This Week’s Industry News
Compiled by the Rocket Clicks Team
Top Stories
Google Announces Featured Snippet Update
Google recently announced an update to its Featured Snippet algorithm that will help Google know whether content needs to be updated over time to stay relevant to users. The goal is to get better about removing outdated content or information that is no longer useful.
Examples of search queries that will require regularly updated content include regularly updated information, information that changes with time and current events.
An example of regularly updated information would be event schedules or calendars. Information that changes with time include announcement posts or recurring events. Current events are any posts that describe what’s happening in the company currently.
Changing content just to update it won’t help a page get the featured snippet. Updating evergreen content is only useful if additional information boosts the quality of the page. Changes just to keep the page updated with no relevant additional content is not necessary.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Microsoft Acquires Vendor Marketing Platform PromoteIQ
Microsoft Advertising has acquired PromoteIQ as a division within the platform. PromoteIQ is an e-commerce advertising vendor that allows brands to run ads on participating retailers’ websites and offers analytics to both the brands and retailers. A few of the retailers that are currently in PromoteIQ’s portfolio include Kroger, Kohl’s and Overstock.com, but the company supports thousands of different global brands and retailers.
Microsoft is increasing its efforts to support e-commerce advertisers and acquiring PromoteIQ is a step in that direction. This partnership will give advertisers more reach, rather than being limited to Bing.com product ads, and will better Microsoft’s targeted ad placement capabilities.
Source: Search Engine Land
Google Search Console is Sending Monthly Performance Reports to some Profiles
Select Search Console profiles now receive emails with monthly performance reports with information about their clicks, impressions and estimated pages with first impressions.
It also goes into detail about your best content pages, devices, top countries & other additional info.
In the past, Search Console has sent out test emails about top query changes, and click changes, but this is the first time it has sent out anything as detailed as a full report.
Source: SEO Roundtable
Google Tests New Local Pack Design with Ads
Google has been testing a new design for its local results. The “local pack” that shows the results in a scrollable carousel, now includes an ad spot.
This new format is a lot more interactive and with the carousel only showing one listing at a time, the ad at the top sticks out like a focal point.
Source: Search Engine Land
Analysis:
4 Tips on Crafting Content that Serves a Purpose
One of the most important factors in page success is reader-friendly content. No matter how well a page is developed, if the content doesn’t answer a reader’s questions, they will find those answers on a different website. Below are four easy steps to make sure you’re creating content that serves a purpose to the reader.
Speak to your reader
Tone of voice and language can make or break the relationship your reader has with your site. It’s not enough to do basic keyword research. Actually talk to customers and learn how they relate to the product or service your site provides. Remember while the content is about your product or service, it’s not about you, it’s about the client.
Speak to your reader’s problems
Potential customers are going to care more about how you can help them than how well you describe your company. Prioritize answering their questions right off the bat instead of initially focusing on how you stand out from other companies. You should be able to answer the question “Why should a reader care about this content” before they have time to leave for another website. Use keywords with your reader’s vocabulary in mind
A basic list of keywords isn’t enough in the vast majority of cases. User intent is equally as important. It’s important to know how your customers will search for your product or service so you can most effectively answer their question.
Avoid industry jargon
The way professionals talk about your industry is not the way clients talk about the industry. One of the biggest mistakes companies use is leaving their readers feeling confused and awkward. If a user doesn’t understand what you’re talking about right away, they won’t take the time to learn. If you can relate to your audience, they are far more likely to trust your services.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Three Ways to Prepare for Google’s Keyword Match Type Change
Google recently announced that they were making some changes to phrase match and broad match modifier keywords. Soon, words with the same meaning will soon be included in close variants for these two keyword match types. Before the change, you want to prepare your accounts and be ready for the influx of matching search queries. Here’s how:
- Automate bidding to avoid overspending on low-quality leads. Google’s system is a lot smarter than you are. This broadening of close variants means that more search queries are going to match your keywords. With manual bidding, the relevant and irrelevant searches get the same bid. Only with automated bidding can Google increase or decrease a bid based on conversion goals or ROAS. This can only be set up with auction-time bids in Smart Bidding so Google can factor in the circumstances around a search and evaluate if your keyword or close variant is relevant. To avoid overpaying for the additional traffic, use Smart Bidding.
- Disable Last-Click Attribution. In order for Google to learn how to properly learn how to bid for you, it must have the correct data. Conversions must be tracked properly and the right attribution model must be applied. If you tell Google that only the last click before a conversion is what matters, then it will start to reduce the bids for close variants that contributed to the journey. Google could reduce them to the point where it stops showing your ads. By telling Google that every step in the customer journey matters, not just the last click, you’ll get better results for close variants that help and reduce your ad exposure from close variants that don’t help.
- Set up monitoring systems for close variants. In addition to search term monitoring, it’s a good idea to monitor close variants as well. The easiest way to do this is with automation layering – you create an automation to monitor the automation from the ad engine. You can build a report in Google Ads to show keywords and their close variants. You could also take it further and automate Google Ads to add negative keywords for the close variant as well. It’s always wise to monitor an automated system. Automation layering makes it an easier process.
This change to close variants in match types is designed to bring in more leads for advertisers. Make sure you are ready to use this technology to your benefit by implementing the steps above.
Source: Frederick Vallaeys, Search Engine Journal
