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PPC forecasting with Google Sheets and Vertex AI

Thursday, September 7th, 2023

As the PPC landscape continues to evolve, having the ability to predict future campaign performance is invaluable. 

This article will cover some of my favorite PPC forecasting techniques using Google Sheets and Vertex AI that paint a clearer picture of the future and empower clients with actionable insights. 

While no tool or technique can provide a 100% accurate picture of the future, the methods outlined here can show us a glimpse into the potential trajectories of PPC campaigns.

Google Sheets FORECAST function: The basics

Google Sheets offers an easy-to-use and reliable forecasting function using the formula:

=FORECAST(z, known_y values, known_x values)

Where:

• z is the data point for which you want to predict a corresponding y-value.
• known_y's is the range of dependent data points (usually your past results or outcomes).
• known_x's is the range of independent data points (usually the variable you think might influence your outcomes).

This function is a great tool if you only have two dimensions.

However, it uses linear regression, which is fine for a quick forecasting sneak peek but nothing too advanced to account for external circumstances or other data sources.

Let’s say you have historical data from the last year and want to forecast future budget predictions to have some numbers to plan with. 

In this example, we have the current year’s sales data up to August and want to forecast future sales from September to December.

If we visualize those forecasts, you’ll quickly see the drawbacks of using this method.

The blue line represents the known sales data up to August, and the red line represents the predicted sales data. 

The prediction is not more than a trendline, which might help to get a high-level look at something but is nothing compared to the blue line, which is basically how real business data will look like.

Supercharging the Google Sheets FORECAST function

To fix the issue of linear regression, there are multiple ways to approach the forecast formula with advanced methods. 

Instead of just using the linear =FORECAST() function, you can add a little twist by adding trend data or other market predictions into the forecast formula, as in:

=FORECAST()*3rdParty_Trend_Data

You can grab trend data from public sources like Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner, Dataset Search by Google or industry reports (from PwC, EY, McKinsey, etc.) and export it into a CSV or any other format you’re used to working with. 

Clean up those datasets to match your original sheet’s structure, like data on a day-to-day, week-to-week or month-to-month basis,

Next, supplement the FORECAST function to get a more realistic prediction rather than just a straight line going up or downwards.

In this example, we have used additional trend data, which shows an increased trend toward Q4 of the year. The numbers are, therefore, different from the predicted sales without trend data.

If we visualize those new data, we can see that the trend data gives us better insights and more detail compared to a flat trend line.

As a rule of thumb, it is almost always a good idea to support those forecasts with as much data as possible and supply data on more detailed timeframes like day-to-day or week-to-week.

Advanced forecasting with Vertex AI

If your PPC campaigns involve large datasets with multiple variables, turning to Google’s Vertex AI could be a game-changer for your forecasting needs. 

Unlike simpler tools, Vertex AI allows for more complex models that can take numerous factors into account, such as seasonality, different ad platforms, or even global market trends. 

To get started, you’ll first need to upload your historical PPC data to Google Cloud Storage.

From there, you can access Vertex AI’s AutoML Tables to build a machine learning model tailored to your dataset automatically. 

After training the model, you can evaluate its performance using built-in metrics to ensure it meets your forecasting requirements. Once you’re satisfied, deploying the model is easy. 

Now, you can use this model to predict future outcomes, such as clicks, impressions, or conversions, based on varying levels of ad spend, ad placements, or any other variable you deem important. 

And the best part? You don’t need to be a machine learning expert to do this. With a bit of setup and some fine-tuning, you’ll be on your way to more accurate and insightful PPC forecasts.

The capabilities of Vertex AI are sheer endless, but let’s look at a simple framework to start with.

Once your Google Cloud account is set up and you’ve created a project within Vertex AI, you should start by creating a data set.

A data set is basically the collection of data points you want to use for your forecasting. 

The data set contains a time dimension and some budget and revenue dimensions. Depending on your goal, the data sets might contain different data points.

Name your data set, select Tabular as your data type and Regression or Forecasting as your objective.

While regression is often used to understand relationships and can be applied to various data types, forecasting focuses more on predicting future points in a time series. 

Both are essential tools in data science and are used for different types of decision-making and analysis. You will be fine with forecasting in most of your cases.

Now it’s time to train a new model. For beginners, the AutoML training method is always a good choice. Next, you must set some settings on the forecast period, the target, and data granularity. 

Once done, set the training duration and budget, and you’re ready. The model will now learn, and you’ll receive a notification once it’s finished. 

The last step is to get predictions from the ML model. This option is only available once the training is done. 

To create a forecast, you need to submit data that the forecast will be based on. It’s ideal to use more recent data. 

The model will predict future target values learned on the training data set and based on your forecast data set.

Depending on the data volume, the job will take a while. But you shouldn’t wait more than 5-10 minutes for PPC tasks. 

Once finished, Vertex AI will supply an output file that contains new columns with predicted values that you can use for further decision-making.

Vertex AI might seem a little much for some forecasting tasks, but remember that you can submit years of historical data, inventory insights and more to train the model. 

With Vertex AI, you can build a machine learning forecasting model tailored to your business, which is much stronger than any static forecasting formula.

PPC forecasting for better campaign performance

Ultimately, the choice between these tools depends on your goals and the complexity of your PPC campaigns. 

Google Sheets offers a straightforward and accessible way to dip your toes into PPC forecasting. While it may have limitations, it’s a valuable starting point for many advertisers.

On the other hand, Vertex AI takes your PPC forecasting capabilities to the next level with its ability to handle large datasets and complex models. You can now factor in seasonality, global trends, and various variables to make accurate predictions tailored to your business.

Whether you opt for the simplicity of Google Sheets or the sophistication of Vertex AI, forecasting in PPC advertising is no longer a guessing game.

You can now equip yourself with actionable insights and make data-backed decisions on your PPC campaigns.

Dig deeper: A guide to effective PPC projections

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Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

This SEO strategy led to 497 page-one rankings in 7 weeks by Cynthia Ramsaran

Thursday, September 7th, 2023

Increasing first-page rankings and organic traffic has always involved guesswork. Experienced marketers know that deciding what content to produce and how to publish it can lead to wasted time, energy, and money. That can stop anyone dead in their tracks. But what would it look like if guesswork was no longer a factor in SEO and everything that goes into it?

Join Ryan Brock, chief solution officer at DemandJump, for a follow-up to last year’s Pillar-Based Marketing case study and how DemandJump eliminated the guesswork to win 497 first-page rankings in mere weeks on a highly competitive topic.

Register and attend “497 Page One Rankings in 7 Weeks: How Pillar-Based Marketing is Changing SEO,” presented by DemandJump.

Click here to view more Search Engine Land webinars.

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4 tips to prepare for Black Friday and Cyber Monday by Digital Drew SEM

Thursday, September 7th, 2023

Did you know? In 2022, Black Friday online sales totaled over $9.12 billion, and Cyber Monday sales totaled over $11.3 billion.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest shopping days of the year in the United States. These events are a great opportunity for retailers to boost sales and generate excitement for the holiday season and for people to shop all at discounted rates. 

However, for online businesses, it is very important to prepare for these days by using digital marketing services. So, before we dive into the topic, let’s first understand the significance of these days.

How to prepare for Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest shopping days of the year, and businesses can use digital marketing services to prepare for them. Here are some specific digital marketing services that businesses can use to prepare for Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

1. Start planning your email marketing campaigns

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest shopping days of the year, and email marketing is a great way to reach your existing customers and promote your deals. Here are some tips for starting your email marketing campaigns early:

• Start planning early. The best time to start planning your Black Friday and Cyber Monday email marketing campaigns is in September. This will give you enough time to create engaging and effective emails and to test and optimize your campaigns.
• Personalize your emails. People are more likely to open and click on emails that are personalized to them. Use your email marketing software to segment your list by customer interests and demographics and send targeted emails that are relevant to each group.
• Offer exclusive deals. One of the best ways to get people to open your emails is to offer exclusive deals they can’t find anywhere else. This could be a discount on a specific product, free shipping, or a gift with purchase.
• Track your results. It’s important to track the results of your email marketing campaigns to see what’s working and what’s not. This will help you improve your campaigns over time and get better results.

2. Optimize your website for search engines with SEO

By optimizing your website for Black Friday and Cyber Monday keywords, you can increase your chances of being found by people who are looking for deals.

• Optimize your product pages for Black Friday and Cyber Monday keywords. When people are looking for deals, they are likely to search for keywords related to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Make sure your product pages are optimized for these keywords so that they rank higher in search results.
• Create holiday-specific content. In addition to optimizing your product pages, you can also create holiday-specific content, such as blog posts, infographics, and social media posts. This content should be informative and engaging and help people learn more about your products and discounts.
• Build backlinks. Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. They are a signal to Google that your website is authoritative and trustworthy. In the weeks leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, focus on building backlinks from relevant websites.
• Track your SEO performance. It’s important to track your SEO performance to see what’s working and what’s not. This will help you make necessary adjustments to your strategy.

3. Use search engine marketing to reach new customers

By running SEM campaigns during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you can reach a large audience looking for deals.

Here are some tips for running SEM campaigns for Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

• Set a budget. Before you start running any SEM campaigns, setting a budget is important. This will help you avoid overspending and ensure that you’re getting a good return on your investment.
• Choose the right keywords. When choosing keywords for your SEM campaigns, it’s important to select those relevant to your products and that people are likely to search for. You can use a keyword research tool to help you find the right keywords.
• Create effective ad copy. Your ad copy should be clear, concise, and persuasive. It should also be relevant to the keywords you’re targeting.
• Track your results. It’s important to track the results of your SEM campaigns to see what’s working and what’s not. This will help you improve your campaigns over time and get better results.

4. Run paid social ads

Paid social ads are a great way to reach a large audience looking for deals during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You can boost your sales and reach your marketing goals by running paid social ads on the right platforms and targeting your ads to the right people.

Here are some tips for running paid social ads for Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

• Choose the right platform. Not all social media platforms are created equal. When choosing a platform for your paid social ads, choose one your target audience is using. For example, if you’re targeting millennials, you might want to focus on Instagram and TikTok.
• Target your ads. When you’re targeting your paid social ads, it’s important to be as specific as possible. You can target your ads by demographics, interests, and even past purchase behavior. This will help you ensure that your ads are seen by the people who are most likely to be interested in your offer.
• Create engaging content. Your paid social ads should be engaging and relevant to your target audience. They should also be visually appealing and easy to understand. Use high-quality images and videos and write clear and concise ad copy.
• Offer exclusive deals. One of the best ways to get people to click on your paid social ads is to offer exclusive deals. This could be a discount on a specific product, free shipping, or a gift with purchase.
• Track your results. It’s important to track the results of your paid social ads so that you can see what’s working and what’s not. This will help you improve your campaigns over time and get better results.

By following these tips, you can run effective paid social ads to help you reach your Black Friday and Cyber Monday goals.

It’s time to act now 

As the holiday season approaches, the competition will only intensify. By implementing the strategies outlined here, you’re setting yourself up for a successful Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Remember, the time to act is now. Start refining your email marketing campaigns, optimizing your SEO, fine-tuning your SEM strategies and crafting eye-catching paid social ads. With these pillars in place, you’ll be well on your way to surviving and thriving during the holiday sales period. Your success story begins with the steps you take today.

For some great additional ad examples check out this blog: https://digitaldrewsem.com/black-friday-facebook-ads-examples/

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Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Meta may remove ads on Facebook and Instagram for subscribers in Europe

Wednesday, September 6th, 2023

Meta is reportedly considering paid versions of Facebook and Instagram that would ban ads in Europe.

The cost of the subscription and potential rollout date has not yet been confirmed by the company.

However, Meta will continue to offer free versions of its apps which will still serve ads regardless, according to the New York Times.

Why we care. Depending on user adoption, this could significantly affect brand reach and campaign performance. While an ad-free subscription service is currently under consideration for Europe, it may extend to the US in the future. Advertisers should closely watch this development as they may need to consider reallocating their ad spend to other platforms accordingly.

Why now? A Meta subscription service has been suggested in response to the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which comes into effect on 1 January 2024.

Under the new regulations, more onus is being put on large platforms that have more than 45 million regional users, such as Google and Meta, to:

• Create a safer digital space.
• Establish a level playing field for businesses.

What has Meta said? The company has not commented on launching paid-for versions of Facebook and Instagram. However, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hinted in 2018 when he appeared before the US Senate that such a product could be on the horizon. When asked if he would consider charging users for access to his apps to avoid ads, he said:

• “There will always be a version of Facebook that is free.“

Then Meta COO, Sheryl Sandberg, added:

• “We have different forms of opt-out. We don’t have an opt-out at the highest level. That would be a paid product.”

Deep dive. Read Meta’s statement on the DSA, issued by Nick Clegg, President, Global Affairs, for more information.

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Google adds URL Contains targeting functionality to Performance Max

Wednesday, September 6th, 2023

Google has launched the URL Contains targeting functionality on Performance Max.

The feature, which is also available on Dynamic Search ads (DSA), enables you to manually specify which URL to show your PMax ads to.

Here’s a preview of how to access the new tool on the platform, as shared by Google Ads expert Thomas Eccel on LinkedIn:

Explaining why this new feature could be super useful for advertisers, Eccel told Search Engine Land:

• “Since a Pmax campaign with the Final Url expansion turned on can basically re-direct users on every URL possible (for example, to your blogs, about us page etc), non-monetizable pages should be excluded.”
• “Now, with this new URL rule, I can tell PMax to only redirect users to pages that include them. For example ‘/shop’. Or if I run the PMax campaign for just one product category, let’s say Nike shoes, I can just include ‘/shoes’, for instance .”

Why we care. This feature provides marketers with more control over how their ads are served as you manually get to choose which tokens to target in order to reach a more specific and relevant audience for your brand.

How it works. You can use this functionality to target pages with URLs that contain a certain piece of text – also known as a “token”. Within URLs, a token is a piece of text surrounded by a limiter like “/” or ‘-” – among others.

This feature cannot be used in conjunction with URLs like “electronicsexample.com/servicesmenu/” because the word “menu” appears after the targeted keyword “services”. However, this feature can work for URLs like “electronicsexample.com/services-menu/” because the keyword “services” is separated from the word “menu” with the “-“. Other URL separators include:

• “:”
• “/”
• “?”
• “+”
• “&”

What has Google said? A Google told Search Engine Land:

• “This is a new feature rolling out for Performance Max.”
• “We are bringing the same URL Contains targeting functionality from Dynamic Search ads (DSA) into Performance Max to better support DSA use cases in PMax as part of the voluntary upgrade we announced in July.”
• “This feature works exactly as it does in DSA today.”

Deep dive. Visit the Google Ads Help Center for more information on the URL Contains in DSA.

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How SEOs can deal with unwanted adult-intent traffic

Wednesday, September 6th, 2023

SEO for adult sites is a fiercely competitive space – yet pervasive and unwanted adult-intent traffic remains a big challenge for enterprises, ecommerce sites and marketplaces. 

Here is why this is a problem and what can be done about it.

When non-adult sites rank for adult searches

It’s important to understand that “adult-intent traffic” and “adult content” differ. 

Any amount of mature content can cause Google to label a website as “adult” and limit its exposure for most queries. 

It’s a good practice to label any adult content as such using <meta name="rating" content="adult"> tag that will signal to Google that this content should be filtered from SafeSearch.

Whenever practical, mature content should be separated from the main site by moving it to a subdomain.

Adult-intent traffic, on the other hand, describes the intent behind the search query, regardless of the content of the page it lands on.

How SafeSearch influences Google’s results

If SafeSearch is on, most explicit and adult content will be filtered out from the results, which effectively means a ban on sexually exploitative or sexually suggestive content and nudity. 

Websites that Google explicitly labels as being pornographic only show up for certain queries. Google prevents adult-themed content from triggering rich snippets or appearing in Discover.

Ironically, this means that safe websites and platforms that monitor and remove explicit content (for example, mainstream news sites or educational platforms) are more likely to appear for adult-oriented search queries in Google when SafeSearch is on.

General information

For many queries with adult intent, Google might return results that offer more general information about the topic or non-explicit references. 

For instance, a search for an adult film star might return a Wikipedia page or a news article about them rather than their explicit content.

Vague queries

Many search queries can be interpreted in multiple ways, both innocent and adult. With SafeSearch on, Google is likely to favor a non-explicit interpretation. 

For example, searching for “breast” might prioritize results about breast cancer, chicken breast recipes, or anatomy over more adult-themed results.

While we don’t know what percentage of all Google searches is adult in intent, we know that many authoritative, established sites and global marketplaces capture much of this traffic, even if no matching adult content is found on the site.

It is not uncommon for adult-intent searches to make up to 20-40% of all SEO visits. This number can be even higher for some geos.

Isn’t all traffic good traffic? Unpacking the adult-intent dilemma

For publisher sites that can monetize pageviews through programmatic advertising, a click is a click, and the intent of the traffic might not be the key determining factor for CPM. 

For ad arbitrage sites, capturing adult intent visits may even be desirable.

However, this can be problematic for online businesses, platforms, or marketplaces that are conversion-oriented and non-adult.

Analytical noise

When organic search visits are going up, it’s tempting to deem SEO strategy a success. But what if a big portion of these visits are non-converting adult clicks? 

An uptick in visits could be because a key competitor or another large website has scaled their adult-traffic blocking efforts. 

Not having the right level of insight or ability to isolate valuable visitor segments from noise can lead to:

• Analytical mistakes.
• Misplaced investment of time and resources.
• Failure to tie SEO performance to business outcomes.

It’s expensive

What is the ROI of adult-intent traffic for a non-adult site? 

If non-converting adult queries make up a lion’s share of all visits, it may be time to examine the costs associated with serving this traffic and start scaling back.

Quantifying adult-intent queries: Navigating your traffic data

Adult-intent traffic is easy to spot but difficult to quantify. 

Sadly, no magic tool will provide all the SEO keyword data and determine what portion is adult in intent.

The bigger the site, the higher the risk. 

Established sites that do not restrict indexing of search results pages or marketplaces that leverage user-generated content (UGC) run the risk of amassing an enormous amount of long-tail traffic through low-quality URLs that rank for the most obscure adult terms.

Google Search Console

GSC is a great place to start looking. While it does not provide complete keyword data, it offers enough insights to gauge the magnitude of the problem by examining a relatively small sample of top keywords.

Google Analytics

GA (and most other web analytics tools) can help get more granular by analyzing URLs of top organic landing pages for adult terms or phrases that could be interpreted as adult in meaning. 

This is especially relevant for marketplaces, sites that index internal search results, or leverage UGC for SEO. 

As a bonus, GA makes it easier to understand the business impact of adult traffic by cross-referencing it with available engagement and conversion data.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a fantastic tool that can analyze massive lists of keywords and their ranking fluctuations. 

With a bit of regex magic or AI help, it’s possible to determine which keywords have adult intent and estimate the overall share of traffic they represent. 

The best part? Competitive intelligence. 

Ahrefs makes it easy to analyze competitor standing with respect to adult traffic and glimpse additional insights behind their SEO reach and performance.

It’s well worth segmenting traffic data for further detail. Do some geographies, days of week, times of day, or device types stand out more than others? 

Understanding behavioral and usage patterns can make isolating and addressing unwanted traffic easier.

How to minimize and manage unwanted adult-intent traffic

While no solution will be perfect, here are several ways to reduce adult-intent traffic.

Examine URL slugs and on-page keywords

Frequently, a partial keyword or phrase match in URLs or on-page keywords might be enough to rank a perfectly innocent page to one or more related adult queries. 

Sometimes, updating URLs and on-page elements may be enough to drop unwanted rankings.

Remember that changing a URL will likely temporarily impact overall rankings and URL authority for the affected page.

Make use of blacklists

Paid search teams often use blacklists for adult, hateful or harmful keywords. These lists can also be useful for SEO.

Use them to restrict the crawling or indexing of URLs based on related keywords.

One of the most popular methods for this is robots.txt. It offers a simple, effective way to disallow problematic URLs at scale using regex rules. 

One of the downsides to this approach is how public it is – it’s quite literally out there for the entire world to see. Another downside is that robots.txt does not allow for nuance.

Not every adult-intent search is equally problematic. In many cases, it may be enough to noindex a page to allow for crawl and discovery of other linked content.

On the other hand, it might be desirable to apply 404 or even 410 response codes to URLs that consistently rank for extreme or very illicit phrases. Websites with dynamic URL generation are especially susceptive to this.

Frequently, URLs that drive adult-intent traffic will only rank for one or a few closely related adult-intent terms, which makes disallowing, noindexing, or doing a 404 redirect viable options. 

In other cases, a blanket rule is not the best solution. Consider doing an experiment with conditional rules that: 

• Target users, instead of bots.
• Restrict access only to certain audiences, geographies, or device types that drive the unwanted traffic.

Consider engagement-based indexing

An adult-intent user is unlikely to convert on a non-adult site. 

These low-quality visits will likely have exceptionally high bounce rates, low pageviews, and no conversions. 

A scalable approach for an enterprise site might include custom indexing logic that issues noindex directives based on user engagement and conversion signals.

Manage adult-intent traffic to protect your SEO efforts

While adult-intent SEO traffic might increase the volume of visitors, the quality and relevance of this audience for non-adult sites are questionable. 

Businesses must recognize the nuance between traffic numbers and genuine user engagement. 

By effectively recognizing, segmenting, and acting against unwanted adult-intent traffic, enterprises can fine-tune their SEO strategies and ensure their content reaches the right audiences. 

After all, in the age of data-driven decision-making, it’s not just about attracting eyes – it’s about attracting the right ones.

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Microsoft Advertising Editor expands audiences to all markets

Wednesday, September 6th, 2023

Microsoft Advertising Editor has rolled out in-market audiences across all of its markets in EMEA, APAC and LATM.

The platform has also launched new audience types.

Alongside this expansion, the platform now supports bulk associations for In-market audiences, as well as:

• Remarketing.
• Dynamic remarketing lists.
• Similar audiences.
• Customer match.
• Custom audiences.
• Custom combination lists.

Why we care. Advertisers have historically only been able to use Microsoft Advertising online to manage audiences. However, they can now do this using the Microsoft Advertising Editor tool, which means they now have the flexibility to monitor and tweak their audience campaigns offline.

How it works. Marketers have been advised that audience creation and management should still be done via Microsoft Advertising online. However, Microsoft Advertising Editor can now be used to update associations in bulk. To update associations in bulk, navigate to the ‘Audience’ tab on Microsoft Advertising Editor and select an option.

Alternatively, to update audience targeting associations, you can import a file or import from Google Ads.

Read more. Read Microsoft’s Audience options guide for more information on audiences, or Microsoft’s In-Market guide for a full list of markets and available audiences.

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4 top affiliate search partners to consider: A breakdown

Tuesday, September 5th, 2023

Q4 is looming, and many brands are strategizing how to optimize their budgets to get more traffic to their products when buyer intent soars. 

One humble suggestion from this longtime affiliate marketer: TM+ partners (also known as Trademark+ partners or affiliate search partners), who work with brands to bid on brand keywords to drive traffic to coupon or offer sites.

Despite what you may have heard, TM+ models are a no-risk model – the affiliate site pays for the click and gets paid by the brand when the ads lead to conversions. 

To keep the guidelines clearly delineated, brands should give their affiliate partners a list of keywords approved by the search teams, with any other keywords off-limits to the TM+ partner to ensure both parties aren’t bidding against each other. 

I work with a ton of affiliate search partners, but if you’re just getting your feet wet in this initiative, you should start with a short list of targets who can help you get traction. 

This article covers four major partners – why I recommend them, their unique strengths, and when they might not make sense for your brand.

1. PromoCodesForYou

Brands that give PromoCodesForYou (PCFY) bidding rights to a keyword set have more of a chance to get picked up for organic inclusion in the portfolio of sites in Dotdash Meredith, PCFY’s parent company. 

The portfolio is broad and includes publications like:

• People
• Travel + Leisure
• Allrecipes
• Food & Wine
• EatingWell
• InStyle
• Shape
• Better Homes & Gardens

Brands looking for added exposure to complement direct-response coupon campaigns have a potential gold mine with a PCFY partnership.

The flip side is that PCFY won’t work with just any brand (specifically, small, lesser-known ones aren’t going to be a fit here). 

Their sweet spot is well-known brands, and their vetting process includes search volume (pulled from Google Ads) with aggressive volume minimums. 

That said, if search volume is low but the brand offers a relatively high average order value, PCFY may be willing to run a test to see if the partnership has some sparks.

2. Offers.com

A relatively close second, Offers.com is a Ziff Davis company with the potential of added organic exposure on its portfolio of sites, which include:

• Mashable
• AskMen
• PCMag
• Everyday Health
• BlackFriday.com
• BestBlackFriday.com
• TheBlackFriday.com

(The latter three are obviously great and relevant platforms for the holidays, getting over 60 million global sessions during the holiday season). 

Offers.com isn’t as particular as PCFY about partnerships, so it could be an ideal starting point for small brands looking to build on their momentum. 

3. Slickdeals 

This is the deal site that’s most frequently leveraged for clients who have a need for inventory liquidation. 

With 69 million unique monthly visitors and a big consumer footprint during the holidays, Slickdeals is great for pushing heavily discounted products.

Working with the site as a TM+ partner means you’ll likely get comped on individual deal submissions, which you usually have to pay for.

Slickdeals is an ideal partner for brands with seasonal catalogs, which usually means there are inventory remnants to clear out for the next season’s line. 

It’s not solely for low-priced or mid-priced products. I’ve seen a discounted watch that retailed for $6,000 sell out in a matter of minutes, and some of our high-end clients have seasonal products that have found a great audience on Slickdeals. 

But if you’re a brand that’s careful about buying in reasonable quantities and have a limited and/or stable collection of products, you can skip this one and research other partners. 

4. CouponCause

CouponCause is different. Its main selling point is a give-back component that encourages consumers to donate their savings to any of a group of partner nonprofits. 

It’s a great partner for calendar events like Giving Tuesday, and it’s a natural fit for socially conscious brands who have built a name around doing good.

CouponCause is much more flexible with brand partners, so SMBs and startup brands looking to get awareness or increase sales velocity often start here. 

Getting started

If you don’t have relationships with any of these partners, you can go through an affiliate agency (using a recommended vetting process) or dig up a list of contacts at the partner and do the outreach yourself. 

Remember that these are partnerships, so you’ll need to create a compelling case for why the platform will benefit from bidding on your brand and product terms. 

It bears repeating that when you do get traction, it’s a good idea to make sure your search team is in the loop since they may have reservations or caveats for the partner to address (as well as keywords they want to protect).

Managed well, TM+ partnerships are an added source of low-risk revenue and exposure that can help you maximize purchase intent in the coming months. 

Even if you’re not sure you can act in time to catch the Q4 wave, start doing the legwork now – good deals are always in season.

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Increasing SERP visibility with structured data and schema testing

Friday, September 1st, 2023

A steady decline in organic click-through rate has posed a real challenge for SEOs over the last few years.

With organic ranking becoming increasingly competitive, the best way SEOs can continue to excel is to shift their focus to SERP features and rich results, according to Tanner Zoromski, SEO manager at Merkle, a customer experience management company.

Technical SEO is an effective way to increase this type of visibility, using structured data and schema markup. He explained:

• “Essentially we want to make search engines’ lives easier by using these techniques because as a result, they will reward us with our content ranking higher in the SERP and we’ll have more interaction from searchers.”

Below is a summary of how structured data and schema testing can increase SERP visibility, as presented by Zoromski at SMX Advanced.

Search is changing

Search is always evolving. As new features are deployed, structured data can provide sites with the edge needed to effectively and efficiently communicate with search engines, Zoromski explained:

• “I want to highlight here that Google is continuing to test and implement search changes, relying more on information scraped from sites. And we are seeing more results resembling product listing pages – which lends clues to the direction Google is looking to take its product.”
• “This means we need to question how to stay at the forefront of this. How do we communicate most effectively with search engines? And how do we make sure that despite these different changes, we’re still present and showing up first?”

Understanding the breadth of schema

The SEO expert went on to explain the importance of knowing what schemes are available and how to correctly deploy them for maximum impact:

• “There are more than 32 different types of schema that can be implemented to interact with over 16 different SERP features.”
• “Whether we’re publishing articles or blogs or we’re reviewing movies, it’s important to understand what schema we can leverage to help search engines to index our sites.”

Winning with product schema

SEOs can implement product schema, images and descriptions across all pages to win feature snippets – otherwise known as position zero, as Zoromski explained:

• “Implement this type of schema to prevent traffic from going to competitors.”
• “Make sure your brand is putting its best foot forward and answering the questions that consumers want to know about their products.”
• “Additionally, make sure that the narrative stays on-site and on-topic for what your brand needs, so you are winning at position zero. Schema is the way to do that on this one.”

Results to shout about

Zoromski shared a case study that he had personally worked on, in which his team was able to double organic sessions for a recipe website by correcting microdata and replacing it with structured data:

• “My team were presented with a challenge – to review and address some improperly nested microdata that was causing error recipe videos and article markup on a blog.”
• “When we looked at the SERP for this keyword, the top organic listings all had structured data – there wasn’t an organic listing in the top search results, which hammers home the need to implement structured data and be visible.”
• “Our approach was to recommend the client remove the microdata and replace it with the JSON LD markup instead. As a result, we provided JSON-LD templates for the structured data types Article, Video, Recipe as well as Recipe with Nested Video.”
• “As a result, the recipe and article structured data returned 101% increase in organic sessions.”
• “This is a pretty clear demonstration that having schema on those pages really elevated their visibility and their engagement with searchers.”

Tracking performance

From a testing standpoint, Zoromski advised building and monitoring your own SEO testing to track performance and taking multiple factors into consideration, such as:

• Establishing the metrics and dimensions being impacted.
• Building customized reports to monitor KPI performance.
• Defining testing timelines to ensure results within a specific period.
• Controling for internal and external variables such as dev releases and site promotions.
• Allowing room for assumptions that could impact results.
• Relaying findings across teams.

AI and the future of schema

Following recent advancements in AI, Zoromski added that schema will most certainly play a role in this area moving forward – and it’s a situation SEOs need to monitor closely. He concluded:

• “With all the buzz around ChatGPT, Bing and Bard, we are seeing ramifications and effects across digital – and SEO is absolutely going to be affected.”
• “Search behavior is going to change as AI provides more natural language answers as opposed to a list of links.”
• “As SEOs, we need to make sure that in the future, our sites are equipped and able to effectively interact with these different changes. So keep on the lookout and make sure that you’re at the forefront of this.”

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7 Google Ads features to streamline your workflow

Thursday, August 31st, 2023

If you’re a PPC manager, you likely spend a significant part of your week working on the Google Ads interface. 

Several built-in features can help you work more efficiently, reducing time to access data and speeding up bulk edits so that you can focus on bigger-picture tasks. 

This article will walk you through some examples and how to access them in the web UI. 

1. Saved views

Previously launched as Workspaces, Views allow you to save a set of filters that will carry over as you navigate between campaigns, ad groups, keywords, and other sections of the UI. 

These differ from just saving filters within the data table, which will reset once you go to a different section. They can be helpful when you have multiple campaigns divided up between lines of business, service lines, or geographies to allow quicker access without having to manually apply filters.

To create a view, apply the filters you’d like from the top bar in the UI and select Save in the upper right. Next, you’ll see a prompt to name and save your view. 

In this example, we’re creating a filter to see all campaigns targeted toward North America. 

In more advanced use cases, you could apply several filters together to narrow down what you’d like to see in a view.

In the future, you can apply saved views by going to the dropdown at the top of the left sidebar, selecting Views from the dropdown, and choosing your desired view to display.

2. Custom columns

With custom columns, you can create unique metrics to view in the UI, allowing for segmenting data beyond what’s available by default or using formulas to define more advanced metrics.

To create a custom column, select the Columns button above the data table in the UI and then choose Modify columns.

Next, select the + Custom column button in the upper right section of the window that appears.

One popular use for custom columns can be to segment to individual conversion actions.

For instance, if you offer both free trial signups and demo registrations, you can create separate columns for each.

To do this, add the Conversions column and then use the right sidebar to filter by Conversion Action to the specific action you’re looking for.

You can even select multiple conversion actions to group together.

You can also select Conversion Rate or Cost Per Conversion metrics and filter those to specific actions to see additional metrics narrowed down.

Next, formulas can help to provide more advanced data in the UI. While you can get as complex as you want by incorporating custom logic, there are several more basic formulas to provide useful data. 

For instance, the example below allows you to see the average cost over the past 7-day period vs. the daily budget, allowing you to know how much you’re overspending or underspending. 

3. Saved column sets

Often going hand-in-hand with custom columns, you can save a set of columns to quickly view data that’s most relevant to the campaigns you’re reviewing. 

For instance, if you are tracking multiple conversion actions, you can set up a custom column set that breaks out those conversions separately. 

Saved column sets can also reduce frustration from the sometimes arbitrary default columns that Google Ads chooses to display. 

Once created, you can quickly select a column set from the Columns dropdown instead of manually adding the columns you want each time.

4. Policy Manager

If you’ve been managing Google Ads campaigns for some time, you’ve likely run into ad approval issues and had to appeal.

Unfortunately, you don’t receive any notification by default once an appeal is successful, and it’s a pain to have to sift through disapproved and “approved limited” ads in the interface if you are dealing with multiple policy issues simultaneously. 

You also want to be careful about appealing the same issue too often, mainly if you’re waiting for a response from the first round of appeals. Thankfully, the Policy Manager offers a centralized place to monitor appeals.

Access this section by navigating to Tools and Settings from the top bar and selecting Policy Manager. 

On the Policy Issues page, you’ll see a view of current violations, which you can appeal. 

On the Appeal History page, you’ll see the status of appeals you have submitted, including the date and whether it was successful, failed, or is still pending.

5. Negative keyword and placement exclusion lists

Negative keywords are crucial to control spend and help ensure the relevance of traffic in search campaigns. 

Using negative keyword lists can help you to be able to quickly and efficiently mark unwanted queries across your account instead of having to add them to individual campaigns.

You can create up to 20 negative keyword lists per account. Consider ways to categorize them based on your campaign structure. 

For instance, you may have a catch-all negative list for obviously junky queries that you want to exclude across the board and a brand negative list that you only apply to non-brand campaigns. 

Placement exclusion lists operate similarly but for display and video campaigns. You can select placements, including websites, mobile apps, YouTube channels, and YouTube videos.

Both can be accessed from Tools and Settings via the top navigation bar.

6. Automated rules and scripts

Automated rules are invaluable to set up simple bulk actions and notifications. 

For instance, you may want to automatically pause campaigns over a holiday weekend and re-enable them afterward. 

Another use for a rule could be to label keywords once they have received a conversion so you can see which ones have historically converted.

You can also use rules to send you notifications, such as when a campaign has spent over $10,000 in a 30-day timeframe.

Google Ads Scripts provides more advanced options for more complex bulk actions and campaign monitoring solutions. 

You don’t necessarily need to know any JavaScript, as many helpful individuals have created ready-to-use scripts that you can copy and paste into the interface. 

7. Asset library

The asset library in Google Ads allows you to see image, video, and text assets you’ve used in ads in one place. Access this section from the Tools and Settings dropdown on the top navigation bar. 

If you’d like to upload images for future use in a responsive display ad, Discovery ad, or image extension, you can add them ahead of time here. 

You can also create folders to organize assets by category and search for individual items.

Additionally, for assets with enough data, you can see top-level audience insights to view those most likely responding.

Start streamlining your Google Ads workflow

We’ve covered several sections of Google Ads that allow you to more easily review custom data, save time accessing reporting, and conduct edits in bulk. 

If you come across features you haven’t tested, take some time to dig into the interface and think about how you could use them for your account. 

• What custom columns are applicable to your business KPIs? 
• Are you using negative keyword lists and placement exclusion lists to keep ads from showing up where you don’t want them? 
• Are there rules that could help you manage campaigns more efficiently or send notifications for anomalies? 

Stay tuned to Google’s support section and announcements, as these features often change in name and location within the UI.

Dig deeper: 5 hidden areas of Google Ads you probably didn’t know about

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