“Bogus.” That’s what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella thinks about Google’s argument that there is actual choice in the search engine market. And artificial intelligence will provide zero advantage or hope for any companies that hope to enter web search – the “biggest no-fly zone of all,” Nadella said.

Why we care. The ongoing U.S. vs. Google antitrust trial has already unearthed troubling behavior from Google, including raising ad prices to meet revenue targets. If Google is found to have abused its monopoly position in search, it could potentially reshape the company and the search landscape.

Exclusive rights. To further enhance its dominance in AI Search, Google plans to pay publishers for “exclusive” content rights, Nadella testified. If only Google could access this data, it would essentially make every other search engine irrelevant, Nadella said.

• “When I am meeting with publishers now, they say Google’s going to write this check and it’s exclusive and you have to match it,” Nadella said.
• “What is publicly available today, will it be publicly available tomorrow? That’s the issue.”

Search engines have been “the organizing layer of the internet” Nadella said. But publishers are concerned over the rise of large language models (LLMs) – many popular websites have blocked GPTBot – and using their content/data for training and profit, without compensation.

Google has not commented on this accusation about exclusive deals.

Google’s Search Ads 360 dispute. One of the key issues of interest to paid search marketers is Google Search Ads 360. The platform has not kept up with new Microsoft ad features and types and Nadella said Microsoft wanted to make it easy for advertisers to transfer ad campaigns from Google to Microsoft with the click of a button. That didn’t happen.

• “We keep asking for them to add some features we want. They’ve asked us to go pound sand,” Nadella said.

A vicious cycle. With nearly 90% market share, Google is able to improve its search results and bottom line, Nadella said, and has nothing to do with product quality.

• “The distribution advantage Google has today doesn’t go away. In fact, if anything, I worry a lot that – even in spite of my enthusiasm that there is a new angle with AI – this vicious cycle that I’m trapped in could even become even more vicious because the defaults get reinforced.”

All hope is gone? The launch of the new Bing and Bing Chat, powered by OpenAI’s technology that powers ChatGPT, came with a lot of hype and excitement, especially from Nadella, who said he may have been over-enthusiastic.

• “Yeah, I mean, look, that’s called exuberance of someone who has like 3% share, that maybe I’ll have 3.5% share,” Nadella said.

So far, Bing Chat has failed to take market share away from Google. Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s corporate VP and consumer CMO, claimed the opposite, but to date has not shared any of the company’s data showing this. In fact, Microsoft Bing’s market share is lower than it was a year ago, as we reported in August.

No breaking the Google habit. Default search agreements, such as the one Google has with Apple, have cemented Google’s dominance, Nadella said.

• “You get up in the morning, you brush your teeth, and you search on Google. With that level of habit forming, the only way to change is by changing defaults,” Nadella said.
• “Defaults are the only thing that matter in terms of changing user behavior.”
• “It would be a game changer (for Bing) to be a default on Safari,” Nadella added.

But. On laptop devices where Microsoft’s operating systems are used, and Bing is the default search engine, Bing’s market share is still below 20%, Nadella admitted. That means a lot of people have figured out how to switch their default search engine.

$100 billion. That’s how much Microsoft has invested in Bing, according to Nadella. Why?

• “I see search or internet search as the largest software category out there. We are a very, very low share player. But we continue to persist in it because we think of it as a software category we can contribute to.”

Leading with pessimism. It surprised me to see such bleak quotes today from Nadella, who has typically been an optimistic leader with all things Bing. He never argued that Microsoft Bing Search is better than Google Search. It seemed more like a concession that Microsoft Bing Search could never be better because of Google’s monopoly position.

Is this Nadella simply telling it as he sees it? That he knows Microsoft Bing will never be a true contender (which is true).

It’s likely he views this antitrust trial as a last-ditch moment to stop Google – a monopolistic rival that could do real damage to consumers, competitors and the entire ecosystem that is reliant on Google advertising and traffic? The question is whether Google will be forced to change how it operates.

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Reddit has launched new capabilities on Ads Manager for enhanced community targeting.

The platform has added three new features to the platform, as well as two new administration tools, designed to enhance campaign efficiency and performance, benefitting small business advertisers all the way through to enterprise clients.

Why we care. The enhanced features in Reddit’s Ads Manager provide improved tools for a deeper understanding of relevant Reddit communities, helping connect brands with high-value consumers for better conversions. The new administration tools also provide more efficient and controlled campaign management, offering advertisers greater flexibility and effectiveness in their advertising efforts.

New Ads Manager features. Reddit has added several new Ads Manager features to help advertisers find their audience, expand their targeting, and better understand the Reddit communities most relevant to them:

• Improved Community Search: Advertisers can now search for relevant communities by topic in Ads Manager.
• Targeting Suggestions: This new feature helps broad reach by suggesting additional communities based on an advertiser’s selected community target.
• Community Info: Reddit now provides community descriptions, topic tags, estimated audience size based on membership and engagement, as well as a link to the community, to give advertisers access to all of the key details in one easy place. 

New administration tools. Reddit has also invested in new administration tools to help streamline campaign optimization and oversight:

• Campaign lifetime budget: Advertisers can now set a maximum spending limit for their campaigns. Once the allocated budget is exhausted, all ad groups in the campaign will automatically cease spending, providing a straightforward way to manage budgets.
• Inline editing: Advertisers can now edit campaign names, bids, and budgets in one convenient location – the Ads dashboard.

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What has Reddit said? Reddit’s EVP of Business Marketing and Growth Jim Squires told Search Engine Land:

• "With more than 100,000 communities on Reddit covering every topic imaginable, it’s helpful to know where to start and how to effectively navigate to success, especially for advertisers less familiar with our platform."
• "Our client partners do a great job of connecting the dots, and these latest updates allow us to go a step further in providing that guidance and support at scale through our Ads Manager."
• "Whether you’re a large brand or small business, self-serve or managed advertiser, you’ll be able to better harness the power of Reddit communities by discovering, understanding and targeting their ranging passions and interests, in one easy-to-use place, which will ultimately strengthen campaign outcomes."

Deep dive. Read Reddit's Business Blog for more information about the platform's latest developments.

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YouTube has updated its analytics platform to provide enhanced audience insights.

Creators will now have access to data analyzing membership cancellation, and will also be able to compare new and existing viewer data for the first time.

In addition, YouTube has carried out improvements to the design of its studio platform to enhance the user experience.

Why we care. The detailed audience breakdown will enable advertisers to understand how different audiences engage with their content on a deeper level, allowing them to make more data-led decisions and create more targeted content for improved reach and conversions.

Filter performance metrics by audience segment. The YouTube product team have launched a new feature in Studio Analytics to help creators better understand how new and returning viewers watch their content. This means creators can now compare how many views they get from different audience segments.

The platform has also created a new tab in Deep Dive Analytics called “New and Returning Viewers”, where creators can analyze the performance of their content based on audience segments. In addition, new filters have been added at a channel and video level to simplify data analytics. Here, you can now select whether you want to see data from new viewers or returning viewers.

Memberships revenue analytics. YouTube has added two new cards and one new insight into the memberships tab:

• Total members – This card allows creators to see their total number of members, and within this, two additional categories: recurring memberships and members with gifted memberships. The subcategories help creators to understand the different types of members they have.
• Members join from – This provides insight into how creators convert memberships with their content.
• Reason for membership cancelation – This new insight has been added to memberships on YouTube analytics but not in the detailed view of an existing report.

TextField Modernization. The YouTube team have also rolled out improvements on a standard shared text field component across the main and studio platforms. The changes include:

• Updated visual design
• Migrated key surfaces
• Enhanced error states

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What has YouTube said? Conor Kavanagh, YouTube monetization policy lead, said:

• “When a member cancels their membership, they will now be asked to provide a reason for their cancellation through an optional survey. This data will be collected and displayed in a separate card on the membership chip."
• "By understanding the reasons why members cancel their memberships, creators can gain valuable insights into potential improvements or changes to their content or membership offerings."
• "Before the launch of this [Filter performance metrics by audience segment], creators could only see how many new or returning viewers they had, or how many views they got, from all viewers."
• "But now, creators have the ability to see how different audience segments watch their content. This means that creators can now see how many views they got from new viewers, and compare it to the number of views from returning viewers."

Deep dive. Read Google's Advertiser-Friendly Content guidelines for more information.

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X (formerly known as Twitter) has joined forces with the Google Display Network.

Following a steep decline in advertising revenue earlier this year, the social platform has decided to start outsourcing the sale of some of its ad space.

Moving forward, advertisers will be able to tap into the X home feed inventory through Google Ads Display campaigns – however, exact details of the deal terms remain undisclosed.

Why we care. This is an opportunity to reach X’s vast audience of over 200 million actively engaged daily users using Google Ads’ familiar campaign set-up and targeting tools. It’s worth noting that X doesn’t have the same strict advertising guidelines and practices in place around ad placement, and there is a risk your campaign could appear alongside unrestricted and even offensive content.

Why now? Following Elon Musk’s takeover last year, X’s ad revenue has plummeted 59% in the US alone. In 2022, 90% of X revenue was generated through advertising – so this decline had a big impact on profit.

With those statistics in mind, Musk has been trying to solve the ad revenue issue, firstly by bringing in new CEO Linda Yaccarino in May, and now by outsourcing some ad sales to one of the biggest players in the advertising industry, Google.

Powerful marketing. Tom Ruff, Head of Social at digital marketing agency Journey Further, said the new partnership has huge potential – but it will depend on how the companies share their data. He explained:

• “Google combining data with X potentially makes it the most powerful marketing database out there, so I will be interested to see how that evolves.”
• “If you’re able to use the X audiences across search and display campaigns, it could link up the user journey in ways we haven’t seen before, but, if the campaigns and data aren’t joined up then it will just be another placement and overall performance will suffer.”

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What has Google said? A Google spokesperson told Ad Age:

• "Like a number of social apps and websites, X has signed up to monetize its home feed with Google Ad Manager."
• "This is an opportunity for our advertisers to reach a broader audience, but as always they can choose what sites and apps their ads run on. Any publisher who participates in this type of partnership must abide by our publisher policies."

Deep dive. Read Google's Display Network guidelines for more information about display ads.

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During the ongoing DOJ antitrust trial against Google, the company reiterated it sometimes shows lower-ranked ads ahead of top-ranked ads. 

This practice is known as out-of-order ad promotion. This little nuance to how the ad auction works can be confusing, so in this article, I’ll explain how out-of-order promotion works and why Google does it.

How Google ranks ads in auctions

Google uses second-price ad auctions to determine which ads show for a search query and how much advertisers pay for clicks. Advertisers bid on keywords, and their ad position is based on Quality Score, which, in highly simplified terms, is a combination of bid amount and predicted click-through rate.

This combined score is known as Ad Rank. The ad with the highest Ad Rank wins the top slot on the page.

The following table shows an example of two ads with different predicted CTRs and maximum CPCs and how those factors combine to determine ad rank and position on the page:

But there is more complexity than what the table indicates. Google maintains several thresholds or conditions an ad must meet before it can be shown in certain locations on the SERP, like the more desirable positions above organic search results. 

Google’s ad thresholds include:

• A reserve auction price (typical in most auctions where the seller can require a minimum price).
• A minimum relevance factor.
• Adherence to editorial ad standards. 

The idea behind the relevance threshold is simply that the most relevant results should be at the top, and if ads are less relevant than organic results, there should be no ads before organic results.

So even if an ad wins the top auction rank, it may not be eligible to show in the number one slot because its ad rank is below the reserve, its expected click-through rate (CTR) is below the relevance threshold, or the ad is unreviewed and hence can’t be guaranteed to meet editorial standards.

For example, if Google wants ads at the top of the SERP to have at least a 4% predicted CTR, then Ad 1 in our example above would still have a higher rank than Ad 2, but it would not be allowed to be shown at the top of the SERP. It would still be eligible for an ad slot lower on the page with lower relevance threshold.

Where it gets messy is when the lower-ranked ad does meet all the criteria but is forced to stay behind the higher-ranked ad which fails some of the criteria.

In our example, Ad 2 meets the relevance requirement because its predicted CTR is 5%, higher than the 4% threshold.

But as its ad rank is lower than Ad 1, to maintain auction fidelity, it should also move further down the page and show up after wherever Ad 1 is allowed to show.

This is not a great scenario for advertisers or Google, so they address this by allowing ads to be shown in a different order than what ad rank would normally dictate.

Why Google allows out-of-order promotion

To show relevant ads above search results, Google will sometimes promote the second-ranked ad ahead of the first-ranked ad. This allows a more relevant ad to take the premium real estate.

It benefits Google and users:

• Google can still show ads in high-visibility spots above organic results. This increases potential revenue.
• Users see more relevant ads in premium locations. This improves the search experience.
• Advertisers with high-relevance ads stuck behind a less relevant ad with a higher CPC can still show up in more premium locations where they are more likely to get clicks.

In the same example as before, if Google has a 4% threshold for relevance but allows out-of-order promotion, they can now show the ads in a different order. Ad 1 and Ad 2’s positions are reversed, and only Ad 2 shows above the organic results. 

We know the above is true because we see different numbers of ads above the organic results for different searches. As we can see, Google has an algorithm that determines on the fly which ads can appear in various locations on the SERP.

Out-of-order promotion also allows Google to enforce its relevance standards. Without it, low-quality ads could occupy top spots just by bidding high – even if users are unlikely to find them useful.

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How out-of-order promotion impacts advertisers

For the demoted, first-ranked ad, out-of-order promotion means losing the top slot and being pushed down the page. It may still pay a high CPC because its low Quality Score means it must spend more on the CPC to meet any ad rank thresholds.

For the promoted, second-ranked ad, it provides a chance to gain greater visibility than its rank alone would permit. The advertiser will pay no more than their max CPC but may pay more than if they had not been promoted ahead of Ad 1.

As Google says in its support materials:

“Your actual CPC is calculated based on your Ad Rank, including the thresholds and competition from other advertisers.” 

This indicates that the price Ad 2 pays to jump over Ad 1 and stay at the top of the page may be higher than if it had been shown in the regular order, where it only had to pay the minimum to beat the next highest-ranked ad.

For advertisers further down the rankings, it can start a chain reaction of ads moving up a slot as the demoted ad falls.

In general, out-of-order promotion aims to balance relevance for users with revenue for Google. Advertisers may see fluctuations in ad position and cost per click as a result.

Navigating Google's ad auctions

While out-of-order promotion changes the typical auction dynamics, Google believes it ultimately improves the search experience, and I tend to agree with that.

For advertisers, it highlights the need to focus both on bidding strategically and optimizing for relevance and Quality Score.

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Among the top one million homepages, there were a staggering 49,991,225 unique accessibility issues identified, averaging 50 issues per page.

This statistic is shocking, especially when you think about Gartner’s analysis that digital products fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level 2 will outperform their competitors by a factor of 50.

Many best practices for improving website accessibility align closely with SEO tactics.

This article tackles how to manage 10 accessibility elements to can also help improve your site’s SEO and ensure inclusivity for all users.

How disabilities impact the online journey

You can’t make an accessibility audit without understanding, at least partially, what accessibility means. So before you start:

• Make sure that you dedicate enough time to read the WCAG Level 2 standards, their descriptions, examples, and potential techniques to meet them.
• Once you finish the reading, install a screen reader program and start using it. Make sure that you don’t cheat. Put a blindfold on if needed.
• Install an add-on simulating color blindness like RGBlind, and navigate websites while it is switched on.
• Navigate websites using just the keyboard or with voice commands.
• Remove images and other types of media.
• Try to accomplish one of your usual routine tasks. For example, make an order by using your local supermarket’s website.

It is not easy, right?

Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with the basics, you can begin your quick audit.

Accessibility elements impacting SEO

1. Main navigation

A consistent navigation structure facilitates a smoother user experience on a website by minimizing potential confusion. Conversely, unpredictable or inconsistent layouts can block users from efficiently locating the necessary information.

Individuals with disabilities often lean on a consistent site layout for navigation. For instance, a person who is blind might depend on a screen reader. If this tool indicates that the primary navigation is situated in the page’s top-left corner, the user can effortlessly navigate to it.

To detect potential navigation-related issues, you can manually review websites, especially if they are relatively small in scale, or utilize a website crawler to assess more extensive sites. Tools like Python scripts, ChatGPT, and the ever-trusty Excel can help you.

2. Breadcrumb navigation

Breadcrumb navigation significantly enhances a website’s accessibility. 

It offers users a logical and efficient pathway, clearly reflecting the content’s position within the overall site structure.

While breadcrumb navigation aids user accessibility, it also serves a vital role in SEO. It promotes internal linking and helps with page discoverability. It also incorporates target keywords, which can influence the page’s topical relevance.

Various tools can be used to assess your breadcrumb navigation. If you’ve implemented structured data markup, Google Search Console will do some of the heavy lifting, as it will proactively check your implementation. 

For sites rich in JavaScript, it’s prudent to analyze how breadcrumbs are displayed when JavaScript is turned off.

3. Keyboard navigation

Keyboard navigation aims to ensure all page functionality is accessible via the keyboard. This can benefit users with visual or motor impairments and those using keyboard alternatives or devices that act as keyboard emulators, like speech input software. 

While there isn’t a direct correlation with traditional SEO on-page elements, good keyboard navigation can impact website engagement and can lead to improved user metrics. 

I haven’t found a perfect tool to test keyboard navigation. The best way to test this is to do it manually. If this is not an option for your whole website, do this for your primary pages (both in terms of traffic and conversions). 

Try to use standardized templates for your website. For example, one template for product pages and one for customer stories. If you use templates, you can test one or two of them, but your fixes may impact thousands of pages.

4. Webpages crawlability

Natural language processing tools and text-to-speech synthesizers use web crawlers to help people with impairments comprehend and use websites. If a website is not fully crawlable, these tools and services might not function properly, making it difficult for individuals with impairments to utilize a website. 

Poor web page crawlability may potentially affect all users because it will make the page’s entirety or certain portions inaccessible.

Utilize Google Search Console’s URL inspection tool or your browser’s console to check if your pages are easily crawlable and indexable. Regular technical audits are also smart, especially after major updates like website overhauls.

RedBot is another useful tool for identifying potential issues. You can set up alerts in your log file monitoring software to proactively monitor for any crawlability issues.

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5. Page titles

Unique page titles allow users to quickly grasp the content and intent of a page. This is especially helpful for users who rely on screen readers, such as the blind and visually impaired. Clear and descriptive titles also assist users with cognitive disabilities by clarifying the page's topic.

While these titles are crucial for accessibility, they're equally vital in SEO as search engines use page titles for the same reason. Effective page titles can significantly influence your bounce rate. 

There's nothing more jarring than encountering a page where the meta title suggests one thing, and the page title indicates something entirely different.

For example, when the meta title starts with “What is”, but the page title makes it clear that you have landed on a product page. In these situations, I often feel disoriented for a moment and typically bounce back to the search results.

Checking this element is straightforward but could be time-consuming. If you utilize a website crawler tool like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb or Lumar, they will instantly provide data for your page titles. 

Alternatively, a quick export by your backend team, plus the feature of Excel to highlight duplicate values, can also get part of the job done. This method can sometimes be more thorough, as there are instances where web crawlers might miss some pages. 

The hard part comes when you need to evaluate the uniqueness and meaning of your page titles and if they correspond to the page content. And there is no better way to do it than manually.

When dealing with a large website or one with multiple languages, reviewing every page title for its relevance to the page content might not be feasible. In such scenarios, prioritize your review, starting with the most critical pages in terms of rankings, traffic and conversions. 

Additionally, educate your colleagues in other departments about the importance of page titles. They might assist in some evaluations or, at the very least, flag any glaring discrepancies they come across.

6. Section headers

We've all encountered that exceedingly lengthy webpage at least once: long sentences, sprawling paragraphs and hardly any breaks.

While there might have been a time when people read every word, nowadays, most just skim.

Good section headers enable users to scan content faster and help them determine if it's worth further attention.

These headers are also crucial for users with disabilities. Per WCAG standards, section headings organize content.

This organization aids blind users in discerning their position on a page and recognizing when they've transitioned. Those relying on keyboard navigation can effortlessly move between sections, pinpointing relevant content.

To assess section headings, you can use web crawlers and extract specific elements using CSS or X Path. Tools like the WAVE browser extension or HTML 5 Outliner are also handy if you're examining a smaller batch of pages or template pages.

Alternatively, you can ask for help from your QA team and leverage the capabilities of comprehensive automated testing tools.

7. Alt texts

Alternative text is essential for providing image descriptions to those who can't view them, such as individuals with visual impairments.

On slow internet connections or when there's an issue with the image, alt tags prove useful for all users by describing the image's content.

From an SEO standpoint, alt tags offer search engines additional context, helping them better understand the page's content. Consequently, this can influence the page's relevance to a search query and overall performance.

In my routine work, I primarily use three tools to check alt tags: 

• Screaming Frog for bulk reviews.
• WAVE for individual page inspections.
• Image Alt Text Viewer.

8. Video captions and transcripts

Users engage with content in diverse ways. Personally, I'm inclined towards reading (a bit of a rarity these days). While video content can captivate me, if I need to grasp something truly, I prefer reading it. 

However, users like me may not be a compelling reason to caption or transcribe all your videos. But consider scenarios where the video fails to load, the internet is sluggish, or there's a pronounced accent in the voiceover (cue amusing examples).

For accessibility, video captions and transcripts are vital. Some users may struggle to interpret moving images or have limited hearing.

From an SEO standpoint, transcripts furnish search engines with more indexable content, potentially enhancing search visibility.

When it comes to evaluation, it's wise to have your captions and transcripts reviewed by a proofreader, followed by an editorial review. For creation, built-in features from platforms like YouTube or Wistia can be handy. Alternatively, there are several premium tools available.

9. Media descriptions

Media descriptions narrate the visual components of videos or multimedia content. They're indispensable for blind or visually impaired individuals to comprehend visual aspects not captured in the primary audio.

From an SEO angle, detailed descriptions of media help search engines better understand and rank multimedia elements on a site. Moreover, including descriptions for your videos, for instance, is a recommended step when implementing Video Structured data markup.

When you're looking to test, especially for videos, a great approach is to employ structured data markup and rely on Google Search Console. Alternatively, a web crawler can extract descriptions of various media types or their built-in feature to check structure data markup implementation.

10. Links

Descriptive links are essential for both accessibility and SEO. They offer context about the linked page's content to both users and search engines.

Such links are especially vital for those using screen readers, including individuals with visual impairments.

The most effective way to assess anchor texts on a site is by using a website crawler. Ensure you've established webpage templates that avoid generic link texts like "Here," "Click here," and similar phrases.

I believe it's also important to limit the use of "Learn more." This brief phrase doesn't provide clarity on what the user will discover next.

Bonus: Abbreviations 

Abbreviations can streamline your content and enhance readability, but they come with their own set of challenges. The same abbreviation can carry different meanings across languages and sometimes even within the same language.

Furthermore, not every reader might be familiar with a given abbreviation, which can disrupt the user experience.

A good practice is always introducing the full term and its abbreviation within the initial sentences. From an SEO standpoint, including the complete phrase and its abbreviation can enhance the page's relevance, potentially boosting its performance.

Checking your content for abbreviations can be nuanced, especially since some abbreviations might coincide with code snippets. However, using search operators is one method to tackle this. 

Another approach, though it might sound repetitive, is employing a web crawler with a tailored search. If needed, request an export from your backend team – and don't take "it's not possible" for an answer.

Starting your accessibility audit

Start your accessibility audit with your navigation and footer. Make sure that all elements in them are fully accessible, as they are met on every single page of your website. 

• Links should not be empty or redundant.
• Images should have alt tags (including the icons).
• Your copyright or legal text should not be too small.
• Form labels shouldn’t be empty (for example, your search box). 

Remember, good websites are the ones optimized for users. 

Starting with some easy checks is not difficult and doesn’t require huge investments.

All you may need is time and some of your well-known SEO tools. 

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Microsoft claims its attempts to sell Bing to Apple were blocked by Google.

The tech giant’s CEO of Advertising and Web Services, Mikhail Parakhin, said he offered Apple more than 100% of the revenue or gross profit to make Bing its default search engine – but the proposal was rejected because of the company’s deal with Google.

Speaking at the federal antitrust trial, Parakhin alleged this was despite Microsoft offering to pay Apple more than Google – which he claims was offering in the region of 60%.

How much did Microsoft offer Apple? Tinter didn’t reveal exactly how much its offer to Apple was worth, but it was enough that the tech giant would have sustained a several billion dollar loss as a result. Tinter explained the company felt the short-term loss would be a justified investment because of the importance of default search engine status.

Why we care. Apple’s decision to reject Microsoft’s higher monetary offer for Bing as the default search engine implies that the Google deal might not be solely based on financial considerations. This could reinforce Google’s argument that it’s preferred for its superior product. Nevertheless, it underscores the significance of default status for search engines, as Microsoft was willing to incur a significant loss for the position.

Better offer than Google. While Tinter didn’t provide the exact dollar amount Microsoft offered Apple, he asserted that Microsoft was confident it presented a superior deal compared to Google. He explained: “That’s based on our best estimates of the revenue payments that Google was making to Apple in the United States.”

Samsung also shut down potential sale. Tinter went on to reveal that Microsoft had also tried to pitch Samsung about making Bing the default search engine on its products. However, he claims these conversations were shut down by the tech giant in their early stages.

Tinter allegedly urged Samsung to at least allow Microsoft to try and make an offer that could rival its deal with Google. But the tech giant told Microsoft that negotiations wouldn’t be worth discussing because of the company’s contract with Google.

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What has Microsoft said? Parakhin told the court at the federal antitrust trial:

• "We were just big enough to play but probably not big enough to win, if that makes sense."
• "The optimal thing for Apple to have done — and again, I think in closed session, maybe we’ll end up looking at some of the sort of math on this — would have been to have switched to Microsoft in the United States, taken our aggressive offer there, and continue with sort of Google in the rest of the world."

Deep dive. Read our Google antitrust trial updates for the latest developments in the courtroom.

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Reddit is getting rid of the ability to opt-out of ad personlization based on users’ activity on the platform.

The change, which is being rolled out over the next few weeks, won’t increase the frequency of ads, but users can expect better targeted ads.

“Select countries” will still feature opt-out controls for Reddit users, however, specific locations have not yet been confirmed.

Why we care. This change enables Reddit’s models to better predict which ads may be most relevant to users, helping brands to reach higher-value consumers. Advertisers should prioritize reaching their target audience to enhance campaign effectiveness, improve cost-efficiency, and increase the likelihood of engagement and conversions.

Why now? In June, the platform’s CEO, Steve Huffman, told The Verge that monetization has become an increasing priority for Reddit: ” “Getting to breakeven is a priority for us in any climate.”

This change will enable Reddit’s models to identify relevant audiences more efficiently, enabling ads to be served to higher-value consumers, making it a more appealing platform for advertisers.

Specific category opt-out. Reddit is also now enabling its users to see fewer ads from the following categories:

• Alcohol.
• Dating.
• Gambling.
• Pregnancy & Parenting.
• Weight Loss.

The platform explained it is using a combination of manual tagging and machine learning to classify ads. Although the change won’t be 100% successful to begin with, Reddit has said its accuracy will improve.

Toggle consolidation. In addition to the changes mentioned above, Reddit announced that it is consolidating two toggles so now there’s just one place to update your location preferences to help customize your feed and recommendations. It’s not certain if these settings will automatically impact post suggestions, and it’s yet to be confirmed if there will be an option to disable them.

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What has Reddit said?  Reddit's head of privacy, "snoo-tuh" (Reddit does not reveal the identity of admins on the site), said in a statement:

• "Reddit requires very little personal information, and we like it that way. Our advertisers instead rely on on-platform activity—what communities you join, leave, upvotes, downvotes, and other signals—to get an idea of what you might be interested in."
• "The vast majority of redditors will see no change to their ads on Reddit. For users who previously opted out of personalization based on Reddit activity, this change will not result in seeing more ads or sharing on-platform activity with advertisers. It does enable our models to better predict which ad may be most relevant to you."

Deep dive. Read Reddit's announcement in full for more information.

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TikTok has launched a new AI-powered tool to help advertisers create more effective campaigns.

Creative Assistant, which is located in the platform’s Creative Center, can be used to analyze data, offer suggestions, brainstorm ideas and provide advice on the platform’s best practice guidance.

Why we care. Creative Assistant can help make content creation easier and faster by acting as your virtual assistant. By leveraging TikTok creative insights, it can suggest data-led ideas to help you create more effective and engaging campaigns.

What is TikTok Creative Assistant? TikTok Creative Assistant is an AI-driven virtual assistant that you can chat with and work alongside while you create ads or videos for the platform. By harnessing TikTok-specific creative knowledge, it ensures you get the most relevant suggestions and guidance, ultimately helping advertisers craft compelling and effective content for their TikTok campaigns.

How it works. You can access Creative Assistant on the top right-hand corner of the Creative Center page when you log into the TikTok Creative Center. Start using the new feature by inputting prompts, such as the following:

• “I am new to creating videos on TikTok. What are some best practices I need to know before starting?”
• “Show me top-performing ads on Creative Center in the [industry] industry.”
• “Come up with TikTok ideas for my brand named [name], promoting [topic].”
• “Write a TikTok ad script for my [industry] brand named [name], targeting [market] and [target audience]. Highlight these benefits in the script – [benefits].”

What can you use Creative Assistant for? TikTok Creative Assistant can be used to boost advertisers’ creativity within the platform’s Creative Center, offering insights and suggestions for a smoother content creation process. Examples of instances to use it include:

• For TikTok newcomers, Creative Assistant provides guidance on best practices and helps you kickstart your journey on the platform.
• When researching the creative landscape on TikTok, Creative Assistant can display and analyze inspirational and top-performing ads using data sources available on the Creative Center.
• When facing writer’s block, Creative Assistant is there to brainstorm TikTok ideas, assist in writing, and refine your TikTok scripts collaboratively.

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What has TikTok said? A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement:

• "With Creative Assistant, you're now empowered to continuously create a meaningful and valuable presence on TikTok through never-ending ideation and brainstorm sessions."
• "This tool means brands and creators worldwide can harness the power of artificial intelligence to better ideate and create TikTok creatives like never before."
•  "It’s important to remember that Creative Assistant is a launchpad for creative ideation, providing suggestions and playing the role of a collaborator in your creation journey. You are also always in total control, and have the option to use, edit, discard or redo the materials."

Deep dive. Read TikTok's Creative Assistant announcement in full for more information.

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YouTube has confirmed the global launch of video view campaigns (VVC).

This new campaign type leverages AI to help advertisers target relevant audiences more efficiently and effectively by serving ads in the right place at the right time to drive interest and intent.

Why we care. Serving your ads to a more relevant audience optimizes campaign impact and efficiency, increasing engagement, leading to a better ROI. This approach ensures resources are used effectively and contributes to building stronger brand-consumer connections.

What is VVC? This campaign type leverages AI to strategically deliver the best-performing creatives to audiences more inclined to engage with the brand, helping to maximize views. VVCs combine a variety of formats to get the most out of a budget, including:

• Skippable in-stream ads.
• In-feed ads.
• Shorts ads.

VVCs help advertisers achieve 40% more views and 30% lower cost per view than in-stream skippable CPV campaigns on average, according to a Google study.

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What has Google said? Julia Karr, Global Product Expert, Video, YouTube, said in a statement:

• "Videos are one of the most impactful ways to tell a story, and VVC showcases your brand’s story across skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts ad formats.
• "Warner Brothers Korea used VVC to drive user engagement, maximise views and drive ticket sales for the release of their new film 'Bones and All'. They found VVC to be an effective way to increase views and drive user engagement, with 33% more views and 36% lower cost when compared to TrueView in-stream alone."

Deep dive. Read Google's video views guide for more information.

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