Technology News and Industry Knowledge

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a powerful tool for analyzing website and app traffic, offering valuable insights into user behavior and campaign performance.  This article explores how SEO professionals can leverage GA4’s features to refine their strategies, from linking with Google Search Console to analyzing organic traffic and setting up custom events.  We’ll examine specific reports and metrics that provide actionable data for improving SEO performance. Link Google Search Console with GA4 for data analysis By default, Google Analytics 4 does not automatically show Search Console data just by linking accounts. You need to publish the reports manually to view this data in GA4, which is useful for analyzing organic traffic. (Learn how to link GA4 with Google Search Console in this article .) Linking and publishing Search Console data in GA4 will allow you to have the following reports for analyzing queries and organic traffic: Queries report : This report shows metric...

Google announced a number of image-related Search features today, including updates to how Google Search handles deepfakes and expanding the About this image feature to Circle to Search and Google Lens. Deepfakes in Google Search Google has updated Google Search around deepfakes in two ways; (1) updated its ranking system to help ensure deepfake content does not rank highly in Google Search. and (2) making it easier to remove deepfakes from Google Search. Show news articles instead. Google’s search ranking system for queries where there’s a higher risk of explicit fake content appearing in the Google Search results. Google is rolling out “ranking updates that will lower explicit fake content for many searches,” Google wrote. When you search for this type of content for people’s names, Google Search will “surface high-quality, non-explicit content — like relevant news articles — when it’s available,” the Search company added. Emma Higham, Product Manager at Google said the chang...

Reporting is a crucial part of paid media management for communicating results to stakeholders and informing optimization decisions. While there are a number of well-made third-party reporting tools, many are pricy and inaccessible to all PPC managers, either due to budget concerns or complex approval processes. Additionally, various tools have different benefits, with some better suited to spreadsheet-nerd analysis and others for visually friendly reporting. This article looks at eight free options you can use for PPC reporting.  1. Looker Studio Looker Studio (formerly known as Google Data Studio) is a full-scale tool for building interactive reports that can be viewed in a browser or downloaded as a PDF. As Google owns this platform, it integrates by default with most other Google-owned properties, such as Google Analytics , Google Ads, Search Ads 360 and Display and Video 360.  For other platforms, you can export data to Google Sheets and sync it to a report. Sev...

Perplexity , the AI-powered search startup, is rolling out a new “Publishers’ Program” to share ad revenue with media partners, amid recent plagiarism controversies. This move signals a shift in how AI companies are approaching content partnerships, potentially setting a new standard for compensating publishers whose work is used to train and power AI systems. Details: Publishers will receive a “double-digit percentage” of ad revenue when their content is featured in search results. Initial partners include Time, Der Spiegel and Fortune. The program includes free access to Perplexity’s Enterprise Pro tier and developer tools. Why we care. As Perplexity grows, it could become a significant new channel for digital advertising, offering alternatives to dominant players like Google. Their AI-powered search could evolve into new ad formats or targeting capabilities that aren’t possible with traditional search advertising. The big picture. AI-powered search is more expensive than...

Google is rolling out new features to boost creative results and transparency in its advertising platforms, particularly for Performance Max campaigns. Why it matters. These updates aim to help advertisers create more effective ads, understand their performance better, and ensure brand safety across Google’s ad network. Key updates: New reporting tools: Conversion metrics in asset-level reporting. YouTube video placement reporting. Third-party verification for brand suitability on YouTube and Display. Enhanced AI-powered creative tools: Expanded image editing capabilities, including object removal and addition. Improved asset generation for multiple campaign types. Easier access to creative tools from the “Create” menu. New partnership: Integration with Typeface for seamless asset creation and implementation. Between the lines. Google continues with its move to leverage AI to help advertisers create more diverse and high-quality assets while providing more t...

Website migrations are a part of an enterprise’s natural evolution. Companies may migrate because they’re rebranding , going to the cloud to scale their site easier or numerous other reasons. However, while migration may seem simple on paper, one misstep can lead to SEO problems, such as: 404 errors. Lost rankings. Missing content. Lost revenue. Before beginning your migration, you’ll want to run a site crawler to inventory your pages. The goal is to have a list of all pages that you can refer to when the migration is complete to verify that everything is migrated correctly. You’ll also want to identify when your site traffic is highest so you can avoid performing a migration during these hours. Once you’re ready, it’s time to move on to the first part of your planning stage. Communication plan I see most guides go right into the pre-migration phase, and while this may be fine if you’re a one-person owner, it’s not OK when multiple stakeholders are involved.  A basic...

Whether you’re a seasoned PPC marketer or just starting out, creating and optimizing Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) is challenging. At SMX Advanced 2024, I highlighted the biggest pitfalls marketers face with RSAs, which make a difficult task even harder. Explore these common RSA mistakes and catch the full session replay to turn your ads around. Mistake 1: You’re looking at the wrong metrics You’ve heard a million times that you need to use the “right metrics,” but there are so many competing scores, metrics and diagnostic tools for evaluating RSAs that it can feel impossible to know what your KPIs should be.  “Isn’t the job of the ad to get the click, not to drive sales?” “What if the best ads have the worst ad strength?” Let’s set you up for success by clarifying a few ideas: Your KPIs should align with business growth Ask most business owners how they gauge the success of a Google Ad and they’ll likely say it should drive more clicks and sales. On the surface, th...

Google is rolling out a new feature that bridges the gap between Google Merchant Center and Google Ads, enhancing the ad creation process for e-commerce businesses. Why we care. This integration allows advertisers to leverage their existing product images directly within Google Ads’ AI image editor, streamlining the creation of high-quality visual assets for campaigns. Details: Advertisers can now link Merchant Center feeds with Performance Max campaigns. The AI image editor in Google Ads can access and enhance product images from Merchant Center. Edited images are saved to the Asset Library for use in campaigns. Performance Max campaigns can include up to 20 images. How it works. After linking Google Ads to Merchant Center, advertisers can import product images into the Asset Library through the AI image editor’s media picker.= Between the lines. This feature aims to simplify the ad creation process, potentially saving time and resources for advertisers while improving...

Successful search marketing requires thoughtful coordination between diverse teams responsible for SEO, PPC, analytics, and beyond. Get your team on the same page , speaking the same language, and working towards a shared vision of success: Attend the  SMX Master Classes  – online August 21-22 – as a group to sharpen skills, broaden horizons, and learn actionable tactics that  drive measurable results … and  save up to 20% off* while you’re at it! (Can’t attend live? Same-day on-demand access is included for free!) With seven exclusive courses to choose from, the learning combinations are endless. Attend the same class to unify and bond – or attend different classes to dive deep into respective disciplines and report back with armloads of insights and next steps. Click on a class below to learn exactly what you’ll learn – including a close look at the curriculum, actionable next steps, and each day’s training agenda. Powering advanced SEO success   wit...

Change is the only constant in today’s rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape. Keeping up with the latest innovations isn’t just a choice – it’s a necessity for survival.  Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the latest major development revolutionizing the way people search and interact with information online.  As GEO and its effects on SEO and digital marketing continue to evolve, we’ll cover the basics to equip you with the knowledge to navigate these dynamic changes and stay ahead. Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide:   What is GEO?  How GEO differs from SEO. Why GEO is important. Key benefits of GEO. How generative AI/answer engines work.  How GEO works. Future potential of GEO.  What is GEO?  GEO stands for “generative engine optimization” which means the process of optimizing your website’s content to boost its visibility in AI-driven search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Google AI Overviews...