Google will be changing how it handles the first-party cookie controls on AdSense sites. Google said, "We're making some changes to how first-party cookies are managed in your AdSense account to simplify controls and improve your access to third-party demand."

Google has combined the controls for enabling "first-party cookies" and "first-party cookies for personalization" into a single control.

Turning on the new control will enable first-party cookies for the publisher, share it with demand sources, and enable all usages including personalization, Google explained.

The new control will be set to your existing personalization setting to aid the transition, Google added.

Google added:

Currently, first-party cookies are shared with Google demand sources (Google Ads, Display & Video 360). Starting no earlier than December 4th, 2024, your first-party cookies will also be shared with Authorized Buyers. However, for the time being, this sharing will not include users in the EEA, Switzerland, UK, California, and some US states.

If you're already using first-party cookies for personalization, sharing with Authorized Buyers will be turned on by default. If you're only using first-party cookies without personalization, sharing will remain off.

Choose whether or not you want to allow first-party cookies from Google on your site, and allow sharing of first-party cookies for personalization with eligible advertising platforms (Google Ads, Display & Video 360, and Authorized Buyers). Allowing first-party cookies from Google may increase your revenue because it enables features like frequency capping on ads and allows ads with a frequency cap to serve on your site. First party cookies for personalization help to show personalized ads to your users when third-party cookies aren't available, which may also increase your revenue.

Cookies are small text files downloaded to a user's browser that can be used to store user information and preferences. Cookies are either first-party (associated with the domain the user is visiting) or third party (associated with a domain that's different from the domain the user is visiting). Google may use first-party cookies when third-party cookies are not available.

Forum discussion at X.

This week, Google sent an email to some Google Ads advertisers warning that they may lose access to use Customer Match with their ads cause harm to users or create a poor user experience. Google said they are updating their customer match policy effective January 13, 2025, to enforce this. Google also posted this over here.

Navah Hopkins posted about this notice on LinkedIn after she received an email from Google about this update. The email says:

On January 13, 2025, Google will update its Customer Match policy to state that customers may lose Customer Match access if their ads have the potential to cause harm to users or create a poor user experience. We may take the following considerations, among others, into account when making this determination.

What are those considerations? Google wrote:

• User feedback
• Prevalence or severity of abuse
• Repeated violations of the Customer Match policy

Google added that "violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least seven days, prior to any suspension of your account."

Here is the email:

Navah Hopkins added, "Google customer match allows advertisers to take customer lists and apply them for targeting and seed purposes in Google Ads. This is a great way to ensure folks get exactly the right messaging as well as giving us an option to exclude our existing customers from prospecting campaigns."

She explained what harm might be:

The first and most important consideration is using someone's email without their consent. I would take this signal from Google that gambling with privacy rules is getting harder.

Second, ad creative needs to pass the "not a creep" check. This means:
1. You're not targeting kids.
2. You're not making it seem like the ad is for any one specific user.
3. You're not including people in a target list who outright told you they didn't want to see your ads.

Third, and most importantly, violating customer match rules will get your account suspended. Don't mess around with it.

Forum discussion at LinkedIn.

Google's John Mueller said that some SEOs over focus on URL structure and that if your context from your pages aren't clear, then no URL structure can fix that.

John wrote on LinkedIn:

Often SEOs over-focus on URL structure (imo) -- if the context of your pages isn't clear from the ... text on the page, then the URL structure isn't really going to fix that.

What advice did he give for URL structure for SEO?

• Avoid making unnecessary URL structure changes (because changes will affect SEO at least temporarily, it takes time for search engines to recrawl & reprocess all affected pages), pick something that can last for a long time
• Primarily think about users & about how you want to track performance (URL structures are great for grouping URLs for analytics, conversion rates, etc. -- not directly SEO, but for monitoring how well SEO is working for you).

John added, "Anyway, Google generally (*) wouldn't care. Make a useful structure. Make it easy for you to monitor. Make it helpful for users, if you want (do people even look at URLs? I assume most users don't nowadays.)"

When does structure of your URLs matter? When you have adult content on portions of your site (we covered this before). John said on LinkedIn, "(*) the "generally" ... an exception that I can think of is if an affected part of the site is treated significantly different than the rest of the site. For example, if that folder is where all of the safe-search filtered content is located, then moving it around can make it harder for the safe-search system to understand your new site structure. I don't think that's something most sites need to consider, but it's helpful if you're looking for an "it depends"."

Google has often recommended not to change URLs for SEO purposes, here is our past coverage:

• Google Really Wants You To Avoid Changing URLs Just For SEO Reasons
• Google: Avoid Change URLs Unless You Really Have To
• Google: Don't Change Your URLs For SEO Purposes
• Google: Don't Change URLs When Replacing Old Content With New Content

Forum discussion at LinkedIn.

This EMF Radiation Blocking Hoodie from Bon Charge looks like it’s just the ticket for these warm winter nights. And when we say warm, you know we’re not just referring to the temperature, right? According to some very sensible people, over exposure to high levels of electromagnetic radiation can be a very not good thing. Now before we all head off and find a deep bunker somewhere, it’s not just the levels, but also the type of radiation that matters....

The post EMF Radiation Blocking Hoodie Keeps You Safe. Maybe. appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

A team of engineers from UNSW Sydney have successfully converted a standard diesel engine to run as a hybrid diesel hydrogen engine. The resulting hybrid reduces CO2 emissions by 85%, and increases output efficiency by around 26%.  The team, led by Professor Shawn Kook, spent some 18 months developing the direct injection dual fuel system. The retrofitted engine runs using 90% hydrogen. Professors Kook believe that the new tech could significantly reduce the emissions from the trucking industry and the...

The post Hydrogen Retrofit Reduces Diesel Engine Emissions By 85% appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

Californian company Brimstone has announced the development of the world’s first carbon negative cement product. It’s a bold statement, and if true could revolutionize the global building industry and lead to a new era of carbon neutral construction.  Cement is a big deal. Every year and estimated 4.4 billion tons of the stuff is produced to craft our buildings. But there’s a hidden cost to the environment. If cement was a country, it would be the third largest CO2 emitter...

The post Brimstone – the world’s first carbon negative portland cement appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

Shutterstock, the $2 billion market cap digital content company, has just announced the launch of a free AI generative art service. The announcement wasn’t exactly unexpected, but even so it’s going to rock the foundations of the creative arts industry to its core. It’s one thing to watch small upstart companies like Stability AI and Midjourney unveil artificially generated imagery. It’s altogether another to see a publicly quoted giant like Shutterstock embrace the technology as a first mover advantage. The...

The post Shutterstock AI launches – And Just Like That, The Revolution Starts appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

Fruit harvesting is one of the trickiest parts of the agricultural spectrum. The fruit not only has to be selected when it’s at the ideal ripeness, but also has to be picked very carefully so it doesn’t bruise or suffer damage. Now Israeli made Tevel fruit harvesting bots promise to revolutionize the process of fruit harvesting in a big way. The technology, which integrates A.I. based computer vision with clever vacuum based drone technology, offers fruit farmers a perfect way...

The post Tevel Autonomous Fruit Harvesting Bots – produce pickers face a fruitless future appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

Dr Gordon Moore, one of the three co-founders of Intel Corporation has passed away in Hawaii at the age of 94.  I had the privilege of interviewing him in London in March 1997, and he came across as a genuinely humble man, typical of the genuine ‘boffin’ type of the time. The thing I remember mostly from the interview was his professed love for antiques. Apparently he and his wife, Betty, spent a lot of their free time browsing for...

The post Gordon Moore RIP – Goodbye Mr Chips appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered an ingenious new way to recycle Lithium Ion batteries, and it’s so simple that even your mum could do it. Maybe. The problem with battery recycling has always been that it’s rather cumbersome. Traditional methods involve breaking down batteries into their constituent parts, then extracting the valuable materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. The process works, but it’s not exactly what you’d call efficient, and it can be quite costly....

The post Quick-Release Binder – Recycling Lithium Ion Batteries Just Got Super Easy appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

Google has just announced a new virtual shopping experience for search which lets you try on apparel virtually using some AI cleverness. Users in the US (only, at first) will be able to try out an item of clothing from a catalog if it has a ‘Try On’ badge on it in search. The service is starting with a limited number of brands including Anthropologie, Everlane, H&M and LOFT, and a limited repertoire of AI generated lady’s tops.  Virtual shopping...

The post Google Introduces AI Based Virtual Try-On Apparel appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

Ever felt the need to scream out loud? But you were too embarrassed by close neighbors? Well now you’ve got the perfect chance. The Danbocchi Personal Soundproof Studio is designed to give you a private space to make noise, whenever you want. The person sized box is fully sound proofed and large enough for someone to sit inside and…well do stuff. Like shout, scream, bang a pot, scream some more…you get the picture. It comes, of course, from Japan, land...

The post Danbocchi Personal Soundproof Studio – perfect for your private meltdown appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse better, news comes that WordPress.com has just embedded an AI feature into it’s blog editing code. The Jetpack AI Assistant is a one click solution for those who want to produce vapid, generic, boring blog posts at the touch of a button. Did we get that right? The assistant provides the full range of GPT type functionality you would expect, including creating nice looking blog structures, and can even suggest fabulous...

The post WordPress.com Embeds AI Function Into Its Post Writing Editor. oh dear appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

The Honda Motocompacto has to be one of the weirdest e-bikes we’ve ever seen. It’s not just the strange skinny shape, it’s also the fact that it doesn’t appear to offer any real advantage over an electric scooter except a rudimentary seat. Just 3.7 inches wide, it’s made out of aluminum and plastic, and boasts a max speed of 12 mph and a range of 15 miles per 3 hour charge. While we may scoff at the quirky design, there’s...

The post Honda Motocompacto – The e-Bike That Thinks It’s A Suitcase appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

EMO: Sensational Deepfake Tech From China Shows Just How Insane Things Are Right Now in the world of deepfake and A.I.

The post EMO: Sensational Deepfake Tech From China Shows Just How Insane Things Are Right Now appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

Everything Electric Show, London Highlights 2024

The post Everything Electric Show, London Highlights 2024 appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.

Jamie Penney’s entrepreneurial adventure began when he was in university.  He dabbled in niche sites and a travel vlog on YouTube successfully until the recent Google updates, but he really found his groove when he focused his efforts on a…

The post How Jamie Penney is Growing a +$4000/Month Flipping Furniture YouTube Channel appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

This week, SEO expert Brie Moreau doesn’t share his business results but, rather, the results of an incredibly in-depth study he did analyzing 260k search results to find an answer to a major question: what does Google want exactly? Using…

The post How Brie Moreau Studied 260k Search Results to Understand How Google Views Content appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

When Dave Chesson was in the US Navy, he would spend lots of time away from his family. And he hated it.  He decided to create a portfolio of niche sites in an attempt to earn enough to quit his…

The post How Dave Chesson Earns Up To $14k/Month Publishing Books on Amazon appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

Gary Arndt is a pretty unique individual.  He’s a polymath who triple majored in college and then went back to study additional subjects. He started an early internet company and then sold it for 7 figures before he turned 30. …

The post How Gary Arndt’s History Podcast Gets 1.5 Million Downloads Per Month appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

Spencer is back with Jared to host this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits News Podcast.  Like they always do, they discuss the major happenings related to SEO, small publishers, Google, and beyond, and it has been a very eventful…

The post DOJ Tries to Break Up Google Chrome, Android, and Search Monopoly appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

Jamie Northrup is no stranger to the “make money online” scene. He’s been doing it for almost 20 years with varying success, depending on the strategy.  For years he has been developing different income streams, focusing particularly on side hustles…

The post How Jamie Northrup Earns +$6k/Month From Multiple Income Streams appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

Vinny DelGiudice first dove into blogging to pass the time when he moved to Nevada by himself just out of grad school. Although that blog never really took off, he did learn a lot from the process. A few years…

The post How Vinny DelGiudice Grew His Italian-American Food Blog to +100k Page Views a Month appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

Jared and guest host Thomas Smith are here this week to offer an overview of the main news affecting Google, small publishers, and SEOs. They also share some interesting side hustles and a few very weird niche sites. They kick…

The post Fixing Google Search? Site Reputation Abuse Crackdown! appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

Taegan Goddard’s been in the blogging game for a long time, launching his first website before WordPress even existed.  He went on to create his current website, Political Wire , which has been not only running but growing consistently for…

The post How Taegan Goddard’s Political Blog Gets Up To 10 Million Visitors/Month appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

Welcome back, everyone, to the latest episode of the Niche Pursuits News Podcast, where we bring you the biggest headlines in the industry over the last week and a good dose of inspiration for your personal projects. Jared and guest…

The post Married Couple Wins €2 Billion from Google for Deranking Their Website appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

Bidding on branded terms is an essential PPC strategy. Understand how your company can improve performance by bidding on your competitor’s branded terms.

The post Why You Should Bid on Your Competitor’s Branded Terms appeared first on Portent.

Data-driven attribution is the default attribution model in Google Ads. Understand how and why to use it in your Google Ads campaign.

The post Using Google Ads’ Data-Driven Attribution Model appeared first on Portent.

Google is replacing FID with Interaction to Next Paint (INP) as a primary Core Web Vitals metric. Understand how INP works and what it means for site owners.

The post Interaction to Next Paint (INP) – New Core Web Vitals Metric appeared first on Portent.

Learn how YouTube's ban on ad blockers will affect advertisers. Users aren't happy, but smart advertisers can use the change to their advantage.

The post How YouTube’s Crack Down on Ad Blockers Impacts Advertisers appeared first on Portent.

Google Chrome is phasing out support for third-party cookies. Discover how this change impacts virtually every stakeholder in the digital ecosystem.

The post Should You Be Concerned About the End of Third-Party Cookies? appeared first on Portent.

El estudio que considera 13 países de la región proporcionará información valiosa para la planificación, evaluación y comercialización de publicidad en medios y plataformas digitales.

In terms of top-grossing Wednesday openers, the month of April has never been a super place to launch a movie. That is, until now with The Super Mario Bros Movie. 

Festival season kicked off as revelers from around the globe flocked to the small town of Indio, California for The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023.

The Met Gala once again took over NYC - and our social feeds. This year’s theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”, paid homage to one of fashion’s greatest designers on one of fashion’s biggest nights.

On May 6, 2023 King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned in a historic coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.  

Comscore’s first Interact Summit in London shared invaluable digital insights for the brand, publisher and agency professionals who gathered for our daylong event in Leicester Square. If there was one theme that continued to emerge in the panel discussions, presentations and Q&As throughout the day it was that relevance is the true path to reach.

Gen Z is well known for being social media savvy. But not all platforms are created equal, and with new trends emerging it can be hard to keep track of where Gen Z is spending its time. In this blog, we’ll walk through the apps where you’re most likely to find this cohort scrolling, liking, and viewing, covering the following topics: 

• What social media app has the highest reach among Gen Z? 
• What social media app has grown the fastest among Gen Z?
• How does Gen Z’s social media usage compare to the general population? 
• How does Gen Z’s social media usage compare to other age groups? 

Another year of the NBA Finals has come and gone, and for the first time in history, the Denver Nuggets are NBA Champions. The five-game series didn’t just make a splash in the NBA history books though, as the series garnered strong ratings and viewership across linear television. 

Nos últimos tempos, a América Latina experimentou um rápido crescimento no uso de CTV, graças à ampla variedade de conteúdo e à expansão das plataformas de streaming de vídeo. Embora na América Latina o consumo tenha crescido consideravelmente, atingindo mais de 150 milhões de espectadores, o equivalente a 41% da população digital latino-americana, quando olhamos para os cortes de consumo por país, identificamos grandes lacunas na região, que representam oportunidades de crescimento em cada país.

Picture this: The leaves are starting to change, the days are getting shorter and school is back in full swing. These telltale signs can only mean one thing. Fall has arrived.  

Wimbledon 2023 wrapped up with a men’s final tennis masterclass, and social media didn't miss out on the action.

If you took away one thing from this year’s UpFronts it was likely about the growing popularity of connected TV. 

In this podcast Fr. Stephen looks at the implications involved in living the "Fullness" of the Faith, as taught by the Orthodox Church.

Fr. Stephen speaks about the paradox of prayer and the personal character it has in our life as well as the personal character of beauty and the resolution of all paradox.

Fr. Stephen looks at the virtue of humility and its place in the life of Orthodox Christianity, suggesting that it is our only path towards union with God.

Fr. Stephen looks at last week's podcast on truth and existence and the impact it should have on how we live.