This Week’s Industry News
Compiled by the Rocket Clicks Team
Top Stories
Product Card Buttons on Desktop
Google has added Details, Reviews and Stores buttons on desktop search when a Google shopping card or panel displays on the right side. Clicking on one of these buttons will show an overlay screen where you can then narrow down by filters like color, and also Free Shipping, Top-Rated and Refurbished or Used.This is to have users more easily shop without digging through the Shopping tab.
Source: Search Engine Land
Bing Upgrades Their Search Term Reporting
Bing Ads has improved search terms reporting with more data and the ability to track more campaigns. Advertisers can now utilize the platform’s search terms management capabilities with shopping campaigns. The search terms grid is now easier to find. You can now click on the new Search terms option when you’re under All Campaigns in the Keywords tab. An Added/Excluded column has also been added to view search terms that you’ve already added as keywords or negative keywords.
Source: Search Engine Journal
New Features Coming to Search Console
According to code discovered on the interface, there are a number of new features coming to Google Search Console. A report dedicated to page speed may be on the way. You might also be able to opt out from Google Shopping, Flights, Hotels and local. Structured data and rich cards might have reports for: courses, events, how-tos, jobs, movies, recipes, FAQ, articles, lists, breadcrumbs, factcheck, Q/A and more. Finally, Google Discover performance has a live report but doesn’t contain any data yet. You should be able to monitor your clicks, impressions, CTR and top pages from Google Discover is it is fully rolled out.
Source: Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Roundtable
Google Updates Mobile Speed Score for Landing Pages
Google Ads has changed the way it calculates mobile speed score, which is located in the Landing Pages tab. The mobile speed score algorithm has been updated to require fewer ad clicks in order to calculate a score. This update will allow advertisers to see a mobile speed score for more of their pages. Google was not specific as to how many ad clicks are now required to generate a mobile speed score. Factors that go into calculating mobile speed score include the page speed itself and potential conversion rate.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Analysis:
Google’s Tips on Responding to Reviews
Google My Business added the ability for business owners to respond to reviews on desktop versions of Google Maps. In addition to introducing this feature, Google also updated its help document with tips for responding to negative reviews. Google reminds business owners that negative reviews are not always a result of bad business practices. The customer may have mismatched expectations and replying to the review can help businesses learn how to improve the experience.
- Do not share personal data or attack the reviewer personally. Suggest they contact you directly
- Investigate the reasons behind the reviewer’s negative impressions of the business
- Be honest about mistakes that were made. Don’t take responsibility for things that were not your fault
- Apologize when appropriate. It’s best to say something that demonstrates compassion and empathy.
- Show that you’re a real person by signing off with your name or initials
- Never lash out or get personal. Always be polite and professional
- Respond in a timely manner to show you pay attention to customer experience
A positive post-review interaction can lead the customer to update the review and shows prospective customers that the business really cares. Source: Search Engine Journal
Facebook Daily vs. Lifetime Budgets
Daily Budgets
- Pros
- Easier to pace spend and plan budget
- Good for evergreen campaigns; no end date needed
- Ideal if you need to change your budget regularly
- Cons
- Facebook will spend the full daily budget, regardless of the performance
- No ad scheduling
Lifetime Budgets
- Pros
- Daily spend levels will be adjusted based on results of the campaign
- Allows ad scheduling
- Cons
- Daily spend can fluctuate greatly day to day
- An end date has to be set
- Performance could suffer if large budgets or schedule changes have to be made
Source: Michelle Morgan, WordStream