GA4 now shows Performance Max and Smart Shopping data

Everyones favorite new tool Google Analytics 4 is now showing performance data from Performance Max and Smart Shopping campaigns.

Where. To view PMax and SS campaigns, navigate to Acquisition > Traffic acquisition report, you’ll see that the data is organized by the Session default channel grouping dimension. (Click + to choose a secondary dimension.) Performance Max and Smart Shopping campaigns are under Cross Network.

Google announcement. This is one that Google may or may not have forgotten to publicly announce, but Charles Farina discovered and posted about it on Linkedin this week. You can review the GA4 default channel groupings help doc here.

The rollout of GA4 has a lot of us less than enthused. Mix that in with the elusiveness of Performance Max and you have yourself some pretty PO’d advertisers. While the addition of this data gets us one step closer to full visibility, let’s just see how the information is reported and attributed.

Source: GA4 now shows Performance Max and Smart Shopping data

Google Merchant Center no longer disapproves login required and restricted purchase free product listings

Google has updated its Merchant Center policy to no longer automatically disapproved free listings for products that have login required and/or restricted purchase access. Google said it now will list these products as active but with the caveat that they may “have limited visibility on Google.”

What changed. Google said previously, that Google Merchant Center accounts with the “Login required” or the “Restricted purchase”  issue was automatically disapproved.

Now, free listings in Google Merchant Center account with this issue status are still active, but their products have limited visibility on Google. This only impacts free listings.

What is login required? Google explained “Login required” issue status means that customers visiting your store website need to provide account access information, such as entering a username and password or installing a program, before being able to view your products.

What is a restricted purchase? Google explained “Restricted purchase” issue status means that the ability to buy products on your store website is limited to certain customers as defined by location, device type, the information provided, or some other exclusive criteria. Fields like business information should be optional and content should be consistent and available to visitors in all locations.

If you have been juggling these policies on your e-commerce site with these login required and/or restricted purchase listings in Google Merchant Center, you now should know that the status won’t be disapproved. Instead, Google will show them as active but these free listings may not show so highly and often in Google Search and Google Shopping.

Source: Google Merchant Center no longer disapproves login required and restricted purchase free product listings

Google cookies will remain active on Chrome until 2024

Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative began with the intent to create technology to protect people’s privacy. Part of that initiative was to reduce cross-site and cross-app tracking by eliminating third-party cookies. Today it was announced that the initiative has been delayed and developers are aiming for a Q3 2023 launch. Google developers also predict that it will start phasing out third-party cookies in the second half of 2024.

Why the delay? Google says that “consistent feedback” from developers, marketers, and publishers, and more testing are the reasons for the delays.

Early testing for developers. Developers can test the Privacy Sandbox API now, and trials will be released in early August as they’re released to “millions of users globally, and we’ll gradually increase the trial population throughout the rest of the year and into 2023.”

Read the announcement. You can read the blog post announcement on Googe here, and also visit the Privacy Sandbox website.

Source: Google cookies will remain active on Chrome until 2024

Creator Jobs in demand says the latest report from LinkedIn

The latest report from LinkedIn has revealed that job postings have tripled for creator-related positions as firms spend money on new methods to drive consumer engagement.

Linkedin reported that the expansion in demand for creators is creating an entire array of new jobs.

Along with hiring creators themselves, corporations recruit for administrative and help roles equivalent to creator managers, creator educators, creator partnerships, and others.

Most job opportunities in the creator economy come under the Technology and Information sectors. In addition, businesses employ social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to hire creators.

Creators also find themselves relevant in advertising services, indicating that companies are exploring new ways to increase their reach and spread their word.

According to LinkedIn, the Technology and Information sector ranks highest in the number of creator job postings. Advertising services, Staffing, Recruiting, E-learning ventures, IT services, and Consultants are the next top-four industries. This list is ordered according to the number of paid “creator” job postings on LinkedIn in the US.

Source: Creator Jobs in demand says the latest report from LinkedIn

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Drupal Warns of Multiple Critical Vulnerabilities

Research: Latest digital marketing trends to better connect with customers

Facebook Home tab to show more content recommendations

Drupal Warns of Multiple Critical Vulnerabilities

Drupal issued a security advisory of four critical vulnerabilities rated from moderately critical to critical. The vulnerabilities affect Drupal versions 9.3 and 9.4.

The security advisory warned that the various vulnerabilities could allow an hacker to execute arbitrary code, putting a site and server at risk.

These vulnerabilities do not affect Drupal version 7.

Additionally, any versions of Drupal prior to 9.3.x have reached End of Life status, which means that they are no longer receiving security updates, making them risky to use.

Critical Vulnerability: Arbitrary PHP Code Execution

An arbitrary PHP code execution vulnerability is one in which an attacker is able to execute arbitrary commands on a server.

The vulnerability unintentionally arose due to two security features that are supposed to block uploads of dangerous files but failed because they didn’t function well together, resulting in the current critical vulnerability which can result in a remote code execution.

Access Bypass Vulnerability

This vulnerability, rated as moderately Critical, allows an attacker to alter data that they’re not supposed to have access to.

According to the security advisory:

“Under certain circumstances, the Drupal core form API evaluates form element access incorrectly.

…No forms provided by Drupal core are known to be vulnerable. However, forms added through contributed or custom modules or themes may be affected.”

Multiple Vulnerabilities

These are some of the potential issues:

• Arbitrary PHP code execution
• Cross-site scripting
• Leaked cookies
• Access Bypass vulnerability
• Unauthorized data access
• Information disclosure vulnerability

Updating Drupal Recommended

The security advisory from Drupal recommended immediately updating versions 9.3 and 9.4.

Users of Drupal version 9.3 should upgrade to version 9.3.19.

Users of Drupal version 9.4 should upgrade to version 9.4.3.

Source: Drupal Warns of Multiple Critical Vulnerabilities

How to set up Performance Max campaigns the right way

What is Performance Max?

PMax is an all-in-one campaign type that displays ads across all of Google’s channels:

• YouTube.
• Display.
• Search.
• Shopping.
• Discover feed.
• Gmail.
• Maps.

Note: Smart Shopping and Local campaigns will be depreciated and rolled into PMax shortly.

What is different about PMax?

There are differences in campaign structure. Most notably in terms of Structure:

• Ad Groups → Asset Groups
• Product Groups → Listing Groups

Why use Performance Max campaigns?

For ecommerce retailers who’ve seen success with Smart Shopping, PMax takes it to the next level by adding additional placements and reach – acting as a Smart Shopping campaign with retargeting and prospecting display ads layered on top of it.

For lead generation, Performance Max can deliver scale and efficiency that may be hard to achieve through Search and Display alone.

Upgrading from Smart Shopping Campaigns

If you’ve been using Smart Shopping Campaigns, it’s recommended to use the one-click upgrade tool in the Recommendations tab. Using this tool will sync the campaign’s historical performance in the back-end which enables PMax to hit the ground running.

​​Campaign Structure

Below is a great chart from Mike Ryan illustrating campaign structure ideas:

Conversion Goals

Choose the conversion actions that make sense for your business.

• Ecommerce/Shopping: Choose “Purchases” 
• Lead-Gen/Services: Choose calls, forms, chats etc 

Hot tip: To improve lead quality, focus on calls over forms/chats.

Location Targeting

When setting up your campaign, after choosing your targeted locations, make sure to select Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations

Asset Groups

Your messaging and creative assets should be tightly themed to the product or service within the group.

If you don’t provide a video, Google will make a horrible one for you. Highly recommend creating something basic using Canva or a similar tool.

For ecommerce, something worth testing for Google Shopping, especially if you’ve seen success with Smart Shopping historically, is to launch a PMax campaign with no assets aside from the data feed.

Note: You’ll likely need to create a new Asset Group.

Exclusions

• Customer Exclusions: Upload your customer list and have the system exclude them from all targeting. This is useful if you want to focus on new customer acquisition.
• Keywords: If you have a Google rep, they can block branded search terms from PMax for you.

Audience Signals

Audience signals are different from Audience targeting. The system uses this as a signal to find your ideal prospective customer.

Data feed 

For ecommerce, the most important piece of the puzzle is the product information. While everything else helps, the data feed submitted to Google Merchant Center can have the largest impact on your Performance Max campaign performance

Bid strategies 

Performance Max has the following two options available:

• Maximize Conversions (with optional target CPA)
• Maximize Conversion Value (with optional target ROAS)

If your account already has lots of historical data, you can jump right into target CPA/ROAS. With a new account, start with Maximize Conversions so the system can gather data. Later on, once you’re seeing steady conversions, switch to tCPA or tROAS to hit your goals.

Source: How to set up Performance Max campaigns the right way

SiteCare Acquires Maintainn from WebDevStudios

More consolidation is happening in the WordPress maintenance services space, as SiteCare announced it has acquired Maintainn, a long-time competitor, from WebDevStudios.

As WebDevStudios began focusing more on taking on larger, more technical projects that run WordPress at scale for clients like The Wall Street Journal, Starbucks, Microsoft, Viacom, and the NBA, the company struggled to effectively market Maintainn with messaging that conveyed its distinction from WebDevStudios’ enterprise development offerings.

Maintainn’s current maintenance plan customers, which range from $49-$249/month, will remain at the same pricing for one year. SiteCare may reevaluate these pricing tiers in the future. Customers are promised the same level of service as their current plan but may also receive some enhanced benefits that they had not received before. In addition to maintenance services, SiteCare also offers its customers a range of digital marketing services.

This is SiteCare’s second acquisition of a WordPress site management company after acquiring WP Site Care in 2018. The company will take on all of Maintainn’s assets but the employees will remain with WebDevStudios.

Source: SiteCare Acquires Maintainn from WebDevStudios

Thousands of Twitter accounts put up for sale on the dark web

Account details of more than five million Twitter users are being sold on the dark web forums for $30,000.

The threat actor, going by the astonishingly creative alias “devil” is selling data on 5.4 million users, apparently obtained by exploiting a vulnerability discovered in January 2022. 

Twitter has apparently patched the hole, and even compensated the person that found it, going by the name “zhirinovskiy”, $5,040.

Investigating the leak

The database includes public-facing data, email addresses used to register the account, and phone numbers. While not having passwords included in the data set definitely helps with security, email addresses and phone numbers could still be used for other forms of phishing, identity theft, and maybe even full account takeover.

The seller claims the database includes sensitive information on “Celebrities, Companies, randoms, OGs, etc.” It was also said that a sneek peak of the database was posted on the data breach discussion and leaks forum, Breach Forums, where its authenticity was confirmed. 

Twitter said it was investigating the issue, but has refrained from any further comment so far. 

The microblogging social network has been making headlines lately, as it goes back and forth with eccentric billionaire Elon Musk over his potential acquisition of the platform. 

While initially, the Tesla CEO expressed his intent to buy the little blue bird, he decided to pull out, as it appears Twitter did not share exact data on the number of bots and fake accounts on the network, or how it plans to cut down on this type of fraud. 

Twitter’s management still stands by its earlier reports that bots make up less than five percent of all accounts on Twitter. According to Business Of Apps, Twitter has some 450 million active users.

Source: Thousands of Twitter accounts put up for sale on the dark web

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Research: Latest digital marketing trends to better connect with customers

Facebook Home tab to show more content recommendations

Google adds automated messaging through Business Profiles frequently asked questions

Research: Latest digital marketing trends to better connect with customers

Marketers are still adapting to the major disruptions of the past several years. Buyers, though, still expect marketers to provide personalization and enjoyable experiences.  

Luckily, the technology and data that can help are becoming more accessible. 

In partnership with Ascend2, Oracle surveyed 853 marketers across the US, Canada, India and the UK. The results show what trends and technologies are helping marketers pivot where necessary, connect with customers and drive conversions. 

Top challenges marketers are currently facing

Thirty-eight percent of marketers said maximizing performance across channels was one of their most difficult challenges. Audiences are now digitally everywhere. They consume and engage with content across a variety of channels and devices. 

Somehow, marketers have to keep up with them, stay consistent and relevant with their messaging, and deliver value. Customers tell you everything you need to know about how to please them with their online behaviors. The right technology helps by taking in that data so marketers can use it to connect with customers and adapt their strategies as necessary. 

Tactics and technologies for marketing success

Forty-three percent of marketing organizations plan to offer more personalized content and offers in the year ahead. Videos and virtual events will make much of this content easier for customers to consume. Personalization will also help marketers put more focus on retaining customers rather than only acquiring new ones. 

What technologies will help?

• A customer data platform (CDP) allows you to anticipate customer needs.
• A content management system (CMS) helps you manage and create more innovative content.
• A customer loyalty program incentivizes and rewards customers that keep engaging with your brand.

Go all-in on AI

Fifty-nine percent of marketers who say they can’t live without AI have highly successful marketing strategies. Thirty percent of marketers surveyed overall fear they’re missing out on AI’s ability to predict customer behaviors and adjust campaigns. 

AI creates efficiencies and maximizes resources, especially with manual, repetitive tasks, such as:

• Setting up campaign workflows.
• Testing different offers, subject lines, and copies.
• Customizing content.

Forty-two percent of marketers say they already trust AI to personalize content and offers in real-time. 

Marketers look forward to big things this year 

An impressive 94% of marketers thought their 2021 was successful. Thirty-seven percent are confident that 2022 will also be a successful year. 

Source: Research: Latest digital marketing trends to better connect with customers

WordPress Releases Gutenberg 13.7 – Focused on Workflow and Better UI

Gutenberg 13.7 brings a better workflow, more control within the full site editor, and numerous improvements to the user interface.

WordPress unveiled Gutenberg 13.7 which contains numerous refinements that improve the workflow, provide more granular control within the full site editor, and numerous improvements to the user interface.

Like any other release from WordPress, this is a cumulative update and not a whole new experience.

That said, the editing experience should feel more intuitive and natural.

Block Locking Offers More Granular Control

13.7 contains further improvements to the ability to lock block elements to prevent them from changing.

The newest improvement is that users now have the ability to apply the lock feature to block elements contained within a block that is being locked.

By selecting a toggle, the lock feature that’s applied to a block can be inherited by the blocks that it contains.

Block Locking Menu

Selecting to lock a block spawns another menu that provides options for more granular locking control over the blocks contained within the block that is being locked.

Closeup of Block Lock Modal

Improved Popup Modal Menus

Popup menus, called Modals, can spawn on top of the page that is being worked on from which various changes can be made, like updating preferences.

What this change does is apply a blur to the document that is beneath the menu.

Blurring the page underneath the modal popup menu improves the focus.

Template System Offers More Design Control

This change provides the user with the ability to create more templates that can be specific to individual categories, tags, pages, and custom post types.

According to WordPress:

“For instance, you can use a different template for all personal blog posts, a second one for all developer-related blog posts, and the third one for all travel posts.

If your site registered additional post types, like books, or products, your editor instance will automatically list them in the selection box for the Add New Template button.”

New: Time to Read

The ability to check how long it will take to read the document is also a new feature that was added.

This new feature is added to the information bar in the Post Editor screen that currently provides feedback on the number of words, characters, heading elements used, number of paragraphs, and number of blocks.

The amount of time it takes an average reader to read a document is highly useful information.

Source: WordPress Releases Gutenberg 13.7 – Focused on Workflow and Better UI

Webinar On-Demand: How to Create Better SEO & Conversion Strategies in eCommerce

SEO vs CRO: How to balance search & conversion tactics

SEO and CRO are both powerful marketing strategies when it comes to driving sales from your online properties. But sometimes, there can be conflicts between SEO and CRO best practices.

For a prime example, just consider faceted navigation. Having robust, multi-faceted internal site search filters on your site is really helpful for users to find the products they want to buy… but it’s also a feature that can introduce duplicate content and URL parameter issues for search engines. Good for CRO, but challenging for SEO.

So how can you balance the needs of both SEO and CRO to reach your larger business goals?

The importance of seasonal testing for conversion and search strategies

As we move into the latter half of the year, most eCommerce businesses will be planning for the holiday promotional season and major sales events like Black Friday.  

Carthy warns brands to not get complacent and assume that recycling last year’s strategies will work just as well this year. 

“When you get complacent, growth doesn’t happen, you get caught by surprise, revenue starts to erode, you lose out to competitors.”

Tips for successful ‘sales season’ campaigns in eCommerce

Carthy suggests leaving seasonal landing pages live year-round. “It allows you to gauge annual interest,” he says. And for many seasonal campaigns, it’s hard to precisely know when the interest in those sales will start ramping up. 

Carthy also sees these seasonal pages as an opportunity to offer users easter eggs, in the form of an out-of-season surprise coupon, or an opportunity for visitors to sign up to be alerted when the new sales go live. 

Source: Webinar On-Demand: How to Create Better SEO & Conversion Strategies in eCommerce

YouTube brings a new update to work on Copyright Dispute

YouTube eliminates not many needed lengths of the copyright dispute process. It is going to shorten the size of the appeal process. This will help in reducing the impact of false claims. It mainly explains that blocked content due to copyright claims can be visible. It is excellent news for the creators of the platform.

When one uploaded copyrighted content earlier, YouTube called out for a content ID claim. The community goes by copyright claims. The right to use copyrighted content in the video used to be a long journey. One had to file disputes to believe the proper use of the content.

YouTube is used to send those disputes to the claimant. A timeframe of 30 days to dismiss or claim. This led to various laggings. The claim is all set to put the video release behind us. If in case, the claimant rejects the proposal, they were able to send a copyright takedown request. And again, a claimant had 30 days to work on it. This used to put the video in block mode for almost two months. It is shocking but entirely true. It also disregarded the interest of creators.

Source: YouTube brings a new update to work on Copyright Dispute

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Facebook Home tab to show more content recommendations

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Facebook Home tab to show more content recommendations

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced two significant changes to the Facebook app that will make it feel like a hybrid of TikTok and “Facebook classic.”

What’s new: Users will start seeing these changes starting today:

• The Home tab will include more personalized content recommendations, with a greater emphasis on Reels and Stories.
• A new Feeds tab that will allow users to see posts from friends, groups and Pages in reverse chronological order.

The rollout is expected to take about a week. These changes will come to the desktop later this year.

How Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the change. “One of the most requested features for Facebook is to make sure people don’t miss friends’ posts. So today we’re launching a Feeds tab where you can see posts from your friends, groups, Pages and more separately in chronological order. The app will still open to a personalized feed on the Home tab, where our discovery engine will recommend the content we think you’ll care most about. But the Feeds tab will give you a way to customize and control your experience further.”

What it looks like. Here’s a screenshot Facebook shared:

Official announcement. Facebook has published the official news announcement here.

Source: Facebook Home tab to show more content recommendations

Google Lets Businesses Set Auto Responses To Common Questions

Google is rolling out a new feature for Business Profiles that allows you to set up automated responses to frequently asked questions from customers.

Using this feature, you can suggest questions for people to ask when messaging your business via your Google Business Profile. Similar to how a customer service chatbot works on business websites.

Also, in the style of a chatbot, you can set up automated responses to the questions.

This feature was spotted by SEO professional Stefan Somborac, who shared his discovery on Twitter:

Here’s more about how automated FAQs work and how to set them up for your business.

How To Set Up Automated FAQs On Your Google Business Profile

To enable automated FAQs for your Google Business Profile, follow these steps:

• Search for “my business” in Google on a web browser.
• Click Customers and then Messages.
• Click Menu, and then Message settings, and then Manage frequently asked questions.
• Click +Add a question

You can set up ten questions per business profile. Questions can be maximum of 40 characters, and answers can be maximum of 500 characters.

Source: Google Lets Businesses Set Auto Responses To Common Questions

New Instagram videos under 15 minutes will automatically become Reels

As Reels gain in popularity, Instagram is taking it upon itself to move any video you post under 15 minutes (if your account is public) into the Reels category.

When you go to post a video to your profile, Instagram will show this alert. 

Discovery. When your Reels are posted to a public profile, they may be eligible and recommended for more people to see. This also allows other users to Remix, edit, and add their own spin on the videos using Instagram’s built-in tools like templates and a new Dual feature that records your front and back cameras simultaneously. 

A few exceptions. There are a few exceptions to this, like videos posted before things changed today and videos that are longer than 15 minutes. The blog post also indicated that currently, only videos under 90 seconds in length will be eligible for the Discovery and recommendation system.

Remix tools. Instagram is also expanding tools for Remix to help enhance the way stories are told on Instagram when collaborating with creators and friends, including:

• Remix for photos: Photos are core to the Instagram experience. In the coming weeks, you will be able to remix public photos. This gives you a limitless inspiration to create your own unique reel.
• Expanded Remix layouts: Choose between a green screen, horizontal or vertical split-screen, or picture-in-picture reaction view to add your own video commentary to existing reels.
• Add your clip: Have a hot take? Rather than having your remix appear at the same time as the original reel, you can now add your clip after the original so it plays sequentially.

Source: New Instagram videos under 15 minutes will automatically become Reels

Does Reddit even have an ads policy?

A study conducted by Marketing Brew and an API called Pushshift resulted in some pretty odd findings regarding which subreddits allowed ads and which ones didn’t. 

The findings. The results are based on the API pulling data from the top 2,500 most popular subreddits. They show that despite spending the last decade trying to address brand-safety concerns, their actual approach is more cautious, which makes the platform seem unpredictable and inconsistent. 

Where Reddit doesn’t allow advertising. These are popular subreddits where Reddit doesn’t allow ads. 

• r/mileycyrus
• r/mensrights
• r/daftpunk
• r/floridaman
• r/mensrights  
• r/mdma
• r/islam
• r/israel
• r/redhotchilipeppers
• r/depression 
• r/archerfx (a community dedicated to a popular animated television show)
• r/ska
• r/stopsmoking

Where Reddit does allow ads. Some subreddits that were allowed to run ads included political and alcohol topics.

• r/alcohol
• r/crypto
• r/religion
• r/politics
• r/neutralpolitics
• r/ukpolitics
• r/canadianpolitics

Some ads. Weirdly enough, these subreddits were labeled as sometimes allowing ads. 

• r/americanpolitics
• r/internationalpolitics
• r/liberal
• r/conservative

What Reddit says. Reddit spokesperson Amanda Geraldo said that every new subreddit is labeled no_ads until it goes through a “manual human review” to gauge if it’s considered safe. She also said subreddits labeled as some_ads require advertisers to “opt-in or opt-out of advertising” and are considered “expanded inventory.”

Source: Does Reddit even have an ads policy?

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Google adds automated messaging through Business Profiles frequently asked questions

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Google adds automated messaging through Business Profiles frequently asked questions

Google has added a new feature to help businesses automate some of the responses to questions submitted through their Google Maps and Google Search business listings. This new feature is part of your Google Business Profile and can be managed under the FAQs section of the messaging section.

They have automated messaging. Google added a feature where you, as the business, can suggest questions people can ask your business when they start a chat and then set up automated responses to those questions. This is called frequently asked questions.

Where to find it. You can find this in Google Search for “my business” or your business name. Then click on the “Customers” button and click on “Messages.” In that section, click on the three vertical dots, “Message settings” and “Manage frequently asked questions.”

What it looks like. Here is a screenshot of the FAQs section:

Here is the FAQ entry form:

More details. Stefan Somborac, who first spotted this and posted about it on Twitter, explained you can create up to ten FAQs, each question has a 40-character limit and each answer has a 500-character limit. Plus, you can include links in your answers.

Messaging in Google Maps and Google Search can be great for customers but many businesses do not have the resources to respond to such questions in a timely manner. FAQs and automated responses can help these businesses respond to customers in a much more timely fashion, improving customer satisfaction and business resources.

Source: Google adds automated messaging through Business Profiles frequently asked questions

Google launched three new ad creation tools

Google has just announced two new tools in an attempt to make the process of creating ads and collaborating with team members much easier.

1. Asset storage and organization

Multiple team members trying to access images and videos can be a tedious process. Google’s new Asset Library attempts to solve that issue by creating a visual-first database where colleagues can upload, download, and share assets from current and past campaigns. 

The Asset Library is currently available for Performance Max, Discovery, App, Local, and Display campaigns as well as some extensions. When you’re ready to create or edit a new campaign, simply access the library and click on the appropriate assets. 

2. Create video ads for YouTube

Last week we reported the launch of the Ads Creative Studio, which is intended on giving creators a new platform for customizing video and display ads. Today they announced a new feature allowing advertisers to quickly create video ads for YouTube.

The templates are made specifically for YouTube and designed “to help drive results,” although we suggest testing these templates against your current ads.

3. Voice-over audio

Google reports that videos with voice-over drive better performance. So they have also released a voice-over audio feature integrated into the video creation tool. The feature uses Google’s speech-to-text technology and is accessible through the asset library. There are seven voices available and the languages include English, Filipino, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Malaysian, Mandarin, Spanish and Swedish.

Source: Google launched three new ad creation tools

New searchable Instagram map gives visibility to local businesses

A searchable Instagram map was introduced today by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg via an Instagram Story. 

This new map helps users discover popular local businesses and filter by categories, such as restaurants or hotels.

Google recently revealed that Instagram has become a serious competitor. Almost 40% of younger users (age 18-24) are discovering businesses on Instagram and TikTok, not from Google Maps or searches.

How businesses can get discovered. Instagram users can find local businesses by:

• Tapping location tags in Feed posts, Stories, or Guides. 
• Searching for a city name, neighborhood, or place on the Explore page.
• Doing a hashtag search, (e.g., #boston).

Instagram users can also save and revisit locations or share places via direct messages with friends or groups. Users who add your location tags or stickers will make it appear on the map.

Source: New searchable Instagram map gives visibility to local businesses

$115M In Ad Spend Lost To Clickbait Sites, Report Finds

A new report has found that almost one-tenth of advertisers’ budgets went to programmatic display and video ads on clickbait sites further reducing ad spend ROI amid mounting privacy and budget pressures.

A new report finds that almost one-tenth of advertisers’ budgets go to programmatic display and video ads on clickbait sites, reducing ad spend ROI amid mounting privacy and budget pressures.

Media investment analysis company Ebiquity found that clickbait and made-for-advertising (MFA) sites captured $115 million of their clients’ $1.47 billion ad budget from January 2020 to May 2022.

This translates to 7.8% of their clients’ ad budget, rising to 9.8% for US clients. A sample of $750,000 in ad spending revealed that just ten advertisers spent more than $1 million on “worst offender domains” on the Global Disinformation Index.

These findings, from Ebiquity’s Tackling Responsible Media report, which was released this week, come as belts tighten and budgets shrink in response to tracking and privacy changes, changing consumer habits, and rising inflation.

Growing Mistrust Driving Sustainable Advertising Trend

While clickbait and MFA sites initially appear to be a good deal for advertisers due to their low CPMs and 77% viewability rate, Ebiquity says advertisers don’t get the ROI they might expect.

Poor user experience and lower impact impressions often translate into little return. Appearing on these sites can also have a long-lasting negative impact on the brand experience. It could even include boycotts and other bad publicity that isn’t always easy to recover from.

Ebiquity’s report found that sustainable advertising would make 84% of consumers more likely to buy. And it isn’t just consumers and spammy sites that advertisers need to consider.

Next Steps For Advertisers

With average advertiser supply chains including 200,000 unique domains and apps, owned by more than 3,000 corporations, and managed through over 200 ad exchanges, there are many complexities and aspects to consider when it comes to advertising. Still, it’s becoming too costly for brands to ignore.

Those looking to nurture their reputations and bottom lines must dedicate time to regular, in-depth analysis of media supply chains, monitoring, and tracking.

The report is available on Ebiquity’s website.

Source: $115M In Ad Spend Lost To Clickbait Sites, Report Finds

More news:

Ahrefs mentions vanishing from Semrush-owned Backlinko

Google confirmed an indexing issue affecting a large number of sites

Google launches Ad Creative Studio to customize video and display ads

Ahrefs mentions vanishing from Semrush-owned Backlinko

Want to cause outrage in SEO? Change one word. 

Especially if that one word is a recommendation in the form of an SEO tool company. 

At issue. Brian Dean of Backlinko – and his integrity – is under attack for altering references (and links) from Ahrefs to Semrush. As recently as May 16, the most noteworthy article in question said this:

“But if you had to make me pick ONE tool to use for SEO, I’d have to go with Ahrefs.”

At some point, it changed to say:

“But if you had to make me pick ONE tool to use for SEO, I’d have to go with Semrush.”

Why is this an issue? Because Semrush bought Backlinko in January.

What has not changed. The line following the two variants of the above sentence: 

“This was a REALLY hard call to make. I honestly think you can’t go wrong with either tool.”

The above line was written long before the acquisition. And if something could have gone either way, and Dean wrote as much, changing a choice from one tool to another feels like a stretch to label this an ethical breakdown.

Is it shady? Maybe somewhat. Dean could (and probably should) add a simple disclosure to any mentions or recommendations of Semrush, along the lines of “Disclosure: I work on a part-time basis for Semrush, which owns Backlinko.)

The only mention I see clearly of Semrush’s involvement in Backlinko is a link in the footer of the Backlinko website: “© 2022 Backlinko is a Trademark of Semrush Inc.” 

Will every Backlinko visitor know Semrush owns Backlinko or scroll down past all the comments to see it? No. But it’s there. 

Also at issue. There is more. Here’s what Ahrefs CMO Tim Soulo tweeted: 

This LinkedIn post by ​​Daniel Emery, head of SEO at PWD Australia, implies this is an ethical issue because:

• Links to competitors have been removed.
• Mentions of competitors scrubbed.
• Opinions changed sitewide in what appears to be independently and objectively written review content.

Source: Ahrefs mentions vanishing from Semrush-owned Backlinko

WordPress Performance Team Is Working on a Module for SVG Uploads

If you have ever tried to upload an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) file for a logo or favicon in WordPress, you may have been astonished to find that it doesn’t work. There is no core support so users rely on plugins like SVG Support (900K+ installs) or Safe SVG (600k+ installs) to upload SVG files to the media library and use them like any other image file.

The main advantage of SVG files is they can scale to any dimension without losing quality. They are also compact and SEO-friendly because they are stored in XML text files that can be crawled and indexed.

WordPress contributors have been discussing adding SVG support for more than nine years. It was talked to death with various proofs of concept and no clear path forward, and the ticket eventually became a place where people periodically stop by and comment that it’s “a goddamn tragedy that WordPress doesn’t support this yet.”

Despite the format having nearly universal support across the web, there are security concerns associated with scripted SVGs, where files might contain a malicious script. Without an SVG sanitizer library, users would be uploading SVG files at their own risk.

Source: WordPress Performance Team Is Working on a Module for SVG Uploads

Instagram announces payments in chat

Mark Zuckerberg announced today that you can now buy products from small businesses and track those orders in Instagram chat. 

How does it work. You simply send a message to a qualified business you’re interested in buying from. The business initiates a payment link, where you’ll be able to purchase, track the order, and ask follow-up questions. Meta Pay will also be enabled for an easier check-out experience. 

Early tests. Jaw Surf tested the feature to sell their custom hand-made surfboards and fins. Owner Joshua Weisfeld said that customers would often contact him via Instagram chat before purchasing. But since payments in chat were enabled. Customers can pay directly from the chat thread. Additionally, the chat thread stays open so customers can send messages about their purchase.   

Source: Instagram announces payments in chat

Microsoft Patch Tuesday update has broken another really important software

It seems some updates that came as part of this month’s Patch Tuesday(opens in new tab) broke MS Access runtime applications.

Multiple users have reported having this issue to Microsoft, saying MS Access 2016(opens in new tab) and MS Access 2013 are having issues, post KB5002112 and KB5002121 updates.

Microsoft has since acknowledged the existence of the problem, with Shane Groff, software design engineer, noting(opens in new tab), “The Access product team is investigating this issue. Thank you for the report, we will update soon.”

No workarounds yet

The documents published in the follow-up to the cumulative updates also discuss the problem:

“After this update is installed, when you open an ACCDE or MDE file in Microsoft Access, you might receive an error message that states, ‘Requested type library or wizard is not a VBA project’,” they say. “Additionally, the file won’t open. Microsoft is researching this issue and will update this article when a fix is available.”

The flaw allegedly affects MS Access compiled databases, including those on MS Access in Office 365.

Right now, there is no official workaround, or a way to bypass the issue, so the only way to address the problem is to uninstall the patches. That, however, also means exposing the system to multiple known vulnerabilities, including a flaw in Microsoft Office, tracked as CVE-2022-33632, which is of medium severity, the publication reminds. 

Source: Microsoft Patch Tuesday update has broken another really important software

1-star review attacks plague restaurants on Google

Restaurants around the U.S. are under attack from negative reviews.

The New York Times covered the newest scam, where people are leaving 1-star reviews for restaurants and then emailing saying that they have to send them a gift card before they’ll remove the reviews.

Google’s response:

“We’ve recently become aware of a scam targeting businesses on Google with the threat of 1-star reviews unless they send money via gift cards. Our policies clearly state reviews must be based on real experiences, and our teams are working around the clock to thwart these attacks, remove fraudulent reviews, and put protections on business profiles that may have been affected.

If your business is being targeted by these scammers, please do not pay them. Instead, please flag the reviews here or reach out to Google support via our Help Center, so that our team can review and remove policy-violating content. If you haven’t yet claimed your business profile, you can do so here.”

Negative reviews. This restaurant in Houston posted on the Google Business Profile community asking for help after being hit with five negative reviews. They were sent an email that stated:

“We sincerely apologize for our actions, and would not want to harm your business, but we have no other choice. The fact is that we live in India and see how other way to survive. We are begging you to send us google play gift card worth $75 […] After selling this gift card we can earn approximately $50, which is three weeks of income for one family.”

As of July 18, 12 days after they posted for help, Google has removed the original five reviews yet there are seven new ones that have been posted within the last week.  

Using the GMB Everywhere Chrome Extension, you can easily tell this pattern is not natural. Their normal average rating for new reviews is between 4-5 stars in any given month. This month it has a sharp drop to 3.13 due to this attack. 

Google is bad, but Facebook is even worse. While Google isn’t removing reviews as quickly as we’d like, at least they’re removing them. Here is an example of a business that has loads of fake reviews from June that are still live with zero response from Facebook.

Source: 1-star review attacks plague restaurants on Google

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Google confirmed an indexing issue affecting a large number of sites

Google launches Ad Creative Studio to customize video and display ads

Netflix, Microsoft partner for ad-supported subscription plan

Google confirmed an indexing issue affecting a large number of sites

Google has confirmed that it is having indexing issues indexing new content and displaying that content in Google Search and on Google News. The issue started sometime before 7 am ET today, as I first reported prior to Google’s confirmation on the Search Engine Roundtable.

Google’s confirmation. Google confirmed this on Twitter saying “There’s an ongoing issue with indexing in Google Search that’s affecting a large number of sites. Sites may experience delayed indexing. We’re working on identifying the root cause. The next update will be within 12 hours.”

Timeline. So far, we know Google has been having issues indexing new content prior to 7 am ET today, July 15, 2022. Google confirmed the issue at about 10:50 am ET on July 15, 2022. At around 3 pm ET today, Google said they found the issue and are now working on a fix. Google wrote “We’ve identified the issue with indexing and we’re working on a fix. The next update will be within 12 hours.”

What is the issue? The issue is that Google is not indexing new content from sites published across the web. That includes new content on news sites, like this one, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal or any new content across the web. Google does seem to be crawling this new content but simply not indexing the new content, preventing Google Search from showing those results in Google Search or Google News.

Here are some screenshots showing the site command restricted to the past hour, not showing content on news sites that post content all the time:

If you are a news publisher, breaking news stories, and that content is not being indexed that means you are not going to be seen in Google Search or Google News for those stories. If you are a searcher looking for new content, you won’t find that content on Google Search or Google News.

To make things worse, Google Analytics 4 real-time traffic reporting seems to be buggy this morning and not showing complete traffic data.

This likely will impact your site’s traffic for any new content that you have published this morning.

Google is working on a fix and we hope they resolve the issue soon.

Resolved. Google the following morning said all the issues are now fully resolved.

Source: Google confirmed an indexing issue affecting a large number of sites

Instagram Subscriptions test adds 3 new features

Instagram is continuing to test its Subscription option and has just added three new features for users in the beta group.

Earlier this year. Meta began testing Instagram Subscriptionsin January with a small group of influencers. Today the same features are available to “tens of thousands” of creators in the US.

Three new features. The features that are now available are:

• Subscriber chats, powered by messenger and disappear after 24 hours
• Exclusive posts or reels
• A separate subscriber-only tab on their profile where subscribers can access exclusive content

What Instagram says. “A really important thing to creators everywhere is sustainable income. At the end of the day, if you’re a creator, you’re a business, and a great way to establish some sustainable and predictable income is through Subscriptions,” says Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri. You can view his announcement on the app here.

Though this isn’t an ad feature, individual brands that use Instagram to promote their content may benefit from subscriber-only features. This option is likely Meta’s way of competing with TikTok and Snapchat to drive more creators to its platform.

Source: Instagram Subscriptions test adds 3 new features

6 Reasons Why Blogging Is Important For Marketing And SEO

Why do blogs matter? Read about the best practices SEO experts use to create effective blog strategies that engage and grow a target audience.

Is blogging still relevant? The numbers certainly say so.

There are 70 million new posts each month, and 42% of the web is built on WordPress alone. As a result, blogging is still a prominent part of an online marketing strategy.

In fact, in a recent survey, out of all the content marketing modes out there, such as videos, infographics, ebooks, and online events, 90% of businesses used blogs to help market their brands within the last 12 months.

But, how are they accomplishing this with the overload of content on the internet?

Well, they can achieve this with the right strategy and by focusing on the priorities surrounding blogging, such as SEO, and taking time to understand their customers, which we’ll discuss in a bit.

But if you’re getting into SEO or have been a content marketer, you may wonder if it’s still worth building out blog strategies or spending time outsourcing blogs. Well, it is.

Even though social media has become an essential part of content strategy, that doesn’t mean blogs have been left in the dust.

Blogging brings in more traffic and can help build brand awareness and authority. And those leads and traffic turn into customers and help create an audience.

But making influential blogs that meet your company’s objectives is another topic.

So, while they are important, it’s crucial you take time to create an effective strategy that engages and grows your audience and entices people back to your brand’s website.

1. Blogging Builds Loyalty And Trust

As mentioned, blogs help build loyalty and trust. But how?

Providing advice and reliable information that consumers can use will establish authority on the topics you discuss.

Blogs are a great way to slowly nurture your audience and prove your expertise when it comes to your industry and product line.

An essential part of improving content is the E-A-T concept, which stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

While it’s not a ranking factor, Google shares that E-A-T is essential to its algorithm and how it analyzes and recognizes content.

2. Blogging Increases Visibility

The next part of building great content is making sure it is search engine optimized. Blogs that answer the questions consumers are asking about in your industry are helpful for SEO.

Additionally, incorporating keywords throughout your captivating and unique headings and subheadings, as well as your well-researched unique content, is a sure-fire way to help increase visibility.

Internal linking is another way to increase visibility. Link building throughout other pages, blogs, and product pages on your site can help build brand visibility, awareness, and authority.

3. Blogging Creates Brand Awareness

New and original content can make your brand more prominent amongst the rest of your competitors.

When they are searching for answers to their questions or want to learn something more, your brand is at the top of SERPs, giving them the information they need.

The more you invest in blog strategy, the more potential you have to grow brand awareness not only for SERPs but through shares across social media.

4. Blogging Generates New Leads

If consumers like your content, they will likely want more.

It’s an excellent way to get new leads by having them subscribe to your email listing.

This way, it’s less intrusive than having them like an ad that prompts them to sign up for an email listing to get a coupon.

While this can be a great tactic for leads, blogs help build a connection before asking for their information.

5. Blogging Drives Engagement

One of the goals for most content marketers is to continue building relationships with new and existing customers.

Blogs provide more shareable content than just your products or service posts for consumers to share with others across social media.

It’s a great way to educate customers, provide tips or how-tos, and create more connections with your brand.

Over time, slowly reminding consumers of your brand through your content can help convert readers to long-term customers.

6. Blogging Allows You To Understand Customer’s Needs

Generally, consumers don’t have ample amount of time to read blogs, so it’s important to find what will resonate with them to keep them on the page.

Trying to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and answer their queries is what blogs are made for and can benefit both you and the customer.

This way, you have taken the time to further research and understand your target market, and they get the information they need.

Blogs also offer an inviting space to leave reviews and feedback. You can find great areas for improvement and new ideas for blog engagement.

What Is The Future Of Blogging?

Blogging has undergone quite a transformation over the years in the strategies to optimize it and the best practices to engage with readers.

Google Trends shows that content marketing and blogging merge at some point, although the focus is now shifting to content as a whole.

Simply inputting keywords and what you think Google wants to hear isn’t enough.

All content needs to be expertly crafted and well thought out.

Source: 6 Reasons Why Blogging Is Important For Marketing And SEO

CMS may or may not count for search rankings

John Mueller, Google Search Advocate, explains the importance of search rankings about CMS. It marks down to a content management system. The question bubbled up during one of the Ask Googlebot series on YouTube. He clarified that it is common to question WordPress CMS. It may not be the best CMS for SEO. Another classic disadvantage of not choosing the other tools.

Mueller goes on to confirm that no difference centers from one CMS to another. It is in focuses on ranking signals. He stated, “As far as I know, our search systems don’t look for any particular content management system to treat it differently. For us, a CMS is just one way of creating web pages. Google systems don’t focus on how the page was previously created. Instead, they focus on the final result. Hand-created webpages can be just as good as those generated by WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or similar.”

Google doesn’t concern itself with a back-end website. The result takes reference from what really shown to visitors. One can also send signals in the right direction with any of the CMS websites. It doesn’t matter if it is WordPress, Wix, or no CMS.

Source: CMS may or may not count for search rankings

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Google launches Ad Creative Studio to customize video and display ads

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Google Search Console Video Indexing Report Now Available

Google launches Ad Creative Studio to customize video and display ads

Google has announced a new way to create ads. The Ads Creative Studio was officially launched after a beta last year and is now available globally. 

Ad customization is possible. In the ACS, advertisers or creators can create multiple versions of a single display or video ad. The ads can be customized for different audiences, locations, languages, or contexts.

How does it work. To make the changes, creators select the changes they want to make and provide the different versions of that particular element based on the rules you set. 

The feature is now available for video and will soon be launched for display as well.

Seamless workflows. Google is now allowing advertisers to export images from the ACS asset library to the Google Ads asset library of any linked account. This means that when you’re assembling creatives for display or Performance Max campaigns, you’ll be able to easily find the images you want to use. 

Another newly released feature is the ability to connect the ACS account to Campaign Manager 360. Previously the ACS was available to those advertisers in beta, but starting today it becomes available for everyone to upload, manage, and export HTML5 creatives. Google says that video exports will also be available “soon.”

Early testing and results. The feature was available to PepsiCo who wanted to use it to reach audiences in different contexts such as house parties, BBQs, and sporting events. The creative team at PepsiCo used ACS to customize their ads at the relevant audiences and found the results to be “smoother and more efficient and, with a single tool, the team was able to standardize processes across functions.” PepsiCo and Google did not share numbers or specific stats related to performance, however.

Learn more about Ads Creative Studio. You can read the announcement from Google here.

Source: Google launches Ad Creative Studio to customize video and display ads

YouTube Answers Questions About Community Guidelines Appeals

YouTube demystifies the community guidelines appeal process in a new video answering commonly asked questions from creators.

A product manager at YouTube clears up misunderstandings about who reviews an appeal, how appeals get reviewed so quickly, what to include in an appeal, and more.

This information will help you understand and navigate the community guidelines process if you receive a strike against your channel.

Before going over the questions answered in the video, let’s first go over what an appeal is and the reasons why you’d need to submit one.

What Is A Community Guidelines Appeal?

When a YouTube creator publishes content that violates the website’s community guidelines, they receive a strike against their channel.

If a creator repeatedly violates the community guidelines, YouTube bans the channel on the third strike.

Who Reviews An Appeal?

YouTube confirms it’s humans, not machines, that review community guidelines appeals.

A team of content reviewers is employed worldwide to evaluate every appeal manually.

How Did My Appeal Get Reviewed So Quickly?

Creators sometimes get the results of an appeal so quickly they wonder how a human can review their video so fast.

YouTube recognizes the importance of getting back to creators promptly and has the resources to make it possible.

Will Deleting Or Editing A Video Remove A Strike?

Deleting a video won’t remove a strike. The only way to get a strike removed is to submit an appeal.

How Many Times Can I Submit An Appeal?

YouTube allows one appeal per restriction. If an appeal is rejected, it can’t be appealed again.

What I Should Include In My Appeal?

Creators who are most successful at their appeals have thoroughly compared their content against the policy that’s cited.

That means it’s worth reviewing YouTube’s community guidelines and analyzing whether your video is in violation.

Creators have the option to add feedback when submitting an appeal where they can include details to help make their case for getting a strike removed.

Source: YouTube Answers Questions About Community Guidelines Appeals

The state of attribution modeling in paid search

There are numerous ways to measure paid search and its contributions across channels. Your PPC strategies can guide specific user behaviors, and in turn, change how you measure attribution and cross-channel lift within your marketing mix. In this session at SMX Advanced 2022, Alyssa Altman and Andy Orlando discuss the role of paid search in attribution. 

Paid search and attribution

Paid search is a critical piece of the attribution modeling puzzle, with over 8.5 billion searches a day happening in Google. But not all searches are created equal. People tend to search using terms that indicate where they are in the buying funnel. Whether that’s intent to purchase or perform competitor research. Considering the attribution model, those searches are assigned a certain weight, which can become complicated. 

The marketing funnel and paid search types

Orlando goes on to explain that the top of the funnel is where awareness happens. Non-branded searches are typically here. The point is to increase brand awareness and target visitors to your website. The next step is where interest and consideration come into play.  The bottom of the funnel is where the commitment and conversion happen. Brand search and Performance Max campaigns target bottom of funnel buyers by finding targeting those searchers who are ready to buy. 

Campaign types and their contribution

The four campaign types that target buyers ready to convert are:

• Brand
• Non-brand
• Conquesting
• Remarketing

Attribution challenges

Altman explains that a lot of the challenges around attribution have to do with the fact that there are different models within the different platforms. Google has more options available for advertisers within the platform and Analytics, whereas Microsoft has a lot less. So even if you are attempting to use the same model across channels, issues can arise. 

Attribution model comparison tools

Google Analytics is arguably the most popular option for comparing attribution models. If you’re using Google Analytics, you’ll be able to compare the different models and look at all media coming in (if tagged properly). Altman suggests using UTM parameters to ensure conversions are being tagged properly. GA lets you compare the different models before you make a decision on which one you want to use.

Data modeling and data-driven attribution

Orlando explains that having a data-driven attribution model can help marketers optimize, in real-time, across the conversion journey. Machine learning and AI are used to assign attribution across the conversion journey. Microsoft As calls this “As it Happens” attribution modeling, which is essentially Google’s “Last Click.”

Create an attribution toolkit

Altman suggests the following tips when creating your attribution toolkit:

• Collect data on your audience
• Begin creating and testing
• An arsenal of tools to help you perform a deeper analysis
• Utilize Google tools such as Analytics multi-funnel reports and path reports, and attribution model comparisons
• Land on the attribution model for your organization or business segment
• Use third-party tools
• Use zoomed-in attribution models within the platforms such as Data-Driven attribution in google ads to optimize in-platform

Attribution model recommendations for paid search

Altman suggests that if you’re running brand awareness campaigns through Google ads and other platforms, you may want to look at First-Click attribution. If your campaigns are a mix of brand awareness and mid and lower-funnel advertising, you might want to go with Linear attribution because it distributes the credit for the conversion equally across all of those paths. And if you’re running a lot of media and multiple channels, both digital and traditional, you might want to look at that last non-direct click.

Source: The state of attribution modeling in paid search

WordPress Seeks User Input on Homepage and Download Page Redesign Project

WordPress.org hasn’t seen a redesign since 2016, when it went from sketches to prototype to live in a matter of a couple weeks. In six years, the software has undergone a metamorphosis by adopting a new block paradigm that should be reflected in its website. Contributors are now looking at giving the homepage and download page a design overhaul that showcases its new capabilities.

Earlier this year WordPress.org launched design updates for the news and Gutenberg pages. “There’s a ton of room to expand and evolve this look as we turn our attention to other parts of the site,” Garofalo said.

The designers working on the project are particularly interested in hearing from WordPress.org users about what they want to see on the homepage, which means everyday users are welcome to contribute their thoughts and suggestions.

The Download page used to prominently feature the download button at the top of the page, but sometime in mid-January 2021, it was pushed further down below recommended hosts. This was presumably to help people who want to set up a self-hosted site but don’t know where to get started but doesn’t make sense for those who came there to download the software. A transparent approach to redesigning this page would be appreciated, as changes like this are not always publicly documented.

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Netflix, Microsoft partner for ad-supported subscription plan

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Netflix, Microsoft partner for ad-supported subscription plan

Microsoft announced today that they had been selected as the new partner to help bring an ad-supported subscription plan to Netflix.

They were beating Google and NBC. Last month we reported that NBCUniversal and Google had been the frontrunners, so the announcement is quite a surprise that Microsoft had been chosen. “Unlike the top three ad sellers in Google, Meta, and Amazon, Microsoft hasn’t pushed competing streaming products.” Insider Intelligence Principal Analyst Ross Benes said.

What this means. Despite growing revenues, Netflix’s share of overall OTT subscription revenues is shrinking. It had 49.1% of total US OTT subscription revenues in 2018, which is expected to fall to 29.3% by the end of this year. “This deal gives Microsoft something its growing ad business has lacked–quality streaming video inventory that has potential to scale. Microsoft, the fourth largest ad seller in the US, offers fewer conflicts of interest for Netflix than some other companies and it has strong relationships with a wide swath of advertisers.” Benes says.

What Netflix is saying:

“In April we announced that we will introduce a new lower-priced ad-supported subscription plan for consumers, in addition to our existing ads-free basic, standard, and premium plans. Today we are pleased to announce that we have selected Microsoft as our global advertising technology and sales partner.

Microsoft has the proven ability to support all our advertising needs as we together build a new ad-supported offering. More importantly, Microsoft offered the flexibility to innovate over time on both the technology and sales side and strong privacy protections for our members.

It’s very early days and we have much to work through. But our long-term goal is clear: More choice for consumers and a premium, better-than-linear TV brand experience for advertisers. We’re excited to work with Microsoft as we bring this new service to life.”

Source: Netflix, Microsoft partner for ad-supported subscription plan

Google My Business mobile app has stopped functioning forever

The Google My Business mobile app for iOS and Android no longer allows you to manage your business profile, communicate with customers, or see insights. Now when you try to access it, the app says “the Google My Business app is no longer available.”

Screenshot. Here is a screenshot I took of the app screen from my iPhone:

Expected. This was expected, when Google rebranded from Google My Business to Google Business Profile last November, Google told us then that Google will retire the Google My Business app completely in 2022. That day has officially come.

Now what. Google is telling you to manage your Google Business Profile in the Google Maps app or in Google Search. Google said you can manage your Business profile, view your performance, and connect with customers directly on Google Maps and Search. You can also get notifications directly from the Google Maps app, so make sure to install that Google Maps and log in with your Business Profile.

Email. Google also emailed businesses late last night saying “beginning July 2022, the Google My Business mobile app will no longer be available, and the Google Maps app will be the best place for replying to customer messages on mobile. Turn on your notifications to ensure you’re notified by email and Google Maps push notifications for new incoming messages. You can also respond to messages from your Business Profile on Google Search.”

Here is a screenshot of the email I received:

Source: Google My Business mobile app has stopped functioning forever

Google Ads Performance Max Campaigns Gains Several New Features

Google announced several new features for your Performance Max campaigns in Google Ads. Some we covered before, like the new location targeting controls and diagnostic insights, and others like seasonality adjustments, optimization scores, data exclusions, and new explanations we have not covered yet.

Seasonality Adjustments

Seasonality adjustments are now available and are designed to help you stay informed on your Performance Max bid strategy. It shows you the changes that you are anticipating in conversion rates for future events like promotions or sales. Google said you should “keep in mind that Smart Bidding already accounts for predicted seasonal events.” Google said you should only use seasonality adjustments if you foresee major changes to conversion rates that are sudden or atypical. Use seasonality adjustments for short periods and events, usually ranging from 1-7 days, such as a week-long promotion or sale.

Optimization Score

Optimization score can help you find new ways to improve performance and is now fully launched for Performance Max campaigns. Using optimization score, you can see where your campaign has room to grow and find recommendations that help you take quick action to drive better results. For example, apply recommendations to optimize for new customer acquisition or to apply a ROAS target. Google said it will continue to add new recommendations over time.

Data Exclusions

You can now use data exclusions to prevent unintended issues with a conversion tracking from affecting your Performance Max bid strategy. This new tool tells Smart Bidding to ignore data from dates where you encountered issues with your conversion tracking that impacted the accuracy of your reported conversions or conversion value, such as tagging issues or website outages.

Explanations

Explanations are coming to all Performance Max campaigns in the coming weeks, Google said. Explanations make it easier to identify performance fluctuations and diagnose issues. These explanations can even provide recommendations to help you improve your performance going forward. In Performance Max campaigns for online sales with a product feed, you will see explanations that offer analysis of your product status and your top-moving products, listing groups, and product types. You can use Explanations “to save time, better understand performance changes, and troubleshoot any challenges without having to spend hours manually cross-referencing reports and spreadsheets,” Google added.

Source: Google Ads Performance Max Campaigns Gains Several New Features

Google Search Tests Get There, Weather & Map Cards

Google Search seems to be testing new location and destination cards in Google search. These cards show “get there,” “weather,” “map cards” and more features.

Saad AK spotted this and posted screenshots on Twitter, he said “I saw a new design for city query ( New York) in the overview tab. A bigger image, Maps and Weather query was included in it & when I did a second search for Los Angeles, I saw a new option “Get there” in the card.”

Personally, I cannot replication this but here are screenshots from his videocast:

Source: Google Search Tests Get There, Weather & Map Cards

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Google Search Console Video Indexing Report Now Available

Google is adding a new report to Search Console that will help you understand how your videos perform in search results.

Previewed in May at Google I/O, the Video Indexing report makes it easy to identify and fix issues preventing your videos from surfacing in Google Search.

You can use the report to answer questions such as:

• In how many pages has Google identified a video?
• Which videos were indexed successfully?
• What are the issues preventing videos from being indexed?

Update To URL Inspection Tool

After entering a URL in the inspection tool, if Google detects a video in it, you will see the following in the results:

• Details such as the video URL and the thumbnail URL.
• The page status shows whether the video was indexed or not.
  List of issues preventing the video from being indexed.

Source: Google Search Console Video Indexing Report Now Available

4 Facebook app strategies to reduce costs

Facebook’s App campaigns are a great way to promote and increase installs for your application across both Android and iOS.

You can promote your app by launching campaigns designed to drive more installs or you can optimize for custom in-app events, delivering ads to people more likely to specific actions within the app, such as a purchase.  

This tool also allows marketers to promote more than installs and custom app events.

You can create custom audiences and lookalikes from app installers and any custom in-app events, such as users who have made a purchase within your app in a designated number of days.

These audiences can also be leveraged across other Facebook marketing initiatives, ensuring you’re always reaching the people at the right time in the right place.

But if you’ve struggled with app campaigns in the past or want to improve your overall cost-per-install (CPI), here are four proven Facebook app strategies.

1. Ensure you have iOS14+ turned on

This campaign setting needs to be enabled when you create a campaign. Turning it on allows your Facebook campaign to reach everyone on iOS 14.5 and higher. 

More reach allows for more data to be passed back to Facebook’s algorithm to deliver your app ads to the people who are most likely to install and therefore will help to drive costs down.

Remember, Facebook needs 50 conversion events per week per ad set to optimize campaigns to its best ability. Hence, why the iOS 14+ campaign feature is so important.

Without this feature, your campaigns only serve a handful of impressions, which can skyrocket your CPIs.

For example, before turning this feature on, we saw 42 impressions compared to 5,000 for a single ad set within a 7-day period.

2. Leverage open targeting

If you’ve struggled with your audience targeting not producing cost-efficient results, try going broad and letting Facebook do the work for you.

“Open” targeting allows you to select your demographics (country and age) and leave the rest blank.

Use this strategy to test on any of your existing campaigns (not just app install campaigns) if you aren’t producing the most cost-efficient results.

3. Catalog ads (DPA Ads)

To run Catalog ads, you need to set up a product feed. This can be imported or automatically synced directly into Facebook.

You don’t have to be an ecommerce marketer to use catalog ads. You can easily “hack” this format to make it work for you in most cases (i.e. real estate listings, travel listings, education programs, etc.)

Essentially, if you offer products or services in a large quantity, then it’s worth looking into Catalog ads to see if they are “hackable” for you – the manual import. 

4. Automation, automation, automation!

Facebook’s algorithm truly does work with automation, which removes most of the heavy lifting – a major plus if you’re a small business trying to promote your app!

Work with Facebook, and make sure you’re set up to work best with the algorithm. 

Ensure that you have Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO) turned on and that you’re kicking off with Automatic Placements.

CBO will automatically drive more budget to the ad sets that are seeing the best results for your campaign. In this case, the cheapest CPI will get more budget.

Automatic Placements works the same as CBO in serving more ads to the placements that are driving the best results. Automatic Placements typically always drive down costs, and you use Facebook’s “breakdown” reports to identify and learn which placements are working best. 

Source: 4 Facebook app strategies to reduce costs

WhatsApp starts rolling out support for all emojis to react to messages

WhatsApp started rolling out the ‘Reactions’ feature in the month of May. All users of the instant messaging application received the feature within a few weeks of the announcement. Now WhatsApp is rolling out the support for all emojis in the form of reactions. Earlier, users were limited to just six options. Now, all available emojis can be used to respond to texts. The announcement of the rollout has been made by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

In a Facebook post, Zuckerberg stated, ” We’re rolling out the ability to use any emoji as a reaction on WhatsApp. Some of my favorites: 🤖🍟🏄‍♂️😎💯👊”. Currently, the feature is not available to all users but it will be rolled out to all users in the coming weeks. In order to make sure that you get the new feature, the user should keep the application updated at all times.

How to use the WhatsApp Reactions feature?

You can currently use the Reactions feature with six emojis. Here’s how to use it.

-First, open any chat you want to react to
-Press and hold the message that you want to react to
-As soon as you do that, a pop-up with six different emojis will show up
-You just have to drag your thumb/finger to your desired emoji and just leave it
-Soon you’ll see the reaction under that particular message.

This particular feature will be useful in Group chats that can get overwhelmed for numerous short messages. With the reactions feature you won’t have to type a separate reply. You just have to tap and hold. This substantially decreases the overall response time.

How to change your existing reaction

-You can change your reaction to a different one.
-Long press on a message you reacted to.
-Tap a different emoji.

How to remove an existing reaction

-You can remove your reaction to a message. A notification won’t be sent to the sender of the message if you remove a reaction.
-Long press on the message you reacted to or tap the reaction.
-Tap the emoji you reacted with to remove it.

Source: WhatsApp starts rolling out support for all emojis to react to messages

Creating better ads in a world with only RSAs

Frederick Vallaeys spent 10 years working at Google and was instrumental in helping build features like conversion tracking and analytics. For the last 10 years, he’s been running his current company Optmyzr, which is a PPC management software that helps advertisers optimize their campaigns. In his session at this year’s SMX Advanced, Vallaeys goes into detail on how to make the most out of your RSAs and automated bidding strategies. 

The numbers. About 92% of advertisers have shifted to using RSAs, and the majority of those who have turned them on or used them, leave them on without shutting them off. Vallaeys hypothesizes that even years ago when advertisers didn’t know that RSAs were going to be the only option, performance was good enough that advertisers were willing to stick with them. 

Vallaeys goes on to say that of the 1.7 million ads they audited, the CTR was almost exact between RSAs and ETAs. However, the conversion rate was about 11% worse with RSAs. They found that ad groups with RSAs received 1.6 times as many conversions as ad groups without RSAs. And that’s all we really want, right? More conversions.

Making the leap to RSAs. Google recommends taking your existing ETAs and start building your RSAs. Google claims that without making any changes to the ad text, creating an RSA will result in about a 7% increase in conversions with a similar cost per acquisition. 

Smart bidding strategies. Vallaeys is a fan of using smart bidding with RSAs, though when it comes to using broad match keywords, he says that’s up to the advertiser. Google did studies where they found a 20% “lift” when enabling smart bidding and broad match keywords. Though they didn’t clarify if the “lift” was an increase in clicks, CTR, or conversions. 

Google loves scores. Ad strength is another score in your account. Vallaeys explains that ad strength scores tend to help newer advertisers, but seasoned ad veterans know that it’s not related to actual performance. Ad strength scores are suggestions gathered from other advertisers and “what everyone else does.” Limited Eligibility status is now gone and “Poor” ad strength is not an indicator of how well your ads will serve, so take it with a grain of salt.

RSA structure. Based on the 1.7 million ads that Optmyzr has analyzed, Vallaeys provides several tips to help make the most of our ads:

• Having two RSAs per ad group seems to be ideal for improving conversion rates
• Use labels to connect RSAs with automation
• Use pinning techniques to fake ETAs or leave ad combinations exactly where you want them (this is suggested if you have been testing for a long time and know what works)
• More headline variants lead to more impressions
• Adding DKIs and ad customizers may increase impressions, but likely decreases conversion rates
• RSAs need to be tested against RSAs. RSAs cannot be tested against ETAs simply because they’re too different
• Don’t fixate on old metrics
• Use ad variations to test and iterate creative (on the Campaign level, under the Experiments link)

Source: Creating better ads in a world with only RSAs

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