In 2024, the advertising algorithms of the leading platforms – Facebook, Google, and TikTok – continue to evolve rapidly, significantly impacting traffic arbitrage strategy and the effectiveness of ad campaigns. New algorithmic changes are aimed at improving user experience, fighting frod and protecting data privacy, but they also force arbitrageurs to adapt to the new rules of the game. In this article, we take a look at the key changes on each platform and provide practical advice on how to adjust your arbitrage strategies to these updates.
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Changes to Facebook’s ad algorithm in 2024
Facebook (now Meta) has been adapting its algorithms for several years in response to increasing privacy demands and the fight against fake activity. In 2024, these trends continue, with a focus on improving personalized recommendations and handling data in the face of tracking restrictions (especially after Apple’s introduction of iOS 14.5 and subsequent updates).
Main changes:
- Data tracking restrictions: Privacy policies continue to tighten, resulting in reduced targeting accuracy.
- A focus on content relevance: Facebook’s algorithm now prefers more organic and engaging content, serving users ads based on their behavior within the platform.
- Use of machine learning: The algorithm enhances personalization with AI that better understands user behavior and interests, even with limited access to third-party data.
How to adapt:
- Invest in quality content: Given the growing importance of engagement, advertisers must create content that attracts and holds attention. It’s important to focus on storytelling and the value proposition.
- Use Facebook Conversion API: This tool helps compensate for the lack of data caused by tracking limitations and allows you to send conversion data from your website directly to the platform, bypassing browser limitations.
- Work with lookalike audiences: Despite tracking limitations, Facebook’s algorithms can still effectively create lookalike audiences based on available data, improving targeting without the use of third-party cookies.
Changes to Google’s ad algorithm in 2024
Google continues to actively improve its algorithms, integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve targeting accuracy and optimize ad campaigns. In 2024, the focus is on moving to cookie-free advertising and evolving the Google Ads platform based on Privacy Sandbox.
Main changes:
- Moving to Privacy Sandbox: Google is actively working to create an environment where advertisers can effectively customize targeting and measure results without the use of third-party cookies. This system is based on group user data (cohorts) rather than individual actions.
- Smart Campaigns enhancements: Smart Campaigns algorithms become more advanced, automatically optimizing ads, bids and targeting based on collected data and machine learning.
- Google Performance Max: This new campaign is already widely used by advertisers and offers a higher level of automation, spanning all Google channels – search, display, YouTube and Gmail.
How to adapt:
- Use contextual targeting: In the absence of cookies, contextual targeting, which focuses on page content, is becoming an important tool for advertising on Google. It’s important to customize ads to match the user’s interests and context.
- Invest in Google Performance Max: Performance Max allows you to automatically manage campaigns using AI, which helps reduce manual work significantly. However, for best results, it’s important to provide the algorithms with quality data, including creatives and target audiences.
- Optimize your site for Page Experience: Google is reinforcing the importance of user experience on a website. Factors such as page load speed, mobile adaptability and interactivity directly affect the effectiveness of ads.
Changes in TikTok’s advertising algorithm in 2024
TikTok continues to be one of the fastest growing platforms for arbitrageurs, and its algorithms are actively evolving to support high levels of personalization and engagement. In 2024, TikTok is strengthening its use of artificial intelligence to display ads based on users’ interests and behavior on the platform.
Main changes:
- For You Page (FYP) Algorithm: TikTok continues to develop an algorithm that analyzes user interactions with content and suggests increasingly relevant videos and ads.
- Improved analytics tools: TikTok offers deeper analytics for advertisers to better understand user behavior and campaign performance in real time.
- increased use of video creative: TikTok’s algorithms emphasize videos that quickly capture users’ attention and work to automatically select relevant videos based on audience preferences.
How to adapt:
- Create native content: TikTok focuses on organic videos that fit well into the overall flow of content. Creatives that look like natural videos rather than ads work more effectively. Use trends, Challenges, and music to grab attention.
- Test different formats of creatives: TikTok allows you to test creatives through its platform. Use this feature to quickly find the most effective options.
- Use TikTok Pixel: Like other platforms, TikTok has its own tracking tool, TikTok Pixel. This helps you collect data on user behavior and fine-tune your ads more accurately, despite the limitations of tracking data.
General tips for adapting to algorithm changes
- Invest in creative formats and content: In 2024, each platform will prioritize quality and relevant content. Invest in developing visually appealing, native creatives that fit seamlessly into the feed.
- Use automation: All three platforms are developing automation tools. Smart Campaigns on Google, Dynamic Optimization on Facebook, and TikTok Ads Manager allow you to focus on strategic tasks rather than manually setting up ads.
- Optimize for mobile devices: With mobile traffic on the rise, it’s especially important that content, website and ads are fully adapted to mobile devices.
- Adapt to new privacy requirements: Data tracking restrictions are increasing across all platforms. Use tools like Facebook’s Conversion API, Google’s Privacy Sandbox, and TikTok Pixel to more accurately measure results without the use of third-party cookies.
Closure
Changes in Facebook, Google and TikTok’s advertising algorithms in 2024 require flexibility and rapid response from arbitrageurs. The main trends are increased use of AI, process automation and data privacy protection. Those who have the time to adapt will have an advantage and will be able to get the most out of their ad campaigns despite the challenges the year brings.
