In the world of digital marketing, this month has seen TikTok battles in the US step up a notch.
Tech companies have also been releasing a range of new things. X has launched a new TV-focused app, Brave has dived into the AI world and Google is ramping up its support for sustainable travel.
Read on to find out more about digital marketing changes that happened in April 2024. ⤵️
AI
TikTok crackdown ramps up in the US
President Biden has signed legislation that will ban TikTok in the US – unless the company sells the app to an approved buyer by January 19. The move comes out of a concern for security risks.
“Answer with AI” launches
Brave has launched a new privacy-focused AI search engine. The company is taking a different approach, with links being shown in its AI-generated results.
New AI tools in Google Ads
Google Ads has released new generative AI features. The new tools aim to help advertisers create engaging images for their Demand Gen campaigns.
Social media
X launches new connected TV app
X (formerly Twitter) has launched a dedicated app for X videos to play on TVs. It’s part of X’s goals to become a “video-first platform”.
New options for Insta subscriptions
Instagram is rolling out new options related to creator subscriptions. The update includes expanding subscription teaser stories and new ways to prevent screen recordings.
TikTok is promoting STEM
The app has released a new content competition focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
SEO
Google is moving beyond links
Gary Illyes, a Google representative, recently confirmed that the search engine needs few links to rank pages. It may be time for SEO marketers to focus less on link-building and more on brand-building.
Google highlights greener travel options
Google Maps and Flights are getting an update so that they’ll better suggest more eco-friendly travel options. For example, to highlight catching a train rather than flying.
Gen Z is still using Google!
The younger generation hasn’t completely turned their back on Google searches yet. Google remains the top starting point for internet searches for Gen Z, however, platforms like TikTok are gaining ground.
Analytics
New YouTube Analytics features
Marketers can now see impressions from new and returning viewers in their YouTube Studio Analytics dashboards.
Email marketing
New insights on email trends
Litmus has released its latest State of Email Trends Report. The report gives insights into which marketing tactics and tools email marketers are using.
Performance marketing
New YouTube Shorts ad products
Google is ramping up its support for YouTube Shorts. The new YouTube Select Shorts functionality enables ads to appear alongside top YouTube Shorts content.
Ad customisers being retired
Support for customisers is ending for text ads and Dynamic Search Ads. Google Ads is pushing advertisers to use responsive search ads instead.
New Ad Intents Formats
Google AdSense now has a new ad format called “Ad Intents” that doesn’t rely on third-party cookies. The new format can add links to search results on text in articles.
