MoreVisibility recently sent out a survey to our clients asking for insight and feedback on their biggest digital challenges and concerns for the next 12 months. There were a few consistent responses within the feedback we received – all the changes rolling out for marketers and how those will impact their web strategy and ad campaigns. I am guessing some of these may be keeping you awake at night too, so will provide some additional context.
We have shared previously about the upcoming big changes within Google Analytics. By now, many advertisers have already implemented parallel tracking to get used to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). If you have not done so yet, we highly encourage you to start collecting data under this new/different approach. This includes a shift away from tracking Goals, to now establishing Conversion Events in GA4. To have some initial data built up in advance will streamline historical comparison purposes later, but also allow marketers to become comfortable with how data will be reported (i.e., prepare your stakeholders for change!).
Although there is a small delay on the rollout and timing now, we have all been anxiously awaiting Google’s Web Page Core Vitals. This new Page Experience ranking algorithm should not be a surprise to anyone, as Google announced it far in advance. Most advertisers should fair well through this update, given the importance user experience (UX) plays in most web decisions. If you are still struggling internally with explaining the ROI to dedicate resources for SEO, we must talk!
Finally, the topic keeping many advertisers awake at night … privacy changes and cookies (not the dessert kind!). The impact will likely be Engine / Channel agnostic, but in many cases more greatly impact Sponsored or Paid advertising efforts. There is a lot of speculation relative to what these changes will mean to your business – specifically how will they prohibit or impede the ability to properly track and attribute success within an ad campaign.
As an example, although the Apple IOS14 announcement does effect Facebook, it will not impact data found within Google Analytics, as that platform uses 1st party cookies. This is where it’s still a bit grey given Google has not yet released much information to Agencies or Advertisers regarding impact to Adwords. We can hypothesize the campaign tactics and strategies which would be most effected, given how they are currently able to target a user.
However, I would caution not to worry too much just yet. Like with all digital marketing changes and updates, knowledge is power and having a sound strategy is critical. MoreVisibility will continue to update our clients and the marketing community on what each of the platforms are doing and what specific tactics are impacted as a result. Until then, keep marketing and measuring!
