Google May 2022 core update is finished rolling out
Google has confirmed that the May 2022 core update is now finished rolling out. The update took 15 days to roll out, starting on May 25, 2022, and ending on June 9, 2022.
More on the May 2022 core update
The SEO community. The May 2022 core update seems much more significant than November 2021 one. Unlike the November 2021 core update, where the timing for the update was not the best, i.e. right during the busiest online shopping season, this update was scheduled a lot better for retailers. I covered the community reaction in one blog post on the Search Engine Roundtable early on. It includes some early chatter, ranking charts, and social shares from some SEOs.
On Twitter, you can find plenty of examples of SEOs sharing charts from their clients – mostly showing winners but also showing losers – with this update.
What to do if you are hit. Google has given advice on what to consider if you are negatively impacted by a core update in the past. There aren’t specific actions to take to recover, and in fact, a negative rankings impact may not signal anything is wrong with your pages. However, Google has offered a list of questions to consider if your site is hit by a core update. Google did say you can see a bit of recovery between core updates but the most significant change you would see would be after another core update.
Source: Google May 2022 core update is finished rolling out
4 proven methods to improve Google RSA conversion rates
As machine learning seizes yet another opportunity to beat out human capabilities, Google Ads is officially retiring Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) on June 30.
The simple days of three headlines and two descriptions will be replaced by mix-and-match opportunities of up to 15 headlines and four descriptions.
Advantages to running Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) include:
- The ability to test multiple ad copies at once without the manual labor of setting up different ads.
- Endless ad copy combinations, allow for robust testing and quicker learning.
- Automatic winning ad-optimization. The system will award the most impressions to the winning ad copy combinations in the end.
However, trust concerns arise when advertisers use these algorithms. RSA reporting leaves much to be desired, as you can only see the number of impressions for each asset and combination.
Does the lack of control over ad copy combinations leave you questioning if there’s more you can do to optimize performance?
Read on to discover four ways to improve RSA conversion rates – with test findings to back them up.
1. Look beyond impressions for decision-making
Google provides impression volume for each headline and description.
If you’re receiving enough volume (over 5,000 impressions in 30 days), then the algorithm may be able to assign a performance rating to your ad copy. The ratings include:
- Low
- Good
- Best
While it is recommended that you replace a “low” performing asset with a new variation to improve CTR, impression volume is simply not enough to dictate a true winner.
2. Don’t worry about ad strength for conversion volume
When comparing ETAs and RSAs, advertisers often see higher CTR in RSAs but lower CVR.
This could be caused by the lack of messaging control and Google’s push for advertisers to follow best practices to improve their ad strength.
In order to bring your RSA ad strength from Poor to Excellent, Google wants to create and test as many ad copy combinations as possible, recommending:
- To maximize the number of headlines and descriptions (up to 15 headlines and four descriptions per ad)
- Unique headlines and descriptions
- Unpinned copy
- To include high-volume keywords in your ad copy
While following best practices is said to be optimal for performance, advertising rebels should run their own tests. Manual testing can continue after ETAs disappear.
3. Run experiments to test ad copy variables
Now that we know we can pin ad copy without any repercussions to our CPL or CVR, we can think about the proper way to A/B test headline and description variations.
When leveraging smart bidding tactics, algorithms are doing what they can to help you reach your goals. Even when you check the Do not optimize ad rotation option in the settings, Google is not serving your ads evenly because it is working to satisfy your campaign goals first.
Knowing that Google will favor one RSA over another if you run two RSAs in one ad group simultaneously, gaining true KPIs on each ad copy variable is difficult when impression volume is so skewed.
The best way to test one variable at a time is to set up a custom experiment or ad variation. This will ensure that the spend gets split 50/50 for each ad.
4. Create ETAs within RSAs
Although this test defeats the purpose of Google’s ETA exile, you can offer just three headlines and two descriptions per ad.
Testing two pseudo-ETAs in an experiment is a great way to analyze winning ad copy.
In this experiment, we looked at giving the algorithm some freedom while maintaining control of our messaging:
Client B is on a tCPA bidding strategy and needs to get the most efficient CPL possible.
- Control (Base): RSA with ten headlines and four descriptions; Top 3 headlines and top 2 descriptions pinned, based on impression volume
- Test (Trial): RSA with only top 3 headlines and top 2 descriptions, based on impression volume
Source: 4 proven methods to improve Google RSA conversion rates
WordPress launches new version WordPress 6.0, Arturo
The WordPress community points out some fascinating and amazing views on the latest version. The viewers have warmly accepted the newest version of WordPress. There was some conflict on the plugin, but the option remains fairly and evenly accepted.
Recent trends from WordPress documentation call it out to 36.2 WordPress sites updating to the release. It got done within just two weeks of the launch. Only 20% of the new user sticks to the 5.9 version. The new version includes many cool features.
The version change also depicts that there is an update on all the available features. It might be a problem for some users. The version changes often indicate many other things, more like a new cell phone model in your favorite phone company. Though, WordPress affirms that will not happen here. The newest representation is more like accumulative changes. It will reform the process of creating the website, making it more accessible.
A Facebook group of WordPress users are still some way not ready to update the version. The acceptance is still at some place other to achieve. A member pointed out the lack of documentation in the newest version, and that may be a valid point.
Source: WordPress launches new version WordPress 6.0, Arturo
Elementor Acquires Strattic
Elementor, a popular website builder plugin that is active on more than five million websites, has acquired Strattic, a static and headless WordPress hosting company. Strattic will continue operating as “Strattic by Elementor” and the team will remain as its own unit within the company.
Elementor founders Yoni Luksenberg and Ariel Klikstein met Strattic founder and CEO Miriam Schwab 10 years ago when they attended a WordCamp she organized in Jerusalem. The following year Elementor sponsored the WordCamp she organized in Tel Aviv. In 2020, Elementor raised $15M in its first round of funding, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, after passing four million users.
Schwab founded Strattic in 2018 as the first WordPress hosting company to streamline the creation of static files managed via a headless install.
“Very early on it became clear to us at Strattic that we had better make sure we support Elementor in the static versions of our sites,” Schwab said. “More and more users were coming to us with sites built on Elementor, which was a strong indication of the plugin’s growing adoption and popularity. We prioritized supporting it in general, including rolling out support for their forms, and most recently adding a Strattic publish button from the Elementor editor.”
Source: Elementor Acquires Strattic
More news:
Google Chrome’s Topics API test going public on July 1
Instagram Releases New Reels Features
Apple Search campaigns shifting to cost-per-tap (CPT) pricing model
