With the Google December 2022 link spam update and helpful content update both still rolling out, SEOs are worried that Google may have one more Google algorithm update up its sleeve before the year’s end. Well, it will not happen, said John Mueller from the Google Search team. No more core updates this year. John Mueller said on Twitter, “FWIW, just to be clear, there’s no core update lined up for the rest of the year.” Rankings might not be stable. But like I said before, the link spam update and helpful content update both still rolling out, so ranking volatility may still occur until those are done rolling out. And of course, rankings are never static, new content is being added daily, and Google is crawling and indexing those new web pages and the signals that come from those pages. John added on Twitter, “that doesn’t mean there won’t be visible changes; the linkspam & HCS updates are still rolling out, and, Search continues to reflect changes across the web.” So SEOs still may have their work out for them throughout the next couple of weeks leading up to the holidays. The tweet. Here is John’s tweet:
Why we care. With many SEOs and marketers already starting to take off for the holidays, some may be doing so with a little anxiety as these updates finish to roll out. That being said, core updates tend to be the most volatile updates and so far, the helpful content updates and even this link spam update, seem relatively minor in terms of the footprint it had across the web. Sure, if your site was hit by an update, you will feel the ranking declines and traffic, but it seems like most sites were not yet impacted by these updates. And with no core updates scheduled for the next couple weeks, hopefully some of you can enjoy the holidays and new year. The post Google says don’t expect a new core update by year-end appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/J9BvD4T
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In 2022, Google made several announcements, updates, and not-so-subtle nudges that shifted the paid search landscape. (Google’s announcement page is a helpful and relatively objective compendium.) This article will break down:
A quick recap of major announcementsThe change that got the most attention (for good reason, which I’ll explain briefly) was Google sunsetting Expanded Text Ads. This forced advertisers toward Responsive Search Ads (RSAs), which the platform announced in August 2021 and took effect in July 2022. Other big updates included a big push toward Performance Max. Released to all advertisers in November 2021, it has taken over most ecommerce accounts with Google’s heavy-handed push away from Smart Shopping. A similar trend with RSAs, Performance Max encourages marketers to advertise across YouTube, Display, Gmail, and Maps aside from search and signifies less control for advertisers as bidding and ad placements are automated. It also means expert advertisers have fewer ways to give their campaigns an advantage over those run by beginners. (Lowering the barrier of entry seemed to be a big theme for Google in 2022.) On the brighter side, Google released useful reporting upgrades with Custom Columns. They introduced nuance and flexibility within the Google Ads UI and took the burden of off-UI reporting workarounds from advertisers. The last significant shift was the rise of image extensions (now called “assets”), which Google released to desktop en masse at the end of 2021. Currently, image assets include a “dynamic” option that automatically uses the most relevant image from the ad’s destination landing page. This change shows Google’s directional push toward a more interactive SERP which they highlighted at Search On 22. While image assets do often result in a lift in CTR (which makes sense since images draw attention), I haven’t witnessed much of a performance difference in my client accounts in regard to conversion. Advertisers can control images by adding them at the ad group or campaign level. If you only add one, Google will only serve that one. As with any other asset, there’s no guarantee it’ll show every time. I recommend turning off the “dynamic” option unless you fully trust Google to pick the most appropriate image from a multi-image landing page. The most helpful release of 2022Let's start with the good news: Custom Columns have made the reporting part of our lives easier. Before the Custom Columns upgrade, Google reports only supported one conversion column that lets you segment by conversion actions without associated metrics like spend. This produced a not-all-that-useful view. Now, Custom Columns features a higher-level look that actually associates metrics with different conversion types, which looks like this. Along with the new view, Custom Columns offers enhanced spreadsheet functionality (i.e., more calculation options that compare different time periods). The ability to compare time periods is very helpful for identifying fluctuations and trouble spots. Set up indicators to give yourself a dynamic roadmap of priorities identified by data. My favorite creation here is a static 30-day look back of performance, regardless of the time period you're using in the Campaign Manager. The skeptic might say that adding this functionality within the UI and removing the need for advertisers to create their own custom reporting is another way Google is leveling the playing field for all search marketers, regardless of experience. My take is that marketers who were taking the extra reporting step are relatively advanced, and now there are competitive advantages to be had from using the functionality to its fullest. The least helpful release of 2022A couple of caveats here:
That said, Google sunsetting ETAs in favor of RSAs on June 30 was, for me, the biggest setback of the 2022 updates. It's not necessarily that RSAs always perform worse. There are accounts where RSAs are outperforming old ETA numbers. But there were accounts we haven't yet restructured wherein legacy ETAs continued to outperform tons of RSA combos no matter what we tried. In general, we usually see an increase in CTR and CPLs when we switch to RSAs, which means they're effective at getting the right people to click but don't tend to convert as well. The real issue, for me, is that advertisers just don't have as many options for ad formats. You can technically recreate an ETA by using pinning mechanisms in the UI. But this always results in a warning saying your ad strength is horrible, making me suspect that its ability to serve is limited. Essentially, Google will get its way here – less advertiser control, higher CTR, and potentially higher CPL. In an economy with a big premium on efficiency, that's not great news for advertisers. Looking aheadUltimately, 2022 is the year when Google leaned even more heavily into AI and machine learning. Time will tell whether those tools get more efficient over time. For now, Google is walking a fine line between pulling in revenue (efficiency doesn't help their bottom line, after all) and alienating advertisers who will seek more profitable engagement elsewhere. For advertisers, the upshot is that while Google has made the barrier to advertising low, we can still distinguish our accounts by:
Heading into 2023, I believe the most important skill to differentiate yourself as a Google Ads expert and get better results is a combination of platform experience and critical thinking. I've run into plenty of advertisers pining for the more manual days of yore. The trick will be to draw on our experience and think critically. Let's use the limited tools Google gives us to adapt as much as possible and work with automation. The post Google Ads updates in 2022: The good, the bad, the jury’s still out appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/djSlp5H Change is the only constant in SEO. At the moment, change is the only constant in the economy. Adapting to SEO shifts, reduced paid spending, and the general consensus of having to do more with less have hit marketers hard. As C-suite members look to reduce costs and improve efficiencies, SEO has risen to become an essential boardroom agenda item. SEO is impacting website performance across every type of industry. It provides vital business insights into consumer behavior and intent while helping content get discovered and measured. With this in mind, and as we look toward 2023, how SEOs communicate to key stakeholders across their organization will be of the most critical importance. Additionally, as competition for digital marketing budgets intensifies, the importance of SEO success and performance must be recognized and rewarded. As SEO becomes engrained in many parts of a business – from providing insights for sales and product and optimizing content to partnering with digital media teams – it is critical to address the following.
Here are some insights and tips to help you communicate to the C-suite. SEO in the boardroom: Challenges and opportunitiesConversations at the C-level are constantly pivoting due to changes in the economy, fluctuations in demand and supply, and organizational changes. Companies of every size across every industry face the constant challenges of innovating for the future and meeting the demands of tomorrow’s customers. Understanding the needs of the customer and their experiences has become the number one focus for every business. The organic channel is perfect for helping key members of the C-suite to:
C-suite conversations are also highly focused on performance. However, it is not about driving performance at all costs. Instead, it is about driving performance in the most efficient way possible with the best gross margin possible. When it comes to the organic channel and SEO, C-level executives appreciate the ROI of the organic channel. Organic search drives over 51% of website traffic – a percentage that has held constant for nearly eight years. This is a great starting point when building conversations with C-level executives. However, the challenge that many SEOs have is twofold:
And you cannot get one without having the other. Understanding the C-suite and key business metrics that matterThe C-suite drives the company's business strategy and manages employees. However, not everyone in this position has an equal amount of knowledge about digital marketing techniques. Some may be more skilled than others in technical skills like coding or designing websites. At the same time, another person could specialize in product strategies instead. Regardless of their SEO knowledge levels, all members work toward common goals:
Regarding organic search, measures of one campaign's success do not always translate directly into what members in your organization view as a victory. To bridge this gap between communication and understanding for everyone involved, you should begin by establishing how vital SEO is on an individual level with those who can make decisions based on these numbers. You can also show them how your efforts are helping promote other digital marketing channels while boosting customer retention rates through more personalized offerings based on understanding the customer experience. As media budgets are reduced, organizations are being asked to do more with less with more. There has never been a better time to communicate the importance and value of SEO. Your goal here is to establish that:
SEO is an investment that provides compounded interest from short-term wins to long-term incremental gains. The time and effort that goes into it are sticky. It does not go away and builds over time. It is durable and provides exponential growth. These are things a C-suite member loves to hear! Every organization has different hierarchical structures and titles. However, for illustrative purposes, below are a few examples based on a generic enterprise C-level structure. CEOThe chief executive officer (CEO) is always interested in overall performance. CEOs:
Metrics that matter:
CMOThe chief marketing officer (CMO) is interested in the overall demand generation portfolio. Organic search is exciting because of its sheer size. Every CMO:
Metrics that matter:
CFOThe chief financial officer (CFO), like the CEO, is interested in overall performance. However, the CFO will also be interested in budgeting and forecasting. They will want to determine:
With so many fluctuations in the economy and pressure on budgets, ensuring the CFO understands the why of what you are doing related to the end result is essential. Metrics that matter:
CTOA chief technology officer (CTO) is pivotal in modern-day SEO. CTOs:
Metrics that matter:
COOThe chief operating officer (COO) will be interested in:
Metrics that matter:
Collectively, the C-suite wants to know the following:
Mastering communicationRemember that your time with the C-suite will be limited. Hence make sure you choose your words wisely and make them count. To evangelize and elevate your SEO work, remember who you are talking to, and remember to speak their language. For example, a CMO would rather hear about revenue than rank because they are more concerned with how well an SEO campaign translates into tangible results for their company's bottom line. You should always strive to speak "their language" when communicating effectively – which means understanding how to translate. CEOs are less interested in seeing keyword ranking changes (outside of your crucial core terms) and more interested in seeing your share of voice, revenue from organic campaigns, and success within the competitive landscape. This offers you the chance to elevate SEO and the importance of your role. Again, language is key to communication. Here's how to frame what you say and what it means to the C-suite.
In addition, use reports and visuals that quickly and clearly communicate your progress and the direct benefit to the company. Elevate SEO by being transparentSEOs have a history of making SEO esoteric and exotic, implying that there is a bit of dark magic involved. But, unfortunately, that serves neither the SEO nor the executive audience. Take the opposite approach by:
Communicate SEO’s value to the C-suiteThe role of SEO is continually rising. It has become an active participant in business planning and part of many companies' business intelligence. As a result, alignment with multiple stakeholders is becoming critical. Ensure your strategies are sound while creating alignment across various stakeholders across the C-suite as your organization advances. Most of the time, SEO teams are expected to do more and provide more value with fewer resources than other areas of the business may have. While that speaks to the value and importance of SEO in an organization, it also means you have to be methodical in approaching your work if you're an SEO in this scenario. Use your time to showcase success and manage expectations. Traction takes time, so balance strategies to make incremental gains while focusing on long-term success Keep elevating your success by building appropriate dashboards and presentations that tie SEO strategy and tactics to business objectives. This will directly help you position and promote your success. Continually engage with C-level executives and help them understand the value of SEO and its role. Use data, AI, and deep learning to share powerful insights, tell content-rich stories, and develop new skill sets that help you understand and adapt to the broader digital and marketing technology landscape. The ability to communicate effectively in meetings is a crucial part of your success as an SEO. Invest some time developing valuable meeting room traits like confident speaking abilities or compelling storytelling so that you can engage with leaders. This will allow you to engage with your organization's leaders and help them understand the value of what you and the organic search channel offer. The post The enterprise business of SEO: Communicating to the C-suite appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/k6x85th Getting into the habit of achieving your writing goals is similar to any other type of practice. If you’re pragmatic,... The post 4 Steps to Achieve Your Big Writing Goals (By Focusing on Small Ones) appeared first on Copyblogger. via Copyblogger https://ift.tt/QOwd2pn Google has made significant changes to its Quality Rater Guidelines (QRG) for search. While Google updates this document several times per year, the latest version, updated today, came with notable changes to the structure of the document, with many new sections and tables added and a total of 11 new pages worth of content. While there are dozens of important details about what changed, arguably the most important change was the introduction of the letter E to the start of the popular acronym E-A-T. Introducing E-E-A-TGoogle is now introducing the concept of E-E-A-T, which stands for
The addition of “experience” indicates that content quality can also be evaluated through the lens of understanding the extent to which the content creator has first-hand experience in the topic. With this reframing of E-E-A-T, Google also states that “trust” is at the center of this concept and is the “most important member of the E-E-A-T family.” Google also provides many more clear examples of important concepts, such as:
More inclusive language and granularityGoogle appears to be evolving its language to be more inclusive and keep up with the times. It added many new mentions of social media platforms, influencers, and how content can take different forms, such as video, UGC, and social media posts. In this version, Google also takes a granular approach in answering many common questions about how E-E-A-T works and how much it matters for different topics. Google spells out what content should be considered harmful and whether everyday experience is sufficient to produce trustworthy content for the topic at hand. There are many more changes than what is outlined below. All SEOs should take time to read through Google’s new guidelines, as they serve as a representation of where Google wants its algorithms to go. The most significant changes to the QRGBelow are some of the most significant changes to the Search Quality Guidelines in December 2022, broken down by section. Understanding the Website - Section 2.5Google updated its guidelines around identifying who operates a website. In the new QRG, Google added the following new guidance:
This addition implies that it’s important to know who actually owns and operates the website, even if that relationship is not directly clear on the site. Google also began to refer to the reputation of the “website and/or content creators” instead of just the website, indicating that the reputation of the people contributing content to the website should also factor into consideration when evaluating that website. Finding Who is Responsible for the Website and Who Created the Content on the Page - Section 2.5.2When identifying who is responsible for a website, Google states it should be clear who owns the website. In the previous version of the QRG, Google asked raters to look for which “individual, company, business, foundation, etc.” is responsible for the site. In this version, Google replaced “foundation” with “organization” and “government agency.” Google also added:
Google also added a brand new table to help quality raters identify who created the main content on a webpage. This table helps raters identify who is responsible for the content on various types of sites, given that some websites entirely control their own content, while others are comprised primarily of user-generated content or contributions from authors. Google seems to be focused on distinguishing the website owner from the content contributor(s) on that site. Overall Page Quality Rating - Section 3.0Google significantly shifted around the order of some of its advice related to rating page quality and analyzing reputation information. The updated QRG offers a new 3-step process for assessing Page Quality:
(If the rater determines the pages are harmful, untrustworthy or spammy, they should rate them Lowest quality)
Google also added a new table to consider when evaluating page quality: The third consideration asks the rater to consider the “extent to which the topic of the page is YMYL.” This refers to the spectrum of YMYL topics referenced in the previous version (based on their ability to cause harm to the user). Google introduced a new consideration for understanding the type of website. Some of these considerations include whether the website:
Different types of websites have different page quality expectations Google also indicated that while ads are necessary for many sites to monetize, the “ways in which ads contribute to user experience” are a consideration for page quality. As stated in previous sections, the reputation of the website and its content creators contributes to page quality. And lastly, we have the most significant reveal of the updated Quality Rater Guidelines: E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, and Authoritativeness and Trust. Quality of the Main Content - 3.2Google made some important changes to how raters should assess the quality of a page’s main content. In the previous version (page 24), Google stated:
In the new version (page 22), Google removed the word “time” and added the word “originality.”
Given Google’s focus on original content this year, this addition is not surprising. Google also added a new table to this section, outlining how to assess page quality: Google’s increased focus on effort with a clear explanation of what effort looks like (and doesn’t look like) is a big update to this version of the QRG. Google seems to be asking raters to focus on how much actual work went into building the content, as opposed to tactics that use automation without oversight or manual curation. Google is also increasingly focused on the originality of the content and the presence of insights not found elsewhere. As with previous versions of the QRG, Google also states that accuracy and alignment with expert consensus are important for YMYL topics. Reputation of the Website and Content Creators - Section 3.3Google enhanced its recommendations for understanding the reputation of both a website and its content creators. One important addition is that reputation research depends on the topic of the page content. Google asks raters to think about the reputation of the content creators “in the context of what the page is about.” The below paragraph is important for understanding this concept: Google also added an important new detail about websites or content creators that create content across many different websites. In these cases, the quality rater should consider the “underlying company or the content creator,” which means they can look across different websites to obtain reputation information. Reputation of the Content Creators - 3.3.4Google expanded its guidelines around identifying the reputation of individual authors and content creators. This entire section is new and shows how much Google is focused on the reputation of individual content creators (they even mention influencers!): Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust (E-E-A-T) - Section 3.4Google’s E-A-T has been a hot topic in the SEO community for the past few years. This version of the Quality Rater Guidelines introduces a new, evolved version of E-A-T: E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trust Along with introducing an extra letter – E for experience – Google now also places “trust” at the center of this ‘family’ of important considerations for page quality. According to Google (page 27):
Trust is the mechanism by which raters determine if the page is “accurate, honest, safe, and reliable” (page 27). The amount of trust a page requires depends entirely on the nature of the page. Google provides the example of online stores, which require secure online payment systems and good customer service. It also mentions product review sites – a trustworthy review would help searchers make informed decisions rather than just try to sell the product. Google introduced a new table to help raters understand how to approach experience, expertise and authoritativeness: The introduction of “experience” to the concept of E-A-T is consistent with many of Google’s updates and communications throughout the past couple of years, particularly related to product review content. Google focuses on the extent to which content creators have "necessary first-hand of life experience for the topic." Having significant experience lends itself to trust. Google uses the example of a product review – someone who has personally used the product has more experience than someone who has not, therefore creating more trust. For evaluating Trust, the most important "member of the E-E-A-T family,” raters should consider:
Google also adds a new important detail about conflicts of interest. A review by the product manufacturer is not trustworthy, nor is the review of an influencer paid to promote the product. YMYL Topics: Experience or Expertise? - 3.4.1Google introduced a new table to distinguish when Experience or Expertise is needed for YMYL content. This table aims to answer whether everyday experience or actual expertise is needed for various topics, such as medical conditions, voting, and saving for retirement: This new section indicates that just because a content contributor is not a bonafide expert on a YMYL topic, this does not make the content inherently untrustworthy. People sharing their stories based on first-hand experience can be considered trustworthy content in certain situations. Harmful to Self or Other Individuals - Section 4.2In the previous version of the QRG, Google introduced the notion that YMYL topics are determined based on their ability to cause harm to the user. In this new version, Google provided a detailed table with examples of what is considered harmful or not: And a similar table explaining what it means for content to be harmful to groups: These nuances are interesting, given much of the public discourse about freedom of speech across various social platforms in 2022. Google appears to be drawing a clear line between free speech and violent/harassment speech in its definition of harmful content. Google also provides clear examples of “harmfully misleading information,” including several popular internet conspiracy theories that are either clearly inaccurate, contradict well-established expert consensus, or are unsubstantiated: Lacking E-E-A-T - Section 5.1Google provides examples of what it looks like to lack an appropriate level of E-E-A-T for the topic or purpose of the page. These are the examples provided (page 51):
These examples help conceptualize the distinct roles that each letter in E-E-A-T play in evaluating the page quality. Language updates throughout the documentThroughout the document, Google appears to be editing its language to be more inclusive, such as changing "webmaster” to "website owners" and removing some gendered pronouns ("himself/herself” becomes “themself"). Pay attention to where Google is going with the QRGThe Quality Rater Guidelines are a crucial document for anyone who works in search marketing because they give us a guidebook for where Google wants its algorithms to go. Reading between the lines of the language in this document can help inform what Google is looking for in terms of content quality, user experience, and E-E-A-T of websites. Following these guidelines will help ensure your site and company can achieve visibility in Google search and, ideally, not be negatively impacted by any of their algorithm updates or other penalties. The post E-E-A-T and major updates to Google’s quality rater guidelines appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/WcLQkaN Google has updated its search quality raters guidelines for the second time in 2022, only four and a half months since its last update in July 2022. This revised document has some substantial changes to E-A-T, by adding an extra E to E-A-T for “experience.” The document is now about nine-pages longer, adding up to 176 pages up from 167 pages in the previous version. Double-E-A-T. Yes, Google has added a letter to E-A-T, adding an extra E and going with E-E-A-T. This now stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Experience. What does the new E for experience add? Google said it adds another level of, a new dimension of quality to assess its search results. What is Google looking for with experience? Google said when you write the content, does that “content also demonstrate that it was produced with some degree of experience, such as with actual use of a product, having actually visited a place or communicating what a person experienced?” Google explained that there are “some situations where really what you value most is content produced by someone who has first-hand, life experience on the topic at hand.” Google shared this example, “if you’re looking for information on how to correctly fill out your tax returns, that’s probably a situation where you want to see content produced by an expert in the field of accounting. But if you’re looking for reviews of a tax preparation software, you might be looking for a different kind of information—maybe it’s a forum discussion from people who have experience with different services.” Google said in the updated guidelines that Experience, Expertise and Authoritativeness are important concepts that can support your assessment of trust, with trust being the most important member of E-E-A-T. Here is the diagram Google created to illustrate this on page 26 of the PDF: Google said, “trust is the most important member of the E-E-A-T family because untrustworthy pages have low E-E-A-T no matter how Experienced, Expert, or Authoritative they may seem.” How does experience differ from expertise? Google said, “pages that share first-hand life experience on clear YMYL topics may be considered to have high E-E-A-T as long as the content is trustworthy, safe, and consistent with well-established expert consensus. In contrast, some types of YMYL information and advice must come from experts.” One last example and there are many more, of experience mentioned in the guidelines is where Google said on page 51 where Google described when a page has low E-E-A-T when “the content creator lacks adequate experience, e.g. a restaurant review written by someone who has never eaten at the restaurant.” What else was updated. Google notated on the final page of the revised PDF (download it here), these changes:
This is not an exhausted list of what changed, but Lily Ray has posted a more in-depth review of the changes. Why we care. Although search quality evaluators’ ratings do not directly impact rankings (as Google clarified in the document), they do provide feedback that helps Google improve its algorithms. It is important to spend some time looking at what Google changed in this updated version of the document and compare that to the previous version of the document to see if we can learn more about Google’s intent on what websites and web pages Google prefers to rank. Google made those additions, edits, and deletions for a reason. The additional dimension of “experience” is an important one that Google has been hinting at for a long time. It is nice to see them document it and pull it out as one of the four core aspects of defining quality. The post Google doubles up on E with updated search quality raters guidelines (E-E-A-T) appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/FX7fbNw Looking to take the next step in your next search marketing career? Below, you’ll find the newest jobs at brands and agencies in SEO, PPC and digital marketing – as well as positions we’ve shared in previous weeks that are still open. Are you looking to hire? Submit your job listing here for free. Please include:
Note: We update this post weekly, on Fridays. So make sure to bookmark this page and check back. Newest jobs in SEO, PPC and digital marketingSenior Content Marketer, Grips Intelligence (NYC, NY / Hybrid)
Senior SEO Data Analyst, Hearst Newspapers (Remote for specific states)
Sr. SEO Marketing Analyst, Genuent is now INSPYR Solutions (Santa Fe Springs, CA)
Digital Marketing Strategist, 83Bar (Remote)
Sr. SEO Analyst, iCrossing (New York, NY / Hybrid)
SEO Supervisor, Razorfish (New York City, NY / Hybrid)
Senior Digital Media Analyst (SEM), Media.Monks (New York, NY / Remote)
SEO jobsSEO Analytics Manager, PayPal (Chicago, IL)
SEO Senior Strategist, Tripadvisor (Remote)
SEO Manager, International, Quizlet (Remote)
Senior SEO Content Strategist, Everyday Health Group (New York, NY)
PPC jobsPPC Specialist, Stealth Startup (New York, NY)
Other SEM and digital marketing jobsDigital Advertising Lead, Exchange LA (Los Angeles, CA )
Digital Marketing Specialist, Code For America (San Francisco, CA / Remote)
Digital Marketing Analyst, Empire State Realty Trust (New York, NY)
Want a chance to include your job listing on Search Engine Land? Submit your details here. The post The latest jobs in search marketing appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/0N5JTnp As we prepare to say goodbye to 2022 and welcome 2023, it’s a great time to review notable changes to search and consumer behaviors and plan our key digital marketing initiatives for next year. In this article, we will discuss the most significant search, digital marketing and consumer trends, along with the must-haves for search marketers in 2023. Search trends: Experience and relevancyFirst, let’s understand the biggest changes in search this year and what we can expect next year. Google released several algorithm updates in 2022. These algorithm updates can be classified into three broad categories.
Clearly, Google wants to reward websites that offer excellent user experiences. That means your content must be relevant to their query. In other words, experience and relevancy are key to winning in search today and beyond. As we write the perfect recipe for search marketing strategies and must-haves for 2023, let’s keep these two critical ingredients in mind. Consumer trends and insights: Reevaluating prioritiesAs we reviewed this year’s top search query data and helpful insights shared by various organizations, we realized how critical it is for brands to win the trust of their customers. While many data points and trends are being discussed, we are focusing on five of the key consumer insights you will need to remember while creating your search marketing strategies for 2023.
When we understand consumer trends and insights, we are better equipped to evaluate marketing priorities – giving us peace of mind that our advertising is purposeful, personalized and helpful for consumers. Next, let’s dive into five key marketing trends and then how to leverage these trends in 2023. Top 5 search trends for 2023As we begin a new year of marketing, we must step out on the right foot and shift our mindset. Long gone are the days of keyword density and the concept that content is solely king. “More” is no longer “better.” Quality over quantity is the name of the game. We need to re-evaluate our priorities and rise to our customers’ expectations. After reviewing search queries, consumer and search insights, and the biggest releases of 2022, below are five key trends and the three must-haves to consider for a successful 2023. Trend 1: Multisearch – helping you search outside the boxConsumers typically spend more than 82% of their time on discovery. Google launched multisearch and released several supporting algorithms this year posed to change the way we all do discovery and receive information. Google constantly tests different formats to display relevant search results coming from diverse sources, which reflect how people are exploring myriads of topics. The good news: We can now search between various assets, including videos, images, PDFs, text, languages, etc. Multisearch has opened the biggest untapped opportunities for marketers and we can see the direct benefit. Consumers can take any image and use Google Lens to explore everything about the image. By leveraging entity data along with high-quality, relevant and contextual images, Google can get to the most relevant search results faster. In 2023, we will see savvy search marketers leveraging all types of assets, Google Vision API and entity data to provide the most relevant and qualitative assets. Futureproofing your digital assets for discovery is your key to unlocking doors and winning in 2023. Trend 2: Helpful content – relevant, qualitative, accessible, authoritative, experientialGoogle recently updated its quality raters guidelines and helpful content system. The easiest way to evaluate whether your content is helpful is by covering critical touchpoints and micro-moments. Helpful content is content that is readily available for your customer across all the digital touchpoints, minimizing the need for them to search somewhere else. Google’s helpful content update is a machine learning algorithm that keeps getting trained based on search result datasets. It is a sitewide signal, so if too many pages of a domain are low quality (e.g., duplicate, thin or created solely to rank in search engines), there is a serious risk that your organic search performance could suffer. In 2023, search marketers must ensure that discoverable content is relevant, informative, qualitative, authoritative, and experiential. Search engines will reward businesses for sharing high-quality and informative content. Brands should enhance online visibility significantly by sharing topical entity-first content. Content strategy should include all types of content, including videos, product review information, FAQ, relevant images, PDF, and expert advice. Brands must also map current content across the customer journey touchpoints and strive to fill all the content gaps. Trend 3: Omnichannel experienceMost consumers shift between various devices, so a consistent and unified experience across all touchpoints is important. Centralizing critical information about the business and distributing it across all marketing channels is necessary for a seamless omnichannel experience in 2023. The speed of change across channels builds trust with consumers. For example, website information should change right away when, as a business, you decide to change your Google Business Profile or social profile information. With the release of Google Analytics 4, Google is gently training marketers to focus on customer behaviors and attribution from various channels across the customer journey rather than the last-clicked channel. Discovery of content, good website user experience, and site health will also become must-haves for 2023. If information cannot be crawled and indexed, it will not be available to consumers making it useless. As the economy slows and budgets become tighter, search marketers must prioritize technical SEO initiatives to yield good results. Trend 4: Personalization and localizationConsumers are looking for information based on interest, location, and other known and unknown factors. Online shoppers are likelier to buy from brands with a strong local presence and engagement with their consumers. We must ensure our global search marketing strategies are customized for location. Google matches images to searcher intent because today, approximately 36% of a mobile screen is occupied by images. As a local business, consider:
Local search continues to be highly strategic for Google, according to local SEO expert Greg Sterling. But the search engine is shifting away from local search as a moneymaker (ads driver) and focusing more on product search. That means even thinner support for local SEOs and local businesses. Google will further develop and build out product search and SERPs to better compete with Amazon and drive more product-search usage. Retailers are the number one advertiser online and Google wants to keep and grow those dollars. We’ll see more real-time local product inventory online, including from smaller retailers. While localization is super critical, I also think that for 2023, personalizing information based on consumer preference will become a must-have. Using customer data platforms to secure preferences and create content and campaigns based on customer data is also key in this area. Trend 5: Influencer marketing and expert community buildingInfluencer marketing is growing rapidly and even faster than social media marketing. Savvy consumers curate information and follow expert opinions from influencers they trust before making purchase decisions. We’re already seeing various social channels posting information around expert reviews /community and interactive videos are doing well. In 2023, brands will benefit by:
Sterling noted that some of Google’s SERP changes are driven by TikTok’s popularity, including the push to make search more visual. Accordingly, we will see Google emphasize more visual content and potentially de-emphasize reviews (though not for ranking purposes.) Google will intensify its recent crackdown on review fraud, which will continue to catch “innocent” reviews on its net. Local marketers will need to keep a continuous stream of Google reviews coming and simply be prepared to lose a percentage of reviews to Google’s AI filtering. Top 3 strategy must-haves to stay aheadNext, let's discuss the top focus areas in our strategy to leverage the above trends. 1. Business intelligenceThe global economy is showing slow down. Deriving business insights and actions from the most relevant data points will become critical in 2023. Keep an eye on market trends, competitive benchmarking, customer behavior, channels and goals prioritization, among others. More savvy businesses will pivot toward business intelligence to find the most critical information, prioritizing quality content and assets and basing those decisions on what is most critical based on real data. 2. Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/Ml)In 2023, AI/ML will become a must-have strategy to solve complex marketing problems. AI-generated content (e.g., ChatGPT) has become a much bigger feature of digital and content marketing, including for local search. Google is also leveraging machine learning to auto-translate any language quickly. From visual search to auto-generation and translation of content, we will see several AI models, such as GPT-3 (soon GPT-4), used excessively to solve complex problems. 3. Your success planLast but not least, less will be more in 2023. The key to winning will be defining and aligning your business objectives, key drivers (channels), important metrics to track, and the solutions that will help you get to those metrics. Thanks to Bill Hunt, Greg Sterling, Andrew Shotland and Dixon Jones for sharing insights and ideas for this article. The post Top 5 search marketing trends and 3 must-haves for 2023 appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/JowWjsf Google will be shutting down the Google Question Hub on January 15, 2023, about two years after the service launched in the United States and several years after it quietly launched in regions like India. Shutting down. Google posted a message after you login at questionhub.withgoogle.com that says “As of January 5, 2023, the Question Hub beta will end. If you’d like to retain a copy of your data, you can do so via Google Takeout up until March 6, 2023. After that date, Question Hub user data will be deleted.” What it looks like. Glenn Gabe posted a screenshot of this on Twitter: What is Question Hub? Google says “Question Hub is a tool that enables creators to create richer content by leveraging unanswered questions. Question Hub collects these unanswered user questions and surfaces them to bloggers, writers, and content creators like you.” It is basically a way for Google to enable searchers to tell it that the search results provided are not answering the query. Then, Google takes those questions and feeds them to publishers, who, in turn, can create content that does answer the query. Content ideas in Search Console. We recently saw Google experiment with a new section in Google Search Console named Content ideas. Content ideas give the content creator, publisher, SEO, webmaster, etc., some tips and advice on what new topics they can write about on their site. The big question is, will Google move the Question Hub like features into this new Content ideas section in Google Search Console? Why we care. Creating content ideas can sometimes be a struggle for writers, which may help content creators with that process. With Question Hub going away, there is even more of a reason for Google to add this to Search Console. Hopefully Google will be moving this feature and not completely getting rid of it. The post Google Question Hub to close down appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/6ocL45K Google has a new issue status in Merchant Center.
Why we care. If you have a suspended Merchant Center account, you’ll need to resolve the issue before you can request a review. Additional prohibited practices. Google prohibits the following practices from its ad network. You can read their entire help guide here.
Resolving issues. If your products are disapproved, visit the help guide to get your account reinstated. The post Google has updated its prohibited practices to include “Linked account suspensions” appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/MykLlw5 |
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