A decline in diverse representation in video ads, Google to expand search capacity in YouTube videos, plus more!

Hitting the B2B marketing news headlines this week: A decline in diverse representation in video ads, Google to expand search capacity in YouTube videos, plus more!

YouTube SEO: Google To Expand Search Capacity in YouTube videos

We’ve all been there… clicking on a YouTube video and frustratingly skipping through to find the exact bit we’re after. If you can relate, then you’ll be pleased to hear that Google is testing the option to search for keywords in video clip segments. Just before the close of the new year, Google India announced that they were piloting the ability to search within videos on your phone’s Search app. According to a Tweet, users will be able to simply type in their query using the ‘Search in video’ feature and using the video captions to scan for keywords. They will be given the option to skip to the relevant section. Check out the Tweet. 

Diverse Representation in Video Ads Receded in 2022

A study looking into diversity in video advertising has found that despite notable improvements in 2020 and 2021, diversity has receded this year. Amongst the findings: White actors made up 73% of people appearing in video creative compared to 66% in 2021, Men dominated the screen with 65% of people appearing in ads and 73% of voices heard, and portrayals of Black, Asian and Hispanic consumers declined too, with the latter group hitting a four-year low. The report by Extreme Reach, a TV and video ad server, suggests that inclusivity pledges that became so widespread in 2020 aren’t being stuck to and a huge amount of progress is needed. Read the report here.

Google's New Experience Algorithm Update

Google has recently made significant updates to its Quality Rater Guidelines for search to include a focus on ‘experience’. The updated document outlines that it should be considered the extent to which the content creator has the necessary first-hand or life experience for the topic. “Many types of pages are trustworthy and achieve their purpose well when created by people with a wealth of personal experience.” Google is essentially saying that what makes great content is experience. When you can demonstrate your own personal learnings and experience within your content, it stands out. This very ‘experience’ will also be pretty hard to replicate using the AI tools that have become a hot topic recently. Well, at least for now anyways! Read more.

SEO trends for 2023

Search Engine Journal recently released an SEO trends for 2023 eBook to help businesses get a sense of the direction that the SEO industry is heading as we enter the early stages of the new year. The report gathers the insights of 24 SEO experts across a range of industries, asking them what trends they think will be most important. The predicted trends and topics discussed include the need for content marketers to focus on interactivity and experience as opposed to static content, the need for SEOs to prepare for a future of dialogue and multi-device experiences, the need to release content in multiple formats, plus lots more. Download the eBook.

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Blog content:

📝 Things to Keep On Your Radar

Ah — there's nothing like the feeling of a fresh new year. Who's ready to crush their marketing goals in 2023? We've put together some useful guides to get you started:

How to Create Content Related to Search Intent

The intersection of SEO and content marketing means creating content based on your target audience's search intent - the term used to describe the purpose of an online search. In our latest blog, we explain how to build a content strategy with search intent as its foundation: https://www.steelcroissant.com/blog/how-to-create-content-related-to-search-intent

Why Community Building Might Be The Missing Piece In Your Marketing Strategy

Developing a brand community helps you bring your most loyal customers together and turns them into ambassadors for your brand as they share information with each other as well as prospective customers. So, what exactly is a brand community? How do you build one? 

https://www.steelcroissant.com/blog/why-community-building-might-be-the-missing-piece-in-your-marketing-strategy