What is PPL for B2B Brands

Before we get into discussing the changes in Google’s QGR, let us understand briefly what it is all about. As we know, Google’s search algorithm is updated numerous times during the year. Suffice to say that updating the entire search algorithm for the biggest search engine in the world is no easy task. This is why Google employs dedicated teams of search quality testers, who follow a predefined search guidelines to test each web page and rates them accordingly. This pattern of quality ratings is then translated into Google’s search algorithm which enables Google to perform automated tests and rate each page that we can see in Google’s search index. The first glimpse of significant updates to these guidelines came about back in May 2019. With the recent push on EAT & Page Quality gaining more and more importance for Google, these updates laid special emphasis on how each content and advertisement media is presented on a website. For instance, the pop-ups, information and page relevancy to where the ad is shown, user readability or navigation hindrance due to information obstruction (ad size exceeding specific sizes, incomplete or misleading information, etc). This leads to a very important question for a lot of marketers and webmasters alike. How Does This Affect My Website? Unlike core search algorithm updates like Panda or Penguin which had direct impact on search rankings for website, Search Quality Raters Guideline is more of an instruction manual from Google for websites and Quality Testers alike, to see how Google wants to rate the quality of a website or page. So, this update may not have a direct impact to your overall search positions. However, it still should be treated as a strong checklist to make sure your site content adheres to it to get a strong preference from Google. If Google rates your site content high, then that quality parameter would go a long way in boosting your site’s visibility on the SERP. To summarize, you can say that quality guidelines doesn’t impact the ranking signals but rather helps in predicting algorithm trends. This makes these updates a lot more important as it can help you identify the change in trends for any core algorithm updates that have or will be taking place in the near future. This is because the algorithm changes affecting ranking signals or site evaluation for search engine positions, would be governed by these QRGs. What Changed in QRG The major chunk of changes this time round has been centered around YMYL, EAT and Main Content (on the website) and it is quite significant for all marketers and seo professionals. These changes are bound to keep SEO experts and online marketers on the edge as they can use these updated guidelines to predict the next set of changes that could be coming in the Google’s core algorithm. Let’s take a closer look at the changes and updates in the recent Quality Rater’s Guidelines. Your Money Your Life (YMYL) The first set of changes can be noticed in section 2.3 of the QRG under YMYL section. With special focus on the News and Government topics available online. The news topic section now gets its own section as against earlier when it was clubbed under Public/Official Information Pages. With this latest update it becomes clear that Google wants to emphasize information available on news sites and evaluate it more consistently based on the merit of the content and information sources. “Civics, Government & Laws” were also categorized under their own category further reflecting Google’s intention on evaluating these sub-sections separately than just as another news and information content. Some of the other significant categorizations in the YMYL sections are: Shopping and Finance to get separate categories Medical Information section has been renamed to Health & Safety Groups of People has been added as a new section ‘Main Content’ Evaluation Content quality guidelines across the world have a subjective nature to it when being evaluated by human beings. But for a machine or program to set the benchmarks, a specific set of guidelines needed to be administered. This time round, the QRG has been updated with new paragraphs about evaluating and rating content across various industries. News For any news based sites, Google has indicated that it will be looking at the source, relevancy and bibliography of citations that can verify the authenticity of a particular news article. Creative Content Focusing on content like videos, photographs, vlogs, infographics, etc. Google would ascertain the quality of the content, uniqueness and skillset of the content creator/publisher posting these content. Google algorithm is programmed to evaluate visual content quite capably. Research Content Setting examples of scientific research papers & a simple stamp collection article in terms of given weightage of evaluation, Google has signaled it would rate these types of content on the basis of consensus and expertise to validate the claims and information being presented in the article. Adding to this Google would also set different evaluating parameters for each of the content depending on nature, purpose and importance. Linguistic Change in “Hate Pages” Some of the changes in language of their evaluation checklist for websites/pages that promote hatred or violence. Citizenship, Socio-economic, political beliefs, victims of atrocities were removed from their evaluation parameters. Gender was renamed to Gender or Gender Identity Ethnicity was changed to Ethnic Origin Reputation Checks for YMYL Content Creators Let’s take an example of ecommerce sites to best explain this point. Based on the updates on QGR, Google is suggesting that it would evaluate the authenticity of the site based on user reviews of people who have made a purchase on the site. This small instance would apply according to each service or product based business or informational website available online. However the degree and nature of authenticity would vary depending on the details that are on offer and value proposition of each site. Reviews, Testimonials and trustable citation sources will become strong parameters that validates the quality of a site which should be a food for thought for all content creators across all domains and industries operating online. Journalist Quality Parameter Expands Uptil the last guidelines, Pulitzer prize was the predominant benchmark based on which any journalistic piece was measured on the basis of credible citations or accreditations to Pulitzer prize winning authors or publishings. This has now been revamped with significant change to the language of the guidelines now suggest “...Newspaper (with an associated website) has won journalistic awards. . . . “ where as previously it didn’t feature extension of the newspaper in terms of its association with one or other award winning site. Source Outcome While it is still early to comment on these changes as they don’t reflect directly on your websites performance as of yet, but we are sure to see some incoming changes and patterns of shift in terms of the overall content and trust evaluation of each website and thereby its’ positioning by Google. Popular influencer Glenn Gabe has taken to twitter to highlight some of the more indepth changes and sections and shared his opinion with his followers that has been sparking constructive debates. Source With these latest updates, Google has cleared the shroud of ambiguity on content quality evaluation and reinstated that it is going to give importance to YMYL and EAT parameters for evaluating the quality and trust of the website which consequently could have a long term impact on your site’s visibility on SERP. If you’re concerned or even worried about what these updates could mean for your business, you can schedule a free consultation call with our SEO experts today. ...

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The growth of the internet has been a boon to the E-commerce industry. The ease with which you can now buy products and services online has opened up new retail opportunities. You no longer have to travel far or spend hours on end in stores waiting for your purchase. You can shop from home and still get what you want in minutes—if not seconds! The internet has also made it easier than ever before for you as an entrepreneur who wants to sell products through your website by providing them with access via their smartphones or tablets. This means that customers have more choices when shopping online; they don't simply have one option available but multiple alternatives at their fingertips instead. This establishes plenty of competition for your product and service in the market. One way to gain an edge over them is through digital marketing, which can help you devise a strategy that streamlines your operations better and increases revenue. The online space is a wide and daunting space. It can be overwhelming when one is a beginner. One of the first challenges you tackle as a small business owner is the choice of an online platform. There are lots of choices when it comes to online sales. This article will help you understand some of them and how they compare. What is an E-commerce marketplace? An E-commerce marketplace is a platform that allows sellers to list their products and make sales. There are two different types of marketplaces: Seller-to-Seller Marketplace: This type of E-commerce platform connects buyers with sellers directly. The seller can choose to host their own website or use an existing one, such as Shopify or WooCommerce. E-commerce Marketplaces vs . E-commerce Platforms: Where Should You Sell? These platforms connect merchants directly with customers through the integration of various payment methods (like credit cards), shipping options (like USPS Parcel Post), return policies, and more. E-commerce marketplace vs. other selling platforms The internet is a vast space with multiple avenues for you to sell your products and services. For you to unlock your maximum potential, you need to know which avenue is the best for you. An E-commerce marketplace is a website where buyers and sellers connect. It's a place where you can sell your products, but not all platforms are alike. Some platforms charge fees for using their service, while others don't charge anything at all—you pay only when someone buys from you or clicks on one of your ads. E-commerce Marketplace vs. Your Website The first and most obvious difference between selling on E-commerce marketplaces and your own website is that you have more control over your own site. There are plenty of reasons why this is a good thing: You can sell whatever you want on your site, even if it doesn't necessarily fit into the categories listed in the marketplace's search results (e.g., "sale" or "gift"). You can run multiple sales at once if they're related to each other—for example, one item might be 25% off, while another offers free shipping with any purchase over $50. Pros and Cons of Selling on an E-commerce Marketplace vs. a Standalone Website Every coin has two sides to it. So when it comes to marketplaces and websites, there are merits and demerits to both of them. They have been reviewed below; Marketplace sellers have a higher conversion rate. The reason for this is that they have more traffic and can easily reach customers who may be looking for their product or service. Marketplaces are easier to set up and maintain. Setting up your own E-commerce site involves creating custom software, which is time-consuming and can be expensive if you don't know what you're doing (or if it's not your area of expertise). On top of that, maintaining an online store involves updating products regularly as well as keeping track of customer orders—and this takes extra effort! By contrast, marketplaces already have everything installed in place when you sign up with them—so all you need to do is focus on marketing instead! What’s the best choice for you as a seller? As a seller, you need to decide what you want to sell and how much time and money are available. You should also consider your goals, budget, and other factors that determine which platform is best for your business. Let’s go through some of the things that will help determine which platform is right for you: There are two main types of E-commerce platforms; marketplace sellers and standalone websites. A marketplace seller sells their products on an online store run by another company (the “marketplace”). The owner of a standalone website may sell as well, but they don't have access to other sellers' products—they're not part of an ecosystem like this one does! Marketplaces are available 24/7 and always online, unlike offline stores or catalogs. E-commerce marketplaces are always online and available 24/7, whereas E-commerce platforms are available during working hours only. It's important to note that not all E-commerce platforms offer an all-inclusive solution: they may only provide an E-commerce platform with a shopping cart or fulfilment service but do not have the ability to sell through their own marketplaces or dedicated apps. You can use an E-commerce Platform if you want more control over your storefront and checkout experience. E-commerce platform is a good choice if you want to control the look and feel of your storefront and the checkout experience. E-commerce platforms make it easy to add products, manage inventory, and track sales. They also offer a variety of marketing tools that allow you to target specific groups of customers, like women over 40 or those who have been looking at your site for more than five minutes but have not made a purchase yet. Finding the right place to sell is essential so that you enjoy the many benefits of optimal exposure and visibility, as well as be able to maximize sales, both now and into the future. The best way to know if a marketplace is right for you is by doing some research on its features and comparing them against your needs. To help with this process, we have created an E-commerce platform comparison table below: There are many different ways to sell online. It’s important that you choose the right one for your business, which will depend on your goals and how much time you want to spend managing it. If you want a flexible platform where users can buy almost anything from anywhere in the world with little effort, then an E-commerce Marketplace could be perfect for your needs. However, if you would rather control everything about how customers interact with your storefront then an E-commerce Platform might be more appropriate for what you need. In Conclusion The best way to determine what E-commerce platform is right for you is by considering your business goals and objectives. Do you want a simple, straightforward process that will allow you to focus on growing your online sales? Or do you want advanced functionality that allows for complex product management and checkout? Once you've identified the platform features that will work best for your business, consider whether it's worth paying more upfront. However, if you seem to be struggling with finding the perfect service provider for your firm, look no further than Saffron Edge, an industry leading digital marketing company offering faultless solutions for your business needs.   ...

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The Internet has provided a level playing field to all of its users, which is a blessing and a challenge at the same time. As it gives opportunity to everyone, staying ahead of the competition is crucial. If you're relying on Google Ads as a cornerstone of your marketing strategy, you already understand the importance of driving high-quality clicks and maximizing the impact of your campaigns. That's where Google Ads extensions come into play. Google Ads app extension is a powerful tool that enables you to enhance your ads and provide additional information to potential customers, ultimately increasing their engagement and conversions. While you may already be familiar with some types of extensions, it's essential to stay up to date with the latest additions and optimizations to make the most of your PPC investment. In this concise guide, we'll delve into each type of ad extension, unraveling its technical intricacies and exploring strategies to optimize its performance. From site link extensions to callout extensions, we'll dissect each extension's purpose, implementation, and best practices. Armed with this knowledge, you'll be equipped to fine-tune your Google Ads extensions to achieve maximum impact and generate a higher return on investment. So, let's decode the true potential of the different types of Google Ads extensions and also understand what's the maximum number of ad extensions, harnessing their capabilities to propel your PPC campaigns to new heights of success. Why should you incorporate Google Ads extensions into your advertising strategy? The answer is simple: Google search ads extensions provide a powerful means to enhance your ads, increase visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs), and help potential customers make informed decisions. The benefits they offer are not only limited to providing more information and improving visibility; they extend much further, positively impacting your overall campaign performance. One key advantage of ad extensions is their ability to deliver more information to your target audience. With the expanded ad text, you have the opportunity to present a compelling case, enticing users to click on your ad. This additional information allows you to showcase your unique value proposition and convince potential customers of the reasons they should choose your offering. Moreover, the increased visibility on SERPs resulting from ad extensions gives your ads a stronger presence and higher impact. The larger size and more prominent placement capture the attention of users, increasing the likelihood of engagement and clickthroughs. This boost in visibility alone can significantly enhance your clickthrough rate (CTR), potentially driving a notable increase in user interactions. However, the advantages of ad extensions go beyond CTR improvement and visibility enhancement. They also contribute to improved lead quality. By providing more information upfront, extended ads help potential customers self-qualify and make informed decisions. This means that the individuals who click through to your landing page are more likely to be genuinely interested and ready to take the desired action, resulting in higher-quality leads. Additionally, utilizing ad extensions positively impacts your ad ranking. Google considers various factors, including expected CTR, relevance, and landing page experience, when determining ad positions. By leveraging ad extensions, you provide Google with a better variety of ad formats, thereby improving your overall ranking and visibility in search results. Furthermore, ad extensions can help optimize your PPC budget. As they enhance your CTR, they contribute to lowering your cost-per-click (CPC), enabling you to maximize the value you derive from your paid advertising investment. By driving more engagement and conversions with the same budget, you can achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in your advertising campaigns. Types of Google Ads Extensions Google Ads extension types can be divided into two main categories: manual and automated. Manual extensions require setup and configuration, while automated extensions are applied by Google based on its prediction of improving ad performance. In February 2022, Google introduced significant changes to automated extensions. Notably, they can now be displayed alongside manually added extensions such as site links, callouts, and structured snippets. This strategic adjustment allows ads to occupy more space on the search engine results page (SERP) and generate higher click-through rates (CTRs). Manual extensions can be added at different levels, including ad group, campaign, or account level, providing flexibility in customizing and optimizing your ad strategy. Furthermore, their inclusion in reports enables comprehensive performance tracking and analysis. Now, let’s explore the kinds of extensions available to you. Location Extensions: For businesses relying on in-person transactions or seeking to enhance their legitimacy, location extensions are paramount. By displaying your address, contact information, and even maps, these extensions help users easily locate and engage with your physical locations. Ideal for restaurants, retail stores, and service providers, location extensions enable users to find you effortlessly and make informed decisions. Product Extensions: Linking your Google Merchant account to Google Ads enables you to leverage product extensions, enhancing the visibility and appeal of your offerings. With product-specific information, such as images, prices, and descriptions, these extensions captivate users' attention and increase the relevance of your ads. Perfect for campaigns focused on product sales, product extensions empower you to highlight your inventory and entice potential customers. Sitelink Extensions: Sitelink extensions provide valuable navigation options to users beyond your landing page. By directing them to specific pages such as contact information, pricing, promotions, or testimonials, site link extensions improve user experience, increase engagement, and drive conversions. Particularly effective for e-commerce sites, sitelinks allow customers to explore specific product categories and find what they're searching for effortlessly. Seller Rating Extensions:In the digital landscape, building trust with potential customers is paramount. Seller ratings extensions are a powerful tool to showcase your business's reputation and credibility. Google aggregates ratings from reputable review sites into a single rating displayed on a five-star scale, along with the total number of reviews. These extensions instill confidence in users and significantly impact their decision-making process, leading to higher-quality clicks and conversions. Callout Extensions: With callout extensions, you can emphasize important selling points, promotions, or unique features of your business, products, or services. These succinct 25-character snippets complement your ad text and grab users' attention, enabling you to differentiate yourself from competitors and convey essential information. Utilize callout extensions to showcase limited-time offers, discounts, free shipping, or any compelling aspects that set your business apart. Structured Snippets Extensions: Structured snippets enable you to highlight specific products, services, or features that users may be actively seeking. By using concise descriptions separated by colons, these extensions provide quick insights into your offerings, capturing users' interest and driving quality clicks. You can manually select the snippets or allow Google to dynamically apply them based on user intent and context. Call Extensions: Call extensions streamline the process for users to contact your business by incorporating a click-to-call phone number directly into your ad. This convenient feature is particularly valuable for mobile users, as it facilitates instant connection with your business. By tracking call conversions, you gain insights into the effectiveness of your ads and measure the value they generate in terms of phone inquiries. Affiliate Location Extensions: For businesses selling products through third-party retailers, affiliate location extensions are indispensable. These extensions help users locate nearby stores that carry your products, guiding their purchasing decisions and driving foot traffic to your retail partners. This is especially beneficial for manufacturers collaborating with major retail chains, as it promotes product discoverability while leveraging the established retail presence. Price Extensions: Price extensions play a pivotal role in shaping customers' buying decisions. By displaying clear pricing information upfront, you establish transparency, build trust, and set accurate cost expectations. Whether you offer variable pricing, service packages, or a diverse range of products, price extensions enable users to make informed choices even before they reach your website, leading to more qualified and conversion-ready traffic. App Extensions: In the era of mobile applications, app extensions are vital for businesses looking to promote their apps and increase user adoption. These extensions provide a download link within your text ad, simplifying the process for interested users to access your app directly from the ad. With the ability to track downloads based on keywords, app extensions offer valuable insights into the performance and impact of your mobile app marketing efforts. Promotion Extensions: To attract users actively searching for the best deals, promotion extensions are a powerful tool. These extensions highlight sales, promotions, and limited-time offers, effectively capturing users' attention and driving clickthroughs. You can customize the display of promotion extensions based on specific dates, days, or even hours, allowing you to leverage pre-populated event tags like Black Friday or seasonal promotions. Lead Form Extensions: The latest addition to Google Ads extensions, lead form extensions, revolutionize the lead generation process by eliminating the need for users to fill out forms on landing pages. These extensions allow users to submit their contact information directly on the SERP, streamlining the conversion journey and reducing friction. With pre-populated information for users signed in with their Google accounts, lead form extensions drive qualified leads into your marketing funnel and accelerate the sales cycle. Video Extensions: Video extensions provide an excellent opportunity to extend the reach of your message and engage users beyond the primary video content. When displayed below your video ad on the YouTube mobile app, these extensions offer additional calls to action and enable users to take immediate action, contributing to higher engagement rates and improved campaign performance. Image Extensions: Image extensions allow you to incorporate relevant visuals alongside your text ads, adding a visual dimension to your advertising efforts. While not available to all advertisers, meeting specific requirements grants access to this impactful extension. By pairing images with compelling ad copy, you can captivate users' attention, differentiate your brand, and drive higher performance. In Conclusion Google Ads extensions are powerful tools that can significantly enhance the performance of your ad campaigns. You can increase your ad's visibility, provide more information to potential customers, and improve click-through rates. Whether you choose manual extensions for more customization or automated extensions for convenience, incorporating these extensions into your Google Ads strategy is essential for maximizing your advertising efforts. To make the most of Google Ads extensions and optimize your campaigns, consider partnering with a trusted digital marketing agency like Saffron Edge. Our team of experts can help you implement and optimize various ad extensions to drive better results and achieve your marketing goals. Contact us today! ...

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