Studies show that loyal customers are responsible for as much as 65% of all brand purchases. In turbulent economic times, when consumers become warier with every penny they spend and brands are increasingly desperate to keep the income flowing, loyalty programs play a pivotal role in fostering retention and increased spending. But creating a loyalty program that works is not easy – and it’s certainly challenging in 2024 when customers’ priorities are constantly shifting. To find out what they are right now, join Comarch’s upcoming webinar, “Top Loyalty Trends: Industry-Specific Ideas 2024.” It’s your chance to engage in a discussion with loyalty experts and discover:
The webinar will be based on the expertise and experience of Aurelie Balaes (Account Director, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions), Hadie Perkas (CEO and Founder, The Gift Club, The BIG Handshake, The European Loyalty Association), Joanna Witsch (Head of Loyalty Product & Operations, Alshaya Group) and Wojciech Kempny (Consulting Director, Comarch). Combining their respective knowledge, the speakers will analyze the current state of the loyalty industry and share their ideas on how to make your loyalty program ready for Society 5.0. Want to learn what they are? Sign up for HERE to join the conversation on May 7th, 2024, at 4:00 PM (CEST). via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/rNxtOIP
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The drawback of freelancing is that you’re trading your time for money, so you have to raise your prices or... The post 10 Profitable Solopreneur Business Ideas Anyone Can Start appeared first on Copyblogger. via Copyblogger https://ift.tt/9gs26eK Advertisers might be able to purchase ads on Meta’s Threads platform as early as the second half of this year. That’s according to a Digiday (subscription required) report citing multiple sources. Why we care: Brands and marketers will soon have another way to reach their target audiences. Although Threads isn’t at the level of Facebook or Instagram (2 billion monthly active users), Threads gained 50 million followers in its first 24 hours of launch last year and now has about 85 million monthly active users. Timing. Meta’s discussions have reportedly focused on the rollout timeline rather than specific logistics about how or where ads will be integrated.
Where Threads Ads may appear. Threads ads will likely be integrated into Meta’s ad platform, Advantage+, alongside existing options for Facebook and Instagram.
via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/M70sdCS Brave Search introduced a new AI answer engine called Answer with AI. It will produce AI-generated answers “synthesized” from multiple sources for any query. What is Answer with AI. Answer with AI, as the name suggests, uses AI to generate answers to queries directly in the search results. This new Brave Search feature appears above the organic search results. The format varies slightly, depending on the query type. At the bottom, Brave includes a section called Context, underneath which Brave links to the sources it used to generate its answer. Based on a small number of searches I conducted, Brave tends to pull most of its answers from the top-ranking pages. It follows on from Brave’s AI Summarizer feature, introduced last year. How Answer with AI works. When a user enters a query, Brave is using large language models (LLMs), primarily Mixtral 8x7B and Mistral 7B, data from its search results and RAG (retrieval augmented generation) to generate answers nearly instantly. When will users see Answer with AI. For informational, question-like queries, Answer with AI will be the default experience. For other query types (navigational, commercial, transactional), Answer with AI will be optional – you will click on an Answer with AI button. What it looks like. Here’s an example search for [what is after gen z]: And here’s what it looks like for a vanity search: But it’s not perfect. It thought I was the same person/entity as the former Major League Baseball player who shares my name. Brave Search size. Brave Search has an index of 20 billion webpages, has more than 1 billion location-based schemas and serves:
Answer with AI availability. It is available on all platforms (desktop and mobile) for all searches in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Searching in any other languages may return answers in English language. What Brave is saying about AI answers. The big concern among SEOs and content creators is how AI answers in the search results could potentially impact the amount of traffic search engines send to websites. Brave addressed this concern, telling Search Engine Land:
via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/Rq04csm Remember how painful iOS 14 was for performance marketers? An even more seismic change is looming, and way too many marketers are still unprepared. Yes, I’m talking about the impending death of third-party cookies. If you’re reading this article, this is probably the 1,000th time you’ve heard it mentioned. And that might be part of the problem: “the death of cookies” could now be one of those familiar phrases you skim over without understanding the depth of its ramifications. If you’re a little unclear on what kind of havoc “the death of cookies” is going to wreak in your campaigns, stay with me for a few minutes as I tackle:
What’s changing from a technical perspectiveFirst, let’s be clear: we’re talking about the death of third-party cookies, not first-party cookies. You own first-party cookies and the data they collect, which won’t be impacted by the Chrome update. Third-party cookies, which pass data from your website to external parties (like ad platforms) to your site to paint a picture of the user and user behavior, are what’s disappearing. If this sounds familiar, it’s because that’s exactly what happened with iOS 14. In that update, Apple’s “App Tracking Transparency” introduction prevented companies from tracking user behavior across third-party apps. Advertising platforms (particularly Facebook) suddenly couldn’t help advertisers understand what users were doing after engaging with their ads. Cookies, whether first-party or third-party, are snippets of code saved by the browser or app to the user’s device. They contain user and session identifiers, ad click IDs, timestamps and functions (e.g., whether you’re logged into an app). In short, they are (or were until recently) the most common way to identify and track users, and they’re about to disappear from Chrome (which is following Firefox and Safari in doing so). If you’re using pixels, UTM parameters outside of a first-party environment, GTAG (ask your analytics team), or other tracking based on – and stored in – browsers, you’re in for a world of transition. What’s changing from a marketing perspectiveIt might be easier to list what isn’t changing, but here’s a quick list of the biggest hits:
Dig deeper: 7 paid media reporting tips when tracking is messy Given all of that, you can hopefully now realize that the time to start planning was about a year ago – and if you’re behind the curve, you’d better keep reading. 4 real preparation steps to take ASAPI break this down for my clients into four buckets:
1. Focus on CRM cleanlinessAt the very least, you should be able to reference your CRM data to understand your users’ point of entry and identify your most valuable users. Make sure you have a plan to assess your data cleanliness, your reports, and your dashboards and you can get things in good enough shape to trust what your first-party data is telling you. Work to 2. Tune up your data collectionFirst-party data will become even more important as data from third-party sources erodes. Make sure your ad campaigns, organic campaigns, owned properties, etc., are fully maximized to collect first-party data and have a plan to use it in your campaigns (email, SMS, retargeting, lookalikes, etc.). 3. Implement platform solutionsGet extremely comfortable with Google’s Enhanced Conversions, Meta and LinkedIn’s conversions APIs, and whatever monikers you’ll see other platforms use. They help ensure that ad algorithms can track valuable actions both online and offline, which is essential for future-proofing your tracking efforts. (Bonus points if you combine platform solutions with first-party data to teach the platform algorithms to find your best users via offline conversion tracking.) 4. Go server-sideAnalytics and data stored in servers you control (as opposed to browsers that can change their rules at any time) are one big hedge against cookie erosion. Implement initiatives like server-side GTM and start researching CDP (customer data platform) options like Segment and Tealium to take at least partial ownership of your data and analytics. Winning strategies for a data-driven, privacy-first futureIf you need a little good news after reading all of that, I have a couple of tidbits for you.
Dig deeper: 3 ways search marketers can prepare for the big cookie crumble via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/GCuHAn6 The rise of AI content creation has been a game-changer – for better or worse. On the one hand, you have benefits like:
These efficiencies have allowed SEO programs to move faster and produced cost savings, added value and, in some cases, more revenue. On the other hand, you have issues like:
These drawbacks can lead to a bad user experience, lost rankings or deindexing from the search results. As more and more people eagerly adopt AI content tools, it seems two schools of thought are emerging around how to use AI:
I fall into the second camp. However, AI tools are rapidly evolving, and some tout you don’t even need to edit the content to be ready to publish and rank. They are more likely to mean “publish and not get caught” because if ranking were that easy, everyone would be No. 1. The risk is on you. Next, let’s explore these two schools of thought around AI content creation. The AI-only approachWhile it’s true that AI tools are getting more sophisticated by the minute, that doesn’t mean we should act too soon. Brands that acted hastily have experienced consequences – from embarrassing content that led to PR snafus (like MSN, Sports Illustrated and others) to being removed from the Google index in Google’s March 2024 updates. While we don’t know which AI tools those sites relied on, we know it went badly for them. Here’s a fun test: Go to ChatGPT and start the stopwatch timer on your phone. Copy and paste the following prompt:
Took about a minute or less? Those who think they can earn top rankings out of millions of results with this approach to creating content with little to no human intervention will fail. There are more sophisticated AI content tools out there. And many of them are intriguing. I question how many are just better at wording and are targets for a future Google trap. We must be cautious about using these tools, regardless of how good they appear or their promises – until we figure out the best way to engage with them and prove they can withstand Google’s algorithms. It’s no secret that Google’s March 2024 updates targeted websites abusing AI content. My thoughts:
You’re playing with fire if you’re going “all in” on an AI content tool without a good process. Dig deeper: AI for SEO content creation: 5 real-world examples The collaborative approachIf you want content that can survive Google algorithms and offers something valuable to your readership, and you also want the efficiencies that AI can offer, you need:
It sounds simple – because it is! Don’t completely remove writers and editors from your marketing projects. Instead, hire writers and editors who know how to use the right AI tools the right way (read: with discernment). For example, AI tools helped with the following in the article you are reading right now:
So repeat this mantra: “Only the quality content survives,” and then follow these rules as you add AI tools to your content creation process:
What does the collaborative process look like? I’ve written about this in my AI content creation beginner’s guide, and here are some tips: PreworkDevelop a solid process for prompting AI tools to generate content, including defining the persona, target audience, tone of voice and format of the content. Content creationIn the content creation phase, use the AI tool to generate ideas, create outlines, do research, provide summaries, create intros and/or conclusions to be edited and, in some cases, create a first draft. When I say first draft, I mean it’s a start. Without a doubt: Do not publish any AI content verbatim unless you want to risk a hit from Google’s spam policies. Put in the work to make it unique to your brand, your perspective and differentiate it from what’s out there in some way. EditingMany times, the writing and editing processes happen at the same time. Regardless of when you do it, make sure that when you are creating the content, you do the following:
All these things take time. So, you and your team must know if AI saves you time and money in the long run. If not, then maybe there’s a different way you should be using it. The balancing act between automation and collaborationThings will change – Google’s algorithms will change and strategies will change. So, the advice I’m sharing now is what I believe to be true for the foreseeable future. However, a solid content strategy puts quality first, which will never change. While AI tools offer efficiency in content creation, they are tools, not solutions. The key is integrating AI tools into the writer’s process, not replacing the writer. Continue to provide value to your audience and adhere to Google’s guidelines to ensure your content stands the test of time. Dig deeper: 7 reasons why your AI content sucks (and how to fix it) via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/h0E1FA4 Paid search advertising revenues reached a new high in 2023 – though annual growth continues to slow, according to a new report. In total, search accounted for $88.8 billion of a record $225 billion in U.S. digital advertising revenues, according to the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2023, conducted by PwC. That figure represents a $4.4 billion increase over 2022. Why we care. Paid search becomes more expensive and challenging every year, with less transparency. But advertisers continue to embrace paid search for one simple reason: it drives results for brands and businesses. Paid search is still king. Search continues to own the largest market share of advertising – 39.5%, but that is down from 40.2% in 2022, 41.4% in 2021 and 42.2% in 2020.
The report. You can read the report here (registration required). via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/Uu7V6aG YouTube has introduced two new measures in its crackdown on ad blockers. There will either be:
Why we care. YouTube is doing all it can to ensure ads are seen by as many of its free users as possible. YouTube’s war on ad blockers will likely lead to disgruntled users who will abandon YouTube altogether. It’s either that or break down and pay for YouTube Premium to avoid excessive advertising. If the latter happens, YouTube will gain revenue, but ultimately that means advertisers will lose reach and exposure. Enforcement on third-party apps. YouTube is now taking active measures to deter third-party ad blockers directly.
The story so far. This is the latest action YouTube has taken to curb the use of Ad blockers:
Is YouTube breaking privacy laws? YouTube needs to be careful in how it cracks down on Ad Blockers, as this could be seen as breaking privacy laws. Last October, privacy expert Alexander Hanff filed a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC). Ad-free experience. The only ad-free experience YouTube promotes is YouTube Premium. It costs $13.99 in the US and £12.99 in the UK. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/pFtHXnI Google AdSense users can now choose to have Auto Ads show as “ad intents” through the platform (in addition to overlap and in-page formats). What are ad intents. An ad intent is an “intent-driven format that places links and anchors into existing text and pages on your site related to your content,” according to Google. Google doesn’t rely on third-party cookies for this new functionality. What it looks like. Those links take the users interacting with it to a Google Search Result page containing both organic results and paid ads. Here are examples Google shared: Ad intent anchor: Ad intent link: Why we care. This new format could mean more revenue for publishers who opt into Auto Ads, but it could also mean traffic that would have gone to a publisher’s placement ad now goes to a Google SERP. That extra click journey could lose customers on the way. Implementation. This is an optional functionality that Google has introduced. In response to a post on X accusing Google of stealing traffic share from sites on the SERP, Ginny Marvin, Google Ads Liaison, wrote:
via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/sRYoBJj Google Discover is an especially important source of organic traffic for publishers. This personalized feed, available within Google’s mobile app and mobile search homepage, offers users an engaging experience by recommending relevant content, even before they know exactly what they want to search for. Google Discover is one of the fastest-growing sources of traffic for news websites, with some publishers reporting Discover traffic as higher than organic search traffic. By tailoring your content to meet Google’s recommendations and user preferences, you can boost your website’s chances of enhancing its presence on the platform and growing your audience. This article serves as a comprehensive guide to optimizing content for Google Discover – how the feature works, the importance of optimization and actionable strategies to improve the chances of your content being featured. What is Google Discover?Google Discover is a personalized feed of content that appears on mobile devices. It displays news stories, videos and images tailored to each user’s interests and online behavior. This feature is meant to emulate the personalized feeds found on social networks. It is a proactive method of delivering fresh, relevant content directly to users based on personalized data collected by the platform. Just like the AI-powered recommendations served to users on a TikTok or Instagram Reels feed, Google Discover uses machine learning algorithms to analyze user data and determine which topics and the best types of content a user is likely to engage with. The platform then selects and displays content from various publishers and creators that align with these interests. Information used to create a user’s Discover feed includes their browsing history, location, search history, app usage and other data points. Users can customize their feed by selecting topics of interest or adjusting their preferences directly in Google Discover. The diverse range of content displayed by Google Discover includes:
Ultimately, a user’s Google Discover feed reflects their interests and historical activity, with a heavier emphasis on entertainment, sports, hobbies and activities. Users can directly shape their feed by following or unfollowing specific topics, adjusting their preferences with “show more” or “show less” options and opting to hide content from specific publishers. Dig deeper: The rise of Google followership: Unlocking visibility on Google’s surfaces Why optimize for Google Discover?Optimizing your content for Google Discover can have a significant impact on your online presence and overall success. Increased visibility and traffic potential
Enhanced user engagement and experience
Potential impact on branding and audience growth
Optimizing content for Google DiscoverTo optimize your content for Google Discover, focus on producing high-quality, engaging content that aligns with your target audience’s interests. The biggest shift in thinking between traditional search engine optimization and optimizing for Google Discover involves moving from targeting queries to focusing on user interests. Google Discover emphasizes providing content that matches users’ interests without necessarily being provided their explicit search query or intent. Here are some tips for optimizing your content. Focus on quality and relevanceTailor your content to match the interests and preferences of your target audience, using historical data to refine your strategy. Analyze user behavior and trends to understand what topics resonate the most. Your content should be up-to-date and relevant, and it should also capture users’ attention. Aim to provide valuable insights, solve problems or entertain your audience. Create helpful, reliable, people-first contentGoogle’s Discover guidelines explicitly define the type of content likeliest to appear in users’ Discover feeds. Helpful, reliable, people-first content refers to pages “primarily created to benefit people, not to gain search engine rankings,” and will follow E-E-A-T principles. When self-assessing your content, some questions Google recommends asking include:
Dig deeper: Writing people-first content: A process and template Optimize headlinesWrite compelling headlines that entice users to click and explore your content further. Use intriguing language, numbers/statistics or pose questions to capture users’ interest. Avoid clickbait, as this goes against Google Discover guidelines. Incorporate visual elements and follow image guidelinesInclude visually appealing media to enhance the presentation of your content. High-resolution images and engaging videos can significantly increase user engagement and retention and are very important for appearing within Discover’s card-based UI. Large images at least 1,200 pixels wide and enabled by the max-image-preview:large setting are more likely to generate visits from Discover. Avoid using a site logo as your image. Dig deeper: Advanced image SEO: A secret manual Balance evergreen and timely contentEvergreen content offers long-lasting relevance and can remain valuable over time if refreshed regularly. However, with its algorithmically powered feed, Discover tends to favor up-to-date news stories, trends and event-related pieces that tap into current events and popular topics. Showcase expertise and build on topical authorityDemonstrate your knowledge and authority in your field and stand out on Google Discover by providing in-depth analysis beyond surface-level information to encompass expert commentary. Offer an original perspective or research that differentiates your content from others and establish credibility by showcasing your credentials, experience or industry affiliations. Dig deeper: Authority management: A new discipline in the era of SGE and E-E-A-T Technical optimizations for Google DiscoverTo maximize your chances of appearing in Google Discover, don’t forget to pay close attention to technical SEO aspects that can enhance your visibility and performance. Here are some key strategies to consider: Implement structured dataUtilize schema markup to provide additional context and information about your content. Structured data types such as Article, NewsArticle, VideoObject and Breadcrumb can help Google better understand your content and demonstrate your topical authority. Follow Google’s guidelines for structured data implementation to ensure your markup is correctly formatted, and use schema testing tools to validate your markup and fix any errors. Optimize for mobile usersSince Google Discover is still mostly exclusive to mobile devices, optimizing your content and website for mobile browsing is essential. A responsive website design is best practice for providing a seamless experience across different devices, especially mobile, which encompasses the majority of web traffic. Optimize images, code and resources to reduce loading times and ensure your site performs well on mobile devices. Design your content with mobile users in mind. Use clear headings, bullet points and concise paragraphs for easier readability on smaller screens and prioritize user experience with intuitive navigation and layout. Dig deeper: SEO and website design: How to build search engine-friendly sites Improve page load speedLarge image files can slow down your page load speed. To improve performance, optimize images by compressing them while maintaining quality and using modern image formats such as WebP. Additionally, conduct regular website audits to identify and resolve performance issues. Check for outdated plugins, unnecessary scripts or other elements that might hinder your site’s speed and efficiency. Measuring performance and analyticsThe most effective way to monitor your Google Discover traffic is by using Google Search Console (GSC). Within the Search Console, you can view the daily traffic your website receives from Google Discover and compare it with the traffic generated from Google Search. You can also use GSC to:
Ensure your data is actionable by identifying which types of content, topics or formats perform best on Google Discover and leverage that insight to shape your future content strategy. Analyze your data regularly for recurring patterns and seasonal trends that can inform your content calendar and publishing schedule. Assess audience behavior by evaluating how users interact with your content, such as which articles receive the most engagement on Discover, to refine your approach and provide more relevant material. Leveraging Google Discover for brand visibilityGoogle Discover presents an invaluable avenue for publishers and creators to amplify their reach. Through thoughtful optimization and an emphasis on creating engaging and relevant content, you can capture the attention of an expanding user base. Staying ahead of trends, adhering to Discover’s guidelines and maintaining a strong focus on user experience will position your content for success. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/GlLX6Fq |
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