A major update to Google’s Search Quality Raters Guidelines (QRG) clarifies and expands on multiple forms of deception that Google wants its quality raters to identify. This change continues the trend of refining the guidelines so that quality raters become better at spotting increasingly granular forms of quality issues. TL/DR Authenticity should be the core […]

Most marketers know the abbreviation ABC – “always be closing.”  In SEO, there’s an even more important one – ABT, or “always be testing.”  The more you test your theories about what works for your users, the more you’ll learn new strategies to optimize and improve your site.  And testing is always valuable, even if […]

Bad data = bad strategy. Duplicate conversions are one of the most overlooked – and most damaging – problems in conversion tracking.  If your reporting inflates the number of conversions, your performance strategy is based on fiction.  You’re not just getting the wrong numbers. You’re optimizing toward the wrong outcomes. This issue impacts everything:  Bidding. […]

To keep your Meta Ads performing at their best, it’s essential to regularly test new ad formats. This article explores the role of UGC and EGC ads – and how to effectively test them in your Meta campaigns. Understanding UGC and EGC ads User-generated content (UGC) refers to videos typically created by actual users of […]

The reality of working in B2B today is that tried-and-tested tactics are no longer as effective for engaging buyers. Buyers are independent, defensive, and prefer independent research before reaching out to sales, only when they are absolutely ready to do so. Part of the reason for this is due to the increase in size of […]

Google Ads dominates the global PPC market with advertising revenue surpassing $265 billion  in 2024. Paid search is self-serving and fast to deploy. But as simple as it appears, the reality is much more complex. The perceived ease of activation paints a picture that this channel is a silver bullet when brands look to enter new […]

The Positionless Marketer is the new marketing professional who is a triple threat with data, creative and optimization power.  They blow up the traditional marketing assembly line, where roles are rigidly defined. Instead, they have agility, intelligence and execution speed in defining success. A blueprint for the way Positionless Marketers achieve this level of independence […]

Google’s Search Liaison explained limitations in Google’s ability to return web pages from a prior date, also noting that date-based advanced search operators are still in beta. He provided one method for doing this but omitted discussing an older, simpler method that almost accomplishes the same thing. How To Find Articles By Older Published Date […]

If you’re still measuring your PPC success based on click-through rate and impressions alone, you’re about to be left behind. The role of paid media has changed – and not just because Google Ads released another round of automation. It’s changing because people have changed. We live in a multi-device, privacy-first, AI-influenced world where attention […]

Google has doubled down on its automation-first strategy with a key update to Performance Max (PMax) campaigns: some advertisers can now add up to 50 Search themes. Why we care. This update gives advertisers more flexibility and control in guiding Google’s AI-powered targeting. Search themes, which help steer PMax toward relevant search traffic, are increasingly […]