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<p>Search Keyword Ads are a new Conversion campaign objective in the Twitter Ads interface.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/twitter-has-launched-a-search-keyword-ads-beta-test-to-all-advertisers-392243">Twitter has launched a Search Keyword Ads beta test to all advertisers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>



<p>Twitter just launched a beta program that&#8217;s available to all advertisers called Search Keyword Ads. The announcement was made on Twitter. </p>



<p><strong>How it works. </strong>Twitter says &#8220;Now advertisers can bid to insert Promoted Tweets solely among specific search results, reaching people with high real-time intent &amp; improving ad relevance.&#8221;</p>



<p>&#8220;Search Keywords Ads differ from other Twitter Keywords campaigns in that they only reach people who are searching for targeted terms when they are searching, offering a stronger signal of intent.&#8221;</p>



<p><strong>Why we care.</strong> If you&#8217;re one of the remaining few advertisers left on Twitter, give Search Keyword Ads a try. The new ads can be an effective way for marketers to reach their target audience at the right time and with the right message, potentially leading to better conversion rates and ROI. </p>



<p>Additionally, this feature provides more specific targeting options to reach audiences, it can help to improve the effectiveness of campaigns and lower the cost of reaching targeted audiences.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today we are rolling out Search Keywords Ads to all advertisers as a beta test <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f9f5.png" alt="🧵" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>&mdash; Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterBusiness/status/1618060427224838144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Millions of people on Twitter search for what&#39;s happening every day.<br><br>Now advertisers can bid to insert Promoted Tweets solely among specific search results, reaching people with high real-time intent &amp; improving ad relevance.</p>&mdash; Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterBusiness/status/1618060428810256385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Search Keywords Ads are a new Conversion &#39;campaign objective&#39; in the Twitter Ads interface.<br><br>For now, these campaigns will optimize only for conversions to advertiser websites, and they require the integration of the Twitter Pixel or Conversion API (CAPI) to maximize relevance. <a href="https://t.co/xCowp8yvfL">pic.twitter.com/xCowp8yvfL</a></p>&mdash; Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterBusiness/status/1618060431008075777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Existing Keywords targeting will still function as before for all other objectives.<br><br>Search Keywords Ads differ from other Twitter Keywords campaigns in that they only reach people who are searching for targeted terms when they are searching, offering a stronger signal of intent.</p>&mdash; Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterBusiness/status/1618060433776312321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We’ll expand this capability to support other campaign objectives soon.</p>&mdash; Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterBusiness/status/1618060436032872448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/twitter-has-launched-a-search-keyword-ads-beta-test-to-all-advertisers-392243">Twitter has launched a Search Keyword Ads beta test to all advertisers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>


Twitter just launched a beta program that’s available to all advertisers called Search Keyword Ads. The announcement was made on Twitter. 
How it works. Twitter says “Now advertisers can bid to insert Promoted Tweets solely among specific search results, reaching people with high real-time intent & improving ad relevance.”
“Search Keywords Ads differ from other Twitter Keywords campaigns in that they only reach people who are searching for targeted terms when they are searching, offering a stronger signal of intent.”
Why we care. If you’re one of the remaining few advertisers left on Twitter, give Search Keyword Ads a try. The new ads can be an effective way for marketers to reach their target audience at the right time and with the right message, potentially leading to better conversion rates and ROI. 
Additionally, this feature provides more specific targeting options to reach audiences, it can help to improve the effectiveness of campaigns and lower the cost of reaching targeted audiences.


Today we are rolling out Search Keywords Ads to all advertisers as a beta test 
— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) January 25, 2023






Millions of people on Twitter search for what's happening every day.
Now advertisers can bid to insert Promoted Tweets solely among specific search results, reaching people with high real-time intent & improving ad relevance.
— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) January 25, 2023






Search Keywords Ads are a new Conversion 'campaign objective' in the Twitter Ads interface.
For now, these campaigns will optimize only for conversions to advertiser websites, and they require the integration of the Twitter Pixel or Conversion API (CAPI) to maximize relevance. pic.twitter.com/xCowp8yvfL
— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) January 25, 2023






Existing Keywords targeting will still function as before for all other objectives.
Search Keywords Ads differ from other Twitter Keywords campaigns in that they only reach people who are searching for targeted terms when they are searching, offering a stronger signal of intent.
— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) January 25, 2023






We’ll expand this capability to support other campaign objectives soon.
— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) January 25, 2023


The post Twitter has launched a Search Keyword Ads beta test to all advertisers appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Search Keyword Ads are a new Conversion campaign objective in the Twitter Ads interface.
The post Twitter has launched a Search Keyword Ads beta test to all advertisers appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Twitter has launched a Search Keyword Ads beta test to all advertisers

<p>Learn how this AI-powered chatbot works, who's behind the technology, and what it can – and can't – do for search marketers.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/what-is-chatgpt-and-why-seos-should-care-392165">What is ChatGPT and why SEOs should care</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>


Interest in AI technology and, more specifically, OpenAI’s ChatGPT product has skyrocketed in recent weeks. 
People are looking for information about both topics.
Source: Google Trends
Thousands are writing about ChatGPT across the web…
Source: Google Search
…and talking about it in various communities.
Source: Exploding Topics
And as you can tell from the graphs, all of this happened quickly.
Whether your Twitter and LinkedIn feeds have been inundated with threads and posts about ChatGPT (like mine) or you’re just stumbling on the topic, you may want answers to two questions before investing your time and energy into learning ChatGPT:
Is ChatGPT specifically likely to be an enduring product?
What does it actually do and what can you personally use it for?
In this article, I’ll help you answer these questions by telling you:
What ChatGPT is.
How it works.
Who built it and is currently behind the technology.
Why it’s important for SEOs specifically.
Some of the current and likely future uses for it.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an AI-powered chatbot created by OpenAI that can be accessed at https://chat.openai.com/. 

As of this writing, ChatGPT offers a free version of the tool that users can access, but there have been indications that they will be charging $42/month for a pro version. OpenAI has also indicated that they’ll make an API for the tool available soon.
The interface is simple, with an empty dialog to enter a prompt. The tool can perform various tasks and return text in response. Some examples of tasks ChatGPT can execute include:
Answering questions.
Writing things like ads, emails, paragraphs, whole blog posts, or even college papers.
Writing, commenting or marking up code.
Changing the formatting on a block of text for you.

ChatGPT launched in late November 2022, on the heels of AI Content Generator Jasper.ai receiving $125 million in funding at a $1.5 billion valuation earlier the same month. The tool reached a million users in less than a week.


ChatGPT launched on wednesday. today it crossed 1 million users!
— Sam Altman (@sama) December 5, 2022





But each session has a specific cost associated with it:


average is probably single-digits cents per chat; trying to figure out more precisely and also how we can optimize it
— Sam Altman (@sama) December 5, 2022





In the interest of helping fund those costs (and further growth) Microsoft invested $10 billion in OpenAI at a $29 billion valuation. A move which, combined with ChatGPT’s growth and word of mouth, might be fueling Google’s reported concerns about ChatGPT as a possible threat.
OpenAI has also indicated that there will be a “professional” version of the tool and Greg Brockman the President & Co-Founder of OpenAI shared a link to a Google Form to get on the waitlist:


Working on a professional version of ChatGPT; will offer higher limits & faster performance. If interested, please join our waitlist here: https://t.co/Eh87OViRie
— Greg Brockman (@gdb) January 11, 2023





Some users have reported seeing an option to upgrade to a $42 free version when logged into their account.
Even with the Microsoft investment, ChatGPT has continued to experience outages and even had to limit new users on the platform:




And ChatGPT is starting to face criticisms over the accuracy of some of the output of the tool, while also staring down competition from rivals (which one would have to assume will only increase and intensify in the wake of the platform’s early success).
Now that you know what ChatGPT is, it’s also helpful to understand a bit more about how it works and who built it (and what their goals and motivations may be). 
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How does it work and how was it trained?
If you’re an SEO looking for ways to leverage AI in your everyday work, you don’t need to know how to build your own chatbot.
That said, when using tools like ChatGPT, you will want to know where the information it generates comes from, how it determines what to return as an answer, and how that might change over time.
That way you can understand what level of trust to put in the output of ChatGPT chats, how to better craft your prompts, and what tasks you may want to use it for (or not use it for).
Before you start to use ChatGPT for anything, I’d strongly recommend you check out OpenAI’s own blog post about ChatGPT. There they have a nice graphic explaining how it works, along with a more in-depth explanation.

AssemblyAI also has a detailed third-party breakdown of how ChatGPT works, some of its strengths and weaknesses, and a number of additional sources if you’re looking to dive deeper.
One of the most important things to remember about how ChatGPT works is its limitations. In OpenAI’s own words:
“ChatGPT sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers. Fixing this issue is challenging, as: (1) during RL training, there’s currently no source of truth; (2) training the model to be more cautious causes it to decline questions that it can answer correctly; and (3) supervised training misleads the model because the ideal answer depends on what the model knows, rather than what the human demonstrator knows.”
Another that’s important to highlight:
“While we’ve made efforts to make the model refuse inappropriate requests, it will sometimes respond to harmful instructions or exhibit biased behavior. We’re using the Moderation API to warn or block certain types of unsafe content, but we expect it to have some false negatives and positives for now. We’re eager to collect user feedback to aid our ongoing work to improve this system.”
As many people know, the ChatGPT was fine-tuned on a GPT model which finished training in early 2022 – meaning it won’t have knowledge of more current events.
It is also trained on a “vast amount” of text from the web, so of course answers can be incorrect. From ChatGPT's own FAQs:
"Can I trust that the AI is telling me the truth?
ChatGPT is not connected to the internet, and it can occasionally produce incorrect answers. It has limited knowledge of the world and events after 2021 and may also occasionally produce harmful instructions or biased content.
We'd recommend checking whether responses from the model are accurate or not. If you find an answer is incorrect, please provide that feedback by using the "Thumbs Down" button."





Who built ChatGPT?
Similarly, understanding who built the application and why is an important background if you hope to use it in your day-to-day work.
Again, ChatGPT is an OpenAI product. Here's some background on the company and their stated goals:
OpenAI has a non-profit parent organization (OpenAI Inc.) and a for-profit corporation called OpenAI LP (which has a “capped profit” model with a 100x profit cap, at which point the rest of the money flows up to the non-profit entity).
The biggest investor is Microsoft. OpenAI employees also own equity.
Former Y Combinator President Sam Altman is the CEO of OpenAI and was one of the original founders (along with prominent Silicon Valley personalities such as Elon Musk, Jessica Livingston, Reid Hoffman, Peter Thiel, and others). Many people ask about Musk’s involvement in the company and ChatGPT. He stepped down as a board member in 2018 and wouldn’t have had any meaningful involvement in the development of ChatGPT (which obviously didn’t launch until November 2022).
Notable elements here if you’re interested in ChatGPT either as an SEO or as a viable alternative to Google are obviously: 
Microsoft’s involvement (with Microsoft Bing being the number 2 search engine – a distant second behind Google).
ChatGPT obviously isn’t designed to specifically be either an SEO or a content tool (unlike tools like Jasper.ai, Copy.ai and other competitors – many of which are built on top of the GPT-3 framework).
Why should SEOs care about ChatGPT?
While it’s possible that ChatGPT or another AI-powered chatbot could become a viable alternative to Google and traditional search, that’s likely at least far enough away that most SEOs won’t be primarily concerned with the tool for that reason. So why should SEOs care?
ChatGPT has a variety of functionality that can be helpful for SEOs. Additionally, given the platform’s ability to generate AI content, it’s important to understand both what the tool is capable of on that front, and how Google talks and thinks about AI content generally.
What follows are ChatGPT's use cases for SEO.
AI content generation
By far the “buzziest” early 2023 SEO topic has been AI content broadly, and ChatGPT has been at the center of that discussion since it launched. 
From creating blog posts whole cloth to selecting images, generating meta descriptions or rewriting content, there are a number of specific functions ChatGPT can serve when it comes to content creation generally and SEO-focused content creation specifically.

But, of course, an important concern here is how Google thinks about AI content in general.
SEOs need to identify the specific instances where ChatGPT can make them more efficient or enhance their content. At the same time, it's crucial to understand the potential risks to rankings and organic traffic when using ChatGPT-generated content in different ways (particularly if you’re relying on content created by writers you don’t have a relationship with).
Keyword research and organization
Similarly, there are a number of specific tasks ChatGPT can execute related to keyword research and optimization, such as:
Suggestions for keywords to target or blog topics.
Keyword clustering or categorization.

A key consideration for SEOs is how this relates to your current and optimal processes for these tasks. 
ChatGPT isn’t designed to be an “SEO tool,” so won’t have the emphasis on search volume, competition, or relevance and co-occurrence that more focused keyword research or organization tools will.
Code generation and technical SEO
ChatGPT is helping people generate code and build things, and it’s no different for specific technical SEO tasks. 
Depending on the prompts, ChatGPT can help with things like schema markups, robots.txt directives, redirect codes, and building widgets and free tools to promote via link outreach, among others.

As with any type of content creation, you must QA the code that ChatGPT generates. Your site’s template, hosting environment, CMS, and more can break if the code ChatGPT generates is incorrect.
Link building
ChatGPT can generate lists of outreach targets, emails, free tool ideas, and more that may assist with link building work. 

Here again (you may be sensing a theme) two things to keep in mind:
Since ChatGPT was not built to be a link building tool, it may not prioritize opportunities or generate ideas that will specifically help with SEO success.
GPT-3 is trained on old data, so the information you’re getting may be wrong or outdated.
How to think about ChatGPT as an SEO
Ultimately, given its early functionality and reception along with OpenAI’s founding team and investors (and level of investment), ChatGPT is likely to have longevity as a tool. 
It’s highly useful, with a high potential for getting folks who misuse it into trouble. 
I would encourage SEOs to become familiar with ChatGPT (and tools like it) and get used to carefully checking its output.
The post What is ChatGPT and why SEOs should care appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Learn how this AI-powered chatbot works, who's behind the technology, and what it can – and can't – do for search marketers.
The post What is ChatGPT and why SEOs should care appeared first on Search Engine Land.

What is ChatGPT and why SEOs should care

<p>While B2B is not broadly impacted by the move to PMax, it's best to learn the ins and outs before Google takes away other campaign options.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/performance-max-b2b-best-practices-392158">Performance Max for B2B: 4 best practices</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>


<p>Google strong-armed ecommerce marketers into <a href="https://searchengineland.com/performance-max-campaigns-set-up-386684">Performance Max</a> campaigns in 2022 by deprecating Smart Shopping and Local campaigns in favor of fewer levers and more AI-driven results.</p>



<p>As I wrote in a column looking back on <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ads-updates-2022-good-bad-jury-still-out-390323">Google’s biggest 2022 moves</a>, most advanced search marketers begrudged this direction since more controls provide good marketers more room to outpace their peers, giving their brands a competitive edge.</p>



<p>B2B marketers weren’t nearly as broadly impacted by the move to Performance Max, since their old campaign structures remained unchanged by Google.&nbsp;</p>



<p>There’s no denying, however, that the writing is on the wall. Google is moving hard toward machine learning and AI, which means Performance Max may well be the lay of the entire Google search land in the near future.</p>



<p>So as we get into the teeth of 2023, how should B2B marketers approach Performance Max?</p>



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<p></p>



<h2 id="h-failing-to-plan-might-be-planning-to-fail">Failing to plan might be planning to fail</h2>



<p>If I were a betting person, I’d put down some money on the idea that Google will begin steering B2B campaigns toward Performance Max this year. </p>



<p>If that happens, marketers who are more aggressive in familiarizing themselves with the ins and outs will have a leg up when Google takes away other campaign options.</p>



<p>If your search campaigns are in a position to do so, I’d suggest you begin to test Performance Max <strong>ASAP</strong>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>That said, here are some conditions I strongly recommend you meet before you devote any budget to testing:</p>



<ul>
<li>You must have fully funded search campaigns to justify moving some discretionary budget to Performance Max. This means that you’ve built out all the keyword themes that make sense and have achieved solid market share for them. In other words, if you have a small budget, don’t compromise the pursuit of your full search opportunity at hand by testing Performance Max campaigns.</li>



<li>Your account has a healthy volume of conversion data through search.</li>



<li>For reasons we’ll get into in a minute, you must have reliable offline conversion data syncing to your account.</li>



<li>To engage the right people, you must have good, rich audience lists and a solid definition of your ICP.</li>
</ul>



<p>If you meet all these conditions, you’re good to go – with some additional caveats and best practices I’ll spell out now.</p>



<h2 id="h-1-stay-skeptical">1. Stay skeptical</h2>



<p>The idea behind Performance Max is that it delivers your ads to the right people wherever they are – Discover, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Display Network, etc.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You’re using automatic bidding and trusting that Google’s algorithm can discern valuable levels of intent.</p>



<p>That said, Google’s algorithm is still learning, and it has built a history of optimizing for spend over efficiency.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As you approach Performance Max, look for ways to strong-arm the algorithm into doing what <strong>you</strong> want it to.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-2-get-your-first-party-data-ready">2. Get your first-party data ready</h2>



<p>CRM data is vital for Performance Max campaigns in general for a couple of reasons, both of which apply in force for B2B – audience quality and <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ads-tracking-offline-conversions-best-practices-389544">offline conversions</a>.</p>



<p>Let’s tackle offline conversions first. If we simply rely on pixels that fire for leads as signals for Performance Max, we’ll set ourselves up for failure.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Consider the lead spam most B2B campaigns have to sift through, then understand that Performance Max will take the path of least resistance to get the “desired” action.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Without integrating a layer of CRM data and telling Performance Max to optimize toward MQLs, SQLs or opportunities (essentially, whatever your most valuable stage is that <strong>also</strong><em> </em>carries enough data volume for PMax to use effectively), the system will optimize toward leads, using up your budget to keep bringing in ROI-unfriendly amounts of spam.</p>



<p>On the audience side, remember, Performance Max uses the signals you give to find the right users. Signals might incorporate audience lists like current customers, closed/won opportunities, etc.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Performance Max, like <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-is-getting-rid-of-similar-audiences-segments-389234">Similar Audiences</a>, isn’t constrained to the audience lists you give Google. It might even be a little broader than Similar Audiences, given that it extends across GDN, Gmail, and YouTube.&nbsp;</p>



<p>So, button up your lists and make sure the common attributes are clear enough for Performance Max to read and react to in its targeting.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The upshot? Google doesn’t have great built-in B2B targeting, so stay away from using their audiences and give it enough volume and clarity to work with.</p>



<h2 id="h-3-experiment">3. Experiment</h2>



<p>When approaching Performance Max setup, keep in mind that you can do experiments.</p>



<p>But there's a caveat – you only have visibility into results at the campaign level. Thus, I recommend testing at least two Performance Max campaigns, each relying on different audience signals, to see which is more effective.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Note</strong>: To make the two-experiment setup work, you’ll have to be able to carve out enough budget to make the findings clear and actionable.</p>



<h2 id="h-4-get-familiar-with-reporting-and-act-on-results-quickly">4. Get familiar with reporting – and act on results quickly</h2>



<p>One of Google’s better releases in 2022, Custom Columns, allows advertisers to see offline conversions at the campaign level, even for Performance Max campaigns:</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="753" height="646" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting.png" alt="PMax reporting" class="wp-image-392162" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting.png 753w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting-394x338.png 394w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting-699x600.png 699w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting-132x113.png 132w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting-150x129.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 753px) 100vw, 753px" /></figure></div>


<p>Beyond that, Performance Max reporting diverges from familiar ad group-level reporting and breaks everything into asset groups, providing a view of all provided assets and possible combinations.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="992" height="741" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting-asset-groups.png" alt="PMax reporting - asset groups" class="wp-image-392163" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting-asset-groups.png 992w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting-asset-groups-452x338.png 452w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting-asset-groups-800x598.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting-asset-groups-151x113.png 151w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting-asset-groups-768x574.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/PMax-reporting-asset-groups-150x112.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px" /></figure></div>


<p>We’ve found the campaign-level view to be most helpful, which is why I recommend starting with at least two campaign-level experiments.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Once you’re relatively fluent with the reporting structure, keep a close eye on quality and opportunities to add negatives, whether keywords or placement exclusions, to shore up efficiency.</p>



<h2 id="h-making-performance-max-work-for-b2b">Making Performance Max work for B2B</h2>



<p>My overall take on Performance Max is that Google hasn’t yet put much effort into making the product work for B2B or lead gen.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Make sure to keep a close eye on results and quality, using any levers in your control to keep Google focused on your best potential user. Establish clear goalposts and standards for when to pull the plug.</p>



<p>In a best-case scenario, Performance Max will be a pleasant surprise and enable you to access a larger pool of valuable users at reasonable CPLs. </p>



<p>But if you take my advice, even a worst-case scenario with some fruitless spend will give you valuable insights into the future of Google for B2B.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/performance-max-b2b-best-practices-392158">Performance Max for B2B: 4 best practices</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>

Google strong-armed ecommerce marketers into Performance Max campaigns in 2022 by deprecating Smart Shopping and Local campaigns in favor of fewer levers and more AI-driven results.
As I wrote in a column looking back on Google’s biggest 2022 moves, most advanced search marketers begrudged this direction since more controls provide good marketers more room to outpace their peers, giving their brands a competitive edge.
B2B marketers weren’t nearly as broadly impacted by the move to Performance Max, since their old campaign structures remained unchanged by Google. 
There’s no denying, however, that the writing is on the wall. Google is moving hard toward machine learning and AI, which means Performance Max may well be the lay of the entire Google search land in the near future.
So as we get into the teeth of 2023, how should B2B marketers approach Performance Max?
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Failing to plan might be planning to fail
If I were a betting person, I’d put down some money on the idea that Google will begin steering B2B campaigns toward Performance Max this year. 
If that happens, marketers who are more aggressive in familiarizing themselves with the ins and outs will have a leg up when Google takes away other campaign options.
If your search campaigns are in a position to do so, I’d suggest you begin to test Performance Max ASAP. 
That said, here are some conditions I strongly recommend you meet before you devote any budget to testing:
You must have fully funded search campaigns to justify moving some discretionary budget to Performance Max. This means that you’ve built out all the keyword themes that make sense and have achieved solid market share for them. In other words, if you have a small budget, don’t compromise the pursuit of your full search opportunity at hand by testing Performance Max campaigns.
Your account has a healthy volume of conversion data through search.
For reasons we’ll get into in a minute, you must have reliable offline conversion data syncing to your account.
To engage the right people, you must have good, rich audience lists and a solid definition of your ICP.
If you meet all these conditions, you’re good to go – with some additional caveats and best practices I’ll spell out now.
1. Stay skeptical
The idea behind Performance Max is that it delivers your ads to the right people wherever they are – Discover, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Display Network, etc. 
You’re using automatic bidding and trusting that Google’s algorithm can discern valuable levels of intent.
That said, Google’s algorithm is still learning, and it has built a history of optimizing for spend over efficiency. 
As you approach Performance Max, look for ways to strong-arm the algorithm into doing what you want it to. 
2. Get your first-party data ready
CRM data is vital for Performance Max campaigns in general for a couple of reasons, both of which apply in force for B2B – audience quality and offline conversions.
Let’s tackle offline conversions first. If we simply rely on pixels that fire for leads as signals for Performance Max, we’ll set ourselves up for failure. 
Consider the lead spam most B2B campaigns have to sift through, then understand that Performance Max will take the path of least resistance to get the “desired” action. 
Without integrating a layer of CRM data and telling Performance Max to optimize toward MQLs, SQLs or opportunities (essentially, whatever your most valuable stage is that also carries enough data volume for PMax to use effectively), the system will optimize toward leads, using up your budget to keep bringing in ROI-unfriendly amounts of spam.
On the audience side, remember, Performance Max uses the signals you give to find the right users. Signals might incorporate audience lists like current customers, closed/won opportunities, etc. 
Performance Max, like Similar Audiences, isn’t constrained to the audience lists you give Google. It might even be a little broader than Similar Audiences, given that it extends across GDN, Gmail, and YouTube. 
So, button up your lists and make sure the common attributes are clear enough for Performance Max to read and react to in its targeting. 
The upshot? Google doesn’t have great built-in B2B targeting, so stay away from using their audiences and give it enough volume and clarity to work with.
3. Experiment
When approaching Performance Max setup, keep in mind that you can do experiments.
But there's a caveat – you only have visibility into results at the campaign level. Thus, I recommend testing at least two Performance Max campaigns, each relying on different audience signals, to see which is more effective. 
Note: To make the two-experiment setup work, you’ll have to be able to carve out enough budget to make the findings clear and actionable.
4. Get familiar with reporting – and act on results quickly
One of Google’s better releases in 2022, Custom Columns, allows advertisers to see offline conversions at the campaign level, even for Performance Max campaigns:

Beyond that, Performance Max reporting diverges from familiar ad group-level reporting and breaks everything into asset groups, providing a view of all provided assets and possible combinations.

We’ve found the campaign-level view to be most helpful, which is why I recommend starting with at least two campaign-level experiments. 
Once you’re relatively fluent with the reporting structure, keep a close eye on quality and opportunities to add negatives, whether keywords or placement exclusions, to shore up efficiency.
Making Performance Max work for B2B
My overall take on Performance Max is that Google hasn’t yet put much effort into making the product work for B2B or lead gen. 
Make sure to keep a close eye on results and quality, using any levers in your control to keep Google focused on your best potential user. Establish clear goalposts and standards for when to pull the plug.
In a best-case scenario, Performance Max will be a pleasant surprise and enable you to access a larger pool of valuable users at reasonable CPLs. 
But if you take my advice, even a worst-case scenario with some fruitless spend will give you valuable insights into the future of Google for B2B.
The post Performance Max for B2B: 4 best practices appeared first on Search Engine Land.

While B2B is not broadly impacted by the move to PMax, it's best to learn the ins and outs before Google takes away other campaign options.
The post Performance Max for B2B: 4 best practices appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Performance Max for B2B: 4 best practices

<p>US-based dealerships can now add all their inventory to their local business profile in Google.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/google-rolling-out-cars-for-sale-in-google-business-profiles-392234">Google rolling out cars for sale in Google Business Profiles</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>



<p>Google is opening access to the <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-local-car-dealership-inventory-search-results-348051">local car inventory beta</a> feature to all US dealerships using the cars for sale feature in Google Business Profiles. Greg Gifford <a href="https://searchlabdigital.com/blog/breaking-news-any-vehicle-dealer-can-now-list-inventory-on-gbp/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a> that Google has opened this beta feature now to all US-based dealerships.</p>



<p><strong>Cars for Sale open.</strong> Google has opened up the “Cars for Sale” feature in Google Business Profiles to any product with a vehicle identification number (VIN). &#8220;Until this week, only US-based car dealers could list their inventory on their Google Business Profiles. Now, anything that has a Vehicle Identification Number is eligible to be listed. That means motorcycles, RVs, powersports, and Commercial vehicles are all allowed now,&#8221; Gifford explained. </p>



<p><strong>What it looks like. </strong>Here is a GIF of this cars for sale feature in action <a href="https://www.seroundtable.com/cars-for-sale-on-google-business-profiles-32707.html">while in beta</a>:</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="421" height="859" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/cars-for-sale-google-business-profile-1641397271.gif" alt="" class="wp-image-392235"/></figure></div>


<p><strong>More details. </strong>Google has a dedicated section about this feature <a href="https://developers.google.com/vehicle-listings" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">over here</a>, where it is called &#8220;vehicle listings.&#8221; Google wrote, &#8220;Vehicle listings on Google allows businesses to display their for sale vehicle inventory on various Google surfaces, including dealerships&#8217; Business Profiles and Google Search. Google users can then search, filter, and easily learn more about vehicles for sale such as availability, pricing, and key information about the vehicles for sale, potentially directing customers to your business.&#8221;</p>



<p>To manage vehicle listings through your Business Profile account, perform the following steps:</p>



<ol>
<li>Access your web Business Profile account at&nbsp;<a href="http://business.google.com/locations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">business.google.com/locations</a>.</li>



<li>Select&nbsp;See your profile&nbsp;for the business that you want to change settings for.</li>



<li>Click&nbsp;Edit profile, and then click&nbsp;Vehicle listings.</li>
</ol>



<p>To manage your vehicle listings through a Google Search, perform the following steps:</p>



<ol>
<li>Search for your business&#8217;s name or &#8220;my business&#8221; on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Search</a>.</li>



<li>Click&nbsp;Edit profile, and then click&nbsp;Vehicle listings.</li>
</ol>



<p><strong>Why we care. </strong>You probably want to jump on this feature if you work for an auto dealership. Listing your vehicles in Google Search and the local search results may help you get more customers in your showroom and potentially lead to more sales.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/google-rolling-out-cars-for-sale-in-google-business-profiles-392234">Google rolling out cars for sale in Google Business Profiles</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>


Google is opening access to the local car inventory beta feature to all US dealerships using the cars for sale feature in Google Business Profiles. Greg Gifford reports that Google has opened this beta feature now to all US-based dealerships.
Cars for Sale open. Google has opened up the “Cars for Sale” feature in Google Business Profiles to any product with a vehicle identification number (VIN). “Until this week, only US-based car dealers could list their inventory on their Google Business Profiles. Now, anything that has a Vehicle Identification Number is eligible to be listed. That means motorcycles, RVs, powersports, and Commercial vehicles are all allowed now,” Gifford explained. 
What it looks like. Here is a GIF of this cars for sale feature in action while in beta:

More details. Google has a dedicated section about this feature over here, where it is called “vehicle listings.” Google wrote, “Vehicle listings on Google allows businesses to display their for sale vehicle inventory on various Google surfaces, including dealerships’ Business Profiles and Google Search. Google users can then search, filter, and easily learn more about vehicles for sale such as availability, pricing, and key information about the vehicles for sale, potentially directing customers to your business.”
To manage vehicle listings through your Business Profile account, perform the following steps:
Access your web Business Profile account at business.google.com/locations.
Select See your profile for the business that you want to change settings for.
Click Edit profile, and then click Vehicle listings.
To manage your vehicle listings through a Google Search, perform the following steps:
Search for your business’s name or “my business” on Google Search.
Click Edit profile, and then click Vehicle listings.
Why we care. You probably want to jump on this feature if you work for an auto dealership. Listing your vehicles in Google Search and the local search results may help you get more customers in your showroom and potentially lead to more sales.
The post Google rolling out cars for sale in Google Business Profiles appeared first on Search Engine Land.

US-based dealerships can now add all their inventory to their local business profile in Google.
The post Google rolling out cars for sale in Google Business Profiles appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Google rolling out cars for sale in Google Business Profiles

<p>LinkedIn Ads launches, plus: holiday retail insights, crappy results, Google Panda 3.2, sitemap testing, DuckDuckGo and more.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/search-marketing-history-january-26-392201">This day in search marketing history: January 26</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>


LinkedIn Ads launches
In 2011, LinkedIn Ads officially launched.
Advertisers could now target by exact job title, company name or LinkedIn Group.
LinkedIn’s self-service PPC ad offering launched in beta in July 2008 under the name LinkedIn DirectAds. Originally, advertisers could only target by geography, job function, industry, company size, seniority, age and gender.
Although marketers liked LinkedIn Ads’ extensive ad targeting, they were critical of how expensive it was on a per-click basis.
Also on this day 
Google Ads scripts rolls out support for asset-based video ads
2022: Advertisers had until Feb. 28, 2022, to migrate their code from the previous media-based video ads.
Google’s Topics API: Advertisers share concerns about topic diversity and other potential challenges
2022: Search marketers applauded Google’s proposed user privacy measures, but also highlighted its shortcomings – particularly the number of topics in the initial design.
Microsoft Advertising now offers Filter Link Extensions
2021: Filter Link Extensions gave advertisers more visibility and the opportunity to tell customers more about their business offerings.
Insights from our 2017 holiday retail survey
2018: Holiday budgets rose across most platforms, plus what retail marketers did differently.
Google Bulletin: Hyperlocal news, Nextdoor competitor or both?
2018: Google described it as a “lightweight app for telling a story by capturing photos, video clips and text right from your phone, published straight to the web.”
Survey: People becoming less inhibited about using voice search in public
2018: Texting was the most common use case for voice. Men used voice search more than women.
Analyst firm: Google Home gains ground on Amazon Echo, now 44M total devices sold
2018: Google Home accounted for about 40% of the units sold in the US during the holiday period.
Search in Pics: Google bison, bowling balls & game controller tables
2018: The latest images showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more. 
Wilder Penfield Google doodle spotlights neurosurgeon once considered the ‘Greatest Living Canadian’
2018: Google’s doodle included an illustration of Penfield and highlighted his research on how smells could impact memory-recall.
iProspect: 2016 mobile CPCs up 26%, Shopping spend up 41%
2017: Mobile CPCs were expected to rise and CTRs to fall as competition and impression volume increased.
Google Maps will tell you how hard it will be to find parking
2017: You could plan enough time not just for driving to your destination but also the time it would take to park at your destination.
Google “spinner” Easter Egg returns interactive spinning wheel at top of results
2017: You would get an interactive spinning wheel that let you choose anywhere from two to 20 numbers when you searched Google for [spinner].
Bessie Coleman Google doodle celebrates 125th birthday of first African-American female aviator
2017: The Doodle included an animated image of Bessie, or “Queen Bessie,” as she was known during her exhibition flying career.
AdGooroo Launches Competitive Insights For Local Paid Search
2016: The new tool provided keyword, ad copy and budget insights at a city level.
Google Introduces Candidate Cards In Search For Presidential Election Season
2016: Google created a prominent placement for the candidates’ own messages and content in a horizontal carousel in search results.
Who Invented The Mechanical Television? John Logie Baird Google Doodle Marks TV’s 90th Anniversary
2016: The Doodle marked the 90th anniversary of the first demonstration of a television.
Video Of Matt Cutts Talking About The Early Days At Google
2015: A 34 minute video of Cutts giving a talk at UNC Chapel Hill.
Cortana Expands The Boundaries Of Search, But Will It Eventually Eat It Too?
2015: With Cortana, Bing was “creating new user paradigms and bringing search into the context of what you’re already doing.”
Dear Google: Crappy Results Like This Don’t Give The Impression You Care About Search
2012: That time when Google’s supposedly sophisticated Universal Search algorithm picked a cartoon video on YouTube created by a company pitching its SEO software to Rick Santorum.
Google Panda 3.2 Update Confirmed
2012: This was only a data refresh.
Now Test Your Sitemaps Before Submitting Them To Google
2012: Google Webmaster Tools added a feature that allowed you to test your sitemap files prior to submitting them.
FairSearch.org Introduces Anti-Google “Good To Know” Ad Campaign
2012: The ads argued that Google unfairly promoted its own products, delivered search results that weren’t objective or in the best interests of users and didn’t respect user privacy.
Major Entertainment Groups Accuse Google, Bing Of Directing Users To Illegal Content
2012: The groups proposed a “Code of Practice” for how search engines could better encourage consumers to locate legal content on the web.
Google’s “Trusted Photographers” Turns Business Photos Into A Self-Serve Product
2012: Local businesses that were interested in having interior photos taken could use the Business Photos website to find a “trusted photographer.” 
Report: Click Fraud Rate Drops to 19.1% In Q4 2010
2011: This was the first decline in click fraude reported since Q2 2009.
Google Will Drop Real Estate Search & Listings From Maps
2011: Few people used it.
A Lesson From the Indexing of Google Translate: Blocking Search Results From Search Results
2011: Google confirmed that the Google Translate team has been unaware of the issue and said they would resolve it.
Google Removes Piracy-Related Terms From Instant Search
2011: That includes searches involving the word “torrent” as well as “BitTorrent.” But Google’s move seemed to catch some unrelated terms in the process.
Upstart DuckDuckGo Challenges Google With Strong Privacy, Cool Tools & Quackpot Name
2011: DuckDuckGo started more aggressively marketing the search engine with a campaign aimed squarely at Google, with the slogan “Google tracks you. We don’t.” 
Reports The Self-Service Twitter Ad Platform Is Live May Be Greatly Exaggerated
2011: It actually required advertisers or agencies to work with an in-house sales representative. Twitter planned to test a self-serve ad product later that year.
If Google Played Jeopardy: Smartest Search Engine, But It’s No Ken Jennings
2011: How several search engines fared when asked to answer “Jeopardy” clues.
Google Expansion Plans For Southeast Asia
2011: Google would be opening a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Google Leases 100,000 Square Feet In Historic Venice Beach Buildings
2011: They would begin moving into the offices that year. 
Disabling The Google Toolbar Doesn’t Stop Google From Tracking You
2010: Google said it was only an issue until a user restarted the browser, and it only affected the open tabs for a small number of users.
Yahoo’s Q4 2009 Revenues Down Only 4%, Search Ads Down 15% YoY
2010: Most of that decline came from a 15% drop in search ad revenue from Q4 2008 compared to Q4 2009.
Google Trying To Remain In China, Even If Search Engine Doesn’t
2010: Google CEO Eric Schmidt seemed to “walk back” some of Google’s prior strong statements about leaving China.
Google Acting Like A Carrier, Being Treated Like One By The FCC
2010: The regulatory body sent out requests for information to wireless carriers about the adequacy of their consumer disclosures associated with early termination penalties.
Collecta Widget Brings Real-Time Search Results To Any Site
2010: It included several customization options.
Search Market Share 2008: Google Grew, Yahoo & Microsoft Dropped & Stabilized
2009:  In short, it was a 6% gain for Google.
Google Confirms Testing Favicons In Search Results
2009: The favicon only appeared when you did a site: command search.
Google (Finally) Addresses FeedBurner Problems
2009: The problems were associated with the migration of so many publishers to the new platform.
Microsoft Lowers Search Growth Expectations
2007: Microsoft lowered those expectations from as high as 11 percent to as low as 3 percent growth.
Google Checkout Blogs On Recent Promotions
2007: Some of the promotion they were doing was designed to react to consumer demand
Google, YouTube, & Wikipedia All On Top 2006 Brand List
2007: Question: “Which brand had the most impact on our lives in 2006?” Answer: Google.
Google Book Search & Google Maps Team Up
2007: It showed “places mentioned in this book” on the Google Book Search page.
Intel Wins Back Google’s Server Business
2007: Google had begun purchasing Intel processors for their servers.
Dan Cohen, Ex-Yahoo Lead, New CEO of Pageflakes
2007: Pageflakes was an easy and free way to “build a dynamic personalized home/start page.”
From Search Marketing Expo (SMX)
How to produce actionable content throughout the marketing funnel
Past contributions from Search Engine Land’s Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
These columns are a snapshot in time and have not been updated since publishing, unless noted. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.
2021: How are local service ads impacting Google Ads accounts? by Joy Hawkins
2018: 5 New Year’s resolutions for your PPC campaigns by Mona Elesseily
2018: Back to the basics: Beyond ranking factors by Garrett Mehrguth
2017: What’s love got to do with Valentine’s Day? by Mona Elesseily
2017: Do organic keyword rankings matter anymore? by Julian Connors
2017: The essential guide to pharma SEM by Justin Freid
2016: New Google Research: Can The Long Tail Be Covered Without Broad Match? by Matt Lawson
2016: Search Update Impact On SEO & Content Strategies: Staying Ahead With A Focus On Quality by Jim Yu
2015: 11 Tips For Using Slide Presentations For Local SEO Advantage by Chris Silver Smith
2015: Site Speed & PPC Performance: Why You Can’t Ignore A Slow Site Anymore by Pauline Jakober
2012: Are You Keeping Secrets From The Search Engines? by Karen DeJarnette
2012: What The Holidays Tell Search Marketers by Matt Lawson
2012: 3 Keys To Online Retail In 2012: Doing More With Less by Vic Drabicky
2011: A Post-Click Marketing Heuristic by Scott Brinker
2011: Search Marketing Tips For Yandex, Russia’s Top Search Engine by Olga Gabdulkhakova
2010: Duplicate Content: The Biggest Challenge To Successful International SEO by Andy Atkins-Krüger
2010: Linking Food For Thought by Eric Ward
2010: 20 Metrics To Effectively Track Social Media Campaigns by Chris Bennett
2010: Is Celebrity Tweetvertising Worth Paying For? by Adam Goldberg
2009: Heads-Up, Google: Broad Match Controls We Need by George Michie
2009: The Local Mobile Opportunity … “Yes We Should.” by Ed O’Keefe
2008: Q&A With Marissa Mayer, Google VP, Search Products & User Experience by Gord Hotchkiss
< January 25 | Search Marketing History | January 27 >
The post This day in search marketing history: January 26 appeared first on Search Engine Land.

LinkedIn Ads launches, plus: holiday retail insights, crappy results, Google Panda 3.2, sitemap testing, DuckDuckGo and more.
The post This day in search marketing history: January 26 appeared first on Search Engine Land.

This day in search marketing history: January 26

<p>Revenue increased 2% in the midst of ChatGPT, mass layoffs, and ad growth strategies.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/microsoft-fy23-q2-earnings-look-promising-despite-mass-layoffs-392206">Microsoft FY23 Q2 earnings look promising, despite mass layoffs</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>



<p>Microsoft Corp. announced its financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, which showed an increase in revenue of 2% to $52.7 billion. However, operating income and net income decreased by 8% and 12% respectively, when compared to the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. The company&#8217;s CEO, Satya Nadella, stated that the next major wave of computing is being born, as the Microsoft Cloud turns the world’s most advanced AI models into a new computing platform. The company is committed to helping its customers use its platforms and tools to do more with less today and innovate for the future in the new era of AI.</p>



<p><strong>Total revenue.</strong> $52.7 billion, an increase of 2% </p>



<p><strong>LinkedIn revenue.</strong> Increased 10% (up 4% in constant currency)</p>



<p><strong>Total ad revenue.</strong> Increased 10% (up 5% in constant currency)</p>



<p><strong>An investment into ChatGPT. </strong>Microsoft is reportedly planning to <a href="https://searchengineland.com/microsoft-to-add-chatgpt-features-to-bing-search-390936" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">integrate OpenAI&#8217;s ChatGPT</a> features into Bing Search in the upcoming months. This information comes from sources connected to Bing, who claim that the company is planning to add the popular ChatGPT AI question-and-answer service to Bing, Microsoft&#8217;s search engine.</p>



<p><strong>Big plans for its ad business. </strong>Microsoft also <a href="https://searchengineland.com/microsoft-is-planning-to-double-the-size-of-its-ad-business-to-20-billion-389796" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a> its plans to increase its ad revenue from $10 billion annually to $20 billion. The company&#8217;s leadership did not provide a specific timeframe for reaching this goal, but if achieved, it would make Microsoft the sixth-largest digital ad seller worldwide.</p>



<p><strong>Mass layoffs. </strong>Last week Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella announced plans to cut jobs due to changing demand for digital services during the pandemic and potential recession. He cited that customers are now optimizing their digital spend to do more with less. The job cuts will affect less than 5% of the company&#8217;s total workforce, and the cuts will be completed by the end of Microsoft&#8217;s fiscal third quarter. The company will also incur a $1.2 billion charge in its second quarter related to severance costs, changes to its hardware portfolio, and lease consolidation.</p>



<p><strong>Dig deeper. </strong>Read the full earnings statement from Microsoft <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor/earnings/FY-2023-Q2/press-release-webcast" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. </p>



<p><strong>Why we care. </strong>Upon reviewing the forward-looking statements from the announcement, last quarters earnings could affect the company&#8217;s ability to generate revenue, which in turn could affect the effectiveness of advertising on its platform. </p>



<p>For example, if Microsoft&#8217;s revenue decreases due to intense competition, advertisers may see a decrease in their return on investment when advertising on the platform. Additionally, if Microsoft experiences issues with security vulnerabilities, misuse of personal data, or reputational harm, it could affect the trust and engagement of users on the platform, potentially decreasing the reach and impact of advertising campaigns. Regulatory challenges could also affect the way it designs and markets its products, potentially limiting the advertising opportunities for advertisers.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/microsoft-fy23-q2-earnings-look-promising-despite-mass-layoffs-392206">Microsoft FY23 Q2 earnings look promising, despite mass layoffs</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>


Microsoft Corp. announced its financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, which showed an increase in revenue of 2% to $52.7 billion. However, operating income and net income decreased by 8% and 12% respectively, when compared to the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. The company’s CEO, Satya Nadella, stated that the next major wave of computing is being born, as the Microsoft Cloud turns the world’s most advanced AI models into a new computing platform. The company is committed to helping its customers use its platforms and tools to do more with less today and innovate for the future in the new era of AI.
Total revenue. $52.7 billion, an increase of 2% 
LinkedIn revenue. Increased 10% (up 4% in constant currency)
Total ad revenue. Increased 10% (up 5% in constant currency)
An investment into ChatGPT. Microsoft is reportedly planning to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT features into Bing Search in the upcoming months. This information comes from sources connected to Bing, who claim that the company is planning to add the popular ChatGPT AI question-and-answer service to Bing, Microsoft’s search engine.
Big plans for its ad business. Microsoft also announced its plans to increase its ad revenue from $10 billion annually to $20 billion. The company’s leadership did not provide a specific timeframe for reaching this goal, but if achieved, it would make Microsoft the sixth-largest digital ad seller worldwide.
Mass layoffs. Last week Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella announced plans to cut jobs due to changing demand for digital services during the pandemic and potential recession. He cited that customers are now optimizing their digital spend to do more with less. The job cuts will affect less than 5% of the company’s total workforce, and the cuts will be completed by the end of Microsoft’s fiscal third quarter. The company will also incur a $1.2 billion charge in its second quarter related to severance costs, changes to its hardware portfolio, and lease consolidation.
Dig deeper. Read the full earnings statement from Microsoft here. 
Why we care. Upon reviewing the forward-looking statements from the announcement, last quarters earnings could affect the company’s ability to generate revenue, which in turn could affect the effectiveness of advertising on its platform. 
For example, if Microsoft’s revenue decreases due to intense competition, advertisers may see a decrease in their return on investment when advertising on the platform. Additionally, if Microsoft experiences issues with security vulnerabilities, misuse of personal data, or reputational harm, it could affect the trust and engagement of users on the platform, potentially decreasing the reach and impact of advertising campaigns. Regulatory challenges could also affect the way it designs and markets its products, potentially limiting the advertising opportunities for advertisers.
The post Microsoft FY23 Q2 earnings look promising, despite mass layoffs appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Revenue increased 2% in the midst of ChatGPT, mass layoffs, and ad growth strategies.
The post Microsoft FY23 Q2 earnings look promising, despite mass layoffs appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Microsoft FY23 Q2 earnings look promising, despite mass layoffs

<p>Learn the difference between what customers say 'to' you and 'about' you - and why it's important.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/webinar-cx-trends-that-will-shape-2023-392203">Webinar: 5 CX trends that will shape 2023</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><a href="https://www.bigmarker.com/third-door-media/5-CX-Trends-That-Will-Shape-2023?utm_bmcr_source=selpost"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Shutterstock_1394460794-800x450.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-392204" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Shutterstock_1394460794-800x450.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Shutterstock_1394460794-600x338.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Shutterstock_1394460794-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Shutterstock_1394460794-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Shutterstock_1394460794-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Shutterstock_1394460794-150x84.jpg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Shutterstock_1394460794.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></a></figure>



<p>No matter the situation, one principle in delivering great customer experiences holds true: creating stellar experiences for your existing customers is the best way to attract new ones.</p>



<p>This webinar will explore how brands uniquely listen to customer feedback and apply the latest techniques to garner meaningful, actionable customer insights to drive increased engagement with customers and employees from the front line to the C-suite.</p>



<p>Register today for <a href="https://www.bigmarker.com/third-door-media/5-CX-Trends-That-Will-Shape-2023?utm_bmcr_source=selpost">&#8220;5 CX Trends That Will Shape 2023,&#8221;</a> presented by Reputation.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<p>Click <a href="https://searchengineland.com/webinars">here to view </a>more Search Engine Land webinars.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/webinar-cx-trends-that-will-shape-2023-392203">Webinar: 5 CX trends that will shape 2023</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>


No matter the situation, one principle in delivering great customer experiences holds true: creating stellar experiences for your existing customers is the best way to attract new ones.
This webinar will explore how brands uniquely listen to customer feedback and apply the latest techniques to garner meaningful, actionable customer insights to drive increased engagement with customers and employees from the front line to the C-suite.
Register today for “5 CX Trends That Will Shape 2023,” presented by Reputation.
Click here to view more Search Engine Land webinars.
The post Webinar: 5 CX trends that will shape 2023 appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Learn the difference between what customers say 'to' you and 'about' you - and why it's important.
The post Webinar: 5 CX trends that will shape 2023 appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Webinar: 5 CX trends that will shape 2023 by Cynthia Ramsaran

<p>Advertisers can tap into a vast audience by utilizing video game advertising, which offers a significant opportunity to reach millions.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/in-game-ads-why-brands-should-be-excited-392152">In-game ads: why brands should be excited</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>



<p>In 2022, it was estimated that 227 million people in the US played video games and 46% of those were women. With game revenues projected to reach $285 billion by 2027, it’s no surprise that this is a huge opportunity for advertisers.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In-game advertising offers businesses the opportunity to reach out to a very wide demographic with eclectic tastes. Almost any product, catering to any demographic can be promoted effectively through in-game advertisements because gaming itself has become a universal pastime.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Video games and ads have come a long way in the last few decades. Search marketers and celebrities alike are embracing the gaming industry as a huge market to reach their target audience. This is the first article in our new series on why video games as a huge opportunity for advertisers in 2023.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-what-are-video-game-ads">What are video game ads?</h2>



<p>If you’ve ever played a video game on your mobile phone, PC, or consoles like Xbox or Playstation, it’s likely that you’ve seen several types of ads. These may be in the form of a short video that plays between levels, a banner at the bottom of your screen, or perhaps one of the player characters is wearing a branded shirt or driving a popular make and model car. All of those examples are types of video game ads.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In addition to brands being able to reach new audiences, grow their community, and sell more products or services, game publishers like ads because it allows them to monetize their content. This is especially attractive to mobile game developers who offer a freemium experience, where the game itself is free to play, but ad spots are sold in exchange for a fee. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/3-800x449.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-392246" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/3-800x449.jpeg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/3-600x338.jpeg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/3-200x113.jpeg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/3-768x431.jpeg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/3-150x84.jpeg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/3.jpeg 895w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image from clearcode.cc</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="446" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/2-800x446.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-392248" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/2-800x446.jpeg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/2-600x335.jpeg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/2-200x113.jpeg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/2-768x428.jpeg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/2-150x84.jpeg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/2.jpeg 898w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image from clearcode.cc</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/1-800x450.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-392249" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/1-800x450.jpeg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/1-600x338.jpeg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/1-200x113.jpeg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/1-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/1-150x84.jpeg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/1.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image from clearcode.cc</figcaption></figure>



<h2>Who should consider creating an in-game ad campaign</h2>



<p>Any brand or advertiser looking to expand their marketing campaigns outside the normal scope would be a great candidate to invest in an in-game ad campaign. Since gaming platforms have evolved, players have consoles right in their hands, which put ad campaigns in front of them at all times.&nbsp;</p>



<p>An in-game ad campaign can help your brand become more visible on platforms that are relatively low competition. You can also reach very specific audiences by advertising on certain game titles. In 2020 the number of gamers worldwide reached about 3.6 billion, so if you have a brand that can benefit from a large audience, in-game ads are a huge asset. If you know who the typical gamer profile is, and who you are trying to reach with your campaigns, you can tailor your message to reach that exact audience.</p>



<p>Natalie Cooke, group managing director at M&amp;C Saatchi, believes that brands can <a href="https://www.thedrum.com/news/2022/11/08/where-are-smart-marketers-spending-money-gaming" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">engage gaming audiences</a> – particularly when it’s done right. She noted that Burger King successfully engaged with Elden Ring players on their own terms by encouraging streamers to only use fire- and flame-based weapons and spells within the game world. Since it was a challenge of the sort that many streamers like to impose upon themselves, it felt authentic and true to how gamers like to create content.</p>



<h2>The best type of video game ads for most brands</h2>



<p>When most people hear the phrase “gaming consoles” they think of Xbox or Playstation. While advertisers can certainly set up ads within these consoles, the market share of players represents only about 32%, and the demographic tends to be male-dominated.</p>



<p>Mobile games are by far the lowest-hanging fruit and the biggest opportunity for advertisers right now in 2022. Since gamers of all ages play on their mobile phones, this platform represents the largest possible audience.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Mobile apps are also the easiest and fastest to set up. Once you know who your audience is and what mobile games they’re playing, you can create and deploy a campaign within minutes.&nbsp; For mobile campaigns, the KPIs you’re most likely to measure are impressions and clicks, and video completion rate.&nbsp;</p>



<h2>The benefits of mobile game advertising for brands</h2>



<p>Despite this reach and depth of engagement, marketers have been slow to tap into this attention oasis with <a href="https://www.iab.com/insights/internet-advertising-revenue-report/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">advertising in games accounting for less than 6% of total digital ad spend</a>.</p>



<p>Shifts in people’s perceptions of gaming, along with technological advances in the way ads can be inserted seamlessly into games, are helping to ease some of the publisher and consumer resistance to implementing ads in games.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>1. Reach</strong></p>



<p>With mobile gaming audiences on course to reach over 3 billion by the end of 2023, it represents a huge segment of the population advertisers can potentially be in front of. In-game ads are also more cost-effective than other forms of marketing.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>2. Viewability</strong></p>



<p>In-play ads such as banners run during the entire length of the game versus interstitials or rewarded ads only play during breaks. Ad tech companies are working hard on solutions to enable measurement, even on faster-paced games. With this, advertisers will be able to determine how many views their ads are getting. With measurement in place and extensive ad targeting capabilities, fraud protection, and brand safety measurements, in-game ads are becoming more attractive.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>3. Engagement</strong></p>



<p>A report from <a href="https://www.tapjoy.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tapjoy</a> stated that 64% of consumers are more likely to engage with a retail in-app reward ad than a social media post. That added value of in-game rewards in addition to the transaction makes gamers feel like their money is going further. Additionally, 70% of the gamers surveyed said they were open to trying a new subscription product or service.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>4. Brand safety</strong></p>



<p>Advertisers can select the genre of game they want their ads to show. Additionally, ad whitelists prevent their ads from appearing in inappropriate environments.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Advertisers and brands interested in setting up an in-game campaign should speak with an ad tech partner that can help them navigate creative requirements, audiences, placements, cost, and more.&nbsp;</p>



<h2>Creating in-game ads</h2>



<h3>Knowing your target audience</h3>



<p>For brands that are interested in creating mobile in-game ads, the first thing to consider is the target demographic. Is it the busy mom playing Candy Crush? What countries are they located in? What do they do other than play games? Are you advertising a product, service, or another game? What platforms will you advertise on? Snapchat? Apple? Discord? Twitch? Consider the demographic you’re targeting and where they’re playing.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Game titles are another factor to consider when looking to advertise in games. For example, users of Candy Crush tend to be over 30, while Fortnite players are under 18. League of Legends and DOTA are popular among younger Asians. Counterstrike players are mostly European and North American males between 20-30. When a brand is considering advertising its product, service, or game, they need to ensure they’re promoting it through the right game titles. If your target demographic is women over 40, you’d be wasting your ad spend having your banner show up in Fortnite because your demographic isn’t ever going to see it. There needs to be a consideration of what games your demographic is playing before creating a campaign.</p>



<p>Contextualization is key when beginning to plan an in-game ad campaign. It’s critical to understand your market, learn the game space, and understand how players will interact with the ad. Brands that are self-aware of where they are advertising will see greater success, as not only age and gender need to be considered, but country, game title, and even some ethnicities. Brands should also consider the motivations of the players they are advertising to. Are they playing to pass the time? Are they competing with their friends? Or are they strictly playing free games and are willing to watch video ads to power up?</p>



<h3>Knowing player motivations</h3>



<p><a href="https://www.gamerefinery.com/gamerefinery-player-motivations-archetypes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Game Refinery</a> identified eight player archetypes to help advertisers narrow down their target audiences. It’s not required to use these archetypes to create an ad campaign, but it helps to know the type of player you’ll be reaching, how they interact with the games you’re advertising on, and what other products and services they may subscribe to. The eight archetypes are:&nbsp;</p>



<ul>
<li>Expressionists love to express their identity through gameplay</li>



<li>King of the Hill players prefer games with a high degree of competition with other players</li>



<li>Networkers see gaming is a social activity</li>



<li>Skill Masters are always trying to improve their skills</li>



<li>Strategists enjoy strategic thinking and planning&nbsp;</li>



<li>Thinkers enjoy brain teasers, puzzles, and anything that will improve their cognitive skills</li>



<li>For Thrill Seekers, gaming is all about excitement and action</li>



<li>For Treasure Hunters, Exploration is the main motivation</li>
</ul>



<h3>Capitalize on any first-party data from apps</h3>



<p>First-party data is any information game developers and marketers collect directly from their audience. Many times that data comes from players and customers acquiring, converting, or playing within an app. Companies use that information to create ads, content, and experiences that cater to the players’ interests.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Second-party data is also collected directly, but instead, it is transferred to a partner instead of being used directly. Third-party data comes from outside sources that collect the data from sources, aggregate it, segment it, and then sell it to various companies.&nbsp;</p>



<p>First-party data is valuable because it’s all advertisers have to rely on, since the implementation of Apple’s ATT (App Tracking Transparency). First-party data is also preferred because it’s more accurate (it comes directly from the consumer), advertisers can collect the exact data they need for specific campaigns, and it can be managed in real time so advertisers and platforms can learn and adjust accordingly.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You can use first-party data by creating highly personalized messages and targeting those who are looking for your product or service.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Knowing the answers to these questions and researching your audience&#8217;s intentions can help brands create a campaign that motivates people to engage with their ad. “Gaming is very different than any other channel. It is 100% interactive. It is live. It is a high-attention inventory. It is many things that traditional advertising isn’t, so the rules of traditional media planning are not always applicable to in-game advertising” says Julia Rast, Director of Global Solutions and Innovation for the media company Xaxis.&nbsp;</p>



<h2>Measuring success with an in-game ad strategy</h2>



<p>While navigating the landscape of video game advertising can be tricky, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) recently put together a group of industry stakeholders to develop new standards of measurement for viewability for in-game ads.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Anzu has also announced a collaboration with Oracle Moat to measure the viewability of in-game ads across inventory and describes it as “first-to-market.” Since in-game ads often take the format of billboards, buildings, apparel, and more, they can be hard to measure. Anzu has developed built-in ray casting features “sending out waves of rays from the player’s point-of-view that help to determine how long ads remain in sight, the percentage of the ads viewable and other essential metrics.”</p>



<p>Current success is typically measured in terms of viewability but is based on how long the ad stays up on the screen, how long the ad was viewed, the speed at which it moves across the screen, and the lighting when the ad is seen.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For banner ads, success can be measured in clicks, downloads, purchases, or any other goal the advertiser has set up. However, it should be noted that if the banner or expandable ad interferes with gameplay, clicks should not be measured as success as many of them can happen by accident.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If a brand&#8217;s goal is impressions and viewability, rewarded ads may be the best option, as they typically have the greatest viewability rates because they’re tied to game rewards.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Surveys are another way to measure in-game ad success. The surveys are sent to players to complete in exchange for an incentive to the player. This is a simple and effective method but advertisers should consider the game(s) in which the surveys are going, the native language of the majority of the players, the game titles, and whether or not players are being truthful in their responses.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As gaming evolves, developers, platforms, and advertisers are learning more and more about creating experiences for their players. Viewability is an excellent benchmark to start measuring success, but as technology evolves, other KPIs will paint a more clear picture of effectiveness. For now, brands should focus on awareness and viewability.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/in-game-ads-why-brands-should-be-excited-392152">In-game ads: why brands should be excited</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>


In 2022, it was estimated that 227 million people in the US played video games and 46% of those were women. With game revenues projected to reach $285 billion by 2027, it’s no surprise that this is a huge opportunity for advertisers. 
In-game advertising offers businesses the opportunity to reach out to a very wide demographic with eclectic tastes. Almost any product, catering to any demographic can be promoted effectively through in-game advertisements because gaming itself has become a universal pastime. 
Video games and ads have come a long way in the last few decades. Search marketers and celebrities alike are embracing the gaming industry as a huge market to reach their target audience. This is the first article in our new series on why video games as a huge opportunity for advertisers in 2023. 
What are video game ads?
If you’ve ever played a video game on your mobile phone, PC, or consoles like Xbox or Playstation, it’s likely that you’ve seen several types of ads. These may be in the form of a short video that plays between levels, a banner at the bottom of your screen, or perhaps one of the player characters is wearing a branded shirt or driving a popular make and model car. All of those examples are types of video game ads. 
In addition to brands being able to reach new audiences, grow their community, and sell more products or services, game publishers like ads because it allows them to monetize their content. This is especially attractive to mobile game developers who offer a freemium experience, where the game itself is free to play, but ad spots are sold in exchange for a fee. 
Image from clearcode.cc



Image from clearcode.cc



Image from clearcode.cc



Who should consider creating an in-game ad campaign
Any brand or advertiser looking to expand their marketing campaigns outside the normal scope would be a great candidate to invest in an in-game ad campaign. Since gaming platforms have evolved, players have consoles right in their hands, which put ad campaigns in front of them at all times. 
An in-game ad campaign can help your brand become more visible on platforms that are relatively low competition. You can also reach very specific audiences by advertising on certain game titles. In 2020 the number of gamers worldwide reached about 3.6 billion, so if you have a brand that can benefit from a large audience, in-game ads are a huge asset. If you know who the typical gamer profile is, and who you are trying to reach with your campaigns, you can tailor your message to reach that exact audience.
Natalie Cooke, group managing director at M&C Saatchi, believes that brands can engage gaming audiences – particularly when it’s done right. She noted that Burger King successfully engaged with Elden Ring players on their own terms by encouraging streamers to only use fire- and flame-based weapons and spells within the game world. Since it was a challenge of the sort that many streamers like to impose upon themselves, it felt authentic and true to how gamers like to create content.
The best type of video game ads for most brands
When most people hear the phrase “gaming consoles” they think of Xbox or Playstation. While advertisers can certainly set up ads within these consoles, the market share of players represents only about 32%, and the demographic tends to be male-dominated.
Mobile games are by far the lowest-hanging fruit and the biggest opportunity for advertisers right now in 2022. Since gamers of all ages play on their mobile phones, this platform represents the largest possible audience. 
Mobile apps are also the easiest and fastest to set up. Once you know who your audience is and what mobile games they’re playing, you can create and deploy a campaign within minutes.  For mobile campaigns, the KPIs you’re most likely to measure are impressions and clicks, and video completion rate. 
The benefits of mobile game advertising for brands
Despite this reach and depth of engagement, marketers have been slow to tap into this attention oasis with advertising in games accounting for less than 6% of total digital ad spend.
Shifts in people’s perceptions of gaming, along with technological advances in the way ads can be inserted seamlessly into games, are helping to ease some of the publisher and consumer resistance to implementing ads in games. 
1. Reach
With mobile gaming audiences on course to reach over 3 billion by the end of 2023, it represents a huge segment of the population advertisers can potentially be in front of. In-game ads are also more cost-effective than other forms of marketing. 
2. Viewability
In-play ads such as banners run during the entire length of the game versus interstitials or rewarded ads only play during breaks. Ad tech companies are working hard on solutions to enable measurement, even on faster-paced games. With this, advertisers will be able to determine how many views their ads are getting. With measurement in place and extensive ad targeting capabilities, fraud protection, and brand safety measurements, in-game ads are becoming more attractive. 
3. Engagement
A report from Tapjoy stated that 64% of consumers are more likely to engage with a retail in-app reward ad than a social media post. That added value of in-game rewards in addition to the transaction makes gamers feel like their money is going further. Additionally, 70% of the gamers surveyed said they were open to trying a new subscription product or service. 
4. Brand safety
Advertisers can select the genre of game they want their ads to show. Additionally, ad whitelists prevent their ads from appearing in inappropriate environments. 
Advertisers and brands interested in setting up an in-game campaign should speak with an ad tech partner that can help them navigate creative requirements, audiences, placements, cost, and more. 
Creating in-game ads
Knowing your target audience
For brands that are interested in creating mobile in-game ads, the first thing to consider is the target demographic. Is it the busy mom playing Candy Crush? What countries are they located in? What do they do other than play games? Are you advertising a product, service, or another game? What platforms will you advertise on? Snapchat? Apple? Discord? Twitch? Consider the demographic you’re targeting and where they’re playing. 
Game titles are another factor to consider when looking to advertise in games. For example, users of Candy Crush tend to be over 30, while Fortnite players are under 18. League of Legends and DOTA are popular among younger Asians. Counterstrike players are mostly European and North American males between 20-30. When a brand is considering advertising its product, service, or game, they need to ensure they’re promoting it through the right game titles. If your target demographic is women over 40, you’d be wasting your ad spend having your banner show up in Fortnite because your demographic isn’t ever going to see it. There needs to be a consideration of what games your demographic is playing before creating a campaign.
Contextualization is key when beginning to plan an in-game ad campaign. It’s critical to understand your market, learn the game space, and understand how players will interact with the ad. Brands that are self-aware of where they are advertising will see greater success, as not only age and gender need to be considered, but country, game title, and even some ethnicities. Brands should also consider the motivations of the players they are advertising to. Are they playing to pass the time? Are they competing with their friends? Or are they strictly playing free games and are willing to watch video ads to power up?
Knowing player motivations
Game Refinery identified eight player archetypes to help advertisers narrow down their target audiences. It’s not required to use these archetypes to create an ad campaign, but it helps to know the type of player you’ll be reaching, how they interact with the games you’re advertising on, and what other products and services they may subscribe to. The eight archetypes are: 
Expressionists love to express their identity through gameplay
King of the Hill players prefer games with a high degree of competition with other players
Networkers see gaming is a social activity
Skill Masters are always trying to improve their skills
Strategists enjoy strategic thinking and planning 
Thinkers enjoy brain teasers, puzzles, and anything that will improve their cognitive skills
For Thrill Seekers, gaming is all about excitement and action
For Treasure Hunters, Exploration is the main motivation
Capitalize on any first-party data from apps
First-party data is any information game developers and marketers collect directly from their audience. Many times that data comes from players and customers acquiring, converting, or playing within an app. Companies use that information to create ads, content, and experiences that cater to the players’ interests. 
Second-party data is also collected directly, but instead, it is transferred to a partner instead of being used directly. Third-party data comes from outside sources that collect the data from sources, aggregate it, segment it, and then sell it to various companies. 
First-party data is valuable because it’s all advertisers have to rely on, since the implementation of Apple’s ATT (App Tracking Transparency). First-party data is also preferred because it’s more accurate (it comes directly from the consumer), advertisers can collect the exact data they need for specific campaigns, and it can be managed in real time so advertisers and platforms can learn and adjust accordingly. 
You can use first-party data by creating highly personalized messages and targeting those who are looking for your product or service. 
Knowing the answers to these questions and researching your audience’s intentions can help brands create a campaign that motivates people to engage with their ad. “Gaming is very different than any other channel. It is 100% interactive. It is live. It is a high-attention inventory. It is many things that traditional advertising isn’t, so the rules of traditional media planning are not always applicable to in-game advertising” says Julia Rast, Director of Global Solutions and Innovation for the media company Xaxis. 
Measuring success with an in-game ad strategy
While navigating the landscape of video game advertising can be tricky, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) recently put together a group of industry stakeholders to develop new standards of measurement for viewability for in-game ads. 
Anzu has also announced a collaboration with Oracle Moat to measure the viewability of in-game ads across inventory and describes it as “first-to-market.” Since in-game ads often take the format of billboards, buildings, apparel, and more, they can be hard to measure. Anzu has developed built-in ray casting features “sending out waves of rays from the player’s point-of-view that help to determine how long ads remain in sight, the percentage of the ads viewable and other essential metrics.”
Current success is typically measured in terms of viewability but is based on how long the ad stays up on the screen, how long the ad was viewed, the speed at which it moves across the screen, and the lighting when the ad is seen. 
For banner ads, success can be measured in clicks, downloads, purchases, or any other goal the advertiser has set up. However, it should be noted that if the banner or expandable ad interferes with gameplay, clicks should not be measured as success as many of them can happen by accident. 
If a brand’s goal is impressions and viewability, rewarded ads may be the best option, as they typically have the greatest viewability rates because they’re tied to game rewards. 
Surveys are another way to measure in-game ad success. The surveys are sent to players to complete in exchange for an incentive to the player. This is a simple and effective method but advertisers should consider the game(s) in which the surveys are going, the native language of the majority of the players, the game titles, and whether or not players are being truthful in their responses. 
As gaming evolves, developers, platforms, and advertisers are learning more and more about creating experiences for their players. Viewability is an excellent benchmark to start measuring success, but as technology evolves, other KPIs will paint a more clear picture of effectiveness. For now, brands should focus on awareness and viewability. 
The post In-game ads: why brands should be excited appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Advertisers can tap into a vast audience by utilizing video game advertising, which offers a significant opportunity to reach millions.
The post In-game ads: why brands should be excited appeared first on Search Engine Land.

In-game ads: why brands should be excited

<p>This year, overcome common obstacles to search success and get SEO done right with these five resolutions.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/resolve-to-get-seo-done-in-2023-heres-how-392043">Resolve to get SEO done in 2023 – Here’s how</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>


<p>Millions of people make new year’s resolutions every year, and most <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/6/3084/htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fail within the first month</a>. This is not unlike the SEO work we hoped to do last year, but didn’t get done.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Well-meaning businesses often find that there is more work than they expected when they set out on their SEO journey. So they fail for various reasons – lack of buy-in, effort, and so on.</p>



<p>In 2023, resolve to get SEO implemented so that you actually have a chance to compete in the search results. Here are five resolutions to overcome common obstacles to SEO success.</p>



<h2 id="h-seo-resolution-1-have-a-vision-you-can-share">SEO resolution 1: Have a vision you can share</h2>



<p>Pointing to an SEO audit and saying, “we have to do this,” is not a strategy. You need to be able to discuss the high-level vision for your SEO program.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This may include things like:</p>



<h3 id="h-why-you-want-to-make-seo-a-key-initiative">Why you want to make SEO a key initiative</h3>



<p>What trends are happening that show SEO as a key marketing activity today? Maybe the fact that there are 5.9 million searches on Google <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/195140/new-user-generated-content-uploaded-by-users-per-minute/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">every minute</a>?&nbsp;</p>



<p>The bottom line: It’s not really a question of <strong>if</strong><em> </em>you should be on a platform used by almost the entire U.S. population, but do you want to beat the competitors and gain <strong>your</strong> fair share of organic search revenue?</p>



<h3 id="h-what-goals-and-kpis-you-will-set">What goals and KPIs you will set</h3>



<p>Show that you&#8217;ve thought about the goals you intend to reach and the <a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-metrics-track-391864">KPIs you will measure</a> along the way.</p>



<h3 id="h-how-you-will-you-get-there">How you will you get there</h3>



<p>Exactly what are the steps needed to get the program up and running?&nbsp;And whom will you need support from?</p>



<h2 id="h-seo-resolution-2-get-real-buy-in">SEO resolution 2: Get real<em> </em>buy-in</h2>



<p>Do you <strong>really</strong><em> </em>have <a href="https://searchengineland.com/3-seo-metrics-to-help-secure-executive-level-buy-in-376583">buy-in</a> for SEO? Like the type of buy-in where the CEO would say it’s a key initiative? Without this type of “all-in” attitude, it can be hard to move the needle past your department.&nbsp;</p>



<p>I remember some years ago when my company delivered more than 100 pages of an SEO audit to one of the largest research and review sites in the auto sector.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We proposed radical changes and told them that if they implemented every one of them, they’d see a massive influx of traffic.</p>



<p>It was a big risk for the client. They knew they’d need everyone on board to make it happen, from marketing to IT. So the chairman of the board called a company meeting and said SEO would be a key strategic initiative from that point on.</p>



<p>And guess what? They worked together to implement every recommendation and saw a 900% increase in traffic within the first week after launch. They remain competitive to this day.</p>



<p>Getting this type of buy-in takes preparation. If you want to champion SEO at your place of business, there’s a bit of work to do.&nbsp;</p>



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<p></p>



<h2 id="h-seo-resolution-3-build-relationships">SEO resolution 3: Build relationships</h2>



<p>At the end of the day, a company is not made up of departments or roles, it’s made up of people. Strong relationships can go a long way in business and getting things done.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Once you have identified the critical folks needed to get SEO done, you can start by meeting with them one-on-one or in teams to:</p>



<ul>
<li><strong>Show them how SEO can align with their goals: </strong>There is rarely a business goal that cannot be met with SEO in some way. Do a needs assessment of their goals and see how SEO can support them.</li>



<li><strong>Show them they are a critical part of the process in making it work: </strong>Most people will not initially know how their day-to-day work can impact SEO or vice versa. How can they be a part of SEO’s success?</li>
</ul>



<h2 id="h-seo-resolution-4-educate-about-seo">SEO resolution 4: Educate about SEO&nbsp;</h2>



<p>When you are trying to <a href="https://searchengineland.com/enterprise-seo-is-50-education-and-culture-389537">get everyone on board with SEO</a>, you must remember that most people will have a limited view of what SEO is (outside of your immediate team). Keep it simple.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Wherever possible, you want to validate your SEO advice with Google’s recommendations (see help files from Google Search Central, Google Search Central videos, etc.).&nbsp;</p>



<p>This helps make the connection that SEO is a partnership with Google – not something you do to game the system.</p>



<p>And <a href="https://searchengineland.com/questions-evaluate-seo-training-course-387473">SEO training</a> can be key. Back when I started my agency, I quickly realized that the best way to get clients to implement SEO was to train them on SEO. That was a big catalyst for launching our SEO training course in 1999.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Since then, we put all of our clients into our SEO training so that we can have intelligent conversations that help move the needle.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Consider SEO training for all the people who will need to be involved (I’m talking about your web developers and IT folks, too). I find that when companies open up SEO training across teams, it creates a shared understanding and motivates people to get things done.</p>



<h2 id="h-seo-resolution-5-make-the-effort">SEO resolution 5: Make the effort</h2>



<p>Not everyone will see a 900% increase in traffic the first week, like the company I told you about earlier. In fact, it can take up to six months to start to see big results, depending on factors like the website’s health, the competitive landscape and more.</p>



<p>Some companies may give up when they don’t see the results right away that they expected. This is obviously a mistake – and a result of not understanding how SEO works (see educate section above).&nbsp;</p>



<p>Companies must invest in SEO for the entire lifecycle of their site to stay competitive. Remember, though, once you invest in it, it’s yours (unlike PPC, where if you turn it off, you disappear from the search results – no offense to PPC, <a href="https://searchengineland.com/get-ppc-seo-working-together-386083">you need both</a>!).&nbsp;</p>



<p>That said, there <strong>are</strong> ways to get quick wins and see results to get people excited about SEO. For example, consider a pilot project which might look like:</p>



<ul>
<li>A plan to prioritize the most impactful SEO tasks first and then track and share your results.</li>



<li>A small SEO initiative with a key team within the company.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>



<p>With some smaller wins under your belt, you may be able to build momentum. Do remember, though, that sometimes a website’s biggest SEO issues are technical in nature. And resolving those can take some serious effort.&nbsp;</p>



<p>At the very least, you need IT folks, website developers – whoever is in charge of making changes to the website – on your side.&nbsp;</p>



<p>One piece of advice here: You can always submit technical changes to the site as a “bug fix.” Developers and IT professionals care about fixing bugs and want to stay on top.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="452" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/SEO-is-forever-bugs-Bruce-Clay.png" alt="Don't be surprised by the traffic you did not get for the SEO work you didn't do." class="wp-image-392046" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/SEO-is-forever-bugs-Bruce-Clay.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/SEO-is-forever-bugs-Bruce-Clay-598x338.png 598w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/SEO-is-forever-bugs-Bruce-Clay-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/SEO-is-forever-bugs-Bruce-Clay-768x434.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/SEO-is-forever-bugs-Bruce-Clay-150x85.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure></div>


<h2 id="h-make-2023-count">Make 2023 count</h2>



<p>It’s not always easy to get an SEO program off the ground. </p>



<p>If it’s a challenge for you, start small, make the most impactful moves first and celebrate every win. You will see how these steps can build momentum over time.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/resolve-to-get-seo-done-in-2023-heres-how-392043">Resolve to get SEO done in 2023 – Here’s how</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>

Millions of people make new year’s resolutions every year, and most fail within the first month. This is not unlike the SEO work we hoped to do last year, but didn’t get done. 
Well-meaning businesses often find that there is more work than they expected when they set out on their SEO journey. So they fail for various reasons – lack of buy-in, effort, and so on.
In 2023, resolve to get SEO implemented so that you actually have a chance to compete in the search results. Here are five resolutions to overcome common obstacles to SEO success.
SEO resolution 1: Have a vision you can share
Pointing to an SEO audit and saying, “we have to do this,” is not a strategy. You need to be able to discuss the high-level vision for your SEO program. 
This may include things like:
Why you want to make SEO a key initiative
What trends are happening that show SEO as a key marketing activity today? Maybe the fact that there are 5.9 million searches on Google every minute? 
The bottom line: It’s not really a question of if you should be on a platform used by almost the entire U.S. population, but do you want to beat the competitors and gain your fair share of organic search revenue?
What goals and KPIs you will set
Show that you’ve thought about the goals you intend to reach and the KPIs you will measure along the way.
How you will you get there
Exactly what are the steps needed to get the program up and running? And whom will you need support from?
SEO resolution 2: Get real buy-in
Do you really have buy-in for SEO? Like the type of buy-in where the CEO would say it’s a key initiative? Without this type of “all-in” attitude, it can be hard to move the needle past your department. 
I remember some years ago when my company delivered more than 100 pages of an SEO audit to one of the largest research and review sites in the auto sector. 
We proposed radical changes and told them that if they implemented every one of them, they’d see a massive influx of traffic.
It was a big risk for the client. They knew they’d need everyone on board to make it happen, from marketing to IT. So the chairman of the board called a company meeting and said SEO would be a key strategic initiative from that point on.
And guess what? They worked together to implement every recommendation and saw a 900% increase in traffic within the first week after launch. They remain competitive to this day.
Getting this type of buy-in takes preparation. If you want to champion SEO at your place of business, there’s a bit of work to do. 
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SEO resolution 3: Build relationships
At the end of the day, a company is not made up of departments or roles, it’s made up of people. Strong relationships can go a long way in business and getting things done.   
Once you have identified the critical folks needed to get SEO done, you can start by meeting with them one-on-one or in teams to:
Show them how SEO can align with their goals: There is rarely a business goal that cannot be met with SEO in some way. Do a needs assessment of their goals and see how SEO can support them.
Show them they are a critical part of the process in making it work: Most people will not initially know how their day-to-day work can impact SEO or vice versa. How can they be a part of SEO’s success?
SEO resolution 4: Educate about SEO 
When you are trying to get everyone on board with SEO, you must remember that most people will have a limited view of what SEO is (outside of your immediate team). Keep it simple. 
Wherever possible, you want to validate your SEO advice with Google’s recommendations (see help files from Google Search Central, Google Search Central videos, etc.). 
This helps make the connection that SEO is a partnership with Google – not something you do to game the system.
And SEO training can be key. Back when I started my agency, I quickly realized that the best way to get clients to implement SEO was to train them on SEO. That was a big catalyst for launching our SEO training course in 1999. 
Since then, we put all of our clients into our SEO training so that we can have intelligent conversations that help move the needle. 
Consider SEO training for all the people who will need to be involved (I’m talking about your web developers and IT folks, too). I find that when companies open up SEO training across teams, it creates a shared understanding and motivates people to get things done.
SEO resolution 5: Make the effort
Not everyone will see a 900% increase in traffic the first week, like the company I told you about earlier. In fact, it can take up to six months to start to see big results, depending on factors like the website’s health, the competitive landscape and more.
Some companies may give up when they don’t see the results right away that they expected. This is obviously a mistake – and a result of not understanding how SEO works (see educate section above). 
Companies must invest in SEO for the entire lifecycle of their site to stay competitive. Remember, though, once you invest in it, it’s yours (unlike PPC, where if you turn it off, you disappear from the search results – no offense to PPC, you need both!). 
That said, there are ways to get quick wins and see results to get people excited about SEO. For example, consider a pilot project which might look like:
A plan to prioritize the most impactful SEO tasks first and then track and share your results.
A small SEO initiative with a key team within the company.  
With some smaller wins under your belt, you may be able to build momentum. Do remember, though, that sometimes a website’s biggest SEO issues are technical in nature. And resolving those can take some serious effort. 
At the very least, you need IT folks, website developers – whoever is in charge of making changes to the website – on your side. 
One piece of advice here: You can always submit technical changes to the site as a “bug fix.” Developers and IT professionals care about fixing bugs and want to stay on top.

Make 2023 count
It’s not always easy to get an SEO program off the ground. 
If it’s a challenge for you, start small, make the most impactful moves first and celebrate every win. You will see how these steps can build momentum over time.
The post Resolve to get SEO done in 2023 – Here’s how appeared first on Search Engine Land.

This year, overcome common obstacles to search success and get SEO done right with these five resolutions.
The post Resolve to get SEO done in 2023 – Here’s how appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Resolve to get SEO done in 2023 – Here’s how

<p>With Business Connect, you can now customize the way your business information appears across Apple apps. Learn how to get started.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/apple-business-connect-starter-guide-392128">Apple Business Connect: Your guide to getting started</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>



<p>Apple recently <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/01/introducing-apple-business-connect/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">launched Business Connect</a> to enable businesses to easily claim and optimize their Apple Maps locations. Getting started as a single or multi-location business only takes a few minutes.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Once you have set up and claimed your locations, you will have access to view and edit your Place Cards. This includes:</p>



<ul>
<li>Updating your location details.</li>



<li>Adding photos.</li>



<li>Publishing showcases.</li>



<li>Reviewing the performance and engagement of your locations on Apple Maps.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>



<p>Apple Business Connect offers three different workflows:&nbsp;</p>



<ul>
<li>Small businesses.</li>



<li>Enterprise brands with 25 or more locations.</li>



<li>Third-party partners that manage data on behalf of other businesses and can submit this data via API.</li>
</ul>



<p>In this article, you&#8217;ll learn how to get started with Apple Business Connect.</p>



<h2 id="h-getting-started-with-apple-business-connect">Getting started with Apple Business Connect</h2>



<p>First, <a href="https://appleid.apple.com/account?appId=179618&amp;returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbusinessconnect.apple.com%2F%3Fflow%3DSMB" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">create an Apple ID</a> if you don&#8217;t already have one.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Next, go to the <a href="https://businessconnect.apple.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple Business Connect website</a>, choose your business type (small, enterprise, or third-party partner), and sign in with your Apple ID.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you are a brand leveraging a third party to submit and access data via API, you’ll still need to set up and claim your first location in Business Connect. You will then have the option to delegate your account to an agency that can add the remaining of your locations in bulk.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For single locations and small businesses under 25 locations, your first step will be searching or creating your location.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For enterprise businesses, you should click on the prompt at the bottom that says “Register as an Enterprise.”&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-medium"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="221" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Register-as-an-Enterprise-600x221.png" alt="Register as an Enterprise" class="wp-image-392130" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Register-as-an-Enterprise-600x221.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Register-as-an-Enterprise-800x295.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Register-as-an-Enterprise-200x74.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Register-as-an-Enterprise-768x283.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Register-as-an-Enterprise-150x55.png 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Register-as-an-Enterprise.png 868w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure></div>


<p>When you click here, this will take you directly to the Business Verification page where you need to enter your brand information including your <a href="https://www.dnb.com/duns/get-a-duns.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D-U-N-S number</a>. (Apple also has a helpful <a href="https://businessconnect.apple.com/docs/api/resources/AppleBusinessConnect-EnterpriseOnboarding.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">enterprise onboarding guide</a>.)</p>



<p>For small businesses (which Apple considers brands under 25 locations), you will need to search for your location on Apple Maps and either select the matching business displayed in the search results or choose the option to create a new location if your business is not listed.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1600" height="953" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Start-by-adding-one-of-your-locations.png" alt="Start by adding one of your locations" class="wp-image-392131" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Start-by-adding-one-of-your-locations.png 1600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Start-by-adding-one-of-your-locations-567x338.png 567w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Start-by-adding-one-of-your-locations-800x477.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Start-by-adding-one-of-your-locations-190x113.png 190w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Start-by-adding-one-of-your-locations-768x457.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Start-by-adding-one-of-your-locations-1536x915.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Start-by-adding-one-of-your-locations-150x89.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure></div>


<p>If you are creating a new location, you will need to add your address details and ensure the map pin is over the entrance of your location. You can add the exact coordinates if needed.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1600" height="941" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Guide-customers-to-your-door.png" alt="Guide customers to your door" class="wp-image-392132" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Guide-customers-to-your-door.png 1600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Guide-customers-to-your-door-575x338.png 575w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Guide-customers-to-your-door-800x471.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Guide-customers-to-your-door-192x113.png 192w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Guide-customers-to-your-door-768x452.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Guide-customers-to-your-door-1536x903.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Guide-customers-to-your-door-150x88.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure></div>


<p>In the next two steps, you will want to add your primary, holiday, and special hours.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Special hours are described as custom or a temporary set of hours, such as periods of time when you have extended or shortened availability.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Then you will need to add your primary and additional categories, website, and phone number. (<a href="https://pleper.com/index.php?do=tools&amp;sdo=apple_maps_categories" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">This is a great resource</a> to find the full list of Apple Business categories.)</p>



<p>Apple states that additional categories help with search and can be unique by location.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1600" height="915" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-hours.png" alt="Add your hours" class="wp-image-392133" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-hours.png 1600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-hours-591x338.png 591w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-hours-800x458.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-hours-198x113.png 198w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-hours-768x439.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-hours-1536x878.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-hours-150x86.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure></div>


<p>Throughout the setup, Apple begins building your place card preview. According to Apple:&nbsp;</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
<p>&#8220;When you change information about a location in Business Connect, it’s shown in this preview. It can take up to three days for your changes to be published on a location’s place card on Maps after you send them to Apple for review.&#8221;&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>



<p>The final steps for setup are focused on verification. You’ll next need to add your company details for verification so that Apple can determine whether you are the proper contact to manage this location on Apple Business Connect. </p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1600" height="949" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-company-details.png" alt="Add your company details" class="wp-image-392134" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-company-details.png 1600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-company-details-570x338.png 570w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-company-details-800x475.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-company-details-191x113.png 191w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-company-details-768x456.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-company-details-1536x911.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Add-your-company-details-150x89.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure></div>


<p>In order to complete the verification, you will need to provide an identifiable business document such as a business registration, utility bill, or lease agreement as well as a document description. </p>



<p>The verification of your business can take up to five days to process.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1600" height="946" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Get-verified.png" alt="Get verified" class="wp-image-392135" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Get-verified.png 1600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Get-verified-572x338.png 572w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Get-verified-800x473.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Get-verified-191x113.png 191w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Get-verified-768x454.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Get-verified-1536x908.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Get-verified-150x89.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure></div>


<p>Once the verification has been completed, you can begin adding additional information to your Place Card including:&nbsp;</p>



<ul>
<li>A unique description of your business location.</li>



<li>Attributes or additional features of your business. The types of attributes vary by business type but include categories such as:
<ul>
<li>Payment options.</li>



<li>Reservation types (appointment only, walk-ins).</li>



<li>Accessibility features.</li>



<li>Parking options.</li>



<li>Restroom types and availability.</li>



<li>Tech features (wi-fi and air conditioning).</li>



<li>COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination options.</li>



<li>Business Models (co-op, non-profit, membership requirements).</li>



<li>Safety (cooling center, COVID-19 precautions, sheltering).</li>



<li>Smoking parameters.</li>



<li>EV Charging availability.</li>



<li>Atmosphere details (good for kids, couples, groups).</li>



<li>What types of pets are or are not permitted.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>A link to an app that supports functions like ordering, making a reservation, or booking an appointment.</li>



<li>Photos of your business including a logo and cover that will stay positioned at the top of your Place Card. Apple advises that photos will be reviewed and can take up to three days before publishing. You can find <a href="https://support.apple.com/guide/apple-business-connect/photo-and-text-standards-and-guidelines-abcbbe8862ec/1.0/web/1.0">photo guidelines here</a>.&nbsp;</li>



<li>Showcases to highlight timely updates, new features and products for your business. Showcases expire after 30 days unless you set it to end sooner and Apple can take up to three days to review and approve your showcase. Showcases include the following elements:
<ul>
<li>A photo and an image tag (should be added for accessibility and screen readers).</li>



<li>A short title of up to 38 characters.</li>



<li>A description of the showcase of up to 58 characters.</li>



<li>One or more <a href="https://support.apple.com/guide/apple-business-connect/use-actions-in-your-showcase-abcba516bccf/1.0/web/1.0">calls to action</a>, including:
<ul>
<li>“Call Now”</li>



<li>“Get Directions”</li>



<li>“Website”</li>



<li>“Share this Place”</li>



<li>“Add to Favorites”</li>



<li>“Rate this Place” – This allows users to provide feedback on overall rating, food and drink, customer service, and atmosphere. It also prompts a user to recommend this place to a friend or family member.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="364" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/image-1.png" alt="Place card attributes and additional features" class="wp-image-392138" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/image-1.png 780w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/image-1-600x280.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/image-1-200x93.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/image-1-768x358.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/image-1-150x70.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The types of attributes vary by business type.</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Note that Showcases are only available to businesses within the United States, but Apple is working to make these available globally in the coming months.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="648" height="828" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Apple-Business-Connect-Ecosystem-Showcase-Walmart.jpg" alt="Apple-Business-Connect-Ecosystem-Showcase-Walmart" class="wp-image-392142" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Apple-Business-Connect-Ecosystem-Showcase-Walmart.jpg 648w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Apple-Business-Connect-Ecosystem-Showcase-Walmart-265x338.jpg 265w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Apple-Business-Connect-Ecosystem-Showcase-Walmart-470x600.jpg 470w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Apple-Business-Connect-Ecosystem-Showcase-Walmart-88x113.jpg 88w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/01/Apple-Business-Connect-Ecosystem-Showcase-Walmart-150x192.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 648px) 100vw, 648px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Walmart&#8217;s Showcase, Apple Business Connect</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>If you manage or own more locations, just click the “Add” button in the top right of the dashboard to begin the process again. You can also invite additional users who need access to manage your locations.</p>



<h2 id="h-more-ways-to-engage-with-apple-maps-users">More ways to engage with Apple Maps users&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Business Connect is an incredibly exciting and much-welcomed innovation from Apple. </p>



<p>It provides a great opportunity for local businesses to engage with Apple Maps users and is designed in a way that makes it easy for businesses of all types and sizes to get started. </p>



<p>You can find more information in the <a href="https://support.apple.com/guide/apple-business-connect/welcome/web" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple Business Connect User Guide</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com/apple-business-connect-starter-guide-392128">Apple Business Connect: Your guide to getting started</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://searchengineland.com">Search Engine Land</a>.</p>


Apple recently launched Business Connect to enable businesses to easily claim and optimize their Apple Maps locations. Getting started as a single or multi-location business only takes a few minutes. 
Once you have set up and claimed your locations, you will have access to view and edit your Place Cards. This includes:
Updating your location details.
Adding photos.
Publishing showcases.
Reviewing the performance and engagement of your locations on Apple Maps. 
Apple Business Connect offers three different workflows: 
Small businesses.
Enterprise brands with 25 or more locations.
Third-party partners that manage data on behalf of other businesses and can submit this data via API.
In this article, you’ll learn how to get started with Apple Business Connect.
Getting started with Apple Business Connect
First, create an Apple ID if you don’t already have one. 
Next, go to the Apple Business Connect website, choose your business type (small, enterprise, or third-party partner), and sign in with your Apple ID. 
If you are a brand leveraging a third party to submit and access data via API, you’ll still need to set up and claim your first location in Business Connect. You will then have the option to delegate your account to an agency that can add the remaining of your locations in bulk. 
For single locations and small businesses under 25 locations, your first step will be searching or creating your location. 
For enterprise businesses, you should click on the prompt at the bottom that says “Register as an Enterprise.” 

When you click here, this will take you directly to the Business Verification page where you need to enter your brand information including your D-U-N-S number. (Apple also has a helpful enterprise onboarding guide.)
For small businesses (which Apple considers brands under 25 locations), you will need to search for your location on Apple Maps and either select the matching business displayed in the search results or choose the option to create a new location if your business is not listed.

If you are creating a new location, you will need to add your address details and ensure the map pin is over the entrance of your location. You can add the exact coordinates if needed.

In the next two steps, you will want to add your primary, holiday, and special hours. 
Special hours are described as custom or a temporary set of hours, such as periods of time when you have extended or shortened availability.  
Then you will need to add your primary and additional categories, website, and phone number. (This is a great resource to find the full list of Apple Business categories.)
Apple states that additional categories help with search and can be unique by location. 

Throughout the setup, Apple begins building your place card preview. According to Apple: 
“When you change information about a location in Business Connect, it’s shown in this preview. It can take up to three days for your changes to be published on a location’s place card on Maps after you send them to Apple for review.” 
The final steps for setup are focused on verification. You’ll next need to add your company details for verification so that Apple can determine whether you are the proper contact to manage this location on Apple Business Connect. 

In order to complete the verification, you will need to provide an identifiable business document such as a business registration, utility bill, or lease agreement as well as a document description. 
The verification of your business can take up to five days to process. 

Once the verification has been completed, you can begin adding additional information to your Place Card including: 
A unique description of your business location.
Attributes or additional features of your business. The types of attributes vary by business type but include categories such as:

Payment options.
Reservation types (appointment only, walk-ins).
Accessibility features.
Parking options.
Restroom types and availability.
Tech features (wi-fi and air conditioning).
COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination options.
Business Models (co-op, non-profit, membership requirements).
Safety (cooling center, COVID-19 precautions, sheltering).
Smoking parameters.
EV Charging availability.
Atmosphere details (good for kids, couples, groups).
What types of pets are or are not permitted.
A link to an app that supports functions like ordering, making a reservation, or booking an appointment.
Photos of your business including a logo and cover that will stay positioned at the top of your Place Card. Apple advises that photos will be reviewed and can take up to three days before publishing. You can find photo guidelines here. 
Showcases to highlight timely updates, new features and products for your business. Showcases expire after 30 days unless you set it to end sooner and Apple can take up to three days to review and approve your showcase. Showcases include the following elements:

A photo and an image tag (should be added for accessibility and screen readers).
A short title of up to 38 characters.
A description of the showcase of up to 58 characters.
One or more calls to action, including:

“Call Now”
“Get Directions”
“Website”
“Share this Place”
“Add to Favorites”
“Rate this Place” – This allows users to provide feedback on overall rating, food and drink, customer service, and atmosphere. It also prompts a user to recommend this place to a friend or family member.
The types of attributes vary by business type.
Note that Showcases are only available to businesses within the United States, but Apple is working to make these available globally in the coming months.
Walmart’s Showcase, Apple Business Connect
If you manage or own more locations, just click the “Add” button in the top right of the dashboard to begin the process again. You can also invite additional users who need access to manage your locations.
More ways to engage with Apple Maps users 
Business Connect is an incredibly exciting and much-welcomed innovation from Apple. 
It provides a great opportunity for local businesses to engage with Apple Maps users and is designed in a way that makes it easy for businesses of all types and sizes to get started. 
You can find more information in the Apple Business Connect User Guide. 
The post Apple Business Connect: Your guide to getting started appeared first on Search Engine Land.

With Business Connect, you can now customize the way your business information appears across Apple apps. Learn how to get started.
The post Apple Business Connect: Your guide to getting started appeared first on Search Engine Land.

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