Google has been warning marketers about phasing out third-party cookies for years now, but they have continuously postponed the complete phase-out date. Originally set for 2020, the date was pushed to 2023 because of the pandemic … then to the start of 2024 … then 2025.
Well, the tech giant has just changed its mind again. Google made a huge announcement in July that—after four years of preparations—tracking cookies are here to stay after all.
For nonprofit marketers, that means we no longer need alternative targeting methods, right? Well, yes and no.
You never want to put all your eggs into one basket. Here are a few of RKD Group’s recommendations for additional ways you can build digital audience data, courtesy of our media experts Nicole Daily and Shane Thornal:
- Prospecting investment: As retargeting pools shrink, it's crucial to invest in rebuilding prospecting pools to maintain healthy lookalike and predictive audience sizes. Investing in more upper-funnel tactics that generate interest and drive site traffic can better support campaigns and targeting algorithms, ultimately driving donations.
- Alternative IDs: Utilize technology integrated with alternative ID solutions. This browser-based technology “seeks to emulate the functionality of the third-party cookie in a privacy-safe way.”
- Contextual targeting: Align ads with relevant content and websites online.
- First-party partner data: Leverage first-party data gathered by digital platforms such as Amazon and Yahoo.
- First-party website pixel data: Place pixels on your website to build lookalike and predictive audiences.
- First-party CRM data: Build audience segments from your first-party audience data.
By implementing these tactics, you can be fully prepared if Google decides to change course again in the near future. If you’d like to learn more about this topic, here are a few additional resources:
- Google is saying goodbye to third-party cookies
- Google delays third-party cookie phase-out—again
- The future is here: Leveraging data for personalized donor experiences
Google search results will no longer continuously scroll
Since its debut on mobile in October 2021 and desktop in December 2022, continuous scroll has changed the way we experience Google’s search results. Instead of having to click to the next page of results, more would just pop up as you scroll to the bottom of the page.
Now, Google is turning back the clock and dropping continuous scroll for desktop users (with mobile coming soon).
So what does this mean for nonprofit marketers?
Well, prior to continuous scroll, ranking in the top 10 was much more valuable than anything below it. When continuous scroll was implemented, the gap between the 10th and 11th rankings was minimal. Now, ranking on the first page of top 10 results will be more critical than ever.
On top of that, this could have an impact on paid search and Google Grants. It’s no secret that Google has been giving more space to search ads in recent years, but now real estate could be limited. Costs could also rise as everyone will be competing to appear on the first page of the results.
What’s the latest on the TikTok ban?
In March, the House of Representatives passed a bill banning TikTok in the U.S. Despite a polarized government, that bill made its way through the Senate and was signed by President Biden in April.
The bill, now law, states that Chinse-owned ByteDance must sell its stake in the video-streaming app within 12 months or TikTok will be removed from app stores. So where do we stand three months later?
As expected, numerous legal challenges have emerged.
A U.S. appeals court has agreed to hear the case brought by ByteDance and a group of TikTok content creators. The court has agreed to fast-track the schedule and will begin oral arguments in September.
Meanwhile, ad spend on TikTok has begun to slow down as brands evaluate whether it’s a worthwhile investment in the current situation. Take a look at TikTok’s year-over-year ad growth in recent months:
- 19% in March
- 11% in April
- 6% in May
It’s worth noting that those are still numbers of growth, not decline. Nevertheless, this could be an opportune time for nonprofits to jump into TikTok with less competition.
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