X has officially rolled out its creator ads revenue sharing program. The new feature enables users to share revenue from verified content creators’ impressions of ads in replies to content posted on the social networking platform. Elon Musk’s platform, previously known as Twitter, has introduced this new tool as part of X’s mission to enable people to “earn a living” by posting on its site. Why we care. Musk is in the midst of trying to rebrand Twitter to X following a plummet in ad revenue after his takeover last year – and this new feature comes at a huge turning point for the platform. The program has already helped creators secure substantial early payouts, which is helping to generate interest in the brand again. However, while the payouts so far have been impressive, the eligibility qualifications are pretty high. Perhaps too high for people to realistically earn a living through X. Who is eligible? In order to be considered for the creator ads revenue sharing program, your account must meet the following criteria:
If your account meets these conditions, you’ll then need to ensure you have an account with Stripe – X’s payment processor. You’ll then need to ensure that X’s Ads Revenue Share Terms are adhered, for example, the Creator Monetization Standards and the X Rules. How it works. If your account is eligible, you’ll need to follow these simple steps to get started:
What has X said? X announced the rollout via a statement posted in its Help Center. It read:
Deep dive. Read Twitter's full announcement for more information on how its ad revenue-sharing program works. The post X launches creator ads revenue sharing program appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/PTXhB0f
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Andi Search today is launching a new semantic content engine, as well as better source attribution and a new user experience. Concepts over keywords. Andi Search is now better at understanding concepts, according to company founder Angela Hoover. The goal is to better highlight content. Being able to rank content semantically helps Andi do that, Hoover said.
What it looks like. Here’s an example search for [suggest ideas for lowering blood pressure as a 35 year old]: Visual updates. Andi now uses a “universal image discriminator,” which detects an image’s size and quality, then dynamically resizes it to display in its visual feed. Images are sourced from the webpages in Andi’s search results. What is Andi. Andi is a startup search engine that was doing conversational, generative question answering before the new Bing and Google Search Generative Experience. It generates results from its index of 30,000 high-quality websites. Dig deeper. Andi Search adds Generated Content feature. Why we care. Andi, recognizing the importance of citing its sources, is trying to set itself apart from the generative AI experiences from Google and Bing. While Andi is an alternative search engine with a tiny fraction of Google’s user base and isn’t on your SEO radar, watching the evolution of Andi’s visual, feed-based take on search results is interesting. The post Andi Search launches new semantic content engine appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/2tyEoSk This is a gentle reminder that on August 1, Google will remove similar audiences (or segments) from all ad groups and campaigns. Please have a look at the full announcement here. Campaigns using similar audiences will automatically get opted into optimised targeting and audience expansion moving forward. Marketers who would rather avoid this can go to the audiences tab in the Google Ads settings page and manually turn off the campaigns instead. It’s important to note that historical similar audiences data from past campaigns will still be accessible despite the transition. Why we (still) care. When marketers use first-party data (for example, customer lists) to create a similar audience segment, this data can generate a hugely influential performance driver for new customers within Google Ads. By combining similar segments with display ad campaigns, marketers can achieve 41% more conversions, according to Google. So losing this data will be of concern to users The new automation features set out to help marketers better connect with relevant audiences, measure results and unlock growth even more so than before, resulting in better reach and ROI. But whether they agree with Google remains to be seen. What has Google said? Google told marketers that its new features encourage an audience strategy anchored in automation, which it claims makes it easier to market at the speed of consumers. A statement posted on the Google Ads Help Center read:
Why now? Google announced in November 2022 that similar audiences would sunset in August following the phasing out of third-party cookies and the ongoing need to increase user privacy. The search engine explained:
Deep dive. Read Google's Audience Insights guide for more information on how automated solutions help advertisers achieve their marketing objectives. You can also check out our top tips on how to move away from similar audience segments and what action you should be taking next. The post Reminder – Google’s similar audiences are being removed appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/HG2PiVt Universal Analytics is still processing data one month after Google advised it would sunset. The search engine had warned that everyone would be forced to migrate over to Google Analytics 4 by 30 June 2023 or else they would lose the ability to track the performance of their websites and campaigns. However, a month later, it looks like many marketers can still use their UA accounts as usual. Why we care. The majority of marketers did not embrace the enforced migration to GA4 and many have found the new system difficult to use with complaints raised around its user interface, a lag in data and data discrepancies. Being able to still monitor campaign and website performance in UA will come as a huge relief to those that have been struggling with GA4. However, as tempting as it may be, it would be unwise for marketers to rely on UA for analytics purposes as it could stop processing data at any minute. What’s the latest? Shopify’s official support channel was asked by a marketer to comment on when UA data would stop processing data on its merchant platform on Friday. A spokesperson said on X:
Word of warning. Although it does appear to be business as usual for many using UA, a warning that started appearing on the tool at the start of the month is still there, warning users to migrate to GA4. It reads:
UA sunsets for some. While many marketers can still access their data on UA, others have confirmed to Search Engine Land that their accounts have stopped processing data. James Brockbank, managing director of Digitaloft, told us:
For marketers still using UA as opposed to GA4, it looks as though their accounts may very well be on borrowed time. What has Google said? Google has confirmed that the sunset of UA has already begun but that properties are being removed in stages. All access to UA will be completely be gone by 1 July 2024. The search engine confirmed on the Analytics Help Center:
Deep dive: For more information on how to migrate to GA4, read Google’s ‘Learn how to make the switch‘ guide. The post Universal Analytics still processing data one month after ‘sunset’ appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/rhRdjq1 While content is a foundational aspect of any SEO plan, it can be overwhelming for a local business to produce. An HVAC company, hardware store, or real estate agent may not have the time, budget or capacity to roll out an exhaustive content marketing program that a B2B SaaS startup would implement to gain market share. To heed the advice of creating content, many local businesses default to blogging. Yet the results are usually underwhelming: a few 300-word articles that are read by a total of three people. Local content: More than blog postsLocal content can be product or service pages, case studies, client testimonials, and other content pieces that:
Local content doesn’t even need to be written content. The rise of iPhones, GoPros, and user-friendly editing tools means local content can include images, videos, podcasts or stories on your website. The most important part is that you are creating content that helps you build authority and trust with your potential customers. Dig deeper: How to use location-specific authority content for SEO Below are the different types of content a local business should invest in. 1. ‘About’ contentThe old adage is true: “People do business with other people, not businesses.” That is especially true with local businesses. Customers often seek out local products or services because they can get to know the sales staff, management, and owners. A priority for any local website should include presenting your business authentically and helping your potential customers know, like, and trust you. Use your website to introduce:
Your company’s story is unique and helps set you apart from the rest of the competition. Make sure it is front and center on your website. Here are some types of content you can create to introduce your company’s story: ‘About us’ page
Company beliefs
Company history
Community impact
Our team
Careers page
2. Products and servicesPotential customers searching for a specific product or service will start at Google; your goal is to get your product or service page to appear in their search results. One of the most common mistakes I see local service businesses make is that they have a single page listing all their services. For instance, an exterior remodeling company only has a single service page with a paragraph – or, even worse, a bulleted list – mentioning that they install roofing, siding, windows, doors, and decks. At a minimum, you must have dedicated pages for every service you offer. Going deeper and having specific pages for sub-services would be even better. So you don’t just want a roofing page – you want pages on roof repair, roof replacement, hail damage, and even pages for each type of roofing material. Here are some additional types of content you can create for your products or services: Local angle
Your expertise
Brands
3. ProofAny business can make claims on their website: “We are the best…” “We are the most affordable…” “We are the most responsive…” But what separates great local websites is how they make a claim and back it up using social proof. Social proof is a psychological principle in which you help people take action based on the actions of others. In practice, social proof shows that others have purchased from you and are satisfied with the results. There are plenty of ways to highlight social proof on your website: Testimonials
Case studies
External recognition
4. Your differenceWhy should someone choose your business? In a world of sameness, what makes your company different? Your website should clarify who you are, what you do, who you serve, and what makes you different. Here are some ways to introduce the difference in your website's content: Process
Comparison against competitors
Comparison against other products or services
5. PricingPricing is one of the touchiest areas in local content – especially for service businesses. I get it. There are legitimate reasons why you don't want pricing on your website. But your potential customers are looking for it. Who do you want to control the pricing discussion and help them justify their budget – you or your crosstown competitor? While you may not be able to give exact pricing on your website, there are still plenty of ways to broadly discuss pricing. This will help set proper expectations and even better pre-qualify prospects, often resulting in improved lead quality. Here are some ideas on how you can create content on pricing your services: Give a price range
Price breakdown
Additional fees
Why businesses charge more or less
Local content: Presenting your business to your customersCreating local content is not about creating thousands of spammy content pages to hack your way to the top of search results. Nor is it thin blog posts that don't get read by anyone. This guide has plenty of content ideas to fuel your local content strategy and help you best present your company to Google and your potential customers. Dig deeper: Local SEO in 2023: 5 simple ways to dominate local search The post How to create local content that builds trust and drives sales appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/NLRzhCH Programmatic advertising enables digital marketers to buy advertising space through automated technology and machine learning, typically using a demand-side platform (DSP). Leaning on automation is nothing new to most marketers. Programmatic advertising streamlines the process of buying ad inventory across a huge network of platforms. It also gives advertisers greater control and granularity over placements, budgets and creative assets. Yet, automating the media buying process has its downside: it’s easy to let the system take over without considering what’s best for your agency. With many targeting, creative, and optimization options, determining the right approach for each client can be overwhelming. Here are five tips to ensure your programmatic campaign is as successful as possible. 1. Know your objectiveA clear purpose is key to your programmatic strategy. Clearly focusing on your client’s objectives will inform almost everything about how you set up your programmatic activity. Is your client looking to:
They might want to do all three (in our experience, this is often the case). Knowing these objectives will help you allocate budget accordingly and make a bigger impact where it matters most. To put this in perspective, if your goal is to build brand awareness, you can opt for a CPM bid, prioritizing impressions, or a CPE (cost per engagement) model, where you pay for the impression only when the user clicks and stays on the site for more than 15 seconds. Alternatively, a lower funnel objective will probably involve implementing a CPC bid strategy. Aligning your objectives with your campaign strategy from the outset is key. 2. Plan your approachAs with most digital advertising channels, programmatic is designed to reach the right people at the right time. And, as with most digital advertising channels, programmatic performs best when you give it a clear steer on which audiences to go after. Thankfully, programmatic advertising can be a powerful forecasting tool, providing valuable insights into campaign performance and scalability. You can use this immediately before putting a campaign live or even to get an idea of how a campaign would perform if you were to launch an activity in the future. You can gain a forecast of how your campaign will perform by defining several parameters, such as:
This is valuable, as it helps you identify which levers will improve performance. 3. Go multi-channelIn today’s online ecosystem, consumers have more touch points than ever when interacting with a brand. It’s wise to adopt a strategy that will reach those users across platforms, channels and devices. Programmatic advertising has a multichannel approach advantage over the Google Display Network. You can target potential customers across the following channels:
Using multiple channels in your programmatic strategy will help you capture the attention of consumers active on different platforms and create a consistent message for those across multiple channels. 4. Target the right peopleTargeting relevant audiences is crucial for a successful programmatic campaign. Experienced marketers familiar with paid search and social campaigns will find some familiar targeting options in programmatic, with some offering even more control. Page Context AI (PCAI) advertisingPage Context AI (PCAI) advertising leverages artificial intelligence to place your ads in the right place in the right context, using keywords that you give it to determine where ads are placed. For example, if you give the system a keyword such as “surfboard,” PCAI will look for available placements on sites where the content relates to surfboards and surfboarding. You can also determine the extent to which the system expands its reach. You can keep it hyper-relevant and appear only on specialist sites related to your keyword or broaden the targeting by using it as a starting point. Lookalike audiencesLookalike audiences enable you to create a list of users whose online behaviors closely match those who have visited your site previously. (This can then be expanded to lookalikes of users who purchased from your site.) Lookalike audiences ensure your campaigns reach relevant users with characteristics that align with your existing customers. DealsMany programmatic DSPs will offer deals. Deals are custom-built packages that target specific inventory based on device and audience targeting previously used by other advertisers. Want to run a cannabis advertising campaign in the USA on Connected TV? Check. A Spotify-only audio campaign for pet products in France? There’s a deal for that. Deals have the advantage of being highly specific and having built-in forecasts, making them a powerful all-in-one option when it comes to targeting. 5. Use data to optimizeOnce your campaign is live, reviewing and optimizing your campaign performance is crucial in ensuring a successful programmatic campaign. Ideally, once your campaign is live, you should optimize throughout its duration. There are two main ways to optimize your programmatic campaigns: Against objectivesConsider your campaign KPIs and how you are performing against them. Is your average CPC much higher than the CPC bid you originally opted for when setting up the campaign? Certain devices or audiences could be driving that up. You might want to consider pausing them. Is your campaign budget being eaten up by targeting users on tablets? You could set a negative bid adjustment, telling the system to bid, let’s say 75% less, for users who are on tablets. Identifying which devices, audiences or placements are the outliers in terms of your KPIs is key to meeting your overall campaign objectives. Placement analysisProgrammatic advertising reaches approximately 95% of the web, so it's natural that some placements will outperform others. Analyze your placement reports to get a sense of the quality of the site your ads appear on and which supply sources are performing the best. If there’s a certain niche placement that's relevant to your campaign that has a really strong CTR and conversion rate, adjust your bids so that it’s able to perform. If certain supply sources tend to eat up the budget but have a low conversion rate, consider lowering their bids or excluding them altogether. Your campaigns will usually improve over time by default. Still, you can speed up this process by reviewing your campaign data and prioritizing the areas driving the best performance. Maximize programmatic advertising with these tipsThere’s much more to programmatic than can be explained in a single article. However, sticking to these five tips will give you and your campaigns a great chance of success. The post 5 tips for a successful programmatic ad campaign appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/YrJvqNL B2B companies struggle with keyword research for various reasons:
Every niche and site is different – even under the B2B umbrella. Having worked with several B2B businesses to help drive millions of visitors along with real revenue and business value, I have developed a process for gathering a list of keyword targets to drive real leads, pipeline, and revenue for any B2B website. This article will walk you through the entire process of what to do – including three types of keywords many B2B companies ignore that you shouldn’t. The basicsThe first phase of keyword research is to build out a list of possible keyword targets. At this stage, you can be liberal with adding keywords here, as not all will make the cut as potential targets. Some fundamental keywords will be obvious. If you sell software that helps companies with pricing and quotes, you’re probably aware of the term “CPQ software.” Terms that are obvious descriptions of your product or service, you know competitors are using, or are frequently used buzzwords in your space are good additions to your list. QuestionnaireWe always start a new project with a B2B client with a kickoff questionnaire that asks the client to share information, such as:
Even if you’re working in-house, reviewing and revisiting these can be a great jumping-off point for keyword research. Historical dataLooking at your site or your client’s historical PPC and SEO data can be a suitable means of finding ideas. For an older site, an overlooked opportunity may be to pull back and look at specific queries and pages that have lost traffic over time. You may then want to refresh or create net-new content around those assets. Pain pointsPain points are great B2B keywords because they allow you to demonstrate to searchers that:
There are several reliable ways to find these types of keywords: Forums/message boardsContinuing with our CPQ example, let’s say I’m trying to find good topics for my CPQ software site. I want to see what issues these users struggle with and the questions they raise their hands to ask. First, let’s look at a really basic search to demonstrate the “why” of the process here: I just searched for my core topic + Reddit. Some threads are likely to be pretty ripe with pain points. When I look at the first thread, there’s this comment: This leads us to another great place to find pain points and possible keyword ideas: user forums for related or competitive products. This thread is about Salesforce’s CPQ product, and the commenter mentions looking at “won’t fix” issues and the “ideas” list. If a competitor has a publicly available forum, you can work through threads to see what people are struggling with, what features they’d like to see, etc. These areas could be good focuses for keywords. (Again, we don’t know anything about volume and competition here, but we can add them to our list to dive into.) Mining testimonials, reviews and customer interviewsSimilarly, looking at customer and prospect data can be helpful as well. Specifically, look at:
They can get you started down many fruitful keyword paths. Another great resource is third-party reviews. This is similar to forums in that you can “listen in” to what real users say about your competitor’s product. This is from TrustRadius, which aggregates reviews of Salesforce CPQ. If you filter by the best and worst reviews, you can get a sense of both customers’ biggest pain points and your competitors’ most important selling features. As you scroll through the various review sites, you can also get topic ideas from areas like categories, alternatives considered, etc.: Again these aren’t necessarily terms we want to immediately create content against, but we can add anything that seems like a good topic for a blog post or page on our site to our list for vetting. CompetitorsUsing a tool like Ahrefs or Semrush to see what terms your competitors are ranking for is a common and effective keyword research tactic. There are multiple types of competitors, however. Search result competitorsThe sites you compete against in search results may not always be product or service competitors.
Let’s say we're attempting to rank for a broad informational term like “market pricing.” This is a screenshot of that search result (with the Ahrefs Chrome Extension turned on to give some additional data about the sites ranking): This is a great example of “SERP competitors” being different from product competitors. While my fictitious company makes CPQ software, I’m competing with a job board, a related but different software company, and a publishing site – if we deem this term relevant and worth targeting. Once you find these SERP competitors, how do you mine them for keywords? SERP competitor halo effectFirst, if I have a relatively new, small site and my product and prospect focus is narrow, I obviously can’t just drop “Indeed.com” into Ahrefs and hope to get useful keyword ideas: What I’m looking for in terms of an ideal SERP competitor to mine keywords from is:
This way, I know my site will have a chance to match that site in terms of topical authority and domain authority. For those types of sites, I can add the URL to my favorite tool and pull out terms I want to add to my list. With a larger site like in the example above, what I can do is add some filters such as:
At that point, you’ll have more relevant terms that you are more likely to actually rank for. Once you find relevant terms from one competitor, go into the search results for those related terms and find more SERP competitors to research. After researching market pricing, let's say I found a great SERP competitor who also ranked for "price waterfall," a term I wanted to target. I can take that one step further, and once I know that that’s a great term, go into that SERP and see which sites are ranking: Now I have some new sites I can dive into to find more keyword ideas. Particularly if my domain authority is somewhere in the range of these sites and they’re covering similar topics (even if their core product/service/monetization isn’t the same as mine). Product and service competitorsLooking at the direct product and service competitors can be helpful, too. Just keep in mind a few possible pitfalls:
Note: The sites in the example above are very authoritative sites in terms of volume and quality of links (despite the keyword difficulty of the example term there being a 2) – demonstrating that keyword difficulty scores aren’t always what they appear to be. Industry resourcesAnother great means of collecting B2B keyword ideas is leveraging industry resources. Mining glossariesThis could be a standard informational industry glossary or a glossary of terms for a major competitor. In the Salesforce CPQ example, they actually have a glossary of terms related to their products: The terms listed here are good candidates to add to your list for possible keyword targets. Conference agendasSimilarly, the agendas for the conferences your prospects are attending can help you understand hot topics in the niche and things that are of interest that you can add to your keyword list. Publishing sitesEven if they didn’t surface as “SERP competitors,” niche publications are often a good source of keyword ideas. As with competitors, you can look for terms and pages that rank and drive traffic for these sites. But ensure the sites have a similar topical theme and level of authority. Overlooked (sometimes controversial) keyword opportunitiesMany B2B companies operate in regulated industries and are very specific about the types of content they produce and publish on their blog. For companies that have a sufficient amount of leeway, there are a few content types that many B2B companies overlook that can target valuable content: Top funnel glossary contentSometimes “What is X” content seems too basic for many B2B companies as it may not be valuable for advanced audiences. While this may be the case, this type of content can serve a few purposes:
Mentioning competitorsMany B2B sites are unwilling to mention competitors for various reasons. But if you’re willing to, you open up some new keyword opportunities further down the funnel. One is “best of” queries. Many times when a searcher is looking for the “best X” they want a list of options. This may mean having to list out competitors and say accurate things about them (and your own products and services). If you do, you can get top real estate for valuable search terms, however, like in this example: Additionally, your competitors’ brand names and modifiers frequently have reasonable search volume and are very high intent. Terms like:
If you’re willing to write accurately about competitors and yourself, you can generate relevant traffic and trust with prospects. Note: Be careful to be aware of any potential legal issues. This is the type of content you want to run by executives before publishing. Mapping terms to topics and a content planFinally, you need to take what’s hopefully a large list of potential keywords and start to both cull it down and then turn it into action. You can run the terms through your favorite keyword tool to help you prioritize based on keyword difficulty and search volume. However, it’s also important to:
This last step is critical: you’re effectively getting a broad set of possible keyword ideas from the process until now. From there, you want to build the topical clusters around the most relevant and profitable terms. You can use several tools and processes, including Ahrefs, LowFruits.io, Search Response, AlsoAsked, and even Google to find related terms and search suggestions. Building out your content map and calendar is its own process, but the steps above should give you plenty of opportunities to find great B2B keyword ideas. Dig deeper: How to do B2B content marketing the right way (with 5 examples) The post B2B keyword research: A comprehensive guide appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/xNCjQlE Ad spend increased across Google, Meta, Amazon and Walmart during the first two quarters of 2023. Another major advertising platform on the grow in Q2: fashion brand Temu. The company became a major player in the Google Shopping race, so much so that it is now competing against 82% of US advertisers – to put this percentage into perspective, this is a higher share than Walmart, according to Tinuiti’s latest Digital Ads Benchmark Report. Why we care. An increase in ad spend is fantastic news for marketers as it shows that stability and trust in the digital ad space is finally returning following the economic downturn. The more brands are willing to spend, the more opportunities that are created for advertisers – not just in terms of campaign volume, but bigger budgets will give advertisers access to more resources to improve engagement, conversions and ROI. The business’ strong performance will also be of interest to marketers previously thinking of buying ad space with Walmart, as Temu may now be considered a serious alternative. What has Tinuiti said? Andy Taylor, vice president of research at Tinuiti, suggested Temu’s success was unexpected:
By the numbers. Among the most interesting stats highlighted in the 31-page report:
The report. You can download Tinuiti's latest Digital Ads Benchmark Report to dive deeper into all the numbers and trends. The post Ad spend up across Google, Meta, Amazon, Walmart in Q2 appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/h3UbCjS You’ve probably heard the news: Google Ads and Google Analytics 4 will completely retire first-click, linear, time decay, and position-based attribution models in September. Last-click and data-driven attribution models will remain available, along with external attribution. What some PPC marketers don’t realize is that Google won’t just discontinue these attribution models from a bidding standpoint. They will also be removed from the reporting and comparison features. This means you can no longer analyze your customer journeys within Google Ads and Google Analytics using attribution models. You need alternatives. A look at attribution modelsAttribution models help connect a conversion (i.e., a sale or a lead) to an ad click or impression. It’s a way to determine which ads, audiences or networks perform best. Historically, we’ve used several attribution models with different rules to make that connection. Using football analogy, here’s what each model represents:
The issue with Google’s preferred attribution modelThis shift leaves data-driven attribution (DDA) as the default attribution model in Google Ads. Google doesn’t share the rules that decide what ads to link to a conversion. I personally assume DDA utilizes a combination of the aforementioned attribution models. There’s one very cool bit, though: DDA is tailored to your account.
Theoretically, this is perfect. An attribution model custom-made just for you. And you didn’t even have to bother thinking about those rules! Yet, it sounds too good to be true. DDA is tailored to your account. But based on what criteria? We don’t know. This shouldn’t matter as long as it works. And we could make sure it does by comparing it to other models. But what happens now that Google will discontinue “old” attribution models from the reporting section? Does fewer attribution models necessarily mean poorer performance?Now that’s the real question. While we probably all hate to lose more control with every year that passes by, that shouldn’t be an issue as long as performance keeps on increasing. And as we saw earlier, the impact is minor in terms of bid management (3% of all conversions). The real issue lies elsewhere – at the strategic level. As Google states:
So how do we optimize across conversion journeys if we lack visibility? Let’s walk through an example first: Analyzing customer journeys in actionOne of our clients has a relatively simple media mix, so I’ll use that as an example to illustrate my point. Like in football, that client has different tactics: defenders, midfielders and strikers. It takes that whole team to score a goal.
Notice that paid search “scores” pretty well when using the first click attribution model. However, not so much when using last click. Organic search and email marketing steal the show when using that attribution model. This is as expected, though, because:
Or, to put it in football terms:
Is DDA enough?Would you have understood this conversion funnel without those attribution models? Probably. This example is quite straightforward. But what if we start working on a B2B project where sales take months or a B2C project where repeat purchases are important? Now that’s another story. I have seen plenty of examples where DDA did not perform well. I think validating DDA conclusions with old and rigid attribution models still has value. Without such benchmarks, you expose yourself to potential harm. After all, machine learning is only as intelligent as the data we feed it. Here are three solutions for advertisers looking to adapt to the changes. Solution 1: Next-level tagging planDeveloping a solid data program is your first step to identifying customer journey interactions. Through complete tracking, you can use DDA or last click attribution models confidently… but with all those customer journey steps to replace first click and so on. I know it's not ideal but this is a first step. If we use my example above, you’d attribute last click leads to non-branded search and last click sales to branded search. Not ideal, but it works. Naturally, this requires tracking the entire customer journey. You can't rely on your old simplistic tagging plan. You need micro-conversions. Solution 2: Integrating CRM dataWhen tracking conversions, do you stop at sales? Now you need to track and feed the entire customer journey (yes, including post-sale) back into ad platforms through external attribution. You can then use that tool for increased visibility – like lead scoring but with client scoring this time. If you spot performance discrepancies, this should enable you to influence your bids differently from the "data-driven" model. In short, the CRM must become (if it isn't already) a central tool for advertisers to better understand and inform the customer journey – and, consequently, the appropriate media mix. Solution 3: Other attribution methodsI’m venturing into more sophisticated grounds here, which doesn’t apply to all projects. Basically, incrementality means exposing an audience to your ad and purposefully hiding that same ad from a similar audience, and then comparing both audiences’ performance levels. As you can imagine, this method is very cool but prone to errors. (Not to mention only available if you have big budgets in the first place for data reliability purposes.) Your next best bet is with customer surveys. For example, you can use an exit-intent popup (asking leaving visitors where they came from, what they didn’t like, etc.) or additional fields in your purchase/lead journey to capture additional information. Naturally, be careful with such declarative data since they are often skewed to an extent. There’s no perfect attribution modelThroughout this article, I’ve been chasing the perfect way to measure performance. But don’t get lost in the rabbit hole. There is no such thing as perfect attribution. What you want is a reliable yet directional input to your strategy. Getting past that stage is for ad geeks like me, but not useful for business decision-making. Prioritize accordingly. The post Google’s attribution model shake-up: 3 solutions for advertisers appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/1tWbGIP Google has launched a new customer support feature on Merchant Center. The new tool enables retailers to input their customer support information and returns policy. Merchant Center is then able to share these details with shoppers without them ever having to leave the program. Why we care. Consumers often feel frustrated and dissatisfied when they can’t easily access customer support and returns-related information while shopping online. Giving them the ability to quickly and easily search for these details within Merchant Center not only improves the user experience but helps to build trust amongst shoppers with that brand. The more shoppers trust a brand, the more likely they are to make purchase and become a loyal customer. Setting up customer support information. Google has provided the following instructions on how retailers can add their customer support information:
What has Google said? Google explained the importance of providing customer service information via a statement issued on Merchant Center:
Deep dive. Read Google's Merchant Center customer support guide for more information. The post Google Merchant Center introduces customer support feature appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/TM4qOni |
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