Welcome to the weekly AI and digital marketing news recap for local service businesses brought to you by Envision. This week, we’ll discuss Google’s unconfirmed search algorithm update, advancements in image generation, and a new feature from ChatGPT called Code Interpreter. Let’s dive right in!
The tl;dr
Search News
- May 1st & 2nd Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update – Unconfirmed
- Google changed their guidelines for syndicated content
- Google Search Video Results With Pros and Cons Within Video
- WordPress 6.2 is 14-18% faster
- The Ultimate Guide to YouTube for Small Local Service Businesses
- Cool Tools/Techniques:
- Recommended Reading:
AI News
- Wirestock and the new AI economy
- Join Us for Shutterstock’s Generative AI Showcase
- Midjourney 5.1 Arrives – And It’s Another Leap Forward For AI Art
- Google’s “We Have No Moat” document was leaked.
- Stability AI releases StableVicuna, the AI World’s First Open Source RLHF LLM Chatbot
- ChatGPT’s Code Interpreter
- Announcing the next wave of AI innovation with Microsoft Bing and Edge
- Eleven labs introduces multi-lingual model
- Cool Tools/Techniques:
Unrelated, but cool
- 3Dpresso
- The Amazing AI Super Tutor for Students and Teachers | Sal Khan | TED
- Comparing Physician and Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Responses to Patient Questions Posted to a Public Social Media Forum | Health Informatics | JAMA Internal Medicine
- Twifts
Search News
Google’s Unconfirmed Search Algorithm Update
Around May 1st and 2nd, there were signs of a significant algorithm update from Google. Although the search giant hasn’t confirmed the update, tools like SEMrush and Rank Ranger have detected changes in rankings and SERP volatility. It may take two weeks to a month before we have a clear idea of what the changes were. However, most updates in the last two years have centered around Google getting smarter and more efficient at recognizing high-quality content.
Google’s Guidelines for Syndicated Content
Google has changed its guidelines for syndicated content, which refers to content published on multiple websites. Instead of using canonical tags, Google now advises blocking search engines from accessing the duplicate content. This change may not impact local businesses significantly, as Google usually prefers to show the original source in search results.
Google Search Video Results With Pros and Cons
Google has been emphasizing video content in search results and is now able to show pros and cons within a video without any input from the video creator. This development means that Google is getting better at understanding video content, and businesses should consider focusing more on video marketing.
WordPress 6.2 – Faster and More Efficient
The newest version of WordPress, 6.2, is 14-18% faster than its predecessors. This improvement is beneficial for businesses using WordPress, as one of the criticisms of the platform is its speed compared to other website builders. However, the future of WordPress in the face of advancing AI and competition remains uncertain.
The Ultimate Guide to YouTube for Small Local Service Businesses
Envision has created a comprehensive guide for local service businesses to generate leads using YouTube. The guide, split into seven parts, provides best practices and advice on leveraging YouTube for business growth. All of the images in the guide were created using AI image generation tool Mid Journey, which continues to improve in quality and ease of use.
Cool Tools and Techniques
- Sterling Sky Inc’s guide on choosing the best category for your Google Business Profile
- Thruuu has a free tool for copying website content without unwanted elements
Recommended Reading
Homepage Layout Tips
For insights on homepage layouts and branding, check out the video “Why is THIS the Perfect Homepage?” Although the video doesn’t focus on SEO, it offers valuable advice on creating engaging and high-converting homepages.
Google Plans to Make Search More ‘Personal’ with AI Chat, Video Clips
Google is constantly working on ways to improve its search experience, and according to a recent article, the tech giant is planning to incorporate AI chat and video clips into its search engine. This move could lead to a more personalized search experience, with AI chat enabling users to have more interactive and tailored search results. However, it is still unclear which of these changes will be implemented in Google’s main search and which will be part of Google’s new AI search. Stay tuned for updates as these new features are rolled out.
AI News
Wirestock and the New AI Economy
Wirestock is a company that allows users to sell their stock images by uploading them to the platform, which then distributes the images to top stock image sites such as iStock, Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Getty Images. Interestingly, Wirestock has been sponsoring several AI content creators, encouraging them to sell AI-generated images to these stock image sites. With tools like Mid Journey and Stable Diffusion, creating AI-generated stock images has become increasingly easy.
This development might lead to a flood of AI-generated images on stock image sites, resulting in cheaper stock photos. The quality of AI-generated images has improved significantly in recent times, and it is expected that they will soon be on par with, or even surpass, traditional stock images. As a result, the stock image landscape is likely to change drastically in the near future.
Shutterstock’s Generative AI Showcase
Recognizing the potential of generative AI in stock photography, Shutterstock is embracing the technology with its Generative AI Showcase. This initiative aims to capitalize on the influx of AI-generated images and leverage them to create a more diverse and innovative stock image library. By adopting this approach, Shutterstock is positioning itself as a frontrunner in the AI-powered stock image market.
Mid Journey 5.1: A Leap Forward for AI Art
Mid Journey 5.1 is the latest version of the AI art tool, offering significant advancements over its predecessor, Mid Journey 4. The new version is easier to use, produces more visually appealing images, and is more opinionated, meaning that it can create images based on shorter prompts. Moreover, by using the keyword “raw,” users can generate more realistic-looking images with Mid Journey 5.1.
Google’s “We Have No Moat” Document Leak
In a surprising turn of events, an internal Google document titled “We Have No Moat” was leaked. The document suggests that Google, once considered an AI leader, is now falling behind companies like OpenAI and open-source AI projects like Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion. The author of the document proposes that Google should focus on utilizing these AI models internally, rather than trying to compete with them.
Stability AI Releases StableVicuna: The AI World’s First Open Source RLHF LLM Chatbot
Stability AI has released StableVicuna, an open-source large language model (LLM) chatbot built on Meta’s (formerly Facebook) LLM. Despite not yet being on par with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, StableVicuna has shown rapid improvement and may soon pose a significant challenge to leading LLMs.
The development of StableVicuna and other open-source AI projects has the potential to greatly benefit the open-source community. However, it also raises concerns about the rapid advancement of AI technology and the potential risks associated with it. Thankfully, the CEO of Stability AI is committed to ensuring AI safety and is taking steps to prevent the technology from going off the rails.
The Game Changer: Code Interpreter and its Applications
Just recently, ChatGPT announced a new plugin called Code Interpreter. Although it’s still in its Alpha stage, this plugin is already showing immense promise. It’s set to bring a whole new set of functionality to large language models.
Code Interpreter allows users to create charts and graphs, and even upload files, such as CSVs, for analysis. This feature will be particularly beneficial when uploading CSVs of Google Search Console data, Google Analytics data, Google Ads data, or any internal data from a client’s CRM. It’s like having a data scientist at your fingertips, providing detailed reports in seconds that would otherwise take days to generate and cost a fortune.
In addition to handling CSVs, Code Interpreter can also handle basic image editing tasks, such as resizing, grayscale conversion, background removal, and more. The plugin is also capable of video editing, making it an all-in-one solution for various tasks.
Microsoft Bing Chat and Edge Browser
Microsoft Bing recently announced that their Bing Chat, powered by GPT-4, is now in open preview for anyone using the Edge browser. The chat is aware of the content on the page you’re looking at, making it feel like having an expert assistant by your side while browsing the web.
Although not as smart as GPT-4 due to safety limitations and constraints, Bing Chat offers a more visual and seamless experience when compared to other AI-driven chat tools. It also allows users to save chats and browse simultaneously.
Eleven Labs and Voice Cloning
Eleven Labs is a voice cloning software company that’s likely to play a significant role in the future of digital marketing. With their technology, you can clone a voice in about 30 seconds, which can be useful for creating video content for clients.
Their latest announcement is a multilingual model that allows users to generate cloned voices in multiple languages, complete with the correct accent. This could enable businesses to create content for global audiences while maintaining a consistent brand voice.
Microsoft Designer and AI-Driven Design
Microsoft Designer is an AI-driven design tool that rivals popular platforms like Canva. Microsoft’s tool focuses on a conversational approach to creating designs, making it a powerful option for producing unique and original content for clients.
Chat with Data.ai: A New AI Tool
Chat with Data.ai is another tool that allows users to upload PDFs, Excel files, CSVs, and more, and then ask the AI questions based on the uploaded content. This tool can be helpful for generating blog posts or analyzing data from clients’ resources.
MidJourney Prompt Examples
I came across this interesting spreadsheet created by a YouTuber I follow. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, but it presents mid Journey results alongside the prompts used. The original intent was to compare Mid Journey four with Journey five, but we’re already at 5.1 now.
What I found useful was seeing the images right next to their prompts. I think it’d be great if we could create an internal spreadsheet like this as we work on creating impressive images with Mid Journey. By documenting our prompts, we can easily track which ones yield the best results and make it simpler to generate similar images once we’ve nailed down the right prompts. I’ve been doing this on my own, and I genuinely believe it’d be a valuable resource for our team.
Unrelated, but cool
3Dpresso
Now, I just had to share this with you all even though it’s not directly related to digital marketing for local businesses. It’s called 3Dpresso, a 3D model creation tool that is just amazing. All you need to do is take a video of an object, walking around it as you record, and the tool creates a near-perfect 3D model from that footage. The best part? The video doesn’t even have to be super stable!
I’ve watched some demos of people using the tool, and it truly works as well as advertised. Imagine how effortless it’s going to be to create realistic 3D models for games, websites, 3D printers, and so much more. I just had to share this incredible piece of tech with you all.
Embracing AI in Education and Healthcare
AI is making significant strides in various industries, including education and healthcare. For instance, the partnership between Khan Academy and OpenAI is changing the way students learn, offering personalized tutoring experiences that can prevent cheating.
In the medical field, a study compared responses from chatbots and doctors and found that 79% of the time, medical professionals preferred chatbot responses over those from physicians. This finding suggests that AI assistance could revolutionize the medical industry in the coming years.
Gift Ideas with Twifts
As a fun aside, Twifts is an AI-driven tool that suggests gift ideas based on a person’s Twitter activity. It’s a creative way to leverage AI for personal use and find unique gifts for friends and family who are active on the platform.
As AI continues to advance at an incredible pace, businesses must adapt and embrace these cutting-edge technologies to stay competitive. By staying ahead of the curve and incorporating the latest AI tools and techniques, local service businesses can maximize their growth and thrive in a rapidly changing digital marketing landscape.
