At Website Success, we're all about keeping things fresh and staying in the know with industry shifts and updates, for our own, and our clients’ growth.
From PPC, to SEO, Strategy and more, here are our 10 predictions on what 2024 has in store for the digital landscape
1. Back To Basics
I believe strategy is going to see a ‘revival’ next year! The last 2-3 years have seen a lot of knee-jerk reactions to changes in the online world/digital landscape, since Covid, during which companies panicked and changed direction a lot to find their groove again. 2023 has been a year of the digital dust settling for many businesses, and 2024 will see more clients reviewing their proposition, position in the marketplace, and returning to their core values.
Online marketing of course continues to evolve alongside humans, and it is only with a clear sense of self and a firm strategy that businesses can successfully flex to embrace experiments, trends and changes – and stay on course to achieve their objectives.
– Louise Hopkins, Head of Strategy
2. Think Beyond the Link
In the social media world, we’ve spotted a noticeable shift towards more powerful algorithms, and users favouring linkless posts. Particularly on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Instead of solely focusing on the conventional goal of driving traffic to your website in 2024, I believe the main emphasis will be on creating environments where your community can engage in meaningful conversations and connect with your business through company insights and storytelling. Your audience want helpful and engaging content, without any instruction or hoops to jump through... (this is what paid ads are for!) – Milly Miles, Content Marketing Executive
3. AI vs Authenticity
I’ve become a bit disheartened recently with the spate of photographs on social media that are clearly fake, when they don't need to be, all thanks to AI! Ok, so photography fads come and go, I get that, but I think AI is here to stay. That isn't a bad thing, I appreciate that it can be a useful addition to many areas of the creative industry and does have a place in photography, but when photos of scenes that are beautiful in their own right are being artificially created, this is an AI step too far for me. It's a bit disheartening to consider this might be the future, a future where photography is so artificial that it no longer has any heart and soul. If we’re not careful, photography as we've known and loved for nearly two centuries will become a distant memory, and that would be tragic. So I really do hope that in 2024 we use AI as a complementary tool and start to see beauty in authenticity once again, then all these fake photos can be put in an artificially created shoe box and shoved under a virtual bed. - Dan Mack, Creative Director
4. A Personal Touch
In the evolving digital landscape, I predict a surge in personalised strategies for heightened engagement and conversions. Disconnected web visitors are a missed opportunity, prompting businesses to harness tools that analyse user interactions and create tailored website experiences. From dynamic greetings to psych-based personalisation, this approach enhances emotional connection. Anticipate increased trust, engagement, and conversions, aligning seamlessly with key marketing trends. - Jon Macmorland, Studio Manager
5. AI and PPC Will Become a Power Couple
In 2024, I predict an exciting evolution in PPC as a result of the integration of AI and automation. This transformative shift (I expect) will enhance targeting precision, optimised ad placements, and streamlined campaign management even further driven by intent data. AI will also improve reporting across ad and social platforms, to further support data-driven decisions. – Felix Almario, PPC Executive
6. Humans Take the Digital Reins
2023 saw people testing AI across various applications and industries and in the nature of embrace, we’ve learned how it can be helpful and timesaving in many of our tasks. But this testing time has already identified some of AI’s limitations, where additional development is needed for AI, or additional time for it to learn and evolve.
As a result, I firmly believe that 2024 will be about the humans regaining ground, certainly in terms of copywriting, SEO, PPC and other digital content. That’s not to say we’ll stop using AI, but I believe we’ll naturally find ourselves adding the human value – to adapt, edit, hone, polish, rephrase, delete... which comes from applying our human experience which AI cannot yet do.
We’ve probably not yet input enough tailored/new content or ideas in 2023, so 2024 will see a shift. And the quality of output will improve – but I maintain for a while longer, we will still need to apply human thinking. - Louise Hopkins, Head of Strategy
7. Email Marketing Takes the Lead
Get ready to witness the rise of email marketing, surpassing the popularity of SEO and PPC – yep, I said it! With web tracking restrictions and heightened privacy settings, brands are realising the significance of curating their own data lists to nurture and convert leads. Email, a versatile powerhouse, not only reinforces brand identity and builds trust but is also effective in various formats like multi-topic e-news, targeted e-shots, and regular touch points. To fuel this trend, anticipate the comeback of lead magnets as a valuable tool for data collection! We’re ready when you are! - Louise Hopkins, Head of Strategy
8. Blogging Will Become Your Digital Weapon
Blogs are most certainly still alive and kicking into 2024. With the evolution of search algorithms and changes in user behaviour, there’s an increased importance on relevant and informative content to stand out… and I believe blogs will become digital marketers’ secret weapon to navigating this. Carefully curated blogs not only boost your SEO ranking, they capture visitors at all stages of their buying process, engaging them and showing them why you’re the number one choice in your industry. They also act as amplifiers, seamlessly integrating into social and email marketing strategies, overall contributing significantly to a robust digital presence. They’re a no-brainer for almost all businesses! - Milly Miles, Content Marketing Executive
9. An Inbox Evolution
In 2024, I predict a strategic shift towards simple, text-based emails that cut through digital noise and foster authentic engagement. Say goodbye to over-the-top, overwhelming, and over-complicated designs and messaging.
I expect many businesses, B2B and B2C, will recognise the power of personalisation in the inbox, aiming to replicate the intimacy and ease of one-on-one conversations. - Milly Miles, Content Marketing Executive
10. The Rise of Social Search
In 2024, I foresee a major change in how people search online, with a growing reliance on social search engines – that is, searching within social platforms. This shift emphasises the need for businesses to have engaging content strategies, including ‘They ask, you answer’ driven content tailored for each specific social platform. – Rizza Prado, Digital Marketing Executive & SEO Specialist
If you need a helping hand to grow your online presence in 2024, contact our Chichester web and digital agency by calling us on 01243 888555 or click here to book a chat in the diary.
