Archive for the ‘seo news’ Category
Thursday, January 18th, 2024
Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) has the potential to revolutionize PPC, presenting both unprecedented opportunities and challenges for marketers.
A roundtable of experts examined how our industry might change at SMX Next.
Brad Geddes, co-founder of Adalysis, spoke with Jyll Saskin Gales, marketing Consultant at Jyll.ca, Greg Kohler, senior digital marketing manager at ServiceMaster Brands, and Aaron Levy, VP of paid search at Tinuiti.
Below is a summary of what they had to say.
What is SGE?
SGE is a big change from how searches usually work.
Before, Google showed 10 blue links for user queries, and clicking on them took users to websites, generating traffic.
With SGE, the process changes — answers to queries are given directly in the search results, removing the need to click on links. This shift could have a significant impact on website traffic. As Geddes explained:
- “Regardless of the search query, you’re going to see answers and prompts where you can continue to click through and refine your query or get more information without ever leaving a search result.”
- “The machine learning can change the search query without users doing anything differently.”
Ads within SGE
Ads appear both above the SGE result and directly below it. However, ad placement could change when the feature is rolled out, according to Geddes:
- “Google cares about stock prices and how often ads are clicked on. So I think we can expect even more integration before SGE is live.”
Uptake of SGE
SGE is expected to impact search and digital marketing, but the group believes widespread adoption won’t happen soon. Because of this, Gales doesn’t expect significant changes to PPC metrics in the near future. She explained:
- “I don’t think adoption of SGE will be as widespread for the foreseeable future as you might think.”
- “Remember when voice search was supposed to be the next big thing? Then it was Google Assistant. [Digital marketers] are all plugged into SGE because we’re marketers, but I don’ foresee the general public adopting it in the same way.”
The issue with SGE
The group agreed that while SGE can answer a wide range of queries, it often gives inaccurate responses, especially in proximity-based searches. This could impact how widely SGE is adopted. Levy explained
- “I don’t think SGE will reach critical mass until it gets to a point when numbers outweigh incorrect answers. Perhaps in the three to five-year range, once everyone gets used to it.”
- “I also don’t think SGE will be the right source for every type of query either. So I don’t know that it will ever be the only experience that we have.”
Impact on CTR
Once SGE is fully implemented, the group believes advertisers will see a substantial impact on click-through rates (CTR). Levy noted that his Google Ads representative has already started guiding him away from focusing on metrics like CTR.
- “It feels like they’re conditioning us to not look at metrics like CTR anymore and just look at things like cost per action (CPA) and return on ad spend (ROAS) instead. The same could be said for cost per click (CPC).”
- “I think all of us have opinions here that CPCs can be too high. But they’re certainly shifting the dialogue away from looking at CPCs and more looking towards pure return.”
- “With that said, I don’t anticipate a huge swing in what I would consider true performance metrics. I don’t see that changing too much. It would throw too much of a wrench and everyone’s advertising plans – and probably Google’s earnings as well.”
PPC and SEO to come together?
While Gales doesn’t anticipate major changes to PPC metrics soon either, she envisions SGE altering how SEO and PPC experts collaborate. As search behaviors and results evolve, PPC and SEO marketers will work more closely together, she said:
- “As marketers, we’re used to being super specialized, but those specialties are merging more and more because it’s all just about providing one intent-rich experience for users.”
- “So we’re going to have to work much more closely with practitioners and other marketing disciplines in the near future.”
The impact on keyword research
Gales explained that many in the industry believe the era of heavily relying on specific keywords is fading. There’s a shift towards a dynamic, feed-based approach, where having a well-optimized website and using conversion tracking are becoming crucial.
This change means Google’s algorithms, drawing information from various sources, play a larger role in targeting and creativity.
The future might involve users finding what they need directly on Google, reducing the emphasis on selecting the perfect keyword and match type. Instead, the focus is on optimizing the website for both Google algorithms and human understanding.
A new approach
After SGE is launched, overall search volume is expected to stay the same. However, search suggestions might change based on trends and user behavior, according to Kohler. He predicts advertisers will be more interested in upper-funnel content, like display and video ads, affecting the economic model and increasing ads in those areas.
Kohler doesn’t see Google controlling user searches but expects a shift in guiding users toward final questions. This is likely to influence econometrics but not necessarily search volume.
How does this affect how you write the ads?
The challenge for Google with SGE is to smoothly integrate ads in a natural and conversational way, avoiding a salesy tone. The current method, where call-to-action phrases are condensed, could sound awkward in the middle of a conversation.
Unlike Bing’s pop-up ad style, Google’s approach demands a change in how we write ads. Levy elaborated:
- “What we are going to have to do is make sure that each individual piece of an ad, each asset, or extension will stand alone and won’t be missing anything.”
- “I’m curious to see if Google is going to try to start rewriting ads, and what that will wind up doing in sensitive industries.”
Competitor research and SGE
The group agreed that considering what competitors are saying is valuable, but it’s essential to take it with a grain of salt. The challenge is to determine if they are being unique or merely following Google’s RSA suggestions.
In a competitive landscape, where many use similar phrases, standing will become more crucial than ever. As Kohler explained:
- “If you’re a plumber bidding against other plumbers, and every single one of them says ‘Milwaukee’s best plumber’, you’ll have to think about how to position yourself to stand out.”
- “Always look at what your competitors are saying, but also, what are they showing up for.”
Time to develop new skills
Gales advised PPC marketers to broaden their skillsets in anticipation of SGE’s rollout. She emphasized that the days of exclusively focusing on keyword research, fine targeting, and attribution are over.
Now is the opportune moment to start honing skills in video creation, copywriting and comprehensive marketing strategies that go beyond traditional ad platforms. Gales added:
- “If you’re a search marketer and you’ve never tried to create a video before, if you’ve never worked on your copywriting skills, you’ve never put together a marketing strategy beyond just what happens in Bing Ads or Google Ads, now is the time to learn.”
- “Start developing those skills because these things are converging and being just good enough won’t be good enough anymore in an SGE world.”
- “You will have to be the best, or you will not last.”
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The message is clear: in the world of SGE, being average isn’t sufficient.
It’s crucial to excel and be the best, emphasizing the need for a diverse skill set to succeed in this changing marketing environment.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Thursday, January 18th, 2024
Advertisers who want to show personalized ads to consumers in the European Economic Area (EEA) must take immediate action to prevent campaign performance issues.
Marketers need to send verifiable consent signal(s) to Google as the search engine prepares to step up the enforcement of its EU User Consent Policy (EU UCP).
Why we care. Google cautioned that neglecting these steps promptly could adversely affect campaign performance, impacting both reach and return on investment.
Next steps. If you or your technology partners utilize Google APIs/SDKs to share audience data with Google, you must upgrade to the latest versions of the Google Ads API and Display & Video 360 API.
Meanwhile, app advertisers are advised to update to the latest version of the Google App Conversion Tracking API or SDK. This update enables proper communication of consent signals, ensuring compliance with user choices and facilitating comprehensive measurement and modeling.
For app advertisers working with App Attribution Partners (AAP), you will need to upgrade to the latest AAP SDK/API version and work with your AAP partner to ensure your consent signals are communicated to Google.
Global impact. This news has implications for all advertisers targeting consumers in the EEA, irrespective of whether the advertiser is located within the EEA or not.
Why now. In an evolving privacy landscape, with regulatory changes and things like third party cookie deprecation around the corner, it’s critical that advertisers implement solutions like consent mode to ensure their audience and measurement solutions work effectively.
What is EU UCP? The EU User Consent Policy (EU UCP) introduced by Google is designed to align with European privacy regulations, specifically the ePrivacy Directive (ePD) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This policy mandates marketers using Google for advertising to obtain and respect end-users’ consent. Its objective is to ensure compliance with established privacy standards within the online advertising ecosystem.
What Google is saying. A spokesperson said in a statement:
- “This year marks an inflection point for marketing with Chrome’s planned third party cookie deprecation in the second half of 2024, as well as regulatory changes in the landscape.”
- “Consent mode can help you get ready with the right foundation of durable solutions powered by your consented first-party data and Google AI.”
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Deep dive. Read Google’s announcement in full for more information.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Thursday, January 18th, 2024
Ever reminisce about the days when sprinkling a few keywords on a page was like hitting the SEO jackpot in the search results?
In 2024, the world of SEO is the exact opposite of easy.
However, for those of us who love to solve SEO puzzles, it’s an exciting time when we’re faced with new challenges and massive opportunities.
This year, it’s all about diving deep into the techy side of SEO, getting cozy with AI tools for content and figuring out how to manage rising costs without breaking the bank.
Let’s look at five vital SEO business insights in 2024 to help you get a bird’s eye view of what to expect.
1. SEO continues to get bigger and harder
For those of us who have been in SEO since the ‘90s, we remember the simple days of ranking webpages.
Each year, SEO becomes more complex and harder to win.
Just look at all the changes that happened in SEO in 2023 alone – not the least of which was Google’s Search Generative Experience, which can put SEO on its head again.
Plus, the ranking algorithm continues to evolve yearly to uncover the most relevant webpages as Google refines its technology.
Bottom line: There is no “easy button” in SEO. You can expect to work a little harder to compete in 2024 than last year.
2. Technical SEO grows in importance
A highly competitive search environment means every little bit counts. The more you refine your website for users, the better you can compete.
Without technical SEO, creating the optimal user experience is impossible.
Therefore, there will be an increased dependency on technical SEO for success.
If you are still only relying on surface-level on-page SEO tactics (keywords, meta information, etc.) and ignoring the technical back-end of your site, you will not have much of a chance.
And even if you are moderately doing technical SEO, the skill level you need to win at technical SEO is increasing.
Take things like Google’s “page experience” initiative and all the minutiae that went with that.
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3. AI will change your content strategy
AI tools are changing the future of content creation – just how it will change the future of SEO remains to be seen.
We are in massive experimentation mode with AI content creation tools.
After many months of seeing how AI content can help (or hinder) businesses, one thing is clear: Do it right and you can create quality content and increase your profits. Do it wrong and you’ll churn out nothing more than spam.
Google says you’ll violate their spam policies with the wrong AI content:
“When it comes to automatically generated content, our guidance has been consistent for years. Using automation – including AI – to generate content with the primary purpose of manipulating ranking in search results is a violation of our spam policies.”
But, if the AI content is user-centered, it’s perfectly well and good to use AI tools to assist your content creation efforts:
“This said, it’s important to recognize that not all use of automation, including AI generation, is spam. Automation has long been used to generate helpful content, such as sports scores, weather forecasts, and transcripts. AI has the ability to power new levels of expression and creativity, and to serve as a critical tool to help people create great content for the web.”
So, how do you strike the right balance when using AI-generated content?
Today, the gold standard is the right AI tools paired with expert human content analysis and editing.
For more, read “AI content creation: A beginner’s guide.”
4. Prices are going up
It’s no secret that the cost of everything is going up.
Most are facing increasing business costs in 2024, according to Kiplinger, including interest rates, inflation, energy costs, transportation, insurance, travel, building expenses, and technology.
The cost to attract and retain the best digital marketing talent will also be an issue for some.
Kiplinger predicts some industries may restrict pay raises in the coming year, and some will implement modest pay hikes of up to 4.2% for employees.
You can do the math on how much it might cost to retain experienced search marketers by seeing this Search Engine Land search industry salary survey.
If you want to retain people with 10+ years of experience (for my agency, that is the minimum amount of experience we allow for client-facing staff), you will need to offer an attractive salary and benefits package.
The cost of doing business will also impact many service-based SEO firms, so the cost of hiring SEO firms is likely to rise.
5. Hiring the best will matter
With rising costs, many businesses are in a predicament with their SEO. Fortunately for bigger players, they can invest in the best SEO services.
Companies (many within the $26 million to $2.5 billion annually range) will increase digital marketing spend by about 9% in 2024, the CMO Survey by Deloitte predicts.
Unfortunately for smaller players, the question will be, do I want it cheap, or do I want it right?
And as we know, cheap SEO is a near-death experience.
However, that doesn’t mean that the little guy doesn’t have a chance. Larger companies may have more resources, but they are less nimble.
And for all the resources these larger corporations have, they may not be implementing the best (or some of the lesser-known) SEO strategies.
Regardless of the company’s size, hiring the best SEO help will matter – whether in-house or an outside SEO firm.
Companies that prioritize SEO because they know its value can get creative by diverting budgets (for example, advertising budgets) as needed to retain the best and most skilled SEO talent.
For more on this, find out what percentage of your budget should go to SEO.
The keyword for 2024: Adaptability
As we head into 2024, we rely on the same SEO mindset of years prior: adaptability. SEO demands the flexibility to turn on a dime.
Getting creative with budgets so that you can hire the best SEO talent to guide your business through 2024, while focusing on innovative strategies and technical website analysis, will set your business up to weather any storm that comes your way this year.
Cheers to a successful 2024.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Thursday, January 18th, 2024
Facebook’s extensive monitoring of its users’ online activities has been exposed in a new study.
The research conducted by Consumer Reports indicates that, on average, an astonishing 2,230 companies actively share data about each user with the social networking app.
In some instance, users had their data shared with Facebook by as many as 7,000 companies.
Why we care. As concerns over data privacy continue to grow, these statistics have the potential to create trust issues that could significantly impact your brand’s reputation. Moreover, in markets like the European Union, where data privacy regulations are becoming more stringent, these numbers may also give rise to legal and ethical concerns.
Issues. Although Meta offers transparency tools, Consumer Reports identified issues with them. The study highlighted problems, including the unclear identity of many data providers based on the names disclosed to users. Additionally, the report noted that companies providing services to advertisers are often able to disregard user opt-out requests.
How the study worked. Consumer Reports joined forces with The Markup to recruit 709 volunteers willing to share their Facebook data archives. Participants downloaded a three-year data archive from their Facebook settings and submitted it. This allowed the organizations to analyze “server-to-server” tracking, uncovering how many companies were sharing user data with Facebook by transferring personal data from their servers to Meta’s servers.
US statistics. The study acknowledges that its findings may not be representative of the U.S. population as a whole because the data comes from a self-selected group of users. Additionally, the results were not demographically adjusted. Consumer Reports also pointed out that participants were probably more privacy-conscious, technically inclined, and likely members of Consumer Reports, indicating a potential bias in the sample.
What Facebook is saying. Meta spokesperson Emil Vazquez told The Markup:
- “We offer a number of transparency tools to help people understand the information that businesses choose to share with us, and manage how it’s used.”
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What is Consumer Reports? Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works with consumers to uncover truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace.
What is The Markup? The Markup is a non-profit newsroom that investigates and challenges technology to benefit the public.
Deep dive. Read the Consumer Reports study in full for more information.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Wednesday, January 17th, 2024
When working with a new PPC client, I help them establish goals aligned with their business objectives. Surprisingly, many lack clearly defined campaign goals beyond boosting traffic or conversions.
Let’s explore a framework for setting effective key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics aligned to your business goals for each funnel stage.
PPC KPIs and metrics: How do they differ?
It’s essential to identify goals and KPIs to evaluate success.
- KPIs are your end goals.
- While metrics are data points that measure progress toward those goals.
For example, if your goal is to increase qualified leads, metrics would include conversion rate, new users driven to a specific URL, etc.
PPC campaigns can help achieve many objectives, so understanding the difference between KPIs and metrics is key to setting yourself up for success. You need to pick KPIs that matter for your business and tie them to relevant metrics.
Clients commonly apply uniform goals to all campaigns regardless of their place in the marketing funnel. However, you should tailor goals and metrics based on the funnel stage to measure performance accurately.
Why aligning PPC goals with the marketing funnel matters
While paid search benefits bottom-of-funnel marketing, exclusively relying on it is a mistake.
PPC campaigns can aid each part of the marketing funnel, provided you set them up accordingly and measure them against metrics and benchmarks that make sense for that stage.
Clients often make the error of setting identical goals for campaigns at various funnel stages. This overlooks the need to align campaigns with specific goals, requiring distinct KPIs and metrics for fair and accurate evaluation.
Dig deeper: How to use always-on marketing in paid search
Top-of-funnel PPC campaigns
Top-of-funnel campaigns should be designed to create awareness where there isn’t. You want these campaigns to capture a broad audience of potential and future customers and (hopefully) generate some interest in your product or service.
With reach as a high priority, these types of efforts often use campaign types that provide high visibility for a lower cost.
Because PPC can be (incorrectly) synonymous with bottom-funnel marketing, it’s important to differentiate top-of-funnel campaigns from the rest of your PPC marketing.
Top-of-funnel campaigns often utilize the Google Display Network, which has different benchmarks, ad content, and benefits.
Ensure you’re evaluating your top-of-funnel campaigns fairly using appropriate KPIs and metrics.
KPIs for top-of-funnel PPC campaigns
- Increase brand awareness.
- Increase website traffic.
- Drive social media engagement.
- Boost brand engagement.
Metrics for top-of-funnel PPC campaigns
- Impressions
- Cost per mille (CPM)
- Click-through rate (CTR)
- Engagements (Google Ads)
Dig deeper: Guide to PPC top-of-funnel reporting
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Mid-funnel PPC campaigns
Mid-funnel campaigns can be tricky because they can encompass a variety of goals and campaign strategies. They can include:
What differentiates these campaigns is that they’re designed to meet users in the Interest/Consideration phase. That means your KPIs and metrics should be tailored to that end goal, finding users interested in your product or service and helping them consider whether they should take action.
KPIs for mid-funnel PPC campaigns
- Establish authority in the industry.
- Increase engagement.
- Drive consideration.
- Nurture leads.
Metrics for mid-funnel PPC campaigns
Bottom-of-funnel PPC campaigns
Finally, we get to what many folks think of when they speak about PPC campaigns – bottom-of-funnel efforts that are extremely effective in driving actions like form fills, phone calls, purchases and requests for a quote.
These include:
- Search campaigns with extremely high-intent keywords.
- Display remarketing campaigns targeting users who engaged with mid-funnel efforts to move them down the funnel.
KPIs for bottom-of-funnel PPC campaigns
- Acquire new customers.
- Increase revenue.
- Generate leads.
- Increase purchases.
Metrics for bottom-of-funnel PPC campaigns
- Primary conversions (i.e., form submissions or purchases)
- Conversion rate
- Cost per acquisition/conversion (CPA)
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Average order value (AOV)
- Cart abandonment rate
- Item quantity
Paid search attribution in GA4
Marketing attribution can change how you evaluate the performance of your PPC campaigns.
By default, your PPC campaigns on Google and Microsoft Ads use a last-click attribution model unless you manually switch to data-driven attribution.
In July 2023, Google announced they would retire first click, linear, time decay, and position-based attribution models.
GA4, on the other hand, uses the cross-channel data-driven model as their default attribution model. It also provides paid and organic last-click, and Google paid channels last-click models that you can apply to certain reports at the property level.
Dig deeper: How to combine GA4 and Google Ads for powerful paid search results
The intersection of metrics and KPIs with business goals
Sometimes, your broader business objectives clearly tie into specific KPIs and metrics. Other times, you may have to get creative with aligning PPC efforts with the larger business goals.
The worst mistake you can make is to set KPIs and metrics that don’t contribute to business success. The second worst is failing to clearly and simply explain how KPIs and metrics contribute to business success.
You often try to get buy-in and budget from key stakeholders who need you to help them connect the dots. Help them see the value by clearly stating how your KPIs support the company’s aim and mission.
Setting KPIs and metrics for PPC
Ultimately, the KPIs you set for your PPC efforts should tie directly to your business objectives, and the metrics you use to measure those KPIs will depend on the nature of your business and the set-up of your campaigns.
Do your future self a favor, and don’t make the mistake of setting blanket KPIs for all your efforts. You’ll fare better (and your boss or client will be even more impressed) if you tailor your KPIs to the marketing funnel stage your campaigns are built around.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Wednesday, January 17th, 2024
Google search results in Europe may start to look a little different in the coming weeks in order for Google to comply with a new regulation called the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the company announced. This means that Google will show more comparison sites within its search results for European users and that some of the vertical search units, like Google Flights, will no longer show up in the main search results.
What Google said. Google explained these changes in their blog post:
Over the coming weeks in Europe, we will be expanding our testing of a number of changes to the search results page. We will introduce dedicated units that include a group of links to comparison sites from across the web, and query shortcuts at the top of the search page to help people refine their search, including by focusing results just on comparison sites. For categories like hotels, we will also start testing a dedicated space for comparison sites and direct suppliers to show more detailed individual results including images, star ratings and more. These changes will result in the removal of some features from the search page, such as the Google Flights unit.
What it might look like. Last July, I spotted comparison sites units in the search results; I covered them at the Search Engine Roundtable.
Here is a screenshot from Kovi on Twitter and Frank Sandtmann on Mastodon from several months ago:
Some history. In 2020, Google tested a similar feature to list other local search engines; here is what that looked like.
In June, 2017 the EC fined Google roughly $2.7 billion for alleged abuse of market position in vertical (shopping) search. Following that decision, which Google is in the process of appealing, Google implemented a number of changes to provide “equal treatment” for rival Comparison Shopping Engines (CSEs) in Europe. In 2018, this group said it was only getting worse.
Why we care. If you currently show up in some of these vertical search units that Google shows often at the top of the page, this might impact your traffic and metrics. This should only impact the European search results right now. This also may mean that you need to focus on other vertical search engines, more than you do now.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Wednesday, January 17th, 2024
Google is toughening its data privacy policies for targeted ads in Europe to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Brands and advertisers will begin to notice the changes, such as additional consent banners and a new Data Portability API, as they are rolled out in the coming weeks.
Why we care. Tougher data privacy policies might affect Google’s capacity to deliver personalized ads and content. This could potentially reduce the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, as they may not effectively reach the desired target audience as accurately.
Additional consents. Google is rolling out a new consent banner to users in the EU in the coming weeks. It will ask for permission to share data for personalized content and ads. If you don’t give permission, certain features may be limited or unavailable.
Data portability. To address new requirements for transferring data to third-party apps or services, Google will soon be testing a Data Portability API for developers.
What is data portability? Data portability is the transfer of data between various applications, programs, computing environments, or cloud services. This enables service providers to pursue targeted advertising.
Choice screens. Google is also introducing additional choice screens on Android phones, allowing users to switch their default search engine or browser more easily. These screens will be visible during device setup on Android phones and within the Chrome app on desktop and iOS devices.
Search update. In addition, Google is adding dedicated units with links to various comparison sites and search page shortcuts for refining searches in the coming weeks. In specific categories like hotels, Google is trialing a dedicated space for comparison sites and direct suppliers to show more detailed results such as star ratings. Some features, like the Google Flights unit, will be removed when the changes are implemented.
What is the Digital Markets Act (DMA)? The DMA is a new piece of legislation designed to ensure that large online platforms, called “gatekeepers”, behave in a fair way online to create a fair and open environment for online businesses. The legislation comes into effect in March.
Who are the gatekeepers? Gatekeepers are large online platforms like Google that meet the following criteria:
- Has a strong economic position with a significant impact on the internal market and is active in multiple EU countries
- Has a strong intermediation position, meaning that it links a large user base to a large number of businesses.
- Has (or is about to have) an entrenched and durable position in the market, meaning that it is stable over time if the company met the two criteria above in each of the last three financial years.
DMA violation penalties. The consequences of non-compliance with the DMA includes:
- Fines: Up to 10% of the company’s total worldwide annual turnover, or up to 20% in the event of repeated infringements.
- Periodic penalty payments: Up to 5% of a company’s average daily turnover.
- Remedies: These can include behavioural and structural remedies, such as the divestiture of (parts of) a business.
What Google is saying. Oliver Bethell, Director, Legal, Google, said in a statement:
- “Over the last few months we have been seeking feedback on our changes from the European Commission and from stakeholders like developers, advertisers and companies who will be affected by them.”
- “While we support many of the DMA’s ambitions around consumer choice and interoperability, the new rules involve difficult trade-offs, and we’re concerned that some of these rules will reduce the choices available to people and businesses in Europe.”
- “We’ll share more details on the final changes we are making to comply with the new rules ahead of the March deadline.”
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Deep dive. Read Google’s announcement in full for more information.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Wednesday, January 17th, 2024
Google will lay off approximately 1,000 employees from its advertising sales team this year.
Why we care. Advertisers told Search Engine Land last week that they are already struggling to solve issues impacting their Google Ads accounts as they can’t get hold of their reps. The reduction in staff could exacerbate the situation, further complicating problem resolution for marketers.
Changes to come. News of the staff layoffs comes just weeks after Google Ads Liaison Officer, Ginny Marvin, confirmed that support is not being phased out but “changes are being made.” Google has not confirmed what changes we can expect, but Marvin did add:
- “I do think Support is an area where LLMs/Google AI will be able to make big strides in improving experiences. That’s not happening yet, but work is underway. Stay tuned.”
What Google is saying: Commenting on the staff layoffs, a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land:
- “Every year we go through a rigorous process to structure our team to provide the best service to our Ads customers.”
- “We map customers to the right specialist teams and sales channels to meet their service needs. As part of this, a few hundred roles globally are being eliminated and impacted employees will be able to apply for open roles or elsewhere at Google.”
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Deep dive. Read our deep dive into why advertisers think Google Ads support is at an all-time low for more information.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Tuesday, January 16th, 2024
Copilot Pro, the most advanced and fastest version of Copilot, has been released today by Microsoft. Copilot, the new name for the new Bing Chat experience, now has a paid version that costs $20 per month per user. This brings “a new premium subscription for individuals that provides a higher tier of service for AI capabilities, brings Copilot AI capabilities to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers, and new capabilities, such as the ability to create Copilot GPTs,” Microsoft announced.
Features in Copilot Pro. Copilot Pro has these features, that are above and beyond normal Copilot:
- A single AI experience that runs across your devices, understanding your context on the web, on your PC, across your apps and soon on your phone to bring the right skills to you when you need them.
- Access to Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote on PC, Mac, and iPad for Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers.
- Priority access to the very latest models, including the new OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo. With Copilot Pro you’ll have access to GPT-4 Turbo during peak times for faster performance and, coming soon, the ability to toggle between models to optimize your experience how you choose, Microsoft explained.
- Enhanced AI image creation with Image Creator from Designer (formerly Bing Image Creator) – ensuring it’s faster with 100 boosts per day while bringing you more detailed image quality as well as landscape image format.
- The ability to build your own Copilot GPT – a customized Copilot tailored for a specific topic.
Video overview. Here is a video overview of the new Copilot Pro:
What else is new. Microsoft also announced these general improvements around Copilot:
- Copilot GPTs. Copilot GPTs let you customize the behavior of Microsoft Copilot on a topic that is of particular interest to you.
- Copilot mobile app. The Copilot mobile app is now available for Android and iOS.
- Copilot in the Microsoft 365 mobile app. Copilot is being added to the Microsoft 360 mobile app for Android and iOS for individuals with a Microsoft account.
Why we care. If you love Copilot, aka Bing Chat, and want to get the best out of it, you may want to try Copilot Pro. It will give you the more advanced AI models, priorities your prompts before others and give you more usage than the free version.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Tuesday, January 16th, 2024
Forget flashy ads and vanity metrics. 2024 is all about strategic growth marketing focused on building real customer loyalty.
Leading brands know the most valuable customers aren’t one-time buyers, but passionate fans who provide recurring revenue.
Here’s how to structure marketing experiments that move users through the AARRR funnel, from acquisition to revenue and beyond.
What is growth marketing?
Growth marketing is a type of marketing aimed at growing and scaling a business through customer loyalty and advocacy.
Unlike traditional marketing, it is less focused on gaining new customers in the short term and more on getting the right customers and ensuring their allegiance to your brand in the long term.
Successful growth marketers deeply understand their buyers and how they move through their entire customer lifecycle from brand awareness to purchase, repurchase, and referral.
These marketers then combine customer data and market insights to create an ideal consumer profile and experiment with creative concepts on the favorite channels of their most passionate fans.
Growth marketing vs. traditional marketing: AARRR framework
Venture capitalist Dave McClure’s AARRR framework (a.k.a., Pirate Metrics) is the most popular growth marketing framework.
McClure saw many of the startups he worked with placing too much emphasis on vanity metrics without recognizing which metrics were actually indicative of business growth.
His philosophy? Your most loyal customers (and the users they refer) provide better ROI than any other marketing channel.
His AARRR framework extends the traditional marketing funnel past a user’s relationship with a product they buy and into their lifetime relationship with the brand they buy it from.
The steps in the AARRR growth marketing funnel are as follows:
- Acquisition: User becomes aware of brand.
- Activation: User experiences product or service.
- Retention: User loves experience; returns for more.
- Referral: User recommends brand to friends/family.
- Revenue: User becomes a reliable source of recurring revenue.
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Growth marketing in 2024: Getting started
Because growth marketing is about keeping your most reliable customers engaged and excited to recommend your brand to their friends, you’ll first want to define who those customers are (or who they’re most likely to be) and what specific brand value or product quality keeps them coming back.
Use last year’s data to define your ideal customer
Review your 2023 performance. Look for trends and similarities among repeat users, and use this data to define or redefine your buyer personas. Some places to look:
Demographic data from ad campaigns
- User journeys and interests are constantly evolving. In some industries, the journeys evolve more rapidly than in others.
- Your super fans of today may be the same fans you had 20 years ago, but those fans may be 20 years older now.
- If you take a closer look at your demographic data and the results come as a surprise, you’ll need to ask yourself two questions:
- How do I shift my marketing strategy to continue resonating with my current audience for years to come?
- If my marketing is no longer resonating with people in this demographic, then how can I modernize my message to reach this new younger audience?
Purchase trends, for good and for bad
- Do your most loyal users have similar shopping experiences? Do they buy similar products in a similar order along a similar timeline?
- If you can spot a chronological relationship between user purchases, you can use sequential remarketing to increase brand loyalty among users most likely to engage in that purchasing behavior.
- On the other hand, if you identify a decrease in brand loyalty after your repeat customers purchase a specific product or service, you should ask for their feedback and be willing to address their concerns directly in both private and public forums.
- Social media and email can be great marketing channels for making customers feel heard while poking a little bit of fun at your brand (if humor is part of your brand voice).
NPS survey results
- Do any products or services stand out as obvious fan favorites? If so, ask yourself how you can best leverage those products in your growth marketing efforts.
- Are several customers raising the same complaint? Use this feedback to reexamine your user experience, customer service, and product roadmap to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Make responding to user feedback and pain points part of your content marketing strategy.
Dig deeper: How to create and execute a buyer journey-based content strategy
Define your North Star metric
Your North Star metric is a single metric that best captures the core value your product delivers to customers. It should be:
- Measurable.
- A long-term goal that won’t change within a year.
- Within your control and not dependent on outside variables.
- A direct contributor to your company’s overall vision, mission or strategy.
- Aligned with your product or brand’s core value proposition.
Some examples from successful companies:
Any KPIs you use to test the hypothesis of a growth marketing experiment should ladder up to your NSM.
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Growth marketing experiments to try in 2024
Acquisition: Cross-platform lead generation content marketing
Question: How do I attract the most ideal customers?
Find out where your ideal customers hang out and what types of content are most likely to bring them to your brand with a cross-platform lead generation content marketing experiment.
Some suggested variables to test:
- Format: How-to guides, ebooks, webinars, videos, industry reports, whitepapers, case studies, surveys and quizzes, and problem-solving templates.
- Tactic: Lead magnets, promos, contests, giveaways, challenges, influencer partnerships.
- CTA: Sign up, subscribe, join the club, try free, create your free account.
The key is to start testing a single variable across all available platforms and refine your strategy based on which formats/tactics/CTAs perform best on each platform.
Potential KPIs: Conversions by source/medium, conversions by landing page, MQL to SQL conversion rate
Activation: Conversion rate optimization
Question: How can I improve the customer experience?
Before improving your customer experience, you must identify where customers drop off.
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of making intentional changes to your customer experience to determine if those changes improve conversion rates.
Here are a few ways to declutter and enhance the customer journey:
- Adding clear product benefits to your hero section copy.
- Reducing steps to purchase.
- Reducing or reformatting form fields.
- Removing unnecessary buttons, links, or popups.
You’ll also want to reassess your onboarding workflow. If users are creating accounts or signing up for trials but aren’t turning into paying customers, look for opportunities to share instructional content that will encourage them to use your product.
Potential KPIs: customer acquisition cost (CAC), abandonment rate by page
Retention: Reengagement campaigns
Question: How do I entice my customers to keep coming back?
How do you break through the massive sea of marketing noise flooding the average user’s inbox, reading list, social media feed, and search results?
Unsurprisingly, retention is one of the most challenging parts of any business development strategy. At this stage of the growth marketing funnel, you should test different customer re-engagement methods to see which tactics are most likely to remind users why they love your brand.
Some suggestions to try:
- Personalized offers based on purchase history.
- Time-sensitive promos.
- Emails with new product or feature updates since the user’s last engagement.
- Remarketing ads.
While the “hate to see you go” email has become a popular re-engagement marketing tactic, you can stand out and glean valuable customer insight by adding a short customer feedback survey to yours.
If someone had a poor experience with your brand, you may not win them back, but you may be able to use their feedback to improve your customer experience for future users.
Potential KPIs: click-through rate (CTR), customer retention rate (CRR), re-engagement rate
Referral: Turn your superfans into influencers
Question: How can I incentivize my loyal customers to refer their friends?
Referral programs take time to pick up steam. While working with influencers is one way to build awareness and highlight your referral incentives, your current fan base might be more than happy to get the ball rolling.
Ask your customers to share their experience with family and friends in exchange for perks like:
- Discount codes for new and referring users.
- Commission-based incentives from affiliate links.
- Upgraded service or gifts in exchange for testimonials or reviews.
Potential KPIs: customer referrals, social listening metrics (how many users mention your brand or share your content on social media?)
Revenue: Build a customer loyalty program
Question: How can I increase customer lifetime value?
Loyalty programs tell your fans you see them, hear them, and appreciate their relationship with your brand. The key to a successful loyalty program is getting your customers excited about the incentives.
How you structure your loyalty program will vary based on your industry and the purchasing behavior of your ideal customers.
Some popular loyalty program frameworks:
- Punch card loyalty programs: Punch card loyalty programs used to be associated with physical stores, but that’s no longer true. Ecommerce stores can get creative with virtual options.
- Points-based loyalty programs: Points-based loyalty programs assign points to dollars spent. Points can then be exchanged for discounts, cash back, or other perks.
- Tiered loyalty programs: Tiered loyalty programs can be either subscription-based or based on dollars spent. Tiered programs offer extra perks for as long as a user remains in a given tier.
Potential KPIs: customer lifetime value (CLV), monthly/annual recurring revenue (MRR/ARR)
Is your marketing strategy ready for 2024?
If 2023 was any indication of the future, 2024 will be a year of widespread experimentation for marketers.
Plan ahead, and your experiments might uncover new opportunities for you and your team!
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