The Friday Five: Google’s latest core update, TikTok’s U.S. ban and half of consumers experience cyber attacks

It's time for The Friday Five! We’re ready to break down the past week's most interesting digital marketing news stories. 

In the last edition of the year, we’re looking at Google’s latest core update, TikTok’s U.S. ban, the increase in cyber attacks, Threads' new tool to credit creators and Bing’s new AI technology.

With so much to get through, we better get started. Let’s go. 

1. Google 2024 core update: A game-changer for SEO rankings

On December 12th, Google announced its most recent 2024 core update. Google expected the rollout to conclude in two weeks and the update has shaken up the search rankings.

SEO tracking tools show unprecedented movement, and the SEO community is reporting disruptions, including major traffic losses for many sites globally, particularly in Europe. 

It seems e-commerce sites have been heavily affected, while some news sites remain stable. Some site owners are seeing their high-performing content disappear from search results entirely.

Here is what one of Embryo’s SEO account managers, Ben Carter, had to say about this update ‘’Coming quickly after the November Core Update it may have come as a surprise that there was a second core update so soon. We noticed the update touched down pretty quickly after just a couple of days of being launched we saw third-party tracking tools see big spikes indicating the volatility within the SERP following this update. Websites with unoriginal or low-quality content may have experienced declines.”

Read more at Search Engine Journal

2. TikTok’s fate in the hands of the Supreme Court

In the new year, the Supreme Court will decide whether to ban TikTok for U.S. users. The court is reviewing a federal law that requires TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the app or face a U.S. ban. 

Around 170 million Americans use TikTok so a potential ban could impact a huge amount of TikTok’s users. TikTok has challenged and criticised the ban, but courts have upheld the law, based on national security concerns; the legislation claims that TikTok could be exploited by the Chinese communist party for manipulation. 

Potential buyers like Amazon, Oracle, Walmart, and Microsoft have been mentioned, but China’s approval would be required for a sale.

Learn more on Forbes

3. Survey finds, half of UK consumers hit by mobile cyber attacks

A recent Appdome survey reveals that just under 50% of UK consumers have experienced or are aware of mobile fraud and/or cyber-attacks; the survey found that 62% of mobile fraud is their top concern.

The survey also highlights an increase in consumer expectations for mobile app protections; 97% want privacy safeguards and 85% prioritise app security as much as app features. 

Feeling unprotected has led to 54% of consumers deleting their apps. On the other hand, the report also found that 92% of consumers would promote brands that have strong security measures.

Discover more at MarketingTech

4. Threads rolls out a new tool to credit creators in shared media

Threads has introduced a new feature allowing users to re-share media while crediting the original creator. This update aims to encourage respectful sharing and discourage unauthorised reposts.

Users can do this by long-pressing on media or tapping the repost icon. They can then select "use media" to create posts featuring content from others, with the original creator’s username displayed. 

While the feature can’t prevent misuse entirely, it does set a positive precedent within the Threads community.

To read more, please visit Social Media Today, LLC

5. Microsoft revamps ‘Bing’ with AI technology

Microsoft has updated Bing's search infrastructure. The update integrates large language models (LLMs), small language models (SLMs), and NVIDIA's TensorRT-LLM technology to improve speed, accuracy, and cost efficiency. The aim is to enhance Bing's ability to process complex queries and deliver precise results.

The updates reflect Bing’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of search technology, aiming to provide users with a more efficient and reliable search experience.

To learn more, please visit Search Engine Journal

And there we have it. We hope you enjoyed the last Friday Five of 2024. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on the latest news.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!