#TWIMshow - This Week in Marketing

Episode 185 contains the Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Oct 30 - Nov 3, 2023.

1. Mobile-First Indexing: Google's 7-Year Mission Accomplished! - Imagine a world where your smartphone is the key to unlocking the vast potential of the internet. That's the vision Google has pursued for nearly seven years, and they've just announced a significant milestone: the completion of mobile-first indexing. This means that Google now primarily uses the mobile version of content for indexing and ranking across all websites.

Back in 2016, Google embarked on this journey, recognizing the shift towards mobile internet usage. By 2018, half of the websites in Google's search results were indexed this way. Fast forward to today, and Google has officially declared the process complete. What does this mean for you? It's simple: if your website isn't optimized for mobile, you're not speaking the same language as Google's search engine—and potentially missing out on valuable traffic.

For the few sites that still don't work on mobile devices, Google will continue to use its legacy desktop crawler, but this is a temporary measure. The message is clear: mobile optimization is no longer optional; it's essential.

As a business owner, this update is a call to action. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, with responsive design and content that shines on smaller screens. This isn't just about staying in Google's good graces—it's about providing your customers with the best experience, no matter how they find you.

Google's update is a reminder of the ever-evolving nature of the web and the importance of keeping pace with these changes. As mobile-first indexing becomes the norm, it's an opportunity to review your online presence and ensure that your business is set up for success in a mobile-centric world.

P.S. Don't let your website get left behind in the desktop era. Embrace mobile optimization and open the door to a world of opportunities.

2. Google Launches Nov’23 Core Update - Google has announced its November 2023 Core Update. This update is the latest in a series of adjustments that Google makes to its search algorithms, which can significantly impact where your site appears in search results.

The November update is particularly noteworthy because it's the fourth broad core algorithm update of the year, following closely on the heels of the October 2023 Core Update. These updates are part of Google's ongoing efforts to improve the searcher's experience by providing the most relevant and high-quality results.

What's new with this update? Google has improved a different core system than the one adjusted last month. This means that even if you've made recent changes to your site, you might still see fluctuations in your search rankings. Google's guidance remains the same: focus on creating high-quality content that provides value to your users.

If your site's rankings are negatively impacted by an update, Google advises that there aren't specific actions to take to recover. However, they do offer a list of questions to consider if your site is hit by a core update. It's also possible to see a bit of recovery between core updates, but the most significant changes typically occur after subsequent updates.

In conclusion, Google's Core Updates are a reminder of the importance of having a robust content strategy that prioritizes user experience. By focusing on creating valuable, high-quality content, you're more likely to weather the storm of algorithm changes and maintain a strong presence in search results.

3. According to Google, Small Websites Can Win in the Ever-Evolving Search Landscape - In the digital age, where the internet seems dominated by large players, it's easy to wonder if small websites still have a fighting chance. Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison with over 25 years in the search space, shared an encouraging perspective that's vital for you as a business owner to understand.

Search engines have evolved tremendously since the pre-Google era, and with each update, concerns arise about the visibility of small sites. Yet, history has shown us that small sites have not only survived but can thrive and become leaders in their niches. Sullivan himself has witnessed this growth firsthand, having run two successful small sites before joining Google.

The key takeaway? Google's goal is to reward great content, regardless of the site's size. They are committed to the success of the open web ecosystem, where quality content leads to satisfaction all around—for searchers, content creators, and the search engines themselves.

However, the web is dynamic, with changing content and shifting user expectations. Google continuously adapts, striving to improve search results. This includes recognizing valuable contributions from various sources, including forums and personal experiences, ensuring a diverse mix of results.

For you, the message is clear: don't get caught up in an "expert arms race" or create content solely with Google's algorithms in mind. Instead, focus on what benefits your readers. Author bios, for instance, should be crafted for your audience, not for search engine optimization. Quality content that serves your readers' expectations aligns naturally with Google's ranking principles.

Sullivan emphasizes that there's no checklist for success. Instead, he points to guidelines that help assess if content is genuinely people-first, such as providing original information or analysis. If your content consistently delivers value and leaves visitors thinking, "Wow, that was great. I learned something. That was helpful," you're on the right track.

Remember, it's not about being labeled as an "expert" or having the perfect About page—it's about creating content that resonates with and serves your audience. As a business owner, focusing on delivering great content is your key to thriving in the search landscape.

P.S. For more insights on creating helpful content, visit Google's guide here: Creating Helpful Content.

4. Unpacking the Real Impact of Keyword Stuffing on Your Site - In the realm of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), "keyword stuffing" has been a buzzword for all the wrong reasons. But what does it truly mean for your website's content? Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison, sheds light on this topic, clarifying that keyword stuffing isn't about the number of times a word is used. Instead, it's about the context and quality of your writing.

Keyword stuffing refers to cramming a webpage with keywords or numbers to manipulate a site's ranking in Google search results. This often results in content that sounds unnatural or out of context. For example, repeating "unlimited app store credits" to an excessive degree can be flagged as keyword stuffing. It's not the repetition per se that's the issue; it's when the repetition leads to non-sensible patterns and unhelpful writing.

Sullivan advises against writing with Google's algorithms as your primary audience. Phrases shouldn't be repeated unnaturally just to ensure Google "gets it." Instead, focus on how people consume content. Google's sophisticated language analysis can understand meaning and concepts without the need for over-repetition. The best practice is to write naturally, as if you're explaining something to a person, not a search engine.

This insight is crucial for you as a business owner. The content on your website should be crafted for your customers, providing them with value and a pleasant reading experience. If your content is engaging, informative, and written in a natural tone, you're already aligning with Google's preference for high-quality, user-focused content.

Remember, the goal is not to outsmart search engines but to create content that genuinely serves your audience. By doing so, you'll naturally improve your site's SEO and foster a trustworthy relationship with your customers.

5. Write for Your Readers, Not for Google - In the digital world, where Google's algorithms can feel like an enigma, Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison, offers a simple yet profound piece of advice: "Stop thinking 'What should I do for Google?' when writing content." Instead, focus on what your readers need and want. This shift in perspective is not just refreshing; it's crucial for creating content that resonates with your audience and, ironically, performs well on Google too.

Sullivan's guidance comes as a reminder that the content you produce should cater to the interests and queries of your readers, not to the perceived demands of search engines. The essence of his message is to prioritize the quality and usefulness of your content over SEO tactics. Google's ranking systems are designed to reward content that serves readers well, which is why your primary goal should be to address the needs and questions of your audience.

This approach is more than just a best practice; it's a strategic move in the ever-evolving landscape of SEO. By focusing on your readers, you're likely to naturally include the keywords and topics they're searching for, which aligns with how Google assesses and ranks pages. Sullivan reiterates this point, encouraging content creators to write in a way that's most helpful for their audience.

For you, this means taking a step back from the technicalities of SEO and asking yourself: What information does my audience seek? How can I provide value in a way that's engaging and informative? The answers to these questions will guide you in crafting content that stands out, not just to search engines, but more importantly, to the people you aim to serve.

In conclusion, let go of the "What should I do for Google?" mindset. Ins

Episode 184 contains the important Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Oct 23-27, 2023.

1. Google Introduces “Search Themes” - A New Optional Performance Max Signal : Google has introduced a new feature called "Search Themes" for its Performance Max campaigns. If you're not familiar, Performance Max campaigns use Google's AI to automatically place ads across Google’s landscape after analyzing your budget, assets, feeds, and landing pages to predict valuable placements. . The new feature allows advertisers to have more control over these automated campaigns by providing specific topics or categories relevant to their business. This helps the AI system better understand what kind of traffic would be most beneficial for your business - better targeting means more relevant traffic, and more relevant traffic means higher conversion rates.

Why should you care? Traditional keyword-based advertising has its limitations. For instance, if you've just launched a new product or entered a new market, you might not have enough data for effective keyword targeting. Search Themes fill this gap by allowing you to provide additional context about your business, helping Google to better understand and target your ads. You can add up to 25 search themes per ad group in your Performance Max campaign, and these themes will be treated like phrases and broad match keywords in regular search campaigns. Search themes will respect any brand exclusions and negative keywords you've set at the account level.

This is a significant step towards giving advertisers more control over automated systems, which has been a long-standing request from the business community.

Google has launched this feature in beta and plans to add more robust search term insights and guidance around utilizing Search Themes in 2024. Early feedback from pilot testers has been positive.

2. Google's Latest Update on Structured Data! - Google has just rolled out an update that allows you to mix different types of structured data on your website. If you're wondering what structured data is, it's a way to label your website's content so search engines like Google can understand it better. This helps improve your website's visibility in search results, which is crucial for attracting more customers.

Before this update, you had to choose between using JSON-LD or Microdata formats for your structured data. Each has its own pros and cons. JSON-LD is easier to maintain and read, while Microdata integrates directly into your HTML. Now, Google says it's okay to use both formats together. This flexibility can make your website more efficient and effective in communicating with search engines.

Why is this important for you? Imagine you run a blog on your business website. Previously, you might have had to duplicate your article content in the structured data to make it understandable to Google, making your code bulky. With this update, you can use Microdata for the article content and JSON-LD for other metadata, avoiding unnecessary duplication. This means cleaner, more efficient code, which can lead to faster load times and a better user experience.

This change is optional, so you don't have to rush to update your existing structured data. But it opens up new possibilities for optimizing your website. Whether you're looking to improve your site's SEO or streamline its code, this update offers a valuable opportunity to do both.

3. Don't Let Google Penalize You: Avoid These Content Mistakes Now! - Are you aware that the type of content you publish on your website can either make or break your online presence? Google's Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, recently shed light on what the search engine considers "unhelpful content." In simple terms, unhelpful content is material written primarily to rank well in search engine results, rather than to serve your audience's needs.

Why should you care? Google is the gatekeeper to your online visibility. If your content is deemed unhelpful, it could seriously harm your website's search engine ranking. This means fewer people will find your business online, leading to lost opportunities and revenue.

Sullivan pointed out that if you're writing articles like "20 Fun Things You Can Do Today" just to rank well for the term "fun things," then you're on the wrong track. The focus should be on creating content that is genuinely useful to your audience. He also cautioned against using tools that suggest what to write about based on what might rank well. According to him, this approach often leads to content that Google considers unhelpful.

So, what's the takeaway? Shift your focus from trying to please search engines to meeting the needs of your audience. If someone asks a question and your content provides a clear answer, that's "people-first content." And guess what? Google loves it!

Don't risk your online visibility by making easily avoidable mistakes. Make the shift to audience-focused content today and watch your online presence grow.

P.S. Google's guidelines are not just rules but opportunities to improve. Take action now to align your content strategy with what truly matters!

4. The Real Culprit Behind Your Website's Ranking Drop: It's Not CLS! - Have you noticed a sudden drop in your website's Google search rankings and are scrambling to find out why? You might be tempted to blame it on "Cumulative Layout Shift" (CLS), especially if you've recently received warnings about it from Google Search Console. But hold on, Google's John Mueller has made it clear: CLS is not the reason for sudden, significant drops in search rankings.

Firstly, what is Cumulative Layout Shift? It's a metric that measures the visual stability of your website. For example, if elements on your webpage move around as it loads, that's a high CLS score, and it's generally considered bad for user experience. However, according to Mueller, even if you have issues with CLS, it's not going to cause a drastic drop in your Google rankings.

Why is this important for you? Because focusing on the wrong issue can waste your valuable time and resources. Google has consistently stated that page experience signals, like Core Web Vitals (which includes CLS), are not significant ranking factors. They might act more like a "tie-breaker" than a major ranking signal. So, if you've seen a drop in traffic, the culprit is likely something else.

In summary, while it's good to optimize for a better page experience, don't panic or "over-focus" on metrics like CLS when you see a drop in your rankings. Your time is better spent analyzing other potential issues that could have a more significant impact on your website's performance.

P.S. Understanding what really affects your website's ranking can save you from unnecessary stress and help you focus on what truly matters for your business. Don't chase the wrong problems!

5. Stop Blaming Your Web Host: The Real Story Behind Google's "Hostload Exceeded" Error! - If you've been scratching your head over the "Hostload Exceeded" error message on Google Search Console, you're not alone. This error has left many website owners puzzled, leading them to question their web hosting services. But Google's John Mueller has clarified that the issue is not with your web host; it's something else entirely.

First, let's break down what "Hostload Exceeded" means. This error appears when you try to index your website's pages using Google Search Console. Indexing is crucial because it helps Google understand your website's content, making it searchable and visible to potential customers. So, when you see an error like this, it's natural to worry.

However, Mueller has stated that the problem is not with your web host or even with Google's crawling and indexing processes. Instead, the issue arises when people "spam" the URL inspection tool by submitting too many URLs for indexing. In other words, the error is a result of user behavior, not a technical glitch or quality issue with your website.

Why is this important? Because understanding the real cause behind this error can save you time and effort. You don't need to switch web hosts or make drastic changes to your website. Instead, be mindful of how many URLs you're submitting for indexing. Normal crawling and indexing by Google will happen naturally, so there's no need to force the process.

P.S. Transparency and accurate information are key to solving problems. Don't waste time fixing what's not broken; focus on what truly matters for your website's success!

6. Google's New Privacy Feature : IP Protection - Google is taking a significant step in enhancing user privacy with its new IP Protection feature for Chrome. If you're wondering what IP Protection is, it's a feature designed to mask users' original IP addresses, making it harder for websites to track them. This is crucial for you as a business owner because it could impact how you target and reach potential customers online.

Why is IP Protection important? In today's digital age, privacy is a growing concern. Many users are wary of how their data is being used, and Google's new feature aims to address this by limiting cross-site tracking. This means that the feature could potentially disrupt traditional online advertising methods that rely on tracking users' behavior based on their IP addresses.

Here's how it works: Users will need to opt-in to activate IP Protection. Initially, the feature will focus on Google-owned domains and be available for U.S.-based IP addresses. Google plans to roll out this feature in phases, starting with a single company-owned proxy server responsible for routing web traffic. Future updates will include a more c

Episode 183 contains the important Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Oct 16-20, 2023.

1. Microsoft's New Automated Bidding Features for Your Business! - Microsoft Advertising has rolled out two automated bidding strategies, Target CPA and Maximize Conversions, to all advertisers. These features aim to simplify the advertising process and are now available in all regions where Microsoft's Audience Ads are served. Automated bidding strategies help you optimize your ad campaigns without constant monitoring, freeing up your time for other business tasks.

Target CPA allows you to set a cost-per-acquisition goal, and the system will automatically adjust your bids to meet that target. Maximize Conversions, on the other hand, aims to get you as many conversions as possible within your set budget. Both strategies offer flexibility in budgeting and performance measurement, putting you in control while also reducing manual effort.

Microsoft's Audience Ads are native display ads that leverage Microsoft's data insights to target your desired audience effectively. These ads appear on various platforms like MSN, Outlook, and more.

2. Google's October 2023 Core and Spam Updates Completed! - Google has finished rolling out two significant updates that you should be aware of: the October 2023 Core Update and the October 2023 Spam Update. These updates can affect your website's visibility on Google, so let's break it down.

October 2023 Core Update: This update took almost 14 days to roll out completely, starting on October 5th and ending on October 19th. It had a significant impact on SEOs and websites, causing a lot of volatility in search rankings. The update is global and affects all types of content. If you've noticed changes in your website's performance, this could be why. Google hasn't specified what percentage of queries were impacted, but it's safe to say that the reach is wide.

October 2023 Spam Update: This update started on October 4th and ended on October 20th. It targets spam techniques that violate Google's policies, particularly in languages like Turkish, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Hindi, and Chinese. If your website was affected, Google suggests reviewing its spam policies.

Interestingly, these two updates overlapped, making it challenging to pinpoint which update caused changes to your website's rankings. If you're not involved in spammy practices and see changes, it's likely due to the Core Update. If you do engage in spam and notice alterations, it's probably the Spam Update.

Why Should You Care? These updates can either elevate your website's visibility or push it down the search rankings. If you've been hit, it's crucial to adapt your strategies accordingly.

Need Expert Guidance? If all this sounds overwhelming, we're here to help. Contact us for expert advice on navigating these Google updates seamlessly.

3. YouTube's New AI-Powered "Spotlight Moments" - YouTube has launched an advertising feature called "Spotlight Moments," designed to boost your brand's visibility during key cultural events. This new feature uses artificial intelligence to place your brand's videos next to the most relevant and engaging content related to specific cultural moments, like Halloween or Christmas.

Here's how it works: YouTube uses AI to identify popular videos related to these cultural moments. Your ads will then be served alongside this content, giving your brand a chance to shine during these high-traffic periods. All these videos will be curated into dynamically updated playlists on a sponsored hub called the "YouTube Culture Hub," which will also feature your brand's logo.

"Spotlight Moments" offers a unique opportunity to increase your brand's visibility and reach your target audience during times when they are most engaged. The big question, of course, is what kind of return on investment (ROI) you can expect from this new ad package.

4. YouTube with New Product Targeting Features! - YouTube is introducing a new feature that allows creators to add timestamps to tagged products in their videos. This new feature aims to enhance your advertising strategy by targeting potential customers at the most opportune moments.

When a timestamp is added to a tagged product, a shopping cart button appears at a time when viewer engagement is expected to be high. This precision in targeting can result in increased engagement and conversions.

The feature is especially timely as YouTube plans to remove some ad controls for newly uploaded videos next month (removing individual ad controls for newly uploaded videos in November for the following ad types: Pre-roll, Post-roll, Skippable, and Non-skippable. Moving forward, creators will only be able to decide between displaying ads before or after a video, and whether to have this option on or off. If they turn this option on, YouTube will automatically decide which ad type to display as appropriate), giving creators and sponsors more control in the meantime.

But that's not all. YouTube is also rolling out additional features to improve the shopping experience. One such feature allows creators to bulk tag affiliate products in video libraries, potentially earning revenue from older, high-traffic content. Additionally, a new reporting tool will soon be available in YouTube Studio to reveal which affiliate products are generating the most revenue for brands.

5. Google Ads Certification Now Requires Video Recording: What You Need to Know! - Google Ads has recently updated its certification process, adding a new layer of scrutiny for those taking the exam. The new rules require test-takers to record themselves during the exam, among other requirements.

Specifically, you'll need to take a picture of your photo ID, a picture of your face, and record a video of your test-taking environment. These steps are part of Google's efforts to ensure exam integrity. During the exam, a live proctor will monitor your activity via webcam and screen-sharing software. If any unauthorized behavior is noticed, the proctor will pause your exam and message you. The guidelines also prohibit the use of open books, notes, scratch paper, and even restroom breaks during the exam.

The new rules have stirred some reactions in the community, with some finding them overly strict, especially for those who work from home and may have other people around. According to Google, the changes aim to maintain the credibility of the Google Ads certification, making it a more reliable indicator of expertise. However, I disagree with Google.

6. 📊 Google Shakes Up Ad Attribution: What You Need to Know! - Google has recently announced that it will be retiring four rules-based attribution models in Google Ads and Google Analytics. If you're not familiar with attribution models, they are essentially methods to understand how different marketing channels contribute to conversions. The models being retired are First Click, Linear, Time Decay, and Position-Based. This change is significant because these models help you understand how your ads are performing and where your customers are coming from.

Why is Google making this change? According to Google, these models are being retired due to low adoption rates, with fewer than 3% of conversions in Google Ads using these models. Instead, Google is encouraging advertisers to switch to data-driven attribution models, which use advanced AI to better understand customer behavior. Google claims that switching to these data-driven models can result in a 6% increase in conversions.

What does this mean for you? If you're currently using any of the retiring models, your settings will automatically default to "Paid and Organic Data-Driven Attribution." While Last Click models will still be available, tracking anything other than the last click will become more challenging. This could make it harder to understand the customer journey and optimize your ad strategy.

If you're concerned about how these changes will impact your advertising efforts, we're here to help. Contact us for expert guidance on navigating these updates and optimizing your ad strategy.

7. 🔍 Google Changes the Game: What You Need to Know About Favicons and Crawling! - Google has recently made changes to its favicon search developer documentation that could impact how your website's favicon appears in search results. If you're not familiar with a favicon, it's the small icon that appears next to your website's name in browser tabs and search results. It's a small but crucial part of your online branding.

Previously, Google had a separate user agent specifically for downloading favicons from websites. This user agent has now been removed. Instead, Google has clarified that if you want your favicon to be displayed in search results, you must allow both "Googlebot-Image" and "Googlebot" to crawl your pages. In simpler terms, you need to make sure that Google's web crawlers can access both your website's homepage and the favicon file. If either is blocked, your favicon won't show up in Google's search results.

This change means that you no longer have to request indexing specifically for your favicon; it will be automatically crawled by Googlebot and Googlebot-Image. The update aims to streamline the process and make it easier for website owners, but it's essential to ensure that your website is configured correctly to take advantage of this.

Episode 182 contains the important Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Oct 9-13, 2023.

1. Google's Demand Gen Ads: The AI-Powered Video Ads - If you're using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram for advertising, you'll want to know about Google's latest ad product: Demand Gen campaigns. Google Ads is a platform that allows you to place advertisements on Google's search engine and other platforms. Demand Gen is Google's newest effort to compete with traditional social media sites for your advertising dollars.

What sets Demand Gen apart? It uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create highly targeted video and image ads, specifically designed for platforms like YouTube. These ads can be up to 15 seconds long, ideal for YouTube placements, and can also feature image carousels tailored for mobile users. The tool uses Google's powerful AI to identify "lookalike audiences" that share characteristics with your existing customers, allowing for more targeted advertising.

Why is this important for you? Consumer habits are changing. People are now splitting their time between traditional social media platforms and video sites like YouTube. Google's Demand Gen aims to help you capitalize on this shift by offering visually compelling ads tailored to specific audiences. Early adopters have already seen promising results; for example, Argentine fintech startup Naranja X reported 3x higher click-through rates at 61% lower costs compared to its paid social campaigns.

2. Google Ads Policy Update: What You Need to Know About Offering Rewards 🎁 - If you're using Google Ads to incentivize customer engagement, there's a significant policy change you should be aware of. Starting October 31, 2023, Google Ads will update its policies to allow indirect or non-monetary items to be offered as rewards. However, direct monetary items will still remain disallowed as rewards.

Here's what the change means in simple terms:

• The reward must be redeemable and usable only within your platform, website, or app.
• The reward must be non-transferable.
• If the reward is a discount or voucher for a physical item, it must not exceed 25% of the item's total value.

This update is crucial for businesses that use rewards to attract and retain customers. It gives you more flexibility in what you can offer as rewards, such as discounts, loyalty points, or even game character skins. However, these rewards must be confined to your own platform and cannot be converted into cash or transferred to third parties.

Why is this important? This policy change allows you to be more creative and flexible in your advertising campaigns. It could be a game-changer in how you engage with your audience and could potentially lead to higher customer retention rates.

3. Google's Cookie 🍪 Crumble: How Chrome's Upcoming Changes Will Impact Your Business - If you're using Google Chrome to manage your online advertising, you need to be aware of a significant change coming your way. Google Chrome is a widely-used web browser, and it's about to alter how it handles third-party cookies. These cookies are small pieces of data that track user behavior across websites, helping businesses like yours target ads more effectively.

Starting in early 2024, Google will disable third-party cookies for 1% of Chrome users as an initial step. By mid-2024, this will extend to all Chrome users. This move aims to enhance user privacy but will also force a shift in how digital advertising operates. The change could impact your ability to collect data and serve relevant ads to your audience.

Why is Google making this change? The tech giant aims to improve user privacy and security while still providing tools for businesses to sustain themselves. Google plans to introduce new "Privacy Sandbox APIs" to replace the functionality lost by the removal of third-party cookies. These will cover use cases like identity verification, advertising, and fraud detection.

What does this mean for you? If you rely on third-party cookies for advertising, it's time to prepare for this change. You'll need to adopt new methods for serving ads and possibly face a shift in the digital advertising landscape that could benefit larger platforms like Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

The upcoming changes present an opportunity to reassess your advertising strategies. If you're feeling overwhelmed by these shifts and need expert guidance, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here to help you navigate these changes seamlessly.

4. Take Control 🎛️ of Your Customer Data with Google's New Tool - If you're using Google Ads for your business, there's a new tool you should know about: Google Ads Data Manager. Google Ads is a platform that allows you to advertise your products or services on Google's search engine and other affiliated sites. The tool aims to simplify the management of first-party customer data, which is the data you collect directly from your customers. This is crucial because first-party data is generally more reliable and valuable than third-party data, which is collected from external sources like browser cookies.

Google Ads Data Manager offers a unified platform where data analysts and marketers can collaborate. It streamlines the process of setting up new data integrations and activating customer datasets for measurement and targeting. The tool eliminates the need for coding, reducing duplicated work between analysts and engineers. It even promises future integration with major platforms like Salesforce and Lytics, where many businesses build audience profiles and analytics repositories.

Why is this important for your business? As privacy concerns grow and third-party cookies become less reliable, focusing on first-party data becomes increasingly essential. Google's new tool aims to make this transition easier by providing a unified interface for managing your customer data. It's set for a full launch in 2024, starting with core features like conversion measurement and customer list activation within Google Ads.

5. Google Ads Glitches Could Be Draining Your Budget! Know What's Happening 🚨 - If you're using Google Ads to promote your business, you need to be aware of recent issues that could be affecting your advertising budget. Google Ads is a platform that allows you to place advertisements on Google's search engine and other affiliated websites. It's a crucial tool for driving traffic and sales, but recent glitches could be causing you unnecessary financial strain.

On October 11, 2023, Google confirmed a significant issue affecting a large number of Google Ads users. The problem lies in the serving of ads and the spending controls for campaigns. In simpler terms, the platform is not functioning as it should, which could lead to your ads being displayed incorrectly or your budget being spent faster than you intended. Google has been actively investigating the issue but has yet to provide a concrete resolution time.

This isn't a one-off event. Google Ads has experienced multiple outages and issues throughout the year, affecting various aspects like responsiveness and billing. These glitches have led to numerous complaints in Google Ads forums, indicating that the problem is widespread.

After almost three days, Google finally announced that the issue was resolved on October 13, 2023. However, the damage for many could have already been done by then. As a business owner, it's essential to keep an eye on your Google Ads campaigns, especially during such turbulent times. Make sure to check your ad performance and budget spending regularly to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

6. Google's 🤖 AI-Powered Images: What It Means for Your Business - Google is testing new AI-powered features that can generate both images and written content based on your search queries. Imagine typing "draw a picture of a capybara wearing a chef's hat and cooking breakfast," and Google actually generates that image for you. This feature aims to help users visualize concepts more easily during the search process. It's currently available to a limited test group in the U.S., but it's a glimpse into the future of how we might interact with search engines.

Another fascinating feature is AI-powered writing inspiration. For example, if you search for "garage conversion projects," Google could generate a draft email that you could send to a contractor for a quote. This feature is designed to assist in longer research sessions by providing AI-assisted writing ideas. Like the image generation feature, this is also in the testing phase.

Why should you care? These advancements could significantly streamline your business operations, from conceptualizing ideas to drafting content. However, Google is also implementing safeguards to prevent misuse and maintain user privacy, which is crucial for business integrity.

7. Google's RGSP: The Auction 💰🔨 System That Could Change Your Ad Game - If you're using Google Ads to promote your business, you need to understand RGSP—Randomized Generalized Second-Price auctions. Google Ads is a platform where businesses bid to place their ads on Google's search engine. The highest bidder doesn't always win; instead, Google uses a complex metric called "Ad Rank" to determine the winner. This system takes into account not just the bid amount, but also the long-term value (LTV) of the campaign, ad quality, and relevance.

RGSP is a practice that adds another layer to this process. It picks the winner at random from the top bidders, as long as their LTVs are close enough. The winner then pays the price of the next-highest bid plus one cent. While Goo

Episode 181 contains the important Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Oct 2-6, 2023.

1. New Courses to Unlock the Power of Reddit Ads - If you're a business owner looking to diversify your online advertising, Reddit has some exciting news for you. The platform has updated its "Reddit Ads Formula" marketing education program, adding a new "Boost 2.0 Certification" to its existing courses. What does this mean for you? It's a golden opportunity to understand Reddit's advertising tools better and use them to your advantage.

Originally launched last June, Reddit Ads Formula offers a straightforward guide to Reddit's advertising options. The new Boost 2.0 Certification takes it a step further by providing in-depth knowledge and insights. The course covers essential topics like selecting the right bid and budget strategy, identifying performance opportunities, and effectively engaging Reddit communities. Completing the course earns you a certification badge, which can add credibility to your business. Plus, you'll have the option to make a Reddit-funded donation to charity.

Why is this important? Reddit is a growing platform with a diverse user base, making it a fertile ground for advertising. The new courses aim to help you optimize your ad campaigns, thereby increasing your reach and ROI. With over 5,800 participants from 26+ countries already benefiting from the program, it's time you consider hopping on the Reddit advertising bandwagon.

2. LinkedIn Testing Fully Automated Accelerate Ad Campaigns - LinkedIn is stepping up its advertising game with a new feature called "Accelerate," designed to automate your entire ad campaign process. If you're a business owner, this is big news. Why? Because advertising on platforms like LinkedIn can be complex and time-consuming. Accelerate aims to simplify this by recommending a complete campaign in as little as five minutes.

Here's how it works: You provide a URL for the product you want to promote, and LinkedIn's AI systems take care of the rest. The AI analyzes your company's LinkedIn page, past ads, and the website you shared to create a tailored campaign. You can then fine-tune the campaign's copy, images, and targeting parameters. The AI also adjusts your campaign bids and budget in real-time to maximize results.

Why should you care? LinkedIn claims that its AI tools have led to a 47% improvement in cost-per-conversion and a 21% improvement in average cost-per-lead. Essentially, you're letting LinkedIn's AI manage your ad budget in the most efficient way possible, which could save you both time and money.

The Accelerate feature is currently available to a limited number of customers in North America. It's a hands-off approach to LinkedIn ads that could make your life a lot easier. So, is it time to let AI take the wheel in your LinkedIn advertising? It might be worth a try.

3. Meta Expands Roll Out of Generative AI Features for Ad Creation - Meta, the company behind Facebook, has recently expanded its Generative AI features for ad creation. These features include text variations, background generation, and image expansion tools. What does this mean for you as a business owner? It means you can now create more dynamic and personalized ads with just a few clicks, saving you both time and money.

In early tests, advertisers found that these AI tools saved them an estimated five or more hours a week. That's almost a month's worth of time saved per year! These tools not only speed up the ad creation process but also help in maximizing the effectiveness of your campaigns. For instance, you can quickly develop multiple variations of ad creatives, which allows for more strategic work and better performance.

But that's not all. Meta is also developing AI tools for business messaging on platforms like Messenger and WhatsApp. These tools will help you engage with customers more effectively, offering instant conversational responses.

In summary, Meta's new AI features are designed to make your life easier by automating tedious tasks, allowing you to focus on strategy and creativity. These tools are rolling out globally and are expected to be fully available by next year. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your advertising to the next level.

4. Meta's New Subscription Model Could Change Your Business Advertising Strategy - Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is planning to introduce a subscription-based model that offers an ad-free experience for $14 a month. This move is in response to the European Union's Digital Services Act, which will take effect on January 1, 2024. The act requires platforms to seek user consent for serving personalized ads, impacting businesses that rely heavily on ad revenue.

Why is this important for you as a business owner? Well, if users opt for this subscription, they won't see ads, which could significantly reduce the reach of your advertising campaigns on these platforms. This means you might need to rethink your advertising strategies and possibly invest in alternative platforms for better visibility.

Meta has not yet made an official statement about this new model, but it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve. The cost of the subscription could be a determining factor for user adoption. If fewer people see your ads because they've opted for the ad-free subscription, you'll need to adapt quickly to maintain your online presence and customer engagement.

Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story, as it could have a significant impact on how you approach advertising on social media platforms.

5. TikTok Testing Subscription Plan - TikTok is exploring a new avenue to enhance user experience: an ad-free subscription plan. This move comes as social media platforms are grappling with changes in digital privacy regulations, particularly in the European Union. The new plan would cost users around $4.99 per month to enjoy an ad-free TikTok experience.

Why is this important for you as a business owner? Ads are the lifeblood of social media platforms, helping businesses like yours reach potential customers. However, with increasing regulations and user demands for a cleaner interface, platforms are considering alternative revenue streams. TikTok's ad-free subscription is not just a user-centric move; it's a signal of changing tides in the digital advertising landscape.

This shift could impact how you allocate your advertising budget and engage with your audience on TikTok. It's also worth noting that while this feature is currently in the testing phase and targeted at a single English-speaking market outside the U.S., it could potentially be rolled out more broadly in the future.

6. New Google Rules for Email Marketing: What You Need to Know to Keep Your Business in the Clear! - Google is tightening its rules for businesses that send bulk emails to Gmail users. If your business sends more than 5,000 emails per day to Gmail addresses, you'll need to pay attention to these new guidelines, which will take effect in February 2024. The changes aim to reduce spam and improve email security, making it crucial for business owners to adapt.

• Strong Email Authentication: Google will require you to authenticate your emails using established protocols like SPF, DKIM, or DMARC. This ensures that your emails are genuine and not spam.
• Easy Unsubscribe: You'll need to provide an easy, one-click unsubscribe option in your emails. All unsubscribe requests must be processed within two days.
• Clear Spam Rate Threshold: Google will enforce a specific spam rate that you must not exceed. This will help keep your emails out of the spam folder.

These new rules are not just about compliance; they're about maintaining a healthy relationship with your customers and ensuring your emails actually reach them. Even if your email list has fewer than 5,000 recipients, following these best practices is still recommended.

By adhering to these new guidelines, you'll not only avoid potential penalties but also improve the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns. Make sure to update your email practices before the February deadline to stay compliant.

7. Google's new GA4 feature! 🛡️ #DataProtection #GA4Updates - Google has rolled out a new feature in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) that you should know about. It's called Data Redaction, and it's designed to help you comply with privacy laws like GDPR. This feature automatically removes Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as email addresses and phone numbers before they are sent to Google. This is crucial for avoiding legal issues and maintaining customer trust.

Here's the scoop: For new GA4 properties, this feature is enabled by default. But if you're using an existing GA4 property, you'll need to turn it on manually. The Data Redaction feature scans the data before sending it to Google and removes any PII. It's particularly useful for redacting information that might accidentally be included in URLs.

However, it's important to note that while this feature is a strong step toward data privacy, it doesn't absolve you of all responsibilities. You still need to ensure that no PII is being sent to Google in other ways. Google also provides a "Debug View" to test and monitor how the feature works in real-time.

Why should you care? In today's digital age, data privacy is not just a legal requirement but also a competitive advantage. Customers are more likely to trust businesses that protect their data. So, go ahead and enable this feature to take a step forward in responsible data management.

8. Google Launches Octo

Episode 180 contains the important Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Sep 25-29, 2023.

1. Is Google Lying About Using Clicks in Rankings? A X-Googler Testimony - The debate over whether Google uses clicks as a direct ranking factor has taken a new turn. Eric Lehman, a former 17-year Google veteran who worked on search quality and ranking, recently testified in the ongoing U.S. vs. Google antitrust trial. Lehman stated that Google's machine learning systems, BERT and MUM, are becoming more critical than user data for search rankings. He believes that Google will increasingly rely on machine learning to evaluate text rather than user data.

Lehman's testimony has sparked controversy, especially among SEO experts, who have long questioned Google's transparency about its ranking factors. Google's Gary Illyes, at a recent AMA, confirmed that Google uses historical search data for its machine-learning algorithm, RankBrain. However, he clarified that clicks are not necessarily a direct ranking factor. Instead, they are used for evaluating experiments and personalization.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) also attempted to challenge Lehman's statements by questioning Google's advantage in using BERT over its competitors. Lehman clarified that Google's edge comes from inventing BERT, not from its user data. The DOJ's attempt to impeach Lehman's testimony seemed to backfire, adding more credibility to his statements.

Lehman also touched on the sensitive topic of using clicks in search rankings. He mentioned that Google avoids confirming the use of user data in rankings to prevent people from thinking that SEO could be used to manipulate search results. This adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing debate.

In summary, while clicks may not serve as a direct ranking factor, they are part of a more complex system that includes machine learning algorithms and personalization. Lehman's testimony has reignited the discussion about Google's ranking factors, raising questions about the company's transparency and the future of SEO.

2. 🚨 Is Google Playing Fair? What Business Owners Need to Know About Google's Ad Revenue Tactics! - You might be wondering why Google's advertising tactics should matter to you. Well, Google is the go-to search engine for most people, and it's where your business likely appears in search results. Recent revelations during the Federal Antitrust trial suggest that Google might be prioritizing its own revenue over user experience and fair competition. Here's what you need to know:

1. Push for More Revenue: Leaked emails from Google Ads executives reveal a push to "shake the cushions" to find more revenue. They discussed injecting queries from Chrome and tweaking search rankings to hit revenue targets. This could mean that organic search results—where your business might appear—are being pushed down to make room for more ads.
2. Questionable Ethics: High-ranking Google executives were caught discussing ways to artificially increase search queries to boost ad revenues. They even talked about the impact on Google's stock price and their personal fortunes if they didn't meet revenue goals. This raises questions about the integrity of Google's search algorithms.
3. Controversial Analogy: A senior Google executive likened the company's search advertising business to selling drugs, stating that Google can "ignore users and focus on generating revenue from advertising." This is alarming because it suggests that user experience is secondary to revenue generation.

So, why should you care? If Google is manipulating search results to boost its own revenue, it could affect where your business appears in those results. This could directly impact your visibility and, ultimately, your bottom line.

3. Google's John Mueller Defends Official SEO Advice - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a crucial aspect of your online presence that helps your website rank higher in search engines like Google. However, there's a fine line between optimizing your site for Google and overdoing it. John Mueller, Google’s official representative, defended the company's ongoing support for SEOs through documentation, video content, and Q&A sessions. He acknowledges that while some people misuse this information to create "made-for-Google" sites, the majority benefit from it. Mueller states, "Yes, it's also awkward that we're writing how to do well in Google, explaining algorithms, giving technical tips, but even with a minority that abuses that, it doesn't mean we should stop helping sites get the most out of search."

He pointed out that Google aims to benefit the broader web community, not just those who are trying to game the system. While Google may withhold some details to prevent exploitation, most of their advice is rooted in common sense.

In summary, Google claims that is committed to helping website owners understand how to optimize their sites effectively. They believe that the benefits of providing this information outweigh the risks of some people abusing it. As a business owner, it's essential to stay updated on Google's guidelines to ensure your website performs well in search results while adhering to best practices.

4. Google May Ignore Your High-Quality Website. Here's What You Need to Know! - If you've ever wondered why your well-crafted website isn't appearing in Google search results, you're not alone. Google's indexing process, which determines which pages show up in search results, has always been a bit of a mystery. Traditionally, Google has stated that if a page isn't indexed, it's likely because it doesn't meet certain quality standards. However, a recent update from John Mueller of Google has thrown a curveball into this understanding.

John Mueller stated that even "high-quality pages aren't guaranteed indexing." In simpler terms, even if your website is top-notch, there's no guarantee it will appear in Google search results. He emphasized that "pushing it through these tools doesn't guarantee that they'll stay or even become indexed." This is a significant revelation because many business owners invest time and resources into creating high-quality content, assuming it will automatically be indexed by Google.

So, what does this mean for you as a business owner? First, understand that Google's indexing is not perfect and is not always a reflection of your website's quality. Second, while it's crucial to maintain high-quality content, know that this alone won't guarantee visibility on Google. Lastly, consider diversifying your online presence through other channels like social media to ensure you're reaching your target audience.

5. Unlock the Full Potential of YouTube with New AI-Driven Campaigns and Analytics! -YouTube has globally launched Video View Campaigns (VVC), a new ad campaign type that uses AI to target audiences more efficiently. VVCs offer a variety of ad formats and have been shown to achieve 40% more views and 30% lower cost per view compared to traditional instream skippable CPV campaigns.

Video View Campaigns (VVC) are a new type of YouTube ad campaign that leverages artificial intelligence to target audiences more precisely. Unlike traditional instream skippable CPV campaigns, VVCs combine various ad formats like skippable instream ads, in-feed ads, and shorts ads to maximize reach and engagement. The AI-driven approach ensures that ads are served to the most relevant audiences at the right time, leading to 40% more views and 30% lower cost per view on average.

On the non-ads front, YouTube has rolled out a new analytics features that offer insights into why subscribers cancel their memberships through exit surveys and how new and returning viewers engage with the channel content. This data can be invaluable for fine-tuning your content strategy and making improvements to retain your most valuable audience. YouTube has also introduced new data cards that provide context on total member counts and which videos are driving more subscriptions.

6. Google’s 2023 Helpful Content Update Rollout Complete - Google has completed its September 2023 Helpful Content Update, aimed at improving the quality of search results. The update, which rolled out from September 14 to September 28, brings several key changes:

1. Machine-Generated Content: Google has softened its stance on AI-generated content, making it more consistent with other guidelines on creating useful material.
2. Third-Party Content: The update advises against hosting third-party content on a website's primary domain or subdomain unless it is closely related to the main site's purpose.

3. Traffic Recovery: Google offers new advice for websites that have experienced traffic loss due to the update, suggesting they identify and remove or replace unhelpful content.

7. The Mystery Behind Google Discover Traffic Fluctuations: What You Need to Know! - Google Discover is a personalized content feed that shows articles, videos, and other content you might be interested in, right on Google's mobile homepage. It's a significant source of organic traffic and plays a crucial role in the SEO landscape. Google has recently updated its Discover documentation to shed light on why traffic from Google Discover may experience fluctuations. The update outlines three key reasons:

1. Changing Interests: Google Discover aims to show content that aligns with a user's interests, which are partly determined by their search activity. If a user's interests change, the content displayed in their Discover feed will also change, affecting traffic for publishers.
2. Content Types: Google Discover adjusts the types of content it

Episode 179 contains the important Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Sep 18-22, 2023.

1. YouTube's New AI-Powered Tools! - YouTube is stepping up its game with a slew of innovative creator tools, including groundbreaking generative AI features. Unveiled at the "Made On" showcase event, the platform introduced the "Dream Screen" generative AI tool, allowing creators to integrate AI-generated video and image backgrounds into their YouTube Shorts. This tool aligns YouTube with the latest creative trends, matching efforts by platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram.

Additionally, YouTube is launching "YouTube Create," a free video editing app reminiscent of TikTok's CapCut. This app offers a suite of editing tools, including audio cleanup, auto captions in multiple languages, filters, transitions, and direct publishing options. Initially tested in India and Singapore, it's now expanding to more regions and is currently available for Android users.

To further fuel creativity, YouTube is introducing an AI ideas generator. By inputting a topic, creators receive content suggestions and even a downloadable content outline. While this tool offers inspiration, it's essential to use it as a guide rather than a strict blueprint to maintain originality.

Other notable features include an automatic dubbing tool for content translation and an assistive search in creator music. These tools aim to simplify the content creation process, allowing creators to focus on their unique vision.

2. Google's New Report To Spot Checkout Issues on 🛒 E-commerce Sites! - Google has introduced the "Checkout Journey Report" to assist brands in pinpointing checkout challenges on their e-commerce platforms. This report showcases the number and percentage of users who initiate and progress through the checkout stages. It adopts a closed funnel method, focusing on users who start at the 'begin checkout' phase. The report is instrumental in identifying and resolving bottlenecks, enhancing the shopping experience, and potentially boosting sales. To access this report, brands need to integrate specific e-commerce events into their platforms. Google emphasizes the value of this tool, stating it offers a "clear picture of the number and percentage of users" progressing through the checkout funnel. By identifying drop-offs, brands can address issues like high shipping costs or mandatory logins that may deter customers.


3. Google's GA4 Transition Shocker: What Advertisers Need to Know! - Google's recent automated transition from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has taken many advertisers by surprise. Intended to simplify the shift to GA4, these automatic changes have instead led to confusion. Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin explained on X (formerly Twitter): “Some advertisers have noticed our system making changes to GA4 conversion actions in their Google Ads accounts. This is the conversion swapping piece of the Setup Assistant migration process with the turndown of Universal Analytics. With the turndown process taking some time, we understand that some advertisers may be caught off guard with these changes being made now and apologize for the confusion.” She explained that the changes aim to “map UA conversion to GA4 conversion settings for bidding & avoid duplicate measurement.”

According to a Google help page, not all Universal Analytics settings have a clear GA4 counterpart. Hence, the automated migration process might not consistently deliver the same choices that users would make. That’s why Google advises manually migrating your Universal Analytics settings to GA4 to maintain control over your configurations. Google reaffirmed that a new GA4 property will automatically be created if users do nothing, and Universal Analytics configurations will be copied to this new GA4 property.

If you didn’t opt out in time and don’t want your automatically configured GA4 property, then simply follow these steps:

1. Click on ‘Admin’ in your account.
2. Select your Universal Analytics property.
3. In the “Property” column, click GA4 Setup Assistant.
4. Click on “Disconnect” next to your “Connected property”.

You can check for any changes made to your GA4 property by going to the “Change History” section. Automatic migration changes will be marked as “System (Migration)” in the “Changed by” column.

4. Microsoft Advertising Announces Generative AI Tools For Advertisers - Microsoft Advertising has announced a range of new generative AI tools aimed at revolutionizing search and advertising. They are:

1. Compare and Decide Ads: A new ad format for Bing chat, allowing users to compare products based on their preferences. The new format will allow online shoppers to compare different products using criteria they find most valuable. Compare and Decide Ads will run across all verticals that have relevant feed data, including retail, travel and auto. Microsoft is planning to launch Compare and Decide Ads in close beta in early 2024.
2. Ads for Chat API: Partnerships with Snapchat and Axel Springer to integrate sponsored links and connect with millions of users. Snapchat’s My AI chatbot, which has been used by more than 150 million people worldwide, leverages the tech to serve Sponsored Links in relevant content and experiences that “feel natural to the content flow”. Microsoft has said it will continue evolving its API offering based on the feedback of its advertisers and partners. Looking to the future, the tech giant is planning to welcome more partners and support their chat experience needs.

Copilot for Microsoft Ads: Specifically designed for advertisers and agencies, Copilot is a new tool that leverages AI to generate recommendations for product images, headlines, and descriptions. To use it, simply describe the content you need, like an image, and Copilot will generate suggestions based on your description. Microsoft is currently testing the new tool on a handful of advertisers but plans to bring it to open beta in the next few months.

5. Microsoft Gives Websites More Control Over Content in Bing Chat - Microsoft has introduced new options for publishers to have more control over their content usage in Bing's AI-powered chatbot feature. This move comes after publishers expressed concerns about their content being used without permission in Bing Chat. To address these concerns, Microsoft now allows webmasters to use meta tags like "nocache" and "noarchive" to limit or block content in Bing Chat. However, it's important to note that content blocked from Bing Chat will still be visible in regular Bing search results. Fabrice Canel, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft, emphasized that the company is committed to maintaining open communication with publishers and ensuring that they have control over their content.

6. Wix Integrates with IndexNow for Lightning-Fast Updates! - IndexNow offers a method for website owners to promptly inform search engines about content modifications. IndexNow was covered in Episode#90 after it was released by Microsoft to make it easier for a WordPress site to automate the submission of URLs from WordPress sites to the multiple search engines without the need to register and verify your site with them.

Now Wix, a widely-used website publishing platform, has integrated IndexNow, a Microsoft-backed indexing initiative. This significant update means that over 60 million Wix websites can now swiftly update their content changes in search engine results. Users don't need to take any action as this feature is enabled by default. Recently, more than 60 million sites have been publishing over 14 billion URLs daily to the IndexNow API. The integration aims to provide Wix users with efficient SEO solutions, making website promotion faster and more straightforward.

7. Microsoft Bing Bids Goodbye to Disavow Links Tool! - Bing has announced its decision to remove the "disavow links tool" from Bing Webmaster Tools. Fabrice Canel from Bing stated that due to the advancements in Bing's algorithms and artificial intelligence capabilities, there's no longer a need for users to disavow bad links. Bing's AI can now efficiently differentiate between natural and unnatural links, disregarding the latter without affecting the former. Interestingly, while Google has been contemplating the removal of its disavow tool for years, Bing has taken the lead in both introducing and now retiring the tool. Fabrice said Bing will be "removing the disavow links feature and associated API in October 2023."

So what exactly does a link disavow do? It is a request for Search Engines to ignore links to your domain. If the link disavow is successful, it won’t be counted for or against you when determining ranking in the search results. More information on this from SemRush here.

P.S: Bing beat Google to launching the disavow tool in June 2012 and now Bing is beating Google in sunsetting the disavow tool. And we have covered in the past that backlinks are no longer helpful in getting to the top of the search results. I guess this indirectly proves that backlinking as a SEO strategy is no longer effective.

8. Microsoft Adds New Functionalities To Bing Webmaster Tools - Microsoft has introduced a new performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools, which now includes data that Bing hadn't previously reported. While in the past, Bing only displayed web search and crawling data, the updated report now provides metrics on Bing images, videos, news, knowledge panels, and chat data. However, users cannot filter solely by Bing chat data; it's combined with web data. This updat

Episode 178 contains the notable Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Sep 11-15, 2023.

1. TikTok Shop Launches in the US - With inspiring hashtags like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, TikTok now aims to revolutionize online shopping culture. TikTok Shop is now officially available in the US, allowing US businesses to sell their products directly on the TikTok platform. TikTok Shop is a social commerce platform that allows users to discover and purchase products directly from their favorite creators and brands.

TikTok Shop adds shoppable videos and LIVE streams directly into the “For You” feeds for its 150 million American users. TikTok Shop extends beyond in-feed videos and LIVE streams. Users can discover new products via the search bar inside the TikTok app, filtering results to Shop. Businesses and brands get a dedicated “Shop Tab” to display products and promotions. This incorporates a product showcase where users can read reviews and purchase directly from your brand’s profile. In addition, sellers can take advantage of “Fulfilled by TikTok” – a new logistics solution where TikTok manages storage, picking, packing, and shipping. The platform even includes an affiliate program, letting popular influencers and creators earn commissions by promoting TikTok Shop products.

To get started, go to your TikTok app, visit your profile and, using the menu, navigate to Creator Tools. There, you will see the options to sign up for TikTok Shop as a seller or creator to earn brand commissions. Creators must have at least 5,000 followers and be 18 years old to be eligible for the TikTok Shop Affiliate program.

TikTok Shop is integrated with well-known ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud. This should make it easier for existing ecommece sellers to start selling on TikTok without creating a new store from scratch. In addition, TikTok has partnered with several multi-channel platforms like Channel Advisor and Feedonomics to support omni-channel businesses. Sellers can utilize apps from Zendesk, Printful, Yotpo, EasyShip, and more to add more functionality and features to TikTok Shops.

2. Amazon Launches New AI Tool to Help Sellers Create Listing Content - Creating compelling product titles, bullet points, and descriptions has traditionally been a cumbersome task for sellers. Amazon has taken a significant step forward in simplifying the lives of its sellers by employing generative artificial intelligence (AI) to generate listing content. The process is remarkably straightforward. Sellers only need to supply a brief description or a few keywords about the product. Amazon’s AI generates high-quality, detailed content for the seller’s review. If satisfied, sellers can directly upload this content to their product listings.

Robert Tekiela, vice president of Amazon Selection and Catalog Systems, expressed excitement about the developments in the announcement post. “With our new generative AI models, we can infer, improve, and enrich product knowledge at an unprecedented scale and with dramatic improvement in quality, performance, and efficiency. Our models learn to infer product information through the diverse sources of information, latent knowledge, and logical reasoning that they learn. For example, they can infer a table is round if specifications list a diameter or infer the collar style of a shirt from its image.”

3. Suspended Google Advertisers Needs To Complete Verification Before Appeal - Google wrote, "In October 2023, selected advertisers whose accounts were suspended due to a violation of our Google Ads policies must complete Advertiser verification first to be able to appeal their account suspension."

Google said that those advertisers on monthly invoicing are not required to complete Advertiser verification. If they do get suspended, Google said they may directly appeal their account suspension.

Google will be rolling out this process on October 10, 2023, with full enforcement ramping up over approximately four weeks.

Advertisers may be required to provide the following information for advertiser verification for the account suspension appeals process:

• D-U-N-S number if the advertiser is an organization
• US Social Security Number or phone number if the advertiser is an individual

4. Struggling To Get Results From Your YouTube Ads? Google Ads Creative Guidance Can Help! - Google Ads Creative Guidance is a new tool that helps advertisers improve the performance of their YouTube ads. It provides feedback and recommendations on key creative attributes, such as brand logo, video duration, voice-over, and aspect ratio.

To access Creative Guidance, advertisers simply need to go to their Google Ads account and click on the "Videos" tab. Then, they can select the video ad they want to analyze and click on the "Creative Guidance" button.

Creative Guidance will then provide feedback on the following creative attributes:

• Brand logo: Is the brand logo displayed prominently in the first 5 seconds of the ad?
• Video duration: Is the video ad the recommended length for its marketing objective?
• Voice-over: Does the video ad use a high-quality, human voice-over?
• Aspect ratio: Does the video ad group include all three video orientations: horizontal 16:9, vertical 9:16, and square 1:1?

Creative Guidance will also provide recommendations for how to improve the performance of the video ad. For example, if the brand logo is not displayed prominently in the first 5 seconds of the ad, Creative Guidance will recommend adding a logo overlay to the video.

Creative Guidance can be a valuable tool for advertisers who want to improve the performance of their YouTube ads. By following the feedback and recommendations from Creative Guidance, advertisers can create video ads that are more likely to capture the attention of viewers and drive results. While this tool seems promising, advertisers must remember that the AI can only provide recommendations based on historical data and existing best practices. Therefore, its suggestions may not align with every brand’s style and strategy.

To access Creative guidance in Google Ads, follow these instructions: In your Google Ads account,

• Click the Campaigns icon Campaigns Icon.
• Click the Assets drop down in the section menu.
• Click “Videos”.
• Click the “Analytics” tab next to “Videos”.
• Select your video ad in the drop down menu.
• In the “Ideas to try” section below the retention curves, you’ll find the creative attributes you’re missing with recommendations on how to take action.

The steps listed above are part of a new Google Ads user experience that is set to launch for all advertisers in 2024. A spokesperson for Google Ads said in a statement:

• "We’ll let you know if your video is missing a best practice. If we have a recommendation or tool to implement a suggestion such as adding a voiceover, we’ll direct you to it."
• "Voiceover has a big impact on YouTube. Thanks to the power of AI, quality voice overs in 15 languages are accessible directly in Google Ads (both in the asset library and built into the video creation tool) and coming soon to Ads Creative Studio.
• "Similarly, if your campaign would benefit from videos in different durations, we’ll guide you to Trim video. Or, if you’re missing a horizontal, square or vertical video, you can easily create one using a variety of high-quality templates."
• "These features empower marketers to take charge of their creative. AI can help turbocharge performance by tuning creative elements across all the different viewing experiences and content that YouTube viewers love."

5. Google: Don't Stuff Low-Quality Content at the Bottom of Your E-Commerce Category Pages - During September 2023, Google SEO Office hour, Gary Illyes has advised against stuffing low-quality, auto-generated content at the bottom of e-commerce category pages. Gary said, instead, "add content that people will actually find useful, don't add content because search might require it or so you think… please don't do those auto-generated low-quality repeated, blurbs of text over and over again on all your category pages.It just looks silly, even for the average person."

6. Google Says Meta Description Length Doesn't Matter for SEO - Your SEO professional may disagree with this, but Google's John Mueller has said that the length of meta descriptions does not matter for the Google search ranking algorithm. However, meta descriptions are still important for SEO, as they can influence click-through rates (CTRs).

His exact words were, "I'm sorry to tell you, those numbers are all made up.. Whoever told them to you is leading you astray, probably not just in this regard (and I hope you're not telling them to clients)." after Kushal wrote to John stating "Hey @JohnMu meta description length matters. One of client say 200-300 character not good, make it 155-160 character is ideal as per google algo. Being SEO What I suggest him. I know the hidden truth. Pls suggest."

7. Google: No Such Thing as "Back to the Same" for Search Rankings After a Site Revamp - In a recent tweet, Google Search's John Mueller said that there is no such thing as "back to the same" for search rankings after a website revamp. This means that when you make changes to your website, your search rankings may go up, down, or stay the same.

There is no specific time or guarantee for how long it will take for your rankings to stabilize after a revamp.

Episode 177 contains the notable Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Sep 4-8, 2023.

1. Google August 2023 Core Update - Google has confirmed that the August 2023 core update, which began rolling out on August 22, 2023, has completed on Sept 7, 2023. This is the second core update of 2023, following the March 2023 core update.

FYI: Core updates are major changes to Google's search algorithm that aim to improve the quality of search results. They are not focused on any particular kind of content or website, and they can affect rankings for a wide variety of websites.

The early SEO industry chatter suggested this update was a fairly impactful update compared to previous core updates. The exact impact of the August 2023 core update is still unknown. Google stressed that pages impacted by core updates aren’t necessarily flawed. According to Google, this update focused on improving Google’s overall content assessment. As always, Google advised site owners to focus on quality content as a response to fluctuations in search rankings. Sites that are experiencing a dip should consider conducting an audit to understand which pages were most impacted and for what types of searches. Google also cautioned that improving your website content may not lead to an immediate change in rankings.

2. Google Updates Helpful Content Guidelines: Self-Assess Your Content & Remove Unhelpful Content - Google recently updated its documentation on the helpful content system, designed to identify and demote low-quality content from search results. The updated documentation now states that website owners should self-assess their content to determine if it is helpful to visitors. If website owners find their content unhelpful, they are encouraged to remove it.

Marie Haynes asked Danny Sullivan, the Google Search Liaison:"Google's documentation on the helpful content system talks about recovering by "removing unhelpful content" in order to get the unhelpful content classification removed. Any chance we could get more clarity on this? Do you mean:

-remove parts of pages that contain large amounts of text readers will likely skip over?

-remove entire pages that offer little original value?
-perhaps both?

Does a site need to remove unhelpful content published in the past in order to recover? Or could they focus on simply producing content that is helpful and original from this point onwards. Would that be enough?"

Danny replied: "People should self-assess their content to understand if they believe it will be helpful to visitors. Keep content on pages or entire pages or whatever they believe is helpful. Get rid of things that aren't, if they're looking critically at them as a visitor."

I know that Google does not provide specific guidance on what constitutes unhelpful content. However, the documentation does provide some general examples, such as content that is plagiarized, spammy, or irrelevant to the user's search intent.

Website owners concerned about their content being labeled as unhelpful should carefully review their pages or enlist the help of a trusted third party. How do you all go about assessing if your content is helpful or not?

3. Google Sites: Not Ideal for SEO - Google Sites is a free website builder that allows users to create and publish websites without coding knowledge. The Google site is a hosted website builder that's free and published under a sites.google.com domain, although one can opt to use an actual domain name.

Now, Google's John Mueller shared additional details on Google Sites and SEO after someone asked him why Google did not index his Google site. Here is what John replied:

"Taking a step back, websites created on Google Sites can and do get indexed in Google Search. However, the URLs used in Google Sites are hard to track since the public version can differ from the URL you see when logged in. To be blunt, while it's technically indexable, it's not ideal for SEO purposes and can be complex for tracking in Search Console. If SEO is your primary consideration, exploring other options and checking the pros and cons before committing might be worthwhile. For performance tracking in the Search Console, you could also use your domain name for the Google Sites content. Using your domain name makes it easier to migrate, should you choose, and allows you to verify ownership of the whole domain for Search Console. "

P.S: The Google Sites service is popular with link spammers who create links on Google subdomains in a tactic called "Google Stacking." The idea behind Google Stacking is that spammers generate a page of links on Google Sheets, Google Docs, etc., and then interlink them all from a Google Sites. Google Stacking is based on the mistaken belief that there's "authority" and "trust" in Google subdomains that is transferred over to the spammer sites through links. Of course, that's wishful thinking. There's no such thing used by Google called "trust" or "authority" that gets transferred from one site to another through links.

4. The Best Way to Do Paid Guest Posting (According to Google) - Whether paid or unpaid, guest posts are an old tactic. In 2014, Google's Matt Cutts wrote a blog post telling SEO practitioners to "put a fork in it," since guest blogging does not work anymore.

The same year Google issued a series of penalties on guest blogging platforms. But these days, Google doesn't hand out penalties like it used to. Google stops the links from passing PageRank. That makes it hard to know whether the guest post is working. So people keep guest posting because the penalty feedback isn't there.

During the September 2023 Google SEO Office Hours, an individual asked: "Most websites only offer the option to purchase a "guest post" (to gain a backlink) from them nowadays. Is this against Google's guidelines if I'm writing valuable content?"

John Mueller answered: "It sounds like you’re already on the right track.

Yes, using guest posts for links is against our spam policies. In particular, it’s important that these links are qualified in a way that signal that they don’t affect search results.

You can do this with the rel=nofollow or rel=sponsored attributes on links. It’s fine to use advertising to promote your site, but the links should be blocked as mentioned."

So, Paid Guest Posts with links are advertisements as far as Google is concerned. Failure to label advertisements is not only misleading to readers but may also violate laws that prohibit misleading advertisements.

Episode 176 contains the notable Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of August 28 - Sep 1, 2023.

1. Google Announces Lighthouse 11 with New Accessibility Audits, and LCP Bug Fix - Google PageSpeed Insights (PSI) is a free tool to help you find and fix issues slowing down your web application. PageSpeed Insights (PSI) reports on the user experience of a page on both mobile and desktop devices, and provides suggestions on how that page may be improved. An open-source tool called Lighthouse collects and analyzes lab data that's combined with real-world data from the Chrome User Experience Report dataset.

Google has released the latest version (v.11) of Lighthouse, an open-source tool that helps developers and webmasters measure the performance of their websites. Lighthouse 11 includes a number of new features and improvements, including:

• New accessibility audits: Website accessibility is not currently a ranking factor and quite likely not a quality signal. However it’s a best practice for a website to function correctly for as many people as possible. Lighthouse 11 introduces thirteen new accessibility audits that help developers identify and fix accessibility issues on their websites.
• Changes to how best practices are scored: Lighthouse 11 has changed the way that best practices are scored. This makes it easier for developers to understand how their websites are performing and what they can do to improve their scores.
• Largest Contentful Paint scoring bug fixed: Lighthouse 11 has fixed a bug that was affecting the scoring of Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). LCP is a measure of how long it takes for the largest content element on a page to become visible.
• Updated Interaction to Next Paint (INP) to reflect it's no longer experimental: Lighthouse 11 has updated the Interaction to Next Paint (INP) metric to reflect that it is no longer experimental. INP measures the time it takes for a user to be able to interact with a page after it has loaded. In my opinion, INP is in line to become an official Core Web Vital in 2024.

These changes make Lighthouse 11 a more powerful and useful tool for developers and webmasters who want to improve the performance of their websites.

2. YouTube Creators Can Now Remove Community Guideline Strikes - YouTube has announced that creators will now be able to remove Community Guideline strikes from their channels by completing educational courses. This is a new policy that was introduced in June 2023, and it is designed to help creators learn about the Community Guidelines and how to avoid violating them in the future.

To remove a strike, creators will need to complete a course that covers the Community Guidelines and how to create compliant content. The course is available in several languages, and it takes about an hour to complete. Once the course is completed, the strike will be removed from the channel.

This new policy is a positive step for YouTube creators. It provides them with a way to learn from their mistakes and avoid getting strikes in the future. It also shows that YouTube is committed to creating a safe and positive environment for its users.

3. Your Site's Language Doesn't Protect It From Google’s Penalty - Google can issue manual actions to any site, regardless of the language it is written in. This means that sites written in non-native English can still be penalized by Google if they violate the company's webmaster guidelines.

Google Search Advocate, John Muller was asked if Google penalizes sites written by non-native English writers. Mueller responded that manual actions and algorithm changes are independent of the native language of the authors or the site language. He also said that Google does not have a list of "bad" languages, and that all sites are treated equally.

This means that site owners who write in non-native English need to be just as careful as those who write in English as their first language. They should avoid any practices that could lead to a manual action, such as keyword stuffing, cloaking, and duplicate content.

4. How Googlebot Handles AI-Generated Content 🧐 - Google’s Martin Splitt was asked how Googlebot’s crawling and rendering was adapting to the increase in AI generated content during a webinar produced by Duda. Martin’s answer provided insights into how Google handles AI generated content and the role of quality control. The questioner wanted to know if there are any special processes happening on Google’s end in response to the AI content in order to deal with the increased crawling and rendering load?

Martin did not explicitly confirm that Google was applying AI detection on the content. However he did confirm that Google was using Quality Detection at multiple stages.

Remember, back in December 2022, Google published a research paper (after conducting extensive qualitative and quantitative analysis over 500 million web articles, the largest-scale study conducted on this topic) where they wrote that while their algorithm was written to find low quality content the researchers discovered that the algorithm was successful in detecting AI generated content.

So if you are thinking of using AI generated content for your site then you need to ask yourself: What is the purpose of this content? Is it to get ranked? Or is it to look great in front of visitors who visits my site? And the most important question you should be asking: Can I live with a penalty from Google?

You can watch the Duda webinar here.

5. URL Structure Doesn't Matter for SEO, According to Google - Michael Baggelin asked Google's John Mueller if the URL structure plays a role when it comes to ranking. Here is the original question:
“I realize today while research of company service and location in a combination at category structure. Always put /services/ before /location/ (site/service/location/) and bare in mind that location search might always differ on mobile search… automatically I would say ;) how about that?”

John replied with this: “I'm trying to think of where this could play a role, and I don't think there's anything on the SEO side where it would. I could see it being relevant for UX or marketing though, maybe users care more about "service" or "location" and seeing it faster in the URL helps them (in search, we don't show URLs that much, but they can see them in the browser bar). For SEO, we see URLs more as identifiers, with very few exceptions.”

In conclusion, your URL structure does not help you with ranking. You need quality content.

6. Google Debunks Redirect Myths: What You Need to Know - In a recent video, Google Search Advocate John Mueller debunked several myths surrounding redirect types. The conversation dispelled long-standing confusion surrounding how Google handles various redirects. One myth is that the use of one redirect type over another can significantly impact PageRank. Mueller clarified that Google does not treat different redirect types differently when it comes to PageRank.

Another myth is that permanent redirects (301s) are irreversible. Mueller said that this is not the case, and that it is possible to reverse a 301 redirect. However, he also cautioned that doing so can have negative consequences for SEO, so it should only be done in exceptional circumstances.

Mueller also addressed the myth that 302 redirects are only temporary. He said that this is not necessarily true, and that 302 redirects can be used to permanently redirect traffic to a new page. However, he also said that it is generally better to use a 301 redirect for permanent redirects, as this will give Google a stronger signal that the old page is no longer relevant.

7. Google: Technical SEO is Not Dead - Google Search Advocate John Mueller recently reaffirmed the ongoing significance of technical SEO. This counters claims that its importance is diminishing.

Mueller's statement responded to a comment by Yiğit Konur on X, formerly Twitter. Konur claimed "Technical SEO is becoming less important every day."

He went on to say misconceptions surround technical SEO. Some approach it in an excessively complex way. Unless major technical problems occur, the focus should shift to creating and optimizing high-quality content.

In April 2023, Google removed technical items like HTTPS and Core Web Vitals from the ranking systems section. But it quickly clarified these still hold crucial weight. Google Search Liaison Danny Sullivan said at the time:

"It does not say page experience is somehow ‘retired’ or that people should ignore things like Core Web Vitals or being mobile-friendly. The opposite. It says if you want to be successful with the core ranking systems of Google Search, consider these and other aspects of page experience."

Sullivan explained the difference between ranking "systems" and "signals." The update moved certain page experience factors from "systems" to "signals."

This change doesn't diminish their relevance. But it shows they are signals used by other systems.

Mueller's recent statement underscores technical SEO's integral role in website success. Despite an evolving SEO landscape, technical SEO remains all open web constructions' backbone.

8. Google Ads Limited Ad Serving Policy: What You Need to Know - Google Ads has announced a new policy called "Limited Ad Serving" that will affect some advertisers. This policy will limit the number of times that an advertiser's ads are shown to users, and it will also prevent the ads from being shown in certain places.

The Limited Ad Serving pol