Microsoft is beginning a pilot program to allow advertising by delegated or authorized providers of certain government services with review and pre-approval. The pilot will be limited to the Microsoft Advertising Search Network and Microsoft Audience Network in the United States. Other markets aren’t available at this time. How it works. During this pilot, Microsoft will only consider the following government products/services unless approved otherwise:
Advertiser participation requirements. To apply for the pilot, the following information will be required from advertisers:
Advertisers must comply with all regulatory and licensing requirements for the specific locations where their ads will be served. Additionally, they must comply with all Microsoft Advertising policies. Why we care. This pilot program may not directly impact advertisers, but the program itself could create new opportunities for targeting and partnership while also ensuring strong privacy and security standards. The post Microsoft launches third-party government services ad pilot appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/microsoft-launches-third-party-government-services-ad-pilot-394912
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Ignite Visibility recently surveyed over 120 marketing professionals about their present SEO and content marketing strategies and their outlook going into 2023. With 2022 being such a transformative year for SEO, the researchers at Ignite were curious to see where 2023 might take the world of digital marketing and paid media. Key takeaways from the study include:
When asked about the survey’s results, Ignite Visibility CEO, John Lincoln, said, “With SEO constantly evolving, we can never take our focus off of what the consumer wants. I think the biggest takeaway from this study is that when it comes to all the different pillars of SEO the biggest focus in 2023 is going to be on content marketing. Content is going to become more shareable and video-focused to really draw consumers into a brand. I’m excited about this shift and how it will further integrate SEO with other marketing channels.” The post New SEO study reveals the biggest investments of 2023 appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/new-seo-study-reveals-the-biggest-investments-of-2023-394873 The video game industry is growing at an unprecedented rate, with revenues estimated to surpass $200 billion by 2023. As the number of gamers and the demand for new games continue to increase, the opportunities for advertisers to reach new and diverse audiences have never been greater. However, with these opportunities come challenges for brands to maintain their reputation and ensure the safety of their content. In this article, we will explore brand safety in video game ads, discussing the importance of context, the role of ad verification, and best practices for ensuring a positive experience for both gamers and advertisers. This is the sixth article in our series on why video game advertising is a huge opportunity for brands in 2023. Here, we’ll discuss how to measure success with video game ads. Understanding brand safetyBrand safety refers to the measures taken to protect a brand’s reputation by preventing its ads from appearing in contexts that could harm the brand’s image. These negative contexts may include offensive, controversial, or inappropriate content that could lead to consumer backlash, boycotts, or a decline in brand equity. In the context of video game advertising, brand safety is especially important due to the immersive and interactive nature of the medium. The importance of context in video game adsContext plays a critical role in ensuring brand safety in video game advertising. Advertisers must consider not only the content of the game but also the demographics and preferences of the target audience. Ads that are relevant and appropriate for a specific audience can enhance the gaming experience and improve brand perception, while inappropriate or ill-timed ads can detract from the experience and damage the brand’s reputation. When assessing the context of a video game ad placement, advertisers should consider:
The role of ad verification in video game advertisingAd verification is a crucial component of brand safety, as it helps ensure that ads are being served in the right context and to the right audience. Ad verification tools and services can monitor, measure, and validate ad placements, offering a level of transparency and control that is essential for advertisers to protect their brand’s reputation. Some of the primary functions of ad verification in video game advertising include:
Best practices for ensuring brand safety in video game adsWhile ad verification tools and services are essential for maintaining brand safety, advertisers should also adopt a proactive approach to ensure the success of their video game ad campaigns. Some best practices to consider include:
As the video game industry continues to evolve, advertisers have the opportunity to reach a diverse and engaged audience through immersive and interactive ad experiences. However, this opportunity also comes with the responsibility to protect your brand’s reputation and ensure the safety of your content. By understanding the importance of context, leveraging ad verification tools, and adopting best practices for brand safety, you can successfully navigate the complex landscape of video game advertising and create a positive experience for both gamers and your brand. The search marketers guide to video game advertisingICYMI, don’t forget to check out the other articles in our series on why brands should be creating video game ad campaigns in 2023.
About this article. The information presented in this article has been carefully curated and derived from a variety of reputable sources to ensure accuracy and reliability. Our team conducted thorough research by consulting expert opinions, scientific studies, and industry publications to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive insights. The content of this article is based on the following sources: The post Brand safety in video game advertising appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/brand-safety-in-video-game-advertising-394339 If you had undeniable evidence that Domain Authority is irrelevant when it comes to the rankability of your organic content, what would you do differently as a marketer? If you could stop focusing on metrics that don’t matter for SEO, imagine how much more of your effort could be put into the one thing that matters: Developing content that ranks. In this bold presentation DemandJump’s Chief Solution Officer, Ryan Brock, will dare you to evaluate how much stock you put into your website’s Domain Authority and why. Register today for “Domain Authority is Dead: Focus on SEO Content That Ranks,” presented by DemandJump. Click here to view more Search Engine Land webinars. The post Domain Authority is dead: Focus on SEO content that ranks appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/domain-authority-is-dead-focus-on-seo-content-that-ranks-394975 Google is rolling out a number of features to help search better and more easily verify the information they are looking at within the search results. “International Fact-Checking Day on April 2,” Google wrote, and as to prepare for the day, Google has launched perspectives, about this author and expanded other verification features in this announcement. What is new. Google is rolling out the “about this result” globally, Google launched “perspectives” for top stories, Google launched “about this author,” and Google is making it easier to access the “about this page” feature. Let’s dig in. “About this result” expanding globally: The Google About this result feature that launched in 2021 and helps searchers learn more about the sources and sites they see in Google Search, is now expanding to all languages where Google Search. If you don’t see it yet, you should within the next few days. By clicking the three dots next to most search results, you can learn more about where the information is coming from and how our systems determined it would be useful for a query. Perspectives. Google has been testing perspectives in Google Search since August 2022 and now it is rolling out in the English US results. The perspectives carousel will appear below Top Stories and showcase insights from a range of journalists, experts, and other relevant voices on the topic you’re searching for. Here is what it looks like: About this author. The “About this author” will be in the About this result. Now when people tap on the three dots readers will be able to find more information about the background and experience of the news voices we surface on Google Search, Google explained. So maybe your authors might matter a bit more with this feature? Access to About this page. Google also said it is making it easier to access the “about this page” feature. You can now type in the URL of the organization in Google Search and information from About this page will populate at the top of the Google Search results. You’ll be able to quickly see how the website describes itself, what others on the web have said about a site and any recent coverage of it. Here is how it looks: Why we care. With Google surfacing more information about your site, the authors and your page to searchers, making it clear to searchers that you can trust the site, the authors and the content on the page have become more and more important. Not only that, Google can surface other perspectives around topics that already are ranking well in top stories, which give publishers and content creative more methods to come up within the Google Search results. The post Google launches perspectives, about this author and more ways to verify information appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/google-launches-perspectives-about-this-author-and-more-ways-to-verify-information-394920 Google is making two new updates to its Government documents and official services policy. The new changes. The date when Google will begin enforcing policy changes from March 31, 2023 to May 24, 2023. The second change is that Google is removing Germany as a region-specific exception under “Public road access fees and passes.” Google will begin enforcing the new policy globally on May 24, 2023 with full enforcement ramping up over approximately 6 weeks. The new policy. To recap the changes, the Google Ads Government documents and official services policy will undergo the following updates:
Good to know. In February 2023, Google introduced a pilot program for authorized California car registration entities, enabling advertisers authorized by the state of California to process vehicle registrations on its behalf to run ads for the services they’re authorized to provide. This pilot remains unaffected by changes to the enforcement start date. Breaching this policy will not result in immediate account suspension without prior notice. A warning will be given at least 7 days before any account suspension. Google encourages advertisers to review this policy update to determine if any of your ads are subject to the policy, and if so, remove them before May 24, 2023. Dig deeper. Review Google’s policy here. Why we care. Adhering to the policy helps prevent ad disapprovals, account warnings, or even account suspensions. Staying informed allows advertisers to adjust their ad content and strategy accordingly. Additionally, compliance with the policy demonstrates that advertisers and brands operate responsibly and professionally, which is crucial for building trust with consumers. The post Google delays enforcement of Government documents and official services policy appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/google-delays-enforcement-of-government-documents-and-official-services-policy-394907 The Google March 2023 broad core update that started rolling out on March 15, 2023, is now officially done rolling out. The update took 13 days to roll out, beginning on March 15, 2023, and ending on March 28, 2023. The announcement. Google posted on March 28th this on the status dashboard that the update has completed rolling out: Core updates are big. In general. Google core updates are big updates and if a site is impacted by a core update, it can result in big changes to that site’s search rankings. So these updates can be substantial in terms of site traffic, conversions and revenue for businesses and organizations. Now that the update is done, we will do a report on the impact of this update in the coming days. But early SEO industry chatter suggests this update was a fairly impactful update even compared to previous core updates. What to do if you are hit. Google has given advice on what to consider if you are negatively impacted by a core update in the past. There aren’t specific actions to take to recover, and in fact, a negative rankings impact may not signal anything is wrong with your pages. However, Google has offered a list of questions to consider if your site is hit by a core update. Google said you can see a bit of a recovery between core updates but the biggest change you would see would be after another core update. Why we care. Whenever Google updates its search ranking algorithms, it means that your site can do better or worse in the search results. Knowing when Google makes these updates gives us something to point to in order to understand if it was something you changed on your website or something Google changed with its ranking algorithm. Today, we know Google has completed its March 2023 core ranking update, so now will be a good time to dig in and see what improvements you may want to make to your site. You can read more of our coverage in Search Engine Land’s Google Algorithm Updates history. The post Google March 2023 broad core update done rolling out appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/google-march-2023-broad-core-update-done-rolling-out-394724 Google updates come and go. And sometimes websites pay the price. When this happens, it can be tough when you’ve noticed a drop in rankings and traffic, but there’s nothing wrong with your site. Core algorithm updates are one such update where this can happen. Google’s advice? Do nothing. Google says if a core update has impacted your site, you “don’t have anything wrong to fix.”
Confused? Let’s look closer at core updates, and then I’ll share some ways to improve your site so it will not just survive an update – but maybe even thrive. What’s really happening with core updates?So you can’t “fix” a core update. Then why did you lose rankings and traffic? Good question with an easy answer – your competition was the least imperfect. What I mean by least imperfect is that we can’t know the countless signals in Google’s algorithm. So we will never be perfect in SEO. But we do have best practices. Those who do their best to optimize their website and are better at being least imperfect from their competition will be awarded. And that means better rankings than the competition in the search results. So what about these core updates – how do they work? Assume for a moment your competition did some things well, and so did you – basically, everyone did things right and nothing wrong. But perhaps the algorithm update grouped some variables synergistically, or maybe the weighted averages shifted or classes of sites (informational versus navigational) were rewarded with a meatier weight in the algorithm. You still did nothing wrong. And maybe your competition put their SEO efforts and emphasis on the rewarded variables, so they became “least imperfect” in that algorithm update. You did everything right, but other sites did the right things “righter.” So how do you become least imperfect and get your rankings back? Since the issue is not a penalty, we can ignore much of the Google penalty advice (for example, bad links). Instead, we’ll focus on the positive things you can do to improve your website. How to improve your site and thrive during core updatesLet's look next at four ways to improve your site, so you can better weather core updates: Make the content betterEven though Google says there's nothing to do after a core update, they often advise to focus on website content if you want to improve a website: Google also says this in its help file on core algorithm updates:
So here are some general questions to consider when reviewing your website content:
That's just for starters. Take a deep dive into your webpages, and consider some of the things that make a webpage a high-quality resource, including:
Google provides a list of content-related questions in its help file on core updates. Silo the siteHow you organize the content on a website is almost as important as content quality. SEO siloing is a technique I invented in 2000 that groups like-content together based on how people search. In addition, it sets a website up to be an authority and expert on a subject matter by providing complete answers through multiple pages of quality content on a topic. This helps to create relevance. Relevance helps the search engine understand that a website is the best for a query. SEO siloing also supports the navigation of a site, making it easy for both search engines and website visitors to find content. If you're unfamiliar with the concept of siloing, let me illustrate. The image below shows how you might group categories of topics for a power tools site that sells cordless power tools, electric power tools and gas-powered tools. In this example, the site has one major theme (power tools), and it is supported by three major categories: cordless power tools, electric power tools and gas-powered tools. Within each category, there are subcategories. Having rich content in each silo that's organized in this way does a couple of things:
Google believes this a good strategy, too:
In short: Siloing is a tried-and-true, evergreen SEO strategy that, when implemented as part of an SEO program, can help create a quality website that can withstand core updates. Manage internal linksYour internal link strategy can impact SEO and can:
Siloing is a form of linking together internal pages, but other types of internal links matter. Examples of internal links include the main navigation, footer links, contextual links and related content links. Linking from a blog is obvious, but remember that while you add pages to the site, they all need to be considered as part of the linking strategy. Some internal linking best practices you might consider include:
Get an SEO auditSEO is not just about having a great website. It's about beating the competition in the search results. An SEO audit can help you create a strategy for doing as good or better than the competition. Remember, though, that many SEO audits are focused only on repair. Repair-based SEO audits are so popular because there is such a huge need for most sites to be fixed;. It is easy for an SEO agency or consultant to wander through a site and find things that need repair. So you repair a site, and you are rewarded for it. But suddenly, you see a shift in the reward process (like a core update), and you need to do the right things better than the others – you need to be least imperfect. This is why you want the audit that makes you more competitive so that you can better weather core updates and other necessary repairs. Be more confident during core updatesThere are no guarantees that a core update won't shake things up for any website, but you can prepare. Remember: Those who do their best to optimize their website and are better at being least imperfect from their competition will be awarded. Implementing SEO strategies that are proven to improve website quality for visitors and search engines is the first line of defense. The post How to survive a Google core update and come out on top appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/survive-google-core-update-394851 It’s a fascinating time to be a marketer. The advent of AI and machine learning has changed the PPC game, touching every aspect of a search marketer’s daily job. Much has been written about using AI to improve advertising performance through audience targeting or bid optimization. But another massive shift we’re seeing is AI’s impact on creative requirements for digital campaigns. In the early 2000s, digital ad campaigns primarily consisted of banner ads in standard IAB sizes built for desktops. In the 2010s, mobile device usage skyrocketed, and more mobile-friendly sizes were added. And then, social media and video ad formats were introduced, making the digital landscape more complex for creative teams but still manageable with the “old method” of a single brief yielding multiple ad variations. But this new age of machine learning should cause all advertisers to pause and rethink their creative process. Rule 1: One-to-one marketingA commonly overlooked portion of machine learning is that the algorithm will serve the best creative for that particular user based on the information that it has. We no longer have to predetermine where someone is in their purchase cycle. But we must give machine learning all the assets to serve the best ad for that user at any given time. Tactic: Design creative for the specific funnel/audienceCreative teams should design creative to reach every step of the purchase journey. For example, providing separate explainer videos, product benefit videos, testimonial videos, static ads with strong offers, and head-to-head comparisons will give the algorithm enough to address each stage of the funnel. Marketers can use explainer videos at the top of the funnel to reach users who need to become more familiar with your brand. Specific product benefit videos, testimonials or social proof can be used in the mid-funnel to address the needs of familiar users and those not ready to buy. And finally, incentives/offers and head-to-head comparisons would be served to those prepared to buy. Rule 2: Feed the machineMachine learning algorithms need lots of inputs to do their job. Typically, marketers talk about feeding the machine in terms of data. But we need to feed the machine with creative, too. This creates a massive problem for lean creative teams or those with lean creative budgets. There is no such thing as too much creative. Today’s advertiser needs creative to address multiple:
And every variation in between. Tactic: Make use of all aspect ratiosFor maximum creative “portability,” create the following:
Tactic: Vary your ad formatsGo beyond just testing static vs. video. Test different types of each, including:
Rule 3: Account for short attention spansAttention spans have gotten considerably shorter over time. We're seeing the strongest performance results these days from six-second ads. Six seconds! So while we have all these options to get our creative in front of the right people at the right time, we only have a few seconds to ensure our creative is impactful. Tactic: Design creative for short attention spansEveryone loves a good story. But today's attention spans push creative teams to think differently about their video creative. Some guidelines to follow:
Rule 4: Not just tests, actionable testsAnother excellent benefit of machine learning is marketers' ability to test and adjust creative on the fly quickly. While an A/B test might be challenging inside the platform, algorithms are great at testing minor creative differences like text overlays, color schemes, messaging variations, etc. Tactic: Formalize creative A/B tests for major shiftsA/B tests should still be used in cases where statistical significance is needed to determine major creative or format superiority. Some examples might be specific incentives, brand positioning, video cuts, etc. Redesigning the creative processThis new era of creative proliferation calls for brands to rethink their design process. Creative teams must be more scalable to design unique ads for every channel, ad format, funnel stage, and asset type. Instead, brands should consider taking a single production or concept and turning it into hundreds of assets. Media teams must work with creative teams to revise ads in-market and take advantage of real-time insights. Advertisers who design within these new requirements will truly seize the opportunity of machine learning and dominate the industry. The post 4 new rules for PPC ad creative appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/ppc-ad-creative-new-rules-394857 Google has updated the Core Web Vitals report within Google Search Console. The update is around a change in the number of URLs that Google reports on within that report. Google said “because more URLs are now being reported on due to a new origin group that contains data for URLs that previously fell below the data threshold.” What changed. Google is now reporting on more URLs because of a change in a new origin group, this may result in a bunch of URLs that were previously not reported on, to now be shown in this report. This change happened on March 27, 2023. What Google wrote. Here is what Google posted in the data anomalies:
What it looks like. Here is a screenshot of the label added to the core web vitals report in Google Search Console: Why we care. A lot of SEOs work on core web vitals and this report update may impact some of the numbers and scores going forward. So you may find new opportunities to work on new URLs and improve the overall user experience of your pages. Core web vitals are not a major Google search ranking factor, so generally small improvements with core web vital metrics do not translate to better rankings. But it is something one can and probably should focus on because it helps improve the overall user experience of your site. The post Core Web Vitals report within Google Search Console updated appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/core-web-vitals-report-within-google-search-console-updated-394897 |
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