Archive for the ‘seo news’ Category
Friday, June 28th, 2024
Businesses can easily neglect the optimization of organic traffic. This happens because stakeholders often don’t understand how it works or its impact on company goals.
Continue reading and learn how to translate SEO concepts into business terms so you can onboard your business partners and secure their buy-in for organic projects.
Improving customer experience
Customer experience is one of those aspects of the business that almost all leaders agree is super important. And it can’t be different when 52% of customers say they will switch to a competitor after a single negative impression.
But which SEO factors have an impact on it?
1. Broken pages and redirects
Broken pages (like 404 or 500 errors) and implementing redirects are usually business priorities. This is because stakeholders are also online users who likely encounter these issues and understand the frustration they cause.
Cleaning up redirects, however, is another story. Users don’t see the change, but as SEOs, we know that excessive redirects can hurt a website’s performance.
Redirects consume search engines’ crawl budget, dilute page authority and negatively impact speed performance. But how do you explain this in business terms?
One of the easiest ways to explain this is with everyday examples, which people can easily relate to and probably have experienced.
In the 301 case, imagine you have a shopping list, but when you arrive at your local grocery store, you find the store has moved, adding 20 extra minutes to your shopping trip. Even though you’re “redirected” to the new location, you’re frustrated by the extra step.
The same happens with search engine bots when they encounter redirects. Too many redirects can frustrate them, leading to a potential negative impact on your site’s ranking. Similar to a negative customer review.
We all know the impact of negative reviews – the next potential customer will see them, and it may influence their decision to buy from you.
2. On-page SEO
The concept of optimizing individual webpages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic is a key one in SEO. It is very similar to merchandising practices in the offline world, and its goal is to keep users and bots engaged with your content.
The higher the engagement, the lower the bounce rate, which can improve your rankings (or at least we have a strong reason to believe this after the recent Google documentation leak).
Keeping users engaged increases the time spent on the page and the visibility of important elements like CTAs.
This is similar to how supermarkets place essential items like bread at the back so customers can see other products as they navigate the store, enhancing product visibility.
Just as customers might end up with a basket of unplanned items in a supermarket, good on-page optimization can lead to increased leads and a healthier sales pipeline.
3. Page speed
Page speed is another important factor for SEO and overall user experience.
Slow-loading pages can lead to higher bounce rates, as users are likelier to abandon a site that takes too long to load. We all know how frustrating it is to see how the images load or to need to wait too long to be able to click or scroll.
It is the same as when you walk into a coffee shop for a quick morning coffee on a street full of coffee shops. If your order takes too long, you will probably go elsewhere the next time.
The same principle applies to your website. Just as efficient service in a coffee shop enhances customer experience, a fast-loading website ensures that visitors stay engaged and are more likely to return. And search engine bots are like picky customers who won’t tolerate slow service.
Optimizing your website for a good page speed can increase the loyalty from both humans and bots and can likely lead to higher rankings and sales.
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Enhancing lead quality and conversion rates
Good customer experience is not the only factor in having a successful business.
You need to make sure that you attract the right customers – the ones with the highest chance to buy from you and that you give them enough reasons to do so.
On the online front, you have a couple of SEO allies to help you in this effort.
4. Meta titles and descriptions
By the clothes, they greet by the mind they send. This proverb is also true in the search engine world.
Making a strong first impression online is as vital as in any business setting and your meta title and description are the key players here. They are crucial for how bots and users perceive your webpages.
The title tag is the first thing users see and serves as your digital business card. It should be concise and clear and immediately convey your page’s value. The meta description is your elevator pitch. It offers a brief summary that should give users a reason to click on your result.
Just as a good introduction can lead to business engagements, well-crafted meta titles and descriptions enhance click-through rates and improve search engine visibility.
They also ensure that potential customers see the best of what you offer at first glance – the same as a very well-designed and decorated shop window.
Better meta tags can improve the conversion rate of leads entering the sales pipeline, as they set the right expectations. In some B2C businesses, where purchase decisions are quicker and emotionally driven, effective meta titles and descriptions can also increase the number of closed deals.
But good meta titles and descriptions can’t be created without preliminary research.
5. Topic research and content strategy
Understanding market trends and customer needs is crucial for any company and usually starts with deep-dive groundwork.
For example, when you plan to launch a new product or service, you have a preliminary discovery phase. Its goal is to clarify the details around your offer and launch something that has a good chance of being bought by your customers.
The same approach applies to your online presence, but instead of market research, you conduct topic and keyword research before creating your content strategy.
You can create relevant content that meets its needs by understanding what your audience searches for.
Effective topic and keyword research improves traffic quality, increases conversion rates and MQLs and nurtures leads through the sales funnel.
6. Structured data
Structured data is another powerful SEO tool that can enhance lead quality and conversion rates. These pieces of code are not directly visible to users, but they provide search engines with clear, specific information about your website’s content. They are like nutritional labels on food packaging.
Structured data enables search engines to display richer and more relevant search results, including enhanced snippets, product details, review stars and other elements that make your results more attractive to users. This leads to higher click-through rates and potentially higher conversation rates.
Building brand reputation
Improving lead quality and customer experience is crucial for businesses’ everyday survival. But to set the stage for long-term success, you need to invest also in building your brand reputation.
The reason is simple: the purchasing decisions of 63% of consumers are impacted by the company’s reputation, according to Qualtrics.
7. Internal and external links
Creating unique connections through internal and external links is essential for a website’s SEO. Internal links structure information and help users and search engines navigate through it.
The concept is similar to 360-degree reviews and how they help managers and company leadership decide which employees deserve promotion because you can’t promote everyone.
The same is true for Google and other search engines. Their mission is to organize the world’s information and display the best results on top. This won’t be very useful if you see 1 trillion results on page 1.
External links, on the other hand, signal the credibility of your website. They act like professional endorsements, similar to positive customer reviews or media mentions that validate your business’s stability.
External links build a positive image, making your site appear trustworthy, leading to growth opportunities, enhanced brand reputation, higher deal sizes and a stronger sales pipeline.
8. Anchor texts
Another element that has an impact on the website’s trustworthiness is the anchor texts. They are the clickable words in a hyperlink and serve as the invisible handshake between your content and the users. They are very similar to a good introduction at a networking event.
Just as a handshake can set the tone for a business relationship, well-chosen anchor texts guide users and search engine bots to understand the context of your linked content. They should be clear and descriptive so they can ensure a smooth transition to the linked page.
Targeted use of anchor texts can boost the relevance of your pages for concrete terms and serve as authority factors on a webpage level. They set the right expectations for the linked pages and naturally build trust with your users.
Simplifying SEO speak for business stakeholders
SEO is often seen as a mysterious process done by experts rambling about Google’s algorithms. Business stakeholders may view it as a black box where money is spent without clear results.
Explaining SEO concepts in business terms is crucial for website optimization success. This helps stakeholders see SEO’s impact on growth and success, leading to more support and resources for SEO efforts.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Friday, June 28th, 2024
PPC advertising can be challenging, especially when your product or service falls into a sensitive or difficult category.
Whether you’re promoting pharmaceuticals, financial services, adult content or other regulated industries, advertising – especially on Google Ads – requires a balance of creativity, compliance and ethical consideration.
Google Ads remains one of the most powerful platforms for reaching potential customers. However, with great power comes great responsibility.
Advertisers in sensitive categories face unique hurdles, including:
- Strict policy restrictions.
- Heightened scrutiny.
- The constant risk of ad disapprovals or account suspensions.
Seasoned marketers might be frustrated by frequent suspensions, but these policies are in place to maintain a safer advertising platform.
Recent Google Ads data shows the extent of this effort. In 2023, they blocked or removed 5.5 billion ads and suspended 12.7 million advertiser accounts, nearly doubling their enforcement actions from the previous year. However, many businesses suffer from incorrect suspensions and misclassified compliance cases due to automated reviews.
This article aims to guide you through the advertising of sensitive categories on Google Ads. We’ll explore strategies to effectively promote your products or services while adhering to Google’s policies and maintaining high ethical standards.
Understand Google Ads policies
Google’s comprehensive policies ensure a safe and positive experience for users, advertisers and publishers. Knowing these policies is the first step to successful advertising in challenging niches.
Google Ads policies on sensitive categories
Google Ads policies are designed to protect users from harmful, deceptive or inappropriate content.
For sensitive categories, these policies are often more stringent and specific. They cover various aspects of advertising, including ad content, targeting and landing pages.
Key policy areas for sensitive categories often include:
- Restricted content: Products or services that can be advertised but with limitations.
- Prohibited content: Products or services that cannot be advertised at all.
- Editorial and technical requirements: Specific guidelines for ad copy, imagery and website content.
Commonly restricted and prohibited content
While the full list is extensive, some common examples of restricted or prohibited content include:
- Pharmaceuticals and healthcare products.
- Financial services (e.g., loans, cryptocurrencies).
- Gambling and games of chance.
- Adult content and services.
- Weapons and explosives.
- Alcohol and tobacco products.
- Political content.
Each category has its own set of rules. For instance:
- Pharmaceutical advertisers must be certified by Google and can only promote in certain countries.
- Financial services advertisers often need specific licenses and must provide additional disclosures.
The list of restricted categories is not exhaustive, as many subcategories and industries have unexpected policies.
For example, in the IT service industry, working on IT hardware may be prohibited unless you are a certified partner, which can be problematic for many computer repair shops or IT freelancers who lack certification from major manufacturers.
Why you must stay updated with policy changes
To stay compliant and effective in sensitive advertising categories on Google Ads, it’s essential to proactively monitor and adapt to policy changes.
Regularly review Google’s advertising policies, subscribe to their official policy updates and engage with industry forums or groups to gain insights on policy interpretations.
If you have a Google Ads representative, maintain open communication with them to escalate issues quickly.
Remember, policy violations can lead to ad disapprovals, account suspensions or even permanent bans. Staying informed and compliant is not just about avoiding penalties – it’s about building a sustainable, long-term advertising strategy on the platform.
Conduct thorough research
Thorough research is a must before launching your Google Ads campaign in a sensitive category. This groundwork will help you navigate policy restrictions, understand your audience and develop effective strategies within the given constraints.
Identify the specific restrictions for your category
When diving into Google Ads for sensitive categories, it’s crucial to go beyond just skimming the general guidelines. Dig into the specific policies that apply to your industry.
You’ll want to look out for any special requirements, like certifications or pre-approvals, that Google might need before you can run your ads.
Don’t forget to check for any geographical restrictions on where you can advertise. This can be a big deal, depending on your product or service.
Next, try to get a feel for how Google interprets and enforces these policies in real-world situations.
Take a look at the enforcement examples they provide and spend some time browsing industry forums to see what experiences other advertisers have had.
If you’re lucky enough to have a Google Ads rep, pick their brain for insights. They can be a goldmine of information.
Finally, don’t overlook the legal side of things. Make sure you’re up to speed on the laws and regulations in the markets you’re targeting.
Your ads and landing pages need to meet Google’s policies and adhere to the law.
It might seem like a lot of work upfront, but trust me, it’s way better than dealing with account suspensions or legal headaches down the road.
Understand the target audience and their needs
When you’re navigating the tricky waters of advertising in sensitive categories, understanding your audience becomes absolutely crucial.
Here’s the thing: with limited reach due to stricter policies and restrictions, every single interaction with a potential customer carries much more weight.
You can’t afford to cast a wide net and hope for the best. You need to make every impression count.
That’s why it’s important to dive deep into your target audience’s psyche. Crafting detailed buyer personas isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential.
You need to understand not just surface-level demographics but also your potential customers’ underlying motivations, concerns and online behaviors.
What specific pain points are they grappling with? How do they search for solutions?
These insights can help you create hyper-targeted ads that resonate on a personal level. Also, make sure to get the full picture of your target audience’s search behavior.
In sensitive categories, your audience might not be using the most obvious keywords but also a mix of alternatives, synonyms or abbreviations used in the industry.
Don’t underestimate the power of direct feedback, either. Surveys and interviews with your target audience can provide golden nuggets of information that might not be apparent from broader data analysis.
These firsthand insights can help you fine-tune your messaging to address specific concerns or highlight benefits that truly matter to your audience.
Lastly, mine your existing customer data relentlessly. Those customer service logs, reviews and FAQs are treasure troves of information. They reveal the real questions and concerns your audience has, allowing you to craft ads that speak directly to these issues.
Analyze competitors and their strategies within the constraints
Instead of fixating on copying what’s currently visible, focus on understanding the broader landscape.
Look at businesses offering similar products or services, but also consider alternative solutions that might be competing for your audience’s attention. This gives you a more comprehensive view of the market.
When analyzing competitor ads and landing pages, look for patterns in messaging and structure rather than specific tactics.
How are they communicating value while navigating policy restrictions? What themes seem to be consistent across multiple competitors?
This approach helps you understand the industry’s general direction without getting hung up on potentially non-compliant examples.
While it’s tempting to emulate competitors who seem to be pushing boundaries, always prioritize compliance.
If you notice competitors potentially breaking rules, use that as a reminder to double-check your own practices rather than as inspiration to follow suit.
Your goal should be to find ethical, compliant ways to stand out in a tightly regulated space.
Craft compliant ad content
Creating effective ad content for sensitive categories requires a delicate balance between compelling messaging and policy compliance.
Tips for writing ad copy that complies with Google Ads policies
When crafting ads for sensitive categories, navigating the fine line between effective marketing and policy compliance is crucial.
Familiarize yourself with prohibited terms in your industry and create a list of approved alternatives. Focus on highlighting factual, verifiable benefits without resorting to superlatives or unsupported claims.
Transparency is key. Be clear about your offering and include necessary disclaimers directly in your ad copy.
Maintain a professional tone throughout your messaging, avoiding sensationalism and using industry-appropriate terminology. This approach aligns with the seriousness of sensitive categories and helps build trust with your audience.
Make smart use of ad extensions to provide additional, compliant information. Sitelinks can offer more context, callouts can highlight key features or certifications and structured snippets can showcase your product categories or services.
Selecting appropriate visuals and media content
When creating visual content for sensitive category ads, aim to balance attractiveness with policy compliance.
Thoroughly review Google’s image policies for your specific niche, avoiding anything graphic or overly sensational. Always ensure you have proper consent to feature individuals in your visuals.
Focus on high-quality, relevant imagery that accurately represents your product or service. Consider using lifestyle images to provide context, but make sure they remain professional and appealing.
Don’t forget to incorporate necessary disclaimers or warnings directly into your visual content, ensuring they’re clearly legible.
When exploring different ad formats, such as responsive display ads or video content, proceed with caution. Every element must adhere to platform policies, from the opening frame to the closing shot.
Finally, leverage A/B testing to optimize your visual strategy. Create multiple versions of your ads with different images, then monitor their performance to identify what resonates best with your audience while maintaining strict compliance.
This data-driven approach allows you to refine your visual content strategy over time, maximizing impact within the bounds of platform regulations.
Examples of compliant ad content in sensitive categories:
- Pharmaceutical ad
- Instead of: “Miracle cure for all your ailments!”
- Try: “FDA-approved medication. May help manage [specific condition]. Consult your doctor.”
- Financial services ad
- Instead of: “Guaranteed approval for high-interest loans!”
- Try: “Personal loans available. Rates from X.XX% APR. Terms apply.”
- Adult content ad
- Instead of explicit imagery or text.
- Try: “Adult entertainment. Age-verified. Secure, discreet service.”
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Design effective landing pages
Ensuring landing pages meet Google’s policy requirements
When it comes to landing pages for sensitive category ads, transparency and compliance are paramount.
Include comprehensive, accurate details about your product or service, with all the necessary disclaimers, terms and conditions.
Don’t shy away from clearly stating any limitations, risks or potential side effects associated with your offering. This upfront honesty builds trust with potential customers and helps you stay on the right side of advertising policies.
Make sure your business information is easily accessible. Display your company name, physical address and contact details prominently. Include clear links to your privacy policy and terms of service, typically in the footer.
For certain industries, consider adding a visible customer support phone number to further enhance credibility and meet specific policy requirements.
Pricing and billing information should be crystal clear. Display all costs upfront, including any recurring charges or additional fees. Explain your billing process in simple terms.
Avoid any hint of hidden charges or misleading pricing structures. These are quick ways to violate platform policies and consumer trust.
Lastly, pay close attention to industry-specific requirements. If you’re in financial services, include necessary licensing information and disclaimers.
For pharmaceuticals, ensure all claims are approved and include required warnings. Adult content requires robust age verification systems.
Dig deeper: PPC landing pages: How to craft a winning post-click experience
Provide high-quality, relevant content that aligns with the ad
When crafting landing pages for sensitive category ads, focus on creating a seamless, trustworthy experience.
Ensure your page content aligns perfectly with your ad claims, maintaining consistency in language and tone.
Provide comprehensive, valuable information about your offering, including FAQs and policy-compliant testimonials if possible.
Use clear, concise language throughout, avoiding jargon unless necessary. Organize content logically with headers and bullet points for easy digestion.
Incorporate trust signals like relevant certifications, security badges and reputable reviews to build credibility.
Leverage advanced targeting options
When advertising in sensitive categories, precise targeting becomes even more crucial. It helps ensure your ads reach the right audience while minimizing the risk of policy violations. Here’s how to leverage advanced targeting options effectively:
Utilize demographic and geographic targeting to reach the right audience
Set appropriate age restrictions based on your product and policy requirements to optimize targeting, ensuring adult content targets users 18 or older.
Use gender targeting for gender-specific products but avoid unfair discrimination. Employ geographic targeting to comply with regional regulations and exclude prohibited locations.
For financial or luxury products, target by income level to reach interested users while adhering to fair lending laws. Utilize parental status targeting for family-oriented products, ensuring content suitability and compliance.
Employ remarketing strategies to engage previous visitors
- Website visitor remarketing
- Create lists based on specific page visits to target users who’ve shown interest.
- Exclude converters to avoid unnecessary ad spend.
- Customer match
- Upload customer email lists to re-engage past customers.
- Ensure you have proper consent to use customer data for advertising.
- Similar audiences
- Use this feature to find new users similar to your existing customers.
- Be cautious with sensitive categories to avoid targeting inappropriate audiences.
- Dynamic remarketing
- Show ads featuring products or services users have viewed on your site.
- Ensure all product images and descriptions comply with policies.
- Remarketing lists for search ads (RLSA)
- Adjust bids for past visitors when they search for relevant keywords.
- Use this to bid more aggressively on high-intent searchers.
Dig deeper: How to combine Google Ads with other channels to retarget, nurture and convert
Use custom intent audiences to target users based on their search behavior
- In-market audiences
- Target users actively researching or considering products/services in your category.
- Be selective with in-market categories to ensure relevance and compliance.
- Custom intent audiences
- Create audiences based on keywords, URLs and apps your ideal customer might search for or use.
- Focus on intent signals that indicate genuine interest without crossing policy lines.
- Affinity audiences
- Target users based on their long-term interests and habits.
- Choose affinities that align with your offering while respecting privacy concerns.
- Life events targeting
- For relevant products/services, target users going through specific life changes.
- Ensure your messaging is sensitive and compliant when using this option.
Tips for compliant and effective targeting in sensitive categories
To optimize ad targeting, use layered targeting to combine multiple methods for specific audience segments, ensuring ads reach the most appropriate users.
Implement exclusions with negative keywords and audience lists to avoid inappropriate contexts, regularly updating them.
Use contextual targeting in display campaigns to ensure ads appear in relevant, brand-safe environments. Apply frequency capping to limit ad exposure and prevent fatigue.
Schedule ads based on the time and day when your audience is most receptive. Regularly review and optimize targeting performance, staying alert to any policy or regulatory changes that might impact your strategy.
Spammy advertising methods to steer clear of
Black hat marketers use deceptive tactics to bypass platform policies. These include cloaking, redirect chains, multiple accounts, coded language and URL shorteners. Some also use rapid ad rotations or slight variations to evade detection.
While these methods may temporarily work, they violate terms of service and can lead to permanent account suspensions, legal issues, and reputational damage. These practices are risky, unethical and strongly discouraged by advertising platforms and professionals.
Cloaking is a deceptive technique where different content is shown to search engines or ad reviewers compared to regular users. It detects when a page is accessed by a crawler or review system and shows compliant content, while regular users see potentially non-compliant content. This is often achieved through:
- IP detection: Identifying known IP ranges used by search engines or ad platforms.
- User-agent sniffing: Checking the browser or device information to spot crawlers.
- JavaScript-based cloaking: Using scripts to alter page content based on user behavior.
Advertisers using cloaking promote policy-violating products or boost rankings with hidden, keyword-stuffed content. This serious violation often leads to immediate account suspension or blacklisting. As detection methods improve, cloaking becomes increasingly risky and unsustainable.
Such techniques are especially dangerous for real, established companies:
Long-term consequences for legitimate businesses
While black hat marketers often operate with disposable websites and temporary accounts, real businesses have much more at stake:
- Brand reputation damage: Once exposed, black hat tactics can severely tarnish a company’s reputation. In today’s interconnected digital world, news of unethical practices spreads quickly and can be nearly impossible to overcome.
- Loss of customer trust: Consumers value authenticity and transparency. Discovering that a trusted brand engaged in deceptive practices can lead to a mass exodus of customers and long-lasting negative sentiment.
- Permanent platform bans: Major advertising platforms like Google Ads or social media sites may permanently ban offending businesses. This can be catastrophic for companies relying on these channels for customer acquisition.
- Legal ramifications: Depending on the nature of the deception, businesses might face legal consequences, including fines or lawsuits from misled customers or regulatory bodies.
- SEO penalties: Search engines can apply severe penalties or completely de-index sites caught using black hat SEO techniques, effectively erasing years of legitimate SEO efforts.
- Financial losses: Beyond immediate revenue drops, companies may face long-term financial repercussions from damaged reputation, legal fees and the cost of rebranding efforts.
- Industry blacklisting: In some sectors, being caught using black hat techniques can lead to industry-wide blacklisting or loss of crucial partnerships.
- Decrease in employee morale and retention: Ethical employees may leave when they discover their company engages in deceptive practices, leading to brain drain and internal turmoil.
Unscrupulous marketers may quickly abandon a project after being caught, but legitimate businesses have established customer bases and long-term goals.
The risks of unethical marketing far outweigh any potential short-term gains for companies focused on sustainable growth and customer trust.
Instead, ethical marketing practices ensure steady, reliable growth and protect valuable assets like reputation and customer loyalty.
If a client is considering unethical tactics, emphasize the long-term consequences. For a legitimate business, it’s never worth it to engage in unethical marketing.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Friday, June 28th, 2024
Google’s June 2024 spam update rollout is now complete. The spam update started June 20, 2024, about 7 days ago.
This update was a general and broad spam update, it was not a link spam update and did not automate the site reputation abuse policy, which is still only done via manual actions.
Google wrote this morning, “The rollout was complete as of June 27, 2024.”
Here’s our past coverage of confirmed Google spam updates:
Why we care. If you noticed your rankings changed during this time frame, it may be related to the June 2024 spam update. Maybe your rankings improved because your competitors were hurt by this update. Maybe your rankings declined because Google thinks you were going against its spam policies.
Spam updates. Here are the official Google spam updates documentation:
While Google’s automated systems to detect search spam are constantly operating, we occasionally make notable improvements to how they work. When we do, we refer to this as a spam update and share when they happen on our list of Google Search ranking updates.
For example, SpamBrain is our AI-based spam-prevention system. From time-to-time, we improve that system to make it better at spotting spam and to help ensure it catches new types of spam.
Sites that see a change after a spam update should review our spam policies to ensure they are complying with those. Sites that violate our policies may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all. Making changes may help a site improve if our automated systems learn over a period of months that the site complies with our spam policies.
In the case of a link spam update (an update that specifically deals with link spam), making changes might not generate an improvement. This is because when our systems remove the effects spammy links may have, any ranking benefit the links may have previously generated for your site is lost. Any potential ranking benefits generated by those links cannot be regained.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Thursday, June 27th, 2024
Google is testing moving the link cards from the bottom of the AI Overviews to the top, making those links much more visible and much more likely to be clicked on by a searcher. Currently, these link cards were below the AI Overview answer and are hard for searchers to see and click on.
What it looks like. Here is a screenshot of this new AI Overviews test in Google Search. It was spotted by Bartosz Góralewicz who posted this screenshot on X:
What a Normal AI Overview looks like. Here is a screenshot of the normal version of this AI Overview. By default, you see no link cards, you have to click “Show more” to see them:
After you click on “Show more” it will then expand and show you the link cards below:
Why we care. If Google makes this change live for all AI Overviews, it might lead to publishers and content creators getting the visibility and clicks they deserve and want from these AI Overviews.
Google did confirm with Search Engine Land that this is just a test and they have nothing more to add.
Of course, Google doesn’t show us those impressions and clicks clearly in Google Search Console – yet.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Thursday, June 27th, 2024
On June 12 and 13, 2024, Emarsys went live with the Omnichannel and AI Masterclass, a digital event featuring fireside chats and expert-led sessions from digital leaders who are blazing a trail in the world of omnichannel marketing. If you missed it you can access it all on-demand for free now.
But for an even more immediate marketing inspiration, here’s a recap of three of our favorite sessions!
How Molton Brown drives engagement by embracing sustainability
A company’s values around sustainability are powerful influencers of customer behavior and loyalty. Put simply, many consumers want to know they’re doing business with a company that cares about the planet. Since 2019, sustainability has been one of Molton Brown’s top priorities.
In this session, Molton Brown’s Senior Business Transformation Manager (Cosmetics), Naresh Krishnamurthy, was joined by Sunny Sangra, Director of Sales Enablement and Partnerships at Sinch. Among other unique insights, they talked about how Molton Brown embraces ESG both in terms of the technology choices the company makes, and how the brand creates content and deploys campaigns that increase average order value by 22%, purchase frequency by 38% and customer value by 68%, all the while focusing on sustainability.
“Customers are not only just buying the products. They also want to know how sustainable it is.”
– Naresh Krishnamurthy, Senior Business Transformation Manager (Cosmetics), Molton Brown
How Huel is driving profitable, scalable growth through customer advocacy marketing with Mention Me
Huel’s Global Head of CRM, Tash Reynolds, and Mention Me’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, Kat Wray, hosted this session and shared insights on how they managed to get 22% of their customer base sharing and recommending the brand to their friends and contacts, activating their fans to drive retention, loyalty and profitable growth.
The session provided a wealth of ideas. Here are some stand-outs:
“Paid channels aren’t going anywhere, but if you think advocacy first, you’ll have superior economics as a brand and be able to drive truly profitable, sustainable growth.”
– Kat Wray, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Mention Me
“Your customers do a lot more than buy from your brand. Who are your advocates? Who is spreading the word and driving organic growth? If you can get your customers to do this on your behalf, it’s the most valuable form of marketing.”
– Kat Wray, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Mention Me
How Replacements, Ltd. plates up traditional and digital marketing to serve a broad demographic
Replacements, Ltd.’s Ecommerce Marketing Manager, Amy Childress, was joined by Kara Lewis, Attentive’s Lead Client Strategy Manager, to discuss how Replacements Ltd. leverages customer data and the right mix of channels to bridge the gap between traditional and transformative marketing.
The whole session is worth a watch for the many insights this brand has on its unique demographic. Here’s one key quote:
“I would say the first thing is to understand your customers’ interactions with SMS and to really start A/B testing early. Test SMS vs. MMS, send times and days. Some people may not interact at 10:30 in the morning and 7:00 p.m. is better.”
– Amy Childress, Ecommerce Marketing Manager, Replacements, Ltd.
These are just a handful of the sessions from the Emarsys AI & Omnichannel Masterclass that are now available on-demand. Register now to get access.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Thursday, June 27th, 2024
Google Chrome for Android has added new local places features to Chrome Actions, that will allow Chrome users to quickly call, get directions and read reviews from a local business directly from the Chrome search bar.
What Google said. Google announced it added “new Chrome Actions to help you save time when you’re trying to engage with places like a local business. For example, when you search for a restaurant, you’ll see shortcut buttons in the search results to quickly do things like call, get directions and read reviews.”
Android first. This is first launching on Android today and will be coming to Chrome for iOS later this fall.
What it looks like. Here is a screenshot showing those Chrome Action shortcut buttons. You can see it shows a mobile phone screen doing a search for “verdant valley,” with options underneath the Chrome address bar to “call,” get “directions” and read “reviews.”
Why we care. This may lead to more visibility for local businesses within the Google Chrome Android and, in the future, iOS platforms. Searchers would be able to click to call the business, get driving directions or read reviews a bit faster than when performing a full search in Google.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Thursday, June 27th, 2024
Google today announced updates to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). The coming months will see improved cross-channel reporting and budgeting, AI-generated insights and some integration with Chrome Privacy Sandbox.
What’s new. These are the five new features Google announced:
- Third-party ad data: Users will be able to import advertising data from Pinterest, Reddit and Snap directly into GA4. The non-Google campaign data will be included in the cross-channel performance report and mapped to Analytics traffic source dimensions with metrics like “ads cost,” “ads clicks” and “ads impressions.”
- Cross-channel budgeting: Google will also release a cross-channel budgeting feature in beta. The company says it will include a projections report to track media pacing and projected performance against a target objective, like revenue, across channels.
- Campaign Manager 360: GA4 will start importing aggregated impressions from linked Campaign Manager 360 accounts into the advertising workspace.
- An AI to call its own: GA4 will also get an artificial intelligence engine built to find patterns in “countless combinations of dimensions and metrics” and report them in plain language.
- Cookieless measurement: Later this year GA4 will start supporting some Chrome Privacy Sandbox APIs “to ensure you can continue to reach your audiences and measure effectively even without third-party cookies.”
Why we care. The ability to add data from Pinterest, Reddit and Snap is a big step forward. Likewise, being able to budget across channels will also be helpful.
But. There’s still no action on the one thing everyone has complained about since GA4 launched in October 2020: the UI.
What Google is saying. Steve Ganem, director of product management for Google Analytics, wrote in a blog post:
- “Measurement is essential for marketers to understand the impact of their efforts and make more informed decisions. Today, we’re highlighting new features and key investment areas to help you make better business decisions.”
Reminder. Google turns off Universal Analytics July 1. That’s when you will lose access to your UA data and the interface and Google said it will begin permanently deleting all UA data.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Wednesday, June 26th, 2024
Google has introduced a new tROAS (target Return on Ad Spend) Insight Box for Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns, offering advertisers enhanced visibility into campaign performance.
Why it matters. This update provides ecommerce advertisers with a clearer understanding of their ROAS performance relative to their targets, potentially enabling more informed optimization decisions.
How it works.
- Displays whether Actual ROAS falls within the expected range.
- Shows weekly ROAS averages, including projected conversions.
- Calculates typical variation based on historical campaign data.
Key features.
- Visual graph of ROAS performance over time.
- Indication of whether the campaign is on track to meet goals.
- Inclusion of projected conversions in the analysis
Why we care. This update essentially empowers advertisers to make more data-driven decisions about their tROAS strategies, potentially leading to improved campaign performance and more efficient use of ad spend.
First spotted. This update was first seen on Thomas Eccel’s X post:
The big picture. This tool acknowledges that while individual conversion values may fluctuate above or below the target, Google Ads aims to maintain overall conversion value per cost equal to the set target ROAS.
What to watch. How this new insight box influences advertisers’ strategy for setting and adjusting tROAS in their shopping campaigns.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Wednesday, June 26th, 2024
Google is updating its consent management requirements for AdSense for Search, AdSense for Domains, and Programmable Search Engine in Switzerland.
Key points:
- Effective July 31.
- Applies to ads served to users in Switzerland, in addition to the EEA and UK.
- Aims to comply with the EU User Consent Policy.
New requirements. Publishers must either:
- Use a certified Consent Management Platform (CMP) that integrates with the Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF), or
- Implement the ‘ivt’ parameter in ad requests for invalid traffic-only cookies and local storage
Why it matters. Failure to comply will result in search ads not being served to Swiss traffic.
Why we care. This update essentially requires advertisers to be more proactive in their approach to user privacy and consent, which can have far-reaching implications for their digital advertising strategies in European markets.
The big picture. This move aligns Switzerland with existing EEA and UK consent management practices for online advertising.
What’s next. Publishers should review their consent management tools and consider legal advice to ensure compliance.
Between the lines. Google is shifting more responsibility to publishers for consent management, reflecting the evolving regulatory landscape in Europe.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Wednesday, June 26th, 2024
The perfect click refers to a click from a SERP that takes the user directly to the single best webpage or resource that directly solves their problem.
The ultimate aim of assistive search features like Google’s AI Overviews and Bing’s Copilot is to bring the user down the funnel and get them to the Perfect Click without leaving the search interface (for now, that is a SERP).
Off-SERP assistive engines such as ChatGPT and Perplexity operate from a similar perspective. However, for this article, I will focus on Google’s AI Overviews and Bing Copilot, which are simply assistive engines integrated into the SERPs.
The perfect click is official
Fabrice Canel, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft Bing, has confirmed that they use this concept and term internally and that they are guiding the user on SERP to the ideal bottom-of-the-funnel action – conversion.
Google hasn’t communicated about this but certainly has the same concept, perhaps by a different name.
A typical three-step marketing acquisition funnel
Marketers often represent acquisition as a funnel with three stages:
- Awareness: Where the target audience becomes aware of a problem they need to solve and research to find the solution to that problem.
- Consideration: Where the user researches which providers (company or person) offer a viable solution, and narrows down their choices to a select few.
- Decision: Where the user makes their final choice about the most suitable solution for their problem and the best provider of that solution.
Google’s AI Overviews mimics the acquisition funnel
The aim of Google’s AI Overviews and Bing’s Copilot is to guide the user through the funnel from awareness to the final decision.
The assistive engine does this through a conversation between the human user and the machine. The user asks questions, and the assistive engine answers the question by:
- Providing answers in the form of summaries from information found around the web.
- Making research suggestions based on behavioral data, query pools and information from the web.
- Making recommendations about solution providers based on algorithmic evaluations of E-E-A-T (N-E-E-A-T) credibility.
How to build a successful strategy for Google’s AI Overviews
This strategy is universal. Bing Copilot, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google Gemini all function the same way, and this approach satisfies the fundamental pillars and ticks all the right boxes.
The secret to optimizing for assistive search engines and assistive SERP features is to understand:
- How the algorithms find, digest and communicate your content to users in the SERP (traditional SEO).
- How your content fits into the funnel (marketing).
- That the “who” behind the content is key (entity optimization).
Only the last point requires skills and strategies that are new. Luckily, it is very simple since it focuses on how well the algorithms understand the website owner (generally a corporation, but sometimes a person) and the content creator (generally a person, but sometimes a corporation).
Focus on the nature of the conversation between the human and the machine
The human has a single goal: to find the best solution to their problem. The machine is designed to fulfill a single function: guide the human to the best solution to their problem. This is the perfect match.
The human starts this journey with sketchy knowledge of the problem, a very limited understanding of the possible solutions and little or no idea about credible solution providers.
The human is confident that the machine understands the problem, has an encyclopedic knowledge of the possible solutions and can reliably evaluate the credibility of the solution providers.
The machine/algorithm is in control.
The machine is single-minded about the funnel
The algorithms want to guide the human user down the funnel:
- Provide helpful research information and advice in a way that reduces the time and effort a person needs to invest in research.
- Identify the providers who can best solve the problem for the human user.
- Help the human user identify the solution provider they are comfortable with.
You need to become the focus of the conversation between machine and human
As an SEO, you must influence the algorithms to act in your favor and guide their users to you rather than your competitors.
Let’s look at the marketing funnel again, adding what you want the machine to do for you on the left-hand side.
Awareness
- If the human user is unaware of you, you want the assistive engine to introduce you to the conversation.
- If the user is aware of you, then you want to ensure it doesn’t lead the user away from you.
- The human user is mostly in control at this stage.
Consideration
- You are in the conversation, and you want the assistive engine to systematically place you first in every list of options and constantly re-introduce you to the conversation.
- The human user still feels in control but is unlikely to insist on you as a candidate for consideration if the assistive engine doesn’t naturally keep you in the conversation.
Decision
- The choice is being narrowed down to one. The perfect click.
- The assistive engine (or assistive search feature) is now in control.
- You need to ensure that it prioritizes you and doesn’t guide the human user toward your competitor as a better solution provider.
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Steps you can take to become the focus of the conversation between machine and human
To create a situation where the assistive engine algorithms make you the focus of its conversation with human users:
- First, you must communicate understanding about who you are, what you offer and who you serve.
- Second, establish your credibility.
- Third, ensure that you provide deliverable content that will ensure the assistive engine reliably includes you in the conversation more often than not.
Your aim is to become the ideal candidate for the perfect click
Assistive engines like ChatGPT and assistive search features like Google’s AI Overviews aim to get the user to the perfect click within their own walled garden. Your aim is that the Perfect Click they choose to present to the user is you.
There is only one single perfect click. the perfect click is the click that converts. you cannot allow the perfect click to go to your competitor.
To get the perfect click, focus on three pillars in this order of importance:
- Understanding (you need to educate it about yourself).
- Credibility (you need to convince it you are the most legitimate solution provider).
- Deliverability (you need to provide the educational content that will encourage it to cite you as it guides people to the perfect click).
The key to optimizing for Google’s AI Overviews: Build the traditional marketing funnel
If you look at the illustration of the funnel above, it seems that we are building the funnel upside down. That is a question of perspective. A perspective that many people have
Google can only start to consider your credibility as a solution if it understands who you are, what you offer and who you serve.
Once it understands who you are and believes that you are a credible solution provider, it will be enthusiastic about introducing you to the conversation it is having with its human user.
Your content will only be a candidate for visibility on assistive features of search engines, answer engines and assistive engines if the algorithms understand you, your offer and your credibility.
These engines are designed to guide the human user down the funnel to the best (most credible or recommendable) solution to their problem.
They need to:
- Understand who you are (solution provider).
- Be convinced of your credibility and trustworthiness to deliver that solution.
- Have access to your branded content so it can deliver a convincing argument for you.
The last point is hugely important since it demonstrates that the assistive engines and their algorithms are delivering your sales pitch for you.
The perfect click as the future of SEO
How can you ensure that the assistive engines and assistive search features reliably and regularly bring the right people to the perfect click?
Tell search engines clearly who you are, what you do, and why you’re trustworthy. Then, provide detailed information so they can consistently recommend you to users and guide potential customers through your sales process, leading them to click directly on your most conversion-ready page.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
