Overview of January 2024 Digital Marketing updates

The digital marketing industry is always evolving, with new upgrades appearing on a regular

basis. So, staying ahead of the curve is crucial to grow and succeed online. This dedicated blog
to the latest insights and updates in digital marketing will help you stay up-to-date and navigate
the online world with ease. From algorithm updates to new features and changes, this January
2024 Digital Marketing update will keep you informed and enable you to adapt and thrive online.

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The January 2024 Digital Marketing Updates.
In January 2024, various updates and adjustments were released by different digital marketing
platforms such as Google, YouTube, Facebook, Microsoft, and more that are significant. These
include:

1. 1. Facebook launched a Link History Feature;

1. 1. Google Chrome Blocked Third-party cookies;

1. 1. Google Removed the option to stop the crawl rate in the Search Console;

1. 1. Google My Business closing free websites;

1. 1. YouTube introduced new features for creators;

1. 1. Microsoft launched the Bing chat copilot Pro version;

1. 1. Google introduced AI Based search features;

1. 1. Google announced changes for European users;

1. 1. LinkedIn launched Sponsored Content ad Products and

1. 1. Google Ads introduced conversational mode.
      These are the notable ten changes that were released over the last month. Let’s discuss what each
      change or update means in detail.

1. 1. Facebook’s Link History Feature – 2 January 2024
      On 2 January 2024, Facebook introduced a new setting called “Link History Feature.”
      It’s a notable feature and will enable the company to track and store the links users click on
      within the Facebook Mobile application. This feature aims to use the data for targeted ads. It

gives users the option to opt-out, but the setting is mainly designed to encourage users to give
their consent.
Facebook presented this setting as a useful tool for users; however, it raises concerns about data
control and privacy. Meta promises to delete the link history within 90 days if turned off, but it’s
not clear whether this applies to all tracking links.
In addition, it’s notable that the setting only affects Facebook’s app and not other platforms. This
means that if users access Facebook outside of the app, this setting does not apply. This raises
concerns about the company’s tracking methods, creating confusion and inconsistency in privacy
protection.

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2. 2. Google Chrome Started Blocking Third-Party Cookies- 4 January 2024
      On January 4, 2024, Google Chrome introduced a new feature called Tracking Protection. This is
      the second change in January 2024 Digital Marketing updates. This feature is designed to restrict
      website access to third-party cookies by default to limit cross-site tracking.
      This new feature is part of the Privacy Sandbox initiative that aims to phase out the third-party
      cookies for all by the second half of 2024. Google Chrome aims to test this feature with 1% of
      randomly selected global users. This 1% will be notified when they open Chrome.
      Notably, third-party cookies have been an essential part of the web that is used for tracking
      website activities and supporting online experiences.
      Chrome will allow users to temporarily re-enable third-party cookies, specifically
      those that don’t work without them. The goal is to make the web more private while offering
      businesses the tools to succeed online and ensure that high-quality content remains accessible.
      The users in the 1% group will have a new tracking protection page instead of the usual cookies
      setting page. In addition, they can report issues with third-party cookies to receive appropriate
      advice and support.

2. 2. Google Removes the option to stop crawl rate in Search Console- 8 January 2024
      On 8 January 2024, Google announced the removal of the crawl rate setting tool within its
      Search Console. As per Google, it has enhanced its crawling logic and other tools
      available to its users. You can no longer set the intended crawl rate within the
      search console. Google previously announced its intention last November and finally executed it
      last month.
      So, now, when you try to use the tool for a specific property in your GSC account, you will be
      redirected to the tool removal notice.

The tool previously allowed you to interact with Google and have it crawl your site less than it
usually does. However, Google has now removed the tool as its usefulness has faded with the
upgrades it made.
Google noted that it is setting the minimum crawling speed to a lower rate, comparable to the old
crawl rate limits.

4. 4. Google My Business to Close Free Websites- 9 January 2024.
      Google has declared on 9 January 2024 that it will soon turn off the websites made with Google
      My Business profile. It is expected to take place in March 2024.
      Website created with Google My Business is a basic website that is powered by the information
      in your business profile.
      In a recent announcement, Google noted that domains specifically end with business.site and
      negocio.site will be removed from the website field on the Business Profile in March.
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4. 4. Following this, users navigating to such sites will get a “page not found error.”
      Google suggested that individuals who want to continue to have a website for business are
      recommended to create a new website by employing other popular website tools. Further,
      Google suggested that such individuals must update their Business Profiles with the new website
      address.
      Google additionally added that business profiles won’t be affected by the website shutdown as
      users will be redirected to their own profiles. If you are running ad campaigns connected to your
      website, it’s recommended to update the ad links to other websites before March 1, or you can
      pause your campaigns.
      Also, if you are not using such a website, the changes recently made won’t affect the business.

5.YouTube Introduces New Features for Creators- January 11, 2024
On January 11, YouTube announced notable changes for creators through a blog post to
empower creators with new features. The following is the outline of each recent modification.
For Live Streamers and Moderators: Live streamers and moderators can access channel
activity from the live chat feed to check public user history, user chat history, and other
moderation activity on stream. You can currently use this function on desktop computers, but it
will soon be available on mobile devices as well.

YouTube has also released a “best practice video for live” covering various aspects. This will
help streamers get started with live streaming and understand different approaches for regular as
well as unique events, chat interaction, timers, and more.
For Podcasters: Podcasters who have their audio podcast on different platforms, for instance,
Spotify, Apple Music, or on their own sites, can ingest these audios using the RSS feature
directly inside Creator Studio. This will enable the podcaster to use their already existing
episodes and upload them to YouTube and YouTube Music.
New Shorts feature
YouTube has also introduced a new workflow that will enable you to convert your video content
for Shorts. You can change the layout, zoom, crop, and more to convert your longs into clipped
shorts using the Remix feature.
Easily Determine When Your Viewers Are on YouTube: For streamers and video creators,
YouTube has made it easy to find when their users are online. When many viewers are watching,
you’ll see bright purple colour and dark grey when nearly no one is. As per this, you have the
opportunity to target the right times when most users are online.

6. 6. Microsoft Launches Bing Chat Copilot Pro Version-15 January 2024
      On January 15, Microsoft declared the Copilot Pro version at just $20 per user per month. It
      comes with up-to-date and enhanced features and models available from Microsoft AI.
      Copliot is the new name given to the new Bing Chat experience.
      The notable features of Copilot Pro are as follows:
       A unified AI experience across all devices and apps. This will enable you to determine
      the context on the web, PC, apps, and phone. This will help access the abilities as needed.
       Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers can access Copilot in multiple features
      such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more on PC, Mac, and iPad.
       Priority access to the latest models, including GPT-4 Turbo and soon-coming versions for
      enhanced performance.
       With Image Creator, get improved AI image generation. This will enable faster and more
      detailed image quality and landscape image format.
       For certain topics, you can also create your own Copilot GPT.
      Besides these, Microsoft also declared improvements for Copilot, including Copilot GPT, that
      enable you to customize the behavior of Microsoft Copilot on a topic that interests you. In
      addition, the Copilot mobile app is now available for both Android and iOS. Furthermore,
      Copilot is also being included in the Microsoft 360 mobile app for users with a Microsoft
      account.