Just like previous months, there was an abundance of marketing news in August as well.
Just like previous months, there was an abundance of marketing news in August as well. There have been some interesting changes in FB that can significantly affect the performance of your campaigns. In addition, Google has completely rolled out its algorithm update called Google Page Experience Update. You may have already experienced some drops in position from Google’s SERP.
Google Merchant: Changes for the MPN Attribute
We’ve previously informed about the upcoming changes regarding the rules of Merchant Center, concerning the MPN attribute – Manufacturer Part Number - to be more specific. And that time has come in August.
MPN is a unique product identifier used to identify a specific product among all the product from the same manufacturer. Starting from last month, users can find item-level warnings for incorrect MPN number on the Diagnostics page of Merchant Center. These items need to be inspected and corrected. Otherwise, from September 2021, these items will be rejected.
We recommend paying the Diagnostics page a visit and check if everything’s like it should be.
Find out more about the announcement here.
Source: Google Merchant Center Help
Google Ads Editor 1.7
After the last update in April, Google Ads Editor comes with a summer update bringing new features like:
- full support for Hotel campaigns
- full support for YouTube audio campaigns, ad groups an ads
- support for Lead form extensions and others
- easier and faster downloads with the option to select which entity types should be downloaded
- new Search campaigns with default strategy set to Maximize conversions
Check out the complete list of new features here.
Source: Google Ads Editor Help
Change of Google Page Experience Update Ranking Factors
Google’s Page Experience Update started gradually rolling out on 15th of June and it was completely rolled out by the end of August. However, there have been some changes in ranking signals.
Comparing the original diagram with the new one, Safe Browsing is not used as a ranking signal anymore and is not featured in the Page Experience report for CWV as well.
Google removed Safe Browsing, because according to them, there might be some issues that are not always in the hands of webmasters. This is good news, since there is one less ranking signal that we need to worry about.
Read the whole announcement here.
Source: Google Search Central
Core Web Vitals: More Important Than You Think
In a recent discussion, John Mueller confirmed that SEOs should not diminish the importance of CWV as a ranking factor. According to John, CWV as a ranking factor is more than just a “tie breaker”.
On the other hand, CWV is not more important than relevance. It also depends on the type of the website, how CWV will affect it. In the end, CWV is just one of the hundreds of factors that influence website’s ranking.
John also adds, that CWV can also act as a helping hand to detect errors or shortcomings on the web in order to improve the usability. If your site has bad UX or has slow loading times, it can have a negative effect on the conversion rate.
Read the discussion on Reddit.
Source: Reddit.com
Google: Reviews as A Ranking Factor?
John Muller got an interesting question in a recent Google Hangout. Does Google look at the number of reviews a website has to rank it higher in SERP?
John, without hesitation, made it clear, that customers reviews are not a ranking factor for Google Search. However, reviews can indirectly boost the website’s relevance in Search in the form of rich results.
Just a reminder. Keep in mind, that customer reviews are a ranking for local SEO, so they are important for Google My Business. The order of results in the listings is determined by relevance, distance, and prominence, which customers reviews are part of.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Facebook: Restricted Targeting of Underage Users
Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger are changing their advertising policies concerning users under the age of 18.
Advertisers will only be able to target these people based on their age, gender, and location, which limits using expanded interest and activity targeting. They will have to choose one or the other.
The policy change has rolled out worldwide, we can already see the limited targeting in our accounts. Current ad sets using the mentioned targeting settings may see a decrease in audience sizes or potential reach.
In addition, users under 18 will have their profiles set to private as default when joining the platform. After they turn 18, they will be informed about the targeting options advertisers can use to reach them and about the options regarding ad setting preferences.
Source: Facebook for Business & Instagram Blog
Facebook: Campaign Idea Generator
Facebook is introducing a new tool to help small and medium-sized business. The Campaign Idea Generator tool should provide business owners with creative templates and other recommendations in addition to a variety of useful insights and ideas.
First, you choose your business area and the event you want to get ideas for. The tool will generate campaign suggestions with recommended ad copy and graphic materials. Moreover, it will provide insights specific for the industry, that can be filtered out as needed.
These inspirations can be used for other channels as well, not just Facebook.
Give it a try here.
Source: Facebook for Business
Instagram Testing Ads in Shopping Tab
In August, Instagram began testing its new ad option in the Instagram Shopping Tab that is currently limited to U.S. advertisers for chosen brands.
Ads, labelled with Sponsored, will appear on the homepage of Instagram’s Shop tab. Clicking on them will bring users to the product details page providing them with more information, additional images, and other products. Products can be shared or saved to wishlist.
Source: Adweek.com