Ep 184: Google Introduces “Search Themes” - A New Optional Performance Max Signal

Episode 184 contains the important Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Oct 23-27, 2023.1. Google Introduces “Search Themes” -  A New Optional Performance Max Signal : Google has introduced a new feature called "Search Themes" for its Performance Max campaigns. If you're not familiar, Performance Max campaigns use Google's AI to automatically place ads across Google’s landscape after analyzing your budget, assets, feeds, and landing pages to predict valuable placements. . The new feature allows advertisers to have more control over these automated campaigns by providing specific topics or categories relevant to their business. This helps the AI system better understand what kind of traffic would be most beneficial for your business - better targeting means more relevant traffic, and more relevant traffic means higher conversion rates.Why should you care? Traditional keyword-based advertising has its limitations. For instance, if you've just launched a new product or entered a new market, you might not have enough data for effective keyword targeting. Search Themes fill this gap by allowing you to provide additional context about your business, helping Google to better understand and target your ads. You can add up to 25 search themes per ad group  in your Performance Max campaign, and these themes will be treated like phrases and broad match keywords in regular search campaigns.  Search themes will respect any brand exclusions and negative keywords you've set at the account level. This is a significant step towards giving advertisers more control over automated systems, which has been a long-standing request from the business community.Google has launched this feature in beta and plans to add more robust search term insights and guidance around utilizing Search Themes in 2024. Early feedback from pilot testers has been positive.2. Google's Latest Update on Structured Data! - Google has just rolled out an update that allows you to mix different types of structured data on your website. If you're wondering what structured data is, it's a way to label your website's content so search engines like Google can understand it better. This helps improve your website's visibility in search results, which is crucial for attracting more customers.Before this update, you had to choose between using JSON-LD or Microdata formats for your structured data. Each has its own pros and cons. JSON-LD is easier to maintain and read, while Microdata integrates directly into your HTML. Now, Google says it's okay to use both formats together. This flexibility can make your website more efficient and effective in communicating with search engines.Why is this important for you? Imagine you run a blog on your business website. Previously, you might have had to duplicate your article content in the structured data to make it understandable to Google, making your code bulky. With this update, you can use Microdata for the article content and JSON-LD for other metadata, avoiding unnecessary duplication. This means cleaner, more efficient code, which can lead to faster load times and a better user experience.This change is optional, so you don't have to rush to update your existing structured data. But it opens up new possibilities for optimizing your website. Whether you're looking to improve your site's SEO or streamline its code, this update offers a valuable opportunity to do both.3. Don't Let Google Penalize You: Avoid These Content Mistakes Now! - Are you aware that the type of content you publish on your website can either make or break your online presence? Google's Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, recently shed light on what the search engine considers "unhelpful content." In simple terms, unhelpful content is material written primarily to rank well in search engine results, rather than to serve your audience's needs.Why should you care? Google is the gatekeeper to your online visibility. If your content is deemed unhelpful, it could seriously harm your website's search engine ranking. This means fewer people will find your business online, leading to lost opportunities and revenue.Sullivan pointed out that if you're writing articles like "20 Fun Things You Can Do Today" just to rank well for the term "fun things," then you're on the wrong track. The focus should be on creating content that is genuinely useful to your audience. He also cautioned against using tools that suggest what to write about based on what might rank well. According to him, this approach often leads to content that Google considers unhelpful.So, what's the takeaway? Shift your focus from trying to please search engines to meeting the needs of your audience. If someone asks a question and your content provides a clear answer, that's "people-first content." And guess what? Google loves it!Don't risk your online visibility by making easily avoidable mistakes. Make the shift to audience-focused content today and watch your online presence grow.P.S. Google's guidelines are not just rules but opportunities to improve. Take action now to align your content strategy with what truly matters!4. The Real Culprit Behind Your Website's Ranking Drop: It's Not CLS! - Have you noticed a sudden drop in your website's Google search rankings and are scrambling to find out why? You might be tempted to blame it on "Cumulative Layout Shift" (CLS), especially if you've recently received warnings about it from Google Search Console. But hold on, Google's John Mueller has made it clear: CLS is not the reason for sudden, significant drops in search rankings.Firstly, what is Cumulative Layout Shift? It's a metric that measures the visual stability of your website. For example, if elements on your webpage move around as it loads, that's a high CLS score, and it's generally considered bad for user experience. However, according to Mueller, even if you have issues with CLS, it's not going to cause a drastic drop in your Google rankings.Why is this important for you? Because focusing on the wrong issue can waste your valuable time and resources. Google has consistently stated that page experience signals, like Core Web Vitals (which includes CLS), are not significant ranking factors. They might act more like a "tie-breaker" than a major ranking signal. So, if you've seen a drop in traffic, the culprit is likely something else.In summary, while it's good to optimize for a better page experience, don't panic or "over-focus" on metrics like CLS when you see a drop in your rankings. Your time is better spent analyzing other potential issues that could have a more significant impact on your website's performance.P.S. Understanding what really affects your website's ranking can save you from unnecessary stress and help you focus on what truly matters for your business. Don't chase the wrong problems!5. Stop Blaming Your Web Host: The Real Story Behind Google's "Hostload Exceeded" Error! - If you've been scratching your head over the "Hostload Exceeded" error message on Google Search Console, you're not alone. This error has left many website owners puzzled, leading them to question their web hosting services. But Google's John Mueller has clarified that the issue is not with your web host; it's something else entirely.First, let's break down what "Hostload Exceeded" means. This error appears when you try to index your website's pages using Google Search Console. Indexing is crucial because it helps Goo...