Google Ads Editor version 2.0 supports Performance Max campaigns

Google Ads Editor version 2.0 is now available, Google announced Monday. This version includes support for Performance Max campaigns, shared audiences, custom actions and action triggers, conversion goals and more.

Why we care. The Google Ads Editor can be a nifty tool for working offline or making bulk edits. These updates provide advertisers with more of the Google Ads capabilities they may be used to while helping the tool keep up with some of the recent changes that Google has made.

Noteworthy features. Google has listed full support for Performance Max campaigns, asset groups, and product groups at the top of its features list for this release — that’s not at all surprising as the company has positioned this campaign type at the center of many of its updates and announcements recently.

Custom actions have been added to help advertisers more easily repeat tasks, such as replacing text or adjusting bids, for example. Action triggers, which are also new, can automatically execute one or more custom actions when a certain event occurs.

Support for conversion goals has been added. And, this version also allows advertisers to create and edit shared Audiences and attach them to ad groups and asset groups.

Source: Google Ads Editor version 2.0 supports Performance Max campaigns

How your ad position and CTR impact conversion rate

Many brands want to see their ads rank at the top of Google and have a great conversion rate. But this can be a challenge for brands.

Understanding the impact of these two metrics, and how to think about these metrics when optimizing, can improve the overall health of your paid search campaigns.

Vanity vs. performance: I want it all

Are you someone who likes to run search queries periodically to see if your brand or clients’ ads are at the top? It feels good to know that you are number one. I get it. There is no denying the feeling that all is right with the world when your brand’s ad takes pole position.

However, being number one may come with a higher cost per conversion. There is that ongoing struggle to deliver both efficiency and volume. This case study looks at this specific problem. 

I pulled in various account data for this article and looked at the relationship of cost-per-conversion between different metrics like absolute top impression share and click-through rate (CTR). The findings probably won’t surprise you, but seeing the data often forces you to think about your account differently.

How your ad position and CTR impact conversion rate

Cost per conversion vs. absolute top impression share

The data in the chart below compares the cost per conversion across our accounts (I normalized/indexed them so they could be viewed on a similar scale) versus absolute top impression share over the past year.

The hypothesis was the more frequently brands were in the true number one position, the more expensive those conversions would cost them. Effectively a tradeoff between efficiency and volume.

The data shows a 60% increase in cost per conversion from ads that were <10% absolute top impression share to those that were >80%. There are certainly outliers. But the trendline tells the story. 

Cost per conversion vs. click-through rate

I took the same data and wanted to compare CTR vs. cost-per-conversion. This is a little starker of a story.

The cost per conversion is down as the CTR increases by a larger margin (I removed the CTR data scale from high to low, left to right). So having a better CTR provides a better cost per conversion. 

Source: How your ad position and CTR impact conversion rate

14 ways Google may evaluate E-A-T

We know Google wants to reward content and entities (like organizations and brands) that demonstrate high levels of expertise, authoritativeness, and trust (E-A-T). We also know Google advises us to become familiar with its quality rater guidelines, especially when it comes to broad core algorithm updates.

What we don’t know with 100% certainty is how Google turns E-A-T – which is a concept, not a direct ranking factor or score – into signals the search engine can evaluate for the purpose of ranking search results.

In this article, I’ve compiled 14 potential on-page and off-page factors that Google could algorithmically use for E-A-T evaluation. 

Disclaimer

This article is not meant to be an exhaustive list of every possible E-A-T signal Google could be using, but a look at some signals that Google is most likely to be used to evaluate E-A-T, based on supporting evidence and documentation available to us. 

It is also not a cheat sheet for SEOs looking to manipulate the SERPs. E-A-T can only be influenced to a limited extent by SEO measures. Most of the signals discussed in this article are more likely to be influenced by marketing and PR. 

There is no single E-A-T score into which all signals are summarized or added up, according to Google. I can imagine that Google gets an overall impression of E-A-T of an author, publisher, or website through many different algorithms (a.k.a, “baby” or “tiny” algorithms). 

This overall impression is not so much a score, but an approximation of a sample image for an entity that has E-A-T. Google could use selected sample entities to train the algorithms to produce a benchmark pattern for E-A-T. The more the entity resembles this pattern image across different signals, the higher the quality. 

Source: 14 ways Google may evaluate E-A-T

3 SEO tools to build for your clients in Google Data Studio

With the wide variety of clients out there, you’re bound to run into the occasional DIY marketer. These marketers prefer that you teach them how to be self-sufficient rather than rely on you for every little question.

These clients can be a blessing but can also be dangerous. The challenging aspect of client management is finding the balance between empowering them to get the data they want without feeling like they don’t need you.

That’s where Google Data Studio tools come into play.

Data Studio is typically used for general reporting. The real beauty of Data Studio is that it can be used for so much more. 

By creating tools for clients, you enable them to do the actual research it takes to accomplish SEO while still providing that much-needed maintenance and guidance that comes with experience. 

This article illustrates free dashboard templates you can use with your clients. 

Source: 3 SEO tools to build for your clients in Google Data Studio

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Google Performance Max campaigns: What marketers should know

Google launches automated vehicle ads

Nearly 50% Of Twitter Users Tweet Less Than 5 Times A Month

Does Twitter have an engagement problem?

A new study from Pew Research Center finds 49% of US adults on Twitter qualify as “lurkers.”

Pew Research Center defines lurkers as infrequent tweeters who have posted less than five tweets per month since they first opened their account.

Moreover, when lurkers do tweet, they’re more likely to reply to someone else’s tweets rather than post their own.

This data was analyzed as part of a companion study to one published by Pew Research Center in November, which found a vast majority of tweets are published by a minority of highly active users.

In contrast, Twitter’s most infrequent users represent a majority of its US adult user base.

This paints a picture of Twitter being a site full of content published by a small percentage of users, which gets consumed by a large percentage of users who aren’t adding to the conversation.

Let’s dig into the data to learn more about Twitter lurkers. Here are the highlights from the study.

Most Twitter Lurkers Are Ages 30 to 49

Twitter lurkers are primarily older US adults, the study finds.

Among infrequent tweeters, 59% of users are between 30 and 49, an age group consisting of elder Millennials and Gen X.

Gen Z and younger Millennials are more likely to be active on Twitter, as only 14% of users between 18 and 29 are considered lurkers.

In contrast, the 18 to 29 age group comprises a majority of Twitter’s most frequent tweeters.

See the chart below for a comparison of frequent tweeters and infrequent tweeters, broken down by age.

Lurkers Visit Twitter Less Frequently

Lurkers visit Twitter less frequently than more active tweeters – 21% say they visit the site every day, compared with 55% of more active tweeters.

Further, 38% of infrequent tweeters say they visit weekly or daily, while 41% say they visit only a few times a month or less.

Twitter Lurkers Are More Receptive To Other Points Of View

Lurkers are more interested in discovering other points of view rather than sharing their own.

The study notes:

“When asked whether they use the site to express their own opinions or to see what others are saying, 76% of lurkers say they use the platform primarily to see what others are saying. Only 6% use the platform primarily to express their own opinions.”

Lurkers Post More Replies Than Original Tweets

Replies makes up 51% of lurkers’ tweets, compared to 30% of more active tweeters.

Interestingly, retweets from lurkers make up a smaller percentage of posts compared to retweets from more active users.

Source: Nearly 50% Of Twitter Users Tweet Less Than 5 Times A Month

Google Business Profiles new emergency help attributes for Ukraine support

Google Business Profiles is rolling out a new business attribute under a new category called “emergency help” where you can say if your business or organization accepts donations, employs refugees, needs volunteers or offers free products or services.

What it looks like. Here is a screenshot from Krystal Taing on Twitter of the new attributes:

How to access it. You may be able to access these new attributes by logging into your Google Business Profile account, clicking on the “Info” tab and then scrolling down to edit your “Attributes.” All you need to do it click on the pencil icon to open up the available attributes to your business.

Don’t see it? If you do not see it, you are not alone. I personally do not see this in for my business listing and I suspect many of you don’t either. It might be a slow rollout of this attribute or it may be only available to certain types of businesses or organizations or to certain businesses or organizations in specific regions.

Hotel accommodations. This week, Google also released new attributes for hotel listings in Google Hotel search to define if they have free or discounted rooms available for those displaced from Ukraine. Here is a screenshot of that:

Source: Google Business Profiles new emergency help attributes for Ukraine support

WordPress Community Team Reconsiders Guidelines for In-Person Regional WordCamps

The pandemic has dramatically slashed the number of in-person WordPress events that volunteers are organizing and events have been slow to start up again. This has caused the WordPress Community Team to reconsider the guidelines for hosting regional WordCamps.

Historically, these guidelines have generated lengthy discussions, as many vocal opponents found them to be needlessly prohibitive. WordCamps began as local, city-based events, and organizers were not allowed to put together a regional WordCamp without jumping through a lot of extra requirements. These included having experienced event organizers that represent all WordPress communities in the region. The guidelines state:

“Before applying to organize a regional WordCamp, there should be at least 3 cities in your region (but very possibly more) with a local group that meets monthly, and that have hosted at least one WordCamp. The size of your region (in geography and population) will affect the expected number of established communities”.

In 2017, WordPress Community Support (WCS) shut down WordCamp Netherlands in favor of city-based WordCamps, sending the Dutch community into an uproar. The region, which is roughly the size of Maryland, had successfully held six editions of WordCamp Netherlands before WCS decided not to approve its application.

The camp was reinstated in 2018 after organizers agreed to meet additional requirements in the guidelines outlined above. This was not without a significant struggle, as the project moved to shed its “one-size-fits-all” approach to WordPress events. WordCamp Netherlands is once again on the schedule for 2022 as an in-person event.

In 2017, WordPress Community Manager Hugh Lashbrooke proposed the idea of micro-regional WordCamps, which makes exceptions to the meetup requirements for regional camps in situations where neighboring cities share meetup organization responsibilities. The idea received widespread support, as it makes sense in certain instances.

In 2020, the Community team relaxed a number of guidelines, including some for regional online WordCamps, in order to help keep communities connected during a difficult time.

“This resulted in a bunch of online regional WordCamps in Centroamerica, Greece, Finland, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, and Taiwan, among others,” Community Team Representative Hari Shanker said. “These events were quite successful in bringing together local communities even despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Now that WordPress events have taken a hard hit, the Community Team is considering loosening these restrictions for in-person regional events.

Shanker is asking for feedback on the discussion before April 4, 2022. A few contributors and organizers have already weighed in.

“Switzerland is such a small country that having separate WordCamps for Geneva, Lausanne, Bern and Zurich seems to be unnecessarily complicated,” Mark Howells-Mead said. “By re-establishing WordCamp Switzerland – which takes place in a different city each time and which was organized as a regional event until 2015 – we can better ensure that the visibility of the event and repetitive work can be more efficiently organized.”

Marcel Bootsman once again called on the Community Team to use common sense as a guide when evaluating whether a region is fit to host a WordCamp.

“We’ve had quite a few discussions about regional WordCamps in The Netherlands,” Bootsman said. “Let me just say I’m happy WCNL is back on the agenda, and I hope regional/local (city based) WordCamps are evaluated according to the country geographical size, and the feedback of the people organizing them.”

Source: WordPress Community Team Reconsiders Guidelines for In-Person Regional WordCamps

Microsoft asked 31,000 people what’s changed about work. One result was startling

Managers Can’t Manage

Last year, Redmond’s Work Trend Index offered an extraordinary picture. Bosses were having a rather good time, while those who worked for them were suffering: 37% said they were working too hard, while 41% insisted they were looking for another job.

The generous might suggest this was a very accurate presager of the Great Resignation.

But now another year has passed and Microsoft has again chatted to 31,000 people all over the world — and looked at trillions of productivity signals from its own software — to ask “What gives?” and “Who’s taken to this remote thing?”

How Do Those Roses Smell?

The most pungent conclusion from this study is a philosophical one: People have really, really stopped to consider the meaning of life.

Consider some more of the study’s conclusions.

More than half of hybrid employees are considering a shift to remote. Meanwhile, more than half of remote employees are considering a shift to hybrid. The latter, of course, are merely wondering whether to go hybrid so that they can get face time with their oh-so-distant leaders.

A substantial number — 38% — admit they’re not entirely clear about the point of an office anymore. Though many confess they’re missing the ability to build real human relationships at work.

The most moving, and perhaps even hopeful, parts of this study, however, show people have actually stopped, thought, and wondered about how work can affect their lives. In a not good way, you understand.

Here’s a nudge in a human direction: 53% of employees are now more likely to prioritize work/life balance than before the pandemic.

The Power Of Money? No, The Power Of Peace

And now for the most startling element of all. What has really made people quit?

There was a tie at the top. Was it between the need for more money and the need for more power? It was not.

Instead, it was between personal well-being or mental health and work/life balance. Which all, to me, sounds like one very big thing.

It’s people all around the world observing their own work lives and ululating “I just won’t take this anymore” in loud internal voices.

For once it’s not just about money or a promotion. That reason for quitting came in at number 7.

The true question, of course, is whether this turn toward the light can last.

How long will the employment environment suit those who prefer self-preservation to self-immolation? How long before a recession, or some other trigger toward greater financial need, infects the human soul?

And how long before the majority of companies conclude that maximizing profit — so that the leadership can make even more money — may not be the best way to run a company?

Source: Microsoft asked 31,000 people what’s changed about work. One result was startling

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New LinkedIn Tool Finds Top Skills Needed For Any Job

How E-A-T content and link building can drive YMYL SEO success

Google Performance Max campaigns: What marketers should know

New LinkedIn Tool Finds Top Skills Needed For Any Job

A new tool from LinkedIn allows you to find the top skills employers want candidates to have for almost any job position.

In addition, if there’s a skill you need and don’t have, the tool will direct you to resources available for building up the skill.

The “Future of Skills” data tool from LinkedIn will show you how requirements for jobs have changed from 2015 to 2021.

According to a recent LinkedIn analysis, top skills for a given role have changed by roughly 25% from 2015 to today, and may increase to a change of 40% by 2025.

Here’s how to use LinkedIn’s new tool to discover the skills needed to become a standout candidate when applying for your next job.

Alternately, this tool ca be useful for keeping your skill set up-to-date, thereby increasing your value in your current role.

LinkedIn’s Future Of Skills Tool

To get started, navigate to the Future Of Skills tool and scroll all the way to the bottom until you get to the section shown in the below screenshot.

You can search for top skills by industry or by job title, then you can filter those results by country.

The tool will surface the top skills needed today along with a comparison of the top skills needed in 2015.

You’ll also get an analysis of:

• How much the top skills have changed
• Which of the top skills are new
• Which of the top skills are the same
• Which of the top skills went up or down in importance

Here’s what the Future Of Skills tools surfaces for the job title of Search Engine Optimization Specialist in the United States.

As you can see in the example above, a significant number of the top skills needed are marked as new.

Source: New LinkedIn Tool Finds Top Skills Needed For Any Job

Why real-time personalization drives loyalty and growth at scale

80% of customers agree the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services. That’s why enabling more human conversations through 1:1 personalized journeys drives loyalty and engagement for consumers, translating to growth and efficiency for your business.

But getting started on the personalization path is easier said than done, especially with competing priorities across your business’ teams.

Register today for “Crawl-Walk-Run to Real-Time Personalization,” presented by Salesforce and take your customer-centric approach to the next level.

Source: Why real-time personalization drives loyalty and growth at scale

Should You Submit Your Sitemap Every Month?

This week’s Ask An SEO question comes from Renee in Iowa, who writes:

“I read somewhere that you should submit your sitemap every month. When you provide an XML URL, isn’t it just that – a URL and therefore updates are always in place?

I’m using RankMath which generates my XML file. It didn’t seem like I was uploading a file to Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster tools (actually, I let Bing import form Google Console).

Maybe the confusion is that the HTML file needs to be updated monthly. I would be curious to hear your thoughts on that, thank you!”

There’s a lot to unpack in here, and Renee’s question strikes a few of my nerves that I’d like to dive into.

Before I do that though I’ll just say no, you don’t have to submit your sitemap every month.

Now, let’s address some common questions and misconceptions about sitemaps before we go into more detail on Renee’s question.

What’s The Value In XML Sitemaps?

XML sitemaps are a big pet peeve of mine.

It seems like 75% of the 3rd party SEO audits I see these days all start off with “you don’t have an XML sitemap, create one!”

That can be good SEO advice, but most of the time it’s just another task that won’t help the client get any more traffic.

XML sitemaps aren’t a ranking factor.

Leaving aside hreflang and other stuff, their main use is for discovering links.

That means if you have a really good site architecture and code your site using all the best practices, search engines most likely discover all your links without needing a sitemap.

For many sites with technical problems that affect crawling though, they can be a lifesaver.

That context is important, meaning an XML sitemap might be a really important SEO fix, or it might not be needed at all.

Ok, I Need An XML Sitemap, How Often Do I Submit It?

Ideally, you only need to submit your sitemap once (per search engine) in the search console.

After that, they will keep re-crawling it on a schedule that they think makes sense based on what they know about your site.

You should also reference your sitemap in your robots.txt file.

There’s really no reason to keep submitting it after that.

… Like A Knife

One of my most common sayings in SEO presentations is: “_ is like a knife. You can use it to butter your bread, or stab yourself” and XML sitemaps are no exception to that rule.

While XML sitemaps can be a great way to get URLs indexed, they can also be dangerous if you don’t stay on top of them.

Most websites I look at have XML sitemaps that contain several errors.

Many of the URLs don’t get automatically updated or removed when the site is changed, so they end up submitting a sitemap full of 301 redirects or pages that don’t exist anymore (404).

What About HTML Sitemaps?

HTML sitemaps are essentially just another crawl band-aid though.

If your site architecture is perfect and your code is all clean and crawlable, you won’t need one.

Most clients I work with use the HTML sitemap as a quick fix because of some weird UX issues preventing search engines from cleanly getting to pages.

Source: Should You Submit Your Sitemap Every Month?

Intel will invest nearly $90 billion in Europe’s chipmaking industry

Intel plans to invest up to €80 billion ($89 billion) over the next decade to build up Europe’s supply chain for semiconductor chips.

The tech giant said on Tuesday that it will spend an initial €17 billion ($19 billion) to create two new chip factories in Germany. Construction on the site in northeastern city of Magdeburg — which it will name “Silicon Junction” — is expected to begin next year and start operations in 2027.

“This broad initiative will boost Europe’s R&D innovation and bring leading-edge manufacturing to the region,” Intel’s CEO Pat Gelsinger said in a press release.

The company plans to pour money into every part of the chip supply chain — including research, manufacturing and packaging — with investments also going to France, Ireland, Italy, Poland and Spain.

With its initial wave of investment of more than 33 billion euros ($36 billion), Intel expects to create about 5,500 jobs at the company, plus thousands more in construction and at suppliers and partners.The new factories will deliver chips using Intel’s most advanced transistor technologies to supply foundry customers as well as its own products.

Source: Intel will invest nearly $90 billion in Europe’s chipmaking industry

9 Ecommerce Content Examples To Inspire Your Marketing Campaigns

With a strategy in place including research on who you’re targeting, what keywords to use, which topics to cover, and how often/where to post content, you’ll differentiate yourself from the run-of-the-mill brands posting forgettable blogs no one cares about.

Instead, your web presence will be memorable, and more importantly, needed in your space.

To inspire you about exactly what great ecommerce content marketing looks like, let’s explore nine examples from a wide array of industries.

1. Studio McGee

Looking for an ecommerce content marketing example that manages to combine product links with written content in a non-salesy, totally helpful way?

Look to Studio McGee, an interior design brand that also sells its own line of home goods.

On their blog, they focus on helping you create beautiful rooms in your own home, with inspiration from their designs and products.

2. BarkBox

Every pup’s favorite subscription box brand also has a great content marketing strategy.

3. Lush

Lush, a cruelty-free, vegan beauty brand, is a great example of a retailer doing ecommerce content marketing right in various formats.

4. Almanac

Are you familiar with the annual magazine, The Old Farmer’s Almanac?

It’s the longest-running publication in North America, starting from the original version that circulated in 1792.

Today’s publishers also sell cookbooks, calendars, gardening guides, and more.

5. Patagonia

For ecommerce content marketing that’s more story-focused, look no further than Patagonia, a retailer specializing in all things outdoors.

6. Artifact Uprising

The folks at Artifact Uprising are print design and photography experts selling photo books and other printable, commemorative gifts, and their content marketing reflects that expertise perfectly.

7. Grammarly

If you write at all within your work or school life, you may rely on the Grammarly app to help your text stay clean and clear of errors.

You can also count on the Grammarly blog for comprehensive writing advice, how-to’s, and grammar tips.

8. Book Of The Month

Book of the Month is a book subscription service that features five curated new reads for users to choose from each month.

Their content marketing is, of course, centered on reading and choosing just the right book.

9. Food52

A hub for food, recipes, home, the kitchen, and eating, Food52 also sells home goods, kitchen supplies, furniture, pantry staples, and anything else you might need for your next dinner party or weeknight cooking shenanigans.

The Food52 section focuses on food (duh), and topics are as broad as that word entails.

The content runs the gamut from complete guides on cooking with certain spices to news about the latest products to hit Trader Joe’s.

Source: 9 Ecommerce Content Examples To Inspire Your Marketing Campaigns

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How E-A-T content and link building can drive YMYL SEO success

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Twitter Tests More Visible Alt Text

How E-A-T content and link building can drive YMYL SEO success

Google’s principle of E-A-T — which stands for expertise, authority, and trustworthiness — is the search engine’s way of determining the value of content on the web.

But, what does it mean for content to reflect expertise, authority, and trustworthiness?

“Expertise, for me, is the amount of knowledge you have in a field,” said Kevin Rowe, founder and CEO of PureLinq, in a recent webinar. “You build more expertise the longer you’ve been in a field.”

“Authority is how other authoritative figures validate you — this is reflected through authoritative links. And trust is [expertise and authority] over time,” he added.

When most marketers consider E-A-T signals, they often focus their efforts on creating high-quality content. And while this is one of the most important factors, these professionals could be missing out on potential ranking signals from authoritative backlinks.

According to Rowe, considering E-A-T when building links to your site — and generating content — is a great way to improve rankings, especially for those in the YMYL (your money, your life) space.

The information suggests Google relies heavily on the concept of E-A-T when evaluating YMYL content. According to the Guidelines, it’s “possible to have everyday expertise in YMYL topics.” This can be presented in the form of forum posts, articles detailing one’s personal experiences, or any other content that seeks to give searchers advice.

Source: How E-A-T content and link building can drive YMYL SEO success

Google business profile reviews posting bugs should be resolved soon

Over the past several days there has been an issue with reviews being posted to Google business profiles. A Google spokesperson confirmed that the maps team is “aware of this issue and is actively working to fix it.” Google did tell us that new reviews that do not violate its policies should appear now, while reviews that were posted over the past week will be reprocessed and posted by the end of this week.

Google’s statement. A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land “our team is aware of this issue and is actively working to fix it. New reviews that are not in violation of our policies should now be appearing on Google Business Profiles as normal. Reviews submitted over the last week that were not appearing on Google Business Profiles due to this issue should be posted by the end of this week.”

The issue. There were numerous complaints throughout the local SEO community over the past week about reviews not posting in Google Maps or Google Search on business profiles. In fact, there is one specific company that has over 700 locations which saw their review count go from about 200 review down to 16 reviews in the past couple of weeks.

If you scan through the Google Business Profile forums you will see numerous complaints about reviews not posting.

Customers who leave reviews are able to see the review was posted in their view but when a searcher or business owner looks to find that review, it is not visible.

Source: Google business profile reviews posting bugs should be resolved soon

How to prepare for an SEO sales call

I was born a salesperson. Growing up in Texas, my dad had me working at Trader’s Village, selling everything from belt buckles to hat pins (and every other trinket you can imagine).

You didn’t have to know much about the product. You just needed to know how to haggle pricing.

Selling SEO services is different. You must have a keen understanding of the product/service you represent. And very importantly, you must understand how (or if) an SEO effort can benefit the prospects you’re speaking with.

Initial questions to ask the prospect

First, I recommend that you ask your prospect to provide some initial information so that you can do the homework for the initial call. It’s helpful if the prospect has already provided you with an RFP detailing the scope, in-house team capabilities and availability for the SEO effort. If they haven’t completed an RFP, you can download the SEO RFP at my company’s blog and re-brand it/use it as a template for what you may want to provide them.

Run a crawl on the prospect’s website

I use Semrush. I limit the crawl to 500 pages, just enough to get a sense of their website’s “brokenness.”

Source: How to prepare for an SEO sales call

Google to sunset Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023, in favor of Google Analytics 4

Google will deprecate Universal Analytics next year, the company announced Wednesday. Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits on July 1, 2023, and Universal Analytics 360 properties will stop processing hits on October 1, 2023.

Previously processed data in Universal Analytics will be stored for at least six months after the deprecation dates listed above.

Source: Google to sunset Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023, in favor of Google Analytics 4

Google’s free hotel booking links arrive on Search and Maps

Google is expanding its free hotel booking links to show on Search and Maps, the company announced Wednesday. The company is also adding reporting capabilities, support for hotel rates in Google Business Profiles and rolling out Local Posts to hotels as well.

Free hotel booking links expand to Search and Maps. In March 2021, Google started offering free listings within Google Hotel search. Now, the company is adding support for free hotel booking links on the Search results page and Google Maps. When a user clicks on these links, they’ll be taken to the hotel’s (or online travel platform’s) site where they can complete the booking.

New click reporting. Hotel owners can see how many people clicked on their free booking links via a new report in Hotel Center. The company plans to expand reporting to include impressions and booking value in the coming weeks.

Hotel rates in Google Business Profiles. Starting in April, individual hotels that meet eligibility requirements can manually add their rates to their Google Business Profile to participate in free hotel booking links.

Source: Google’s free hotel booking links arrive on Search and Maps

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Google Performance Max campaigns: What marketers should know

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Google Performance Max campaigns: What marketers should know

More and more marketers are turning to Performance Max, Google’s goal-based ad campaign format that helps target customers that are most likely to convert. Its automation capabilities have made it an inviting option for those looking to enhance their search campaigns.

“It’s a new goal-based campaign that aims to increase online sales, generate more leads and drive more store visits to physical business locations,” said Rodney Ip, global product lead of Google Ads, at SMX Next. “It’s designed to run alongside keyword-based search campaigns so you can easily drive more conversions across the full range of search, display, YouTube, Gmail, and Discover formats, all from a single campaign.”

“Performance Max puts your business goals front and center, and prioritizes these above other signals by inputting your specific conversion goals,” he added.

Performance Max is designed to complement keyword-focused search campaigns through automated bidding and targeting. Marketers looking to expand their customer reach and place a greater emphasis on goal completions won’t want to ignore all that these campaigns have to offer.

Ip illustrated the benefits of cross-channel automation by using a fishing analogy: fishing in multiple ponds versus fishing in the ocean. Using single-channel campaigns is much like the former; you may catch a big fish but it’s difficult to know if you’re missing other big fish in the other ponds.

“Cross-channel optimization in Performance Max is a lot more like fishing in the ocean,” he said. “With all of Google Ads’ inventory combined, you can use automation and Performance Max to cast a wider net in one body of water where you can easily catch all of the biggest fish. Use Performance Max to find new customers wherever they are and simplify your campaign management.”

Source: Google Performance Max campaigns: What marketers should know

Bing’s ‘Russian invasion of Ukraine’ results show Opinions section and timelines

Microsoft Bing’s search results for queries related to the conflict in Ukraine show an Opinions section and two timelines (one in the main column and another in the knowledge panel).

The Opinions section. On Bing, news results typically appear in the “News about” section (at the top of the example above; this feature is similar to Google’s Top Stories section) or in the standard, non-rich result listings.

However, media outlets often publish opinions and commentary on current events from non-staff writers. Bing has started highlighting these types of results in their own section, “Opinions.”

For the query [Ukraine Russia], the Opinions section included six results from different media outlets. When a featured image isn’t available, Bing will show a preview of the article (as shown above).

The timelines. For associated queries, Bing may show up to two timelines: the horizontal timeline that appears in the main column of search results and the vertically oriented timeline within the knowledge panel (on the right-hand rail of the search results).

The timeline within the knowledge panel begins on August 24, 1991, when Ukraine became an independent state following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and includes prior events, such as the annexation of Crimea, that have led to the current state of Russo-Ukrainian affairs.

The horizontal timeline in the main column only shows events from February 9 until March 5 (the screenshot below was taken on March 14).

Source: Bing’s ‘Russian invasion of Ukraine’ results show Opinions section and timelines

Why I’m glad third-party cookies are dying

If you’re a data nerd like me, this year promises to be an exciting time — and a potentially dangerous one if you don’t have a game plan for adapting to the changes headed your way.  

Ever since GDPR was rolled out in Europe back in 2016, the rules for how marketers can collect and use data have been getting stricter and stricter, but the real hammer blow will hit next year. 

In 2023, Google says it will stop supporting third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, which represents about two-thirds of the global browser market. Google is following the lead of Apple and Mozilla, which already block those kinds of cookies in their Safari and Firefox browsers.  

This represents a huge change because third-party cookies have been a go-to solution for measuring digital ad performance. For one thing, once Chrome goes dark, it will be almost impossible to see view-through conversions, i.e., if someone who viewed one of your ads didn’t click it but came to your website sometime later and converted. 

(A lot of ad targeting options will probably disappear, too, though Google and others are trying to build replacements.)

Agencies and brands are freaking out because third-party cookies have been key to how they show their stakeholders that digital advertising isn’t a wasted effort. 

Here’s the thing, though: Third-party cookies have never been a good way to demonstrate value – not value as most businesses define it, at least. 

Source: Why I’m glad third-party cookies are dying

8 SEO costs that impact your ROI

One of the most common questions about SEO is “how much does SEO cost?” And to be honest, it can be tough to answer. 

So many variables go into SEO costs. Some are obvious, while some are not. With SEO, it comes down to getting what you pay for, like most things in life. 

SEO is an investment but one that’s sure to pay off in the long run – if you invest correctly. 

The two largest (and obvious) SEO expenses 

The two main factors contributing to SEO cost are the people (in-house and/or the agency you hire to help you) and the SEO software and tools you invest in. This will be where the bulk of your cost comes from. 

Let’s break them down. 

There are pros and cons to hiring someone to manage your SEO in-house vs. hiring an agency with an SEO team to assist you in optimizing your website. I won’t go too far down that rabbit hole. Just remember that you get what you pay for, regardless of what you choose to do. 

Source: 8 SEO costs that impact your ROI

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Twitter Tests More Visible Alt Text

A visible “ALT” badge, and exposed image descriptions, are among the features Twitter is testing to improve image accessibility on mobile and desktop.

In an announcement, Twitter states it’s testing the features with 3% of users across iOS, Android, and web browsers.

Twitter is aiming to launch these features globally in the beginning of April, following at least a month of testing.

Here’s more about the ALT badge, image descriptions, and how to add descriptive text to an image on Twitter.

ALT Badge On Twitter Images

When a description, also referred to as alt text, is added to an image a rectangular “ALT” badge will be shown in the bottom corner.

This signals to other users there’s the descriptive text accompanying the image.

To view an image description, users can click or tap on the ALT badge and the description will open, as shown in the example below:

How To Add An Image Description On Twitter

To add an image description, follow these steps:

• Upload an image
• Select “Add description” under the image
• Write a description
• Select “Save”
• Send tweet

Source: Twitter Tests More Visible Alt Text

Crawl, walk, run to real-time personalization

80% of customers agree the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services. That’s why enabling more human conversations through 1:1 personalized journeys drives loyalty and engagement for consumers, translating to growth and efficiency for your business.

But getting started on the personalization path is easier said than done, especially with competing priorities across your business’ teams.

Register today for “Crawl-Walk-Run to Real-Time Personalization,” presented by Salesforce and take your customer-centric approach to the next level.

Source: Crawl, walk, run to real-time personalization

SEO Best Practices For Migrating To Shopify

Imagine the despair you would feel seeing your new Shopify store’s organic traffic tank, sales evaporate, and page 1 rankings drop from search results.

After spending months building out your new Shopify site, sleepless nights going back and forth with web designers and developers, nail-biting hours spent refreshing your Analytics and waiting for sales to trickle in again, let’s just say, migrating to a new eCommerce platform can be a daunting task.

But don’t worry, this won’t be you.

By following these SEO best practices for migrating to Shopify, you can eliminate the anxiety and pave the way for a smooth transition to your new Shopify store.

Why Migrate To Shopify?

Shopify is the global leader in supporting independent eCommerce brands to branch out and grow their store on their own terms.

It’s a great alternative to the likes of Amazon, allowing merchants more control over their brand and marketing.

In 2021, merchants sold $175.4 billion in sales through the Shopify platform.

Migrating To Shopify

The last thing any business owner wants is to lose all their hard-earned domain authority, backlinks, and organic traffic.

Regardless of how large or small your business is, migrating to a new eCommerce platform is not an easy process but heed this warning don’t migrate your store to Shopify without a plan.

If you don’t plan and execute a migration correctly, organic traffic can be cut by 50% within weeks of migrating.

Pre-Migration

Set Up The New Shopify Store
Review Canonical Link Structure
Backup Everything
Setup 301 Redirects From Old Url To New Shopify URL
Consider Internationalization
Timing
Migrate Content
Update Internal Linking Structure

Post-Migration

Annotate Launch In Google Analytics
Submit New Sitemap To Google And Bing
Submit Change Of Address Request In Google Search Console And Complete Bing Site Move Tool
Check That Google Analytics And Search Console Are Functioning Correctly
Outreach To Highest-authority Backlinks To Get Them To Update To New URLs If Possible
Recrawl The Old Website
Monitor 404s

Shopify Migration Success Is Possible

While not every migration to Shopify will be all rainbows and butterflies, following these steps can help get the best possible results.

There’s zero need to migrate and lose all your hard-earned SEO wins.

You’ve worked hard for them and with these SEO best practices for migrating to Shopify, you can take them with you.

Source: SEO Best Practices For Migrating To Shopify

Koji Launches New Block Plugin for WordPress

Koji, a popular “link in bio” platform that provides apps to the creator economy, has launched a WordPress plugin for the block editor. The San Diego-based startup has raised $36.1M, most recently securing $20M in a funding round led by Jump Capital. Koji has attracted 150,000 users since its official launch in March 2021. It offers a way for creators on TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, and other social media platforms to monetize their followings.

“WordPress, along with the bloggers and creators it supports, is a cornerstone of the modern creator economy,” Koji CEO Dmitry Shapiro said. “This integration is a massive addition to the power and extensibility of WordPress, giving bloggers a frictionless and intuitive way to incorporate Koji mini-apps in their content strategies.”

The new plugin introduces a Koji App block that gives users access to Koji’s app store and 200+ web-based mini-apps. The apps offer a wide array of interactive functionality, such as e-commerce, games, video guestbook, calendar scheduling, NFT storefronts, billboards, and more.

Although the plugin’s description page says that it allows users to “embed any Koji app,” it’s not explicit about how that looks on the front. The app store launches in an overlay where you select and customize the app. In testing the plugin, I found that when you insert the app into your WordPress site, it just shows up as a black button that says “My Koji App.” You can customize the button’s color and text, but that’s about it. The button launches the app in a lightbox-style overlay on top of the page content.

Source: Koji Launches New Block Plugin for WordPress

This tiny mechanical keyboard started out as a joke, but it captured our heart

When we first heard about The Key, a minuscule mechanical keyboard with just three keys, we resolved to get our hands on one.

Imagined into existence by coding forum Stack Overflow with the help of designer Cassidy Williams, The Key has just one purpose: to copy and paste. A noble calling, if ever there was one.

The only problem was that The Key didn’t actually exist. It was all just a cruel joke, an April Fool’s stunt par excellence.

However, sensing the team had inadvertently come up with a rather good idea, Stack Overflow secretly commissioned Drop to manufacture a small number of boards. And in September last year, The Key eventually went on sale for the first time, priced at $29.

Joke’s on you

The core philosophy behind The Key is simple: everyone copies sometimes, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

“They say good artists copy, but great artists steal. They were wrong. Great artists, developers, and engineers copy. Then they paste,” wrote Stack Overflow, when The Key made its debut.

“Every day, millions of innovators and creators across the globe move society and industry forward by copy-pasting code. But for too long, this process has been stuck in the past. Say goodbye to cramped fingers, sore wrists, and wasted movement. Say hello to The Key.”

The Key is first and foremost a joke at the expense of developers, who regularly steal code snippets from Stack Overflow to use in their own projects, but for whom is called a “copy and paste programmer” would be a mortal insult.

Surprising depth

Although it may look like The Key is good for one thing only, it’s actually relatively easy to reprogram for functions beyond just copy and paste, courtesy of its QMK firmware.

It’s not the most straightforward process ever for the novice, but if this writer can do it, you certainly can too. And Drop provides an excellent walkthrough that holds your hand the whole way.

There are plenty of possibilities, when you start to think about it; you could reconfigure the three keys to act as mute, volume up, and volume down buttons, or play/pause, previous track, and next track. The real power users, meanwhile, may want to set up each key as a macro, whereby a series of commands are executed with a single keystroke.

In other words, while The Key is a perfect copy-and-paste machine straight out of the box, there’s more to this little board than meets the eye, especially for anyone clever enough to figure out how to tap into its full potential.

Source: This tiny mechanical keyboard started out as a joke, but it captured our heart

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Google launches automated vehicle ads

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Google and Bing halt all ad sales in Russia

Google launches automated vehicle ads

Google will roll out vehicle ads to all U.S. advertisers beginning this month, the company announced Friday.

Vehicle ads will roll out to advertisers in more countries at an undisclosed “later date,” Google said in the announcement.

How vehicle ads work. Vehicle ads are designed to allow auto advertisers to promote their entire vehicle inventory to potential customers on Google.com. This format includes an image of the vehicle, make, model, price, miles, and the advertiser’s name (shown in the example above). 

Google matches users with vehicle ads by using the details included in the advertiser’s vehicle inventory data feed (more on that below).

When a user clicks on a vehicle ad, they’re taken to the vehicle description page on the advertiser’s site. There, they can learn more and fill out a lead form. Advertisers can select which actions to measure, such as leads or store visits, and assign them a value.

Advertisers cannot use vehicle ads to promote vehicle parts, accessories, tires, or services.

How to get started. To use vehicle ads, advertisers must create a vehicle inventory data feed and connect it to Google Merchant Center. This feed includes data on makes, models, prices, mileage, and condition.

Since this is done through Google Merchant Center, advertisers can track metrics like clicks over a given time period.

Why we care. Car prices have remained high as a result of supply shortages associated with the pandemic and increased consumer demand. And, last year, 16% of new car buyers purchased their car online, up from just 1% three years prior, according to Google.

Source: Google launches automated vehicle ads

Russia-based advertisers can no longer reach global audiences on Google properties and networks

Google will pause ads on its properties and networks globally for advertisers based in Russia, the company announced Thursday. This means that advertisers based in Russia can not run Google ads targeting Russia-based users or anywhere else in the world.

Escalating ads suspensions. Google first began imposing ad suspensions on February 27. The initial round of suspensions was aimed at Russian state-owned media outlets. On March 3, the company expanded on the suspension by including all ads serving users in Russia. 

Google is far from alone here. Numerous other platforms, including Microsoft Advertising, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat have announced similar policies in light of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. However, Google seems to be the first platform to take these actions a step further by hamstringing Russia-based advertisers from reaching global audiences.

Why we care. This cuts off an important channel for brands in Russia, hindering their ability to reach potential customers elsewhere in the world. If other platforms follow Google’s lead, Russia-based businesses may suffer as their audiences shrink.

From an industry standpoint, these suspensions are making it nearly impossible to use paid channels to get in front of Russian users. Unfortunately, we have no indication of how long the conflict (and thus, these suspensions) will last.

Source: Russia-based advertisers can no longer reach global audiences on Google properties and networks

Why on-site search should be a priority for marketers

“Content has become the primary tool that we use to create a dialogue with our prospects and to cultivate relationships with our customers online,” said Stephen Rahal, director of product marketing at Coveo, at SMX Next. “That content must be relevant and valuable. It also must be interactive to win their attention and draw them into a conversation.”

“Content has always been the best way to do marketing, and making your company the expert in your niche via content is the way to go,” he added.

Knowing what audiences want is key to creating high-quality content, and many marketers are looking for tools to help them with this process. Yet the overabundance of information in digital spaces can make it difficult to know what customers want from your organization — marketers need a solution that cuts through the noise and draws actionable customer insights.

“If SEO and SEM are getting people to your sites, how can you optimize that experience when they arrive?” Rahal asked. “How can you make sure that you’re not turning people off by failing to deliver the compelling search and navigation experience on your website?”

According to him, an on-site search fits the bill.

Source: Why on-site search should be a priority for marketers

Pinterest adds in-app checkout and personalized shopping recommendations

Pinterest is expanding on its shopping capabilities with in-app checkout and a new personalized recommendations feature, the company announced at its Pinterest Presents event on Thursday.

Pinterest Checkout. Currently, in beta, the ability to purchase items within the Pinterest app is now available for certain U.S.-based Shopify retailers. The platform expects to roll out this feature to more U.S.-based  retailers over the course of this year.

Source: Pinterest adds in-app checkout and personalized shopping recommendations

Twitter Shops lets brands showcase 50 products

Twitter has introduced a new experimental eCommerce feature it calls Twitter Shops. Brands who want to create a shop can curate up to 50 items to include, which Twitter uses can then buy via an in-app browser from the merchant’s website. 

After a brand or business enables a Twitter Shop, a new “View shop” button will appear on its profile page, directly above its tweets. It looks like this:

For now, only iPhone users can view and interact with the shops. This is much the same way the Twitter Shop Module was rolled out last year. That feature was more limited, allowing brands to show up to five products on their profile, in the same location as the Twitter Shops “View shop” button.

Twitter Shops are only available to select merchants and managed partners in the U.S., according to Twitter’s blog post. Twitter isn’t charging brands to open a Shop.

What Twitter says about Shops. “People are already talking about products on Twitter. We want Twitter Shops to be the home for merchants on Twitter where they can intentionally curate a catalog of products for their Twitter audience and build upon the product discussions already happening on our service by giving shoppers a point of action where a conversation can become a purchase.”

What it looks like. A Twitter Shop contains a product image, product name, product type, and price. 

Source: Twitter Shops lets brands showcase 50 products

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Upwork Suspends Operations In Russia

Upwork announced it is suspending all business operations in Russia and Belarus and is taking action to provide relief to Ukrainian partners.

The company is also providing direct donations to organizations offering relief to Ukrainians.

Upwork Decision Will Impact Russian and Belarusian Freelancers

Upwork is implementing its suspension in stages in order to avoid disrupting currently contracted work, so as not to adversely impact clients or freelancers with contracts and work agreed to from before this announcement.

Upwork’s Russia and Belarus Suspension Date for Full Effect

Upwork made the decision to suspend all business operations in Russia and Belarus, singling those countries because of the war they started against Ukraine.

According to Upwork, the full effect of the suspension will take force by May 1, 2022. This date was chosen to allow clients and freelancers to issue final billing and close out currently existing contracts by that date.

The first phase of the suspension begins with the halt in the creation of new business in Russia and Belarus.

Next, within a few days, Upwork will block the creation of new accounts and contracts by clients and freelancers based in Russia and Belarus, as well as remove them from appearing in the Upwork search system.

Upwork promised to work with affected clients and freelancers should they move to another country.

They also promised to consider returning to the regions once the geopolitical problems are resolved.

Upwork Joins World Community in Action

Upwork is the latest organization to suspend operations in Russia and take action to support Ukraine.

It joins other organizations in the freelancing community like Shutterstock who have also announced initiatives to directly support relief work in Ukraine and take a stand against the aggression by Russia against Ukraine.

Source: Upwork Suspends Operations In Russia

Drive ranking by mastering E.A.T. with content and links

We all agree that E.A.T. is not a ranking factor or a single signal to get your site to rank. 

Join Grant Simmons, formerly VP of performance marketing at Homes.com (grew organic traffic to over 10M monthly organic sessions), and Kevin Rowe, founder and CEO of PureLinq, who will share their experience in ranking in highly competitive markets and how they leveraged E.A.T. for their site entities to drive organic growth.

Source: Drive ranking by mastering E.A.T. with content and links

Google Acquires Cybersecurity Firm Mandiant

Google Cloud announced it is acquiring cybersecurity firm Mandiant, a leader in proactive SaaS based security. The acquisition underscores the importance of security for all businesses, regardless of scale, as cybercrime increasingly affects all businesses.

The acquisition is all cash, valuing Mandiant at $23 per share in a deal worth 5.4 billion dollars.

Mandiant will become a part of Google Cloud once the deal receives requisite stockholder and regulatory approvals.

Cybersecurity is a Top Concern

While many businesses can operate for years with a little to no security and intrusion protection, it’s only a matter of time before those businesses are hacked and suffer from having their data stolen and held for ransom to having their online presence become part of a botnet numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

Mandiant

Mandiant provides a SaaS security platform called Mandiant Advantage. Because it is SaaS it can be deployed rapidly as well as complement existing security protocols and processes.

Mandiant Advantage has five modules:

1. Automated Defense
   Automated security analysis that responds fast before attackers have a chance to cause a breach
2. Security Validation
   Tests and validates that existing security measures are working as intended
3. Threat Intelligence
   Cybersecurity intelligence from a team of 300 across 22 countries
4. Attack Surface Management
   This module monitors online assets across all distributed and cloud environments for exposure and risk management
5. Managed Defense
   Hands on monitoring, response and security training

Source: Google Acquires Cybersecurity Firm Mandiant

Platforms that have suspended ads in Russia

Russia’s actions in Ukraine have prompted ad suspensions from nearly every platform that search marketers rely on to reach Russian audiences. At first, companies such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook started by restricting ads from Russian state media, but as the conflict continued, many have expanded those suspensions to include all ads that would be served to users in Russia.

Below is a list of platforms and their current policies with regard to the conflict in Ukraine. We will update this resource as platforms update their policies.

Search engines. Google and Microsoft Bing, the two leading search engines globally, have both suspended all ad sales in Russia.

• Google: On February 27, Google suspended ads from Russian state-owned media outlets. On March 3, the company expanded the suspension to include all ads serving to users in Russia.
• Microsoft: On February 28, Microsoft banned ads from Russian state-owned media outlets. On March 4, the ban was expanded to include all new sales of Microsoft products and services (not just ads) in Russia.

Microsoft Advertising powers ads on Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo! and AOL, so brands currently cannot advertise to users in Russia on those platforms either. While Apple doesn’t operate a search engine, it has suspended Search Ads on the App Store in Russia.

Yandex, which is headquartered in Moscow and the second-most-popular search engine in Russia, is still operating normally.

Social media platforms. Most social media platforms have also rolled out ad suspensions similar to the ones mentioned above.

• Meta: Facebook’s parent company paused ads targeting users in Russia on March 4. Several days prior, the Russian government announced that it would block its citizens from accessing Facebook, so ads may not have reached users anyhow. The company has not announced whether these changes will also apply to Instagram, but Meta has banned Russian state media from running ads or monetizing on any of its platforms.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft and is therefore included in the company’s ban on sales of its products and services in Russia.
• Twitter: On February 25, Twitter paused ads serving to users in Ukraine and Russia, citing the need to “ensure critical public safety information is elevated and ads don’t detract from it.”
• Reddit: On March 2, Reddit announced that it is not accepting advertisements “that target Russia or originate from any Russia-based entity, government or private.” The platform has also blocked links from all domains ending in “.ru,” Russia’s country code top-level domain.
• Snap Inc.: Snapchat’s parent company has stopped all advertising running in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, the company announced on March 1.
• TikTok: TikTok has restricted access to Russian state-controlled media accounts, but it appears it has not stopped serving ads to users in Russia.

Source: Platforms that have suspended ads in Russia

Twitter Pushes Further Into E-Commerce With New Shopping Tool

Twitter is pushing forward with its e-commerce ambitions.

The social media platform said Wednesday it’s started testing a new feature called Twitter Shops that allows businesses to display up to 50 products in an online catalog. The company said hundreds of businesses in the US are participating in this experiment. Some of the merchants include Verizon, Nigerian food delivery service All I Do Is Cook and Gay Pride Apparel. 

People who use Twitter on their iPhone in the US will be able to browse through products on Twitter Shops by clicking on a “View shop” button. To purchase an item, users will be directed to checkout on a merchant’s website. Twitter said the feature is free for merchants and the company doesn’t process payments or take a cut of sales.

Twitter Shops is another example of how social media companies are doubling down on online shopping, an activity that has only increased in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic. Twitter has also unveiled other shopping tools such as a dedicated space on a user’s profile to showcase products and live shopping. 

Source: Twitter Pushes Further Into E-Commerce With New Shopping Tool

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Google and Bing halt all ad sales in Russia

Google and Bing have expanded ad sales suspensions imposed on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine. Google has temporarily halted ads from serving to Russia-based users, the company announced Thursday. Similarly, Microsoft announced that it will suspend all new sales of its products and services in Russia.

Escalating restrictions on Russian state-funded media. Last 2 week, both search engines stopped running ads from Russian state-funded media outlets. In addition, Microsoft is “further de-ranking these sites’ search results on Bing so that it will only return RT and Sputnik links when a user clearly intends to navigate to those pages,” Brad Smith, president and vice chair of Microsoft, said in an announcement on February 28.

Perhaps this is what Russia wanted. Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications regulator, has accused YouTube of running “advertising campaigns to misinform the Russian audience,” according to the Wall Street Journal. The Russian agency demanded that Google change its ad moderation policies and discontinue such ads.

The new ad suspensions are likely to primarily affect Russia-based businesses, but they may also put a temporary end to the ads Russia is complaining about.

Social media platforms halted ad sales in Russia, too. Snap Inc. and Twitter have both paused ads in Ukraine and Russia, with the former halting them in Belarus as well. Facebook has stopped serving ads from Russian state media, but (at the time of publication) is still showing ads to Russian users.

Source: Google and Bing halt all ad sales in Russia

Yandex Warns Debt May Affect Ability To Continue Operating

Russia’s largest search engine, Yandex, issued a warning March 3, 2022 stating that there are two possible scenarios that could threaten continued operations. Yandex stated that it could operate for many months should either of those scenarios be avoided.

Yandex indicated that current data center and technology capacity will allow it to continue operating for at least one year and up to a year and a half.

But that statement was conditioned on no disruption to supplies, which Yandex said could have a negative impact on operations.

“In the event of any prolonged suspension of supplies of hardware, software or other technology used in our business or offerings, if we are unable to secure alternative sources, our operations could be materially adversely affected over time.”

Yandex Search Engine

Yandex is the most popular search engine in Russia, with user visits reported to be as high as over 60%.

Yandex is also ranked by some measurements as the 8th most popular website in the world, ahead of TikTok, Netflix, Reddit and Amazon, to give a sense of scale and importance of Yandex.

Economic Sanctions Impact on Yandex?

The statement from Yandex indicated that none of the economic sanctions target Yandex or any of its subsidiaries, management, directors or principal share holders. That means at the moment there are no direct impact from sanctions to Yandex.

Source: Yandex Warns Debt May Affect Ability To Continue Operating

Microsoft Advertising’s Ad Creator extracts site images for use in ads

Microsoft Advertising has announced Ad Creator, a new feature that extracts images from your site so that they can be used in your ads. Ad Creator is currently in pilot; those interested in joining the pilot should contact their account representative.

Why we care. Visuals within your ads (for applicable formats) can lead to higher clickthrough rates. They may also help audiences recall your brand/ads.

With regard to this particular feature update, the Ad Creator can help you save time when creating ads by acting as an automated repository for your site images, since you won’t have to upload them manually. The built-in editing capabilities, which are now nearly ubiquitous in these types of features, may also be a timesaver, particularly for those that don’t have access to a design team.

Ad Creator’s editing capabilities. The Ad Creator comes with a lightweight photo editor, known as “smart effects” (shown below). 

Using smart effects, advertisers can differentiate their ad images from their site images by applying background colors, background blur, filters and/or cropping the images.

Source: Microsoft Advertising’s Ad Creator extracts site images for use in ads

Google Ads Has A New Way To Measure Offline Leads

As a marketer, understanding how your leads convert is crucial.

It’s easy to have a disconnect between capturing a user’s information online as a lead, and the end result of converting them to a customer.

Whether you’re in B2B or B2C, you’ve probably been met with this struggle before.

Last year, Google introduced Enhanced Conversions for web, which benefitted a lot of online stores and ecommerce transaction. Now, Google has a solution for lead generation businesses.

Google is introducing a solution to help advertisers measure offline conversions: enhanced conversions for leads.

We’ll explore how the technology works and how you can start implementing it right away.

What Are Enhanced Conversions?

Enhanced conversions is a tool you can use with existing conversion tags in Google Ads to make conversion measurement more accurate.

How does this work?

Information you receive from a lead online (email, name, address, etc.) is hashed and sent to Google. This information is then used to enhance your conversion measurement.

Google uses a secure hashing algorithm called SHA256, which is a one-way data send.

The main differences of enhanced conversions for leads include:

• Improves measurement of offline transactions that originally came from a website lead or visitor.
• When uploading lead data, the provided hashed information is attributed back to the corresponding Google Ads campaign

Google provided a helpful visual for you to understand the process.

In order for enhanced conversions to be set up, you need to have specific customer information. Google requires at least one of the customer data pieces:

• Email address (preferred)
• Name and home address
• Phone number (this must be provided in addition to one of the other attributes)

Benefits Of Enhanced Conversions

If you’re in the lead gen space, you may want to think about adopting this feature. There are many benefits to setting up enhanced conversions. Some of the main benefits include:

Easier set-up
Better performance
Flexible implementation

Source: Google Ads Has A New Way To Measure Offline Leads

Government’s WhatsApp chatbot to become a one-stop-destination to access slew of official documents

The government’s WhatsApp chatbot, launched last year to book vaccination slots and download inoculation certificates, will become a one-stop-destination to access a slew of official documents.

This will mean downloading a driving licence, income tax certificate or PAN card will become instantaneous over WhatsApp for citizens.

The pilot project has already been rolled out for tests, according to officials.

The service is expected to be formally launched in the next few weeks.

The WhatsApp chatbot interface will provide access to documents stored on a citizen’s DigiLocker.

The government has also changed the name of the MyGov Corona Helpdesk to MyGov Helpdesk to denote the expansion of services beyond just Covid-19 related resources, two officials aware of the discussions told ET.

“The interface will have the option of unlocking DigiLocker services,” a senior government official, who did not wish to be named, told ET. “When you choose the DigiLocker option, it will authenticate with your Aadhaar and OTP and will inform you of the documents available.”

The interface will ask for the OTP and mobile number to which the certificate is linked and will provide it immediately.

“It takes around 30 seconds to get the certificate,” the official said.

About 100 million people use DigiLocker currently and it has also become the national academy depository with access to all certificates of Class 10 and 12, the official added.

“In future, it will also become the health locker with all the health documents being made available th ..

Source: Government’s WhatsApp chatbot to become a one-stop-destination to access slew of official documents

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Help for Ukraine SEO & PPC specialists seeking work

We’ve all been watching the horrible events unfolding since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. One thing that you can count on in our great industry is how we come together in times of trouble to help one another.

That’s exactly what SEO entrepreneur Olesia Korobka is doing. She has created two Google Sheets, which have been shared widely in our community via social media in the last day:

• Looking for job or gig from Ukraine. More than 90 search marketers have added info about their specializations and skills.
• Digital vacancies for Ukrainians. More than 20 companies have added information about roles they are looking to fill, details about their company, and contact information.

In war, we want to help those who need it in whatever form we can. In this case, we are sharing this with our large community, in the hopes that it may help someone from Ukraine get a much-needed job or gig. So if you are short-staffed and are willing to hire a Ukrainian for SEO or PPC projects, consider contacting someone on the job/gig list or add your company’s info to the vacancies list. 

Source: Help for Ukraine SEO & PPC specialists seeking work

Google page experience update for desktop done rolling out

Google has announced that the page experience update for desktop is now done rolling out. This update started to roll out on February 22nd and now, 9-days later, it is now fully rolled out.

Page experience update for desktop. This update will include all the current signals of the mobile version of the page experience update, outside of the page needing to be mobile-friendly. Google said all of the page experience factors for mobile will be included with the exception of the mobile-friendliness requirement, which is kind of obvious. Here is a chart from Google showing the specific factors:

What is page experience? Google has a detailed developer document on-page experience criteria but in short, these metrics aim to understand how a user will perceive the experience of a specific web page: considerations such as whether the page loads quickly, if it’s mobile-friendly, runs on HTTPS, the presence of intrusive ads and if content jumps around as the page loads.

Page experience is made up of several existing Google search ranking factors, including the mobile-friendly update, Page Speed Update, the HTTPS ranking boost, the intrusive interstitials penalty, safe browsing penalty, while refining metrics around speed and usability. These refinements are under what Google calls Core Web Vitals. Please note, Google dropped the safe browsing factor last year from the page experience update.

Source: Google page experience update for desktop done rolling out

Google ‘Confirmed by phone’ label in local panel may add trust to local listings

Google is testing displaying in some local panel listing results within search if the local details of the business have been confirmed. Google is adding a label to the local listing that says “confirmed by phone” followed by when it was last confirmed; such as 8 weeks ago.

What it looks like. Here is a screenshot I captured based on Saijo George spotting this and posting about it on Twitter:

As you can see, it says this business listing was “confirmed by phone call 8 weeks ago.”

Duplex. It is possible that these are the phone calls Google automatically places to businesses to confirm that the business is open, that the phone number still works and the hour of operations are correct. This may be powered by Google Duplex or humans at Google or both.

How to get the label. You might ask, how can you get this label added to your local listing? The truth is, you do not have control over that label. Google has to call you, you have to answer and respond to the call and then Google has to decide if they want to add the label to your listing.

It is unclear if this feature will stick and if this label actually improves searcher trust and maybe clicks and interactions with the local business listing. But it is cool to see the various pieces of Google Duplex, Business Profiles, Web Search, and more all start to come together in a single interface.

Source: Google ‘Confirmed by phone’ label in the local panel may add trust to local listings

Best link-building services and strategies to get more organic traffic

Link-building isn’t easy, especially if you want it to be done right (i.e., stay compliant with Google’s Webmaster Guidelines). Nevertheless, if your goal is to siphon more organic traffic through high search engine rankings, it is vital to study the intricacies of modern white hat SEO.

Stay tuned as we’re about to reveal ten actionable white-hat link-building tactics (and a couple of bonus ones) that you can use to start building high-quality backlinks today. The strategies we’ll be covering are not only proven to work today but also lay a solid foundation for what’s to come in the SEO landscape in the years to come.

And the best part? In our ultimate white hat backlinking guide, you’ll learn all you need to know to reach your organic traffic goals now and, in the future, as well as get educated about some of the common traps and pitfalls to avoid.

Source: Best link-building services and strategies to get more organic traffic

How to be a competitive paid search marketer in 2022

The paid search marketing landscape continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Google Ads, in particular, is leading the charge, no doubt spurred on by the societal changes of the past couple of years.

“We know this channel is growing year-over-year,” said Ashley Fletcher, VP of marketing at Adthena, in a recent webinar. “It’s not going away anytime soon. Digital ad use is growing 26% year-over-year, and Google search itself is having a record-breaking quarter.”

However, with this growth comes some major changes — the disappearance of expanded text ads, restrictions on third-party cookies, and more automation — that will affect paid search marketers everywhere.

It can be difficult for marketers to remain competitive in a constantly changing search environment. To address its challenges, Fletcher offered three ways marketers could stay ahead of the game.

Source: How to be a competitive paid search marketer in 2022

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