Without an excellent website, your business simply cannot develop in the current digital era. It would be simple if all you required was a website, but what you actually need is a strong and effective online presence. Nonetheless, many business owners are still ignorant of this fact today. Some people still give little thought to whether a website’s claims about its goals, its vision, and the services it provides are accurate.

Fortunately, you are not one of them, and you have come looking for information and solutions. You are probably wondering why working with a skilled web development company is the best method to achieve the desired outcome, which is an excellent website.

We are available to you to discuss the advantages of working with a web design and development company like WeAgile when creating a new website or redesigning an existing one.

Let’s start by responding to some often asked queries:

What does a web design firm do?

A web development business with expertise may build a website from the ground up. Professional programmers and web designers at WeAgile have a wealth of experience creating digital goods (such as websites, applications, e-commerce sites, and software) for a variety of sectors. In order to find the best solution for you, web designers and web developers work together. They construct frameworks and databases, come up with innovative concepts, and decide on a language for both front-end and back-end development. The task of a web designer is to create the user interface or user experience. The team at WeAgile is skilled in many areas, including testing, deploying, and maintaining digital products.

Why can’t I simply pick a freelance web developer or web designer?

First off, WeAgile has a team of web developers, web designers, SEO specialists, project managers, testers, and more. As a single freelancer just cannot have all of this knowledge, you will undoubtedly receive a product that is subpar. Not because they are not professionals, but simply because it is difficult for one person to be an authority in so many different fields.

Second, even after the website is launched, the WeAgile team will be able to give you ongoing assistance and maintenance (indefinitely). Many people are unaware that even after the website is launched, it will need to be updated frequently for a variety of reasons. For example, if your website is built in WordPress, there are frequent updates to the platform and plugins; if you want your website to rank well on Google, Google regularly updates its algorithm; etc. You need to stay on top of all of this, and more often than not, a freelancer won’t be able to support you long-term due to other commitments.

Thirdly, clients will obtain the best level of service possible because a web development agency sets a great value on both its reputation and its long-term goals. Because you won’t be able to post a Google review or a Trustpilot rating for an independent freelancer, work is frequently finished a little sloppier and, most likely, no one will ever find out if your website is not functioning as intended. It is not even an exaggeration to say that we work with the best freelancers in the world. They are each true experts in their respective fields, but when it comes to web design and development, it takes a team (designers, developers, project managers, SEO experts, testers) to produce a top-notch outcome.

Fourth, your website will be delivered quickly and efficiently, and it will be a well-rounded final product because many professionals will have had input in the end product, often coming up with innovative ideas that will greatly benefit your company’s digital presence. This assumes nothing completely unforeseeable happens (like a significant change in the scope of work). For instance, if a freelancer you are working with experiences a personal setback (such as illness or a holiday), your project will be completely abandoned.

Let’s add another “layer of safety” for choosing a web design agency over a freelancer if the list above hasn’t already persuaded you. An agency is always a legitimate firm with owners, directors, insurance, etc. They won’t suddenly vanish one day or stop returning calls while the project is still in process.

Is it possible to create a website without a web development company’s assistance?

Certainly, there are platforms like Squarespace or Wix where you can try your best to build a straightforward and appealing website. No matter how much you know about designing and constructing websites, you will never be able to match the experience of a web development business.

Working with a web development company like WeAgile has a lot of benefits. Here is a succinct list of them:

We trust that we have clarified some of your concerns and dispelled any uncertainty you may have had over hiring a web design and development company. However, if you still have any questions about WeAgile, the leading UK Web Design and Development Company, don’t hesitate to contact us, and we’ll get back to you right away.

JonesMillbank, Bristol-based video production company, has successfully won a contract with foodora, who are part of Delivery Hero, the world’s leading local delivery platform.

The project is focused on the foodora brand, promoting their culture, history and future through the stories of over a dozen long standing employees.

Filming is taking place across eight European countries including Finland, Norway, Slovakia and Austria.

“International travel was off the cards for so long and it’s fantastic to be given the opportunity to get back in the air again with a new client, exposing our productions and our team to other cultures” said Adam Millbank, Director at JonesMillbank.

“The project is benefiting from us doing what we do best; telling the individual stories of people from different walks of life, heritages and backgrounds with authenticity.”

Russell Jones, Director at JonesMillbank added: “We’re conscious of the environmental impact of all our productions, let alone ones that require multiple flights and cross-border trains. The nature of this project needed a travelling crew and we’ll be offsetting our impact via our friends at Ecologi.”

Delivery Hero operates its service in over 70 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. 

The company started as a food delivery service in 2011 and today runs its own delivery platform on four continents. Additionally, Delivery Hero is pioneering quick commerce, the next generation of e-commerce, aiming to bring groceries and household goods to customers in under one hour and often in 20 to 30 minutes. 

Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Delivery Hero has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2017 and is now part of the MDAX stock market index. 

For more information, please visit www.deliveryhero.com.

***

JonesMillbank are a full-service video production company.

They work in-house with a talented team of multi-disciplined creatives, telling authentic stories for a range of clients such as University of Bristol, IDLES, NHS England, The Royal Mint and Battersea.

jonesmillbank.com
01173706372
[email protected]

JonesMillbank, Bristol-based video production company, has successfully won a contract with University of Southampton to produce their flagship undergraduate campaign video.

The multi-channel campaign will launch ahead of the University’s 2024 recruitment campaign, bolstering and highlighting their existing reputation and global rankings.

JonesMillbank were invited to a competitive pitch for the opportunity, reflecting their growing experience, insight and reputation in the higher education sector. They join existing clients including the University’s of Bristol, Exeter, Winchester and Central Lancashire.

“We’ve worked in the education sector since day one and we absolutely love working with universities; the challenge of engaging and communicating with an ever-changing, dynamic audience is one our strategists and creatives relish” said Russell Jones, Director at JonesMillbank.

“University of Southampton chose us for our bold, creative and impactful concept, and we’re incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to bring it to life.”

University of Southampton is one of the world’s leading universities, placed in the top 100 universities globally in QS World rankings. They are also a founding member of the Russell Group, an organisation of 24 top UK universities committed to maintaining the highest research and teaching standards.

***

JonesMillbank are a full-service video production company.

They work in-house with a talented team of multi-disciplined creatives, telling authentic stories for a range of clients such as University of Bristol, IDLES, NHS England, The Royal Mint and Battersea.

jonesmillbank.com
01173706372
[email protected]

Everyone is now aware that the best way to stand out online is through digital marketing. Businesses are looking for the newest search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques as we enter 2023.

The most important SEO components are still in place. Your starting point should still be keywords, SEO backlinks, meta tags, and organic content marketing.

We’ll talk about five SEO trends you should include in your continuing marketing plan. To find out more about them and how they may help your business, keep reading:

1. Knowledge, authority, and trustworthiness are the driving forces behind SEO trends

Do you know about Google’s EAT? It reflects how Google evaluates the information on your page. The days of creating a website and using unethical SEO methods to rank in search results are long gone.

Google now expects your website content to demonstrate your subject-matter expertise. In blogs and other written and visual content, it searches for authoritative voices. Finally, it wants to make sure you can be trusted to deliver the good or service you promise.

Although EAT is not brand-new, it is evolving into a potent tool for promoting trustworthy websites.

2. Increase Content

In SEO trends, long-form content is reemerging. People seek out informative and interesting content of high calibre. Provide useful information on your website if you want visitors to stay there longer.

Strong writers that can write about your products, services, and industry news should be part of your business SEO strategy. Make sure the content is simple to share on social media and via email.

3. Get Filming Content

The popularity of video is growing. Many entrepreneurs are using the camera to promote their brands today. That is a fantastic business SEO strategy that will develop further.

In several marketing sectors, video advertising is taking the place of television advertising. Also, there are social networking and streaming services with business plans where you can monetise your video output.

4. Improve Your Experience Using Mobile

Around 3.7 billion people will use smartphones to access the internet by 2025. Websites must be responsive to mobile devices and mobile-friendly. Following SEO trends involves replicating the user experience that users have on desktops and laptops.

To assist businesses in evaluating the effectiveness of their business SEO, Google provides a mobile usability report.

5. Get used to AI

The way we communicate online is changing as a result of artificial intelligence. If you want to enhance interaction with your digital marketing, you’ll need it for business SEO.

Examining the following AI SEO trends will help you achieve better results:

All three contribute to strengthening connections with present and potential clients. Business SEO should employ AI to enhance their outcomes, much like search engines do.

Get the New Year Started Properly!

You’ll be well on your way to a successful new year if you implement these SEO trends. Keep in mind that consistency is crucial. Keep your website and social media current by providing new information often.

Do you want to learn more about SEO?  Check out the services BrisTechTonic Bristol SEO Company has to offer.

You know everything there is to know about your area of expertise. Fantastic! Congratulations! But how useful is that if no-one knows that you’re a fountain of knowledge? Part of being an expert in any given field is making that knowledge available and accessible to those who need it. Writing business blogs is a great way to do this, but there’s more to it than that.

 

Be consistent

You could argue that if you download all the information in your head into one lengthy article, or one comprehensive website, you have demonstrated your knowledge and proven your expertise. I’m afraid it’s not quite that simple. Firstly, how many people will read one long piece of text in one go? Most of us are time poor and when searching for information we need, we want quick answers to specific questions. And even if we did stop and read all of that information in one go, we’re unlikely to remember it, or where it came from, for very long. By publishing content regularly, it keeps you top of mind. The more often people see your name pop up, the more often they will be reminded you know your onions!

 

Be seen

To position yourself as an expert you need to be seen. This means the more places you can publish content demonstrating your expertise the better. This may sound daunting, but for example if you write a business blog just once a month, you can likely the use the content of that to create several social media posts to dot post periodically each week. If you can secure positions in relevant trade magazines or local publications relevant to your audience, with feature articles about your areas of expertise (not a sales pitch for your business) people are more likely to perceive you as an expert.

 

Stay relevant

When you know everything there is to know about a particular topic, you might take this knowledge for granted. Don’t! Things change quickly, so make sure you keep up to date with changing technology, systems, suppliers, and trends. If the rest of the market has moved on and you’re still talking about an out of date process or service, your audience will quickly tune out and find another more reliable source of information.

 

Answer questions people want answered!

Sounds obvious, right? But when you have all the answers, you might assume prior knowledge in your audience that simply isn’t there. It’s often useful to go back to basics, as well as covering more advanced topics and ideas within your field of expertise. To make sure you’re hitting the right note with your audience, ask them what they’d like to find out more about. Or think about what questions you get asked on a regular basis – if a few people have asked you about a certain topic, there are probably many more people looking for the same answers online. If they can find the answers from you when they need them, it helps to build your reputation as an expert.

 

Ditch the technical jargon

There’s nothing worse than needing to find out more about a subject, landing on a website or finding an article in a magazine on that very topic, and not being able to understand a word it says because it is full of technical jargon. There is always a temptation to prove how much you know by using industry specific terms, technical abbreviations, and acronyms. But trust me, not only is it not necessary, but it will put far more people off than it will ever impress. Perhaps you want to talk in depth about legislation in your field, or the technical aspects of a new product launch. That’s fine to do, as long as you’re explaining it in a way your readers will understand, not just a way that you understand.

 

Don’t be too pushy

To position yourself as an expert, it’s best to separate the sales pitch from the informative resource as much as possible. if you are constantly trying to push your product or service on people, while answering their questions, they’ll start to wonder about your credibility. For example, if you’re a home improvement company writing a blog about different types of front doors and you only cover the benefits of the products you sell, visitors may not feel you’re offering them an honest, balanced view. If, however you talk about the pros and cons of every available door, whether you sell it or not, they’re far more likely to trust you and eventually buy from you for your expertise.

 

In conclusion: Generate the right content – generate trust

It’s not an easy balance to strike, to generate content that demonstrates your expertise, without appearing too pushy and without assuming too much prior knowledge from your audience. But when done well, positioning yourself as an expert in your field can generate a level of trust among your existing and potential customers that is truly valuable.

 

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of raising a website’s visibility and position in search engine results pages (SERPs). Several factors influence how well a website performs in search engine results, but three main factors—on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO—are viewed as being the most important.

On Page SEO

Enhancing a website’s content, title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags for search engines is known as on-page SEO. On-page SEO is to make a website’s content relevant, beneficial, and understandable for both users and search engines. This entails making the website’s content keyword-optimised, user-friendly, and simple to navigate, as well as making sure that it runs swiftly on mobile devices.

Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to factors such as the quantity and quality of links pointing to a website, its social media presence, and its reputation online that are out of the website’s control. By building links, off-page SEO seeks to increase the website’s visibility and authority in the eyes of search engines. To do this, you need to build reputable backlinks from other websites, market on social media, and build a strong online reputation through user reviews and referrals.

Technical SEO

Technical aspects of a website that may affect its visibility and positioning in search engine results pages are referred to as “technical SEO.” This includes topics like website architecture, security, and performance. Technical SEO seeks to make sure that a website is free of any errors or issues that could negatively affect its visibility and ranking as well as that it is easy for search engines to crawl and index. Making the website’s code and structure more effective, making sure it is swift and responsive, and making sure it is secure from viruses or hacking attempts are all examples of this.

To Summarise

In conclusion, the three fundamental types of SEO are technical, on-page, and off-page. Using on-page SEO, the website’s content is enhanced, making it more user- and search engine-friendly. Off-page SEO raises visibility and authority by constructing backlinks and engaging in social media marketing. A website’s technical optimisation helps make it error-free and straightforward for search engines to crawl and index. This is done with the help of technical SEO.

It’s crucial to remember that SEO requires ongoing work and cannot be finished once and then neglected. To maintain and improve a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results pages, it’s critical to continuously monitor, evaluate, and improve that website’s SEO performance. It’s also essential to keep up with the most recent trends and algorithms if you want to compete in the search engine results pages. Best practises for SEO are constantly evolving.

Finally…

Any strategy for internet marketing must include SEO. By focusing on the three main SEO areas, website owners can improve their website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results pages as well as draw in more relevant visitors. With the right strategy and persistent effort, SEO could help to increase website traffic, leads, and ultimately money.

 

Want to learn more about SEO? Check out the services BrisTechTonic, a Bristol SEO Company, has to offer.

 

In this article, we can show you how we create some of our best email newsletters and the process behind them. This blog post will be an organised explanation of how you can grow your business through email newsletters and the services we provide in order to help you do so.

The Importance Of Email Newsletters.

Email newsletters are a great way to advertise and showcase your company’s successes and services while keeping customers updated on any improvements and changes within the company. Nearly 5 Billion people worldwide use email, according to mailChimps blog post on writing email newsletters. Weekly emailing can raise your chances of reaching a higher percentage of these people each week. Whether you want to advertise a new product, service or event, email marketing/newsletters can be an easy and effective way to capture customers’ attention and drive more traffic to your website. Therefore resulting in more sales or higher interaction with your customers.

Keyword research is a practice that professionals in marketing use to use terms, phrases and words that users might enter into a search engine to find information on a particular topic, subject or object. Using words specific to your topic or product within your email newsletters can optimise traffic and reliability, ensuring that people feel you are a source they can trust when looking into a particular topic. Audience research and keyword research is a great ways to kickstart your email newsletter; they can allow you to adapt and change your email newsletter to your specific audience. Ensuring you get the reactions you are hoping for.

Subject Line

The subject line of your email is what is going to be the part that draws attention to your email and catches the attention of your audience. This will be the first aspect of your advertisement that your audience sees. Therefore you will want to ensure you fill it with keywords, and relative content and present it in an inviting manner to ensure it grab their attention. Make sure you include the information of the sender and recipient of the email, the date and any other vital information surrounding the content of the email.

Creating A Header And Introduction To Your Newsletter

Creating a good header and introduction is vital when grabbing the attention of your audience and getting them to stay interested throughout. During your audience research, you will discover how long your clients spend reading an email and gauge how much time people have to spend reading email marketing. If people have busy schedules that involve a lot of email traffic, then you will want to keep your advertisement short but effective. You can do this by ensuring your header is clear and concise and include all vital information quickly in your introduction. Images and infographics can also be a good way of engaging people while also delivering information quickly.

How To Ensure Your Email Content Is Effective

To ensure that your content is going to be useful and effective, you need to ensure you follow some simple steps.

Ensure that the content isn’t overly complicated.

One of the most important things is to create an email that isn’t overloaded with text and information. When advertising a product, service or event, people can get carried away with wanting to give all the information in a dense and lengthy email. People want to have content that is easy to digest, simple to read and full of the necessary information. Try not to go overboard with text unless the information you are writing is vital for your clients.

You can use infographics and images to help show key information in a clear and concise way.

Make sure your content is relevant.

There is no point in making an advertising email newsletter about an event, product or service that was relevant two weeks ago or is happening the day after they receive the email. You want to ensure that your audience has time to react to the information they have been given. Whether it’s a product you want them to buy, an event you want them to be a part of or a service you provide, you want people to have enough time to purchase, sign up, ask questions or react to your email.

Making content personalised

There are some useful methods that you can find on our email marketing page, that show you how you can personalise your email newsletters in order to be sent to specific groups of people. You want the right advertisement to be received by people who are most likely to interact with that content.  This links back to audience research/ keyword research and ensures you know what your audience is looking for.

Check the Tone of your content.

Make sure that the tone of your email newsletter matches the tone of your current website/ online presence and service you provide. Someone advertising days out at a waterpark aren’t going to have the same tone and use the same language as someone advertising Luxury spa days or luxury wine. Know your audience and create a tone that they will understand. Ensure not to use phrases and words that your audience may have trouble understanding while also ensuring to be polite and pleasant with the way you communicate with people.

Images and design content

Imagery and the layout of your content can be one of the first things that grab your audience’s attention.  You can also create content that incorporates important information to make sure your customers can clearly find key information they might need.

Key Takeaways.

Following these steps when creating content can help you get more out of your content and email newsletters overall. Email newsletters are one of the best ways of reaching audiences all over the world. Ensuring that the content you provide is well-designed, personal, relevant, not over complicated and has the right tone can help you get the best results.

How Fanatic Can Help You With Your Email Marketing 

Here at Fanatic, we offer Email Marketing services that include creating engaging, eye-catching written and visual content, and bespoke email flows and we can also analyse email performance to ensure we are doing all we can to optimise your email Newsletter campaigns. For more information, please refer to our email marketing and email newsletters here. Feel free to get in touch to see how we can help you with the services we provide.

What is Paid Social

Paid Social is when companies and brands display sponsored advertising content on third-party platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, targeting audiences that match their brand. Marketing professionals use Paid Social strategies to increase traffic to their website or content, improve or increase marketing efficiency and market to larger audiences to capture new subsets of customers.

After the 2021 pandemic, social media saw a considerable rise in users, and people spent more time online than ever before. As a result, people’s activity on platforms such as e-commerce websites and social media stores increased, allowing companies to target audiences more precisely to match their brand. Through Paid Social, companies can post ads to audiences with a higher chance of the users interacting with the content.

Recent changes from 2022

The amount of companies using Paid Social in 2022 has dramatically increased due to the increased global engagement with social media. According to Search Discovery, this number is set to grow even more by 2025 to 4.4 billion users. People also spend much longer on social media platforms, averaging 147 minutes daily for the average person.

Social media strategies have become much more streamlined, and eCommerce websites are becoming one of the most accessible platforms for consumers to purchase products and services. In addition, the ease and simplicity of buying and consuming content through social media has enabled companies to generate traffic and sales much more efficiently. For example, through Paid Social, companies can streamline their advertisement to be seen by more specific audiences who are more likely to interact with the ads—leading to further sales.

Privacy and user safety have moved to the forefront of significant changes in how companies use Paid Social. According to a recent article by Clicky, after Apple updated IOS15 in September, 80% of global respondents chose not to be tracked. Companies will have to look into how they target audiences and how they can make their Paid Social campaigns more effective, reflective of the updated statistics.

Being diverse and authentic has become crucial to running successful ads. According to the same article by Clicky, 75% of Gen Z are more likely to support and use brands that are authentic in the way they advertise products. Companies must use original methods that reflect their message, story, values and overall products to attract their desired audiences. Paid Social can allow companies to do this on a larger scale, targeting audiences more likely to interact with their content. Companies that are more diverse in their advertisement will also see greater impressions and reactions. Diversity in the platforms companies use will also significantly impact the responses they receive to content. Companies that are also diverse in how many social platforms they use for their Paid Social ads could triple their audience reach and subsequently generate higher impression rates and CTR. TikTok is becoming one of the most powerful platforms for marketing, with over 1 billion users each day; utilising new media is a crucial way of reinventing Paid Social strategies and getting the most out of campaigns.

Top trends to take into 2023:

Short and catchy video content.

Short video content has dramatically impacted how we market and advertise products throughout 2022. Going into 2023, this remains the same. The increase in users on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram has seen many ways people use short 1, minute videos to create effective and engaging content while also allowing companies to interact with influencers within their subject audience.

According to Hootsuite, users of TikTok spend 95 minutes a day on the platform, and 78.6% of users use TikTok to find entertainment, making it one of the leading platforms for Paid Social. In addition, according to Hootsuite again, Google Trends’ interest in the platform has increased by 1,125% since 2020, meaning you will likely start to generate the most impact on TikTok going into 2023.

User-generated content and new platforms

Influencers and the rise of Influencer culture on many social media platforms have created a unique and powerful influence on Paid Social and advertising on social domains. Despite being around for many years, the amount of organic user-generated content creators has increased rapidly throughout 2022, especially on social platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, where short video and review video logs, or ‘Vlogs’, are used daily.

According to an article for fbcomms, new social media platforms such as BeReal are set to emerge even more and become more prominent in 2023, hoping to break through into the heavily populated market. However, they pointed out that many new social media platforms tend to be niche sites with limited impact. However, utilising the trends produced by these platforms is useful when considering the design and storyline of companies’ advertising.

Interactivity is crucial

We live in a world with a far shorter attention span than generations before. Short videos, animations and interactive aspects of content can be a great way to get and secure audiences’ attention and get them to interact faster. Platform algorithms are introducing new ways in which content creators and brands can create two-way dialogues with their audience, rewarding those who produce successful content. For example, Instagram allows viewers to like, comment, share, and add stickers to social posts and stories. Aspects like this are a great way of building and maintaining relationships with followers. It gives audiences more say and enables brands to edit and shape advertisements to get the best results.

Social Commerce will continue to grow into 2023

Since 2020, after the pandemic, we have been talking about the increase of people shopping online compared to the number of people who shop in physical stores. According to fbcomms, people will likely not have to leave their social platform to shop for goods and products advertised through posts. Through media such as Instagram and Facebook, customers will be provided with an even faster route to purchase products without going to another website or a different platform. Ensuring companies keep up to date with the ever-changing world of eCommerce is essential to running successful online businesses and creating an impactful online presence.

Key Takeaways

Paid Social is a fun, creative and highly effective method of finding potential customers and is considered by some to be one of the most effective ways of marketing in the current social image climate. Paid Social allows brands to connect with a target audience specific to their brand and gain a more extensive reach through the size of the platform.  Focusing on diversity, interactivity, video and animated content, and eCommerce performance will help brands get the most out of their advertising going into 2023 and how Fanatic can help you.

Our Paid Social and Digital Marketing experts will consider your audience, competitors and existing online presence and branding to create a Paid Social campaign that is sure to get impressive results. Get in touch today and find out how we can help you on your Paid Social journey.

This month, there have been several updates from the world of Digital Marketing. Microsoft Bing launches ChatGPT, the EU rules that Meta’s ad practices are illegal, Google agrees to pay up in a 12-year-long lawsuit, and Apple ads network could bring new opportunities to marketers worldwide. Meanwhile, Google optimise is set to be removed this year, and Twitter is rolling out keyword ads to advertisers. More details can be found in this article.

Twitter rolls out search keyword ads to advertisers.

Microsoft Bing with ChatGPT reportedly launching in March 2023
Bing has announced the integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT Chatbot technology, enabling the site to answer search queries with complete sentences rather than just suggesting links and generic search results. Expected to launch towards the end of March 2023, it is intended to give Microsoft that significant edge over Google. It is creating a new level of rivalry between the two search platforms.

Microsoft already has a partnership with OpenAI. Microsoft already utilises Open AIs technology through OpenAI’s cloud services in tools that let users create text, code and imagery using instructions and learning models using internet data.

Microsoft has reportedly drawn a lot of attention to the platform within the tech community, specifically, after they announced that Microsoft was in talks to make a second, tens of billion-dollar investment in the AI business back in October 2022. Although it needs to be clarified whether the current version of GPT will power the service, Microsoft continues to collaborate with OpenAI on ways to integrate GPT into Bing with hopes of improving its user experience.

After Microsoft announced that it supports Open AI’s ChatGPT in BIng and edge browsers, Google retaliated by revealing its language model called “Brad”. However, it didn’t quite go to plan for Google as the AI chatbot gave incorrect answers during live demonstrations. The Bing ChatGPT is not available for everyone yet, and users must join a waiting list to join to use the tool.

You can try it out using the link here: https://www.bing.com/new

After seeing a 10x increase in Microsoft app downloads (according to data.ai.), could this be the beginning of the end for Google’s dominance over the search engine landscape and the start of Microsoft’s takeover?

 

The EU rules that Meta’s ad practices are illegal.

The European Union ruling could change the faces of Facebook and Instagram’s ad business. After the EU regulators found that Meta had illegally forced users to accept personalised ads, Meta was fined 390 Million Euros.

Meta was fined for using language within their terms of service that implied that users must allow their data to be used for the personalisation of ads or stop using the platforms altogether; users were left with no choice but to accept the terms to continue using the service. Meta has been given three months to outline how it will comply with the ruling. This could result in Meta allowing users to choose whether they want their data to be used for targeted ads; this puts Meta’s ad revenue at risk, putting about 5-7% of it at stake.

People advertising within the EU could be affected. Still, the changes Meta may have to make will potentially impact users in the United States as well, as many companies apply E.U. rules globally because it limits them from being affected within Europe.

Google to pay out up to $23 million in a 12-year lawsuit.

Consumers that say Google shared their queries with third parties without permission have finally ended a 12-year-long class action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that Google went against the Stored Communications Act, which governs access to records held by internet services in California.

The Customers affected will receive a $23 million payout, which is still under court consideration. Google must also provide added disclosures to consumers about sharing search terms. Privacy has become critical when running a website/ online business. With companies unsure how this will affect the future of advertising, privacy issues are still a hot topic.

You can read the settlement details here to learn more about the case.

Apple ads network brings marketers a new opportunity.

Apple is again making waves, but this time it is its ad network getting attention. Apple is now placing greater emphasis on prioritising its services category over its consumer products, focusing on aspects such as search ads and App Store.

Google and other major brands at the top of the search market, such as Amazon, are usually the first places people go; however, these brands have been under severe scrutiny lately from the government and consumers. Google has been dealing with antitrust battles in Europe and the U.S. and the hefty fines accompanying the rulings. Amazon has also suffered lousy press recently with a $1 billion antitrust case in the UK and false advertising surrounding Prime Day.

With both its main competitors under scrutiny, Apple has the opportunity to work its way up the search market. Andrew Lipsman from Insider Intelligence stated, “I can easily imagine a scenario in which Apple grabs 10% of Google’s nearly $150 billion search ad business, which would translate to a $15 billion opportunity”.

Despite this, Apple filed a new class action lawsuit against itself back in November 2022, claiming that it continued to track users even after disabling tracking in device settings. This

led to the case stating that Apple’s promises about their privacy settings were untrustworthy.

Apple has now stated that its goal is to triple its advertising revenue and has already made some significant steps in the right direction, paving its way with diversified revenue streams. However, Apple’s privacy settings and measurement efforts will continue to affect consumers and marketers.

Google Optimize will sunset this year.

From the 30th of September, 2023, Google Optimize and Optimize 360 won’t be available to run user experiments and personalisations; however, the ones users have set up already will continue to run until that date. These changes may affect marketers’ ability to conduct A/B testing and optimise their website or app’s user experience.

Google has decided to do this to better serve users by investing in solutions that give customers access to more robust and trustworthy A/B testing capabilities. They made a statement that they want to focus on ways that can improve users’ experience and through improving tools through Google Analytics 4. At the moment, it’s unclear whether this means that Google Optimize’s A/B testing facilities will eventually be available in GA4.

Twitter rolls out search keyword ads to advertisers.

In news from the world of social media marketing, Twitter has introduced a new ad unit called “Search Keywords Ads”, where advertisers can promote sponsored tweets in search results. Giving them the ability to reach further audiences, they can now pay for their tweets to be shown further up the search results page for specific keywords.

This update is similar to the promoted tweets that appear in users’ timelines but allows them to appear in search results. The new update is there to drive conversions to advertisers’ websites, and if users use Twitter Pixel or Conversion API on their websites, it can also maximise their relevance.

Reports have shown that ad spending on Twitter dropped by 71% in December 2022, mainly due to the top advertiser’s reduced spending on social media after Elon Musk took over. The company believes that this update will reinvigorate its ad revenue stream.

 

Bristol-based web design and brand agency, Squarebird, have evolved a new look for the biggest player in space sector recruitment, EVONA, to better echo their established impact and vision. 

Space for everyone.

EVONA is disrupting the recruitment scene, a consultancy team of space sector specialists with strong beliefs in the progression of knowledge and unlocking the potential of humankind. As they say, it’s in the name: EVO – to evolve, ONA – people.

An optical impact.

Telling the true story of space sector recruitment was vital. As all of us use space every day – to navigate, use our phones, and even watch TV – an optical style was needed to rewrite the narrative and open the industry to all.

Working with their existing branding, Squarebird explored the visual limits they wanted to push through style tiles, helping them move towards a clean, dark, space-inspired look. A tone of voice workshop allowed the team to discover the personality of the brand, bringing the notion to existence. The developed visual style was rolled out across the website using a cinematic, aspirational style – perfectly reflective of their vision and ambitions.

“Developing a strong online presence is central to our Marketing strategy as a space company on the forefront of innovation, so there was a lot riding on getting this right. Predictably, Squarebird have delivered an exceptional website that not only stands out amongst the competition, but functions far better than previous versions. The team got our vision very quickly and worked with us to develop a website to be proud of that was close to the brand direction we wanted to move in.

Working with Squarebird has been a great experience; the team are knowledgeable and their skills diverse enough to handle any of the issues developing websites could throw up.” – Adele Fox, Marketing Director at EVONA

A stellar design.

From extensive image manipulation, to editing and icon creation, every aspect of the website worked holistically for a cohesive brand experience. The website was brought to life in a collaborative way, ensuring the visuals, and ever-evolving message, aligned with the technical functionalities of the site. Integrating with multiple recruitment and marketing platforms, the website plays a functional role in streamlining their operations and ensuring a platform that better aligns with EVONA’s growth and maturity.

Having known and followed the EVONA crew since inception, it’s been amazing to grow alongside them, and be a part of their next stage of expansion. From the USA, UK and beyond, EVONA is – and will continue to be – a driving force within the space sector.

It was a pleasure to take their objectives and messaging and create a visual masterpiece to do it justice.” – Nick Bird, Managing Partner at Squarebird

View the full case study here.