Google has announced it has added a new attribute to Google Business Profiles for LGBTQ+ owned businesses. This new attribute can be added within your verified Google Business Profile and it makes it easier to find LGBTQ+ owned businesses in their own community. What the attribute looks like. Here is what the new LGBTQ+ owned attribute looks like in a business listing in Google Maps or Google Search: ![]() How to add the attribute. Here are the steps to add this attribute to your Google Business Profile:
Other attributes. Yelp has had this type of attribute since May 2021, this is another case of where Google is playing catch up to Yelp. In 2018, Google introduced family-led (which is no longer available), veteran-led and women-led attributes, in 2020 Google added black-owned attributes and in 2021 Google added a latino-owned attribute in business profiles. One note, Google did have the LGBTQ+ Friendly and Transgender Safespace back in 2020, this new attribute is more objective and is designed to just highlight LGBTQ+ business owners much like Black-owned and Latino-owned attributes do Pride month. Google added that the “LGBTQ+ community represents nearly 8% of the American population, with 20% of Gen Z identifying as a member of the community. As the number of LGBTQ+ individuals increase, so does our presence and prominence in our communities. In fact, there are 1.4 million LGBTQ-run companies in the U.S., accounting for $1.7 trillion a year in revenue too. Over the past decade, Google has partnered with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and 30 local affiliate chambers to support and grow LGBTQ+ owned businesses and organizations. Today, Grow with Google’s partnership with the NGLCC has helped thousands of LGBTQ+ owned businesses grow their digital skills and thrive online. As we celebrate Pride, it’s important to remember visibility and representation are critical, all year round. A flag in the window of a small business has the power to bring queer folks together, to celebrate our joy, honor our history, and fight for our diverse community. It’s our hope that this attribute will allow business owners to celebrate their identity and community with the world.” Why we care. Attributes like these can help generate visibility for your profile, so if you qualify for any of these Business Profile attributes, you should add them to your profile – and at least test it out. Businesses need to leverage any advantage they can to help grow their revenue and their customer base. Plus, it is nice to see Google to continue to promote diversity. The post Google adds LGBTQ+ owned attribute to business profiles appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/google-adds-lgbtq-owned-attribute-to-business-profiles-385878
0 Comments
I have a gift: an innate ability to find weird stuff in SEO. As an SEO professional, this ability can be both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because I can typically figure out what makes one website rank above another. A curse, because I would spend many hours, including many late nights, studying search results and looking at stuff for so long that it led to what I called “brain aches.” Never heard of FWS? That’s because it’s a new initialism, of my creation. Yes, you are witnessing SEO history right now. Ready to FWS? Here are a few things you can do when approaching a new prospect or project. FWSIn all of the years of running SEO initiatives and employing SEOs, I have found that there are many who have a talent in content strategy, Information architecture/taxonomy, or perhaps even deep technical analysis. As much as we may try to create the perfect process documentation for SEO efforts, there will always be one-off issues. Challenges that you won’t find on checklists. Sometimes, finding weird stuff may unlock the key to SEO success. So let us account for time for FWS in our SEO scopes. We need a set amount of time for research and discovery, even a few hours each month, for a project. Convincing a client to agree to “research” (pulling threads and following the trail) can be difficult. So, assuming that you can convince the powers-that-be that FWS is necessary, what are some ways we might learn how to think differently and find those nuggets that might lead to SEO success? The site: queryYou can learn a lot about a website by performing this simple task. Type site: into Google, followed by whichever domain it is that you want to review. ![]() Then, repeat this exercise with the www version: ![]() Now, in this case, Searchengineland.com resides on just that, no www. So, you would expect the “www” query to return zero results if everything is as it should be. And that is correct – zero results for www. But I cannot count the number of times I have discovered unknown subdomains for companies. Sometimes even some great/old content was heavily linked to and was about to be washed away in the next redesign. We now needed to think about how we might incorporate a refreshed version of that content and redirect those URLs so that we maintained the link value and perhaps even recaptured some search traffic (rankings) that existed years ago. Another common occurrence is finding .pdf content that no one cared about. When you’re reviewing your analytics to determine the performance of your SEO efforts, you are likely to be unaware of the amount of traffic coming to .pdf pages hosted on your website because they lack analytics tracking. However, if you were to run a Semrush report and filter those results by .pdf, you may find that you are ranking for some pretty significant keywords and have no visibility into the traffic. In many cases, you may find that by converting these .pdfs into HTML pages, you can accomplish a few things:
Review the history of a websiteToo often, I’ve seen people jump into an SEO initiative and “optimize what’s there” rather than dig into a website’s history to see what used to be there. Case in point (real-world example) – I was recently approached by a prospect who had lost a significant amount of their organic search traffic over the past year. A routine that I’ve always followed is to generate an Organic Research report via Semrush, filter to remove brand keywords and look at the All-Time trends. ![]() You can see quite easily the significant dip. The next step is copying this report, pasting it into a separate tab, and start comparing URLs. In this case, the prospect had gone through a redesign. Rather than recreating the successful pages, they (under the guidance of a “SEO consultant”) decided to turn those pages into a section of a page (ie: category#page-name.html). By using the Wayback Machine (archive.org), I was able to see exactly what these pages looked like previously and illustrate to the prospect – in very plain terms – why it is that things fell off a cliff. Google search the brandAnother tactic I use to FWS is to search a company’s name and click through some of the results. Several times when doing this, I have found official company domains that I didn’t recognize. In other words, the company had changed domains for their company and just parked the old domain. For those interested in link building, this could be a quick fix. This is why my agency has a standard domain portfolio analysis procedure. We want to know every domain that our client owns so that we might understand how (or if) these domains are being used. With this domain research, you may also learn about their affiliations with other companies. Did a company purchase them in the past? Did they purchase companies in the past? Drill down on this and you may find opportunities beyond the specific project you’re working on. Perhaps other companies within their “network” require SEO assistance, too? Maybe they should be consolidating domains/websites to form a powerhouse of a website rather than two (or more) weaker websites? Other places to FWS
Set aside some scheduled time to find weird stuffI believe that good SEO goes beyond knowing how to use the tools of the trade well, conducting keyword research, competitive analysis and the like. Being inquisitive is an important aspect of SEO. We need time to think about, consider and find weird “stuff.” It can often be that there are valuable finds if we allow ourselves the time to think creatively. The post Finding weird stuff (FWS) is part of SEO appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/finding-weird-stuff-fws-is-part-of-seo-385901 Microsoft Ads is now offering Cash back promotions to drive more sales and conversions for online retailers. How it works. The new feature is a Microsoft-run cash back program for the US on product ads. The goal of the program, Microsoft says “is to drive incremental sales and return on ad spend (ROAS) growth for advertisers and retailers.” When a user clicks on an ad that features a Cash back promotion, they will have 24 hours after the click to complete the purchase. Microsoft will automatically attribute the purchase to the click and process the cash back. All Cash backs are managed by Microsoft and users can redeem their rewards through the Microsoft Cash backs dashboard. The Cash back promotions are served for eligible campaigns if and when the AI determines that it will bring in value. They do not give any indication of the criteria the AI will use to determine where it will serve the promotion. What Microsoft says. Microsoft claims that the increased performance will outweigh the cost of the program. If they cannot deliver on performance, the AI will not serve the promotion. However, in the blog post announcement today, Microsoft says the cost per click (CPC) you’re charged will increase nominally to accommodate the cost of optimizing the program. The goals of Cash back promotions. According to Microsoft, the goals of the new Cash back promotions are:
Setting up Cash back promotions. Microsoft claims that there are no additional set up steps required to serve Cash back promotions. Microsoft handles all optimizations, payouts, and user inquiries. They do, however, require that you have purchase conversions set up, as well as a bid strategy that is “optimized for growing conversions and conversion values.” As if retailers would have less. They also suggest “a budget to have the headroom to accommodate any increase in volume.” Though, they give no further guidelines on what that budget is. Read more about Cash back promotions. You can read the full post here. Why we care. Though this is a Microsoft-run program, online retailers are paying for it through increased CPC’s. If the Microsoft AI can differentiate between low and high-value sales, and drive traffic accordingly, seems like a great way to get more clicks and conversions. However, we have yet to see if the increased CPC will make the program worthwhile. The post Microsoft launches Cash back promotions for product ads appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/microsoft-launches-cash-back-promotions-for-product-ads-385926 Revamped Google News design goes live with top stories local news and personalized articles6/21/2022 Google has launched the new version of Google News today on its 20th year anniversary of Google News. The new design, which we caught Google testing a month ago, brings forward Top stories, Local news and personalized picks to the forefront of the Google News home page, Google said. Local news. You can now find a local news box at the top right of the Google News home page. It makes it easier for you to find local news from your community that matters to you. There is a new filter button to add multiple locations to your local news section, so you can find local news about communities you love but no longer currently live in. Google said this helps with local news publishers gain more exposure and traffic from Google. ![]() Customize Google News. You can now also customize the topics that appear in Google News for you by clicking on the customize button. There you can add, remove or reorder topics with the slider feature. ![]() ![]() Improved fact check. Google has also improved the Face Check section in Google News by providing more context, the original claim, independent organization assessments, adding the About This Result and more. Back in Spain. 8 years after Google shut down Google News in Spain due to Spanish law, Google has finally brought back Google News in Spain. We knew this was coming and today is the day where Google News works again fully in Spain. Google said “this is a result of a new copyright law and we hope that the return of Google News to Spain helps more people and more news, from more places, and helps publishers and new readers.” Why we care. As we said when we saw the redesign test, whenever Google releases a new design or user interface in Google Search or Google News, that can impact ones visibility and clicks to their web site. So keep these user interface tests in mind when understanding any risks or rewards you might see in the future with Google News interface changes. For those in Spain, they can now access Google News without any restrictions. Also, Google News officially launched on September 22, 2002, so we are not exactly at the 20 year mark but close to it. The post Revamped Google News design goes live with top stories, local news and personalized articles appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/revamped-google-news-design-goes-live-with-top-stories-local-news-and-personalized-articles-385920 Meta has just announced a settlement with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that will change the way they deliver housing ads to people in the US. The new method is called the “variance reduction system” and is designed to make sure the audience that sees the housing ads more accurately reflects the eligible target market for that ad. In 2018 a lawsuit was filed against meta by the HUD alleging that Facebook violated the Fair Housing Act based on target options and delivery processes for housing ads. Meta and HUD collaboration. The announcement comes after a year-long collaboration between Meta and HUD to develop processes for machine learning technology to ensure the age, gender, and estimated race or ethnicity of a certain population seeing ads. Advertisers running housing ads currently have a limited number of targeting options to choose from while setting up campaigns – including age, gender, and zip codes. The new method builds on that same foundation in an effort to make progress toward a more equitable distribution of ads. Saying goodbye to Special Ad Audiences. In 2019, Facebook introduced Special Ad Audiences as an alternative to Lookalike audiences for housing, employment, and credit cards. That feature is going away as Meta looks to expand the field of fairness in machine learning. What Meta says. In their announcement, Vice President of Civil Rights and Deputy General Counsel Roy L. Austin Jr, said “We’re making this change in part to address feedback we’ve heard from civil rights groups, policymakers and regulators about how our ad system delivers certain categories of personalized ads, especially when it comes to fairness. So while HUD raised concerns about personalized housing ads specifically, we also plan to use this method for ads related to employment and credit. Discrimination in housing, employment and credit is a deep-rooted problem with a long history in the US, and we are committed to broadening opportunities for marginalized communities in these spaces and others.” Read the announcement. You can read the full announcement here. Why we care. Facebook has encountered many issues related to targeting in recent years. But Meta’s response to the lawsuit and its upcoming changes are a step in the right direction to preventing discrimination in housing. The post HUD settlement changes the way Meta delivers housing ads appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/hud-settlement-changes-the-way-meta-delivers-housing-ads-385942 Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today they’re launching new ways for creators to make money on Facebook and Instagram. The updates and tools “will help creators build for the metaverse” Zuckerberg says. There are six new updates that Zuckerberg shared in a Facebook thread. More money for creatorsNo revenue sharing on events, subscriptions, badges, and bulletins until 2024. In a previous Facebook thread, Zuckerberg said it would do this until 2023, but now that commitment has been extended. In the same thread, Zuckerberg calls out that the proposed 30% take would be less than Apple and other platforms. Interoperable SubscriptionsLets creators give their paying subscribers on other platforms access to subscriber-only Facebook Groups. Facebook StarsOpening up to all eligible creators so more can start earning money from Reels, live, or VOD videos. Monetizing ReelsOpening the Reels Play Bonus program to more creators on Facebook, and letting creators post their Instagram Reels to Facebook. Creator MarketplaceMeta is testing a set place on Instagram where creators can get discovered and paid for their content, and brands can share new partnership opportunities. Digital CollectiblesIn May Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced that the platform is going to start testing NFTs with select creators in the US. Today Zuckerberg said the test will be expanded the test so more creators around the world can display their NFTs. This feature will also be available on Facebook in the near future to select US-based creators. Testing will also begin in Instagram Stories with SparkAR soon. What Meta says. It’s not clear on when Meta will launch these new tools. But you can read Zuckerberg’s full Facebook thread here. Why we care. Following the announcement of new Pinterest creator tools, Meta’s expansion of features for creators also seems to mimic TikTok’s Creator Marketplace. The development of these tools is likely a way for Meta to compete and lure more creators to its platforms. The post Meta introducing new monetization tools for creators on Facebook and Instagram appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/meta-introducing-new-monetization-tools-for-creators-on-facebook-and-instagram-385924 In late April, John Mueller of Google announced a change in the format of the Google SEO office hours segment. Historically, Mueller would answer Google search and SEO questions from site owners, webmasters, SEOs and others live to help these people through some challenging SEO-related help. Now, Mueller is asking you to submit questions beforehand and he will record answers to them and publish them later on. What changed. Here is a list of the larger changes to this SEO office hours format.
Why the change. Mueller explained these changes in this video from April 29. He said the changes are because it makes it easier for us to digest shorter videos and it also helps him and Googlers “kind of prepare for these sessions” to the answers are more on point. He later added on Twitter that going from four per month to one per month is because “they’re always quite time-intensive for me, so I need to find a workable balance.” Why we care. Many SEOs called the SEO office hours a lifeline for their SEO-related questions or concerns. Being able to ask a Googler directly about an SEO question, or get advanced technical SEO advice on a decision they need to make about their site, has been a true blessing for many SEOs. Being able to reference advice from Google representatives is also useful in making a case to one’s boss about investment in SEO. I know many SEOs who timestamp every word said in those hangouts, who use these talking points in making better decisions and who use these SEO office hours as backup for meetings with clients or their supervisors. Time will tell how these SEO office hours change over time, how useful they remain to be and if this format will adapt again in the near future. But the overall SEO office hours format has not changed much over 10-plus years, outside of the platform used. The post Google cuts back on SEO office hours format, frequency appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/google-cuts-back-seo-office-hours-format-frequency-385916 Last week Twitter user Len received an email from Google Ads notifying him that starting on June 30, some of his client’s accounts will need five reviews before being allowed to run a Local Service Ad (LSA). The current requirement is one review. What Google says. Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin responded back to Len stating that the process to advertise with LSA’s hasn’t changed, but the review requirements had. She adds “More customer reviews help build trust and will mean more opportunities to connect with potential clients.” Who is affected. Right now there are only a handful of US businesses that will need five reviews starting June 30. Those business categories are:
Interestingly, some business categories that will remain unchanged with one review or less are:
Full requirements. You can review the LSA official documentation here. Why we care. We know that more reviews help consumers make educated and informed decisions. But this new policy could make it more difficult for new businesses to advertise on LSA’s. Nonetheless, fake reviews are a reality and it’ll be interesting to see how Google will address this in the future. It’s also curious that categories such as child care, financial planners, and general contractors- where you may want to do a little more research into whom you’re trusting, have less requirements. The post Google increases Local Search Ads review requirements appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/google-increases-local-search-ads-review-requirements-385915 Last week Twitter users Chris Ridley and Christopher Bell spotted a bug in the date comparison reporting tool in the Performance max Product Listing tab in Google Ads. The tool allows you to select “compare,” but doesn’t actually show you the information. ![]() ![]() Google’s response. Google Liaison Ginny Marvin responded that she had flagged the issue to the ads team. Why we care. Accurate reporting is key to optimization. Advertisers need full transparency and the ability to view their data and compare performance across specific periods of time. The post Google aware of Performance Max Product Listing tab date comparison bug appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/google-aware-of-performance-max-product-listing-tab-date-comparison-bug-385908 Google updated the product rich results support page to add details around how these rich results can be used for product variants where each product variant has a distinct URL. For example, if you have a product page that has a shirt in both blue, green, red, yellow – that page may be illegible to show rich results for product rich results – unless you have a specific landing page for each product variant. What changed. Google simply clarified how rich results on product variants work by adding this single line “This includes product variants where each product variant has a distinct URL.” Before it said “Use markup for a specific product, not a category or list of products. For example, “shoes in our shop” is not a specific product. Currently, product rich results only support pages that focus on a single product. We recommend focusing on adding markup to product pages instead of pages that list products or a category of products. Now it says “Use markup for a specific product, not a category or list of products. For example, “shoes in our shop” is not a specific product. Currently, product rich results only support pages that focus on a single product. This includes product variants where each product variant has a distinct URL. We recommend focusing on adding markup to product pages instead of pages that list products or a category of products.” Page may be ineligible. The line links to this section in the help documents that say “A common consideration on e-commerce sites is how to structure URLs when a product is available in multiple sizes or colors. Each combination of product attributes is referred to as a product variant. Google supports a wide range of URL structures for product variants.” If you choose to include multiple product variants on a single page (meaning, the variants share the same URL), be aware of the following limitations:
If you choose to use a distinct URL per variant, Google recommends using either:
Help Google understand with canonical tags. Google said on that document, to help Google understand which variant is best to show in Search, choose one of the product variant URLs as the canonical URL for the product. If you use optional query parameters to identify variants, use the URL with the query parameter omitted as the canonical URL. This can help Google better understand the relationship between product variants. For example, if the default value of the
Why we care. Again, this is not exactly new but it has been clarified on the product rich results help document. Use the advice above to help ensure your product variant pages are eligible to show product rich results in Google Search. The post Google updated guidelines for product variants pages and rich results appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/google-updated-guidelines-for-product-variants-pages-and-rich-results-385905 |
AuthorLet us market on the internet and earn some money. Archives
April 2023
|