Tag Archives of: google

Apple considers AI as a search option: impact on Google and SEO

A quiet landslide is taking place in how people search online. Whereas for decades Google was the starting point of virtually every digital search, that is now shifting toward AI, and Apple is in the thick of it.

Apple considers switching to AI

During the antitrust case against Google, Eddy Cue, senior vice president at Apple, stated that the company is seriously looking at alternative search solutions to integrate into Safari. Not to other search engines such as Bing, but to AI tools: ChatGPT, Perplexity and Anthropic.

For the first time, Apple is seeing a decline in searches through Safari. Not because people are searching less, but because users are searching via AI first.

Why this is a bash for Google

Google pays an estimated $20 billion a year to remain the default search engine in Safari. That amount represents a whopping 36% of Google's total ad revenue from Safari traffic. If Apple adds AI options or directs some search traffic to other platforms, Google's revenue model will come under immediate pressure.

No search means no ad. No ad means no revenue. And without exclusivity, the dominant market share disappears. According to analyst Gil Luria, advertisers will reallocate their budgets once there are real alternatives to Google.

AI radically changes search behavior

Recent figures from Andy Crestodina show that:

  • 62% of people use an AI chatbot daily
  • 51% wanting to expand usage
  • 49% expect AI to replace traditional search engines

Google is still mostly used for practical questions ("what time does this store close?"), while AI is increasingly the starting point for broader information needs.

Apple is cleverly capitalizing on this. Not only by adding AI access to Safari, but also by working on a ChatGPT integration within Siri. Meanwhile, Google is trying to get its own Gemini model onto Apple devices. The AI arms race is in full swing.

SEO shifts, AIO emerges

For marketers, this shift means one thing: The era of Google-first marketing is beginning to tilt. The influence of traditional SEO is noticeably diminishing, especially on searches that are informative or general in nature. Where previously a high position in Google guaranteed visibility, we now see that more and more users are already getting their answer without clicking through. This so-called zero-click behavior means less traffic to websites, even if you are still technically ranking well.

At the same time, a new reality is emerging in which AI discovery is central. No longer does a search engine's algorithm decide which links are at the top, but an AI assistant decides which information is relevant enough to display. In that context, content must not only be findable, but also understandable and reliable for AI systems. That requires structured data, content with clear source citations and a strong focus on originality and authority. Content that meets these requirements will soon have the best chance of actually being seen and trusted.

What further increases in importance are channels that are harder to automate: personal recommendations, communities, influencers, podcasts, live sessions, webinars. In short: content that is hard to replicate and builds trust.

What can you do?

Test how your brand scores in AI environments. Ask ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity about solutions and services in your area of operation. Ask questions like your target audience might ask. See if and how you are mentioned. If this is not to your liking, then it is time to take action.

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Google adds video to Gemini with Veo 2

While OpenAI is integrating more and more features with models like GPT-4 and the upcoming video model Sora, Google is also building a strong ecosystem that brings together text, image, audio and video. A new addition within Google's Gemini is Veo 2.

From prompt to production in seconds

Gemini Advanced users can now instantly generate short videos based on a text prompt. The process is surprisingly simple: provide a detailed description and you'll get back an eight-second, high-resolution video. Think scenes with fluid motion, realistic action and visual styles ranging from cartoonish to almost cinematic.

What can Veo 2 do?

Veo 2's strength lies not only in speed, but especially in the combination of creativity and consistency. The output is realistic and opens doors for storytelling in an AI-driven marketing mix. Key features of Veo 2:

  • 720p eight-second videos
  • Realistic motion and physics
  • Text prompt as the only input, with no additional settings or post-production
  • Accessible via gemini.google.com or labs.google/whisk (not yet available in the Netherlands)
  • For Google One AI Premium users

Combine images into short animation

An interesting addition is Whisk Animate, available through Google Labs. This tool allows you to combine two images into a short animation. Think of a static illustration that subtly begins to move, or a product shot that visually comes to life. Whisk Animate is still in an experimental phase, but it certainly has potential for brands with a strong visual identity or storytelling strategy.

What does this mean for marketers?

The rise of AI tools like Veo 2 is having an impact on the way content is developed. Whereas AI was first used primarily for text production, it is now becoming a full-fledged player in visual communication as well. This presents opportunities for marketers who want to move quickly. Video content can be tested and adapted faster, without high production costs. Moreover, it offers the freedom to easily create multiple versions by making small changes to the prompt.

The arrival of Veo 2 shows how natural it is becoming to develop images and video with AI as well. Whereas today it is still about short fragments, it seems only a matter of time before longer formats come within reach.

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Google's new AI approach with AI as the foundation of everything

During Google Cloud Next, it became clear how quickly AI developments are piling up. What still seems like future music to many companies is now the new base layer for Google. AI will soon be under almost everything they build. The new generation models, including Gemini 2.5 Pro, Imagen 3, Veo 2, Lyria and Chirp 3, show impressive performance. In fact, according to Google itself, they are exceeding expectations. This comes in handy, as Google aims to use these tools to get ahead of OpenAI by making AI readily available to developers, marketers and teams in business.

Gemini Live: your camera as an AI helper

One of the most notable updates is Gemini Live, available for the Pixel 9 and soon for other Android users with a Gemini Advanced subscription. Point your camera at a building, dish or product and get real-time explanations or recommendations.

You can also share your screen and use Gemini to compare products or understand complex instructions via voice or simple tap gestures, for example. That makes this feature interesting for content creators and e-commerce marketers who need quick context or comparisons.

Deep research in seconds with Gemini Deep Research

For those doing market analysis, competitive research or structuring pitches, there is Gemini Deep Research. This now works with the powerful Gemini 2.5 Pro model. One smart question is all it takes. Gemini searches, analyzes, combines and delivers a complete report at lightning speed.

For example, use Gemini Deep Research to quickly conduct market and competition research, summarize long documents or white papers, conduct strategic analysis or compare different options. It also provides relevant insights and input in no time for pitches, briefings or content creation.

Gemini Deep Research is Available to all Gemini Advanced users via web, Android and iOS.

Listening to data with audio reviews in Gemini

The familiar audio review feature from NotebookLM is now also integrated into Gemini. You can turn a research report or loose file into a podcast-like voice-over, ideal for on the go. Upload a file, click "Generate Audio Overview," and listen. The voices are currently in English, but Google is working on Dutch-language and even personalized voices.

Vertex AI: all-in-one content creation platform

With the introduction of new multimodal models, Vertex AI becomes the hub for AI-driven content creation. It will give marketers access to tools for image, video, audio and music, all in one environment.

What's new?

  • Lyria: generates music based on text. Think custom soundtracks for campaigns.
  • Veo 2: powerful video editing with features such as inpainting and camera movement.
  • Chirp 3: builds realistic custom voices in ten seconds, including speaker recognition for transcriptions.
  • Imagen 3: Even sharper image generation, now with smart editing options.

All tools have built-in security measures, watermarks and copyright protection.

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Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business. 'Marketing AI Friday' is your weekly guide.

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Gemini 2.5 Pro raises the bar again

Developments in AI are moving at lightning speed, but every once in a while a model comes along that is so compelling that you look up for a moment. Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google's latest AI model, is one of those. Not only does it score exceptionally well on benchmarks such as the LMArena, but it especially sets the tone in what we should expect from AI in terms of reasoning, coding and complex problem solving.

What makes Gemini 2.5 Pro so special?

With Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google has built a model that excels in the areas where other AI models often fall short: logical reasoning, structured building and understanding truly complex tasks. Consider building a working video game from a single prompt, something that until recently required an entire development team.

But it doesn't stop there. Gemini 2.5 Pro is exceptionally strong in math and science, which makes it usable for content production that goes beyond superficial insights. The model is also designed for agent-like applications, meaning it can independently pick up and complete complex workflows. Furthermore, Gemini 2.5 Pro is fully multimodal and understands not only text, but also code, images, audio as well as video. Finally, it works with a context window of 1 million tokens, with 2 million on the horizon. That means that long documents, multiple data sources and extensive instructions can be processed and understood all at once.

Highest score in LMArena benchmark

The LMArena benchmark is currently one of the most reliable measures of AI performance on human evaluations. Unlike purely technical tests, this benchmark evaluates models on how well they perform in realistic scenarios such as answering open-ended questions or structuring complex information.

Gemini 2.5 Pro ranks #1, leaving behind such familiar names as GPT-4 and Claude. The model scores high on math, science and agent-like applications.

Where can you use Gemini 2.5 Pro?

Currently, Gemini 2.5 Pro is available in Google AI Studio and for Gemini Advanced users. Soon the model will also be available on Vertex AI. Its high ranking in the LMArena makes this tool ideal for content marketers and strategists looking to integrate AI into their marketing technology.

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Google launches new Gemini versions, Gems and Imagen 3: What does this mean for the future of AI?

Google continues to develop new AI solutions and this week introduced multiple updates to their Gemini models, personalized assistants called Gems and improved image generation with Imagen 3. These new developments show how Google continues to expand the functionality of their AI systems, taking a step forward in a rapidly changing market.

New Gemini versions: Flexibility and performance

Google has announced three new versions of their Gemini AI models, each with unique features and applications.

Gemini 1.5 Flash-8B

A more compact model that is still powerful enough for multimodal applications and processing large amounts of information. This model can summarize long texts, which is useful for companies that want to get a quick overview of extensive documents or data.

Gemini 1.5 Pro

Is designed for more specialized tasks, such as coding and complex jobs. Companies that deal a lot with technical issues or custom solutions can benefit from the improved performance of this model.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Gemini 1.5 Flash has shown major performance improvements on several internal benchmarks. This model can be especially valuable for organizations looking to use AI for fast and efficient problem-solving tasks.

All of these models are available through Google AI Studio and the Gemini API, allowing developers and companies to test and customize them for their specific needs. These updates are labeled with the date "0827" to avoid confusion with earlier versions. On Sept. 3, the older Gemini 1.5 Pro Exp 0801 model was automatically replaced with the new 0827 version.

Creating your own AI assistants with Gems

In addition to the new Gemini models, Google is also introducing Gems, a new tool that allows users to create their own AI assistants. These personalized AI experts can be tailored to specific tasks or topics, similar to the customization features in tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft's Co-pilot, and Claude. Gems makes it possible to create AI assistants specifically tailored to a user's workflow, which can significantly improve efficiency.

Google has also developed ready-to-use Gems, such as a brainstormer, a career advisor, a programming partner, and a writing editor. These preconfigured assistants can be used immediately for common tasks and are ideal for users who want to get started quickly.

We also tested our AI colleague Liza with Gems. Although easy to set up, the capabilities and results were disappointing for now. We will test this further and continue to monitor Gems developments.

Currently, Gems are only available to paying users of Gemini Advanced, Gemini Business, and Gemini Enterprise.

Image generation with Imagen 3

In addition to the Gemini updates and Gems, Google is also launching Imagen 3, a new version of their image generation model. Imagen 3 allows users to create images based on text prompts, allowing for a wide range of styles, such as photorealism, oil painting, and even clay animations.

This enhancement positions Google as a strong competitor to image generation platforms such as DALL-E 3, Midjourney, and Flux. Unfortunately, Imagen 3 is not currently available in the Netherlands, but this new functionality is expected to be rolled out worldwide soon.

What do these developments mean for businesses?

With the launch of these new AI applications, Google shows how committed they are to developing powerful tools that help organizations work faster and more efficiently. Whether it's improving word processing capabilities with Gemini, creating custom assistants with Gems, or generating high-quality images with Imagen 3, these innovations offer many opportunities for businesses.

Google's ongoing development of AI shows that we are only at the beginning of what is possible. The next step for organizations is to properly integrate these tools into their existing processes and train staff to use AI responsibly and effectively.

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Google's core algorithm update August 2024: What you need to know

When Google makes a major update in their algorithm, it has a major impact on how websites are ranked in Google and what position you come up with keywords. Google regularly adjusts the algorithm to ensure that users get the most relevant search results.

The August 2024 core algorithm update is one such update, in this article we share some findings about the update and advice on what to focus on.

Forums and User Generated Content (UGC) continue to do well

During the update now underway in August 2024, we see that forums and user-written content (UGC) still perform well in search results.

While this is not a new trend and has been around for some time, it is remarkable that this type of content continues to have so much value. Reddit is a good example of this. A small increase in visibility can quickly lead to many additional visitors for Reddit, as the platform already has a large number of users.

Niche and local businesses get more visibility

Another important change is that both niche and local businesses seem to be doing better in search results. This presents opportunities especially for SMEs and niche companies. Where previously large national players or multinationals were often at the top (partly due to a combination of amount of content, domain authority, through links and branding) we now see that smaller and medium-sized companies are also scoring better in national searches. This is a positive development as it also gives smaller companies a chance in the playing field.

Relevance of your website

Domain relevance also plays a larger role. It remains important that your domain name and the services you offer are consistent with other content on your website. Sites that get this right seem to hold their position(s) well or rank better in search results than before.

So while we see smaller and medium-sized companies doing well, that does not mean that all big brands are/will do worse. Brands that already have an established name and receive constant flow of authoritative backlinks continue to perform well in search results. These brands continue to do well because of their broad visibility both on and off the Internet and because of their a multi-channel approach.

Our findings

With an algorithm update, it is important not to react emotionally too quickly, whether you are positive or negative about the changes in terms of rankings. This is because it may take some time before all the effects are fully visible.

Recently, there have been many complaints about Google's performance, as some people feel the search results have become less relevant. Google seems to be taking these concerns seriously, especially given the emergence of new competitors such as SearchGPT, which means that in addition to SEO, AIO is going to become more important.

The August 2024 core update shows how important it is to create content that fits well with what your visitors are looking for. The success of forums and User Generated Content shows that people need valuable and real information. Therefore, it is important that your content is not only informative, but that it really responds to your visitor's needs.

What can you do?

Make sure that the content on your website is relevant to your services and matches your visitors' questions and expectations. You can do this, for example, by creating a content strategy, in which you create content that connects to different stages of the fan journey. It is also important that your content is well structured and easy to read, so that visitors can quickly find what they are looking for.

Google values websites that put their visitors first and provide the best user experience. By focusing on the quality of your content, you increase your chances of ranking well in search results regardless of future Google updates. Visitors will stay on your site longer and actually be interested in what you have to say, which can further improve your ranking.

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Google introduces Pixel 9 and Gemini Live

Early this week was the day: Google's much-anticipated Made by Google event. This event revolved entirely around artificial intelligence (AI). In the spotlight were the brand new Pixel 9 series and Gemini Live, Google's advanced AI assistant. With these announcements, Google is taking a clear step toward fully integrating AI into all their products, from smartphones to smart home devices. But what exactly does this mean for users? We discuss it in this article.

What's coming?

Gemini Live: The New Standard in AI Assistants

Gemini Live is more than a simple upgrade to Google Assistant. This new AI assistant is going to replace Google Assistant on Android phones. The idea behind Gemini Live is that you can have conversations naturally with your phone. You can ask questions, get help with various tasks and even pause in a conversation to pick up later where you left off. This makes Gemini Live a powerful tool for the people who want to get a lot out of their smartphone.

Gemini on Pixel: Contextual help at your fingertips

One notable feature of Gemini on the new Pixel phones is the ability to get contextual help simply by holding down the power button. Whether you're busy writing an email, planning your week, or learning a new language, you can let Gemini support you. This makes using your smartphone not only easier, but also much more efficient. No more struggling to find the right information, Gemini already has the answer ready for you.

Gemini Extensions: Multitasking gets easier than ever

Gemini Extensions makes AI even more accessible by integrating the assistant with various Google apps, such as Gmail, Maps, YouTube Music and Drive. This means you can multitask more efficiently without switching apps. Imagine this: while planning a route in Maps, you can simultaneously organize your emails and listen to your favorite music, all with Gemini's help. This integration makes the daily use of your devices a lot more productive.

Pixel Studio: Get creative anytime, anywhere

In addition to Gemini Live, Google is also introducing Pixel Studio, an app that uses AI to generate images. Whether you work on your phone or in the cloud, Pixel Studio allows you to create visual content with ease. This tool is ideal for anyone who wants to create attractive visuals quickly and easily without requiring in-depth knowledge of graphic design.

Call Notes and Reimagine: AI for efficiency and creativity

Call Notes and Reimagine are two other features that show how AI can improve our daily lives. Call Notes lets you summarize phone calls and create transcripts right on your phone. This not only ensures optimal privacy, but also a more efficient workflow, especially if you spend a lot of time on your phone.

Reimagine goes a step further by allowing you to edit parts of images with AI-generated content based on text. So there are many new opportunities for creative editing, without the need for complex software.

Magic Editor updates: Automatic suggestions for perfect photos

Another impressive feature Google is introducing is the Magic Editor. This tool offers automatic suggestions for cropping and adjusting photos. Whether you are a professional photographer or just want to enhance your vacation photos, Magic Editor ensures that your photos always look their best. This makes photo editing easier and faster.


With Gemini, Google is not just targeting phones. The new Nest Thermostat uses Gemini for more natural voice interaction, and Google TV Streamer will soon get Gemini features as well.

Gemini Live is first available to Gemini Advanced subscribers with an Android phone (in English). iOS and more languages will follow soon.

You can download and use the Gemini app on Android devices or you can activate Gemini in your Google app on an iPhone (via Settings -> Other Settings -> check 'Show Gemini'). Then in Home at the top next to 'Search' click on the blue Gemini icon. With that, you switch to Gemini.

IMG_7129

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Google Lets Users Decide About Cookies

The change in cookie policy

Google recently shared that they will not completely abolish third-party cookies after all as previously planned. Google still plans to abolish third-party cookies, but this will be done gradually through the Privacy Sandbox, which offers alternatives to tracking. Instead, users will have the choice of whether to allow cookies or not. This raises questions about the implications for advertisers and the protection of personal data. In this article, we talk about the impact on advertisers and users and the possible consequences for in the future.

Apple's Example and Google's Approach

In 2021, Apple introduced the App-Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, allowing users to choose whether they wanted to be tracked by apps. This made it a lot harder for advertisers to track users. In fact, the opportunities to do so became a lot less. This had a big financial impact on Meta. Google offers privacy-friendly alternatives to third-party cookies through Privacy Sandbox, but does not explicitly ask users for permission for every tracking action the way Apple's ATT does.

The impact on users & advertisers

Consumer preferences and privacy

An important factor in this change is consumer attitudes toward privacy. Indeed, users have become much more aware and caring about this. In fact, data shows that a large number of users are blocking cookie tracking. According to online sources, about 70% of consumers are currently not being tracked by cookies. This is due to blocking by the user themselves or by using browsers such as Apple's Safari, which generally blocks cookies by default.

Advantages and disadvantages for advertisers

If cookies disappear or if many users choose to block them, this could reduce the effectiveness of online ads and reduce advertisers' revenues. Advertisers will therefore have to be more transparent about their data usage and may have to invest in server-side tracking, among other things.

Google's Privacy Sandbox is a new initiative to help advertisers still show targeted ads while protecting users' privacy. Reactions to this system have been mixed. Some worry about how well it will work and the potential impact on privacy.

What does this mean for the future?

Google's decision to let users make their own choice about cookies indicates the importance of privacy. This means advertisers will adapt to this situation, especially when the exact future of online tracking is uncertain and in which there will be more emphasis on transparency and privacy. This shift may affect that way we advertise, with more focus on first-party data.

While first-party cookies are essential for the basic functionality and user experience of a website, third-party cookies are often used for targeted advertising and tracking. If you want to learn more about the differences between first-party and third-party cookies and how they affect privacy and advertising, you can read our earlier article on first-party and third-party cookies. In this article, we discuss in detail the differences between the two types of cookies and their impact on.

Getting Started with Server Side Tracking

First party cookies and third party cookies have their own applications and challenges, but with increasing restrictions on third party cookies, a new approach is needed. Starting to apply server side tracking is a good option in this. Would you like to get help with this? Please contact us.

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Much criticism of Google AI Overviews

Because most new AI updates and tools are launched mainly outside Europe, we in the Netherlands can quietly watch how this is received by users. So too with the AI Overviews introduced by Google two weeks ago. This new part of Google Search shows AI-generated summaries above search results, but the results still appear to be unreliable. This has led to a lot of criticism.

For example, there is an example where AI Overviews indicates that you can add some glue to the sauce if the cheese is not staying properly on your pizza. And so there are countless other examples. Search Engine Roundtable even keeps a record of embarrassing outcomes.   

Screenshot 2024-05-30 at 16.44.46

Influence of Criticism on Google's Reputation

This criticism may affect Google's reputation for reliable search results. In addition, it could lead to a decrease in the number of people clicking through to Web sites.

Possible Disabling of AI Overviews

The concerns are so serious that several experts suggest that Google may temporarily disable the feature. This also happened previously with Gemini's images, when it was found that unwanted images were being generated. These situations seem to have become increasingly common recently due to the challenges and risks of developing and implementing AI technologies (too) quickly. During a fascinating interview with Google's CEO Sundar Pichai by Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of technology news website The Verge, initial reactions to AI Overviews and other AI developments were discussed.

Pichai parries most of the tough questions by emphasizing that new technologies always cause short-term disruption, but that Google is focused on creating value for users. He claims that users find these new AI features useful and are even more likely to click on links in AI previews. He also indicates that Google is working to improve the accuracy and reliability of AI results, but acknowledges that challenges remain.

Challenges of AI

Examples include the problem of "hallucination" where AI generates incorrect information. Patel also challenged Pichai with his "Google Zero" issue, asking what happens when Google's traffic to websites goes to zero. If AI chatbots and AI-generated search results summarize everything a user needs, why would people still visit a Web site? And then what is the point for businesses to publish content on their Web sites? Pichai acknowledges the concerns of businesses and content creators about AI systems using their work without returning sufficient value. He indicates that Google is trying to strike a balance between innovation and protecting the interests of content creators.

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Data breach at Google exposes operation of algorithm & ranking factors

In a recent data breach at Google, thousands of APIs used in ranking Web sites have become public. Interestingly, much of the information from this document directly contradicts what Google has publicly communicated. Let's look at what the key findings are from the leaked documents and how they may be relevant to your business if you are in the business of marketing and want more (organic) traffic to your website.

Google API data breach

Search engine optimization (SEO)

One of the biggest secrets within marketing is how search engines like Google use their algorithm to rank websites in search results. When you do optimizations for this, it is called search engine optimization, or SEO. 

Through much experimentation and testing over time, we have gotten a good idea of what works, but it always remained based on assumptions. Virtually no one (even most employees within Google) knew what the algorithm was looking at. Until now.

Google turns out not to be entirely honest

In the past, Google has made many statements about which factors are important for optimizations. However, many marketers were skeptical of these statements, and rightly so, it now appears. The leaked documents show that Google has not always been honest. Optimizations that they claimed would not work actually turn out to be important ranking factors.

What does the document say?

The leaked document is highly technical, discussing more than 200 factors that can affect Web site rankings. These range from the quality of content, to technical optimizations and user experience. It further reveals that Google collects data from users (including through Chrome and navigation within Google), to use as input. 

Want to read some of the documents yourself? Then check out the following pages: Api reference, data & click signals.

How did the data become public?

The data comes from the developer platform GitHub. Google notes the APIs they use here. APIs are a piece of code that allow applications to exchange information with each other. Usually, information that Google does not want made public is put private. However, sometimes employees forget to do this. When that happens, this data can be copied and distributed.

No response from Google

We initially learned from several sources that Google had not released an official statement or response about the leak, including not confirming whether the information was real or fake news. This lack of communication left much room for speculation about the authenticity of the leaked data.

However, Google has since put out a statement. Google warns against making incorrect assumptions based on information that has been taken out of context, is out of date or incomplete. Google does not want to comment on the specific elements from the leaked documents to avoid manipulation of their algorithm. They stress that it would be incorrect to assume the data is complete, relevant or current.

This emphasizes the importance of building a strong brand. The focus should remain on building a good Web site that provides a fine user experience and good content.

What can we learn from the Google data breach?

User behavior 

The leaked information emphasizes the importance of how a user behaves on your Web site. Key elements are:

  • How long a visitor stays on the page.
  • Whether the visitor clicks back and clicks on another search result.
  • Whether the visitor is "satisfied." 

This indicates that the quality of your content and the user experience on your Web site are crucial. If a visitor goes to look around but is not actually of much use to your information and quickly clicks away, this has a negative impact. 

On-page SEO / Content

  • It is important to Google that authors who publish on your website are experts on the topics they write about. This principle, known as EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness & Trustworthiness), was previously known in the marketing industry through Google algorithm updates.
  • Having bad content on parts of your site can impact your entire website.
  • Google looks at the "freshness" of content. This means that you want to update content when it is no longer relevant or outdated. For this, Google looks at the content on the page, the URL and the edit date. 
  • Another important factor they Google looks at is "titlematchScore," this indicates that page titles are still relevant. Here, it is important that this page title matches a user's search intent. 

We recommend ensuring that your website provides a good user experience according to best practices, such as fast load times, mobile-friendliness and clear navigation, and that you publish content that matches the user's search intent. This will lead to better quality traffic, which will ultimately improve your search rankings in Google. 

Backlinks

Backlinks continue to play an important role in Google's ranking process. Despite the view that naturally obtaining links to your website or link building would be redundant, the paper shows that diversity of links with high authority is still very important. Anchor text of links (the clickable text in a link) also plays a role here. Both internal anchor text (links to other pages within your own site) and external anchor text (links from other domains to your website) are important.

Google also further tracks domain registration data (think registrar, domain purchase date and more). 

The importance of a strong brand

One of the biggest insights from Google's data breach is the importance of a strong brand. Want to increase your organic search results and traffic? Then focus on building a popular brand that people search for, both in Google and beyond. 

An important channel beyond Google for this is social media. Recent updates have made it easier for smaller businesses and brands to get more visibility, too. We wrote an article about it where you can find more information.

Whitelist

This point is related to having a strong brand. Indeed, what we see is that during elections and the COVID period, among others, Google gave certain websites priority in search results. This means that well-known and trusted websites such as major news organizations and official health authorities were given higher visibility. 

Some sites are excluded from certain algorithm updates because they are on a whitelist, so they did not experience a drop in traffic when normally they might have. This highlights the importance of building a strong brand identity and authority in your niche.

Conclusion

The leaked document offers valuable insights into how Google's algorithm analyzes websites and incorporates them into its index. However, there is no way to prove whether every API feature leaked is currently being used as a ranking factor within Google. 

But at least for businesses, this means that it is important to have a good SEO strategy that focuses on high-quality content, a good user experience and building a strong domain authority. In addition, building a strong brand that is visible on many relevant online channels is essential to increase organic traffic.

Would you like help with your content or SEO strategy? Then contact us with no obligation. We would be happy to help you further.

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