Google Reveals How Search Behavior Has Changed During COVID-19 Pandemic

Published

5 years ago

April 13, 2020

google reveals how search behavior has changed during covid 19 pandemic via mattgsouthern

Google has published data on recent search trends, revealing the top 5 ways search behavior is changing during the pandemic.

This data has been compiled in an effort to assist marketers with being more helpful to customers during this time.

No organization is exempt from the shift in search behavior caused by the pandemic, and consumer behavior is changing daily as well.

Google summarized its finding by listing these as the 5 shifts in consumer search behavior.

Assembling critical information
Discovering new connections
Adjusting to changes in their routines
Praising everyday heroes
Taking care of themselves and others

Google Reveals How Search Behavior Has Changed During COVID-19 Pandemic

Here’s more details about each of these findings.

Assembling Critical Information

Consumers have a critical need for new content to help them get by and adapt to the recent changes in life.

Retailers are moving to delivery methods, schools are closed, much of the workforce is staying at home, among other changes.

Businesses and organizations need to provide clear, specific information with details about where, how, and when to get the things they need.

To that end, Google notes that search interest is spiking for the following topics:

Retail
“Can you freeze” different types of food
Home delivery
Short term work employee
Mortgage rate suspension

Creating content that informs people about those topics is one of the ways marketers and brands can help consumers right now.

Google also offers these recommendations:

Acknowledge the new reality.
Give people credible, detailed, and current information about your operations. Reinforce that you’re there to help.
Regularly update communications across your website, blogs, social handles, and Google My Business page.
Be flexible. Help customers with cancellations, refunds, and customer service.

Connections & Relationships

As everyone suddenly finds themselves practicing social distancing, they’re discovering new connections and nurturing existing relationships.

For example, that could involve making virtual connections and/or strengthening connections within the household.

Search interest is spiking for the following topics:

“With me” videos on YouTube
- “Study with me” videos up 54% year-over-year
- “Bulk cook with me” and “disinfect with me” are also trending right now
Multiplayer video games
Virtual happy hour

Google’s recommendations for helping consumers:

Look for ways to connect your customers, locally and globally.
Consider if your brand has a role to play in creating or enhancing shared experiences, virtually or otherwise.

Adjusting to Changes in Routines

People’s online habits are changing as they adjust their routines and schedules to meet the demands of isolation.

Google notes there have been spikes in search interest for topics such as “do it yourself,” “stationary bicycles,” and “dumbbell sets.”

There has also been an interest in watching other people adapt to their new routines.

For example, interest in late-night shows has been up ever since the hosts began producing content from their home.

Google’s recommendations for helping consumers as they adjust to new routines:

Let people know that solutions are available whenever, wherever.
Assess when people need you most, whether through your own first-party data (like site analytics or email opens) or Google Trends, and adjust your communications strategy accordingly.
Update or publish often. There’s a need for content that informs, entertains, connects, and promotes wellness.

Praising Everyday Heroes

People are praising everyone from health care workers, to cashiers, to delivery people, and others still going in to work each day.

Many are risking their own health to do their job, which has lead to a spike in search interest for “thank essential workers.”

Google Reveals How Search Behavior Has Changed During COVID-19 Pandemic

Google offers these recommendations for helping consumers with supporting everyday heroes:

Look for people who are helping, and find ways to support or celebrate them.
Consider who the heroes are among your employees, your customers, or even your local community.
Consider whether you have nonhuman heroes that can contribute, like your technology, your operational rigor, or your equipment.

Taking Care of Themselves and Others

People are strengthening their efforts to take care of the physical and psychological needs of themselves and others.

Search interest is spiking for activities that can help ease boredom, anxiety, and uncertainty.

Those activities can be either virtual activities, or real-life activities.

People have taken to searching more for topics like “puzzles” and “relaxation,” as well virtual tours of galleries and museums.

Google offers these recommendations for helping people find new ways to enrich their lives:

Facilitate virtual collaborations with outdoor spaces and the cultural institutions people yearn to visit.
Join the conversation about home-based health and well-being.
Pivot to platforms and formats that make sense for people staying home.

Final Notes

Google wraps up its report by emphasizing that the more useful businesses can be now the better off they’ll be on the long run.

According to survey results from late-March, 84% of US consumers say how companies act during the current market is important to their loyalty moving forward.

Source: Think With Google

Searchenginejournal

OpenAI Introduces Fine-Tuning for GPT-4 and Enabling Customized AI Models

Published

2 months ago

August 21, 2024

Max

OpenAI Introduces Fine-Tuning for GPT-4 and Enabling Customized AI Models

OpenAI has today announced the release of fine-tuning capabilities for its flagship GPT-4 large language model, marking a significant milestone in the AI landscape. This new functionality empowers developers to create tailored versions of GPT-4 to suit specialized use cases, enhancing the model’s utility across various industries.

Fine-tuning has long been a desired feature for developers who require more control over AI behavior, and with this update, OpenAI delivers on that demand. The ability to fine-tune GPT-4 allows businesses and developers to refine the model’s responses to better align with specific requirements, whether for customer service, content generation, technical support, or other unique applications.

Why Fine-Tuning Matters

GPT-4 is a very flexible model that can handle many different tasks. However, some businesses and developers need more specialized AI that matches their specific language, style, and needs. Fine-tuning helps with this by letting them adjust GPT-4 using custom data. For example, companies can train a fine-tuned model to keep a consistent brand tone or focus on industry-specific language.

Fine-tuning also offers improvements in areas like response accuracy and context comprehension. For use cases where nuanced understanding or specialized knowledge is crucial, this can be a game-changer. Models can be taught to better grasp intricate details, improving their effectiveness in sectors such as legal analysis, medical advice, or technical writing.

Key Features of GPT-4 Fine-Tuning

The fine-tuning process leverages OpenAI’s established tools, but now it is optimized for GPT-4’s advanced architecture. Notable features include:

Enhanced Customization: Developers can precisely influence the model’s behavior and knowledge base.
Consistency in Output: Fine-tuned models can be made to maintain consistent formatting, tone, or responses, essential for professional applications.
Higher Efficiency: Compared to training models from scratch, fine-tuning GPT-4 allows organizations to deploy sophisticated AI with reduced time and computational cost.

Additionally, OpenAI has emphasized ease of use with this feature. The fine-tuning workflow is designed to be accessible even to teams with limited AI experience, reducing barriers to customization. For more advanced users, OpenAI provides granular control options to achieve highly specialized outputs.

Implications for the Future

The launch of fine-tuning capabilities for GPT-4 signals a broader shift toward more user-centric AI development. As businesses increasingly adopt AI, the demand for models that can cater to specific business needs, without compromising on performance, will continue to grow. OpenAI’s move positions GPT-4 as a flexible and adaptable tool that can be refined to deliver optimal value in any given scenario.

By offering fine-tuning, OpenAI not only enhances GPT-4’s appeal but also reinforces the model’s role as a leading AI solution across diverse sectors. From startups seeking to automate niche tasks to large enterprises looking to scale intelligent systems, GPT-4’s fine-tuning capability provides a powerful resource for driving innovation.

OpenAI announced that fine-tuning GPT-4o will cost $25 for every million tokens used during training. After the model is set up, it will cost $3.75 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens. To help developers get started, OpenAI is offering 1 million free training tokens per day for GPT-4o and 2 million free tokens per day for GPT-4o mini until September 23. This makes it easier for developers to try out the fine-tuning service.

As AI continues to evolve, OpenAI’s focus on customization and adaptability with GPT-4 represents a critical step in making advanced AI accessible, scalable, and more aligned with real-world applications. This new capability is expected to accelerate the adoption of AI across industries, creating a new wave of AI-driven solutions tailored to specific challenges and opportunities.

GOOGLE

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Published

3 months ago

June 30, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:

1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update

Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.

2. Changes to Google Search Interface

Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.

3. New Features and Tests

Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.

4. Search Rankings and Quality

Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.

5. Advice for Content Creators

Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.

6. New Search Features in Google Chrome

Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.

7. New Tests and Features in Google Search

Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.

8. Bing’s New Feature

Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.

9. Local Search Ranking Factors

Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.

10. Google Ads Updates

Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.

These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.

FACEBOOK

Facebook Faces Yet Another Outage: Platform Encounters Technical Issues Again

Published

7 months ago

March 20, 2024

Max

Uppdated: It seems that today’s issues with Facebook haven’t affected as many users as the last time. A smaller group of people appears to be impacted this time around, which is a relief compared to the larger incident before. Nevertheless, it’s still frustrating for those affected, and hopefully, the issues will be resolved soon by the Facebook team.

Facebook had another problem today (March 20, 2024). According to Downdetector, a website that shows when other websites are not working, many people had trouble using Facebook.

This isn’t the first time Facebook has had issues. Just a little while ago, there was another problem that stopped people from using the site. Today, when people tried to use Facebook, it didn’t work like it should. People couldn’t see their friends’ posts, and sometimes the website wouldn’t even load.

Downdetector, which watches out for problems on websites, showed that lots of people were having trouble with Facebook. People from all over the world said they couldn’t use the site, and they were not happy about it.

When websites like Facebook have problems, it affects a lot of people. It’s not just about not being able to see posts or chat with friends. It can also impact businesses that use Facebook to reach customers.

Since Facebook owns Messenger and Instagram, the problems with Facebook also meant that people had trouble using these apps. It made the situation even more frustrating for many users, who rely on these apps to stay connected with others.

During this recent problem, one thing is obvious: the internet is always changing, and even big websites like Facebook can have problems. While people wait for Facebook to fix the issue, it shows us how easily things online can go wrong. It’s a good reminder that we should have backup plans for staying connected online, just in case something like this happens again.