Digital Marketing Guide: 2023 Review & 2024 Predictions

2023 was a year of dynamic and rapid changes in the digital marketing world. In this process, the innovations and developments that stood out in the sector were also remarkable. Now it is time to discuss the most important developments of this busy year that we left behind and expert opinions on how these developments will be reflected in 2024. With the contributions of professionals from our team, all of whom are experts in their fields, we have carefully prepared a comprehensive evaluation of 2023 and predictions for 2024 on SEO, Content Marketing, Generative AI, Marketing, PPC, and Web Analytics.

This content helps you shape the strategies you can implement in 2024 and sheds light on the important developments in 2023. You can use the panel on the left side to access the category you want easily. To learn more about the exciting innovations that await us in 2024, let's take a look at the assessments and comments of experts in the field!

SEO

In this section, you can examine the 2023 evaluation and 2024 predictions about SEO. Samet Özsüleyman and Mert Vahit Demir, who focus on Google Updates and SEO innovations, summarize the important developments of 2023 and share their predictions for 2024.

Samet Özsüleyman 

2023 was really a year full of Google updates and innovations, but that will be a classic sentence. You can find my thoughts about this year and my expectations from the SEO world in 2024 with the subheadings below:

Google and Updates

Since one of the areas of SEO I enjoy the most is structured data, there have been some very big and effective innovations and document updates in this area. In order not to miss out on improvements, I always follow the latest update dates of the official Google documentation and try to look at the differences between the two texts:

Unlike in other years, Google has started to give a little more detail to WMs in their quest for optimization the best. For example, from the most accurate use of the time format in which the article is published to user-agent definitions. I think limiting the display of FAQ schemas and restrictions on the use of How-to schemas were among the most important developments in the industry in recent times. In Technical SEO, we read suggestions such as not using 403 and 404 status codes to give more details and reduce crawl speed.

The biggest SEO updates we experienced in 2023:

• November 2: November 2023 broad core update,
• October 5: October 2023 update,
• September 14: September 2023 helpful content update,
• August 23: August 2023 broad core update,
• March 15: March 2023 core update.

As you do your year-end review, you can do analytics to look at how these updates have impacted your site or even specific parts of your site. That way you can really see how the organic channel has changed for your brand in 2023.

Search Console bugs and reporting delays were among the most common issues we faced this year:

Helpful Content & EEAT

Creating useful content has always been a priority for Google, but it has become even more critical. If there are no technical issues with your site, reviewing your content should be a top priority.

One of the most frequently asked questions I was asked in 2023 was questions like "My site is crawled very well, I have no deficiencies in issues such as site speed, but I can't get higher". In fact, here we need to look at our site from the outside and take action to turn the Google Helpful Content Update effects into positive ones. If you cannot take steps in this regard, we regret to say that your SEO efforts may not have a positive effect. 

To improve your content, if your writers are not experts in your field, you can ask writers who are experts in this field and who are good in terms of E-E-A-T to review your content and you can even allocate a budget for this. And when you start taking action, I'm talking about changing the content in a really meaningful way, not just a few characters:

We also saw what's new about the Review update and which languages it affects. You can definitely examine your position changes in these languages and take note of your shortcomings. It can be difficult to make EEAT improvements; but believe me, it is worth it. Especially when you consider that your competitors in Turkey are experiencing the same resistance, you will see the effects over time.

Google News & Discover

In 2023, publishers sometimes had problems with content such as breaking news due to late indexing issues in Google News. In this period, we saw different innovations in areas such as A/B tests, Google showing different designs to many users, and Top Stories. 

While low-quality news sites sometimes faced penalties, on occasion, they also appeared in search queries where they did not exhibit high expertise, partly due to deficiencies in Google's algorithms. Another issue that I have seen during the year is that sites that update their news while the events are ongoing increase their traffic and SEO visibility. Since the competition is fierce, providing the highest quality news can make a distinct difference:

We have experienced algorithm updates that have also affected Google Discover, and these updates are of course ongoing. My suggestion to publisher sites is that if you publish news comments, optimize them as much as possible and publish them by moderating the content that will reduce the quality of the news (such as bad words or insults). In this way, the rankings of the news you have worked hard for can get better. If you haven't read it yet, you can also check the Google News SEO article.

AI

Yes, I know, maybe you are bored, you don't have time to read, there is "AI" content everywhere. I have already written an article about the future of Generative AI. We can do many simple things we do daily faster using AI. In the 2024 expectations section, I will talk about artificial intelligence and changes in Google.

2024 Expectations

- Research shows that only 33% of the links shown in the SERP results come from the first 3 standard organic results.

SEO experts should be prepared in the new year to adopt strategies that are compatible with the changing search dynamics brought about by the CTA. For example, you can analyze which results are suitable for which intent in the field you serve. You can see the main difference between the SSI and traditional searches as follows:

You can plan to tailor your SEO strategy for both organic searches and generative AI outputs. For example, you can accurately answer all questions on your site and cite authoritative sources:

Each industry will be differently affected by SGE. You need to analyze the changes in your own sector.

- I hope "News Showcase" on Google News will come to Turkey. Greece has also recently received this innovation. 2024 may be a year when we can see big changes on the Google News side:

- E-commerce sites can prioritize innovations that may be on the Google Shopping and Merchant Center side:

- Google's method of assessing author credibility may become more nuanced, and we might begin to see more genuinely specialized sites in the results. The ProfilePage schema developments of the last few weeks and Google's better understanding of individual authors could lead to radical changes in the EEAT concept.

- I think structured data will make a name for itself this year. Sites that have already completed their schema-related optimizations beforehand will already be able to follow the results quickly if there is a SERP innovation developed by Google. For example, below is a sample schema type related to return policies:

- You can assess whether you are affected by the filter changes in Google Safe Search on a page-by-page basis by looking at your site's traffic.  Of course, do this if you have a lot of URLs. I think Google may take different steps in the new year in terms of safe search and data protection. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) may become more important in the SERP.

- This year, we might see more explicit guidance in SEO improvements that previously felt intuitive or were unknown. For example, we can see updates such as the price phrase should not be used on airfare pages.

In 2024, the performance of sites that stay out of the industry or fail to respond to developments in a timely manner may be negatively affected. Especially all efforts made to make the content of the highest quality will return to you positively.

I hope the new year will be a year where we all have plenty of quality organic traffic :)

Mert Vahit Demir 

Google Updates and Innovations

2023 will be remembered as a year in which we discovered successive updates and innovations at regular intervals. Especially in the last quarter, we can say that it took a long time to complete the October-November Core Update which had a serious impact on SEO experts.  

Speaking of updates, Google shares updates as a summary in the control panel. Here we can state that some updates have more impact on both SEO experts and site owners. While this effect started with the September 2023 Helpful Content update, we left behind a period in which we experienced spam updates, especially Core Update in October and November. We say we left it behind, but I hope we will not face new update news in the last days of the year :)

2023 brought with it AI-oriented tools and more effective use of them in our strategy. The concept of Generative AI consultancy gained more attention in Turkey and we are leaving behind a year in which almost all departments of our brands strive to take action in the focus of artificial intelligence.

The expression "content is king", which has been going on in the industry for years, continued to have an impact in 2023. We can say that there have been quite large optimization areas in order to make the positive effects of content on sites more technically efficient. For example, if your service pages contain the main content of your site, you should add information about the person who prepared the content along with the dates and times of its creation and updates. At this point, the concept known to SEO experts as EAT has been updated as E-E-A-T. Although this update was announced by Google in late 2022, its impact in 2023 is quite high. 

In Search Console, Google's tool, both UX-oriented improvements and removed modules were on our agenda. For example, details regarding which version of your site is crawled more frequently are no longer provided.

The mobile-first indexing process was completed in 2023. This process started in 2016 with MFI and today, Google has mentioned that it can save resources with mobile indexing. Google will continue to reduce crawling with the desktop Googlebot as much as possible.

My Expectations in 2024

In the volatile world of digital marketing, the future of SEO will continue to be shaped by ever-evolving algorithms and user habits. In 2024, the trends that will determine SEO strategies will be closely linked to the advancement of technology and the evolution of user behavior. In 2024, we will continue to talk about a lot of updates and SERP changes.  

The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the SEO world stands out among the rising trends. AI and ML increase efficiency and effectiveness in many processes from keyword research to content optimization. In 2024, it is expected that companies will adopt more AI and ML-focused processes and find different applications.

In 2024, voice search optimization should play a central role in brands' content strategies. Natural language processing and query response, which are gaining importance in SEO, require the creation of content that aligns with users’ voice queries.

Keyword research continues to play an important role in content marketing. In 2024, this research needs to be aligned with real user needs and intentions, and content needs to be shaped accordingly. We should combine user intent-driven pages with AI-influenced strategies.

The future of SEO will be shaped by accurate data analysis and a user-centered approach. Success in 2024 will be possible with flexibility and continuous learning. In this dynamic environment, keeping your SEO strategy up-to-date and adapting quickly to trends will determine the success of your digital marketing efforts.

We hope that 2024 will be a year where strategies are not only discussed but also where we can witness the tangible effects of these strategies in the SERPs, without the long-lasting burdens of updates.

Content Marketing

Ezgi Gülsen Yaylı and Onur Özcan discuss the dynamic changes in Content Marketing that occurred in 2023, especially with the integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence. By reviewing the comments, you can develop your content marketing strategy in 2024 and take your brand one step further.

Ezgi Gülsen Yaylı 

Generative AI and Content Marketing

I see generative AI poised to transform content marketing and provide us with unique opportunities to scale content production. As AI models further evolve, they will take over a significant portion of content production, which allows us to focus more on strategy and personalization. This shift will not only increase efficiency but also open new doors for creativity as AI-generated content becomes indistinguishable from human-generated content. As a result, we will experience a dynamic industry where AI and human creativity collaborate to innovate in content marketing.

The Growing Importance of Content for Google with EEAT

With Google's creation of the E-E-A-T definition, the emphasis on quality content has increased, and in 2023 this was a significant development. I believe this trend will continue to strengthen in the future. With high-quality, informative content becoming more important in search engine rankings, it is necessary to invest more in creating authoritative and trustworthy content. Google's continued focus on these factors ensures that content marketing strategies are closely aligned with value-driven and user-centered content creation.

The Impact of Generation Z on Digital Content Trends

Generation Z's dominance of digital content is influencing in shaping marketing trends. Their preferences and behaviors are shaping consumer behavior, prompting digital marketing professionals to adapt their content strategies accordingly. This is likely to result in a shift toward short, visually compelling content on platforms that resonate with Gen Z. As Gen Z's economic power grows, they will influence both the type of content produced and the preferred channels for digital marketing.

In 2023 and beyond, I see content marketing undergoing a major transformation, driven by technological advances and changing dynamics. Generative AI has begun to play a key role in the industry, enhancing creative processes and efficiency. Google's EEAT criteria continue to emphasize the need for high-quality, expert content creation which is shaping content strategies for brands. Furthermore, Generation Z's preferences are driving innovative and adaptive content trends. These developments suggest that content marketing will become increasingly aligned with user needs, more personalized, and more efficient.

Onur Özcan

Content Marketing in 2023 and its Impact on the Industry

2023 brought many innovations and developments. It was a year where we encountered new AI tools. 

Led by AI, personalization, data analytics, and user-centric approaches, this year also saw significant developments in content marketing. Especially with the Helpful Content Update introduced by Google, we have entered a period that encourages content producers and brands that want to benefit from the power of content to create more meaningful and user-oriented content. 

Without wasting any more time, let's take a closer look at how content marketing has changed in 2023 and the impact of these changes on the industry.

1. User-centered Approach Becomes More Important

Google's Helpful Content Update had a major impact on brands' content marketing strategies in 2023. With this update, algorithms have been further refined to deliver the most relevant and useful content possible to users' queries.

It's no longer sufficient for content to be merely SEO-friendly. Content that has high quality, directly touches the problems of the target audience, is informative, and fully serves the search intent has become more prominent. This has led brands to be more meticulous in their content production processes.

By the way, speaking of search intent, I strongly recommend you to take a look at the comprehensive content we have written on User Intent.

2. E-E-A-T Effect

This evaluation criterion, which entered our lives with Google and was previously known as E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), underwent a significant change in late 2022. An additional 'E' for Experience was added to this acronym.

With this rating criterion included in Google's Search Quality Rating Guide, experience has become more important. This had a significant impact on websites and content marketing efforts in 2023.

Thanks to E-E-A-T, high quality content prepared by experts and experienced people has come to the forefront. This has opened the door for brands to start working with more experienced content experts.

If you still don't know how to make your site better quality with E-E-A-T, don't forget to take a look at the article titled "How Can You Make Your Site Quality in Google with E-E-A-T?" written by Samet Özsüleyman, one of our teammates!

3. AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Automation

In 2023, content marketers around the world began to better understand the power of AI. The progress made in just one year is so tremendous that it is hard to predict how much AI will impact and improve the industry going forward.

Anyway, let's continue our look at what this year has brought to the world of content marketing.

AI-based content production tools, advanced tools designed to assist with spelling and grammar, tools that enable automatic text expansion and content optimization... Each of these tools has reduced the workload for content marketers and opened up a more strategic workspace for us.  

These tools have helped us develop a competitive content strategy, especially for small businesses with low budgets. They've made it easier for brands and content creators to make better use of our time.

4. Visual and Interactive Content is Now More Valuable

This year has been a year in which visual and interactive content has become more important. Live broadcasts on social media, interactive infographics, AR/VR experience, and short video content were all well received by users. 

In fact, this kind of content is worth its weight in gold. Its value continues to grow each year, attracting increasing interest from audiences. 

After all, in this digital age, we are surrounded by content left, right, front, and back... This naturally pushes the target audience to be more selective. People prefer interactive content that they can interact with more, rather than unnecessarily long and boring content. In video content, short videos attract more attention.

We can say that brands are also using this type of content frequently this year to attract users' attention and increase interactions. 

In addition, in the report published by the Content Marketing Institute, we can see that almost 3 out of 4 B2B marketers prefer email newsletters for content distribution. We can state that this is another point that shows that Email Marketing has still not lost its impact.

5. Voice Search and Podcasts

We all know the rise of voice calls and podcasts... This trend is expected to continue throughout 2023. Especially with the rise of remote working and multitasking lifestyles, users are looking for more accessible and versatile ways to consume content.

Brands that don't want to lose audience interest and constantly strive to keep up with the times have embraced this trend by investing in voice search optimization and creating their own podcast series. 

If you still don't know how to optimize your website for voice searches and are looking for practical tips, check out Semrush's blog Voice Search Optimization: 6 Tips to Improve Your Results!

6. Data-Driven Content Marketing

Data is undoubtedly one of the most important advantages of today. The power of data is utilized in many areas from politics to marketing. Content marketing stands out as one of the sectors where a data-driven approach will make a big difference. In 2023, how did this focus on data transform content marketing?

Leveraging the power of data, content marketers were able to optimize their content strategies much more efficiently this year with user behavior and content performance analysis. 

Brands that failed to utilize data risked falling behind, while those that embraced data-driven strategies advanced. Advanced analytics tools have played an important role in measuring how effective content is and making content planning data-driven.

As you can see in the research conducted by Invespcro, 40% of brands globally aim to increase their data-driven marketing budgets. In the same research, it is revealed that brands that create a data-driven strategy are much more advantageous in terms of ROI.

What Can I Expect in 2024? 

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, 2023 was a rich year for content marketing in terms of innovation, user-centricity, and AI integration.

Developments in AI, data analytics, and interactive content helped brands improve the user experience. 

As a content marketer, I must say that I am very excited about 2024. Because the importance of quality content is increasing day by day. Both Google bots and your target audience are looking for better-quality content. 

Especially with the popular AI Content Generator tools such as Writesonic, Rytr, and Jasper introduced so far, the content production adventure has come to a completely different point. 

Content writers who can use AI better will start to stand out. AI tools will be used much more effectively in content processes. Content writers and brands will strive to produce better quality content in a shorter time by utilizing the power of artificial intelligence. 

Apart from these, I foresee that new tools will emerge in the new year that offer both visual and written content together in a very high-quality way. We are waiting for a process where we can offer much higher quality content to the target audience with more advanced artificial intelligence tools. 

I believe that these trends will continue to evolve in the coming year and content marketing will become a dynamic field that requires constant adaptation. 

Above all, I believe that brands that use artificial intelligence in the right way and never ignore the human element while doing so will maintain a much more successful content strategy.

Generative AI 

In 2023, Ozan Ketenci summarized the revolutionary impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence, which has carried its name to the top and started to be used in almost every sector. In 2024, by examining the trends in artificial intelligence, which is expected to expand its applications even further, enhance your work efficiency and stay informed!

Ozan Ketenci 

2023: The year of milestones in Generative AI technologies

The year 2023 was an important year in the field of Generative Artificial Intelligence. This year, the use of generative AI technologies increased phenomenally. These advancements have fundamentally altered the way we understand communication between humans and machines and the nuances of human language.

One of the most remarkable advances in generative AI technologies has been the ability to generate compelling stories. The capabilities of these AI models have gone far beyond simple text generation, enabling a better understanding of the context, emotions, and nuances involved in human communication. Language models can now do more than produce text; they can also understand and interpret the emotions and contexts underlying that text. This progress has opened the door to personalized communication methods, such as creating stories tailored to personal preferences and crafting emails that can be tailored to the recipient's communication style.

The GPT-4, unveiled in March, pushes the boundaries of AI capabilities even further. Not only can it render text more naturally and accurately, but it can now also understand and process images. In other words, we can now work not only with text but also with different types of content.

Image Generation:

AI-powered image generation tools like DALL-E 3 and Midjourney have reshaped the fields of art and visual design. With these tools, users can now create detailed and realistic images using only simple written commands. In particular, DALL-E 3 overcame a significant challenge in artificial intelligence by incorporating text into images.

Adobe's introduction of Firefly, an image generation tool, marked another significant innovation. This provided designers with a powerful tool within the already familiar Adobe ecosystem. This has contributed to the growing popularity of AI in the creative process.

Video Generation:

Similarly, AI-powered video generators made great strides in 2023. Platforms such as Synthesia and Runway ML pioneered the creation, editing, and enhancement of video using AI. These tools made video production widely accessible to everyone, enabling the production of high-quality content without the need for extensive filming equipment or advanced editing skills. The ability to generate videos from text commands has particularly revolutionized marketing and content creation.

OpenAI's Whisper:

One of the notable innovations in 2023 was the introduction of the latest version of Whisper, the automatic speech recognition system developed by OpenAI. Whisper was intensively trained on a vast dataset comprising 680,000 hours of multilingual and diverse audio. This allowed the system to perform much more robustly against different accents, background sounds, and specialized terms.

These advances mark a significant shift in how generative AI is perceived and used. No longer just generating text, these technologies are more advanced than ever before in understanding and responding to human language. The year 2023 marked a turning point in the journey of generative AI, setting a new standard for future innovations and applications.

Of course, the whole year was not all positive developments. The rapid advancement of generative AI technologies has also raised significant ethical and security concerns.

Data Privacy and Security:

In 2023, one of the main concerns was data privacy and security. Generative AI systems, especially large language models (LLMs), consume vast amounts of data, which can pose control and privacy risks. Issues such as problematic data sources, unauthorized use, and inherent biases in the data posed significant challenges.

Copyright Claims:

There were also a number of high-profile instances of copyright infringement throughout the year.  These cases highlighted the importance of stricter regulations and ethical standards for AI's use of existing works and content.

What can we expect from 2024?

In 2024, we can expect many advances and developments in the fields of large language models (LLMs) and Generative AI. Here are some key trends and predictions:

• On-Device LLMs: One of the most exciting developments for me is that Generative AI technologies will be more efficiently designed to run directly on devices. Unlike cloud-based systems, these on-device LLMs will be able to bring advanced language processing capabilities to users' smartphones, tablets, and even wearable technologies such as smartwatches.

• Multimodal Artificial Intelligence: We can expect Multimodal AI technology, which can process different types of data such as text, image, and voice together, to become even more prominent in the coming period. With this technology, AI systems will be able to understand and interact with the world in ways similar to human sensory and thinking abilities.

• Small Language Models (SLMs): While the focus in recent years has been on large language models (LLMs), 2024 could see the rise of small language models. Despite their smaller size, these models can be trained specifically for certain domains or tasks, enabling us to achieve higher performance.

• Open Source LLMs: I am confident that we will see open source large language models (LLMs) continue to be a catalyst for innovation and development in a variety of fields. Open source projects will make it even easier for AI technologies to be accessible to everyone and will continue to accelerate developments in this field.

• Security and Ethical Concerns: As LLMs continue to grow in size, become more complex, and their use cases increase day by day, security will become a much more important issue. Issues such as data poisoning and bias will start to be taken more seriously. Ethical issues such as the use of Responsible AI will occupy more of the agenda.

Marketing

Ahmet Can Kavak, Didem Himmetli, and Nursena Küçüksoy share their comments on the last point of publishing, 2023 - 2024 digital marketing - artificial intelligence trends and data-driven marketing! In our content, you can learn about the innovations that changed the marketing world in 2023 and create your digital marketing strategy for 2024.

Ahmet Can Kavak 

Video Marketing in 2023

With the continued growth of video marketing across all platforms in 2023, driven by entertainment and social media video, digital marketing teams have struggled to produce the content needed to regularly feed their omnichannel marketing strategies. Editing footage is becoming more challenging than ever. As a result, for many content creators, video editing has become a tedious and time-consuming process.

However, with the introduction of artificial intelligence, new video editor tools are helping us solve this problem quickly. These tools automatically handle lengthy video editing tasks, enabling marketing teams to increase productivity. In the time it takes to produce just one video clip, a single person can now produce dozens of videos customized for different platforms and audiences. With tools that focus on rote tasks like automated transcripts, captions, and studio-quality audio editing, content creators can spend more time creating compelling stories.

A/B tests show that AI-optimized videos drive more traffic and increase conversions on social media and YouTube. As a result, in 2023, with AI, video editors are helping digital marketing teams get the most out of their content by enabling them to do more with less.

Let's explore some of the benefits AI brings to the video editing process:

• Faster Editing: AI can automatically generate editable transcripts and subtitles, eliminating laborious manual transcription tasks that can take hours. Creators can now upload their videos into their video editing tool and create subtitles for the entire video with a single click.
• Enhanced Creativity: AI makes complex features like object and background removal simpler, without the need for a green screen. This could make Hollywood-level scenes accessible to everyone.
• Simplified Workflows: Easy-to-use interfaces allow beginner creators to edit like the pros. AI reduces the steep learning curve of video editing by allowing creators to use simple commands.
• Personalization: Smart algorithms can now analyze footage to identify the best segments for different audiences and platforms, and adapt the same video for different platforms and audiences. This makes it easier to create customized content segments.
• Cost Savings: Automating the tedious parts of editing has significantly reduced the demand for expensive editing resources. This makes the budget more flexible for other marketing efforts.

In short, AI-powered tools provide you with videos that are produced in a fraction of the time, cost, and complexity that every video editor wants. Let's briefly examine some tools that use artificial intelligence support in video editing:

Descript

Descript is a platform for video editing, podcast production, screen recording, and smart transcriptions. With its transcription feature, it allows users to convert videos into text documents, saving a huge amount of time in creating subtitles and generating text content about the video.

When you upload footage to Descript, an editable transcript is automatically generated, and synchronized with the video timeline. Edits made to the text can also be reflected in the actual footage. Descript also offers audio cleaning features such as noise removal and audio normalization.

Descript also allows for speech isolation, reduces unwanted background noise, normalizes levels, and removes unwanted words with basic audio cleanup features. You can create previews of the video clips you create to share on social media using sounds from the royalty-free music library.

Gling

Gling analyzes footage to create an editable transcript, remove long silences, and, most importantly, detect bad takes. By examining repeated phrases, Gling is able to detect sections where the speaker uses incorrect lines, automatically suggesting cuts to remove unwanted segments. This "bad take removal" can save hours in editing your footage.

For creators and businesses that regularly publish videos with a single speaker, Gling is a must-try tool for speeding up editing. It focuses specifically on speeding up editing for common "talking head" style videos with a single speaker. Like Descript, the tool automatically analyzes raw footage to create an AI-powered editable transcript text file.

From there, Gling's magic begins, using machine learning algorithms to identify bad segments where the speaker misspeaks or repeats phrases. By analyzing repeated words and phrases, it identifies unwanted sections of rambling speech or incorrect lines, saving manual work, which can cut editing time by over 90%.

Adobe Podcast Vocal Enhancer

While the first two tools focus on broader video editing, Adobe Vocal Enhancer focuses specifically on audio cleanup. Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, this free web tool quickly removes distracting background noise and echo from audio tracks in just a few clicks.

Thanks to a machine learning algorithm, it isolates and enhances the essential vocal track while suppressing surrounding sounds. This can save low-quality audio recorded in noisy environments. In a few seconds, you can download the enhanced audio, ready for immediate use.

You can clarify podcast recordings, interview audio, and clean up background noises like air conditioning hum or wind noise with Adobe Vocal Enhancer.

Opus Clip

Opus Clip tackles the challenge of long-form video content. The AI assistant discovers great moments in long-form videos, podcasts, and broadcasts and quickly gives us video snippets to filter for use on other platforms.

With Opus Clip, creators simply access a YouTube video or upload a long recording directly. Sophisticated algorithms scan all media to identify short viral clips - the great moments that get lost in the full-length original. It can even automatically generate new titles and descriptions for each suggested highlight.

Using Opus Clip, you can create eye-catching social media content with intros, subtitles, and captions in a single click.

CapCut

Finally, CapCut offers creators a versatile video editing app for both smartphones and desktops. Its streamlined interface makes the professional-grade tools accessible to everyone with a slight learning curve. CapCut has equipped the entire video editing process with artificial intelligence capabilities.

Notable features include automatic audio and video transcriptions, text-to-speech voiceover creation, customizable subtitles, basic visual effects, and more.

Background removal and green screen-style filters leverage machine learning for easy object isolation without a physical green screen setup. Even color grading settings apply AI-optimized aesthetic filters.

The Future of Video Editing with Artificial Intelligence

The video editing tools we've looked at show how AI can streamline many of the repetitive parts of the video editing process today. But these capabilities are just a taste of what's to come.

Given the rapid progress in AI, the future promises even more jaw-dropping breakthroughs. Here are two extremely exciting areas to keep an eye on:

• Automated Editing: Instead of just performing discrete tasks like transcription, AI will be able to make more editing decisions to completely piece together videos with zero human intervention. Early tools can already put together highlighted segments and create rough cuts of longer videos. Soon algorithms will become more creative and skillful helpers.
• Synthetic Media: An emerging class of "generative AIs" like Pika.art can create near-photorealistic synthetic videos. Algorithms generate massive data sets to create fake but convincingly natural images and sounds. This allows an unlimited amount of unique media content to be automatically generated with prompts that it has entered.

As these tools and capabilities evolve, producing engaging videos will become exponentially more efficient at scale. Instead of struggling with editing, creators can focus on different ideas to create compelling stories, messages, and experiences.

In the coming years, AI video creation is expected to be as fast as today's AI image creators. What currently takes tens or hundreds of hours will soon take just minutes. Video creators who capitalize on these technologies early will have the opportunity to gain a distinct competitive advantage in their field.

Didem Himmetli 

2023 Digital Marketing and AI Trends & 2024 Predictions

Artificial intelligence technology, which is one of the benefits of the digital age we live in, has caused radical changes in the way we do business. To keep up with this age and be a part of digital innovation, we must actively follow new trends and updates that emerge every day and be in a position to compete successfully with our competitors in the sector. The development of AI, which started a long time ago, has been intensely effective in many sectors in 2023. Sectors such as marketing, banking, finance, insurance, and e-commerce were among the sectors that gained efficiency in their organizations by using artificial intelligence intensively in areas such as data analysis, customer service, logistics, risk assessment, and pricing.

                                                                           Source, Adobe Firefly

In addition to being able to analyze very large data sets, AI enables increased productivity by customizing decision-making processes. Performing routine tasks that we used to deal with for hours, but which are not productive in terms of both personal and company development, in shorter periods using AI automation allows us to save time. When we use this time we save with AI to conduct research for the development of the company, to develop new products, and projects or to create AI-integrated automation, efficiency, and productivity can be increased in the company.

ChatGPT, launched in late 2022, truly revolutionized the field of content marketing, one of the most actively used areas of artificial intelligence. ChatGPT was followed by AI chatbots such as Microsoft Bing, Google Bard, Perplexity, and Claude, each with different features. AI chatbots helped us get the efficiency we would get from search engines in a more comprehensive and organized way. Creating content using AI tools has become very easy thanks to tools that transform a variety of formats from text to images, from images to text to video into something different and unique.

2023 Digital Marketing and AI Trends

The 2023 digital marketing trends include content marketing, short videos, providing a personalized experience, voice search optimization, mobile compatibility, data privacy and security, AR, VR, and of course the rise of AI and machine learning. Looking back at 2023 through our own experiences, we can see how these trends affected us throughout the year.

                                                                          Source, Adobe Firefly

• Content marketing has had many innovations in 2023 within the scope of developing technology and changing consumer expectations. Among these, artificial intelligence-supported content and interactive sharing are at the forefront. In 2023, we started to create content in various formats such as text-to-text, text-to-visual, video, and video-to-text in content marketing with AI, and to improve our existing content. AI has supported our business like a colleague with extensive knowledge in every subject and will continue to do so. In 2023, AI innovations in content marketing include effective content creation, natural language processing and machine learning technologies, and the ability of AI to analyze large data sets, enabling a more personalized experience by creating content based on user's interests. In addition to these, AI, which is a valuable resource in the blog creation process by acting as a search engine, is also a guide in creating a correct marketing strategy as it can measure the movements of the target audience. With the visual content creation feature, you can also have the opportunity to create visuals suitable for your content with prompts prepared in accordance with the main theme of the content and the right guidance.
  
• Short videos are one of the trends that we can examine under the title of content marketing and it is the right marketing method to attract the attention of consumers and interact with the brand. With the increase in distractions, attention spans are also decreasing. While reading a long article or watching a long video, consumers unfortunately tend to get distracted. In order to prevent this, short videos consisting of the main topics we want to emphasize have gained more meaning in 2023 and have become a marketing method that every sector should adopt. According to the We Are Social Digital 2023 report, there are 4.76 billion social media users in the world as of this year. In other words, social media channels are becoming increasingly important to reach our target audience. Especially platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok can be suitable platforms for short videos. Sharing short videos of our brand on the platform we choose according to the audience we target can be the right method to impress potential customers.
• User-generated content is also among the trends of 2023. When users see the comments they have made about a product or service on the brand's digital channels, a bond is formed between them and the brand. In their next purchases, they tend to comment more and start praising the brand on different channels. This allows the brand to advertise at very low costs.
• The number of people who prefer mobile devices for internet use is increasing day by day, which requires that the content we offer on our website or any platform on the internet should be well organized in terms of mobile compatibility. The ease of access to information and the abundance of similar products and brands cause consumers to leave the website at the first problem they experience and turn to one of the competitors. In order to prevent such problems, we have to check the mobile compatibility of our presence on the Internet.
• Voice search-oriented content optimization, which allows us to reach our target audience in a more engaging and personalized way, has become much more popular in 2023. As the importance of voice assistants grows, optimizing the content we add to our site for spoken queries has also gained importance. With the development of AI, voice assistants have also become smarter and started to respond to users more appropriately and accurately. As one of our 2024 goals, we can optimize our website for voice search and ensure that the content you create contains long-tail keywords and a natural spoken language so that our target audience searching with voice search engines will easily find our content.

2024 Projections

Due to the age we live in, it is very easy to access information. With AI making its mark in 2023, many sectors, companies, and individuals started writing articles, creating newsletters, and creating content in countless formats on AI. This has led to information pollution and the feeling that we need to look at all sources in order not to be left behind, which means that we have to learn more information. For this reason, conducting our research through specific sources we trust and following innovations through specific newsletters play a key role in preventing this pollution. The opposite situation is true for AI chatbots, we need to use artificial intelligence chat tools such as Bard, Bing, ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity more at every opportunity. Because AI is a system that learns and develops as it is used, and the more we use it, the more it is able to understand what we want and share quality suggestions. In 2024, we should focus more on AI, we can use artificial intelligence efficiently by creating prompts that will make our jobs easier and preparing AI-integrated documents.

According to an article by Think with Google, by 2024, AI will eliminate legacy technologies such as third-party cookies. In this case, we need to start researching what needs to be done to get used to the new world order without cookies. It will be good for the future to learn which website infrastructures will be updated by conducting tests on the subject and to allocate some budget to be used in this field.

In 2024, we can also say that the use of AI will increase in almost all industries and will be used more consciously and within the scope of specific goals. For example, it is predicted that AI will provide more protection by detecting data breaches in cyber security issues, will be used more actively in customer service, and AI will be the first place we will go in the process of creating all kinds of advertising and marketing campaigns.

May 2024 be a profitable year in which you quickly adapt to AI and digital marketing innovations!

Nursena Küçüksoy

Data-Driven Marketing: 2023 Outlook and 2024 Predictions

In the digital age, marketing has evolved into a data-rich field where consumer behavior can be measured, interactions can be tracked, and campaign success can be increased through detailed insights. Data-driven marketing is the result of the merger of data analytics with marketing. 

Data-driven marketing is becoming a necessity rather than a benefit for businesses in 2023. Data-driven marketing has transformed insights and made it possible to create successful marketing strategies in the digital age of big data.

Deep insights into customer behavior have emerged and brands can now develop personalized, targeted ads. Companies have leveraged data-driven insights for channel optimization, product innovation, audience targeting, and content production.

In the digital age, data analytics has emerged as the key to creating lasting loyalty.  Through data analytics, businesses have made data analytics a priority internally, turning insight-based predictions into action. In this article, we will examine the state of data-driven marketing in 2023 and the developments that await us in 2024!

Foundations for Data-Driven Decision-Making in 2023: Tools, Technologies, and Strategies

The growing importance of data-driven marketing will be reinforced in 2023 by analytics platforms, tools, and technologies that show how we can turn unstructured data into a strategic competitive advantage.

Analytics Platforms 

Analytics platforms facilitate communication between people and data. With the help of GA4, we are able to predict user behavior and outcomes and provide guidance on marketing solutions for our clients. A 360-degree picture of the customer journey is also provided by Adobe Analytics, which offers detailed insights into cross-platform interactions and customer funnels.

Source: Leonardo.Ai

New Technologies 

Data analytics relies heavily on advanced technologies such as Big Data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. These cutting-edge technologies analyze massive numbers, generate insights, and automate the process to drive marketing strategy and innovation. Machine learning has emerged as a revolutionary force for anticipating consumer needs, increasing customer engagement, and optimizing campaign performance.  

Strategies 

Data-driven forecasting made campaign targeting and customer segmentation more effective. This would ensure that the appropriate channels were recognized to the appropriate audience at the appropriate time. This strategy made it possible for each marketing campaign to connect with consumers on a personal level. 

The developments of 2023 created a strong foundation for data-driven marketing.  The tools and strategies enhanced existing strategies while illuminating the path of areas that could be developed in the coming years.

Achievements and Data Gains 

In 2023, data-driven marketing has changed the way businesses perceive and engage with their customers. Let's take a look at a few examples of successful data-driven strategies.

How Netflix's Personalized Recommendation System Works

Netflix's ability to engage with viewers on data-driven personalization has been a huge success. By analyzing customer data such as viewing history, search habits, and content ratings, Netflix has created a personalized experience that keeps users coming back for more. You can learn how Netflix's recommendation system works here.

Source: Netflix Tech Blog

The image above explains the basis of Netflix's personalization system. To personalize the image used to depict Good Will Hunting, it looks at how much a subscriber prefers different genres and themes. A subscriber who has watched a lot of romantic movies might be interested in Good Will Hunting if shown an image featuring Matt Damon and Minnie Driver, while a subscriber who has watched more comedies might be interested in the movie if shown an image featuring Robin Williams.

Achievements

• The recommendation system drives more than 80% of the content published on the platform. 
• High customer satisfaction and increased watch time thanks to personalized content.
• Successful original content creation and app development with audience data trends.

American Express: Predictive Analytics for Customer Retention

American Express uses predictive analytics to identify customers who are or may be considering switching to another service. By identifying behaviors that indicate dissatisfaction through extensive analysis, it engages with customers in advance and addresses their concerns directly, increasing retention rates. 

The Digital Labs team of 100 technologists from around the world was responsible for integrating Mezi, an AI assistant that offers travel booking advice to customers. AmEx acquired the company behind Mezi and has used its technology in some of its services.

Source: TechCrunch

Digital Labs has developed the "Reward Checking" account, a consumer banking product that earns reward points for every dollar customers spend with their debit cards and then converts those reward points into direct deposits. This account offers a high yield of 1% per annum.

AmEx also established the "Pay by Wire Transfer" feature. This feature allows online merchants to add an AmEx-powered button to the payment options they accept. By pressing the "Bank Transfer" button, customers can link their account to one of the supported banks and thus avoid credit card transaction fees.

Howard Grosfield, President, U.S. Consumer Services, responded to a question about what American Express is doing to deliver the best customer experience: "The focus has been on expanding services from payments and digital banking to travel, dining, and members-only events. With premium cards, we can help get a table at popular restaurants or plan a travel itinerary."

Achievements

• Predictive analytics tools reduced customer churn.
• Personalized retention offers and services increased customer loyalty and satisfaction.
• Enhanced customer service earned American Express a J.D. Power award for customer satisfaction.

Metrics and KPIs

The success of data-driven campaigns emphasizes key performance indicators that show customer satisfaction, retention, and growth. To evaluate the impact of their data-driven strategies, Netflix and American Express examine metrics such as streaming hours, user retention rates, customer satisfaction indicators, and churn rates.

The customer experience was improved by the data-driven approach of the brands studied. A data-driven approach is predicted to be successful for brands in the future.

Challenges in Data Collection and Strategy

Much has changed in data-driven marketing. Despite these developments, there are challenges. The field of data collection and use is constantly evolving and new regulations are being added. Consumers' privacy concerns are growing with the ever-increasing scope of data collection.

The adoption of the CCPA in California, the GDPR in Europe, and the KVKK in Turkey has had a broad impact on every business. New regulations have made it imperative to maintain data integrity in marketing decisions. Data governance includes new processes such as validation protocols and regular cleaning of databases. The new regulations, while challenging for businesses at first, have allowed the marketing industry to build data-driven models focused on consumer privacy and be more resilient to future obstacles.

Personalization: Personalization and Privacy in 2024

As we enter 2024, personalization will become increasingly important in marketing. Personalization involves leveraging real-time data and advanced analytics to provide experiences tailored to individuals' current situations and behavior. Such strategies are predicted to deepen in the coming year. Websites and apps will adapt to user interactions in real-time, offering each user a different and engaging usage journey. 2024 is seen as the year when brands will use the level of personalization to create interactions based on customer behavior.

The latest technologies are expected to support personalization. Machine learning and artificial intelligence will make it possible to quickly analyze and act on large data sets. Marketers will have the ability to cover the customer journey more comprehensively and communicate in a more personalized way, as Customer Data Platforms (CDP) will become more relevant. Wearable technology and IoT will combine online and offline experiences and begin to serve as sources of behavioral data.

Balancing Personalization and Privacy

Personalization and consumer privacy are crucial. In 2024, it will be difficult for businesses to maintain the balance between personalization and privacy. Transparency and control over how consumer data is used to improve the consumer experience through consumers' explicit consent is crucial. Deeper personalization while protecting privacy will be possible through the development of data minimization techniques. Brands that strike this balance are predicted to be more successful and build stronger bonds with their customers.

AI Revolution: Predictive Analytics and Marketing Automation

By 2024, AI marketing will continue to produce predictive results, not just understand customers' needs. Predictive models improve forecasting capabilities by leveraging an expanding pool of data sources. Important tasks for these models in 2024 include dynamically pricing products and balancing inventory supply and demand to identify new customer requests.

Source: Leonardo.Ai

Campaign Organizing with Artificial Intelligence

With the help of AI insights, marketing automation will become more responsive and understandable. Automated systems will deliver content that adapts to predicted user behaviors and preferences, while personalized offers or reminders will reach the right audience at the right time. Through this integration, campaigns with the highest engagement and ROI will be developed.

Real-Time Personalization and AI-Driven Customer Experience

Artificial intelligence for personalization in real time is evolving rapidly. Data collected from everyday objects for personalized marketing in real-time will be enabled by integrating AI into IoT devices, making predictive personalization a part of everyday life. In addition, AI-powered virtual shopping assistants will continue to evolve and offer timely help and advice.

Conclusion

Data-driven marketing laid an important foundation in 2023. The use of predictive modeling, artificial intelligence, and data analytics has led to the development of more personalized and effective marketing strategies in 2023. Data-driven marketing can evolve further due to technological advancements and changing consumer habits.

As data-driven marketing becomes an essential part of the marketing toolkit, maintaining data accuracy and adhering to privacy rules are crucial for marketing efforts.

Predictive analytics and AI will change the way we predict and meet consumer needs, while real-time personalization and automation will reach new levels. As 2024 approaches, more innovative use of data and deeper customer insights are expected to drive relevant marketing campaigns. The new year will continue to focus on personalization, with AI playing an important role.

Stay tuned to our artificial intelligence blog for all developments in artificial intelligence! You can contact us for all your questions and service searches on artificial intelligence.

PPC

Check out the comments of İpek Ezer, Onur Durdağı, and Serap Yurtvermez to move your performance marketing efforts forward. Explore key insights from İpek Ezer, Onur Durdağı, and Serap Yurtvermez to enhance your PPC campaigns. Discover important developments from 2023 and strategic focal points for PPC in 2024, including Generation Z's impact on digital marketing, Google's PPC automation, and the integration of AI in marketing.

İpek Ezer 

Generation Z Effect on Digital Marketing

In 2023, Generation Z, which is far from traditional, much more digitalized than other generations, and able to look at social issues from a wide perspective with different perspectives, has changed the dynamics in digital marketing. Brands have also designed most of their strategies according to the expectations of this generation. So in 2024, are you ready for Generation Z, who uses digital channels effectively and whose share in the economy is growing significantly?

Here is a guide to better understand Generation Z in 2024 and what you should prioritize when planning your strategies;

AI Marketing

Generation Z is a generation that is well versed in digital technologies and innovative applications, and you can use artificial intelligence to create personalized content for them. By monitoring consumer behavior, you can predict when Gen Z needs your products the most and when they need them the most. You can also take advantage of AI to use it in your campaigns,

You can find the most suitable keywords for Generation Z and attract them to your website with the popular words you find with the help of AI.

Special Offers for Generation Z

Not only Generation Z, special offers on your brand will attract people of all generations to your brand, but special offers tailored to Generation Z are crucial for the future of your brand. Offering special offers on your brand designed specifically for young adults is a powerful strategy for building brand loyalty in the growing Gen Z market. Student discounts, and age-specific offers just for them will strengthen their bond with your brand.

Video Content

Generation Z, which is used to accessing information in a short time, shows great interest in video content. You can target this generation with short but informative videos, vlogs, or entertaining content where you can explain your product in 15 seconds. YouTube is more likely to meet the most important shopping needs of Generation Z than other video and social media platforms, but being active on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels can also be an effective way.

Broad Perspective and Coherent Content

It is very important to make your social media compatible with Generation Z for brand awareness.  You can attract this generation to your brand with activities such as interactive contests and hashtag campaigns. They also attach great importance to visuals. Gen Z consumers want short, crisp videos and eye-catching graphics. When engaging this audience, it's valuable to have quality visuals and content that summarizes the key elements.

Digital Activism and Social Stance

Generation Z are highly sensitive to social issues and they pay attention to brands' stances on these issues. Research shows that 77% of Generation Z has done something to advocate for a cause they believe in, and they expect brands to do the same.

Brands that include environmentally conscious products, stand out on issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and gender equality are considered very impressive by Generation Z.

Brand-Driven Digital Experiences

Generation Z, who have grown up with online experiences, highly value brands that have a broad perspective and are open to digital innovation. You can attract this generation by integrating digital technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, or Interactive Web Experiences into your brand.

Influencer Marketing

Generation Z individuals, who use social media effectively, can establish a deeper connection with brands through influencers they feel like themselves or have similar interests. However, it is important to create influencer marketing strategies with a sincere approach that is in line with the values, interests, and expectations of this generation.

Generation Z will soon have the power to dominate the market with their vision and digital-oriented approach to marketing. It is very important for brands to shape their strategies by taking into account the characteristics, preferences, and expectations of this generation. In 2024, ignoring the expectations of this generation in marketing strategies can lead to huge losses for your brand.

Onur Durdağı 

2023 was a year in which we felt the impact of artificial intelligence-supported tools and automation in digital and PPC in particular. In 2023, I am sharing with you the article in which I compiled the prominent topics in the field of digital performance marketing and my expectations for 2024.

Google PPC Automation, Impact of AI in Digital Marketing

With the increasing impact of artificial intelligence-supported automation in PPC and the digital world in general, Google emphasized the importance of artificial intelligence in PPC by recommending the use of smart bidding strategies over similar audience targeting as early as May 2023. Google stated that the smart bidding strategy should be used instead of similar audiences in ad targeting and reporting.

The Rise of Digital Spending

Digital advertising spending, which has continued to rise during and after the pandemic, was revealed in the report published by We Are Social with data obtained from Statista. Data from Statista reveals that digital's share of total global ad spend has increased by 27.7 percent in relative terms since 2019.

Video Ads, Youtube Masthead

In 2023, YouTube dominated TV with more than 250 million hours of viewing time per day. The YouTube Masthead is a digital billboard on YouTube's homepage, placed on next-generation TV screens. With the rise of Smart TVs and YouTube, Masthead ads seem to have become a useful PPC alternative.

Facebook Meta AI and Visualization

In late 2023, Facebook Meta AI announced that it was testing many AI integrations, noting that "we're testing more than 20 new ways that Generative AI can improve your experiences on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, spanning social discovery, ads, business messaging and more." In PPC, we are witnessing AI becoming a useful option for creatives with visualization.

TikTok Advertising

With TikTok and Instagram reels videos, you can find an engaging way to reach your target audience and ensure your presence with serious awareness on the road from brand awareness to sales. The increase in the number of Tiktok users in 2023 affected Tiktok advertising in parallel. Ads created through video creatives can be used to expand your brand awareness and the volume of your sphere of influence through a specific feed.

Impact of ChatGPT on PPC

ChatGPT, the new language model chatbot developed by OpenAI, had the chance to revolutionize SEO and PPC. ChatGPT, which can be used in many areas such as keyword research, reporting, and ad content creation, attracted attention in 2023 as one of the useful tools that can be used with Google keyword planner. With ChatGPT, you can search for the best keywords for new or existing campaigns and discover unique words. There is a strong possibility that ChatGPT will continue its impact and expand its usage network in PPC.

Possible 2024 Scenarios in PPC

• In the coming years, AI is expected to consolidate its dominance in digital and expand its usage volume. Of course, the digital advertising industry is also expected to be directly affected by this impact.

• Artificial intelligence tools are expected to be used in digital marketing for purposes such as personalizing communications, but they are also concerned about what will happen to their data in issues such as GDPR. After the updates of platforms such as GA4 regarding user data, it will continue to be a matter of debate in 2024 whether data-based marketing will be a thing of the past or will proceed from a different axis through the management specifications created for cookie consent.

• In 2024, indicators point to the end of Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) in favor of Maximum Performance (PMax). However, audio and visual search technologies are another area poised to significantly impact PPC marketing. Platforms such as Pinterest and Google Lens could enable advertisers to connect with target audiences in visual search, while voice-command-enabled platforms such as Alexa and Google Home could enable advertisers to connect with audiences in the world of voice search.

Whatever happens in 2024, I hope that our future will be characterized by progress, not stalemates 🙂.

Serap Yurtvermez 

Digital Marketing Trends in 2023

In 2023, there were many remarkable developments in PPC. These innovations provided new perspectives in shaping marketing strategies. I share some of these innovations with you below.

Demand Gen Campaign

It was first introduced in Google in beta form in May. As of October, all discovery campaigns were upgraded to demand gen campaigns. The type of this campaign is similar to the maximum performance campaign, where we can use video and images in a single campaign.

In this smart campaign model, you can add your first-party data, which can be paired with interest signals to create lookalike segments of users who have already had an interaction.

You can see how your ad looks in detail in the ad preview workflow, such as the maximum performance campaign.

Business Name and Logo Creatives

Another improvement in Google ads is the addition of a business name and logo creative to all text and image ads. Businesses often try to differentiate themselves on the SERP where there are many advertisers. These features are available for all verified accounts.

Broad Keyword Matching Beta Version

Advertisers generally don't like to use broad match keywords. But in October, Google launched a limited beta feature that enables broad keyword targeting at the campaign level. Compared to the past, this new version of broad matching targets more learned and more relevant users. As a result, ads are shown to more relevant users. This reflects positively on conversion rates.

ChatGPT

We can call it the biggest development of 2023. It would not be wrong to say clearly that ChatGPT has a huge impact on PPC. ChatGPT plays a big role, especially in keyword research and the discovery of long-tail keywords. It minimizes manual work and provides great support for fast action. Apart from keywords, it has also been a great help in creating ad texts.

2024 PPC Expectations

1 - Utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI): As seen from 2023, artificial intelligence will have a very important place, including PPC. Including artificial intelligence in Google Ads, strategy will maximize the competitive advantage.

2 - Video Advertising: Video advertising continues to attract attention as we can see from 2023. It will continue to be one of the most effective campaign models that maximize brand awareness.

3 - Mobile Site Optimization: As a result of the increase in smartphone users, the speed of mobile sites and the ease of user experience have become a necessity. Google has switched to mobile-first indexing, giving priority to websites optimized for mobile devices in search results. This situation will continue to develop in 2024.

Web Analytics

As in other areas, there were significant changes in Web Analytics in 2023. The transition from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 and important developments in Web Analytics are in our content with the comments of Ferit Berkay Kelecek and Zafer Yıldız! You can get a head start in 2024 by learning about the developments awaiting you in the field of Web Analytics!

Ferit Berkay Kelecek

Universal Analytics - Google Analytics 4 Definitive Migration

As we all know, we have experienced a sharp transition from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 in 2023. For anyone working in the fields of digital marketing and data analysis, we have gone through a process that is difficult to get used to, but we have improved ourselves. Especially the change in the code blocks and metrics used for the interpretation of data sets has changed our perspectives on the sector we are in.

While Universal Analytics provided us with session-based data, the fact that Google Analytics 4 now provides us with event-based data has caused us to be positioned on our web page in a way to engage users in more activities and to interpret users not only in terms of goals and page views but also based on their behavior in activities.

We have all experienced the transition processes so far, so let's see what kind of situation awaits us in the continuation of the process.

January 2024 - 360 Users

As of this date, Google is no longer committed to providing a healthy data stream for 360 users. It is very important for 360 users to accelerate their Google Analytics 4 migration on this date.

March 2024 - 360 Users

As of this date, Google tells us that the Google Analytics 4 migration must be completed. We can say that the deadline for preventing various data losses is March 2024.

July 2024 - Standard Users and 360 Users

After this date, we will no longer have access to any Universal Analytics account. Our Universal Analytics Data will be completely deleted. It is important to get your data out before this date.

Where is Google Analytics 4 Going?

Google Analytics 4 is now our main tool after the Universal Analytics migration. This tool is also being updated day by day. These updates are sometimes at the technical level and sometimes at the user level. As someone who closely follows these updates, I can say that Google Analytics 4 is moving towards a more user-friendly level. The recent updates focus more on feature unification between Google Tools, easier reporting, and easier sharing of reports.

Here are some of the updates that I am curious about and that will make it easier for anyone working in the field of data science:

Scheduled Mailings

Google Analytics 4 properties where you are an administrator can now send scheduled emails for your reports. With this feature, we will be able to more easily forward the reports that we need to record and comment on to the relevant people.

Tools that Start to be Associated with Each Other

With the new updates, we will be able to start performing our operations through a single tool in line with the ease of stretching and combining tools instead of multiple Google Tools during our operations. One of the best examples of this is the merging of audiences in Google Ads and Google Analytics 4. After this update, we will be able to create audiences directly from Google Ads.

New Reports

With the new updates, we will be able to get new reports when we integrate various Google tools into our property. These reports are as follows:

Campaign Manager 360 Report:

A report where you can see the conversions of your campaigns on your web page in detail.

Display & Video 360 Report:

A report showing how effective your DV360 campaigns are in driving traffic and conversions to your website or app.

Search Ads 360 Report:

Report showing how effective your SA360 campaigns are in driving traffic and conversions to your website or app.

Will Cookies Disappear?

Remarketing Role of Cookies

In a retargeting campaign, the data of potential customers who perform any of the activities such as visiting the website, clicking on the product, or adding it to the cart without completing the purchase is collected through cookies. The collected data is then subjected to various analyses and retargeting is initiated.

We still use most of these cookies. Browsers like Firefox, Safari or Brave already block these cookies. In 2024, Chrome will gradually start blocking cookies. So how will the process proceed?

Two Phase Period

In the first quarter of 2024, Chrome will block 1% of cookies used by users worldwide. This period gives us the opportunity to prepare for a cookie-free era.

In the second half of 2024, cookies will be blocked for all users and we will start a cookie-free world. (You can follow the process at https://privacysandbox.com/open-web/)

What Will Replace Cookies?

There is still disagreement between the opinions of various authorities and people involved in the subject or differences in their preferences. Although it is not possible to say anything clearly, data losses are expected to approach 75% in scenarios where cookies disappear or are subject to permission.

Can Remarketing be done without Cookies?

Yes, we can rely on advertising platforms. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Snapchat offer very flexible retargeting conversions. In this way, you can analyze user behavior on your web page specific to advertising platforms and do remarketing.

Will We Need Permission? and GDPR Rules

This is actually one of the issues that often puzzles us. Should I use a Consent Banner? Is my web page subject to GDPR? Questions like these are constantly being asked. The reason why these questions are among the issues that both data analysts and web page owners think about is due to data loss. Again, although it is early to talk about these issues for Turkey, and our country is not covered by GDPR, it is useful to get user permission and use consent banners on your web page.

2024 Expectations

In this year when change is at the forefront, we have tried to add a lot to ourselves in the field of data science and we continue to work. My expectation for 2024 is that the field of data science and analytics will continue to become more user-friendly and our analysis will progress in a more respectful way to user data.

As Regis McKenna said

"Marketing is everything and everything is marketing."

We wish you to hold on tightly to your data in the new year.

Zafer Yıldız 

How did 2023 go?

GA4 Advanced Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning

The year 2023 marked an important turning point in the world of analytics. In particular, the integration of advanced predictive analytics and machine learning with the Google Analytics 4 (GA4) platform was one of the most important milestones in this revolution. The inclusion of machine learning algorithms has expanded GA4's analytics capabilities to the limit.

The Power of GA4 and Machine Learning Alignment

The GA4 platform has a comprehensive and flexible structure and is equipped with features that allow complex data analysis. Machine learning algorithms process data sets with a variety of techniques - decision trees, regression, clustering, and artificial neural networks - to generate important insights from user behavior.

These advanced models are constantly feeding and adapting to new data, enabling businesses to make much more accurate predictions of future trends and outcomes. GA4's predictive models help businesses shape their marketing and sales strategies accordingly by anticipating the future movements of customers. 2023 has taken its place as a very important year, especially in this field.

Comprehensive Customer Journey Analysis with GA4

Customers' journeys with our brands, when considered as a whole with their interactions across various channels and touchpoints, can be a treasure trove of rich insights for marketers. In 2023, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) started to offer us a more in-depth perspective on customer journey analytics. By tracking customer behavior and interactions with multi-channel touchpoint analytics, we were able to discover new ways to improve customer experiences by using this information throughout the year.

Customer journey analytics tracks and analyzes the many different channels and touchpoints through which brands interact with their customers. Using analytics data from key web trends such as websites, mobile apps, social media, and customer support, GA4 enables us to get a holistic view of the customer journey.

Touchpoints in a customer's journey refer to each stage where they interact with or come into contact with a brand. With the comprehensive analytics capabilities provided by GA4, we are able to examine these touchpoints in detail and better understand customer behaviors and preferences. In addition, the understanding of customer journey analysis enables organizations to optimize customer experiences at every stage and identify areas for improvement. In 2023, we were able to more robustly explore and report on new ways to increase brand reputation and loyalty through strong customer interactions. The comprehensive analysis we provided with GA4 guided us to identify critical points in customers' relationships with the brand and make strategic decisions to reinforce customer loyalty.

My Expectations for 2024

The Importance of First-Party Data

In 2024, there is a rising star in digital analytics and marketing: First-party data. With privacy concerns and regulators on the rise, reliance on first-party data is becoming even more important. Digital analytics platforms, including Google Analytics 4 (GA4), will be at the forefront of first-party data strategies.

With growing privacy concerns and regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), first-party data is now vital. This data not only offers better control and compliance but also increases consumer trust. By using GA4, we can effectively manage first-party data and become resilient in the face of evolving regulations.

Google Consent Mode v2 and the New Era in Digital Advertising

Over the years, the digital advertising ecosystem has evolved significantly as a result of regulations on user data. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy Directive (Cookie Law) have had a major impact on businesses offering online services, especially in the European Economic Area (EEA). Businesses had to demonstrate a legal basis for processing personal data and obtain user consent to collect data.

The new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which was approved in 2023 and will come into force in March 2024, obliges Google and other large companies to fulfill their responsibility to collect user consent.

Google is now updating from Google Consent Mode to Google Consent Mode v2. These changes have been influenced by the constant evolution of privacy legislation. In 2024, Chrome will stop supporting third-party cookies.

To ensure seamless functionality with Google Consent Mode v2, it is vital that you update your GTM CookieScript template to the latest version. This update addresses recent changes to permission settings within the GTM template and is essential for Google Consent Mode v2 to function properly. Delaying this update may cause compatibility issues with Cookie Banner. I encourage all users to make this update a priority to maintain smooth and compliant website operations.

If businesses want to continue to measure user behavior and website performance and get the most out of their marketing, they should switch to Google Consent Mode v2. As of March 2024, users not using Google Consent Mode v2 will not be able to use Google Ads products and will not be able to acquire new users from the EEA. Remarketing in Google Ads, Floodlight and Display will become impossible. This will significantly impact the measurement results and performance of advertisers' remarketing and engagement campaigns.

Final Words

In our comprehensive content, we help you take a look back at the developments in 2023 and summarize the potential developments in your field in 2024.

In 2024, you can follow the developments in the digital marketing world and how we keep up with these developments on our social media accounts, blog, and our monthly free Digitalzone Meetups event!

We wish 2024 to be a year full of success!