Ep 154: Ad Sales Up, Physician Guilty of Violating Federal Review Law, Content Only as Good as ChatGPT Will Fail

Part 1 starts 00:13 - Ad market dominated by a few players

The Internet Advertising Bureau released their annual report for 2024. Digital advertising reached a record-high of $225 billion, with the biggest share going to search ($88.8 billion) & display ($66.1 billion). The bulk of this income is distributed across the top 10 advertising platforms and with the end of cookies, their dominance is likely to be reinforced. While paid search's (ie Google’s) share of total revenue declined, real dollars grew 5.2%. With a flattening of search demand, Google's new opt-in Ad Intents contextual format is an example of the "creative" monetization that we will increasingly see more of.

Segment Reference Articles:

Paid Search Is Winning

Boost your revenue potential with the new ad intents format for Auto ads - Google AdSense Help

Part 2 starts 07:30 - Seattle Physician Found Guilty of Violating Federal Review Law

A federal judge found Allure Esthetic of Seattle wrongly prevented patients from posting negative reviews with illegal NDAs and issued a summary judgment in the case. Not only did this surgeon buy fake reviews and have staff create fake reviews, he forced over 10,000 patients to sign NDAs preventing them from post reviews of less than 4 stars without first consulting with the surgeon. If they did post lower reviews they also had to agree to their private health information being divulged in the response. The case, first filed in late 2022, will go to trial in September and the main purpose of the trial will be to determine the monetary damages. Given the large number of patients affected and the high costs in this vertical, the fine should be substantial. 

Segment Reference Articles: 

Seattle Surgeon Guilty of Breaking Law with Review Practices

Part 3 starts 19:30 - If your content is only as good as ChatGPT you will fail

Ten websites dominate search results for nearly all medical symptoms. This dominance is attributed to their substantial content libraries and extensive inbound links. Major names like Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins lead this group, often making it nearly impossible for other healthcare brands to gain visibility. Additionally, platforms like Quora and Reddit also appear frequently in search results, sometimes promoting questionable medical advice through user comments. This trend reflects a broader challenge within SEO practices where established brands with robust content and linking strategies overwhelmingly outperform newer entrants, reinforcing the need for strategic content investment and diversification beyond mere SEO tactics.

Segment Reference Articles:

Glen Alsop: The top-ranking sites for 1,000 health symptom keywords

Wil Reynolds: The Sea of Sameness Problem in Content Marketing & SEO