Google surprised us this holiday season with a Core Update that turned search results upside down. But that's not all! Here's a look at how Ahrefs is challenging GA4, what’s happening with the TikTok ban, and where the latest spam update came from (spoiler: nobody knows).
As 2024 draws to a close, Google surprises us with a series of intriguing (and perhaps controversial) series of events. What will influence the work of SEO specialists, analysts, and marketers in the following months?
Ahrefs with GA4-like features
Tim Soulo introduced a new Ahrefs feature on LinkedIn—a straightforward web analytics system that might be an alternative to Google Analytics 4. The product works by placing a JavaScript snippet in a website’s <head> section, after which it starts collecting basic traffic data.
Advanced features like tracking conversions or custom events are missing for now, but that could change. The ability to monitor traffic directly from Ahrefs sounds promising, though concerns about GDPR compliance, data anonymization, and the company’s potential usage of collected data have already emerged.
Will this new service attract users frustrated by GA4’s complex setup? Only time will tell.
December surprised us first with a Core Update (it rolled out faster than expected—in less than a week instead of the usual 14 days). Then came the December Spam Update, announced on December 19, which focuses on eliminating spam from search results. SEO professionals note that introducing two major updates in such close succession might lead to unpredictable changes in search rankings.
Fluctuations in SERPs have spiked to such an extent that Semrush Sensor reported a “Googlequake” with a level of 9.4.
What’s all the fuss with TikTok?
The European Commission has launched proceedings against TikTok over suspicions of violating EU laws concerning foreign interference in Romania’s presidential elections. If the allegations are proven, the platform could face severe sanctions.
In the U.S., an appeals court rejected TikTok’s challenge to legislation requiring its Chinese owner to sell the platform. If the situation remains unresolved, TikTok may face a U.S. ban on January 19, 2025.
Let’s not forget that as of December, Google Search Console now offers a 24-hour data view. You can analyze your data even more thoroughly and carefully. Take into consideration clients’ behavior and their routine, and check your data everyday.
And finally – an SEO presentation to end the year on a positive note
Check out Mark Williams-Cook’s YouTube presentation, Improving Your SEO with Conceptual Models. It’s not an easy class, but an interesting one for sure!
Key takeaways include:
Site Quality Scores: assessing site quality, including brand query volume.
SEO as a Video Game: why SEO can be viewed this way.
Consensus Scoring in Google: how the algorithm shows diverse results for some queries but focuses on consensus for others.
Keyword Phrase Classification: how Google interprets and categorizes various query types.
An editor by profession. She has been working in marketing for the past 5 years — first in the social media teams of Krakow publishing houses, then in SEO and copywriting, until she finally decided to excel in content marketing and combine her organizational skills with her extraordinary linguistic sense of style. She works on content projects at Delante, conducting content audits, arranging content plans, and creating content for the most demanding clients. Privately, a cat behaviorist, future dog trainer, and a lover of tattoos and RPG games.
An editor by profession. She has been working in marketing for the past 5 years — first in the social media teams of Krakow publishing houses, then in SEO and copywriting, until she finally decided to excel in content marketing and combine her organizational skills with her extraordinary linguistic sense of style. She works on content projects at Delante, conducting content audits, arranging content plans, and creating content for the most demanding clients. Privately, a cat behaviorist, future dog trainer, and a lover of tattoos and RPG games.
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