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Google I/O 2026: What The Latest Search & Shopping Updates Mean For SEO

by Cedarwood Digital NewsDigital PR & Outreach tipsPaid SearchPaid SocialSEO

Introduction

This year’s Google I/O 2026 made one thing very clear: Google Search is continuing its shift away from a traditional “10 blue links” experience and towards a far more AI-led, conversational and predictive ecosystem.

For businesses, marketers and SEO professionals, this isn’t just another algorithm update cycle. It’s a structural change in how visibility works online.

Across the keynote announcements and search-focused sessions, Google doubled down on AI-generated search experiences, multimodal discovery, agentic search behaviour and deeper integrations between search, shopping and Gemini. The result is a search landscape where being visible increasingly depends on trust, authority, brand signals and machine-readable expertise rather than simply ranking a webpage.

Below, we break down the key announcements from Google I/O 2026 and what they mean for SEO, digital PR, ecommerce and search visibility moving forward.

The End Of The Traditional “10 Blue Links”

One of the clearest themes from Google I/O was that Google Search is no longer designed around a simple list of website links.

Instead, search is increasingly becoming an AI-curated interface where users receive summarised answers, recommendations and actions directly within the SERP.

Google demonstrated:

  • More advanced AI Overviews
  • Conversational follow-up queries
  • Context-aware search journeys
  • Multimodal search experiences
  • AI-generated shopping recommendations
  • Deeper integration with Gemini

This means users are spending more time interacting with Google itself rather than clicking through to websites.

For SEO, this changes the core objective.

Historically, success was heavily tied to ranking position and click-through rate. Now, visibility is increasingly influenced by whether Google trusts your brand enough to cite, reference or surface your information within AI-generated answers.

What This Means For SEO

Businesses now need to optimise for:

  • Citation visibility
  • Brand authority
  • Entity recognition
  • Trust and reputation signals
  • Topical expertise
  • Structured information retrieval
  • Content that can be easily summarised and referenced by AI systems

The future of SEO is becoming increasingly tied to machine trust rather than simply keyword matching.

AI Overviews Are Expanding Further

Google confirmed that AI Overviews are continuing to expand globally and are becoming a much more central part of the search experience.

These AI-generated summaries are now appearing across a wider range of informational, commercial and comparison-style queries.

Google also demonstrated:

  • More detailed generated answers
  • Follow-up conversational interactions
  • Comparison and recommendation functionality
  • AI-assisted decision making
  • Deeper query refinement journeys

This creates both opportunities and risks for brands.

The Key Challenge: Reduced Organic Clicks

As AI Overviews become more comprehensive, users may no longer need to click through to a website to get basic information.

This is especially important for:

  • Informational publishers
  • Affiliate websites
  • Comparison content
  • Commodity-style blog content
  • FAQ-led content strategies

Businesses relying heavily on informational search traffic may see continued declines in traditional organic CTR.

The Opportunity

While clicks may reduce, authority becomes more valuable.

Brands repeatedly cited within AI Overviews are likely to benefit from:

  • Increased brand awareness
  • Higher perceived trust
  • Stronger entity recognition
  • Improved future retrieval likelihood
  • Better branded search demand

This creates what many are now calling a “citation economy” within search.

Search Is Becoming More Conversational

Google showcased major advancements in conversational search experiences powered by Gemini.

Users can now:

  • Ask more complex follow-up questions
  • Continue search journeys naturally
  • Refine recommendations in real time
  • Use conversational prompts rather than isolated keywords

For example, instead of searching:

“best running shoes”

Users may now ask:

“What are the best running shoes for marathon training if I overpronate and run four times a week?”

This fundamentally changes search behaviour.

What This Means For Content Strategy

SEO content now needs to better satisfy nuanced, contextual intent rather than isolated keywords.

That means creating content that:

  • Demonstrates real expertise
  • Answers layered questions
  • Covers topics comprehensively
  • Includes contextual depth
  • Shows real-world experience
  • Uses clear semantic relationships

Thin, highly templated SEO content becomes increasingly vulnerable in this environment.

Multimodal Search Is Accelerating

Another major theme from Google I/O was multimodal search.

Google demonstrated search experiences combining:

  • Text
  • Voice
  • Images
  • Video
  • Live camera input
  • Contextual memory

Through Gemini integrations, users can increasingly interact with Google in more natural ways.

Examples included:

  • Pointing a camera at products for recommendations
  • Asking questions about live surroundings
  • Combining voice and visual search
  • Receiving contextual shopping suggestions

What This Means For Brands

Brands now need to think beyond traditional webpage optimisation.

Visibility increasingly depends on:

  • Image optimisation
  • Video discoverability
  • Product feed quality
  • Structured data
  • Visual search readiness
  • Cross-platform entity consistency

Search is becoming a multi-format ecosystem rather than a purely text-based one.

Ecommerce & Shopping Received Major AI Updates

Google also announced significant AI-driven shopping enhancements.

These included:

  • AI-generated product recommendations
  • Personalised shopping journeys
  • Smarter product comparisons
  • Virtual try-on improvements
  • More contextual shopping assistance
  • AI-assisted product discovery

Google is increasingly acting as a recommendation engine rather than just a product search engine.

What Ecommerce Brands Need To Focus On

To remain competitive, ecommerce businesses will likely need stronger:

  • Product data feeds
  • Merchant Centre optimisation
  • Product imagery
  • Reviews and reputation signals
  • Structured product information
  • First-party brand authority
  • Digital PR and brand mentions

Product visibility is becoming increasingly tied to trust and brand confidence.

Gemini Is Becoming Central To The Search Experience

One of the biggest takeaways from Google I/O is that Gemini is no longer separate from search.

It is becoming deeply integrated into how Google retrieves, interprets and presents information.

This means Google is increasingly evaluating:

  • Which brands it trusts
  • Which sources appear authoritative
  • Which entities demonstrate expertise
  • Which websites consistently provide reliable information

This reinforces the growing importance of E-E-A-T.

E-E-A-T Is Becoming Even More Important

Google didn’t explicitly position every announcement around E-E-A-T, but many of the changes strongly reinforce its growing importance.

As AI systems summarise and recommend content directly, Google becomes more reliant on trust evaluation systems to determine:

  • Which information is accurate
  • Which sources are reputable
  • Which brands demonstrate authority
  • Which publishers are safe to surface

Key Signals Likely To Matter More

Businesses should increasingly focus on:

Strong Brand Reputation

Brands with recognised authority are more likely to be surfaced in AI-generated experiences.

Expert-Led Content

Demonstrating genuine expertise and experience becomes critical.

Third-Party Validation

Digital PR, mentions, citations and external references continue to grow in importance.

Structured Transparency

Clear authorship, editorial standards, references and provenance all help reinforce trust.

Entity Consistency

Google increasingly needs confidence in who your business is and what topics it should be associated with.

AI Search Will Reward Trusted Entities, Not Just Optimised Pages

One of the biggest strategic shifts from Google I/O is that SEO is becoming increasingly entity-driven.

Historically, SEO focused heavily on optimising pages.

Now, Google is increasingly trying to determine:

  • Which businesses are trusted
  • Which entities are authoritative
  • Which brands deserve visibility
  • Which organisations consistently demonstrate expertise

This means SEO can no longer operate in isolation.

Future visibility increasingly relies on:

  • SEO
  • Digital PR
  • Brand marketing
  • Reputation management
  • Thought leadership
  • First-party audience building
  • Community trust
  • Expert credibility

What Businesses Should Do Next

1. Invest In Brand Authority

Brand recognition and trust are becoming increasingly influential in AI-led search experiences.

2. Create Content With Genuine Expertise

Thin AI-generated content without depth or expertise will likely struggle long term.

3. Improve Structured Data & Technical SEO

Google’s AI systems rely heavily on structured understanding of content and entities.

4. Focus On Topical Depth

Building deep expertise within a niche is increasingly important.

5. Strengthen Digital PR & Off-Page Signals

External validation continues to play a major role in trust evaluation.

6. Prepare For Lower CTRs

Organic traffic reporting and SEO measurement models may need to evolve beyond simple clicks.

7. Think Beyond Google Rankings

Visibility increasingly exists across:

  • AI Overviews
  • Gemini
  • Conversational search
  • Shopping experiences
  • Visual search
  • Recommendation engines

Final Thoughts

Google I/O 2026 reinforced that search is rapidly evolving into an AI-first ecosystem.

The traditional SEO playbook of keyword targeting, scaled content production and ranking position optimisation is becoming less effective on its own.

Instead, Google is moving towards a model where visibility is increasingly awarded to brands and entities it believes it can trust.

That means the future of SEO will likely revolve around:

  • Authority
  • Reputation
  • Expertise
  • Brand recognition
  • Entity understanding
  • Citation visibility
  • Trust validation

For businesses willing to adapt, the opportunities remain huge.

But success in modern search will increasingly depend on building a genuinely trusted brand rather than simply optimising webpages.

[blog]_[ ppc talks]_[Blog Pictures]

PPC Talks – Head Of Paid Social Anna’s Talk With The Go! Network

by Cedarwood Digital News

On the 30th of January, our Head of Paid Media & Operations, Anna Simpson, spoke at a virtual workshop about challenging the biggest PPC myths and unlocking smarter strategies for PPC success, courtesy of The Go! Network. 

Anna’s talking points included: 

  • Why do some brands believe they can manage PPC without external expertise, and what’s the reality? 
  • What’s the best approach to aligning PPC efforts with overall business goals?
  • How do you determine the right budget for PPC campaigns, especially for smaller businesses?
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If you fancy a listen to these expert insights, practical takeaways, and real-world case studies, check out the workshop here. 

Also, if you are interested in any other Cedarwood news or marketing tips, check out our blog page here and have a read!

[blog]_[Director Amanda On The Main Stage At Brighton SEO]_[Blog Picture]

Director Amanda On The Main Stage At Brighton SEO

by Cedarwood Digital NewsDigital PR & Outreach tipsLink BuildingPaid SearchPaid SocialSEO

Having attended Brighton SEO for over a decade now, I can safely say that it’s one of the best, if not the best SEO conference in the world, so I was absolutely delighted when asked to speak on the main stage this year covering the topic “SEO For YMYL Websites”

For those of you that don’t know what YMYL is, it stands for “Your Money Your Life” and it’s a term that was coined by Google to cover websites that can have an impact on someone’s money or life. At Cedarwood, we specialise in working with companies like this and with years of experience building links in particularly tricky industries i.e. gaming, vaping, medical, legal so it was great to be able to share some knowledge about this with the community.

So what were some of the key takeaways from the talk?

  • User intent is key – matching user intent plays a huge role in the YMYL space and it’s really important that we are keeping this in mind. This ties in really well with the idea of creating a “satisfying amount of content” – that is the right amount of content for a user, not a certain number of words, to answer the questions/queries they might have and allow them to make an informed decision
  • Reputation is important –  in particular your external reputation. Google yourself – see what people are saying about you and make sure that you work to build your reputation with effective Digital PR – this will go a long way to helping what people have to say about you and also what Google are seeing being said about you
  • Showcase your trust signals – whether it’s through industry accreditations or simply by telling people why they should trust you, showcasing this on your website and on external websites plays an important role on building those all important E-E-A-T signals
  • And on the topic of E-E-A-T, making sure that it shines through in everything that you do. Google have openly stated that for YMYL websites they place a heavier weight on E-E-A-T signals so it’s important that those are showcased at every opportunity
  • Finally, making sure that the look and feel of your content matches the expertise of it – there’s no point having great content only for it to look “amateurish” – take time to consider the way content is displayed and that it matches the expertise you are showcasing.

I had a great time in Brighton, got to meet some fantastic people and hear from some thought leaders across the industry.

You can find a link to my full slide deck here: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/amanda-walls-brighton-seo-seo-for-ymyl-websites-9pptx/267570020

Until October!

[blog] [northern digital awards] [blog picture]

Cedarwood Take Home 4 Northern Digital Awards!

by Cedarwood Digital NewsDigital PR & Outreach tipsSEO

We’re delighted to share our success at the Northern Digital Awards last week! 

We attended the awards ceremony here in Manchester on Thursday and were awarded: 

🏅Search Agency Of The Year

🏅Best SEO Campaign (Patient Claim Line)

🏅Best Digital Marketing Campaign – B2C (Little Loans)

🏅Best Digital Marketing Campaign – Finance (Cash Lady)

We are so pleased with this outcome, especially given the tough competition from a host of esteemed agencies. It’s really exciting to see our hard work this year recognised through such respected awards.

Here’s what the judges had to say:

Thank you to our clients for another successful year, and a huge well done to the team for their efforts! 

[blog]_[[blog]_[Director Amanda On The Main Stage At Brighton SEO]_[Blog Picture]]_[Blog Picture]

PPC Landing Page Best Practices: Tips for Better Conversion Rates

by Paid Search

With PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, every click carries a cost. It is imperative to convert those hard-earned visitors into customers to maximise the return on investment (ROI) of your ad spend. In this blog post, we will explore essential strategies for conversion rate optimisation (CRO) in the context of PPC advertising. We will cover overall optimisation techniques, desktop-specific tactics, and mobile-specific approaches. By implementing these recommendations, you can enhance user experience, increase trust, and amplify the impact of your PPC campaigns.

 

Overall Optimisation:

💡Ease of Navigation: Simplify your website’s navigation structure and ensure that visitors can easily find what they’re looking for without having to click through to different pages and get lost in the website.

 

💡Streamlined Conversion Funnel: Optimise the conversion process by reducing friction and eliminating unnecessary steps. Make it easy for visitors to convert by simplifying forms, minimising data entry requirements, and providing clear instructions.

 

💡Trust Signals from Third-Party Reviewers: Incorporate testimonials, ratings, and reviews from reputable third-party sources. Positive feedback and social proof enhance trust in your brand, ultimately influencing purchase decisions.

 

💡Unique Selling Propositions (USPs): Clearly communicate your company’s unique value propositions to visitors. Highlight what sets your business apart from the competition and why customers should choose your products or services.

 

💡Address Pain Points: Identify common pain points or challenges faced by your target audience and emphasise how your offerings provide effective solutions. Focus on addressing customer needs to increase the likelihood of conversion.

 

💡Landing Page Relevance: Ensure your landing pages directly related to the keywords and messaging used in your PPC ads. Consistency between your ad and landing page creates a seamless user experience, increasing the likelihood of conversion. Users should find what they expect to see, fostering trust and minimising bounce rates. 

 

💡Speed and Performance: Mobile users expect fast-loading pages. Optimise your mobile landing pages to load quickly, keeping visitors engaged and reducing the chances of abandonment.

 

Desktop Optimisation:

💻Design-Driven Content: Desktop users often desire more comprehensive information before making a purchasing decision. Create visually appealing landing pages that incorporate detailed content, including product features, benefits, and customer testimonials.

 

💻Clear CTAs: Use visually appealing, attention-grabbing Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons that stand out from the surrounding content. Ensure that they are strategically placed to drive conversions and guide users towards desired actions.

 

💻A/B Testing: Continuously test different elements, such as headlines, images, colours, and CTAs, on your desktop landing pages. This iterative approach helps identify the most effective combinations that yield the highest conversion rates.

 

Mobile Optimisation:

📱Responsive Design: Ensure your landing pages are fully optimised for mobile devices, providing a seamless browsing experience. Responsive design guarantees that your PPC ads drive mobile users to mobile-friendly landing pages, reducing friction and improving conversion rates.

 

📱Thumb-Friendly CTAs: Optimise mobile CTAs by aligning them with users’ natural thumb placement. Placing important buttons within easy reach improves user experience and encourages conversions.

 

📱Visible Contact Information: Make sure that essential information like phone numbers and contact details are clearly visible on mobile devices. This enables users to quickly reach out and establishes trust and accessibility.

 

📱Minimise Scrolling and Text: Mobile users have limited screen space and attention spans. Reduce the amount of scrolling required and keep the text concise, ensuring key information and CTAs are visible without excessive scrolling.

 

📱Prominent CTAs: Place CTAs near the top of the mobile screen to capture users’ attention without the need for excessive scrolling. Make them highly visible and intuitive for quick and effortless conversions.

 

Conclusion:

PPC advertising requires a strategic approach to ensure that your investment translates into tangible business results. Conversion rate optimisation is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring, testing, and refinement. By implementing these conversion rate optimisation strategies, you can increase the effectiveness of your PPC campaigns, boost user engagement, and ultimately improve ROI. Remember to tailor your optimisations to both desktop and mobile users, leveraging the unique advantages and challenges each platform presents. Stay proactive, continuously monitor performance, and refine your campaigns based on user behaviour to unlock the full potential of your PPC advertising efforts.

[blog]_[ Challenging Digital KPI Metrics in PPC Advertising: Moving Beyond Vanity Metrics]_[Blog Pictures]

Challenging Digital KPI Metrics in PPC Advertising: Moving Beyond Vanity Metrics

by Paid Search

In PPC, it’s easy to get swept up in the numbers that look good in a dashboard but don’t actually mean much for the business. You might see a jump in leads or form fills, but when you check in with the sales team, nothing’s really changed. That’s because some KPIs sound impressive on the surface but don’t link to revenue in a meaningful way.

Here are a couple of the usual suspects, and how I talk about them with clients.

Where Vanity Metrics Fall Short

More Doesn’t Always Mean Better

A high number of leads might look positive, but if most of those people were never likely to buy, it’s just noise. Sales teams end up wasting time chasing poor-fit prospects, and marketing spend is spread thin with little to show for it. Quality matters far more than volume.

Not All Interest Is Equal

Not every form completion carries the same weight. Someone downloading a free guide isn’t in the same position as someone booking a demo or requesting a quote. Treating them as equal “leads” only gives you misleading data and skews your campaigns.

How To Approach This With Clients

Be Clear About the Limitations

When working with clients, it is crucial to educate them about the limitations of vanity metrics and the importance of focusing on metrics that align with the business’s bottom line. Explain that not all leads are created equal and emphasise the need to assess the quality and conversion potential of leads to drive actual revenue. 

Focus on Sales-Qualified Leads

Instead of fixating on increasing the overall number of leads, shift the emphasis to identifying and nurturing sales-qualified leads (SQLs). An SQL is a lead that has been vetted and determined to have a higher likelihood of converting into a paying customer/client. By focusing on increasing the percentage of SQLs within the lead pool, businesses can drive more effective marketing campaigns and maximise their return on investment (ROI).

Think Cost-Effectiveness, Not Just Volume

Highlight the cost-effectiveness of focusing on increasing the percentage of SQLs instead of simply aiming for higher lead numbers. Share examples to demonstrate how an increase in SQLs from, say, 20% to 40%, can result in a higher conversion rate and a more significant impact on the bottom line. This approach ensures that marketing efforts are optimised to generate revenue, rather than being diluted by a high volume of unqualified leads which can overload the internal teams. This becomes even more important when growing an account – as costs increase you want to ensure that the budget is being spent as effectively as possible to drive the best ROI. 

Why This Benefits Both Client & Agency

  • Agencies stand out by focusing on results that actually matter.

  • Clients value the honesty and know you’re not just padding out reports.

  • Conversations are more productive when both sides are looking at the same goals.

  • Stronger results naturally lead to longer-term working relationships.

Metrics like total leads and form completions aren’t completely irrelevant, but on their own they don’t tell you very much. The real test of PPC is whether those leads are qualified and likely to become customers. That’s what drives growth, and that’s where marketing proves its value.

At the end of the day, it isn’t about how many leads you can show in a spreadsheet. It’s about whether those leads are actually helping the business grow.

Remember, in digital marketing, true success lies not in the number of leads generated but in the quality of leads and their conversion potential.

[blog]_[Maximising ROI: Importing Phone Call Vetted Leads into Google Ads]_[Blog Picture]

Maximising ROI: Importing Phone Call Vetted Leads into Google Ads

by Paid Search

In the digital age, businesses rely on various online marketing channels to generate leads and drive conversions. However, for certain industries, phone calls remain a vital source of qualified leads. To ensure a holistic view of lead generation and optimise marketing efforts, it’s crucial to import your qualified phone call leads back into Google Ads to enable you to track truly valuable leads. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of this approach and outline the steps to successfully import phone call vetted leads into Google Ads.

Benefits of Importing Phone Call Vetted Leads:

⚡Comprehensive Lead Tracking: Importing phone calls of leads that turned out to be qualified back into Google Ads allows you to consolidate your lead tracking efforts. By capturing and analysing both online and offline conversions, you gain a more comprehensive view of your marketing campaign’s effectiveness.

⚡Enhanced Conversion Attribution: Phone call conversions often represent high-value engagements. Importing these leads into Google Ads helps attribute conversions accurately, giving you insights into the true impact of your ad spend and optimising your return on investment (ROI).

⚡Refining Targeting and Optimisation: Incorporating phone call data enables you to identify patterns and trends related to high-converting leads. You can leverage this information to refine your audience targeting, ad messaging, and bidding strategies, leading to more effective campaigns.

⚡Closed-Loop Reporting: You can bridge the gap between offline and online activities, enabling closed-loop reporting. This allows you to assess the entire customer journey, from the initial ad impression to the phone call conversion, gaining valuable insights into your marketing funnel.

Steps to Import Phone Call Vetted Leads into Google Ads:

➡️Step 1: Set Up Conversion Tracking:

Ensure that you have conversion tracking set up in your Google Ads account. Create a conversion action specifically for phone call leads.

➡️Step 2: Track Phone Call Conversions:

Use call tracking software or a call analytics platform to track and record phone call conversions. Assign a unique phone number to each marketing campaign or channel to accurately attribute leads as well as record the GCLID.

➡️Step 3: Define Conversion Parameters:

Identify the parameters that determine a qualified phone call lead for your business. This could include call duration, intention to proceed or other relevant criteria.

➡️Step 4: Export Call Data:

Export the call data from your call tracking software or call analytics platform in a compatible format, such as a CSV file.

➡️Step 5: Prepare Import File:

Format the exported call data into a CSV file that aligns with Google Ads’ import requirements. Make sure to include required fields such as the GCLID and the date and time of the phone call, to allow Google to map this back to specific campaigns.

➡️Step 6: Import Call Data into Google Ads:

Access the Google Ads interface and navigate to Goals in the side bar menu. Under Conversions > Summary, click on the “Create conversion action” button to create a new conversion. Under your selected conversion category, click on “Add conversion actions” and select “Calls via uploads”.  Now navigate to Conversions > Uploads, click the “+” button and upload the CSV file containing your call data.

➡️Step 7: Map Data Fields:

Map the fields in your CSV file to the appropriate conversion tracking fields in Google Ads. Ensure accurate data mapping to facilitate seamless integration and reporting.

➡️Step 8: Verify and Save:

Review the imported call data to ensure accuracy. Save the settings, and Google Ads will begin attributing imported phone call leads to your campaigns.

Conclusion 

Importing phone call vetted leads into the Google Ads interface provides invaluable insights into the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. By consolidating online and offline conversions, you gain a comprehensive view of lead generation and can optimise your advertising efforts accordingly. Follow the outlined steps to seamlessly import phone call leads into Google Ads, enabling more accurate conversion tracking, refined targeting, and closed-loop reporting. Embrace this holistic approach to maximise your ROI and make data-driven decisions that drive business growth.

[blog]_[ Best Practices To Improve Your PPC Landing Page ]_[Blog Pictures]

Best Practices To Improve Your PPC Landing Page

by Paid Search

When you’re running PPC campaigns, the landing page can make or break your results. You can have the best ads in the world, but if the page people land on doesn’t feel trustworthy, doesn’t load properly, or doesn’t give them a clear next step, they’ll drop off.

Here are some straightforward ways to make your landing pages work harder for you.

Build Trust with Social Proof

People want to know they can trust your business before they hand over their details or money. Simple things like customer testimonials, client logos, industry accreditations, or even security badges all help reassure them.

Third-party reviews can be particularly powerful, sites like Trustpilot carry weight because they’re independent. Make a habit of asking customers to leave reviews and showcase them clearly on your site.

Match Your Ads and Your Landing Page

If someone clicks on an ad, they should land on a page that feels like a natural continuation of what they just saw. The message, the offer, even the design should line up. If it doesn’t, people second-guess whether they’re in the right place, and that’s when bounce rates creep up.

Get the Headline Right

Most visitors won’t read every line, they’ll skim. That’s why the headline matters so much. It needs to be clear, relevant to the ad they clicked, and instantly explain what you’re offering. A strong headline keeps people on the page long enough to consider your offer.

Keep Pages Quick and Light

Speed is everything. A slow page doesn’t just frustrate users, it drags down your quality score and pushes up your CPC. Compress images, clean up code, and test your load time regularly. Google reckons two seconds is the maximum acceptable for an e-commerce page, and that’s a good benchmark to aim for across the board.

Focus the Content

People clicking on PPC ads usually have higher intent, so you don’t need long-winded explanations. Keep the copy concise, focus on your key benefits, and use bullet points or visuals to make it easy to digest. Every word on the page should work towards conversion, if it doesn’t, cut it.

Make Your CTAs Clear

If you’re paying to get someone onto your site, don’t leave them guessing about what to do next. Use clear, direct calls to action like Shop Now, Request a Quote, or Sign Up Today. Make them stand out visually so they’re impossible to miss. And if you have more than one, make sure the priority action comes first.

Don’t Forget Mobile

A landing page that works on desktop might fall apart on mobile. Test across devices and screen sizes to make sure navigation is smooth. Keep CTAs easy to tap, avoid text-heavy layouts that require endless scrolling, and remember: on a small screen, space is limited. Strip things back and make speed the priority.

Test, Test, Test

Don’t assume you’ve nailed it first time. Run A/B tests on headlines, CTAs, layouts, and imagery to see what actually works. Use the data to refine your approach, and keep testing, even small changes can make a difference.

Track Your Conversions Properly

You can’t improve what you’re not measuring. Make sure your conversion tracking is set up correctly so you know which pages, ads, and campaigns are delivering. Track the key metrics, conversion rate, bounce rate, time on page, and use them to guide your next round of optimisation.

 

A well-optimised landing page is just as important as a well-built PPC campaign. By building trust, matching ad intent, keeping things fast and clear, and giving people a simple next step, you’ll get more value from every click. And don’t forget, optimisation isn’t a one-off job. Keep testing, keep measuring, and keep improving.

[blog]_[Targeting Shopping Ads Only with Performance Max Campaigns]_[Blog Picture]

Targeting Shopping Ads Only with Performance Max Campaigns

by Paid Search

Targeting Shopping Ads Only with Performance Max Campaigns

In the ever-evolving world of digital advertising, advertisers are often faced with the challenge of meeting the demands set by platforms like Google. With Google’s push to expand targeting options across various channels, advertisers are compelled to broaden their reach beyond traditional avenues. However, there is a workaround with Performance Max campaigns whereby advertisers can strategically focus their efforts solely on shopping ads while excluding other channels like Maps, YouTube, Discover & Display. In this blog post, we will explore how to set up Performance Max campaigns exclusively for shopping ads, highlighting the benefits and considerations of this approach.

 

Setting Up Performance Max Campaigns for Shopping Ads Only:

 

1️⃣ Campaign Creation: Start by creating a new Performance Max campaign within Google Ads.

2️⃣ Campaign Goals: Define your campaign goals, such as maximising sales or conversions, aligning with the specific objectives of your shopping ads.

3️⃣ Campaign Settings: Ensure that any “Automatically Created Assets” are unticked.

4️⃣ Bidding Strategy: Utilise a bidding strategy that aligns with your shopping goals and budget, ensuring it reflects your intention to serve ads exclusively on shopping platforms.

5️⃣ Asset Group: Ensure that all images, videos, logos headlines and descriptions are left empty. This is crucial as it makes sure that Google doesn’t have the correct assets to utilise on the other channels we want to exclude.

 

Benefits of Exclusively Targeting Shopping Ads with Performance Max Campaigns:

 

👍Precise Targeting: By setting up Performance Max campaigns solely for shopping ads, you can precisely target customers who are specifically interested in the products you offer. 

👍Simplified Campaign Management: Excluding other channels streamlines campaign management, allowing advertisers to focus their attention and efforts on optimising shopping ad performance.

👍Cost Efficiency: Since Performance Max campaigns are not serving on other channels, advertisers can allocate their budget more efficiently, ensuring maximum return on ad spend (ROAS) for shopping campaigns.

👍Increased Relevance: By exclusively targeting shopping platforms, your ads can be shown to users who are actively searching for or browsing products, thereby enhancing the relevance of your ads.

 

Considerations and Drawbacks:

 

👎Limited Reach: Excluding other channels narrows the reach of your ads, potentially reducing the overall impressions and exposure for your brand. This can be a drawback if you aim to maximise visibility beyond shopping platforms.

👎Reduced Inventory: By excluding non-shopping channels, you may miss out on potential conversions from users who may discover your products outside of dedicated shopping platforms.

👎Competitive Landscape: Since other advertisers may be utilising Performance Max campaigns for multiple channels, focusing exclusively on shopping ads may result in increased competition for limited shopping ad placements.

 

Conclusion:

 

The workaround for Performance Max campaigns offer advertisers the flexibility to focus their efforts exclusively on shopping ads, allowing for precise targeting and streamlined campaign management. By excluding non-shopping channels, advertisers can optimise their budget, increase ad relevance, and enhance conversions on dedicated shopping platforms. However, it’s essential to carefully consider the potential drawbacks, such as limited reach and increased competition within the shopping ad landscape. By weighing the benefits against the drawbacks and aligning them with your specific advertising goals, you can leverage Performance Max campaigns to effectively serve and optimise your shopping ads.

[blog]_[: Leveraging Google Ads and SEO for Enhanced Online Visibility]_[Blog Picture]

Leveraging Google Ads and SEO for Enhanced Online Visibility

by Paid SearchSEO

Leveraging Google Ads and SEO for Enhanced Online Visibility.

 

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, gaining organic visibility for your brand can be a challenging endeavour. However, with the right strategies, such as utilising Google Ads and optimising for Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you can bridge gaps where organic visibility may be lacking. In this blog post, we will explore how leveraging Google Ads can enhance short-term visibility, especially against dominant competitors in the organic SERPs. Additionally, we will discuss how SEO can save costs for high-cost-per-click (CPC) keywords. By combining both PPC and SEO, businesses can establish a powerful and cost-effective marketing strategy.

 

Part 1: Using Google Ads to Cover Organic Visibility Gaps

 

1.1 Filling Organic Visibility Gaps:

When there are certain keywords or search queries where your client’s website lacks organic visibility, Google Ads can come to the rescue. By targeting these specific keywords through pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, you can ensure that your client’s ads appear prominently on relevant search engine results pages (SERPs). This allows you to reach a wider audience and gain immediate visibility, driving more traffic to your client’s website.

 

1.2 Overcoming Dominant Competitors:

In highly competitive industries where larger competitors with high domain authority dominate the organic SERPs, it can be difficult for smaller businesses to break through. However, Google Ads can provide a level playing field by enabling you to bid on keywords that your competitors are targeting organically. By strategically outbidding them, you can position your client’s ads above their organic listings, gaining increased visibility and effectively challenging their dominance.

 

Part 2: Harnessing SEO to Save Costs for High CPC Keywords

 

2.1 Utilising Organic Visibility for High CPC Keywords:

If your client has strong organic visibility for high-cost-per-click keywords, they can save significant advertising costs. By leveraging their existing organic visibility through SEO efforts, they can capitalise on the traffic they are already receiving without having to pay for every click. This strategic approach enables your client to allocate their budget to other marketing initiatives or expand their online presence without incurring additional expenses.

 

2.2 Maximising Long-Term Growth:

SEO plays a crucial role in building sustainable organic visibility over time. By investing in optimising your website’s content, architecture, and backlink profile, you can improve organic rankings and drive continuous organic traffic. As a result, your reliance on paid advertising for high CPC keywords decreases, resulting in substantial cost savings in the long run. SEO acts as a foundation for consistent visibility and ongoing growth without solely depending on PPC campaigns.

 

Conclusion:

 

In the dynamic world of digital marketing, it’s essential to adapt and utilise the available tools to maximise your client’s visibility. By leveraging Google Ads to cover organic visibility gaps and utilising SEO to save costs for high CPC keywords, businesses can establish a comprehensive and cost-effective marketing strategy. Google Ads helps overcome organic limitations and effectively compete against dominant competitors in the digital landscape. On the other hand, SEO offers a sustainable approach, minimising dependence on paid advertising for high-cost keywords. Integrating both PPC and SEO ensures enhanced online visibility, targeted traffic, and optimised marketing budgets, leading to long-term success in a competitive market.

 
[blog]_[ Understanding Audiences In GA4]_[Blog Picture]

Understanding Audiences In GA4

by Paid SearchUncategorised

As an agency or business, understanding your audiences is crucial for driving meaningful results. By collecting and analysing insights into your website visitors, you can make informed decisions to optimise your digital marketing campaigns. With Universal Analytics sunsetting at the end of June, it is important for you to understand audiences within GA4 and how you can unlock powerful insights that can benefit you.

What are the audiences in GA4?

Audiences let you split your users into ways that are the most important for your business. They are made from groups of people that share common characteristics or behaviours that are based on data collected by GA4 from your website or app. These audiences can then be used for targeting and observation within Google Ads. 

What are the differences between Universal Analytics and GA4?

GA4 doesn’t collect the same data as Universal Analytics did. GA4 can now track users across different devices, domains, and apps. These audiences can create a more holistic view of your users’ behaviours and interests compared to previous Universal Analytics. It goes beyond traditional demographic targeting and uses machine learning to enable you to create more sophisticated and dynamic audience segments based on a wide range of user behaviours and attributes.

How do GA4 audiences work?

GA4 audiences are created based on events and parameters that you define within your GA4 property. Events are actions that users take on your website or app, such as page views, clicks, conversions, and others. Parameters are additional pieces of information associated with events, such as the user’s location, device type, or referral source. GA4 uses these events and parameters to build a profile of your users, allowing you to create highly targeted and personalised audience segments.

Creating Audiences in GA4

To create an audience:

➡️Navigate to “admin > audiences” to set up a new audience in GA4.

➡️You can go on to create an audience from GA4’s suggested audiences.

➡️Or start from scratch and create a custom audience using your own conditions.

Best Practices for GA4 audiences:

Now that you have a better understanding of GA4 audiences and how they work, you can use these to help optimise your campaigns. Here are some tips for best practices:

⚡Take advantage of the built-in audiences: Start with the built-in audiences that GA4 has to offer. These will automatically generate audience segments based on user behaviour. These include purchasers, non-purchasers, recently active users and more. This is a fast way you can gain insights into your user base and tailor your marketing messages accordingly.

⚡Define custom audiences: Creating custom audiences allows you to define audience segments that are specific to your business goals. You can create custom audiences based on a wide range of parameters, such as demographics, interests, behaviours, and more. Explore the different options available to you to create audiences that are more valuable for your business.

⚡Analyse and optimise your audiences: GA4 has powerful reporting capabilities that allow you to measure the performance of your audiences. You can track specific key metrics to determine the effectiveness of your audience segments. This will allow you to make data-driven decisions to refine your audience segments, achieve audiences that are no longer relevant to you, create new audiences, or adjust your strategy for better results.

⚡Ensure data privacy compliance: It is vital that you are collecting and using data in compliance with relevant data privacy laws and regulations, such as GDPR rules and regulations. Make sure to review and follow any updates to Google’s data usage policies and guidelines to ensure that you are using your audiences correctly. This includes obtaining user consent where necessary and providing transparency on data collection and usage.

To conclude, GA4 audiences are a powerful tool that can help you create highly targeted and personalised marketing campaigns. By leveraging the data collected from your website or app, you can create audience segments based on user behaviours, demographics and interests that will be valuable for your business. Audiences allow you to deliver relevant and tailored messages to our users that can be used within your Google Ads campaigns for better targeting and observation.