Search Recap: Google’s “Request a Quote” Button for Business Listings, YouTube Masthead Ads and More
Over the last month, there have been some interesting updates and rollouts across the search and social media marketing landscape.
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Google has announced many new updates to its services in August. As always, it’s important to keep up to date with these changes and prepare your digital strategy accordingly.
Here are six recent updates you should know about.
1. Google Search Console Now Sending Monthly Performance Reports
Google is now sending emails to Search Console site owners with a monthly performance report. The email shows a visual summary of site clicks, impressions, rankings, mobile vs desktop performance and more.
For business owners not regularly involved in checking SEO performance, this will help to keep search top of mind. Find out more here.
2. Google Unveils New Smart Bidding Strategy
Maximise conversion value, a new smart bidding strategy for Google Ads, is now available in Search campaigns. As the name suggests, it will optimise conversion value within your set budget by using historical campaign data.
As manual bidding continues to lose favour, it’s important to understand how each smart bidding strategy works and which one suits your business best. Learn more here.
3. Half of Google Searches Are Ending Without Clicks
Zero-click searches have hit an all-time high. A study by Jumpshot revealed that 50% of Google searches end without clicks on any paid or organic search results. This trend has been on the rise for years now and is predicted to continue.
While this may mean less traffic, businesses that embrace rich information can benefit from search regardless of clicks. Rich cards and snippets expose users to key information like your brand name, business location and opening hours. Read more here.
4. Google Updates Users on Indexing Issues
A Google Search Outreach Specialist has explained that recent indexing issues over the past few months occurred because of a deployment issue. While undergoing planned updates, parts of the search index were lost from Google data centres.
This affected the results shown to searchers earlier this month, as well as in April and May. Although now resolved, it is helpful for marketers and business owners to understand why specific days may show less traffic. Get to know more here.
5. YouTube to Cease Advertising to Kids
Following an investigation and a multi-million-dollar fine by the FTC in the US, YouTube will no longer target ads towards children.
It’s not yet known how this change will be enforced or how Google will determine whether or not a video is aimed at kids. Although plans are still being finalised, this is expected to cause a huge dent in the company’s ad revenue. Learn more here.
6. Google Set to Remove Accelerated Ad Delivery for Certain Campaigns
From September 17, Google Ads will no longer include the accelerated delivery option for Search and Shopping campaigns. According to Google, this method can be inefficient when used with a capped daily budget across multiple time zones. On the other hand, the improved standard delivery is better at maximising performance by pacing your daily budget.
How can you prepare for this change? Find out here.