Last Week in Digital Marketing: Changes in Online Data Collection and Usage

Concern over user privacy has been growing steadily for some time now and will probably continue to do so. Search engines like Google and Bing, as well as other entities across the web, are addressing these concerns by changing the way data is collected and used. However, these companies are also trying to balance the rights of users with the needs of advertisers.

Google Plans to Record Some Calls from Ads

Google has started notifying advertisers who use call-only ads that it will begin to record some of the calls that are generated through these ads. The search engine says that only a small fraction of calls will be recorded. They have also stated that they will anonymize recording data and that it will not be used for ad targeting.

Takeaway: This call monitoring will help to ensure a trusted environment for advertisers, as well as protect users from fraud and spam.

A New Format for Sitelinks in Google

It seems that Google is testing a new format for sitelinks that displays more information from that site without having to click on the link. In the new format, a snippet is displayed the same as before, but more tabs appear underneath and you can expand the number of sitelinks by clicking the “show more” tab.

Takeaway: This new feature could affect your click-through rates from Google search. With more information readily available in the search feed, the likelihood of a user clicking the link to visit your website could be impacted.

Pandora’s New Online Analytics Tools and New Ad Distribution Agreement

Recently, Pandora launched their first set of viable online advertising analytics tools for its audio platform. Before now, advertisers who used the platform had to rely on the offline impact and incremental visitation through third-party users. Pandora has also announced that they will be partnering with SoundCloud, becoming its exclusive U.S. advertising and sales representative.

Takeaway: These new tools will make it easier to track how your campaigns are performing. And with audio platforms quickly gaining popularity as an advertising platform, advertisers are sure to take advantage of tools making the process easier and more effective.

In-Market Audiences are Now Supported by Bing Ads Editor

Advertisers who use Bing Ads are now able to manage in-market audiences using Bing Ads Editor. The algorithms that Bing Ads Editor uses takes into account a variety of purchase intent signals from Bing and MSN in addition to other Microsoft properties. The new function allows advertisers to create, delete, or change both in-market associations and negative associations across multiple ad groups. Currently, this is only available in the U.S.

Takeaway: This ability to manage in bulk will save advertisers some serious time.

Facebook is Set to Add First-Party Cookie Option

Facebook has taken the lead of other digital ad sellers to address the issue of browsers doing away with third-party cookies. Within the past week or so, the social media platform began informing advertisers that it will be offering a first-party cookie option to allow them to continue ad targeting, ad measurement, and website analytics for traffic from browsers. Advertisers can go into the Settings tab in Event Manager to access these settings.

Takeaway: You have until October 24, 2018 to opt out if you don’t want to utilize the first-party option before it becomes the default for new Pixels. However, after that, both new and current advertisers will still have the option to go in and edit their selection at any time. In compliance with Facebook’s terms, you still must disclose how you use cookies and share data. Now is a great time to review your current disclosures.

DuckDuckGo Hits 30 Million Searches per Day

DuckDuckGo is a search engine that focuses on user privacy and doesn’t collect or use behavioral data for ad targeting. According to the company, it took seven years for them to reach 10 million searches in a day, another 2 years to reach 20 million, and less than a year to reach 30 million.

Takeaway: DuckDuckGo is quickly growing, and it offers an alternative option to other search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

Michael Childs is an Web Content Specialist on the the LeadBuilder® inbound marketing team. His interests include music, art, sports, and movies. He also loves animals. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

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