To personalise, or not to personalise? Even though it's phrased as a question, personalisation may seem more of a proclamation today - and while only half of consumers are actively signing up for a personalised experience right now, the numbers are only going to go up.

The latest study from Periscope By McKinsey, which polled more than 2000 consumers spread across France, Germany, the UK and the US, found brands who were already trusted by users were more likely to be given permission to personalise. Yet...

Google has been fined €1.49 billion (£1.28bn) by the European Commission for breaching antitrust rules for its online advertising services.

The Commission concluded that the search giant had abused its market dominance – exceeding 85% for most of the analysed time period – for favouring its own price comparison results for searches through its AdSense for Search platform.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is not what it used to be. No surprise there, just think of an industry that hasn’t changed over the years. The reason SEO isn’t the same, however, is because the rules and ethics keep changing and are pretty much rewritten every year. It’s not easy to keep up with this and Google like it that way. So, looking at your own website and the results you want to achieve, what gave you a positive return last year may not work at all in 2018.

You will always find...

It’s common knowledge that Google, as present as it is in our daily lives, does not enjoy the same ubiquity in China, and hasn’t done for eight years.

Leaked meeting minutes from the corporation, however, suggest that could be about to change.

Codenamed ‘Project Dragonfly’, the search giant is allegedly in the midst of a bid to launch in China in an iteration that would play ball with Beijing’s hardline censorship policies.

According to a transcript from a meeting led by...

Nearly two-thirds (60%) of consumers don’t know the difference between paid and organic search results on Google, according to a new study by Varn.

The UK marketing agency approached over 1,000 internet users with the simple question; “Do you know which links on the Google search results page are paid adverts?”

A whole 59.7% of people surveyed claimed to be unaware of the differences between the two types of Google listings, implying that the majority of consumers believe...

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is falling out of favour with marketers, a new study by Clutch suggests, with less than half of businesses claiming to invest in the channel.  

A US-based survey of more than 500 digital marketers found that just 44% claim to invest in any kind of SEO strategy, despite 83% of respondents claiming to be satisfied that their digital marketing efforts were paying off in achieving their...

From search engine algorithm updates, to new technology permanently altering user behaviours, the search marketing landscape is constantly evolving.

These evolutions keep us on our toes and, for savvy marketers, present an opportunity to ensure their clients always have the edge over their competitors. Recently, the biggest disruptor to the industry has almost certainly been the advent of voice and visual search – changing SEO forever.

These new search technologies are particularly pertinent in the...

Google has been hit with a record fine of €4.34bn (£3.9bn) by the European Commission, accusing the company of using the Android operating system to illegally “cement its dominant position”.

According to the Commission, the ad tech giant has imposed illegal restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators since 2011 in efforts to secure a monopoly on general internet search.

The firm’s parent Alphabet...

Thinking of marketing to customers in another country, or who speak another language? Even if you’re familiar with SEO (search engine optimisation) in your domestic market, international SEO opens up some new issues you may not have considered.

This article offers an overview of the technical aspects of SEO you’ll need to handle for effective international online marketing. There’s a lot to think about and research when establishing an international web presence.

Decide whether to market to a country...

The voice technology revolution is not just occurring within the home. Hotels, restaurants and the wider hospitality industry are rapidly adopting new tools and solutions to keep pace with the demands of modern consumers.  

The Best Western hotel chain, for instance, is expanding its partnership with Watson Ads on a series of artificial intelligence-powered interactive ad units that...