This Week’s Industry News
Compiled by the Rocket Clicks Team
Top Stories
Google Maps Cutting Back on Business Listings
To the dismay of many small businesses and local SEOs, Google Maps has reduced the number of business listings that show up in its map results. There are less results both on the actual map and fewer listings on the left sidebar where local listings are displayed. Barry Schwartz reports that this change appears to be widespread and suggests that Google Local Ads may be coming sooner than we think. Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google Now Banning Ads for High-Interest & Payday Loans
Google’s ban on high-interest & payday loans has begun to roll out in an attempt to stop predatory lending ads from appearing on the search results page. They will begin to remove existing predatory loan ads over time, while also blocking any new ads of this type from being created. This will include ads for personal loans that require repayment in 60 days or less and ads for personal loans that have an Annual Percentage Rate of 36% or higher. Source: Search Engine Land
Google My Business Adds Import Summary Screen
To make uploading bulk listings easier for businesses, Google My Business has added an import summary graphic that allows users to preview and confirm changes. The preview screen includes important specifics such as error warnings, a chart that sums up the changes you made and a button that lets you download a detailed list of your changes in spreadsheet form. Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Pokémon Go to Utilize Sponsored Locations for Advertisers
Niantic, the company behind Pokemon Go, announced that it will offer sponsored locations within the wildly popular app somewhere down the road. Players can visit landmarks known as “Pokestops” to collect in-game items and it appears that, soon enough, companies can pay to become a Pokestop. With this model, advertisers will be charged on a Cost-Per-Visit basis, similar to being charged on a Cost-Per-Click basis on other advertising platforms. Source: Ad Age
Additional Commentary
7 Tips for an Effective SEO Rebranding Campaign
Search Engine Journal’s Sergio Aicardi shares his thoughts on how SEOs can successfully rebrand a site without losing ranking momentum. Keeping the site’s original domain name, repurposing existing content and using the same URL structure with proper redirects are among the most important considerations. By addressing these first steps, Aicardi assures that a successful rebrand launch can take place while keeping all SEO progress intact. You can read his full list at Search Engine Journal.
Analysis: Sergio Aicardi, Search Engine Journal
Tips to Increase Your Remarketing Conversion Volume
Jennifer Kennedy shares five helpful tips for increasing your Remarketing conversion volume. Kennedy notes the importance of timing: you’ll need to find that sweet spot in terms of how long you want users to be included in your audience pool. A customer will likely not want to buy the same item they viewed three months ago. She suggests that if you have a complex message or multiple products: try testing animated banner ads against static ones. The author also suggests avoiding vague calls-to-action like “click here” or “go”. In addition, CTA’s using a time sensitive offer can dramatically increase CTR. Analysis: Jennifer Kennedy, Search Engine Watch
