Hiya,

We’re buzzing with news this week. Buckle up, you’ve got a wild read ahead!

• Did you hear? Search Engine Land was acquired by Semrush. The media outlet has assured its readers they will continue bringing independent news coverage and even expand educational offerings. Our question is: how will the Semrush leadership influence the work that gets published? Will outside sources be limited in what SEO tools they can discuss? How will the new ownership affect who contributes stories to the site? All questions to ponder…

• We got excited when we saw the headline: “Bing Webmaster Tools gains recommendations,16 months of data and previews Copilot integration.” Would BWT finally add the ability to track Copilot link clicks? Alas, that is a no. 😔 They are just offering Copilot as a tool to analyze BWT data. The “16 months of data” is nothing new either, as that is what Google Search Console has been offering users for years. Feel free to move along to more exciting news….

• Think with Google’s monthly briefing focused on the importance of relevance over personalization to drive engagement and action. While it was written with Google Ads in mind, we think it is also very relevant (deliberately echoed) for SEO and SAIO.

• Remember last week when we discussed how publishers are upset that ChatGPT is using their content for free? Welp, The New York Times has the same complaint for Perplexity AI. The NY Times prohibits using its content for AI training, but Perplexity responded saying that no one can copyright facts. It’s a slippery slope. I understand publishers need to make money to continue reporting. But I also understand that AI development isn’t stopping anytime soon. I believe denying AI crucial facts and historical events will make it more prone to errors.

• Lenovo invented an AI avatar to help people with Dementia and Alzheimer’s. The avatar “will allow people who have recently been diagnosed with dementia to ask the questions that only someone who has lived with the disease can answer, including understanding day-to-day challenges, discussing the disease with family, and exploring new hobbies.” What a beautiful concept.

• OMG, another story about AI? Yes, it’s a busy issue! We found this nice summary of Google’s large language model AIs, including LaMDA and PaLM 2. A quick summary:
  • LaMDA originally powered Google Bard. It was based on Transformer architecture, a neural network model invented by Google in 2017.
  • PaLM 2 is newer and refers to Pathways Language Models. It has much more training than LaMDA, including over 100 languages. Some claim it to be lagging behind ChatGPT-4 on complex tasks.

• The Digital Dark Ages have arrived, according to Business Insider. With Google deciding to discontinue its URL shortener service, a slew of websites will be inaccessible through those shortened links. This is just another hit in the snowballing loss of digital content. Certain aspects of our culture and recent history would be inaccessible or lost entirely. We’ve become dependent on the internet as an archive, but an archive with redacted content is no more useful than a paper cup with holes at the bottom.

• McKinsey offers “Five make-or-break truths about next gen e-commerce” including these nuggets: “technology is strategy” and “you can’t know your customers if you don’t know AI”. Even if you’re not in e-commerce, it’s worth the read for potential application to your business.

• Apple announced a new update that could have substantial consequences for social and messaging apps. The iOS 18 update is changing how apps can access user contacts. Users can choose which contacts to share with which app. This hinders the growth potential of social media apps, particularly new ones. In my opinion, I think this is a step in the positive direction for user privacy. Apps need to find a way to get creative while respecting these boundaries.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

When was the last time you got really excited to start a project and stopped when the excitement dipped? 

Perhaps it was redecorating your space, learning a new skill, or starting/stopping a habit.

Why do we do this? We get ourselves amped up at the start of a project, but then fall off when…

• The work gets hard.
• We get busy with other things.
• We lose confidence in ourselves.

I think we should meaningfully reflect on the underlying reasons why our inspired project was dropped. 

• If the work is hard, it means you are gaining experience and knowledge that may challenge you in ways you hadn’t thought possible.
• Do you really not have time or can you reprioritize?
• You are unique. Of course, you will not be like everyone else. That’s why our world is interesting.

Whether you’re facing a new project now or in the future, I wish you luck!

And that’s a wrap! 🎬 Enjoy the week,

Natalie

Thank you for being a trooper and reading to the end of this lengthy, but informative edition of Perceptive Marketer. I appreciate you, and hope to continue providing insights/resources for you in the future!