What’s going on with Google Search Rank?
ChatGPT reveals demographic data, and TikTok looks set to stay in the US
If your SEO reports have been looking a bit off lately, it’s not just you. Rank and position tracking is all over the place right now, thanks to ongoing volatility in Google Search caused by the ever-shifting AI landscape.
This matters because, to a large extent, search marketers are flying blind.
It wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate to suggest we’re currently flying the plane while we’re building it.
Keyword rankings have always been a proxy metric, but with AI summaries, fluctuating SERPs, and tracking tools struggling to keep pace, the picture is even murkier. Google is tailoring SERPs to individual users more than ever; this then causes haywire for SEO tracking.
As such, it’s harder than ever to prove value - just at the point in time where SEO has never been more important. PR and comms teams especially rely on ranking reports to show coverage impact. Right now, those dashboards might be telling a half-truth.
The bigger picture: As Google keeps reworking results pages - and AI overviews expand - “rank” as we’ve known it may not mean much longer term. What will replace it? That’s the ongoing question.
Further Reading: Search Engine Land
Elsewhere in Digital
TikTok’s U.S. spin-off deal is taking shape. ByteDance is preparing to hand over U.S. operations to a new, American-controlled entity. I’m not entirely sure if this counts as news any more, but the reality is its likely to remain BAU in terms of TikTok operations for marketers - and that is good news.
OpenAI has shared some very interesting data around ChatGPT. The headline is that women use it more than men, and younger users are the heaviest adopters. It’s a neat reminder that AI adoption isn’t uniform - and that marketers need to question assumptions about “typical” users.
Finally, LinkedIn has expanded verification ticks to more company pages. A small but handy trust signal in a platform still trying to clean up fake accounts.
If you found this interesting, I would hugely appreciate it if you shared with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous and enjoyed this edition, I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Otherwise, I’ll see you next week 🫶