Marketing Letter - 😬 Who's Slammed by the Spam Update

GM nerds,

Welcome back to the newsletter that’s always here to point you towards the next episode of Black Mirror that’s actually happening this week in digital marketing:

Here’s what’s good this week:

→ Is Meta Back? 👀
→ New Reddit Marketing Tools 💸
→ Microsoft Just Stunted on Google 🃏
→ Slammed by the Spam Update: Who, Why, When, etc. 😬
→ more, obviously 💬

But first…

​This Week's Video 🗣️🎙️​

In this week's video, I analyze the recent local SEO algorithm update and its impact on various strategies. While some previously effective tactics are now less impactful, others are gaining traction. I share insights from my experiences, including revenue data and performance metrics, to guide you through what’s working and where adjustments are needed for success in local search rankings. So tune in!

​YouTube​​

What’s Going Down @ Google 📊

→ I’m guessing that exactly nobody is surprised by this, but the results are in, and… “The December 2024 spam update definitely caused a lot of volatility.” Here’s the TLDR of this analysis:

- the December 2024 spam update likely did not target unnatural links
- spam updates are algorithmic, not manual actions
- some sites surged with Nov/Dec core updates and were slammed by the spam update
- “... some sites containing spam actually surged when the spam update rolled out” (and yes, dear reader, I hope that was you inshallah)

The piece also unpacks some case studies of sites that got clapped.

→ Oh no, that’s too bad. Google is getting stunted on by Microsoft: “If you open http://Bing.com and search for Google or http://Google.com, you’ll now see a giant animated picture of people celebrating, along with a message. Bing’s design looks a lot like Google’s when you search for Google on Bing. The page has a clean layout, a search bar in the middle, and simple illustrations.” You hate to see it.

→ Over at Google Search Console, the export button is now available for the 24 Hour View in Performance Reports, giving you the “ability to export data on an hourly basis for the last 24 hours.”

→ Here’s an interesting take by Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR on Google’s “Perspective” and why it functions as a strong content quality metric. Makes a good point.

Social Media Round-up 📲

→ Should you be pushing your chips in on TikTok? That’s for you to decide. On the one hand, there’s the possibility of a US ban. On the other, they keep releasing reports like this, which show how the platform keeps winning re: both shopping and product discovery. Here are some interesting stats from the study:

- 66% of shoppers agree that TikTok makes them feel connected to the story behind the brands and product
- 81% say TikTok offers a view into real-life product usage
- 37% say the ads on TikTok help them decide what to buy
-64% of TikTok users have made a purchase after seeing an ad or shoppable content on TikTok
- 70% say TikTok shop offers a unique way to shop directly on the platform

More, too. Click thru.

→ Here’s an 8-step guide to video ad creation that should help on your socials. TLDR; define your target, craft a hook, highlight the solution, leverage social proof, design for the platform, capture footage in the bright lighting, focus on authenticity, and TEST.

→ Reddit just dropped new trends tools for businesses and an AMA ad format. The former “allows companies to see what users are discussing about virtually anything on Reddit. The latter is exactly what it sounds like.

→ Some are saying Meta may be so back, others are scratching their heads. Zuck seems to be following Elon into free speech territory lately, appointing UFC’s Dana White and putting out lots of verbal re: getting rid of fact-checkers, loosening content moderation, etc.

AI Insight 🤖

→ Speaking of Meta, here’s this week’s biggest “WTF?”... Instagram has started randomly putting AI-generated slideshows of people into their feeds.

→ The Washington Post’s “AI’s next leap requires intimate access to your digital life” article takes an interesting look at the possible growing pains associated with allowing AI agents access to your entire computer and finances in order to perform all sorts of vital human tasks. This shit is getting wild.

→ If you’re really into this stuff, Sam Altman’s “Reflections” blog post is worth a read. His claim that "we are now confident we know how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it", and explanation that OpenAI is now focusing on “superintelligence” has people buzzing. Because of course it does.

Holiday Update: Boom

→ BTW, 2024’s Holiday Season broke online shopping records previously established during COVID. You know what that means— get on your 2025 Q4 strategy yesterday. In fact, according to Salesforce, “Online spending rose 3% to a record $1.2 trillion globally over the holiday period, with U.S.-sales, specifically, growing 4% to $282 billion.”

Jacky Chou​
Founder of Indexsy
hello@indexsy.com
Let's Connect on Twitter👇

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