Exposure By Design

This year had different stresses accompanying the Google algorithm updates, fewer pandemic stresses, and more recession-related stress. We had ten confirmed Google algorithm updates this year, the same number of confirmed algorithm updates we had in 2021. This year, we had a brand new ranking system named the helpful content update, and we had two of them. Also similar to last year, Google rolled out two big algorithm updates at the end of the year. Google confirmed algorithm update summary We whipped up this timeline documenting all the confirmed Google search algorithm updates in 2022, so you can visualize the updates over the year. Please note, the last two updates have not completed yet, when they are finished, I will update this story. Google’s May and September core updates were big updates May 2022 core update . On May 25, 2022, Google released the first core update for the 2022 year, the May 2022 core update. That update took 15 days to rol...

First, congratulations on surviving 2022, you’ve done great! 2022 was surprising, unique, and a challenging mix of several global events that kept us on our toes as consumers, brands, and search marketing professionals. The recession, great resignation, a war, FIFA finale, and several silent battles we all fought by ourselves. As we recap the year gone by, let’s look at the world through the lens of search, SEO, analytics, and content creation. Source 2022 has been about… Looking at your consumers as human beings and not just data sets Understanding how your target consumers perceive the world and how they experience life in a digital age Tailoring and testing your strategies to meet consumers in their moment of need – all without losing budget (or your sanity!) Finding most-effective tools, technologies, and talent to navigate business uncertainty We present to you the #SEWTop5 A countdown of editor’s picks that the Search Engine Watch community...

Advertising on Google Ads is a no-brainer for many brands. Between the mammoth market share, the proven ROI on time and monetary investment, and the innovations in creative/targeting – it’s never been a better time to scale Google Ads. Getting started can be a bit more complex than it used to be. You’ll need to make some key decisions on what kind of account you want and make sure you have your verifications ready. This article is a step-by-step guide to setting up your Google Ads account. Note : While there will be some strategic advice, the goal is to keep it as universally applicable as possible. In addition, we will not be going over setting up Local Service Ads or Merchant Center. Getting started with Google Ads Setting up a Google Ads account requires an email (can be Google or not). If you don’t already have an email you planned on using, you can create a quick account before the ad account is set up. Once you designate the email account...

2022 was a wild ride and we’re not just talking about NyQuil chicken or the slap heard ‘round the world at the Oscars. The digital marketing world was inundated with a new Chief twit, old platforms making comebacks (enter Microsoft), and more campaign automation features then we really care for. As the year comes to a close, let’s take a look at some of the most headline-worthy, controversial, biggest-impacting changes that rocked the PPC world over the last 12 months. The bigger picture We asked and you answered. This year marketers told us that although the adoption of Google Ads automation is high, it’s their least favorite part of PPC. The gradual loss of control, as well as forcing automation and broad targeting on marketers, doesn’t give us that warm and fuzzy feeling after all. Who knew?  But automation and economic uncertainty aside, search advertising is thriving and spending in 2023 could hit $112 billion (nearly double the spend in 2019). Google dominat...

Creating a loyalty marketing strategy is critical to understanding that every customer is unique. Every member has different needs, preferences, communication channels, behavior and emotions. Approaching all these unique members as one via mass communication is a big mistake when trying to scale your business. Segmenting your customers is critical to your success. But what is customer segmentation, why is it important and which segmentation models should be considered? 1. What is customer segmentation? Customer segmentation is the practice in which marketers divide their customer base into specific groups in order to deliver more effective communication and a personalized experience. These segments can be based on one or several characteristics that clients have in common, such as demographics, psychographics, preferences, or even behavior. For example, customers can be split based on demographics such as their age, gender or location – then these character...

Google is now rolling out two different Google search algorithm updates simultaneously, the December 2022 helpful content system and the December 2022 link spam update. The helpful content update started on December 5th, and the link spam update started on December 14th. Both updates are not finished rolling out, in fact, Google said that the helpful content update “is going to take longer” to complete than the two-week timeline previously given. I asked several data providers to send me data on what they are seeing with the Google search results during these updates, keep in mind, it is somewhat hard to look at data in aggregate and say this ranking volatility is related to one update over another. But nevertheless, I wanted to share what the data providers are noticing. Data providers RankRanger. Let’s start with RankRanger who sent us data broken out by the start of each update. Generally, but not always, the first few days after an update is roll...

Since its initial release in 2016, TikTok has become the fastest-growing social media platform. If you’re looking to learn more about the popular short-form video app and how your brand can use it, you’ve come to the right place. We read TikTok’s creator guidelines and newsroom documentation, so you don’t have to. In this article, we’re sharing everything we learned – along with insights from the TikTokers well-versed in increasing views, engaging users and growing a following. Find out how the TikTok algorithm works, what you need to do to create a winning video, and decide whether TikTok can benefit your brand. In this article: What is the TikTok algorithm? What is the For You feed? How does the TikTok algorithm work? Keywords and the TikTok algorithm TikTok SEO and Google TikTok algorithm myths debunked What the algorithm won’t show 7 tips for working with the TikTok algorithm and going viral ...