How Google’s March, April and August updates might fit together

It’s been an interesting year in Google-land, with a number of large updates, including those in March, April and August.

Many have written at length and shared related data about all of these updates. In today’s post, I’ll cover in depth one aspect of the August update that hasn’t received much attention: brand authority.

I believe that one significant component of what Google did with the August update — increasing rankings for sites with general brand authority — was an adjustment to the impact of the March and April updates.

To be clear, the August update clearly had many different components that are also of critical importance. I’m calling out brand authority because it was not explicitly identified by other articles on the update.

I’ll go into this more deeply below, but I’ll begin with a brief recap of what others have said about the March, April and August updates. Feel free to skip ahead.

A brief recap of the March and April updates

I’m not going to repeat what’s already been said in the many excellent articles about these updates (though I link to some of them below). I will summarize some of the basics, then add some additional thoughts about what happened.

Here are some of the key quotes from Google on the update:

Google SearchLiaison

✔@searchliaison

 · Mar 12, 2018

Each day, Google usually releases one or more changes designed to improve our results. Some are focused around specific improvements. Some are broad changes. Last week, we released a broad core algorithm update. We do these routinely several times per year....

Google SearchLiaison

✔@searchliaison

As with any update, some sites may note drops or gains. There’s nothing wrong with pages that may now perform less well. Instead, it’s that changes to our systems are benefiting pages that were previously under-rewarded....

10:27 PM - Mar 12, 2018

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Per Google’s John Mueller in the Webmaster Central office-hours hangout on April 23:

The updates that we made are more around relevance, where we’re trying to figure out which sites [are] relevant for certain queries and not so much a matter of quality overall. That might be something where we just don’t think your site is exactly relevant for those specific queries. It doesn’t mean that it’s a bad site, it’s just not relevant for those specific queries … That’s something that I think happens to a lot of sites over time in that they might be really high-quality content, but over time [they’re] just not seen as relevant in the overall picture of the web.

Overall, there is a general consensus that the main components of this update were about how your content’s relevance is measured and Google’s adjustments around its understanding of user intent. This is consistent with statements from Google, as well as the data shared and analyzed by a variety of people in the industry.

Here are some of their analyses:

1. Recap by Barry Schwartz on March 12, 2018
2. Recap by Marie Haynes, last updated April 23, 2018
3. Recap by Glenn Gabe on May 16, 2018 (Part One)
4. Recap by Glenn Gabe on June 5, 2018 (Part Two)

My supplemental comments on the March and April updates

One aspect of the March and April updates that didn’t get much attention is the idea that the breadth and depth of a site’s content were considered as a ranking signal. Sites with large volumes of content that thoroughly and completely address a topic of interest did extremely well in these updates. Here is how I would characterize breadth and depth of content:

1. Content created by true subject matter experts.
2. Content created in high volume (from tens to hundreds of pieces of content per month).
3. Content that addresses key topic areas both deeply and broadly. In other words, they address many subtopics that are important to users, not just the surface level of the topic area. This depth and breadth may be (and probably should be) accomplished across many articles.
4. And, of course, content that isn’t sliced thinly for the sake of volume. Each of the different articles has a real reason to exist.

I saw many sites with these four characteristics experience a major uplift with the March and April updates. Here is an example of the Searchmetrics data through April for one of those sites:

As you can see, SEO visibility nearly doubled during the course of these updates. That’s a pretty serious set of gains! This is a phenomenon seen with many sites that follow this pattern of publishing quality content in volume. But, as noted, I do believe that a big key to this is the perceived depth and breadth of coverage of a topic.

To preserve anonymity, let me share what I mean with a fictitious example. Let’s say you want to be seen as an authority on replacing a kitchen sink. You might create a comprehensive article on the topic and include a companion video. That would be a great start. But perhaps some portion of your audience might be interested in one or more of these related topics:

1. Disposing of the old sink.
2. Installing a kitchen sink countertop.
3. How to install kitchen sink plumbing.
4. What type of caulk to use.
5. How much it costs to replace a kitchen sink.
6. What tools are needed for the job?
7. Installing a garbage disposal with the sink.
8. What would a plumber charge to install one?
9. Changing a sink faucet.
10. Special considerations for brass sinks.
11. Special considerations for copper sinks.

I could keep going, but you get the idea.

A brief recap of the August update

People have called out many different aspects of this update. Some of the principal ones have been:

1. Health-related sites being impacted more heavily, hence the “Medic” name Barry Schwartz gave to the update. However, it’s become clear that many different types of sites were impacted, not just health sites.
2. An increased focus on expertise, authority and trust (E-A-T). In this context, authority tends to mean using subject matter expert writers, citing other authoritative research (including outbound links to same), managing your reputation online and so on.
3. More speculation on aligning your content with user intent.
4. Basic SEO factors like crawlability, avoiding thin content, mobile readiness and more.

There is not quite the same level of consensus that there was with the March and April updates, probably partly because Google made fewer statements specifically about it. In addition, I think it’s quite likely that between April and August, Google collected a lot of data on the March and April changes and decided to make a series of adjustments as a result. More on that in a minute.

Here are some of the recaps written about the August update:

1. Recap by Barry Schwartz on August 8, 2018
2. Recap by Barry Schwartz on August 9, 2018
3. Recap by Ignite Visibility on August 14, 2018
4. Recap by Marie Haynes, last updated on August 8, 2018 (Part Two)

Digging deeper into the August update

I already noted that when Google does any large-scale update, they continue to collect data on how the SERPs are performing, and they’re able to compare that with what they were seeing prior to a given update. Based on this, they can make adjustments to build upon the success of the earlier update and correct its weaknesses. It’s a process of continuous improvement.

For example, here is the Searchmetrics data for one Fortune 100 retailer, showing a large drop to their traffic in April:

This site is for a very well-known brand, but it has fairly thin content on the e-commerce pages. The products are there, but there’s not much description or detail about them. And the site took a hit. However, they appear to have seen some level of recovery in the August update.

Here is a look at another site from a large, well-known brand through the same updates:

This site had the same problems with a lack of content on major e-commerce pages, and it took a substantial hit in the March and April time frame. However, it also recovered in the August update. So, I went looking for more of these. Here is an example from the travel industry:

Yes, another major brand with some content problems that sees a recovery in the August update. Here is yet another example of a prominent e-commerce site taking a hit in March and April but recovering in August:

To try and figure out what was going on, I did an analysis of each of these sites (as well as several others). In each of the above cases, and in several others I looked at, it seemed like the March/April evaluation of the site’s relevance was hurt by a lack of good, in-depth content on their e-commerce pages.

Why did all these sites recover during the August update? Based on the data I’ve seen, my speculation is that the weight of brand authority signals was one of the things that was adjusted in the August update. When I talk about brand authority, I don’t mean authority in the E-A-T sense, but in the pure and simple strength and power of a brand. How does Google measure that? There are probably many components to it, including factors like links, mentions and overall user engagement with a brand.

Why should brand authority matter so much? Think of it from a user perspective for a moment. Users develop a strong affinity for brands. They learn to trust them, and they give them the benefit of the doubt. As related to this series of updates, it means they may prefer sites from prominent brands they trust, even though the content of those sites is materially weaker.

In addition, for curiosity’s sake, I also looked back at my example site that I shared earlier, the one that did really well with the March and April updates. How did it fare?

It kept on soaring upward! For that first example site, the depth and breadth of their content has kept them going strong.

Source:- Latest Google update

How to Write Title Tags For Search Engine Optimization?

Today we're going back to basics! And nothing is more basically important to a site than properly written title tags. You know the ones that used to appear in the little blue bars in your browsers. Most modern browsers try to hide these, though that doesn't stop them being helpful!

So what is a title tag? Why is it important to SEO, and how do you write the darn things?

Meta Tags

First let's talk about meta tags. Meta elements are HTML or XHTML elements used to provide information about a web page for the search engines and website users.

Such elements must be placed as tags in the head section of a HTML document. These elements are the:

• Title Tag
• Description
• Keywords (No one uses these anymore and you can get spam "points" for overuse on Bing, so just forget them. If you have keyword stuffed "spammy" ones, you probably want to fix those.)

What is a Title Tag?

Title tags are part of the meta tags that appear at the top of your HTML inside the < head> area. Think of title tags like the title of the chapter of a book. It tells people and search engines what your page is about.

Title tags are also part of what makes people decide whether to visit your site when it shows up in the search results. The title tag should contain important keywords to help the search engine determine what the page is about.

Write title tags for humans; format them for search engines.

NOTE: Every experienced SEO has their own unique methods to doing this, so I'm going to give you best practices along with some of my methods. However, there are a million ways to write a title tag.

What Does the Title Tag Look Like?

The title tag looks like this in your HTML code:

<title>Important Words Go Here </title>

Here is how title tags appear in a browser that uses the bar to display title tags (other browsers might only use the tab space or not show them at all):

Finally, here's where Google shows the title tag:

REMEMBER: A title tag is THE MOST IMPORTANT SINGLE TAG in your page. It tells the search engines what your page is about. It is still vitally important to your SEO strategy.

Quick Checklist

When you're writing your title tag what do you need to know? Here's a quick checklist with some tips on how to write optimized title tags:

• Length: Title tags should be a maximum of 70 characters long, including spaces.
• Keyword Placement: Your most important words (keywords) need to be first in your title tag, with your least important words being last in the title tag (most to least). However, if you're working in a language that reads right-to-left, then it is reversed, and it would be least important to most important.
• Keyword Separation: Use pipes | to separate important (keyword) phrases (no commas, underscores, dashes or any other punctuation unless the keyword is written that way).
• Wording: Keep your important phrases short and simple. Leave out words that would make it read like a sentence. (e.g., and, if, but, then, etc.)
• Company Name: If your company name is not part of the important (keyword) phrases, put it at the end of the title tag; if it is part of your important words, put it as the first words in the title tag. Some SEOs will tell you to leave it out. You can leave it in for branding purposes – so people will see the brand and click. This isn't valid for all sites.
• DON'T DUPLICATE Title Tags: They must be written differently for every page. Don't mass replicate your title tags.
• Make It Relevant: Title tags must be written to be descriptive of the content on the page. (e.g., the About Page would be:

About | Important Keywords | Company Name

or

Important Keywords | About Us | Company Name

Google & Title Tags

Sometimes Google doesn't like your title tag. In fact, sometimes Google thinks it can pick a better one, so it will rewrite the tag for you. There are several places it might get this information, most of them you won't prefer to one you crafted yourself.

While there isn't any assurance your title tag won't be replaced, make sure you write a title tag that is page related, content descriptive, short and sweet, and not keyword stuffed. This is your one defense.

Keyword Stuffed Title Tags

You've probably come across badly written title tags that try to rank for everything or repeat a word over and over. Keyword stuffing is the worst offense when it comes to title tags.

Say your site is trying to rank for Blue Bells and Yellow Bells. Many times you will see the main keyword repeated multiple times across the title tag. It might appear like this:

Blue Bells, Yellow Bells, All Types of Bells | Bells Bells and More | Doors.com

This is bad title tag writing. You don't need to repeatedly write the keyword. Google especially can pick up the keywords like your eyes can read them, so you would best to rewrite this as

Blue & Yellow Bells | Doorbells | Doors.com

We removed the extra words, combined the products (if possible you would split these products to separate pages, a blue and a yellow, but this isn't always feasible or desirable) and added a category keyword which would appear in the middle of the title tag on all doorbell related page titles, then end it with the domain name (again this is for branding purposes – there are also good reasons to not do this, it depends on the SEO).

Now our title tag is short, sweet, simple, and to the point. We have also categorized it and added in branding for good measure.

We also took out the word "and" and replaced it with an ampersand (&) so that you don't accidentally relate the two items and make Google think you want people who are looking for Blue AND Yellow Bells.

And there you go, a basic lesson in title tag writing. This can be the most challenging and fun part of any SEO's work! Or should that be "Inbound Marketer's" work?

Some Title Tag Writing Examples

Let's look at a few examples of writing title tags with actual examples.

If your important words (keywords) were "Charlie Sheen" and "Winning" your title tag would be written in that order:

Charlie Sheen Winning

Charlie Sheen would be the first words in the tag.

Now what if we had more than one set of words? What if my keywords were "Charlie Sheen Winning"and "Tiger's Blood"? Your title tag would still be written with "Charlie Sheen Winning" as the first words in the tag. Then you would add a pipe | and "Tiger's Blood" as the second phrase:

Charlie Sheen Winning | Tiger's Blood

Don't use hyphens, underscores, commas or any other type of character – just pipes.

Now what if we had more than one set of words and a company name we were not worried about optimizing for (the company name was not part of the reputation issue). If my words were "Charlie Sheen Winning" and "Tiger's Blood" and "CBS", you would separate these three phrases with pipes, with CBS last and farthest from the beginning, which Google sees as the least important phrase:

Charlie Sheen Winning | Tiger's Blood | CBS

The company name can be repeated in every title tag as long as it as not part of the important words and appears at the far right end of the title tag.

What about sentences? Couldn't you just write a sentence such as "Charlie Sheen Says Winning And Tiger's Blood And Gets CBS Riled Up"? You could, but those extra words like "says", "and", and "riled", dilute your important words and make them less important to content, so best to keep it short, simple, and clear. Leave out the extra words.

Title Tag Writing Pop Quiz!

When using strict SEO principles. Which are the BEST title tags for the important (keywords): (pick 2) "Charlie Sheen" "Winning" "Howard Stern Show" when optimizing (trying to rank for) the words"Charlie Sheen (1) Winning (2)"

1. Charlie Sheen Winning on the Howard Stern Show
2. Howard Stern Show & Charlie Sheen | Winning
3. Charlie Sheen is Winning Points on the Howard Stern Show
4. Charlie Sheen | Winning | Howard Stern Show
5. Charlie Sheen and Howard Stern Winning the Show
6. Winning | Charlie Sheen on the Howard Stern Show
7. Charlie Sheen Winning | Howard Stern Show
8. Doesn't matter as long as the words are all there

6 Types of Retargeting Every Marketer Should Know

When it comes to the topic of retargeting, most marketers instantly think of search retargeting, which they happen to already be running at least one campaign for. Hard to blame them, since search retargeting is, in fact, the fastest growing type of retargeting and has proven to have some of the highest returns.

But the truth of the matter is, highly effective marketers explore other types of retargeting to acquire and engage potential audience. During the “PPC Beyond Search” panel at SES San Francisco 2012, Dax Hamman broke down six different types of retargeting every marketer should know.

1. Search Retargeting

When using search retargeting, you’re essentially going after individuals on search engines who have searched using keywords or phrases relevant to your business. Keep in mind that when deciding to use this type of retargeting, you're making assumptions based on the searcher’s intent.

Just because they searched a term that is relevant to your business, doesn’t necessarily mean that they are ready to make a purchase or be bombarded by “buy now” banners. Be sure to take intent into consideration and serve your creative accordingly.

2. Site Retargeting

Think of site retargeting as one step closer contact, since the searcher has actually landed on and visited your site at this point. Once they do so, you can tag them and follow them around the internet with your messages.

The most important thing to keep in mind when deciding to use site retargeting, is to identify certain actions as “tag-worthy.”

Let’s say you sell PPC management software. Would you tag someone who visits your blog to read a post and someone else who watches a video of an online demo the same way? Would you tag the blog reader at all?

3. SEM/SEO Retargeting

SEM/SEO retargeting is closely related to site retargeting and has to do with the search terms used prior to clicking to or arriving on your site. Couple someone’s search term used to land on your site with the actions they take on it and you have given yourself a whole new level of insight into their intent. Use this to refine your creative and perfect your message to them.

4. Email Retargeting

As apparent from the name, it allows you to retarget people based on actions they have taken on your emails. Engagement levels are important to take note of in this case, since someone opening an email should not be treated as someone else who clicked a link, forwarded it, or didn’t even open it at all.

5. Contextual Retargeting

In all the sessions I’ve moderated, never have I heard an “oooooh” from the audience as when contextual retargeting was introduced. In essence, it involves exchanging pixels between sites that are highly relevant to a searcher and targeting to each others’ visitors. For example, think of an airline and local hotel site targeting each other’s audience based on destinations that were searched or booked.

6. Engagement Retargeting

Perhaps the least commonly used by the average advertiser, this type of retargeting works exceptionally well with those who offer channels of engagement like videos, rich media, Flash games, etc. Based on the type of action the user takes, advertisers can infer things like intent and level of engagement to serve highly targeted display ads.

Summary

With so many different types of retargeting, advertisers are finding more ways (and more importantly, a second chance) to reach their target audience. When used correctly and with the right creative, advertisers can expect large boosts in CTRs and conversions for their campaigns.

Apart from search, have you used any of the other forms of retargeting? Which ones have proven to be the most effective for you? Share your thoughts and comments below.

How to Manage a Low Budget AdWords Campaign:

Google AdWords campaigns are usually not considered cost effective for small and medium sized businesses.  In reality, these campaigns can be both useful and budget friendly for smaller budget users when they are carefully managed.  By using these tips I have learned after spending more than $40,000 on Google’s advertising product, you can run a successful low budget AdWords campaign.

1)      Campaign Objectives: Before you launch an ad campaign, clarify the reason for the campaign: is it to generate traffic, target specific keywords, or as a marketing stunt against your competitors? Being clear about your objective allows you to create a more effective, targeted ad.

2)      Stick to Google Search Networks: Use of product listing ads (PLAs) by e-commerce websites is also on the rise. Such options are usually recommended for campaigns with a comfortable budget, and is not recommended for budget conscious users.  

3)      Extensive Keywords Research: Bid for generic keywords can be very high. So look for unique and longer keywords to compete effectively on a smaller budget. Find effective long tail keywords using your Analytics account to see organic searches leading to your website, Google auto-complete option, and tools like Google’s Keyword Tool or Word Stream’s Niche Finder                

To keep your PPC expenditure in control, keep exact match or phrase match keywords. Speaking of web services industry, choosing exact match keywords such as [web design company] will not display your ad for terms like “website design company” or “web design agency”

Targeting keywords like “web design company India” will give you relevant clicks and impressions at a lower bid. Such keywords are especially helpful for people running small and medium ventures.

4)      Avoid Dynamic Search Ads: These ads are not triggered by specific keywords chosen by you. Instead they are displayed when someone searches for anything related to the content of your landing page. While this seems convenient, it often results in irrelevant impressions and clicks, which push your daily budget up.

5)      Negative Keywords List: Make an extensive list of negative keywords and update it regularly if campaign keywords are broad match and phrase match type.  An important source could be irrelevant organic search results found in Google Analytics account, AdWords search results, and also by using negative keyword search tools like Wordstream

6)      Bidding Strategy: Instead of letting AdWords automatically adjust your bid, set it manually to match the ad position and cost per acquisition that you desire. Bid according to the location that you want to target. Your AdWords account tells the Geographical Location of your past traffic.

If you think that you are reaching the daily budget for a certain campaign, try to lower your bid so that you can be visible for a longer time without much change in your campaign’s performance.

7)      Targeting Competitors Head-on: Using the name of your competitors or industry leaders as your keywords (after insuring trademark policies) is an effective trick to get impressions. Avoid using their name in your ad copy. Frame your ad copy in such a way that you clearly reflect what the visitor will find on the landing page to avoid a high bounce rate.

8)     Target Keywords by Industry: Always stay updated with your industry best practices. To improve the list of keywords that prompt your ad to display, try finding the details of the ad campaigns of other players (keywords, budgets and ad copies) through online tools like Semrush.com orkeywordspy.com 

9)      Focus on Ad Position when You Can’t Match a Bid: You don’t have to be at the top of the ad results to be noticed. Having your ad displayed on top 3 positions increases the chances of getting clicked on by mistake or by immature searchers. Always keep track on the average position of your ads.

10)  Check for Overlapping Keywords: If you are using similar or duplicate keywords in different ad campaigns, the keywords will start competing against each other. So, use ad campaigns with keywords which do not overlap.

Keywords like “office furniture NY” and “furniture NY” in different campaigns are overlapping. A search query for one might trigger an ad for the other.

11)  Use Features of Enhanced Campaigns: People usually have different campaigns to target different locations and devices, spreading the daily budget even thinner. With a limited budget at hand, it’s better to have minimum number of campaigns (maximum 3).

You can bid higher for certain locations which get you maximum business.

12)  Optimize According to the Nature of your Business: Your ad campaigns need to be optimized according to your marketing vertical. For example, a blog about food might get extra traffic on weekdays and negligible on the weekends, or if you are in the travel industry you do better advertising more on weekends.

13)  Quality Score:  The quality score of your keywords depends on click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience. The overall ad position is determined by the CPC and quality score:

Ad position = CPC Bid*Quality Score

A high quality score decreases your cost and makes your ad rank higher.

What actually contributes to a good quality score?

• Past and current performance of your keywords.
• A high click-through rate, preferably above 1.5%
• A working and relevant landing page that loads quickly

14)  Targeted & Conversion Optimized Landing Pages: An important component of your ad quality score is your landing page, which is judged on the parameters of relevance, content originality, transparency, and navigability. You will not get conversions from poorly structured or outdated landing pages.

15)  Analyze before Changing: Check your ad campaign regularly and take time to see how the campaign is performing. Refrain from making changes till you have enough data in the form of impressions, clicks, and conversions.

16)  Branded Campaigns: Use your brand name in your ad copy if people know you well. If you are new to the industry, you can experiment by using your company name and build a brand name gradually. Target the keywords that you are unable to achieve through organic search in your ad copy. Using brand name as a keyword won’t have a very high bid and is thus easy on the pocket too.

17)  Ad Extensions: You can add details to your existing ad to garner more attention if your ad is displayed above the search results. These details could include local address, site links, special offers, a phone number, seller rating, or social rating on Google+.

If you provide the option of phone number, you can set your ads in such a way that they turn off after your office working hours if you do not have 24/7 support.

18)  Track Cost per Acquisition: CPA shows the amount that you pay for a single conversion. After running your ad campaigns for a few weeks, you can adjust the ad if you are paying more than you estimated.

Whether you are running a high and low budget AdWords campaign, it will require planning, tracking, and timely changes. Low budget ads can be effective, if they are managed correctly. So, whether you do it on your own or hire someone to do it for you, make sure you pay attention to above mentioned points.