Explore strategic insights from Kevin Amos, Brunner Partner, Chief Media and Data Officer.

Perspectives from Kevin Amos | Brunner

Partner, Chief Media and Data Officer

Kevin Amos

At Brunner, media is in our DNA. From ad targeting to ROI tracking, hear from the experts in media.

<p>At Brunner, media is in our DNA, blending data-driven strategies with creative execution. Explore our insights to optimize your media investments and engage customers at every touchpoint on their journey.</p>

Our Perspectives on Media: Trends and POVs | Brunner

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<p>When Google announced in 2020 that it would drop third-party cookies, the news triggered two main reactions — concern about how to measure marketing efforts and a rush to develop alternative ways to target key audiences and track how they engage.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Last month, Google’s decision to keep cookies unleashed another round of reaction. The search engine giant announced that instead of deprecating third-party cookies, it would “introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time.”&nbsp;</p><p>Immediately, Google’s about-face was met with comments along the lines of “It’s all about Google making more money” or “Google broke its promise” or “This is bad for your privacy and good for Google’s business.”&nbsp;</p><p>Google is unlikely to roll out their privacy sandbox in a way that blocks their own analytics tools, and the upcoming changes should not directly impact site reporting. We recommend continued monitoring. Cookies leveraged for site tracking and analytics tools measuring on-site engagement of direct and organic traffic can be impacted by any cookie consent tools.</p>

When Google announced in 2020 that it would drop third-party cookies, the news triggered two main reactions — concern about how to measure marketing efforts and a rush to develop alternative ways to target key audiences and track how they engage.&nbsp;&nbsp; Last month, Google’s decision to keep cookies unleashed another round of reaction. The searchRead more&hellip;" 

Targeting and Tracking Options for a Not-So-Cookieless Future

With Google Keeping Cookies, Marketers Need a Common Sense Approach to Targeting and Tracking  2

Stay updated on all the latest paid social trends.

<p>Stay updated on the latest trends in paid social media to amplify your brand's reach. Explore insights on effective strategies, targeting techniques, and creative approaches to connect with your audience and drive engagement.</p>

Our Perspectives on Paid Social Media | Brunner

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Unlock the power of paid search engine marketing with insights from our SEM experts.

<p>Unlock the power of paid search marketing with insights from our SEM experts. Discover tailored strategies, industry trends, and best practices that drive clicks and conversions for your brand.</p>

SEM Content and Perspectives: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

<p>Many marketers are still skeptical about TikTok’s place in the digital marketing toolbox, but more and more articles like this one&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/12/google-exec-suggests-instagram-and-tiktok-are-eating-into-googles-core-products-search-and-maps/?tpcc=tcplustwitter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">from TechCrunch</a>&nbsp;are making it clear that the platform is no longer playing second fiddle to the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Meta. Here at Brunner, we have certainly taken notice, and have been recommending TikTok to a variety of clients in recent years. If TikTok isn’t part of your digital marketing portfolio it has never been a better time to reconsider!</p><p>As noted from TechCrunch, nearly 40% of Gen Z users prefer searching on TikTok over Google Search &amp; Google Maps “for discovery purposes”.&nbsp;While that last phrase seems to indicate that Gen Z searchers are more likely to use TikTok as an initial touchpoint for a product or service rather than for immediate recommendations for a dinner spot, it’s clear that young people are searching the web in a much different way than previous generations. With most marketing departments being led primarily by Millennials and Gen Xers this can be hard to wrap our collective heads around – but ignoring this trend could be a critical mistake for those trying to reach the nearly 70 million Gen Z citizens in the United States. While not an ideal fit for every client and situation, TikTok is nearly a must when Gen Z eyeballs are a priority.</p><h2>Testing TikTok with Mixed Results</h2><p>If your company is anything like our clients, you’ve been testing TikTok for some time with mixed results. High to mid-funnel results, and even soft conversions, typically perform strongly in TikTok and can often outperform some of the more established social channels like Facebook. However, you may have had a tougher time when proving ROI. For many advertisers, TikTok will not be the final place of conversion no matter how much search activity it’s generating. This can be a red flag for advertisers who are hyper-focused on proving the ROI for each channel. However, modern digital marketers know that the conversion funnel is as complex as ever, and just because a channel isn’t leading to a last-touch conversion doesn’t mean that it’s not an essential part of the user journey. Look no further than Google’s own&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-journey/navigating-purchase-behavior-and-decision-making/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">‘Messy Middle’</a>&nbsp;to see how the conversion funnel has evolved in recent years. Many user journeys have a multitude of intersecting touchpoints, and now TikTok is most likely at least one of those touchpoints for an entire generation of US searchers. If you’re not there, will you miss out on a valuable touchpoint?</p><h2>When to Add TikTok to Your Marketing Mix</h2><p>We believe that the time is now to recommend TikTok for a growing number of client needs. But if you’re still on the fence about including TikTok in your marketing mix, the platform is working harder than ever to capitalize on its impressive search algorithm to show advertisers that it can be a lower-funnel touchpoint. As of July 2022, advertisers were able to take part in a closed BETA that allows for a sponsored ad placement in the platform’s search results. TikTok will search their eligible videos to place the most appropriate content in these results. What’s more, there are rumors that TikTok is also working on keyword-targeted ad buys that will let advertisers serve videos for specific queries!</p><p>Does that sound familiar? It appears that search advertising is quickly moving into an era that will go beyond simple text ads and become more focused on highly specialized video content. If TikTok proves out this model, how long before Google inevitably follows suit and the lines between search and video are further blurred? Are you ready to meet that challenge head-on? We suspect that few are, but those that can take advantage of TikTok’s blossoming search potential are bound to reap the benefits.</p><p>Keep reading to<a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/perspectives/to-reach-young-adults-companies-like-the-home-depot-rental-are-finding-success-on-tiktok" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> find out if TikTok is right for you</a>.</p>

Explore the potential of TikTok as a powerful paid search platform and how brands can leverage TikTok’s unique features to drive engagement and conversions.

Will TikTok Become the New Paid Search?

Learn more about the latest in Paid Search from Luke Navickas, one of our associate directors of SEM.

Perspectives from Luke Navickas | Brunner

Associate Director, SEM

Luke Navickas

<p>Over the last few months, digital marketing experts have been buzzing about the potential of open-source AI bots taking over their jobs. As paid search experts, we see how consumers are trying to explore this new way of getting useful information, so we have been investigating how these new AI services can add to our capabilities rather than eliminate the need for digital marketers altogether. To fully caveat our point of view, it will most likely evolve, and like AI technology, it will change over time as we learn more about the capabilities and use cases.&nbsp;</p><p>At Brunner, we believe that it’s highly unlikely Microsoft-backed ChatGPT and Google’s Bard AI will replace the need for paid search experts and campaigns. However, we do believe that these AI models have the potential to greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of paid search campaigns.&nbsp;</p><h2>Testing the Capabilities of AI Tools</h2><p>In testing AI resources for basic paid search needs, much more is desired. Based on our observations, the output resembles that of a first-year employee, but like AI usually does, we know it will learn and improve over time. Once the full services are launched, we anticipate significant capability improvements.&nbsp;</p><p>With that said, we predict that the need for paid search experts will persist as AI will not replace the need for human input and decision-making in advertising. Setting campaign objectives, determining target audiences, selecting keywords, writing copy, and monitoring performance to ensure campaign success will still require human expertise and creativity. AI models like ChatGPT and Bard AI can provide valuable support, but just as we’ve found with any automation, cannot fully replace the human expertise and creativity that are essential to successful paid search strategies.&nbsp;</p><h2>AI + Search, and the Customer Journey</h2><p>From a consumer’s point of view, we see this as being another path to conversion but at the highest point of their decision journey. AI tools will be used for initial information gathering before making a purchase or selecting a service. The AI sources provide a lot of “lists” when asking questions like, “what are the best breweries in Pittsburgh?” Or “what is the best truck rental company?”. Similar to voice assistants, we feel that the AI sources are working more as single-answer engines. Until these AI resources link out to other websites and allow users to decide which responses are creditable, there really isn’t a direct path to conversion (yet).&nbsp;</p><p>Will search campaigns experience a decline in total search volume when Bard AI and ChatGPT are fully launched? We anticipate a temporary dip…but for how long? Traditional search has weathered previous advancements. Despite voice search and social media being used by consumers similarly to search engines, Google and Bing remain the top choices for information gathering. We feel strongly that nothing will completely replace traditional search, at least not in the very near future.</p><p>If the “search giants” face a loss of revenue, they will find a way to evolve the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Most likely through updates to Google’s Performance Max campaigns, Bing’s Multi-Media ads, or some other campaign type that will be created (and possibly powered by AI). Forced automation has been at the forefront of Google’s most recent updates, and these ad types are only a step in that process.</p><h2>What's Next for AI + Search?</h2><p>While ChatGPT and Bard AI have the potential to shake up the paid search space, we simply see this as the next step in the world of paid search marketing. As digital marketers, we are always prepared for change, but to date, we’ve never found anything that can completely replace the human touch. Search engines have been pushing automation to the brink, to where we feel like we are sitting at the Alamo. Detective Spooner said it best in the movie “iRobot”… where AI took over everything. “Does thinking you’re the last sane person on earth make you crazy? If so, maybe I am.”&nbsp;</p>

Explore the potential and challenges of Open AI, and its implications for the future of technology and society.

Open AI: The Beginning or The End, or Somewhere In-between?

Unlock the power of your data with insights from Brunner’s data management and analytics team.

<p>Unlock the power of your data with insights from Brunner’s data management and analytics team. Explore how we transform complex data into actionable insights that drive informed decisions and uncover new growth opportunities.</p>

Data Management and Analytics Content and Perspectives | Brunner

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<p>When the internet was first introduced, it was a bold new frontier. A Wild West without rules and regulations. Only a few short years ago, the general public learned companies were collecting and selling data with every click consumers made. Since then, there’s been growing public awareness and scrutiny about data privacy and security concerns due to leading social media companies, like Facebook and TikTok, facing backlash on how they use and share personal data online.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>In 2018, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was called to address Congress about a data-sharing scandal with Cambridge Analytica, a company that bought data from Facebook to target political advertising. This marked one of the first times the collection of data by companies was questioned as unethical. In 2023, we witnessed TikTok CEO Shou Chew testify before Congress regarding TikTok’s adherence to data privacy and security. With more and more companies being scrutinized about data collection, we know this isn’t going away anytime soon.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>With creative thinking and new strategies being implemented, Brunner is partnering with clients to find ethical ways to store and gather data. But staying educated on the latest privacy and security laws, rules and trends is paramount. Here’s a look the laws in effect currently and the impact they will have on your brand.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

Data privacy is becoming increasingly important. Discover how new regulations and shifting consumer expectations are influencing marketing strategies.

The Rise in Data Privacy and Its Impact on Your Brand

Search engine optimization is constantly changing. Stay up to date with perspectives from our team.

<p>Search engine optimization is constantly evolving, and our team is here to ensure you’re always ahead of the curve. Stay informed with insights from our experts as we explore the latest trends, strategies, and best practices in SEO to help you grow your brand and dominate search rankings.&nbsp;</p>

SEO Content and Perspectives: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

<p>News about the leak of Google internal documents has ricocheted around the digital marketing world. This wasn’t just any leak. This was from the world’s dominant search engine and included insights on more than 14,000 potential ranking factors from Google’s internal Search API documentation.&nbsp;</p><p>Google <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/29/24167407/google-search-algorithm-documents-leak-confirmation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">verified the leak was authentic</a>, even if not all the metrics inside are still actively used.&nbsp;</p><p>At Brunner, our SEO team was on it.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Our top takeaways? The leaked documents provide a valuable perspective on Google’s priorities, and we learned some factors may be more important than Google communicated previously.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>But based on our team’s scrutiny, the leak confirms and reinforces the best practices we follow rigorously at Brunner, all built on decades of testing, learning, and optimizing in SEO. Here are some key areas of marketing strategy and tactics affected by the leak, along with tips to improve performance, so your website continues to deliver on your marketing and business goals.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>User Interaction And Engagement</strong>&nbsp;</h2><p>One of Google’s stated goals for its search algorithm is to reward websites that best serve the needs of users. Google has said previously they did not consider clicks or click through rates as a ranking factor. At Brunner, our experience showed us there might be something else going on. That’s why we’ve always prioritized pre-site messaging, such as well-crafted page title tags and compelling meta descriptions, and onsite experience.&nbsp;</p><p>The leaked documentation shows Google could be tracking users’ behavior after they click your link in search engine results, even across multiple searches. In addition, Google could be measuring the quality of your site overall by how well you seem to meet those searchers’ needs. For your brand’s website to serve your business goals, it’s more important than ever to pay attention to what happens when a user lands on your site and to ensure the content users see is what they expect.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Clicks matter</strong></h3><p>Google has publicly maintained for years that they do not consider click-through-rate (CTR) when ranking sites. Yet the leak contains many metrics for users’ behavior around when and how often they click your links. This leak underlines how important CTR is for your SEO strategy.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Make sure your metadata is relevant</strong></h3><p>Since users see your title tags and meta descriptions in search results, make sure this information matches your page’s content. If your page is different from what users expect, they may go back to Google to try again.&nbsp;The leaked documentation indicates Google cares about measuring how often this happens on your website.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Page content should get to the point and move them along</strong></h3><p>Once users land on your website, your content should immediately show them what they want. You’ll lose their interest if your page takes too long to prove that. Making sure that visitors have a clear path from where they land to what they need next will also send good signals to Google as your users stay on your website to view other pages and content.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>The more impressions, the better</strong></h3><p>Page impressions are the total number of times a page shows up in the search engine results for all search terms. The leak documentation indicates Google aggregates and applies impressions based on topics. Based on that insight, creating thoughtful content on a broader range of subtopics that ladder up to your core focus should improve your sitewide ranking potential.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>User Experience (UX)</strong>&nbsp;</h2><p>If your website is hard to use, visitors will be less likely to convert into customers. Brunner’s integrated approach to website design, content, and SEO ensures our clients’ sites meet this central need. Google’s Core Web Vitals have been a ranking factor since the Page Experience Update in 2021. But the leaked documentation shows that Google could be measuring how users engage with your pages directly through Chrome data.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Accessibility may be a ranking factor</strong></h3><p>Simple accessibility steps such as providing alternative text for images, ensuring proper contrast ratios and font size, improving readability, and enabling keyboard navigation can significantly enhance usability. Some metrics in the leak suggest that Google directly considers accessibility in its rankings.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Use video content</strong></h3><p>UX is about creating intuitive, accessible, and engaging experiences for users. Video content can fill many of these needs and provide a strong hook for potential customers.&nbsp;Google’s leaked metrics suggest that if you can increase the time users engage with your page content, Google may show your page to more search users.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Make sure your navigation isn’t frustrating visitors</strong></h3><p>Intuitive navigation is a critical component of good UX. Users should be able to find what they’re looking for with minimal effort. Implementing clear, logical navigation structures helps users interact more effectively with your website, reducing the rate at which users give up and go back to search again.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Your content should just be as long as it needs to be</strong></h3><p>Longer content can cover topics in more depth, and that may be what’s right for your users. However, the leak shows Google’s metrics focus more on measuring how well web pages cover a topic. Short content doesn’t have to be thin content if it meets your users where they are.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>As a regular part of Brunner’s content strategy, we focus on the creation of specialized content that addresses specific user needs rather than aiming for a particular word count on every piece.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Site Authority and Brand Awareness</strong>&nbsp;</h2><p>Despite Google’s past denials, documents in the leak suggest Google directly measures how authoritative sites are on their most relevant topics. This calculated “site authority” may significantly affect search rankings. Building site authority involves creating relevant and thorough content that establishes your website as a trusted source of information.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Show your authority in a wide range of formats</strong></h3><p>A diversified content approach enhances user engagement and strengthens your site’s authority in the eyes of search engines. Google seems to care about seeing your brand’s content speak to the needs of your users in many formats, such as text, videos, photos, illustrations, and infographics.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Focus on quality backlinks</strong></h3><p>While many agencies push services to gain as many backlinks as possible for your website, Google has consistently claimed that this is not an effective way to rank your site. In the leak, we can see metrics that favor backlinks with relevant anchor text from frequently updated, highly authoritative, and well-known sites. This supports the idea that you should focus on obtaining backlinks from quality, authoritative sites and avoid spammy link-building tactics.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Make it clear that your authors are authoritative</strong></h3><p>Google regularly denied that writers’ credentials were a ranking factor, but the leak metrics imply Google directly stores information about a website’s authors, so relevant credentials can help establish content authority. To do this, you should clearly state who your authors are and what makes them experts on your blog posts and dedicated author pages. That includes structured data that ties the author as an “entity” to the content they wrote.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>You need to build your brand outside of Google</strong></h3><p>Building brand equity and demand outside of Google is vital. In SEO, “entities” refers to distinct, identifiable things— like brands — that Google evaluates for authority. Establishing a strong brand presence on social media, YouTube, and other non-search platforms enhances your brand’s authority and trustworthiness, positively impacting SEO.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>What’s Next? Let’s chat!</strong></h2><p>The leaked documents provide valuable insights, but it’s important to remember that Google’s algorithms continually evolve. This rare glimpse into how Google thinks reaffirms the core principles of effective SEO:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>Focusing on user engagement&nbsp;</li><li>Enhancing UX&nbsp;</li><li>Building site authority&nbsp;</li><li>Building high-quality, natural backlinks&nbsp;</li></ul><p>Brunner’s holistic and time-honored approach to SEO leverages cross-channel expertise and knowledge sharing across disciplines and teams. If you’d like to chat about how SEO can help your brand’s website serve your business goals, please get in touch. We’d be happy to talk through your challenges and share ideas on how we could help.</p>

You’ve heard about the Google Search API leak, but what does it mean for you? We dive into key takeaways from the leak and how it affects your SEO strategy.

How the Google API Leak Could Affect Your Business

Gain valuable insights and perspectives to build your business and respond to market changes from Kristen Taggert, VP of Integrated Marketing Communications.

Perspectives from Kristen Taggert | Brunner

Vice President, Integrated Marketing Communications

Kristen Taggert

Social media is a key way to communicate with your customers. Hear from our teams.

<p>Social media is a key way to connect with your customers and foster meaningful relationships. Hear from our experts as they share insights on building authentic engagement, crafting compelling content, and staying ahead of trends in the organic social landscape.</p>

Organic Social Media Content: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

organic social media

From campaign tips to influencer collaborations, discover perspectives from our team.

<p>Discover perspectives from our experts on influencer marketing, where influence meets strategy. Explore insights on how to effectively partner with influencers to enhance your brand's authenticity and connect with your audience.</p>

Influencer Marketing Content and Perspectives | Brunner

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Unlock the potential of programmatic display advertising with our collection of resources and expert insights.

<p>Dive into our expert insights on programmatic display advertising and discover how to reach your audience with precision. From best practices to innovative strategies, we’ll guide you in maximizing your brand’s visibility and impact.</p>

Programmatic Display Content: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

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<p>Your brand has built a strong and effective presence on TikTok, for both organic and paid campaigns. The influencers you work with are building their communities on the platform.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>And your website data shows growing traffic from TikTok as people use it instead of Google to search for information.&nbsp;</p><p>But a new federal law President Joe Biden signed on April 24 will force a sale of TikTok or ban the platform within 12 months.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Marketers are asking, “Now what?”&nbsp;</p><p>Brunner manages TikTok as a marketing channel for clients in industries from building supplies and auto insurance to consumer packaged goods and quick service restaurants. We’re sharing our point of view on what brands should know about the ban at this point and our recommendations. ByteDance filed suit May 7 in U.S. federal court to challenge the new law, so the TikTok ban timetable could change.</p><h2><strong>What Does the Law Banning TikTok Require?</strong>&nbsp;</h2><p>The <a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/395515/biden-signs-law-banning-tiktok-unless-its-sold.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new U.S. law</a> gives ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, nine months to sell the app. If a sale is in progress at that point, ByteDance may be allowed another three months to complete the transaction.&nbsp;</p><p>If a sale does not happen, TikTok will be banned in the U.S., where more than 170 million Americans use it. The app is especially popular with Gen Z, which makes up 44.7% of U.S. TikTok users, according to <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/insights/guide-tiktok/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EMarketer</a>.</p>

With the U.S. TikTok ban looming, marketers face a pivotal shift in their strategies. Learn the potential impact the TikTok ban can have on various channels.

What Does the U.S. TikTok Ban Mean for Marketers?

What Does the U.S. TikTok Ban Mean for Marketers? What Brands Should Know

Hear from Luca Pugliano, Manager of Programmatic and Paid Social Media at Brunner, as he provides valuable insights in the ever-changing digital landscape.

Perspectives from Luca Pugliano | Brunner

Manager, OTT, Programmatic, and Paid Social

Luca Pugliano

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<p>If your brand is running programmatic advertising campaigns, you’re right to worry that your media dollars are being wasted due to fraudulent activity like bots and made-for-advertising websites.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>In a 2023 study, the <a href="https://www.ana.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Association of National Advertisers</a> found that out of $88 billion spent in open web advertising, a staggering $22 billion is wasteful or unproductive. Put another way, only 36 cents of every dollar spent through a programmatic platform effectively reaches the consumer, the ANA study found (<a href="https://www.ana.net/miccontent/show/id/rr-2023-12-ana-programmatic-media-supply-chain-transparency-study" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read a summary; download the full report</a>).&nbsp;</p><p>For advertisers, it’s the stuff of ad spend nightmares.&nbsp;</p><p>At Brunner, we’re working aggressively to combat waste and fraud in <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/blog/programmatic-buying-the-high-tech-data-driven-way-to-manage-ad-buys-in-real-time-and-drive-business-results" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">programmatic advertising</a>, including testing and implementing innovative new anti-fraud tools such as <a href="https://fouanalytics.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FouAnalytics</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>We’re seeing success. For one client, we used this platform to deliver a huge drop in bot traffic, a turn-around in verified human visits, a spike in view-through conversions and traffic — and a whopping $60,000 savings in media spend.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Using FouAnalytics to Combat Programmatic Waste and Fraud</strong>&nbsp;</h2><p>After the ANA released its stunning report last year, the Brunner Programmatic team revisited every aspect of how we manage programmatic ad buying. During 2023, we tested half a dozen vendors who offer tools to combat advertising fraud. FouAnalytics stood out as the only tool able to stop unwanted bot traffic.&nbsp;</p><p>Like Google Analytics, FouAnalytics is an analytics platform that monitors digital media campaigns, but with an added layer of ad fraud detection. At Brunner, we use FouAnalytics’s in-ad JavaScript tags, which load data per impression based on signals that indicate fraudulent activity. Those signals include bots, ad stacking, pixel stuffing, and made-for-advertising websites.</p><p>As a result, our Programmatic Ads team has adopted FouAnalytics as a best practice for every programmatic ad campaign we manage. It’s now part of our <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/blog/worried-about-wasted-budget-in-programmatic-ad-buying-heres-how-we-combat-waste-and-fraud" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">strict programmatic practices and processes</a> to combat waste and fraud, to ensure each client is getting the best possible return.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

Brunner partners with FouAnalytics to combat programmatic ad fraud across our client campaigns. Learn more about our programmatic campaign success with FouAnalytics.

Combatting Programmatic Ad Fraud: A Success Story Using FouAnalytics

<h2><strong>Brunner Recommends Rigorous Testing Before Going with ‘PMax’</strong></h2><p>Google launched Performance Max in late 2021 with lots of fanfare about the benefits of AI-powered online advertising.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>More than two years later, reviews are mixed. At Brunner, we manage paid search engine marketing (SEM) for clients of all types with significant monthly spends. We’ve seen strong performance from PMax, but poor performance, too — and without data insights to understand how and why.&nbsp;</p><p>We recommend that advertisers exercise caution using PMax, and <a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/390593/merkle-transitioned-to-google-pmax-then-ad-perfor.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">we’re not the only ones</a>. Read on for lessons learned from our team’s experience as a PMax early adopter and evolution into a power user, and from <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/perspectives/google-premier-partner" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">our perspective as a Google Premier Partner</a>.</p>

Understand the potential pitfalls of Google’s Performance Max advertising and how to navigate them for better results.

Navigating the Pitfalls of Google's Performance Max

Navigating the Pitfalls of Google's Performance Max for Online Advertising

Unlock data-driven strategies with our retail media insights.

<p>Unlock data-driven strategies with insights from our retail media experts. Explore tips on leveraging platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Target to boost brand visibility and drive sales in today's competitive e-commerce landscape.</p>

Retail Media Content and Perspectives: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

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<p>You’re on amazon.com, checking the product page for one of your brand’s best-selling items.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Then you spot it — a competitor’s ad for a similar item, complete with a discount code and free shipping.&nbsp;</p><p>Exactly how did a rival brand get its ad and special offer in front of an Amazon shopper looking at <em>your</em> product?&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>It’s called retail media advertising, and it’s changing digital advertising to the tune of billions in ad spend from both B2B and B2C brands. Read on to learn what it is, how it works — and if it could be right for your marketing strategy.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>How Does Retail Media Advertising Work?</strong></h2><p>To put it simply, <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/what-we-do/media/retail-media" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">retail media advertising</a> places ads right on retailers’ digital channels, such as their websites or apps, where consumers are shopping. Think of it as the online equivalent of those on-shelf coupon dispensers or point-of-purchase displays you see in brick-and-mortar stores.</p>

Explore the world of retail media advertising and determine if it’s the right strategy for your brand. Learn how this growing trend can boost your marketing efforts.

What is Retail Media Advertising and Is it a Fit for My Brand?

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Gain valuable viewpoints and expert advice from Dan Kuzio, Associate Director of Programmatic, paid social and OTT.

Perspectives from Dan Kuzio | Brunner

Associate Director, Programmatic, Paid Social and OTT

Dan Kuzio

In an era defined by data-driven decision-making, marketing intelligence is the cornerstone of strategic success. Discover insights from our team.

<p>At Brunner, marketing intelligence is the foundation of data-driven decision-making. Explore our insights to learn how to leverage data effectively, target your audience, and stay ahead in a competitive landscape.</p>

Our Thoughts on Marketing Intelligence Solutions | Brunner

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<p>Earlier this year, an <a href="https://www.ana.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Association of National Advertisers</a> report set the digital marketing industry abuzz with a finding that billions of dollars are wasted in programmatic ad buying.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Globally, advertisers spend about $88 billion per year on programmatic ad buys. The <a href="https://www.ana.net/miccontent/show/id/rr-2023-06-ana-programmatic-transparency-first-look" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ANA study</a> found that of the total, about $13 billion — and possibly as much as $20 billion — is wasted on poor ad placements, including “made for advertising” websites (MFAs).&nbsp;</p><p>Those kinds of numbers got plenty of media coverage (<a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/386433/ana-finds-as-much-as-20b-wasted-on-programmatic-a.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Media Post</a>, <a href="https://adage.com/article/special-report-cannes-lions/advertisers-waste-23-programmatic-ad-dollars-ana-study-finds/2500276#:~:text=The%20report%20found%20that%2023,ad%20placements%20on%20bad%20websites." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AdAge</a>, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/marketer-trade-group-report-shows-ad-spending-rife-with-waste-4a1498d4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Wall Street Journal</a>). And those findings understandably raised big concerns with advertisers.&nbsp;</p><p>At Brunner, the ANA’s report prompted us to revisit our practices and double down on our strict processes to ensure every dollar of each client’s media budget is getting the best possible return.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>By finding ways to actively combat waste and fraud in the platforms we manage for our clients, we can get <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/perspectives/programmatic-buying-the-high-tech-data-driven-way-to-manage-ad-buys-in-real-time-and-drive-business-results" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the great benefits of programmatic buying</a> — increased transparency, control, flexibility, and scalability — while managing those spends safely and responsibly.&nbsp;</p><p>Here’s how we do it.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Build Strong Partnerships with Responsible Marketers&nbsp;</strong></h2><p>To be sure, there is a varying level of waste any time advertisers buy ads programmatically, or even directly. The level of risk can be different depending on your industry and go-to-market strategy.</p><p>For the Brunner team, building strong relationships is key on both the selling and buying sides of programmatic advertising.</p>

Concerned about wasted budget in programmatic ad buying? Discover how Brunner combats waste and fraud to optimize your ad spend and maximize campaign effectiveness.

How We Combat Waste and Fraud in Programmatic Ad Buying

Worried about Wasted Budget in Programmatic Ad Buying? Here’s How We Combat Waste and Fraud

<p>Google Analytics 4 is here. The latest iteration of the powerhouse web analytics tool, known as GA4, might be leaving you wondering, “What does this mean for me and my business?” In this landscape of ever-evolving technologies, it can be difficult to keep track of the most important changes and the impact they have on your teams.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>At Brunner, we have helped dozens of clients across a range of industries manage the transition to Google Analytics 4.&nbsp;Read on to learn more about the latest version of this tool.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>What is Google Analytics 4?</strong></h2><p>Google Analytics 4 is a web analytics service that provides metrics and analytical tools for marketing that’s just come into use as Google’s new standard. In early 2022, Google announced it would be sunsetting its current analytics platform, Universal Analytics, and implementing GA4 as its main analytics service. GA4 became the new analytics standard on July 1, 2023. Google wanted to provide a more comprehensive and accurate view of data across multiple devices and platforms, such as websites on laptop or desktop computers and apps on mobile devices, including cell phones and tablets.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Benefits of GA4</strong></h2><p>Google Analytics 4 came about to provide two main benefits — protecting personal data and improving metrics for customer journeys.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><ul><li>First, Google needed to ensure that the data collected about individual users preserved their privacy. In Universal Analytics, you could drill down to information at the individual user level, potentially revealing information about them. In GA4, the privacy controls — such as cookie-less measurement, and behavioral and conversion modeling — accommodate tighter privacy restrictions.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Second, Google wanted to give the end-user a more holistic understanding of the user journey. For example, in previous versions of the tool, a website visitor’s journey via mobile and via desktop would be tracked separately. GA4 allows us to track them together, meaning we get a fuller picture in one spot.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul><h2><strong>How Brunner Uses GA4 </strong></h2><p>Measuring performance is key to everything we do at Brunner, so our team has been busy preparing for the launch of GA4 since Google’s announcement. Nearly every client at Brunner uses Google Analytics and relies on us to manage it for them, so we knew we needed a plan for a smooth transition. Here’s how we did it.&nbsp;</p><p>For our current clients, Brunner set up GA4 properties in July 2022, ensuring that these clients would have one year of web analytics GA4 data for comparison come July 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Another crucial limitation of Google Analytics 4 is that it only keeps user data for 14 months. We’ve developed a workaround for this as well. At Brunner, we ingest the GA4 data into our marketing intelligence hub, allowing us to keep historical data and give clients an alternative to using Big Query, Google’s data warehouse.&nbsp;</p><p>“By ingesting GA4 client data into Brunner’s marketing intelligence hub, we create the opportunity for our clients to explore and analyze data to guide future decisions, and track campaign success and opportunities for improvement,” explained Olivia Coghe, Brunner’s Google Analytics specialist.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><h3><strong> 1. Setting up Tagging/Tracking </strong></h3><p>The first step of setting up GA4 for our clients was getting the measurement ID onto each website so that we could ingest their web analytics data over a full year ahead of the switch.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>2. Configure Data Collection Streams </strong></h3><p>Ensuring that the data collection is seamless can be a complex process. After setting up the tagging, we can adjust the data collection streams accordingly to enhance measurement events, configure domains for cross-domain collection, and define internal traffic.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>3. Create Goals, Events, and Conversions </strong></h3><p>Each client is unique in terms of how their website works and what key performance indicators they want to measure. Our deep knowledge of their marketing goals helps us guide each client, with their specific needs in mind. We made sure all GA4 goals were mapped to each client’s larger objectives and were reflected appropriately within the platform. When creating GA4 events and conversions, we create GA4 events based on Google’s best practices. We also can register custom dimensions and metrics depending on client needs. Once the events are created, we mark appropriate events as conversions.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>4. Finalize the GA4 Property</strong></h3><p>Google Analytics 4 is highly customizable for each client. This stage of the process is where our team sets up audiences, data settings, and attribution models, among other things. This is also the point when our team connects Google Ads and Big Query to the property. Along with these changes, our team can create custom Explore Reports, a new reporting feature in GA4, for each client.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“In UA, they used to have a whole suite of default reports that allowed the end user to jump in and just look at different slices of data. Now they have the Explore tab, which is very powerful, but unfortunately, it’s not user-friendly,” said Matthew Cancilla, Brunner’s associate director of data management.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>These customized Explore Reports give us the power to dig into the data, but it can be a learning experience to get there. Our team describes learning Google Analytics 4 vs. Universal Analytics as similar to learning to speak a different language. The Brunner team can translate these differences easily for each client, giving them digestible and actionable information and reports.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>5. Monitor and Make Changes </strong></h3><p>Google continues to make changes to GA4 even after its release. Staying on top of these changes is vital, so our team checks for updates daily. As our clients’ needs change, we can pivot their GA4 settings quickly.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>How Can You Get Started with GA4? </strong></h2><p>If your company needs help transitioning to GA4, we can guide the process. For new clients, we start with a Google Analytics audit. We ask: are pixels firing? Does this website track conversions? Understanding where a potential client is with their GA4 migration or set up can give us actionable next steps to help them. Google Analytics 4 is ever changing and here to stay — and the Brunner team is here to help.</p>

Google Analytics 4 is here but what does this mean for you and your business? Discover key features of GA4 and how it affects your tracking and analytics strategies.

Google Analytics 4: What It Is and Its Impact for Your Businesses

Stay ahead of SERP changes and Google algorithm impacts with valuable viewpoints and expert advice from Brady Ashe, Associate Director of SEO. 


Perspectives from Brady Ashe | Brunner

Associate Director, SEO

Brady Ashe

<p>Our SEO team had the privilege to attend this year’s MozCon virtually, hearing from SEO professionals from all over, gaining insights into the ever-changing world of search engine optimization.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>MozCon is an annual conference to explore the future of search, gain insights into trends and connect with fellow marketing professionals in the SEO space. It brings speakers from all over the world who understand SEO initiatives and strategies and provide unique perspectives from their experiences.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>MozCon Trends</strong></h2><p>During this year’s conference, there were a few key themes that directly correlate with the future of search. Below are the ones our team found the most relevant, alongside our POV.&nbsp;</p>

Our SEO team attended MozCon 2023 virtually, gaining insights into the evolving world of SEO. Discover our top 5 key takeaways.

MozCon 2023: Our SEO Team’s Top 5 Takeaways

<p>Gone are the days when advertisers had to rely on a tedious process of negotiating deals with individual account reps channel by channel, committing to ad buys, and waiting for days to receive data. Now, in a new age of high-tech, data-driven advertising, programmatic buying has emerged as the most strategic and effective solution for savvy marketers to beat the competition and drive business results.</p><p>Through programmatic buying, advertisers can buy placements in real time through a central, automated platform that can purchase ad time across various channels, networks, and websites. They get real-time results showing exactly what’s working and what’s not. And they have the ability to shift budget on the fly and maximize ROI in ways not possible before.</p><p>As a top 100 independent agency, Brunner is at the forefront of programmatic buying to deliver maximum impact for clients.</p><p>At Brunner, we’re not sitting still. We’re agile and and we’re trying to move this industry forward. It’s not just ‘buy it, forget it and set it.’ We chase these audiences across wherever we need to chase them. We have the tools, we find the audience, and we have the results.</p><h2><strong>What is Programmatic Buying?</strong></h2><p>Put simply, programmatic buying is the buying and selling of ads in real time through an automated system. These systems, called demand-side-platforms, or DSPs, allow advertisers to place ads across a number of platforms.</p><p>Programmatic buying took hold in 2013 and has since grown into an essential part of today’s marketing mix for advertisers. In 2021, the United States was the world’s largest programmatic advertising market worldwide at an estimated $167 billion USD, followed by China at $109.5 billion USD and the United Kingdom with $24 billion USD, according to Statista, which projected global programmatic buying to reach $493 billion USD by 2022.</p>

Explore how programmatic buying uses advanced technology and data to manage ad buys in real-time and drive business results.

Programmatic Buying: A Data-Driven Approach to Real-Time Ad Management

Programmatic Buying: The High-tech, Data-driven Way to Manage Ad Buys in Real Time — and Drive Business Results

<p>When running a social media campaign for a B2B client, the first platform you probably think of is LinkedIn. LinkedIn provides the most premium audience in B2B. No other social media platform allows you to target decision makers by job title, company, and industry. Your second thought may be Facebook (and Instagram). These channels, on the other hand, are less tightly targeted for B2B but still hit the right people if the strategy behind the targeting is tactical. With Facebook providing greater reach at a more efficient CPM, and LinkedIn providing a tighter target with higher CPMs, the platforms often complement each other when combined in a larger social media strategy.&nbsp;</p><p>In deciding on a platform (or platforms), we don’t typically think about bots, but we should.&nbsp;Bots have been an issue since digital advertising started. Many platforms have been very transparent in their efforts to combat bots, with the goal being to cut down on wasting spend and misleading campaign results. But how effective are those efforts really?</p><h2>Platform Metrics and Analytics Weren't Lining Up</h2><p>We analyzed one of our B2B client campaigns and noticed a lot of traffic coming through LinkedIn based on its in-platform metrics, but we saw a large drop-off in users when looking at Google Analytics (GA). Often ~45% of LinkedIn clicks to the landing page result in a GA session, with one instance dropping as low as 6%. Facebook, on the other hand, was consistently above 90%. In order to understand what was going on, we implemented a test with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fullstory.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FullStory</a>, which provides session replays and error monitoring for each user who made it to the site. As it easily integrates with GA, we were able to record all of the interactions and study trends of users coming from LinkedIn and Facebook individually and compare the results.</p><p>As many would expect, there was a difference in user interaction based on where the user saw the ad, but the results were more staggering than expected. We found that there was a very large percentage of traffic coming from Linux OS. This accounted for 44% of the LinkedIn traffic, while Linux overall accounts for 1.85% of all operating systems in the United States (<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgs.statcounter.com%2Fos-market-share%2Fdesktop%2Funited-states-of-america&amp;data=04%7C01%7Crbopp%40brunnerworks.com%7C52116f677aeb47a4959d08d9730a8d4c%7C75f07833328847a295d9784dafd3c511%7C0%7C0%7C637667311431012580%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=XHXgd27Afd9yE%2Brqg1iaGI0n85o53rQU7%2Fka5D5OkRI%3D&amp;reserved=0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">source</a>).&nbsp;According to this&nbsp;article&nbsp;from Adobe, <a href="https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/analytics/admin/admin-tools/manage-report-suites/edit-report-suite/report-suite-general/bot-removal/bot-signatures#ip-addresses-that-originate-from-distributed-computing-platforms" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bots will often use Linux as their operating system</a>.</p><p>FullStory assigns each user a unique name and will show how many sessions a user has had in their lifetime. Out of all 245 Linux sessions, there were no repeat users, despite many of the session times coming within minutes of each other.&nbsp;According to the same&nbsp;article&nbsp;by Adobe, this is a sign of bot traffic as “Bots usually get a new visitor ID every time they execute, thus incurring only one visit ever and all their traffic will consist of a visit number of one.”</p><h2>Operating Systems Offer a Clue</h2><p>In our exploration, we found all 245 Linux users had an almost identical pattern. They all had a session count of one, with the total session seconds all being between four and five seconds, and an active time of zero seconds, except for three users, which all had a time of one second. Every Linux session also matched back to one of two recorded latitudes and longitudes.&nbsp;<a href="https://f.io/jrK0DgZ3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Click here to see the chart.</a></p><p>For comparison, Facebook only has 0.21% of its traffic coming from Linux, and those have active session times of 27, 24, and 13 seconds, which are much more realistic.</p><p>We also found that 71% of the traffic coming from LinkedIn has an average active session time of zero seconds. Facebook is the opposite, with 63% of the sessions averaging a time of greater than 10 seconds.&nbsp;<a href="https://f.io/XPdqmUJk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Click here to see the chart.</a></p><h2>So, What Does This All Mean?</h2><p>As of now, bots are making up about 44% of the traffic in our LinkedIn campaign. Every other platform will block bots and credit money back each month for any that do sneak through. LinkedIn seems to be behind on bot blocking and crediting back any spend that occurs due to them being so strong on their platform. We cannot conclude that this is always the case, but advertisers should be cautious when running within LinkedIn and leverage software that verifies the site users beyond LinkedIn’s in-platform metrics.&nbsp;</p><p>LinkedIn, arguably, has the best targeting for B2B clients, but there is a strong possibility that you may spend media dollars on bots and inflated metrics while running within the platform. There are still cases when, even with these bot results, LinkedIn can be a good platform for your media strategy, but it is important to understand what you as an advertiser are getting for your media dollars. Is LinkedIn’s premium audience worth it?</p>

Find out how to identify and manage bot activity in your B2B LinkedIn campaigns to ensure genuine engagement and results. Learn more.

Are Bots Overtaking Your B2B LinkedIn Campaign?

Hear from Emily Nobers, Manager of Integrated Planning, as she provides valuable insights in the ever-changing digital landscape.

Perspectives from Emily Nobers | Brunner

Manager, Integrated Planning

Emily Nobers

Hear perspectives from Max Villarreal, Senior Lead of Media, who helps clients connect to their customers in new ways.

Perspectives from Max Villarreal | Brunner

Sr. Lead, Media

Max Villarreal

At Brunner, we are always thinking about the cross-channel picture. Hear from our experts.

<p>At Brunner, we are always thinking about the cross-channel picture. Explore our insights to learn how to create seamless, integrated strategies that resonate with your audience and elevate your brand impact.</p>

Integrated Marketing Content: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

integrated marketing

<p>Here at Brunner, we are always striving to better our work for our clients. Something we have been having a lot of recent success with is Google’s new ad format called Performance Max. Performance Max is a new campaign type that runs within the Google Ads interface. Instead of targeting a single channel as you would normally do, this revolutionary new ad format runs across several different Google-owned channels including YouTube, Gmail, Discovery, Google Display Network, and Paid Search. It specializes in generating online conversions across all these channels – think of it as “machine learning on steroids” across the whole Google ecosystem. We have had so many clients already see great results with this new campaign type for driving Leads and other online conversions.</p><h2><strong>How Does This Work?</strong></h2><p>So, you might be wondering – how does this work? Performance Max works by having multiple asset types uploaded into a single Google Ads campaign including different text lines, images, YouTube videos, and logos. Typically, you will want at least a dozen pieces of ad text, 5-10 images (made up of square, landscape, and portrait sizes), and 1-5 YouTube videos for best results. Google will then serve these assets as ads across different channels.</p><p>Most of the campaign performance is run automatically by Google. Google will choose which users to target, when to show an ad, which texts to use, and on which channel; there isn’t much hands-on maintenance that advertisers must do to adjust how the ads serve. Google controls how each ad is assembled, and how it is bid on in each auction. Google also controls how much of the overall budget is spent on each channel. The downside (at least for now) is that there are limited insights into exactly how much traffic is being served across channels.</p><h2><strong>Next Steps</strong></h2><p>The new Google Performance Max is a great choice for advertisers who wish to find new customers and want to cover a wide range of channel types without budgeting individually for each channel. By covering a large portion of Google’s content out of a single campaign, advertisers can more easily scale their ads across the internet. This campaign also has an option to specifically optimize for New Customer Acquisition if that’s a priority.</p><p>Need more help? Please reach out so we can help run, monitor, and report on these campaigns while running other campaign types for a broader strategy.</p>

Discover how Google’s Performance Max advertising format can revolutionize your marketing efforts and drive better results for your brand.

Leverage the Power of Google with Performance Max Advertising

Leverage the Power of Google with Revolutionary New Ad Format, Performance Max Advertising

NestedList

<p><a href="https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/08/helpful-content-update" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google announced its Helpful Content algorithm update</a>&nbsp;on August 18th. The rollout is underway and will most likely be complete in early September. This update reinforces Google’s established stance on creating content for people, rather than search engines. As the algorithm has evolved over time, it’s become more adept at recognizing natural speech patterns and styles – it knows if you’re writing for a human reader or a search engine spider, and it prefers the former. This is why at Brunner; we always tell our clients to use keywords that are relevant to your product and your audience. And most importantly, write what you would want to read.</p><h2><strong>What Type of Content Will be Impacted?</strong></h2><p>The helpful content update aims to better reward people-first content from which visitors feel they’ve had a satisfying experience. Content built with a search-engine first approach (i.e. less substantive and valuable content created for the sole purpose of ranking in organic search to drive traffic flow and brand awareness) will be subject to devaluation.</p><h2><strong>How Do You Avoid Serving Search Engine-first Content? </strong></h2><p>In their <a href="https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/08/helpful-content-update" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Search Central post about the helpful content update</a>, Google poses the following questions:</p><ul><li>Is the content primarily to attract people from search engines, rather than made for humans?</li><li>Are you producing lots of content on different topics in hopes that some of it might perform well in search results?</li><li>Are you using extensive automation to produce content on many topics?</li><li>Are you mainly summarizing what others have to say without adding much value?</li><li>Are you writing about things simply because they are trending and not because you’d write about them otherwise for your existing audience?</li><li>Does your content leave readers feeling like they need to search again to get better information from other sources?</li><li>Are you writing to a particular word count because you’ve heard or read that Google has a preferred word count? (It doesn’t.)</li><li>Did you decide to enter some niche topic area without any real expertise, but instead mainly because you thought you’d get search traffic?</li><li>Does your content promise to answer a question that actually has no answer, such as suggesting there’s a release date for a product, movie, or TV show when one isn’t confirmed?</li></ul><p>Likely, content aimed at answering simple fact-seeking queries will not be impacted by the update. Instead, content that could be served for queries helping users make a meaningful decisions, will likely be the focus.</p><p>As an example, ‘what is smart home integration?’ won’t likely be the focus of the update, but content that answers the question ‘will smart home integration save me money/energy?’ will be.</p><h2><strong>How Will Sites Be Impacted?</strong></h2><p>One of the reasons this update has the SEO industry talking (aside from being the first named update in a while) is how this will impact websites. The update will not devalue search-engine-first content on a page-by-page basis but rather on a sitewide basis. This means if you are guilty of any of the above guidelines and routinely publish content with a search engine-first approach, you likely will see visibility and traffic declines <em>across your entire site</em>, including content pieces that may not necessarily violate those guidelines.</p><h2><strong>What Should You Do?</strong></h2><p>Brunner recommends a review of any website content that you feel will violate the guidelines, or is providing little value to users, and proactively remove it. We also recommend proactive content creation in-line with Google’s guidance. Below is guidance around creating new content and removing the old in line with Google’s directives.</p><h3><strong>Create Expertise-Driven Content </strong></h3><p>At the heart of what Google (and other search engines) aim to achieve through core, ranking algorithm updates is an enhanced ability to assess content quality. Recently, due in large part to enhanced AI- and machine-learning-driven capabilities to understand authors as entities, content quality is assessed not only based on <em>what</em> is being said but <em>who</em> is saying it. Ask yourself, “is the publisher uniquely qualified to speak to the topic at hand? Are they credentialed in this particular field? What is their level of education and experience on the topic? Can they provide first-hand anecdotal evidence or first-party research to support their claims?” Keep reading for more detail:</p>

Google announced its Helpful Content algorithm update on August 18th. Discover how it can impact your SEO strategies.

Kevin Amos

Partner, Chief Media and Data Officer

Kevin Amos

Partner, Chief Media and Data Officer

Kevin's Content

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