SEO
What’s In A SERP? Google Search Results & Features You Need To Know
Google Search is constantly evolving to serve more useful results to searchers.
One of the more recent figures we have states that Google conducted 4,887 launches, 17,523 live traffic experiments, 383,605 search quality tests, and 62,937 side-by-side experiments to improve the results search engine users received in a single year.
The results of rigorous testing allow Google to determine the best search features to deliver search results in a format that is most useful to your query.
This leads to changes in the way that search results are delivered.
In this article, you’ll learn what a SERP is and the various search features that could affect the way your business appears to your target audience.
What Is A SERP?
SERP stands for search engine results page. This is the page that gives search engine users the best results for their queries.
Search engine results pages can vary from one search engine user to another based on a variety of factors including whether you are logged into your Google account, your location settings, your language preferences, and your search history.
The following is the SERP for SEO.
At the start of the search results, Google displays the approximate number of search results for the query and the time it takes to deliver the SERP.
In this case, there are approximately 828,000,000 webpages indexed for the keyword SEO, and results were delivered in 0.59 seconds.
The first four results starting with an Ad label are pay-per-click Google Ads that target the keyword SEO.
Following the four Google Ads, you see the first organic listing that appears in this SERP for Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide.
After this organic listing, Google includes a People Also Ask section.
When search users click on a question, additional related questions appear. The answers typically link to a webpage for further information.
To the right of the Google Ads, organic listing, and People Also Ask section is Google’s knowledge panel for search engine optimization. Knowledge panels can vary based on the entity they describe.
In this case, the knowledge panel pulls the definition for SEO from Wikipedia, followed by related terms, SEO podcasts, and related terms people also search for.
The next portion of the SERP for SEO contains two more organic listings, followed by the local pack featuring SEO companies.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022To the right, you can also see a continuation of the knowledge panel, which searches for the dictionary definition of SEO.
Following the local pack, Google displays the top news stories about SEO from the past 24 hours.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022After another organic listing, Google places three videos from YouTube about SEO into the SERP, followed by another four organic listings.
Finally, Google has more organic results and related searches.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022If you are on a mobile device, Google doesn’t make you click through to the second page of results.
Instead, after a listing of related searches, the next page of search results will automatically appear as you scroll down.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022In this case, the second SERP begins with a Google Ad.
SERP Features
In the first example of a SERP from Google.com for SEO, there are multiple search features beyond organic search results including Google Ads, People Also Ask, knowledge panels, top stories, and videos.
According to Semrush Sensor, most SERPs have at least one feature.
In the U.S., only 2.34% of desktop SERPs do not have a feature. In other words, 2.34% of SERPs only list the top 10 organic search results on the page without ads, knowledge panels, local packs, etc.
Let’s take a look at the SERP features most often seen on Google.
Sitelinks
One of the top search features – found in over 66% of SERPs in the U.S. – is sitelinks.
Sitelinks are simply links that will allow search users to find specific content beyond the homepage.
In the following SERP for REI, you can see that REI has the first position in organic search.
Beneath their listing, Google displays a sitelink search box followed by four sitelinks to popular pages on their website.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Learn more about how to optimize your website for sitelinks.
People Also Ask
Another top search feature is the People Also Ask section. This feature can appear anywhere on a SERP.
It typically begins by displaying five of the top questions asked about a search query.
In the following SERP for [search engine], Google adds a People Also Ask section after the first organic search result.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022When someone clicks on a question under the people also ask section, it will display the answer to the question, along with a link to the source for the answer. It will also automatically generate additional questions related to the one the user just clicked.
Reviews
In addition to the stars you see in the local pack for local business reviews and the stars you see in shopping ads, Google may also display star ratings and review counts within organic search results.
In the following SERP for a current bestselling book, you can see the reviews feature in action on two of the top three organic listings.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Learn more about how you can optimize relevant pages on your website for reviews with the review snippet.
Images
When Google anticipates that a search query would best be answered visually, they use the images feature. This feature can appear anywhere throughout the SERP.
In the following search for a [pumpkin plant], Google serves up a dozen photos of pumpkin plants.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022When clicked upon, the link goes to Google image search results for the query, plus additional details about the image clicked.
To optimize your images for Google image search and the potential to appear in the images section of related SERPs, check out these 12 essential image optimization tips.
Videos
Similar to the image feature, the video feature of SERPs can appear anywhere throughout the page.
In the following search for [1st party data activation], Google displays a section of videos from YouTube after four ads, a featured snippet, People Also Ask, and five organic search results.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022To appear in the videos section of SERPs, learn how to optimize your YouTube videos.
Knowledge Panels
Knowledge panels are automatically generated boxes of useful information, compiled from various sources around the internet by the Knowledge Graph. They generally appear on the right side of search results.
In the following SERP for [tennis], Google displays a knowledge panel with a summary of what tennis is and the most popular searches related to it.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Google offers specific directions on how to update the information contained in the Knowledge Graph.
Local Packs
When there are local results that match your search query, you may see them appear in a local pack.
Listings in a local pack typically appear with reviews, an address, and hours of operation.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022According to the Local Pack-O-Meter, 35.7% of approximately 60 million search queries in the U.S. contained a local pack in March of 2022.
Over the past year, it has fluctuated from 33% to 33.9%.
If you have a local business, learn more about local SEO and why it matters for your SMB.
Featured Snippets
Featured snippets generally appear at the top of SERPs, offering a portion of content from one of the top organic search results for a particular query.
For example, a search for [how to change app icons] may generate a featured snippet with a video from YouTube that answers the query.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Featured snippets are typically labeled as such in the lower right corner beneath the snippet content.
Other formats of featured snippets include numbered or bulleted lists, like the results of [how to submit a book to a publisher].
Screenshot from Google, March 2022In the above example, you can see that featured snippets sometimes fall below Google Ads for certain search queries.
In a search for [nft], the top result is a featured snippet in paragraph form.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022In this search for the best list of restaurants from a specific source, the result is a featured snippet in a table format.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022If you want your website to be the source of a featured snippet, follow this 12-step guide to optimizing your content for featured snippets.
Google Ads
Sponsored results from advertisers using Google Ads may appear at the top and bottom of SERPs.
In this search for auto insurance, the SERP begins with three ads.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022After organic listings, a People Also Ask section, and top stories, Google displays an additional three ads, followed by related searches.
Shopping Ads
In addition to standard text ads, Google also offers retailers the ability to create shopping ads for their products.
Shopping ads typically display the name of the product, price, retailer, and product rating.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022If you want to feature your products in shopping ads, be sure to read this beginner’s guide to shopping ads.
Carousels
Carousels generally appear at the top of SERPs, offering fast answers to the search query.
For example, a search for [dog breeds] results in a carousel of images with the most popular dog breeds that other Google users search for.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Instant Answers
Want to get a quick answer to a question without having to click through to a website?
Instant Answers is a search feature Google uses to display answers to a search user’s query at the top of the SERP.
For example, if you search for today’s temperature, you may get the following for your location.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022If you are searching for showtimes for a specific movie, Google may display showtimes from the theaters closest to you.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022If you need to convert currency at the current exchange rate, Google may be able to provide the answer in the SERP.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Scheduling a meeting across time zones? Google may calculate the difference between two locations as well as show the current times in both.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Not sure what a word means? Google may give you the definition, along with the origin and overall use over time.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Need help solving a math problem? Google may display the answer along with a fully functional calculator.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Google may also provide instant answers at the top of SERPs for the following types of queries.
- Translating a word or phrase.
- Calculating the number of days until a specific date or upcoming holiday.
- Finding out the score of a recent sports game.
- Determining the age of someone based on their birthdate.
- Getting the dates to popular events, like conventions and festivals.
- Seeing the current share price and market summary for popular stocks.
Top Stories
If a search query has related news stories, Google may display a section of top stories from media outlets.
In this SERP for MacBook, Google displays the top stories after shopping ads, organic results, People Also Ask, and more shopping results.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Learn how to optimize your content for Google News so that your articles can appear in the top stories for related search queries.
Tweets
A small percentage of SERPs will feature tweets relevant to the search query.
In the following search for Search Engine Journal, after the first organic search result and a people also ask section, the latest tweets from our official Twitter account appear.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Find out how you can use Twitter to increase your visibility in search results.
Apps
Google search users on mobile devices may see features that are only available on mobile.
In the following search for photo editing apps, Google displays apps from the Apple store after three ads and a list of apps from sources across the web.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Product Comparisons
Google has the ability to take product information and display it in search results for users looking to compare products.
In the following search for [iphone 12 vs iphone 12 pro], you can see a side-by-side list of the product images, reviews, price, and additional details.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022When search users click on the detailed comparison link, Google displays additional details about the products compared, along with the option to add additional products for comparison when relevant.
Top Products
Unlike shopping ads, the top products feature showcases unadvertised products related to a search query.
In the following search for mirrorless cameras, Google displays the top mirrorless cameras after organic search results and a People Also Ask section.
Screenshot from Google, March 2022When you click on a product, additional details about the product appear.
Google displays reviews from third-party sites, prices from multiple retailers, top insights from media outlets, and reviews from multiple retailers.
Jobs
Google helps job seekers by aggregating jobs from various sources across the web and displaying them within SERPs for queries like [jobs near me].
Screenshot from Google, March 2022Learn how to optimize your job postings to ensure they get noticed by Google.
Conclusion
Google continues to update its algorithm and search features to create a better experience for search users.
Always be on the lookout for new features appearing in SERPs for your targeted search queries.
Then, discover ways to optimize your webpages to appear in search features that will draw more attention to your brand in SERPs.
More Resources:
Featured Image: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock
SEO
The Best Times To Post On Social Media In 2024
Marketers worldwide know the importance of having a solid social media marketing strategy – and a key part of this is finding the best times to post on social media.
The old adage ‘timing is everything’ holds especially true in the world of social media, where the difference between a post that fades into obscurity and one that goes viral can often be just a matter of when it was shared.
With an always-growing array of social platforms hosting billions of users worldwide, it has never been more challenging to stand above the noise and make your voice heard on social.
To determine the best times to post on social media in 2024, we reviewed original data from leading social media management tools.
It’s important to note that the data from these sources present a variety of findings and suggestions, which underscore the fact that social media is an ever-evolving landscape. The most crucial thing is understanding the behavior of your own target audience.
Let’s dive in.
The Best Times To Post On Social Media
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Tuesday and Wednesday | 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Monday | 12 p.m. EST |
| CoSchedule | Friday, Wednesday, and Monday (in that order) | 7 p.m. Local |
- Best times to post on social media: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Best days to post on social media: Monday and Wednesday.
- Worst days to post on social media: Saturday and Sunday.
Determining an ideal time for posting on social media in general is complicated, as each platform is different, with unique users, features, and communities.
When deciding which social media platforms to focus on, you should think carefully about your brand’s target audience and overarching goals.
If you’re looking to reach a network of professionals, LinkedIn might be a good fit; if your brand is hoping to speak to Gen Z consumers, you might consider TikTok or Snapchat.
This explains why – when analyzing data from Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and CoSchedule on the best overall times to post on social media – we can draw some similarities but also see a variety of recommendations.
Weekdays emerge as a clear winner. CoSchedule and Sprout Social both highlight Wednesday as a good day, with Hootsuite and CoSchedule also highlighting Mondays as a strong day for engagement.
The most common time range among the sources is in the morning to mid-afternoon, with CoSchedule providing some very specific suggestions for post-timing.
Both CoSchedule and Sprout Social agree on avoiding Saturdays and Sundays.
The Best Times To Post On Facebook
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Monday to Thursday | 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Monday and Tuesday | 1 p.m. EST |
| CoSchedule | Friday, Wednesday, and Monday (in that order) | 9 a.m. Local |
- Best times to post on Facebook: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Best days to post on Facebook: Weekdays.
- Worst day to post on Facebook: Sunday.
Facebook remains the most used social media platform in the world, with the largest advertising market share (16%).
While it’s experienced a shift in user demographics over recent years – now catering to older users – its popularity continues to climb, and its potential as a brand marketing tool cannot be disputed.
Regarding the best times to post on Facebook, all of our sources agree that weekdays are best. Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and CoSchdule all name Monday as a great day to engage on Facebook, along with calling out various other days of the week.
There is a general consensus that Sundays should be avoided.
The sources vary in their suggestions for optimal time slots, but generally speaking, early to mid-morning seems to be the most popular selection.
The Best Times To Post On YouTube
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| SocialPilot | Sunday | 2-4 p.m. EST |
| HubSpot | Friday and Saturday | 6-9 p.m. Local |
- Best times to post on YouTube: 2-4 p.m. on weekdays and 9-11 a.m. on weekends.
- Best days to post on YouTube: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
- Worst day to post on YouTube: Tuesday.
As the second most visited site in the world and the second most used social platform globally, YouTube offers an unparalleled opportunity for brands and individuals to connect with audiences through video.
And with its continued expansion – by introducing features like YouTube Shorts, initiatives like expanding the ways creators can get paid on the platform, and its increasing popularity as a search engine – the platform shows no signs of slowing.
YouTube is no longer just a video-sharing site; it’s a robust marketing tool that empowers businesses to raise brand awareness and drive meaningful engagement.
Finding recent data on the best times to post on YouTube proved harder than for some other channels, so these recommendations should be taken with a grain of salt.
While HubSpot suggests Friday and Saturday are the strongest days to publish on YouTube, SocialPilot specifically calls out Sunday as the most engaging day – so it’s worth experimenting with all three.
SocialPilot doesn’t specifically name the worst day, but according to HubSpot, you’d be wise to steer clear of Tuesday.
Both sources suggest the afternoon as an effective time for posting during the week. SocialPilot specifies that publishing in the mornings on weekends (9-11 a.m.) is effective, so this is important to bear in mind.
The Best Times To Post On Instagram
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Tuesday and Wednesday | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Wednesday | 2 p.m. EST |
| HubSpot | Saturday | 6-9 p.m. Local |
| CoSchedule | Wednesday, Friday, and Tuesday (in that order) |
9 a.m. Local |
| Later | Monday | 4 a.m. Local |
- Best times to post on Instagram: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Best day to post on Instagram: Wednesday.
- Worst day to post on Instagram: Sunday.
From its origins as a photo-sharing platform, Instagram has evolved into one of the most popular social media networks in the world – and an indispensable marketing tool.
With billions of users – 90% of whom are following at least one business – Instagram has become a powerful engine for ecommerce, brand awareness, and community-building.
As a leader in the social media space, Instagram constantly provides new formats and features for users to try out – from Reels to Stories, user quizzes and polls, and more.
We consulted a handful of sources to determine the top posting times for Instagram and came away with a mixed bag of answers.
Wednesday appears to take the cake as the most consistently recommended day, with CoSchedule, Sprout Social, and Hootsuite all suggesting it.
Generally, our sources seem to lean towards weekdays as being strongest for Instagram engagement – with the exception of HubSpot, which recommends Saturday.
In terms of timing, the morning to midday hours seem to be your best bet, especially around 8 a.m. through 1 p.m. HubSpot and Later provide times that significantly differ from other sources, which suggests that effectiveness can vary based on audience and content type.
The Best Times To Post On TikTok
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Tuesday and Wednesday | 2-6 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Thursday | 10 p.m. EST |
| SocialPilot | Tuesday and Thursday | 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. EST |
| HubSpot | Friday | 6-9 p.m. Local |
- Best time to post on TikTok: Inconclusive.
- Best day to post on TikTok: Tuesday.
- Worst day to post on TikTok: Inconclusive.
While it’s a relative newcomer to the fold, TikTok has quickly become one of the most beloved social platforms worldwide – and is drawing brands in increasing numbers.
With the average user spending nearly 54 minutes on the app daily, it’s hard to beat the hold that TikTok has among audiences. By optimizing your presence there, you can stand to generate some impressive returns on your marketing efforts.
So, what’s the best time to post on TikTok? The jury is out on this one – and it may take extra experimentation on your part to find the sweet spot that engages your audience.
Tuesday seems to rise to the top among the sources we consulted, with Wednesdays and Thursdays also getting recommendations. Generally speaking, it looks like midweek is a good time to test out your TikTok content, but there are plenty of discrepancies in the data.
While HubSpot named Friday as the best day, it also highlighted that Saturdays and Thursdays are strong for B2B brands, and Saturdays and Sundays work well for B2C brands.
Sprout Social found Sunday to be the worst performing day, while Monday and Tuesday are the worst days, according to HubSpot.
We also find a mix of recommended time slots, from early morning to mid-afternoon and also evening being suggested.
The Best Times To Post On Snapchat
Snapchat, the pioneer of ephemeral social media content (and the inspiration behind Instagram Stories), provides unique opportunities to reach younger demographics.
It differs from other platforms in how it works and the type of content that engages there. Snapchat typically centers around showcasing real-time experiences and authentic behind-the-scenes content versus polished marketing content.
This makes Snapchat an advantageous yet often underutilized tool in digital marketing. But it should not be overlooked, especially given that the platform continues to innovate.
While we have seen 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. cited as the best times to post on Snapchat in various secondary sources around the internet, we have found no recent original data to either confirm or refute this.
Given this, we would recommend testing out different times and days based on the behaviors and lifestyles of your target audience and then iterating based on your results (which is what you should be doing across the board, regardless!)
The Best Times To Post On Pinterest
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Wednesday to Friday | 1-3 p.m. Local |
| HubSpot | Friday | 3-6 p.m. Local |
| CoSchedule | Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday (in that order) |
8 p.m. Local |
- Best times to post on Pinterest: 3-6 p.m.
- Best day to post on Pinterest: Friday.
- Worst day to post on Pinterest: Sunday.
Pinterest, once thought of as a simple inspiration board-style site, has today become a crucial player in the world of ecommerce.
Businesses can leverage Pinterest to showcase their products and drive conversions, but also to grow and expand brand awareness and sentiment.
Success on Pinterest can be found through sharing brand-specific imagery, optimizing for mobile, and appealing to your audience’s sense of aspiration and inspiration.
Friday, alongside other weekdays, is consistently mentioned as a strong day among our sources. On the other end, Sunday is commonly named as the least effective day for posting on Pinterest.
When it comes to the most fruitful posting time on the platform, it appears that the late afternoon to early evening, specifically around 3-6 p.m., is optimal for best engagement.
The Best Times To Post On X (Twitter)
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Tuesday to Thursday | 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Monday and Wednesday | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. EST |
| CoSchedule | Wednesday, Tuesday, and Friday (in that order) | 9 a.m. Local |
| HubSpot | Friday and Wednesday (in that order) | 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Local |
- Best times to post on X (Twitter): 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Best days to post on X (Twitter): Wednesday and Friday.
- Worst day to post on X (Twitter): Sunday.
X (formerly known as Twitter) has long been a place for marketers to connect and engage with their audience, join trending conversations, and build community.
The real-time nature of X (Twitter) differentiates it from other social platforms and allows for spur-of-the-moment and reactionary marketing moves. And with CEO Elon Musk’s big plans for the app, it’s undoubtedly a space to watch.
When looking for the top days to post among the sources we consulted, Wednesday and Friday are most often mentioned – with Sprout Social specifying Tuesday through Thursday.
Hootsuite nominates Monday and Wednesday as the top days, proving that weekdays reign supreme on X (Twitter).
Like many other platforms, Sunday seems to be the least effective day for post-engagement.
Looking for the best times to post on X (Twitter)?
Late morning, from around 9 a.m. to noon, seems to be the most recommended time – though, as always, this will differ based on your specific audience and the type of content you are sharing.
We always recommend testing and experimenting to see what works for you.
The Best Times To Post On LinkedIn
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Tuesday to Thursday | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Monday | 4 p.m. EST |
| CoSchedule | Thursday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (in that order) | 10 a.m. Local |
| HubSpot | Monday, Wednesday, and Tuesday (in that order) | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Local |
- Best times to post on LinkedIn: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- Best days to post on LinkedIn: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
- Worst days to post on LinkedIn: Weekends.
Though first and foremost a platform for professionals, LinkedIn has picked up steam in recent years, becoming a hub of engagement and a frontrunner among social media networks.
It’s also an essential tool for businesses that want to reach business executives and decision-makers, as well as potential candidates.
Done right, LinkedIn content can go a long way in building a public perception of your brand and providing deep value to your target audience.
Digging into the data, we can see that weekdays provide the biggest opportunities for engagement on LinkedIn, which is hardly surprising. Tuesdays through Thursdays are often mentioned as the top days, with Mondays also highlighted by Hootsuite and HubSpot.
All of our sources agree that weekends are less effective for LinkedIn posts.
If you’re searching for the right time, you might try your hand at posting from late morning to mid-afternoon, based on what these sources discovered.
But (and not to sound like a broken record) your results may differ based on your brand, niche, target audience, and content.
What Is The Best Time For You To Post On Social Media?
Finding the best times to post on social media requires a delicate blend of testing, experimentation, and personal analytics.
And it never hurts to start your journey with industry insights like the ones we’ve covered in this article.
By aligning your content strategy with your target audience and trying out different posting strategies – taking into account these recommended time slots – you will be able to determine what works best for you and significantly enhance your social media presence and engagement.
Sources of data, November 2023.
All data above was taken from the sources below.
Each platform conducted its own extensive research, analyzing millions of posts across various social networks to find the times when users are most engaged.
Sources:
- Sprout Social analyzed nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles.
- Hootsuite analyzed thousands of social media posts using an audience of 8 million followers. For its Instagram updates, it analyzed over 30,000 posts.
- CoSchedule analyzed more than 35 million posts from more than 30,000 organizations.
- SocialPilot studied over 50,000 YouTube accounts and over 50,000 TikTok accounts to compile its data.
- Later analyzed over 11 million Instagram posts.
- HubSpot surveyed over 1,000 global marketers to discern the best times to post on social media. For its Instagram-specific data, it partnered with Mention to analyze over 37 million posts.
More resources:
Featured Image: Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock
SEO
Google Updating Cryptocurrency Advertising Policy For 2024
Google published an announcement of upcoming changes to their cryptocurrency advertising policies and advises advertisers to make themselves aware of the changes and prepare to be in compliance with the new requirements.
The upcoming updates are to Google’s Cryptocurrencies and related products policy for the advertisement of Cryptocurrency Coin Trusts. The changes are set to take effect on January 29th, 2024.
Cryptocurrency Coin Trusts are financial products that enable investors to trade shares in trusts holding substantial amounts of digital currency. These trusts provide investors with equity in cryptocurrencies without having direct ownership. They are also an option for creating a more diversified portfolio.
The policy updates by Google that are coming in 2024 aim to describe the scope and requirements for the advertisement of Cryptocurrency Coin Trusts. Advertisers targeting the United States will be able to promote these products and services as long as they abide by specific policies outlined in the updated requirements and that they also obtain certification from Google.
The updated policy changes are not limited to the United States. They will apply globally to all accounts advertising Cryptocurrency Coin Trusts.
Google’s announcement also reminded advertisers of their obligation for compliance to local laws in the areas where the ads are targeted.
Google’s approach for violations of the new policy will be to first give a warning before imposing an account suspension.
Advertisers that fail to comply with the updated policy will receive a warning at least seven days before a potential account suspension. This time period provides advertisers with an opportunity to fix non-compliance issues and to get back into compliance with the revised guidelines.
Advertisers are encouraged to refer to Google’s documentation on “About restricted financial products certification.”
The deadline for the change in policy is January 29th, 2024. Cryptocurrency Coin Trusts advertisers will need to pay close attention to the updated policies in order to ensure compliance.
Read Google’s announcement:
Updates to Cryptocurrencies and related products policy (December 2023)
SEO
SEO Trends You Can’t Ignore In 2024
Most SEO trends fade quickly. But some of them stick and deserve your attention.
Let’s explore what those are and how to take advantage of them.
If you give ChatGPT a title and ask it to write a blog post, it will—in seconds.
This is super impressive, but there are a couple of issues:
- Everyone else using ChatGPT is creating the same content. It’s the same for users of other GPT-powered AI writing tools, too—which is basically all of them.
- The content is extremely dull. Sure, you can ask ChatGPT to “make it more entertaining,” but it usually overcompensates and hands back a cringe version of the same boring content.
In the words of Gael Breton:
How to take advantage of this SEO trend
Don’t use AI to write entire articles. They’ll be boring as heck. Instead, use it as a creative sparring partner to help you write better content and automate monotonous tasks.
For example, you can ask ChatGPT To write an outline from a working title and a list of keywords (which you can pull from Ahrefs)—and it does a pretty decent job.
Prompt:
Create an outline for a post entitled “[working title]” based on these keywords: [list]
Result:
When you’ve written your draft, you can ask to polish it in seconds by asking ChatGPT to proofread it.
Then you can automate the boring stuff, like creating more enticing title tags…
… and writing a meta description:
If you notice a few months down the line that your content ranks well but hasn’t won the featured snippet, ChatGPT can help with that, too.
For example, Ahrefs tells us we rank in position 3 for “affiliate marketing” but don’t own the snippet.
If we check Google, the snippet is a definition. Asking ChatGPT to simplify our definition may solve this problem.
In short, there are a near-infinite number of ways to use ChatGPT (and other AI writing tools) to create better content. And all of them buck the trend of asking it to write boring, boilerplate articles from scratch.
Programmatic SEO refers to the creation of keyword-targeted pages in an automatic (or near automatic) way.
Nomadlist’s location pages are a perfect example:
Each page focuses on a specific city and shares the same core information—internet speeds, cost, temperature, etc. All of this information is pulled programmatically from a database and the site gets an estimated 46k monthly search visits in total.
Programmatic SEO is nothing new. It’s been around forever. It’s just the hot thing right now because AI tools like ChatGPT make it easier and more accessible than ever before.
The problem? As John Mueller pointed out on Twitter X, much of it is spam:
I love fire, but also programmatic SEO is often a fancy banner for spam.
— I am John – ⭐ Say no to cookies – biscuits only ⭐ (@JohnMu) July 25, 2023
How to take advantage of this SEO trend
Don’t use programmatic SEO to publish insane amounts of spam that’ll probably get hit in the next Google update. Use it to scale valuable content that will stand the test of time.
For example, Wise’s currency conversion pages currently get an estimated 31.7M monthly search visits:
This is because the content is actually useful. Each page features an interactive tool showing the live exchange rate for any amount…
… the exchange rate over time…
… a handy email notification option when the exchange rates exceed a certain amount…
… handy conversion charts for popular amounts…
… and a comparison of the cheapest ways to send money abroad in your chosen currency:
It doesn’t matter that all of these pages use the same template. The data is exactly what you want to see when you search [currency 1] to [currency 2].
That’s probably why Wise ranks in the top 10 for over 66,000 of these keywords:
Looking to take advantage of programmatic content in 2024 like Wise? Check out the guide below.
People love ChatGPT because it answers questions fast and succinctly, so it’s no surprise that generative AI is already making its way into search.
For example, if you ask Bing for a definition or how to do something basic, AI will generate an answer on the fly right there in the search results.
In other words, thanks to AI, users no longer have to click on a search result for answers to simple questions. It’s like featured snippets on steroids.
This might not be a huge deal right now, but when Google’s version of this (Search Generative Experience) comes out of beta, many websites will see clicks fall off a cliff.
How to take advantage of this SEO trend
Don’t invest too much in topics that generative AI can easily answer. You’ll only lose clicks like crazy to AI in the long run. Instead, start prioritizing topics that AI will struggle to answer.
How do you know which topics it will struggle to answer? Try asking ChatGPT. If it gives a good and concise answer, it’s clearly an easy question.
For example, there are hundreds of searches for how to calculate a percentage in Google Sheets every month in the US:
If you ask ChatGPT for the solution, it gives you a perfect answer in about fifty words.
This is the perfect example of a topic where generative AI will remove the need to click on a search result for many.
That’s probably not going to be the case for a topic like this:
Sure. Generative AI might be able to tell you how to create a template—but it can’t make one for you. And even if it can in the future, it will never be a personal finance expert with experience. You’ll always have to click on a search result for a template created by that person.
These are the kinds of topics to prioritize in 2024 and beyond.
Sidenote.
None of this means you should stop targeting “simple” topics altogether. You’ll always be able to get some traffic from them. My point is not to be obsessed with ranking for keywords whose days are numbered. Prioritize topics with long-term value instead.
Bonus: 3 SEO trends to ignore in 2024
Not all SEO trends move the needle. Here are just a few of those trends and why you should ignore them.
People are using voice search more than ever
In 2014, Google revealed that 41% of Americans use voice search daily. According to research by UpCity, that number was up to 50% as of 2022. I haven’t seen any data for 2023 yet, but I’d imagine it’s above 50%.
Why you should ignore this SEO trend
75% of voice search results come from a page ranking in the top 3, and 40.7% come from a featured snippet. If you’re already optimizing for those things, there’s not much more you can do.
People are using visual search for shopping more than ever
In 2022, Insider Intelligence reported that 22% of US adults have shopped with visual search (Google Lens, Bing Visual Search, etc.). That number is up from just 15% in 2021.
Why you should ignore this SEO trend
Much like voice search, there’s no real way to optimize for visual search. Sure, it helps to have good quality product images, optimized filenames and alt text, and product schema markup on your pages—but you should be doing this stuff anyway as it’s been a best practice since forever.
People are using Bing more than ever before
Bing’s Yusuf Mehdi announced in March 2023 that the search engine had surpassed 100M daily active users for the first time ever. This came just one month after the launch of AI-powered Bing.
Why you should ignore this SEO trend
Bing might be more popular than ever, but its market share still only stands at around ~3% according to estimates by Statcounter. Google’s market share stands at roughly 92%, so that’s the one you should be optimizing for.
Plus, it’s often the case that if you rank in Google, you also rank in Bing—so it really doesn’t deserve any focus.
Final thoughts
Keeping your finger on the pulse and taking advantage of trends makes sense, but don’t let them distract you from the boring stuff that’s always worked: find what people are searching for > create content about it > build backlinks > repeat.
Got questions? Ping me on Twitter X.
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