Google has started rolling out its latest core update—the fourth one this year—as of December 12, 2024. This update comes just a week after the last one wrapped up, and it’s expected to take about two weeks to complete.

If you’re unsure about what core updates mean for your website, don’t worry—we’ve broken it all down for you.

What is a core update?

Core updates are significant changes Google makes to its search algorithms. These updates happen several times a year to improve how Google ranks content and serves search results. When a core update rolls out, you might notice changes in your website’s rankings or traffic—whether positive or negative.

Why is there another update so soon?

This December core update comes only a week after the November 2024 core update finished on December 5. Google explained this timing by saying they’re continuously improving different systems. So, while it might seem quick, each update is focused on separate aspects of their search algorithm.

What should you do if your site is impacted?

If you notice a drop in rankings or traffic, don’t panic. Google has consistently said that there aren’t specific actions to “fix” rankings after a core update. Here’s their advice:

• Focus on creating quality content: Content that is helpful, reliable, and written for real people (not just for search engines) is your best bet.
• Review Google’s helpful content guide: It offers practical tips for making content that aligns with their ranking systems.
• Be patient: While small recoveries can happen between updates, significant improvements usually come after another core update.

Google emphasized that if your site is already creating people-first content, you don’t need to do anything new. But if you’re struggling with rankings, reviewing their resources is a good place to start.

A quick look at recent core updates

Here’s a timeline of the core updates Google has rolled out in 2024:

• November 2024 core update: Nov. 11 – Dec. 5
• August 2024 core update: Aug. 15 – Sept. 3
• March 2024 core update: Mar. 5 – Apr. 19

Each update impacts sites differently, so it’s always worth monitoring your traffic and rankings after these rollouts.

Why this matters to you

For digital marketers, core updates can create noticeable shifts in search rankings and organic traffic. If you see changes, it could mean that Google’s latest update aligns better (or worse) with your site’s content.

Ultimately, these updates aim to reward high-quality, people-first content. If you’ve been prioritizing helpful, engaging material for your audience, you’re already on the right track.

Don’t be alarmed by the timing of this update—it’s just another step in Google’s constant improvement. Stay focused on delivering value to your audience through quality content, and keep an eye on your website performance over the next couple of weeks.

TikTok’s Popularity and Growth

TikTok has become one of the most popular apps in the U.S., attracting over 170 million users in less than seven years. Globally, the app has been downloaded more than 2 billion times, thanks to its appeal across all age groups. Despite its success, TikTok now faces the threat of a complete ban in the U.S., set to take effect on January 19, just before Donald Trump takes office.

The Threat of a Ban

The U.S. government cites national security concerns over TikTok’s ties to its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. These concerns echo India’s 2020 ban, which cut off 200 million users, with the government claiming the app posed risks to sovereignty and security. ByteDance is fighting the U.S. ban with three potential options: appealing to the Supreme Court, persuading Trump to reverse the decision, or selling TikTok to a U.S.-based company—a move that now seems unlikely.

What is next?

While the U.S. would be a significant loss, it wouldn’t be TikTok’s first major hurdle. Other regions, such as the European Union, have introduced partial bans, limiting the app’s use among government workers and military personnel. Despite these challenges, TikTok’s growth has remained strong. Last year alone, it was downloaded 52 million times in the U.S. and 733 million times globally. Some organizations argue that banning TikTok would harm free speech, as the app has become a key platform for communication and creativity.

As ByteDance fights to keep TikTok available in the U.S., the case highlights the growing tension between technology, privacy, and national security. Whether the app survives the ban or not, its cultural impact will continue to resonate worldwide.

OpenAI announced on 16th December that all free users can use ChatGPT search. Search was initially released on Oct 31st but it was only available to paid subscribers.

About ChatGPT search

ChatGPT Search is OpenAIs alternative to popular traditional search platforms such as Google, Bing, Duck Duck Go and more. Here’s what ChatGPT had to say about their latest search functionality,

‘’Getting useful answers on the web can take a lot of effort. It often requires multiple searches and digging through links to find quality sources and the right information for you.

Now, chat can get you a better answer. Ask a question in a more natural, conversational way, and ChatGPT can choose to respond with information from the web. Go deeper with follow-up questions, and Chat GPT will consider the full context of your chat to get a better answer for you.”

Why ChatGPT is good for marketing

When used correctly ChatGPT can be a useful tool for marketers to help them automate processes and increase productivity for digital marketing activities. ChatGPT is a fantastic tool that can be used for ideation and brainstorming, as well as creating bulk content such as spreadsheets and meta descriptions.

Users should be wary when using ChatGPT however not to abuse its functionalities. For example, using AI to churn out content for your website may seem like a good idea, but Chat pulls its information from other sources on the web. This means, search engines like Google won’t see your content as being unique and it could even be flagged as spam or plagiarised content and land you with a Google penalty if you are abusing it. Use wisely however and it’s a great way to supplement your digital approach.

What does ChatGPT search mean for SEO

ChatGPT Search is the latest innovation in search engine marketing and gives SEOs another platform to bear in mind when crafting content. Making sure content is credible, reliable, trustworthy and informative may see your content appear in chat search however don’t expect it to revolutionise the industry and blow Google out of the water straight away.

While ChatGPT search users are growing all the time, and are likely to spike even more now it’s free to all users, Google still holds a massive stranglehold on the search market and ChatGPT search only equates to less than 1% currently. However, the expectation is that this number will continue to steadily rise and don’t be surprised if one day ChatGPT is rivalling Google’s search for market share, therefore it’s a good idea to plan ahead and make sure your content is optimised for AI models as well as traditional search engines.

If you need help optimising your content, please feel free to get in touch with us at info@intelligencygroup.com

Improving website traffic is fundamental for any business wanting to achieve growth online. More visitors improves brand awareness, drive sales and other KPIs. In this article, we will be looking at 5 different methods you can use in order to increase traffic and grow your online brand.

SEO

SEO is the process of optimising your website content for search engines. By doing this the expectation is that users will appear higher on search engine rankings, improving their online visibility and increasing traffic levels. SEO can be broken up into three different areas and all of these areas need to be targeted in order to see significant improvements in growth: On-page SEO, Technical SEO and Backlinks.

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO refers to any changes that can be made “on the page” to improve content that will boost search engine visibility. This includes but is not limited to:

• Title Tags
• Meta Descriptions
• Header Tags
• Digestible Content
• Keyword Optimisation
• Image Alt Text

Technical SEO

Technical SEO is referring to any changes that can be made to improve the functionality of the site that will enhance performance and give users a better overall experience.

• Website speed
• Mobile optimisation
• Internal linking
• Image optimisation
• Secure

Backlinks

Backlinks or Digital PR is the process of other websites linking to your site from their own. This is important from the perspective of search engines and it indicates to them that your site is legitimate and authoritative if it is being linked to by other domains that are considered authoritative. You can improve your backlink profile by requesting links from other authoritative sites in your industry or by creating marketing campaigns that generate buzz and naturally attract more links to your site.

Pay-Per Click

SEO can often be a slow process as improving content, technical aspects and generating links can take a long time before this strategy starts to bear fruit. Paid advertising is a great alternative to SEO, while they should also both be used at the same time to improve organic and paid traffic.

There are a number of different methods of online advertising. One of the most popular is PPC. Using PPC, advertisers pay for search engine visibility by bidding on keywords. You then pay Google a small fee for each click you get through to your site, in the belief that each customer will be worth more than the cost of a click in the long run.

Paid Social

Alternatively, paid social is a great way to advertise to customers on social media platforms. It allows the targeting of customers based on the information they have given on their social media platforms, such as certain demographics that you think would be more tailored to enjoying your product or service. This means you can have a more targeted approach as opposed to PPC which is often targeted at anyone who searches for your keyword on search engines.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a great way to improve website traffic and specifically traffic that is targeted and relevant. Influencer marketing is when businesses work with social media or celebrity personalities in order to promote their product or services. By working with an influencer who has a large loyal follower base, brands can reach out to new audiences effectively, while choosing influencers in their field to make sure that the audience will be interested in their products.

Meta’s platforms—Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—are back online after a temporary disruption caused by a “technical issue,” the company announced. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Meta apologized to those affected, saying it was “99% of the way there” and performing final checks to ensure services were fully restored.

According to Downdetector, a platform that tracks reports of issues with apps and websites, a significant spike in complaints occurred around 6:00 PM. By 6:07 PM, there were 25,807 reports about Facebook in the UK and 106,401 in the US. WhatsApp also saw disruptions, with 15,565 reports logged in the UK by 6:28 PM. 

Disruptions Impact Communication and Business

The downtime disrupted both personal and professional communication, as many users rely on WhatsApp and Messenger for urgent or daily interactions. Businesses faced operational challenges, with interruptions to marketing campaigns, customer engagement, and e-commerce sales. Advertisers lost visibility and reach, while creators and influencers struggled to meet content schedules, potentially impacting revenue streams. 

Frequent Outages Raise Concerns

This marks the latest in a series of outages for Meta’s platforms, with previous disruptions reported earlier this year and as recently as October. Such incidents erode user trust and raise questions about the reliability of Meta’s infrastructure. Businesses may consider diversifying their tools to reduce dependency on these platforms. Additionally, repeated issues raise cybersecurity concerns, with users speculating about potential vulnerabilities. 

While Meta has resolved this outage, the growing frequency of such events underscores the critical role these platforms play and the wide-reaching implications of any downtime. Meta thanked users for their patience as it worked to restore normalcy. 

The ongoing legal battle between WP Engine, a popular WordPress hosting service, and Automattic, the parent company behind WordPress.com, has taken a significant turn. On December 11th, the US District Court for the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction in favour of WP Engine, ordering Automattic to cease actions that disrupted WP Engine’s business operations.

This ruling adds another chapter to a conflict that has highlighted tensions within the WordPress ecosystem, affecting businesses and users alike.

The court’s order demands that Automattic stop:

“Blocking, disabling, or interfering with WP Engine’s and/or its employees’, users’, customers’, or partners’ access to WordPress.org.”

“Interfering with WP Engine’s control over, or access to, plugins or extensions.”

Furthermore, Automattic is required to restore WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org, including its resources and functionalities, to how they existed before September 20, 2024.

Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín was critical of Automattic’s actions, stating that its targeted measures specifically against WP Engine exacerbated harm to the company.

This harm was evident in a notable increase in cancellation requests from WP Engine customers during the conflict—a 14% spike between September 26 and 30 and a 17% increase between October 1 and 14.

What sparked the dispute?

The conflict began with accusations from Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg, who described WP Engine as a “cancer” on the WordPress ecosystem for allegedly taking more from the open-source community than it contributed. This led Automattic to block WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org servers and seize control of WP Engine’s Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin.

In response, WP Engine filed a lawsuit alleging that Automattic’s actions caused immediate and irreparable harm. The court agreed, stating that Automattic’s actions were “designed to induce breach or disruption” of WP Engine’s business relationships.

The broader implications

For marketers and businesses relying on WordPress, the preliminary injunction brings much-needed stability. WP Engine can now resume using WordPress.org’s critical resources, ensuring functionality for its customers. Additionally, the ruling underscores the importance of fair play in the WordPress ecosystem, a community-driven platform that relies on collaboration and mutual benefit.

Automattic, however, is not backing down. A company spokesperson called the ruling a “preliminary order designed to maintain the status quo” and emphasized that it was issued without full discovery of the facts. They plan to file counterclaims against WP Engine and remain confident about prevailing at trial.

Mullenweg also expressed dissatisfaction with the decision, sharing a post on X that criticized the court’s order for forcing an open-source maintainer to provide services to a user.

A win for WP Engine

WP Engine has hailed the court’s decision as a victory, with a spokesperson stating:

“The order will bring back much-needed stability to the WordPress ecosystem. WP Engine is focused on serving our partners and customers and working with the community to find ways to ensure a vigorous, and thriving WordPress community.”

For now, the court’s decision protects WP Engine’s operations and offers reassurance to businesses relying on its services. However, marketers and website owners should stay updated on this case, as its resolution could influence how WordPress operates in the future.

What’s an editorial calendar?

Editorial calendars are documents that allow a business to manage and coordinate content production. They enable team members to track content production from ideation to publishing.

A content calendar can be made for any duration of time, ranging from weeks to a year. This is one of the many things that should be established ahead of its creation. Other things to consider when creating your editorial calendar include:

-Who is the content for?

-What platforms are your audience most responsive on?

– What content is more likely to drive success for your business?

-How frequently do you need to post content?

What’s included in an editorial calendar?

1. Any information about the content will be included on the editorial calendar. That will be what the content is about, the format of it, as well as who is creating it.
2. The date it needs to be published.
3. The location it needs to be published to, i.e. social platforms or a website.

How should my editorial calendar look?

An editorial calendar should include a number of things in order to provide enough information and to be able to effectively track and plan.

• Content ID – A number or code that is easy to navigate and identify.
• A location column which outlines the final destination of the content.
• A due date & publishing date. This ensures content is being produced ahead of its deadline.
• The name of the person proposing the content.
• The name of the creator/owner of the content.
• The status of the content.
• The title of the piece of content & a summary of the content (which includes the information about the content).
• A column for formatting.
• A column for additional ideas and notes

What are the advantages of an editorial calendar?

An editorial calendar provides businesses with a clear content strategy. A content strategy provides a clear plan for what content will be posted and when it will be posted. A content calendar is created with forethought, making considerations around the best hours to post, what style of content to post, as well as on what platform. This can boost productivity around content production, as well as eliminate any issues around unnecessary content production. This ensures the quality of the content and the posting remains consistent.

An editorial calendar outlines the dates and times of deadlines and publishing, as well as the status of the project. This level of organisation makes the start-to-end process easy to trace, especially when the content is a shared document between team members. Using tools like Google Sheets enables all team members to update and check on the editorial calendar in real time, reducing the time spent conversing about where the content production is at.

As well as being able to track current content, it also enables you to track and analyse previous pieces of content. This can be particularly useful for resource management, as content can be easily found and navigated within the editorial calendar. This leads to overall better campaign management and, ultimately, the production of successful content.

Having an editorial calendar benefits everybody on the team. Transparency across projects can nurture the collaborative process, with members being able to streamline their efforts across projects.

Google Chrome’s Site Engagement Metrics help you understand how actively users interact with websites. This tool tracks engagement based on time spent and interactions like clicks, scrolling, and media playback. Here’s a breakdown of what it means and how it works in simple terms:

What is the site engagement service?

This feature in Chrome scores websites based on how much users engage with them. Engagement metrics include:

• Active time spent on the site (e.g., scrolling, clicking, typing).
• Direct actions like visiting via bookmarks or typing the site’s URL.
• Special actions like adding a site to the home screen or playing media.

How to check engagement scores

To see how Chrome scores your favourite sites:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Type chrome://site-engagement/ in the address bar.
3. View scores ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more interaction and time spent.

Key concepts

What is a “site”?

For engagement purposes, a “site” refers to its origin—essentially the root of the website’s URL.

What is “engagement”?
Engagement measures how much attention users actively give to a site. Actions like scrolling, clicking, typing, or playing videos contribute to a higher engagement score.

How is the score calculated?

• Scores range from 0 to 100: with 100 being heavily engaged users and 0 having no engagement.
• Activity increases scores: Daily activity, like clicking or typing, raises the score up to a limit.
• Inactivity reduces scores: If a user stops visiting a site, the score slowly decays.
• Privacy considerations:
  • Engagement data is specific to the device being used.
  • Data isn’t synced across devices.
  • Browsing in incognito mode starts with a copy of the current profile’s engagement scores, but those scores don’t sync back and disappear when the browser closes.
  • Clearing browsing history also removes engagement data.

Why it matters for digital marketing

While it’s unclear if Google uses these scores for search rankings, Site Engagement Metrics can be insightful for digital marketers. They provide:

• User behaviour insights: Identify how users interact with your website and competitors’.
• Engagement benchmarks: Measure how often visitors return or interact with your site.
• Optimisation ideas: Use the data to improve usability and increase engagement.

Practical uses for marketers

• Prioritising features: Decide which features to enhance based on engagement (e.g., optimising media playback or navigation).
• Tracking user loyalty: Monitor how often users actively engage with your site compared to others.
• Resource allocation: Adjust resources, like storage or sync features, based on the site’s overall engagement score.

Want to try it yourself?

Paste chrome://site-engagement/ into your browser bar and start exploring your engagement scores. Use these insights to refine your website strategy and create better user experiences!

Automattic CEO, Matt Mullenweg is intensifying his ongoing battle against managed hosting platform WP Engine, creating a tracking website that shows a list of all the domains that have left WP Engine since their initial fallout in September of this year.

WordPress vs WP Engine

The issues initially arose when Automaticc CEO, Matt Mullenweg, made disparaging claims about WP Engine, including that they should be paying WordPress ‘’a significant percentage of its revenue for a licence to the WordPress trademark’’ due to the use of WP in their name.

I previously wrote about the issue in September, when 159 employees left WordPress due to the ongoing turmoil. This did not manage to dissuade Matt Mullenweg however who has continued waging war against WP Engine.

WP Engine Tracker

The WPEngine tracker site gives users a list of all the domains that have left WP Engine, with the current figure standing at 26,050 as of 06/12/2024. The tracker also allows businesses to find new website hosts with current top destinations including Pressable, Bluehost and Digital Ocean.

WP Engine Response

WP Engines have responded by filing a lawsuit against Automaticc, the parent company of WordPress and mentioned the WP Engine tracker in their lawsuit stating the following 

“Just last week, in an apparent effort to brag about how successful they have been in harming WPE, Defendants created a website—www.wordpressenginetracker.com—that “list[s] . . . every domain hosted by @wpengine, which you can see decline every day. 15,080 sites have left already since September 21st. September 21 was not selected randomly. It is the day after Defendants’ self-proclaimed nuclear war began – an admission that these customer losses were caused by Defendants’ wrongful actions. In this extraordinary attack on WPE and its customers, Defendants included on their disparaging website a downloadable file of ‘all [WPE] sites ready for a new home’—that is, WPE’s customer list, literally inviting others to target and poach WPE’s clients while Defendants’ attacks on WPE continued.”

The legal battle between the two companies is set to intensify in the near future as this conflict shows no signs of slowing down for the foreseeable future.

Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, is quickly gaining momentum. Designed to promote user control, transparency, and open standards, Bluesky is becoming a preferred platform for publishers, developers, and SEO professionals. Its unique approach prioritizes engagement and visibility, unlike its competitors such as Threads and X. In fact, it has quickly become one of the most downloaded apps in the UK.

Publishers have begun reporting high engagement from the site

An important factor in Bluesky’s success has been endorsements from well-regarded publishers such as The Boston Globe, the Guardian and The New York Times. Matt Karolian, from The Boston Globe, stated that ‘Traffic from Bluesky to @bostonglobe.com is already 3x that of Threads, with 4.5x the conversions to paying subscribers.” Positive feedback from respected organizations can influence other publishers, businesses, and individuals to explore the platform, accelerating user growth. In a crowded market, these endorsements set a platform apart and signal that it’s worth attention, even when competing with giants like X or Threads.

Why are Developers and SEO Experts Joining?

Bluesky’s open and decentralized design also appeals to developers and SEO professionals. For SEO professionals, Bluesky stands out by allowing link-sharing without penalties. Posts remain visible longer thanks to its decentralized system, ensuring sustained engagement. This has been explained by the company who have stated that the platform’s algorithm is of huge benefit to SEO as the SEO-related content has greater visibility. Furthermore, the platform’s curated feeds and starter packs have created a good environment for industry discussions.

Bluesky is emerging as a platform of choice for those seeking high engagement and visibility. While its user base is still growing, its unique features and strong results make it a viable alternative to X and Threads. Professionals should watch its development closely to capitalize on its potential.