usual share of releases. Sadly for B2B, most are either aimed at ecommerce/B2C or represent minor improvements that don’t make up for the advertising controls Google has stripped or the glaring lack of transparency behind auctions and pricing. With that as the backdrop, I’ll review some of Google’s bigger releases in 2023 before adding a plea for a few updates I think could actually help B2B marketing…
Does Google Think Your Website Is Spam?
by Rebecca Churt for HubSpot Everyone who uses the internet knows the frustration of web spam, where you find a promising page in search results that is useless. And we all know Google hates spammy websites, probably even more than we do. But as a site owner, how do you know if your site visitors and Google consider your website spammy? And what should you do to ensure it isn't considered *GULP* web spam? If you have concerns about your website being considered spammy, here is helpful information to know when optimizing your website. As you read through these items, ask…
Google accused of downplaying ad price manipulation
by Nicola Agius for Search Engine Land Google has been accused of downplaying how much it quietly increases ad auctions. The search engine admitted at the federal antitrust trial that it “frequently” inflates ad prices by as much as 5% without telling advertisers – sometimes 10%. But marketers are calling the search engine out for being too “conservative” with these figures as they believe the real number is significantly higher. Why we care. Advertisers are becoming increasingly frustrated with Google due to long-held suspicions around ad price manipulation and a lack of transparency. Although the industry accepts the search engine has a right to set minimum…
Is Google’s new AI chatbot the Bard of the digital age?
by Search Engine Land In the ever-evolving realm of artificial intelligence (AI), launching new technologies is no longer an anomaly but a relentless pursuit of innovation. Amid this technological maelstrom stands Google’s latest creation, Google Bard, a name reminiscent of the ancient bards renowned for their poetry and storytelling. As a multifaceted tool developed and launched by Google AI earlier this year, Bard is not confined to rigid algorithms; it promises fluidity and creativity. From simply having a chat to generating content and translating languages to developing complex strategies, Google Bard is sculpting a new narrative in AI. Functions of…