![]() The benefits of automation are clear: replace the need to manually manage your digital advertising accounts with fulfilling work, such as strategic planning and forward-thinking conversations. Drastically reduce the stress related to a business exclusively powered by people—such as eroding salaries, mass churn and unbalanced account ratios. While it all sounds great in theory, executives often wonder where to even begin, and how the presumed benefits can become their organization’s reality. You may be ready to reap the benefits of automation today, but the simple truth is that automation requires dedication, alignment and strategic planning for how automation will be used before deployment. It also requires an understanding and buy-in of the following:
Strategy for successThe first step in preparing for automation is to evaluate and document your overall organizational strategy prior to rolling out an automation solution:
In short, it is what makes up your organization’s identity—from your services to your audience and the like. These considerations may seem very basic, but being able to articulate them to your future automation partner is important. In addition to getting granular, be open to change. Automation is an opportunity for exponential growth across your business. Being able to articulate your value proposition and then knowing it will ultimately change and evolve—for the better—will help your organization expand and diversify its value and bottom line. Documenting your processesAnother part of readiness to consider is how your organization is currently operating. Documenting a digital ad agency’s processes means detailing all of its workflows from onboarding through execution. Doing this will create a centralized source for your future automation partner to refer to and streamline for operational efficiency and scalability across the business. Not sure where to begin? Here’s an easy way to think about this: Consider how you’d explain the workflow for launching ad accounts to a brand-new member of your team. How would you onboard this employee and share with them the critical, day-to-day details, such as:
….and so on. Now that you’ve made it to this step, you’re likely more prepared for automation than perhaps you thought you were. As you look at these details, you can start to uncover where your team can start saving time. For example, if automation will save 80% of your team’s time launching new accounts, where can you start applying this newfound bandwidth? This is where the fun part comes in, where you and your team can start dreaming up impactful strategy and innovation you once didn’t have time for. Change managementSince automation can dramatically shift your business, it requires energy and buy-in from the top. The most successful agencies that chose automation also chose to embrace change. Trusting in the endless possibilities and benefits of automation and keeping its big vision at the forefront of implementation will put your business in a positive position. Once you have acceptance and buy-in from your executives, it’s time to move through the rest of the organization. This is where it’s important to share wins and opportunities with your team. Once teams start to see that they’re no longer consumed with low value task work (like building decks and getting bogged down with unrealistic account ratios,) the buy-in starts to increase. Enthusiasm for implementation and an increase in overall morale follows suit once they see that there’s finally time to breathe and dive into strategic planning. Despite some people’s perceptions, automation isn’t taking jobs away—it’s removing the low-value task work so your team can focus on high-cognitive work that not only excites them but contributes to your competitive advantage. As you move through the various phases of implementation and onboarding, keep sharing wins and future possibilities—it all adds up to embracing change. Agencies and enterprises choose to implement automation for different reasons, but one thing remains the same: gone are the days your organization used to operate. It’s not a matter of when, it’s how automation will shake up your processes and workflows based on your organization’s short- and long-term goals. But remember, the possibilities are always worth it. Fluency is your automation partnerAlthough every digital ad agency faces its own unique challenges, having enough time—to do what you both need AND want to do—is a problem that unites them all together. Automation implementation is unique to every business—Fluency is an automation partner that will take the time to get to know your unique challenges and make the automation process feel natural. “Our platform is an invitation to take control back, to decide what you want to do with your time,” notes Tomy Szczypiorski, Fluency’s VP of client services. “But it’s also an invitation to change the paradigm of what clients can expect from your agency, and that can help you build and retain your customer base well into the foreseeable future.” Looking for a partner on your automation journey? We look forward to hearing from you about your own agency’s challenges, and discussing how Fluency can help solve them quickly, sustainably, and transformationally, today. The post Digital advertising automation is here: Are you ready? appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/digital-advertising-automation-is-here-are-you-ready-393221
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Google Search Console sends alerts for big drops in clicksIn 2019, Google Search Console started sending notifications when it detected a “substantial drop” in clicks from Google search results to a website when compared to the previous week’s data. It read:
It appeared Google would compare your site clicks and query clicks as reported in the Google Search Console’s performance report. If it saw huge fluctuations, Google would send the notification to those that had verified access to that property in Search Console Read all about it in Google Search Console sending alerts for big ranking, traffic drops Also on this dayGoogle Merchant Center adds short title option for smaller ad placements2022: Retailers could add an optional short title to identify their products in Google Merchant Center. New local SERP live in Europe2020: Branded directory buttons were being displayed above the map. Google doc rekindles myth that click-through rate affects rankings2019: Despite repeatedly saying they did not use click data for search ranking purposes, a fresh document triggered confusion around the topic again. Coveted featured snippet space is more exclusive than you think, study shows2019: A study on Google’s featured snippets showed how competitive this search real estate could be. SMBs bullish on virtual assistants, think Alexa has biggest marketing potential2019: There was high awareness of voice assistants as a potential marketing channel, as well as potential pent-up demand. Waze partners with WPP to literally drive traffic to retail stores2019: The partnership would launch in North America and parts of Europe. Google to move more sites to mobile-first index in coming weeks2018: In the next month and a half or so, Google said it would be moving a lot of sites to mobile first. Law firm that used contest to solicit Google reviews sees all but one disappear2018: A law firm had the vast majority of its reviews on Google removed after it was discovered that the firm was incentivizing people to review the business with contests and giveaways. Google Search Console blocked resources report had processing error2018: Incorrect data was being reported over a three-week period. Latest updates to Gboard for Android include a ‘search all media’ feature2018: the latest refresh for the Google-designed keyboard came with a new interface that allowed users to search all categories. Google to sunset Google Site Search by end of 20172017: Google told their Site Search customers they had to find a new internal search engine service. AdWords Top Movers Report Update: Now With Conversion Stats, Device-Level Segmentation2014: Google announced that conversion data would begin appearing in the Top Movers report as well as device-specific insights. Google Places Quality Guidelines Updated2014: Google would allow a single descriptor within the business name, if and only if that descriptor was location information or described business offers. Google Says (Some) Missing Features Will Be Added To New Google Maps2014: Many users noticed that some of their favorite features from Classic Maps were missing. Bing: Poor Grammar & Typos May Result In Lower Search Rankings2014: “Just as you’re judging others’ writing, so the engines judge yours.” Bing’s Satori Adds Timeline Data For About 500k Famous People2014: The new “Timeline” section appeared in the right-side search results for famous people, athletes, artists, business people, explorers and more. Search In Pics: Steve Jobs Pre Google+, Nest Fire Truck & Google Fiber Bunny2014: The latest images showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more. AdWords Enhanced Campaigns: New Bidding Tools Announced2013: Google AdWords began providing more specifics about the new bidding tools and mobile bid settings for enhanced campaigns. Google Switches To Paid Shopping Results In 11 New Countries2013: Google began replacing free listings on Google Shopping to Product Listing Ads in the UK, Germany, France, Japan, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil, Australia, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. New: Bing Sitemap Plugin Helps Webmasters Create XML Sitemap Files2013: A new feature helped webmasters create two types of XML Sitemaps. Bing Improves Search Auto Suggestions: Now Faster & Better2013: They sped up the auto-suggest by using a technique called “ghosting” where Bing would show the suggestion in blue highlighted text in the search box and then show alternatives below. Yandex Starts To Drink From The Twitter “Firehose”2012: The Russian search engine would begin integrating the Twitter feed into its search results. “Scroogle.org Is Gone Forever” Says Site Owner2012: Related coverage: Scroogle’s Gone? Here’s Who Still Offers Private Searching Google Offers Flight Search To Go2012: Flight search became available on mobile devices (browser only). Geek Chic: Augmented Reality Google Glasses To Go On Sale This Year2012: Google was going to release “heads up display glasses” by the end of the year. Is Google Ignoring The HTML Title Tag More Often?2011: Dozens of webmasters were complaining about Google not using their HTML title tags. Google Simplifies Site-Specific Bidding on Display Network2011: Display Network advertisers who used managed placements would only have to deal with a regular default bid and a Display Network default bid. Google Maps “Send To Car” Running Out Of Gas?2011: People weren’t seeing the Google Maps’ “send to car” option any longer. The Future Of The Internet: Search Looks Bright2010: 76% of those asked thought that the internet was enhancing our intelligence. Bush – Tops For “Who Is A Failure” On Google2008: People were spotting that Bush’s official White House page was ranking tops for [who is a failure] on Google. Google Pushes AdSense For Video Again2008: Google said they would sell both “InVideo” ads, where a video ad appears at the bottom of a video, as well as text overlay ads that put text below a video. Google Health Readies For Launch, In Test With Cleveland Clinic2008: Google and the Cleveland Clinic would announce a pilot program involving the creation of personal health profiles on Google for anywhere between 1,500 and 10,000 patients. Gmail User Gains Access To 30 Other Gmail Accounts Due To ISP Caching Glitch2008: Supposedly, he also accessed an email that had “keycodes for some embassy gate.” Google May Launch Balloons Across World To Provide Mobile Access2008: Google was interested in possibly using disposable hydrogen-filled balloons packed with miniature versions of cellphone towers inside to provide internet access. Google May Buy Ukrainian Portal2008: Spoiler alert: It was just a rumor. Microsoft Launches adExcellence Program For UK Advertisers2008: It provided advertisers “free training to help you become a Microsoft adCenter expert.” Ask.com Binoculars Adds Compete.com Stats2008: You would get estimated visitor stats, site rank, a line chart to plot this data over time, and a link to a more detailed report at Compete.com. SES London 2008 Day Three RecapGoogle AdWords Quality Score Algorithm Live2007: Google announced that the new quality score algorithm had been pushed to the Google servers. Google Custom Search Engine Gets Supplemental Results2007: Google updated the FAQs to explain when the supplemental results are shown. Google Images Reverts Back To Old Design2007: Many people did not like the new design. Google’s YouTube & CBS Deal Caves?2007: They had been working on a multi-year deal to display CBS’s video content at YouTube. Google Docs and Spreadsheets Tops Web Productivity Tools2007: Nielsen//NetRatings reported they had 432,156 unique visitors in December, and average time per visitor was 14 minutes. Google Desktop Hole Exposed, Fixed2007: A major defect could have potentially allowed hackers to view personal files on a computer with Google Desktop installed. New Usability Changes For Microsoft adCenter Beta2007: adCenter made some changes to the account interface. Ask.com & LookSmart Renew AdCenter License Agreement2007: Ask.com renewed their agreement with LookSmart to license LookSmart’s “AdCenter for Publishers” through 2009. Yahoo Japan Betting More On Web Food Delivery Business2007: Yahoo Japan increased their stake in Yumenomachi, an Internet food delivery business, to almost 42% – up from a 23% stake. MojoPages: Whole Lotta Yelp, A Little YouTube2007: The site was modeled heavily on Yelp but added video and a hint of Yahoo Answers. From Search Marketing Expo (SMX)Past contributions from Search Engine Land’s Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)These columns are a snapshot in time and have not been updated since publishing, unless noted. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.
< February 20 | Search Marketing History | February 22 > The post This day in search marketing history: February 21 appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/search-marketing-history-february-21-393311 Bing chat sessions are now capped at 50 questions per day and 5 per session, Microsoft announced. There have been many bad examples shared of the new Bing AI chat sessions featuring everything from gaslighting to accidental racism. Microsoft has said it didn’t anticipate extended chatting, which “can confuse the underlying chat model.” What’s changing. Chat sessions on the new Bing are now capped at 50 chat “turns” per day and 5 chat “turns” per session. A “turn” is a conversation exchange which contains both a user question and a reply from Bing, Microsoft explained.
Microsoft may increase its caps on chat sessions in the future. AI tools “somewhat broken.” Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has acknowledged that AI tools are “somewhat broken” but believes its critical to show them to the world to “get it right.” “We think showing these tools to the world early, while still somewhat broken, is critical if we are going to have sufficient input and repeated efforts to get it right. the level of individual empowerment coming is wonderful, but not without serious challenges.” And while this crop of AI tools isn’t very scary, Altman hinted at a need for regulation, saying “we are potentially not that far away from potentially scary ones.” You can read his full tweet thread here. Why we care. We are witnessing a technology revolution. ChatGPT’s debut was a game changer like the iPhone was to smartphones, as Altman mentioned. AI continues to have many issues and will impact our every day work – good and bad. For now, we’ll continue to watch and document as the search engines and tool providers evolve. The post Bing limits chat sessions as OpenAI founder says AI tools are ‘somewhat broken’ appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/bing-limits-chat-sessions-openai-tools-somewhat-broken-393368 Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has introduced a new subscription service, Meta Verified, that provides users the opportunity to acquire the highly sought-after blue verification badge on their Instagram and Facebook accounts. Users can achieve this by verifying their identity for a monthly fee of up to $15. ![]() How it works. Meta Verified is now available in New Zealand and Australia, with plans to expand globally in the near future. The service allows users to verify their identity using government-issued ID cards, and provides several benefits such as improved protection against impersonation attacks, direct access to customer support, and increased visibility and reach. The monthly subscription cost for Meta Verified is $11.99 on the web and $14.99 on iOS and Android devices. In a Facebook post, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized that the new service is focused on “increasing authenticity and security across our services.” Meta’s solution to decreased revenues. Meta’s revenue has taken a hit in recent years due to Apple’s implementation of stricter privacy changes on iOS that limit the company’s ability to track users’ internet activities. The social media giant, which has not charged its customers for most of its services since its inception 15 years ago, generates almost all of its income from advertising. The impact of Apple’s move is expected to cost the company over $10 billion in lost advertising revenue this year. In response, Meta has expressed its intent to develop a valuable subscription service for creators, businesses, and the wider community. As part of this plan, Meta is expanding access to verification and redefining the meaning of the verified badge so that more people can trust that the accounts they are interacting with are authentic. Following in Twitter’s footsteps. This move for Meta comes after Snap launched its own subscription service last year, which has already converted over one million users into paid customers. Additionally, Elon Musk revamped Twitter’s subscription service, Twitter Blue, to offer a range of features, including the blue check mark. In recent months, Twitter has expanded Twitter Blue to over a dozen markets, including India and Indonesia. However, as of mid-January, only around 180,000 accounts had signed up for Twitter Blue, according to The Information. Why we care. The increased authenticity and security could lead to a better user experience and more engagement, ultimately benefiting advertisers who want to reach and connect with a reliable and engaged audience. In addition, Meta has been impacted by Apple’s privacy changes, which have limited the company’s ability to track users’ internet activities and resulted in lost advertising revenue. If Meta is successful in its plan to develop a valuable subscription service for creators, businesses, and the wider community, it could potentially create a new revenue stream for the company and reduce its reliance on advertising income. This could help to stabilize the company’s financials and create a more stable environment for advertisers. The post Meta is bringing the blue verification badge to Facebook and Instagram appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/meta-is-bringing-the-blue-verification-badge-to-facebook-and-instagram-393352 We’re no longer in that phase where everyone was saying, “Video is blowing up.” Nope. Video has blown up, and it’s here. It’s there. It’s everywhere. These days, audiences expect and demand video content from creators and brands. On average, people watch 19 hours of online video per week – and across the last three years alone, consumption increased by 8.5 hours per week. What does this mean for marketers? For businesses? If you aren’t creating video content yet, you should seriously consider it. In this guide, you’ll find an overview of video content, including why it matters for SEO, best practices for creating your video content strategy, and examples of various effective video types. What is video content?Video content is any video format meant to entertain, educate, or inform an audience. By the same token, video content marketing is a strategy that involves producing useful and helpful video content to attract, nurture, and convert that audience. (Read: No ads, no sales pitches.) Video content isn’t as straightforward as you’d think. There are multiple types of videos and formats that creators and brands are producing these days, and all of them can be used to reach your goals:
Why is video content important for SEO?Video content helps your SEO strategy in a few key ways. For one thing, search engines like Google stay on top of user content consumption trends. These companies know how online video has grown as a medium, and thus serve relevant videos in search results when the user’s query could be answered with a video. For example, some “how-to” queries are better suited for a video demonstration, like “how to add text to reels” or “how to tie a bow tie.” It would be hard to teach someone how to do these things in a written blog or article, so serving up a video makes a lot more sense. ![]() That means a lot of keywords have ranking potential if you make and optimize video content for them. (Google has a guide you can follow to help them find and index your videos so they can rank.) Besides direct rankings, video content also helps your SEO in indirect ways. For example, publishing a blog with a related video embedded in the post can be a way to further engage your audience and keep them on your page longer. Publishing regular, high-quality videos that educate, inform, or entertain your target audience is additionally a way to showcase the E-E-A-T (expertise, experience authoritativeness, trustworthiness) for your brand and website. Publishing video content can help prove your brand in essentially the same way as consistently publishing high-quality written content. Video content can also help you convert more customers. For example, 88% of people say a brand’s video on a product or service has convinced them to buy. As you can see, there are many ways to leverage video content to boost your SEO. But before you run off to hit “record,” don’t forget that you need a strategy set up before you dive in for the best results. Best practices to create your video content strategy1. Set goalsEvery good strategy has at least one or two goals behind it that drive the strategy forward. Your video content strategy should be no different. To make things simpler, the goals you set for your content marketing can be directly related to your video marketing goals. For example, you could aim to increase awareness of your brand by publishing videos on YouTube. Or you could set a goal to increase conversions on your website by embedding product videos on product pages. Instead of creating video content just to get it out there, consider what you want each video to do. What purpose will it serve, and how will that content help you meet your goals? Ultimately, staying goal-focused will help your video content strategy go further. 2. Choose your video formats and themeDon't try to do it all with video. You might feel tempted to try your hand at all the formats, but that approach is scattershot at best. Instead, choose three or fewer formats to focus on for video content creation. For instance, you might focus mainly on publishing how-to videos every week with some behind-the-scenes, vlog-style videos thrown in once a month. Along with your main video formats, choose a theme for your videos. What topics will you focus on? What do you want to become known for? For example, in 2021 Hootsuite, a SaaS company, launched its YouTube channel called Hootsuite Labs. All of the videos are focused on social media "experiments," hacks, and tips – and feature the hosts wearing lab coats and goggles like they're working in a laboratory. ![]() 3. Determine where you'll host your videosAfter setting goals, setting a theme, and choosing formats of focus, next decide where you'll host your videos. An obvious option is to create a YouTube channel and upload all your videos there. Since YouTube is full of people searching for and watching videos, this option has the added benefit of more exposure and reach. Plus, YouTube videos are easy to share and embed wherever you want them to appear. However, don't feel pressured to default to YouTube. Other options will not just host your videos, but also offer creation tools without ads – for a fee, of course. For example, Vimeo offers these features with a pro plan starting at $7/month. Or, you could go with a premium option like Wistia or Jetpack. There are pros and cons to any of these services, so weigh your options against what's best for your brand. 4. Research video topics and keywordsTo make sure your videos reach the right people, you should research your video topics and find keywords those people are using to search for video content. Generally, most video keyword research focuses on YouTube – but that's because it's the second-largest search engine, behind Google. There are quite a few tools specifically for YouTube SEO that will help you find keywords and vet video topics:
![]() 5. Script each videoThe best video content that keeps your audience watching stays on topic, gets to the point, and offers value from beginning to end. How do you ensure you hit all of those notes? Script your videos. Scripting can involve writing out every line you (or your speaker) will say, or just creating an outline of main points you can follow while filling in the blanks off the cuff. Your script can also be helpful for post-production. You can note the places where you'd like video effects added in or text displayed on the screen along with your talking points. If you decide to script every word, read it aloud before filming to see how long it runs. To not sound like you're reading from a script (even though you are), ensure yours contains conversational language, and practice until it flows naturally. 6. Invest in production for long-form videosDifferent formats of video call for varying levels of gloss and production. For example, a long-form YouTube video needs more prep and polish, while a Story posted to Instagram can be recorded on your phone at the moment. It depends on where you post your videos and what your audience expects from that format. That means, if you decide to create mostly interview-style videos, for instance, you'll need to invest in more production, such as a higher-quality camera for filming, studio lighting, and video editing software (or enlist a professional video editor). 7. Optimize each videoFinally, for the best possible chance of getting your videos ranked and watched, optimize them for SEO. This applies whether you're uploading them to YouTube or embedding them in specific pages on your website. Here are the key things you need for optimization:
3 video formats with examplesHere are a few examples of effective video content that help brands meet different goals. The long-form, nurturing videoSome videos can fulfill the exact same purpose a long-form blog would. The point is to give your audience value, answer their questions, and provide helpful information. Here's an example from Healthy Gamer, a mental health coaching service, on the topic of feeling tired all the time. ![]() The how-to/explainer videoVideo is a great medium for brands with products or expertise that translates better to show-and-tell versus written instructions or descriptions. Food and cooking brands, especially, benefit from videos showing off products or tools for cooking or baking, like this video that shows you how to use KitchenAid's bowl-lift stand mixer. Watching this video might push prospects who are on the fence about buying to make the purchase. ![]() The testimonial videoTestimonials from real customers are incredibly convincing and can help boost conversions – especially when you capture those stories on camera and embed them in your sales pages and landing pages. ![]() For example, Dropbox has a whole series of customer testimonials and stories they feature on their YouTube channel and their website. ![]() Take advantage of the video content boomVideo content is here to stay, so now's the time to hop on the bandwagon and get your video content strategy laid out. As part of a larger content strategy that includes written blog content and social media, video can edge you that much closer to your goals. That's true whether you're building brand awareness, nurturing trust with prospects, or trying to increase conversions. Don't be intimidated, either, if you've never done video before. The key is to get your feet wet and experiment to find what works best for your brand. Your team will only get better at video with time and practice, so start now and press that record button. The post Video content guide: Why you should start creating videos now (plus examples) appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/video-content-guide-examples-393269 Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns live and die by their conversion data. Call tracking allows marketers to get valuable insights on all their campaigns. However, there can be some hesitations to use it.
Understanding what call tracking is and how it can help will mitigate these concerns. What is call tracking?Call tracking involves using a unique phone number to track the source of incoming calls to a business. When a customer calls the business using a call-tracked phone number, the phone call is routed through a call tracking system which records details, such as:
This information is used to track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, determine trends in customer behavior, and identify opportunities to improve the sales process. Call tracking allows the call to be attributed to a specific campaign. This is done either through static or dynamic numbers. Both forms will forward to a designated number (typically the main number for a business). Static numbers do not change based on the site source and are assigned a channel. These numbers typically have a cost per number on top of a per minute charge. Dynamic numbers change based on the site source and require you to pay for a number pool. The number pool will be based on traffic volume. If you try to go for too few numbers in your pool, you risk having attribution issues due to too few numbers being assigned to you. Call tracking can include a recording or not. Depending on your industry, you may not be able to use the recording element of call tracking. Call tracking recordings can offer transcripts for an additional fee. How does call tracking work?Call tracking can be implemented in various ways to fit all operational needs. One common method is to use a call tracking service, which provides businesses with unique phone numbers that can be used to track the source of incoming calls. These numbers can be placed on:
When a customer calls one of these numbers, the call tracking service records information about the call and provides it to the business. Another method of call tracking is to use a piece of software or hardware installed on the business’s phone system. Software or hardware receives incoming calls and records information about the call before routing it to the appropriate extension or phone number. This method of call tracking allows businesses to track calls made to their existing phone numbers, rather than requiring the use of unique tracking numbers. Regardless of which method you choose, it’s important to designate whether you will use local or toll-free numbers. Some brands are averse to toll-free numbers because they are concerned it hurts their branding or connection with the local community. The verdict is out on whether those concerns hold water, so it’s important for brands to test both to confirm which serves them best. Setting up call trackingSetting up call tracking requires you to know which channels you want to track and what budget you have to work with. You will need to add the snippet of code into your Google Tag Manager or running element on your site. The snippet is designed to look for one main number, so if you have multiple numbers on your site, you may need to:
Once you do, your UTM parameter will communicate with the snippet of code on the site to change the number to a number associated with the source. If you decide to go with a call tracking vendor, you’ll need to layout the structure of which sources and “root” numbers you want to track. As a general rule, the following are the most common sources to track:
Brands can choose to segment as much or as little as they like. Choosing to segment down to the campaign level will ensure you know exactly what’s working for you, however it will mean you need to pay for more numbers. Lumping campaigns together may save on call tracking costs, but the 1:1 tracking will be lost and you’ll need to invest human time to properly attribute success. Choosing a call tracking vendorDisclaimer: No call tracking vendors paid for endorsement or placement in this article. Those listed are the ones the author has familiarity with and has seen applied. There is no right call tracking solution for everyone and all hold potential for a positive engagement. Additionally, this article is focused on U.S. call tracking. Engaging a call tracking vendor is much like choosing a cell phone provider. The core service is the same, it's a question of how much support and reliability you can expect at various price points. Call tracking integrations range from simple turnkey set-ups to custom and complex. Based on the structure you'll need and how you want to handle display numbers, these are the core criteria to think about:
Here are some of the most common call tracking solutions and how to think about them. MarchexMarchex focuses on dynamic numbers and requires an accurate website traffic calculation to provide enough numbers. Due to being phone pool heavy, they depend on the brand purchasing enough numbers and minutes to cover the click and call volume. If a brand goes low on the website traffic, they risk having their numbers being used for other brands and paying for wrong numbers. If they overestimate it, then they will have wasted spend. As a general rule, it's useful to think about traffic in 1,000 click increments. Marchex has been called "easy" and "difficult" to use. Those who find value in Marchex will likely want simple and straightforward call tracking (unless they are willing to pay for the enterprise versions). Those trying to do more complex tasks or export reports/recordings will find the process a bit cumbersome. Customer support for Marchex is hit or miss depending on what level of support you qualify for. Marchex essential is $500 per month and requires a demo to get access pricing for their more robust offerings. CallRailCallRail is one of the most popular call tracking solutions. It offers fairly robust tracking and documentation, as well as many integrations to third party tools. CallRail has fairly straight forward pricing that makes it easy to grow with. They follow more of the "Spirit Airline" school of thought on what's included vs. what are add-ons. While default pricing puts them on the cheaper side, the add-ons that make them truly special push the final price to the middle of the road. ![]() The main selling points for CallRail are:
They lean very heavily into their support hub so if having a person to troubleshoot things with is important, you might be disappointed. That said they do offer chat and phone support from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET. CallTrackingMetricsThis is the call tracking solution I tend to use when given the option because of how flexible it can be and how much is included by default. I appreciate their focus on customer support and ensuring their offering keeps up with tech innovations in the digital marketing industry. Their pricing is accessible and for the most part all inclusive. ![]() CallTrackingMetrics main selling points are:
One of the biggest selling points for CallTrackingMetrics is their support. It's top-notch and enables anything from set up to complex data analysis. They have a premier consulting offering for ala carte projects and provide premium support for their agency partners. How does using call tracking help brands succeed online?One of the biggest wins call tracking can do for a brand is illuminate the ROI on initiatives that might otherwise get missed. From distilling the value on SEO content plays, to affirming which paid campaigns are truly delivering ROAS (return on ad spend), call tracking is essential to paint the clearest picture. Another useful benefit of call tracking is auditing customer success and sales teams. By being able to go back and listen to the recordings of calls, teams can improve their interactions with prospects/customers, as well as get valuable insight into what delights and what causes churn. Finally, call tracking solutions often come with additional features that can help brands consolidate services (like CRMs, SMS marketing, and lead gen forms). By going with a solution that covers multiple functions, you'll streamline your business and reduce costs. The post Call tracking: What it is and how it works appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/call-tracking-what-it-is-and-how-it-works-393282 Google stops supporting meta news keywords tagIn 2018, we learned that Google had quietly dropped support for the news meta keywords tag. Google did not announce this change, which had actually happened months earlier. It was Google Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller who confirmed this on Twitter:
Using the news meta keywords tag no longer helped Google understand your news content. Google ignored it the same way they ignore the normal meta keywords tag. Google introduced the news meta keywords tag specifically for publishers in 2012. Also on this dayGoogle: Spam less than 1% of Maps content2020: Spam represented less than 1% of the 20 million daily contributions Google received on Maps. Google adds new image license metadata for licensable image label2020: Google was beta testing a new way for sites to display licensing information about content that appears in Google Images. Advertisers can now view Google mobile speed scores for more landing pages2019: Google Ads tweaked its mobile speed score algorithm to reduce the number of ad clicks needed to generate a result. Bing to require LegitScript certification for addiction recovery advertisers2019: Drug and alcohol addiction recovery centers would have to be certified before running an ad campaign and could no longer use lead generators. Yelp tests offline attribution using guest WiFi and email matching2018: The company said that every $1 spent on Yelp ads resulted in a $110 offline return, based on aggregate transaction data. Google says no algorithm changes in new deal to demote pirated content in UK search results2017: Google and Microsoft Bing agreed to reduce pirated content from their search results in an agreement named the Voluntary Code of Practice. New ‘Call-Only’ Ad Types Arrives In Google AdWords To Make Mobile Easier2015: Ad type would give mobile-centric marketers the ability to set up phone call conversion only campaigns. Yahoo Wants To Syndicate Search To 600,000 Mobile Apps2015: Yahoo had an ambitious plan to extend the reach of its search, display and video ads through a new Mobile Developer Suite. Search In Pics: Google Glass Book, Android Mobile & Pebble Beach Box Seats2015: The latest images showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more. Bing Webmaster Guidelines Updated To Include Demotions For Keyword Stuffing2014: The warning said Bing may demote or delist a site that uses keyword stuffing. Yahoo Gives $10 Million To Help Develop Next-Gen Siri And Better “Contextual Search”2014: Yahoo gave $10 million to Carnegie Mellon University to support “InMind,” a project that sought to develop a next generation intelligent assistant and enhanced personalization capabilities. Yandex Reports Revenue Up 37% In Q4, Ad Network Revenue Nearly Doubles2014: The company said it had more than 270,000 advertisers, a 30% gain year-over-year and up 10% from Q3 2013. No, Google Hasn’t Released Unannounced Penguin Updates2013: A recent Google video might have suggested that Google was pushing Penguin Updates without announcing them, but Google said this wasn’t the case. Google Shopping Tops Amazon Product Ads: 32.7% More Cost Effective2013: In the second half of 2012, Google Shopping sent 120% more traffic to merchants than Amazon Product Ads. Google Enables Blocking AdWords Results With Block Site Feature2012: It appearsed you could block sites from showing up in the paid search ad results, whether signed into Google or not. “Googler Killer”, Cuil, Patent Applications Acquired By Google2012: Cuil, which launched in June 2008 and went defunct in September 2010, had their patent applications acquired by Google. AdCenter Revamps Location Targeting To Mimic AdWords2012: Microsoft adCenter made changes to its location targeting functionality that brought it into line with the industry standard Google AdWords. The Microhoo Bunch2010: The recently approved Microsoft-Yahoo search deal, set to a TV theme song. Google Suggests Ways To Prevent Hacking2009: Using Google site search could help identify if a hacker had added common spam content, or Google Alerts could be used to monitor spammy words and phrases. Google Changes Display URL Policy: One Domain Per Ad Group2009: Advertisers could only have the same domain showing in a specific ad group in the display URL field. Google Maps: Transit Updates, Map Maker In 27 Languages2009: The objective of the product was to enable local users/developers to build out maps data and content for places in the world where there are no commercial or other third-party databases that Google could easily implement. Google AdSense Adds Font Selection2009: Publishers could pick between Arial, Times, and Verdana font types and they would be present on all of their Latin-based character units. Google Brings Back Video & Drops Shopping From Top Navigation2009: In November 2007, Google did the exact reverse. Search In Pictures: Ask.com At Daytona, Vint Cerf At SMX & Yahoo Hack Day India2009: The latest images showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more. Lee Odden Interviews Google’s Adam Lasnik2008: Topics included duplicate content issues, and if there are penalties, and using the nofollow to “sculpt PageRank.” Microsoft & Google Sued Over Paid Search Patent Infringement2008: A company named Paid Search Engine Tools of Liberty Township said Google’s AdWords and Microsoft’s adCenter products infringe on their patent, “Paid search engine bid management.” Gates On Yahoo Acquisition: It’s The Engineers We Want2008: It wasn’t the advertisers, the brand, or the traffic so much as the engineers that Microsoft wanted in the Yahoo acquisition. Yahoo Search Index Now Supported By Open-Source Hadoop Architecture2008: The benefits, among others, were cost savings and scalability. Van Natta To Leave Facebook, Yahoo Offers Enhanced Severance To Retain Employees2008: The reason given for the packages was employee retention in a climate of uncertainty, which had accelerated the departures of a number of high profile Yahoo employees. Newspond Lauches News Aggregation Site That Uses A “Tireless Electronic Brain”2008: Newspond was a news aggregation site that boasted “No editors. No voting. Just an AI news engine.” SES London 2008 Day Two RecapMobile Search Still A Close Race2007: Google had about 4.75 million U.S. subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2006, roughly 1.1 million more than Yahoo. New Stats On Google’s Products Show Video & Blog Increasing While Froogle & Directory Decreasing2007: “Super performers”: Google Video, Google Blog Search, Google Scholar and Google Desktop. Listing Of Lists Of Google Products2007: A listing of lists of Google products. Let Google Drive Your Car For You2007: Page “proposed giving computers control over cars” so that there will be fewer accidents. Google Teaches Programming Class At University Of Washington2007: This course would “teach students to use 40 computers to solve problems such as how many times the word ‘mild’ appeared on the Internet and which ‘mild’ was most relevant to Internet users.” Viacom To Sign With Joost Over Google’s YouTube2007: Joost was like YouTube but they specialized in commercial video. Text Messaging: Where The Volume And The Dollars Are Today2007: Mobile advertising as a mass medium would take off, but the question was: when and in precisely what form? From Search Marketing Expo (SMX)
Past contributions from Search Engine Land’s Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)These columns are a snapshot in time and have not been updated since publishing, unless noted. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.
< February 19 | Search Marketing History | February 21 > The post This day in search marketing history: February 20 appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/search-marketing-history-february-20-393310 Google removes ads from right side of search resultsIn 2016, Google removed ads from the right side of its desktop search results (with two exceptions: Product Listing Ad boxes and Knowledge panel ads) in all languages, worldwide. Google Ads would only appear at the top and/or bottom of the page. An additional ad (so, four instead of three) would appear above Google’s organic search results for what it called “highly commercial queries.” This was actually the culmination of a test that began in 2010 and ramped up significantly in 2015, mostly outside of the U.S. Google’s official statement on the change:
Read all about it in Confirmed: Google To Stop Showing Ads On Right Side Of Desktop Search Results Worldwide. Also on this dayBing announces refreshed Bing Webmaster Tools2020: The new toolset promised to offer a faster, cleaner, more responsive and even more actionable set of features. Vast majority of Amazon advertisers plan to spend more on ads again this year2020: Specialized Amazon marketers and paid search marketers were most likely to be managing campaigns on the platform, our survey found. Video: Rhea Drysdale on hyperlocal SEO & saving clients money2020: From running a small business to digging deep into SEO to help clients win. Google may use different ranking weights for YMYL-type queries2019: Google has confirmed that for Your Money, Your Life, queries they will give more weight in their ranking algorithm to factors around expertise, authoritativeness, or trustworthiness. Google Actions vs. Alexa Skills is the next big App Store battle2019: There were thousands of Skills and Actions but very few people were using them. Google changes request recrawl limits, noting daily limits versus monthly quotas2018: Google finally disclosed the new recrawl limits in a revised help document. Google Maps adds mall directory search & browse in local panel2018: Google added a new tab to the local panel in the search results named “directory.” Google Chrome extensions bringing back ‘View Image’ & ‘Search by Image’ buttons in Google Image Search2018: Google removed some much-loved features in image search, but some Chrome extensions bring back that functionality. Keyword infringement: Edible Arrangements files $209M trademark suit against Google2018: The central claim was that when users searched for [Edible Arrangements] (or versions of that name), they were seeing product ads for competitors, such as 1-800-Flowers. Webmasters: Be On The Lookout For Hreflang Implementation Notifications From Google2016: Google sent out a large number of notifications to webmasters who had incorrectly implemented hreflang markup. Google App Streaming Now Live For Many Apps Via Try Now Button2016: You could preview apps directly from the search results before downloading them. Search In Pics: Brett Dennen At Google, A Doctor’s Google Sign & Google Moving Boxes2016: The latest images showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more. Google’s New Hacked Classifier Misclassifies Some Web Sites As Hacked2015: Many websites noticed Google labeled their sites as being hacked and dangerous in the search results. The issue was not with their websites but rather the Google hacked sites classifier. Google AdWords Launches An Android App For Advertisers But Currently Only For Canadians2015: Canadian Google AdWords advertisers could download an Android app to manage their campaign on the go. Google promised to expand support to other countries soon. Google News Bug Drops Trending Topics From Side Bar Navigation2015: A fix was coming soon. Google Mobile Search Put Publishers’ Content In Carousels2015: Users could quickly scan topic-based content from single sources on mobile devices. Bing Offers Link To Order Food Online From Your Favorite Restaurants2015: You could search for a restaurant that offered online ordering and click the order online button. Google’s Matt Cutts: Backlink Relevancy Is A Big Win In Terms Of Search Quality2014: Cutts answers: “Is there a version of Google that excludes backlinks as a ranking factor?” New Google Maps Comes Out Of Preview Today2014: Overall, it was a more visually-compelling product than the old Maps with a wide array of enhanced features. Google Was Nearly A Site That Allowed Users To Order Pizza Through A Fax Machine2013: Sergey Brin explained how a single failed fax allowed Google to be born. Bing Updates Friends’ Photos Search With Windows Tiles Layout & Slideshow View2013: The changes included a new title-like layout you are familiar with when it comes to Windows 8 and a slideshow view for faster and richer photo viewing. Burden Of Search UI Innovation Now Falls To Yahoo Veteran Laurie Mann2013: Laurie Mann, who had been senior vice president of engineering operations at Yahoo since 2002, was promoted to run Yahoo Search. Alibaba Creates Aliyun Search Engine To Challenge Baidu, Google In China2013: The appearance and functionality of the SERP on Aliyun was more like Google than a comparable page on Chinese search leader Baidu’s site. ChaCha Defeats Google, Bing And Siri In “Answers Quality” Study2013: “ChaCha delivered the highest quality responses consistently across the largest group of categories and question types.” Twitter’s Traffic Up 9%, Thanks To Google2010: When Google added real-time results to their search interface in December, it had a major impact on people discovering tweets in the search results. Google: “With Buzz We Failed To Appreciate That Users Have Differing Privacy Expectations”2010: Also, Google revealed that for every 15 people who click through to the privacy controls and preferences that “four users edit preferences, one opts out and 10 do nothing.” Google Shopper: Scan Books, DVDs, Video Games, Bar Codes & Get Prices2010: You could point the app at books, CDs, DVDs, and video games, and barcodes and it would fetch the details of that product and give you the prices, stores, reviews and more about that product. Google Adds Maps, Local Search For 30 Countries In Africa2010: Users could now find local businesses. Yahoo Formalizes Rich Ads In Search, Text Ads Gain Images Or Video2009: After testing this for close to a year, Yahoo would formally announce Rich Ads In Search – a service that placed images and videos into paid ads in Yahoo’s search results. Go Figure: Twitter Tests Adding Search To Main Navigation2009: Twitter Search had become incredibly popular, even thought most people had no clue how to find it. Official: Google To Enforce AdWords URL Policy Starts April 12008: The policy required the ad’s display URL match its destination URL. Microsoft Signals Long Term Commitment To Search Even Without Yahoo2008: Bill Gates said with or without Yahoo, the company would invest heavily in web search over the long term to compete with Google. Yahoo Makes Big Customer Satisfaction Gains In Search2008: Yahoo called out the “Search Assist & Suggestions Rankings” metric, where it apparently outperformed Google, based on the introduction in October of Search Assist. Google Earth Image Update: Spain Images2008: The imagery update covered the eastern edge of Spain, including Barcelona. China Government Censured Baidu For Spreading “Filthy Pictures”2008: Internet users in China were reportedly using Baidu to find images of actor Edison Chen and several female stars in sexual acts that were spreading throughout the web. Topix To Power Community For Local NBC Affiliates2008: Topix already did this for selected newspapers and Gannett TV sites and claimed 100 media partners for its local news and/or community features. SES London 2008 Day One RecapGoogle Sending Wikipedia A Ton Of Traffic2007: The percentage of Google’s downstream traffic going to Wikipedia increased by 166% year over year. Google Finance Plus Signs In Google Search Results2007: Clicking on the plus sign opened a Google Finance preview. Past contributions from Search Engine Land’s Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)These columns are a snapshot in time and have not been updated since publishing, unless noted. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.
< February 18 | Search Marketing History | February 20 > The post This day in search marketing history: February 19 appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/search-marketing-history-february-19-393309 Yahoo stops using Google searchIn 2004, Yahoo stopped using Google’s web search results and rolled out its own new index and ranking system. Although Yahoo had purchased Inktomi in December 2002, Yahoo opted to build its own web search engine. Yahoo still relied on Google for image search and and News search was a combination of Yahoo’s own editorial and technological resources. The quality of Yahoo’s results were impressive at the time. As for what was being indexed:
At the time, Microsoft had yet to launch its own web crawler for MSN Search, and Ask Jeeves/Teoma was the only other top tier search engine available. Search Engine Land also wished Yahoo a happy 5th birthday in 2009. Also on this dayGoogle testing questions and answers in the Google Maps interface2022: This feature first launched in 2017 in the local panel and Google appears to be testing it in Google Maps. LinkedIn’s Service Pages for freelancers adds features to showcase credibility2022: Service Page owners could show the organization they worked for and include media from their portfolio. Google updated metric boundaries for core web vitals in Search Console2021: Google made a small change to the metric boundaries it used for defining red versus yellow versus green scores in this report. Responsive search ads now the default in Google Ads2021: Though expanded text ads could still be created. Google brings Display ads to attribution reports as an open beta2021: Advertisers could see Display ads alongside search and YouTube. Google Search Console Change of Address tool adds redirect validation & reminder2020: Google announced two new features to the Change of Address tool within Google Search Console. Google Ads intros ‘continuous audience sharing’ for manager accounts2020: The opt-in capability was available in manager account settings. Goodbye Search Engine Land, SMX and Third Door Media2020: After more than two decades of writing about search and online marketing, as well as speaking at and organizing conferences, Chris Sherman moved on. Marketers can now view Shopping Campaigns in Bing Ads search terms reporting2019: The updated reporting grid also included an Added/Excluded keywords column. Tell Google Why You Want More Than 90 Days Of Search Analytics Data2016: Despite having a way to export your Search Console data and the Search Analytics API, Google wanted to know why you wanted more data directly in the Search Console. Google To Launch AMP In Search Results On Feb. 24, 20162016: That meant that mobile searchers wou8ld begin to see AMP-optimized content from publishers in the search results. New In AdWords: Stage Campaign Changes In Drafts, Test Changes In Experiments2016: Campaign drafts and experiments made reviewing proposed changes and testing those changes more accessible. Since 2013 Bing’s Share Up 5 Points, Ask & AOL Going Way Of The BlackBerry2016: There was almost no movement in the numbers from the previous month. Trademark Court’s Impossible Order: Uber Told To Change Google Search Results2016: Judge tried to strike a balance but failed to understand the inherent problem at the heart of order – controlling search outcomes. Bing Rolls Out Red Carpet For The Oscars With Its “Academy Awards Experience”2016: Bing’s Guide to the Academy Awards delivered Oscar-related content, including past winners, red carpet fashions and memorable show moments. See All Of The New Google AdWords Updates On One Web Page2015: Google created a new page that acts as a release notes document for showing advertisers the latest updates and feature releases. Competitive Bid Opportunities Arrive On Bing To Help Advertisers Analyze Themselves Against Rivals2015: Tool allowed advertisers to stack themselves up against the competition, and instantly make changes where they see fit. Google Testing More Ads On Knowledge Graph Panels: Google Play Gets The Spotlight2014: Ads on the knowledge graph were for movie streaming rentals that gave Google Play the VIP treatment. Out Of Beta: Google Shopping Campaigns For PLAs Now Available Globally2014: After just over a 3-month beta period, Google rolled out Shopping campaigns to all users. Bing Adds Three New Apps For Windows Phones: Travel, Food & Drink and Health & Fitness2014: Bing added three new apps for the Windows Phone and refreshed several of their other apps. Aviate Is Yahoo’s Answer To Google Now (And More)2014: But it wasn’t “robust” enough to fulfill its strategic potential. Delivering On Search: Behind The Scenes With An Ad Agency SEO Manager2014: Insight on Hillary Glaser’s role within ad agency Lowe Campbell Ewald and how she saw brands failing when it came to search efforts. Google Works To Prevent Illegal Download Sites From Having A Credit Source2013: Google was in talks with Visa, Mastercard and PayPal to prevent these types of companies from using credit cards or PayPal accounts. Search Engines More Trusted Than Social Media For News & Information [Study]2013: When it came to getting general news and information, consumers worldwide put as much trust in search engines as they did in traditional media — and more in both than they do in social media. Reddit AMA Reveals Graph Search Has Been In The Works Since Early 2011 & Specs On How It Works2013: One reason that Graph Search rolled out so slowly: privacy. Court Reversal Brings Surprising Loss For Google In AdWords Trademark Case2011: A Federal judge in California denied Google’s motion to dismiss a “false association” claim. Obama’s Silicon Valley “Tech Supper” – Who Sat Where? Why Was He There?2011: Google CEO Eric Schmidt was there, as was Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo and Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz. Search In Pics: Google Lederhosen, Umbrellas & Logos2011: The latest images showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more. Is Google Referrer Spamming To Detect Spam?2010: Possible evidence that Google was using fake referrers, possibly to detect forms of spam. Google Gets Patent For Variable Content Access By Geography2010: Google book scanning and search appeared to be the primary intended use case. Yahoo & Microsoft Receive Go Ahead To Implement Search Deal2010: They received “unrestricted” clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission to proceed. Google Wants Mountain View To Change Zoning Laws2010: Google wanted to enable their employees to live closer to the Googleplex, which would make for happier employees. Google Maps On Steroids: New Display Shows Dozens Of Businesses (Maybe More)2009: Google added a layer for local search results that activated when there were more relevant results than it could show on one page. Google Expands AdSense For Domains Globally2009: Google had promised to continue the expansion after making the program available to all U.S. publishers In December 2008. Google Latitude Attracts A Million Users In A Week2009: That’s what Google VP of Engineering Vic Gundotra said. Google Finally Releases Google Mobile App For Windows Mobile2009: Seven months after the release of the iPhone, Google brought their mobile app to the Windows Mobile device. SearchBiz Legal Edition: Varney Uses The “M Word,” More AdWords Litigation, Yahoo Lawyer Files Complaint — Against Yahoo2009: This question of whether Google was a “monopoly” when “the competition is a click away” was subtle and complex. Google 10K: 55% More Employees, 99% Of Income Via Ads & More2008: Advertising revenues made up 99% of Google’s revenues in 2005, 2006 and 2007. It’s The Culture Stupid: Happy Googlers Sound Off On What They Like About The Place2008: There was a self-conscious effort internally to maintain the atmosphere and culture that had enabled Google to succeed. Google Contractor Sues Google Over Google Sky Layer2008: A Google contractor sued Google for allegedly stealing a Sky layer idea from him. Google Helps In Child Porn Bust In United States2008: A high school teacher was indicted for distributing and soliciting child pornography on Google-owned Hello.com. Blueprints Of Google’s Oregon Data Center2008: The data center would require enough power to light up about 82,000 homes, equivalent to 103-megawatts of electricity. Yahoo Buzz: Next Digg Competitor2008: Yahoo Buzz would be similar to Digg, but start only with 100 sites allowed into the system. Hitwise: Google Users Older, Bigger Spenders Than Yahoo’s2008: Google users were more likely to be affluent and have spent more online. From Search Marketing Expo (SMX)Past contributions from Search Engine Land’s Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)These columns are a snapshot in time and have not been updated since publishing, unless noted. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.
< February 17 | Search Marketing History | February 19 > The post This day in search marketing history: February 18 appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/search-marketing-history-february-18-393248 Google is warning against using 404 and other 4xx client server status errors, such as 403s, for the purpose of trying to set a crawl rate limit for Googlebot. “Please don’t do that,” Gary Illyes from the Google Search Relations team wrote. Why the notice. There has been a recent increase in the number of sites and CDNs using these techniques to try to limit Googlebot crawling. “Over the last few months we noticed an uptick in website owners and some content delivery networks (CDNs) attempting to use What to do instead. Google has a detailed help document just on the topic of reducing Googlebot crawling on your site. The recommended approach is to use the Google Search Console crawl rate settings to adjust your crawl rate. Google explained, “To quickly reduce the crawl rate, you can change the Googlebot crawl rate in Search Console. Changes made to this setting are generally reflected within days. To use this setting, first verify your site ownership. Make sure that you avoid setting the crawl rate to a value that’s too low for your site’s needs. Learn more about what crawl budget means for Googlebot. If the Crawl Rate Settings is unavailable for your site, file a special request to reduce the crawl rate. You cannot request an increase in crawl rate.” If you can’t do that, Google then says “reduce the crawl rate for short period of time (for example, a couple of hours, or 1-2 days), then return an informational error page with a 500, 503, or 429 HTTP response status code.” Why we care. If you noticed crawling issues, maybe your hosting provider or CDN recently deployed these techniques. You may want to submit a support request with them to show them Google’s blog post on this topic to ensure they are not using 404s or 403s to reduce crawl rates. The post Google warns against using 403 or 404 status codes for Googlebot crawl rate limiting appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/google-warns-against-using-403-or-404-status-codes-for-googlebot-crawl-rate-limiting-393303 |
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