SODP Dispatch - 14 November 2024

🟢 Harry Clarkson-Bennett | SEO Director at The Telegraph
🟢 Jay Wilder | VP of Marketing at deepset

Day 3 (20 NOV): SEO & LLM's in the Age of AI: Emerging Opportunities and Battles

The Importance of Building Trust Through Secure Advertising Environments

By James Hill

With privacy concerns dominating the digital landscape, consumer trust is fast emerging as a cornerstone of brand loyalty. According to a recent Edelman study, 88% of adults prioritise trust when making purchasing decisions, closely behind good value (91%) and quality (89%).

The transition to privacy-first practices in advertising is not only a regulatory requirement but also a necessity in building trust, yet adoption has been slower than anticipated.

💡 What you will learn:

• Balancing data protection against effective targeting

• Using AI to deliver highly contextualised environments

• The impact on media owners

🛡️ GSC Guardian

GSC Guardian is a feature-rich Chrome extension for Google Search Console designed to assist website owners, SEO professionals, and digital marketers improve the GSC experience.
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🔍️ Search Analytics for Sheets
Retrieve data and create automatic backups from Google Search Console into Google Sheets.
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By Vahe Arabian

⚖️ Privacy Policies vs AI

The convergence of Privacy policies like GDPR and CCPA with the rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape of digital publishing like never before.

In June, the EU adopted the AI Act. It is crucial that digital publishers must understand the intricate interplay between Privacy policies and AI in shaping the industry's future. I believe adapting and innovating in response to these transformative changes is crucial.

Privacy regulations have compelled publishers to prioritize transparency and data protection, fostering a culture of trust and accountability. Meanwhile, AI has revolutionized content dissemination, offering both challenges and opportunities for publishers navigating this dynamic landscape.

Here are a few insights to navigate this evolving terrain:

• Transparency is non-negotiable: Embrace GDPR and CCPA as catalysts for transparency. Communicate data usage and privacy practices clearly to build trust with your audience.
  

• Harness AI responsibly: Leverage AI to enhance user experiences while respecting Privacy boundaries. Balance personalization with ethical considerations.
  

• Stay agile and informed: Keep abreast of evolving Privacy laws and AI advancements. Engage in industry discussions and collaborations to stay ahead of the curve (e.g., join Day 5 panel of PubTech2024 next week)
  

• Adopt a user-centric approach: Prioritize user Privacy concerns and preferences in content strategies and AI implementations. Enable users to have control over their data.

While these changes may seem daunting, they present unprecedented opportunities for innovation and growth in digital publishing. By embracing Privacy policies, leveraging AI responsibly, and prioritizing user-centric approaches, we can navigate this transformative journey together.

Google November 2024 core update rolling out now | Search Engine Land

This core update comes a few months after Google released the August 2024 core update and should be a typical core update.
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Perplexity brings ads to its platform | TechCrunch

AI-powered search engine Perplexity says it’ll begin experimenting with ads on its platform starting this week. The site will be showing ads in the U.S. to start, and they’ll be formatted as “sponsored follow-up questions,” (e.g. “How can I use LinkedIn to enhance my job search?”). These ads will be positioned to the side of answers and labeled as “sponsored.”
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HTTP Archive Report: 61% Of Cookies Enable Third-Party Tracking | SEJ

HTTP Archive published 12 chapters of its annual Web Almanac, revealing disparities between mobile and desktop web performance. The Almanac analyzes data from millions of sites to track trends in web technologies, performance metrics, and user experience.
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The Washington Post Launches “Ask The Post AI,” a New Search Experience | The Washington Post

The experimental tool leverages news articles published by The Washington Post’s newsroom since 2016, ranking the results based on relevancy. “This is the next chapter in building habits for our next generation of users,” said Vineet Khosla, chief technology officer for The Washington Post.
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Press Forward launches open call focused on infrastructure | Press Forward

Eligible applicants include “journalism support organizations and intermediaries with a proven track record of deep service to local news organizations; news organizations that are working or plan to work collaboratively with other news organizations as part of their grant… [and] newsroom collaborations, local/regional collaborations and/or a practitioner/university partnerships.”
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