Month: July 2023

GA4 audiences can now be used with third-party segments in Ad Manager

Google Analytics 4 audiences can now be used with third-party segments in Ad Manager.

By accepting a third-party segment (cookies matching the demographics of your visitors bought via a third-party data provider), marketers can target line items to it, perform reports and run forecasts.

Meanwhile, audiences can also be used as-is for targeting or, marketers can combine this data with other audiences to perform analyses.

Why we care. This additional data provides valuable insights to marketers about their customer-base and how effective their campaigns are at reaching them.

It’s vital that advertisers understand their customers the best they can so that they can make data-driven decisions to not just target the right people, but to ensure that the content they create will engage them – which is likely result in higher conversions and ROI.

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How it works. To access GA4 audiences in Ad Manager you need to follow these simple steps:

  • Link your Analytics property to Google Ad Manager.
  • Activate Google signals.
  • Enable Ads personalization in the link settings.
  • GA4 audience should then automatically be exported to Ad Manager.

Deep dive. Read Google’s ‘Sharing Audiences in Google Analytics‘ guide for more information.

The post GA4 audiences can now be used with third-party segments in Ad Manager appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/ga4-audiences-third-party-segments-ad-manager-429954

Google Search rolls out site name updates and workarounds

Google has released some really needed updates to its site names feature in Google Search. Site names are now supported on subdomains on all devices in English, French, German, and Japanese languages. Google also made other improvements and added workarounds when Google gets your site name wrong, Google announced.

Site names. Site names is the title and name of the site Google shows in the search results listings. “When Google lists a page in search results, it shows the name of the site the page comes from,” Google explained.

Subdomain support expanded. Google added support for site names with subdomains on mobile devices only, for English, French, German, and Japanese. Now it also works for all devices, not just subdomains.

Here is an example from Google’s own site.

Alphabet Inc.

Updated guidance. Google also updated its guidance on how to communicate your preferred site name to Google Search. Google wrote, “As a reminder, the best way to indicate a preferred site name to Google is to make use of WebSite structured data, as explained on our site name documentation.”

Also, Google now encourages more use of the alternateName property when sometimes a preferred site name isn’t available for your site.

Workarounds for site names. Google also listed a few workarounds for when the preferred or alternative names are not selected by Google Search. Google posted new workarounds in its help documentation that lists these workarounds:

  • First, try providing an alternative name using the alternateName property. If our site name system isn’t confident enough to use your preferred name, it strongly considers this option.
  • Provide your domain or subdomain name as a backup option. To provide your domain or subdomain as a backup option, add your domain or subdomain name as your alternative name. Your domain or subdomain needs to be in all lowercase (for example, example.com not Example.com) for our system to detect this as a site name preference. Our system will strongly consider using it if your preferred name isn’t selected. In this example, Burnt Toast is the most preferred option, followed by BT, and ending with the domain example.com as the final name preference.
  • If that’s still not working, then try providing your domain or subdomain name (in all lowercase) as your preferred name, as a last-resort workaround option. If you provide your domain or subdomain name as your preferred name, our system will generally select that (but we recommend only doing this as a last resort). In this example, the only preference is the domain example.com.

Need support. Having issues with your site name? Google posted a support thread in the Google support forums over here, including more FAQs.

We saw some issues with site names, some of which Google resolved. This should resolve more of those issues. In fact, I did capture some before and after examples and posted them this morning on the Search Engine Roundtable.

What it looks like. Here is where the site name shows in the search result snippet:

Site Name 800x251

Site names timeline. Here is the timeline Google posted of the evolution of site names since it launched in October:

  • October 2022: Site names for the domain level were introduced for mobile search results for English, French, German and Japanese.
  • April 2023 (I have this as March): Site names were added for desktop for the same set of languages.
  • May 2023: Site names are now supported on the subdomain level for the same set of languages and on mobile search results only.

Controlling site names. Google back in October explained that Google Search uses a number of ways to identify the site name for the search result. But if you want, you can use structured data on your home page to communicate to Google what the site name should be for your site. Google has specific documentation on this new Site name structured data available over here.

Upgrading the favicon. Google also recommended revisiting the documentation for favicons for the latest best practices. Google is now also suggesting you provide an icon that’s at least 48 pixels and follows the existing favicon guidelines.

Ads. This is also rolled out to the Google search ads on desktop, so the size of the site name, favicons, and also the ad label will be more prominent in mobile search. In fact, Google rolled out the “Sponsored” label in mobile search last October and today on desktop, officially replacing the “Ads” label from January 2020.

Why we care. Google has made several improvements to how it selects and shows your site name in the Google Search results. If Google is still getting it wrong and you are following the documentation, then maybe try some of those new workarounds to get your site name showing exactly how you want it in Google Search.

The post Google Search rolls out site name updates and workarounds appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/google-search-rolls-out-site-name-updates-and-workarounds-429979

New Google Merchant Center policy: AI-generated reviews are spam

A new Google Merchant Center policy on “automated content” says reviews generated using an automated program or artificial intelligence application are considered spam and against the Google Merchant Center policies.

Google posted this update here and clarified its existing Merchant Center policies and enforcement.

Automated content policy. The new policy reads:

“Automated Content: We don’t allow reviews that are primarily generated by an automated program or artificial intelligence application. If you have identified such content, it should be marked as spam in your feed using the is_spam attribute.”

AI Content and Google. Generally, Google has been OK with people using AI to generate content, assuming that content is helpful for users and not written primarily for search engines. This is a bit of a deviation from Google’s recent messaging on using AI for content.

But one would assume that reviews require a human to use the product to generate a review and thus AI-generated reviews would be an exception. Maybe?

Other policy clarifications. Google also posted clarifications on its other Merchant Center policies. Here is what Google posted:

  • Spam: We don’t allow spam content. Ensure any content known to contain irrelevant, repetitive, or nonsensical text is marked as spam in your feed using the is_spam attribute.
  • Dangerous products or acts: Don’t submit reviews of regulated products that can cause damage, harm, or injury. For example, don’t submit reviews of guns, tobacco products, or regulated drugs. Additionally, don’t include content that depicts or provides instructions to complete activities that are dangerous and/or widely illegal.
  • Phone numbers, email addresses or URLs: Don’t submit phone numbers, email addresses and links to other websites in the review content.
  • Personal and confidential information: Don’t submit reviews that contain personal information, including but not limited to full names, credit card information, national insurance number, driving license information, etc.
  • Keep it clean: Don’t submit reviews that use obscene, profane, or offensive language or include content that depicts scenes of violence, serious injury or death, contains personal attacks, or are defamatory.
  • Conflict of interest: Don’t submit reviews that were paid for or are otherwise inauthentic. Reviews are most valuable when they are honest and unbiased. We remove reviews that we believe have conflicts of interest and/or have been written by employees or people with a vested interest in the product. Only submit reviews that were honestly solicited from customers who made a purchase.
  • Illegal content: Don’t submit reviews that contain or link to unlawful content, such as links that facilitate the sale of prescription drugs without a prescription, illegal drugs, counterfeit products, or illicit weapons. This content is not allowed.
  • Malware & Phishing: Don’t submit reviews containing links to malware, viruses, or other harmful software. We don’t allow phishing or other content that harms or interferes with the operation of the networks, servers, or other infrastructure of Google or others.
  • Copyrighted content: Don’t submit reviews that infringe on others’ rights, including copyright. For more information or to file a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) request, review our copyright procedures.
  • Trademark infringement: Don’t submit content that uses a trademark in a way that’s likely to cause confusion about the origin of the product being reviewed.
  • Plagiarism: Don’t submit reviews containing appropriation of content created by another person or entity.
  • Sexually explicit material: Don’t submit reviews that contain sexually explicit material. We also don’t allow reviews that sexually exploit children or present them in a sexual manner. For this type of content, we remove the review, shut down the product reviews feed, and send a report to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and to law enforcement. This content is not allowed.
  • Hate speech: Don’t submit reviews that advocate against groups of people based on their race or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Violent language, terrorist content, or content intended to incite and encourage violent acts or extremist behavior, are not allowed in reviews.
  • Cross promotion of other products/websites: We don’t allow reviews that include promotional content for other unrelated websites, products, or services. If you have identified such content, it should be marked as spam in your feed using the attribute.
  • Off-topic reviews: We may remove reviews that primarily seek to discuss other topics unrelated to the product itself. This includes comments about shipping and delivery, experiences with particular retailers, political or social controversy, attacks on others, or don’t represent a first-hand experience with the product. This also includes merchant responses to reviewer comments.
  • Impersonation: We don’t allow reviews from people claiming to be someone that they aren’t.
  • Language: Reviews should be submitted in the original language they are written in. Google will display reviews in the original language with an option on the Shopping page to be translated to the user’s language.
  • Duplicate content: Each review should only appear in one feed and only once in that feed. If a review applies to multiple variations of a product, this should be designated by including multiple unique product identifiers and URLs with the review. The same review shouldn’t appear in feeds from different retailers. The retailer should own the review and shouldn’t send Google content syndicated from other sources. In the case of duplicate reviews in multiple feeds, we may blocklist one or more of the reviews or entire feeds.

Enforcement clarification. Google also posted the following clarification about how Google enforces the policies listed above:

  • We use a combination of automated and human evaluation to ensure that content and reviews comply with our policies. Our enforcement technologies use machine-learning algorithms to help protect our merchants and users by keeping our shopping platforms safe. More complex, nuanced, or severe cases are reviewed and evaluated by our specially trained experts who conduct content evaluations that might be difficult for algorithms to perform alone, for example, because an understanding of the context of the piece of content is required.
  • We take action on content and reviews that violate our policies. This may include disapproving violating content or a violating review, as well as issuing warnings or suspending accounts for repeated or egregious violations. We take repeat violations of our policies seriously.
  • When an image is flagged for a policy violation, we will now also block the associated review content.

Why we care. If you use Google Merchant Center, you should know all the existing policies and how Google enforces those policies. If you post reviews to your Merchant Center feed, it sounds like you need to ensure those reviews are not generated by AI or other automated means. If they are, you need to add the is_spam attribute to those reviews.

The post New Google Merchant Center policy: AI-generated reviews are spam appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/new-google-policy-says-ai-generated-reviews-are-spam-and-against-merchant-center-policies-429984

Why a Licensed Real Estate Appraiser Should Inspect Your Home Before You Buy

Home Business Magazine Online

There are several reasons why you would want to hire a professional real estate appraiser. The most frequent uses of appraisals are in refinancing and real estate transactions. In the first instance, the appraisal’s goal is to find out if the price in the contract accurately shows the house’s value in light of factors like its location and condition. On the other hand, the appraisal’s goal is to help the lender in determining a loan amount appropriately while taking the property into account as prospective collateral.

Typically, a lender will ask for an appraisal, and the borrower will be responsible for the fee. Depending on where the residence is, an appraisal often costs a couple of hundreds of dollars. An evaluation of a house has a goal to show how much it is worth, not to pinpoint the condition and what issues it has. Additionally, an inspection of a given property cannot be looked at the same way as a home appraisal.

Before you even start negotiating with the property seller, it is crucial that you get a professional to inspect the property beforehand.

If you, a potential future homeowner, need financing, the lender will require a home assessment, frequently using a certified appraiser they are familiar with or have previously worked with. Before assessing the property, a skilled appraiser needs to have a license and needs to be insured. Due to federal law, an appraiser needs to maintain objectivity in the topic regarding the transaction to prohibit falsifying any facts either in favor of the borrower or the lender.

Why Hire a Professional for Home Appraisal

An authorized expert who holds a current real estate appraisal license must carry out the procedure of a house appraisal. The advantages of professional house appraisals will now be discussed.

Assessment of Value

To start with, the benefit of a home inspection has one primary purpose, which is to establish the full price of your property. Although it may not seem necessary to know the exact value of your home, knowing what it is worth may help you prepare for your plans in the future and financial goals. Whether you are a real estate investor or a potential homeowner, the appraisal process is a very important step.

If you work in the real estate sector and you prefer the fix-and-flip projects, getting someone to assess those properties might help you avoid offers that are not profitable for you and offer you a better idea of what you are dealing with and the resources you possess. In order to stay ahead, especially if this is your main job, it would not be a bad idea to have a professional appraiser regularly check your properties at least once per year.

Estate Planning

The process of developing a plan for how to transfer assets to the younger generations is known as estate planning. A seasoned tax or financial advisor may provide a number of strategies to help you avoid estate planning mistakes, but they must be knowledgeable about the assets they are working with and their valuations. This includes both liquid and illiquid assets, such as cash, stocks, and bonds, as well as illiquid assets like real estate. Knowing a home’s assessed value might help you decide whether it would be better to retain it in the family or sell it while comparing this knowledge to other factors like sentimental value and family tradition.

Removal of PMI

The lender is protected by private mortgage insurance (PMI) in the event that a borrower defaults on a loan. This insurance’s monthly cost is frequently included in the borrower’s monthly mortgage payment, while it is occasionally possible to pay it upfront.

PMI could become a need for obtaining a loan in common situations such as down payments or refinancing if the borrower has less than 20% equity in the home. The only way to find out the home’s true market value is to have it appraised.

A house appraisal could be helpful, for instance, if the property’s worth has significantly grown since the loan’s inception. This would increase the borrower’s equity in the home. An assessment of the property demonstrates to the lender that the borrower has enough equity to be free from the PMI requirement. But be aware that different lenders have different requirements for how much equity you must have in your home to get rid of PMI.

Final Thoughts

There are several advantages to having a professional home evaluation done for your property. You might be unaware of how useful it can be at first. However, in addition to the advantages we have already stated, expert house evaluation has other advantages. You will benefit more than you may think from being aware of your home’s genuine market worth.

The post Why a Licensed Real Estate Appraiser Should Inspect Your Home Before You Buy appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/real-estate/licensed-real-estate-appraiser-inspect-home-before-buy/

Is Car Finance the Best Way to Fund Your Next Car?

Home Business Magazine Online

The popularity of getting a car through finance has really taken off in the past few years. There are a number of reasons why car finance can be a popular option for drivers. From the higher cost of new and used cars to the cost of living at an all-time high too, it can be harder for drivers to afford to pay for a car in one lump sum. If you’ve never taken out a car loan before, you may be wondering if it’s the right option for you. The article below looks at how car finance works and also the pros and cons to help you decide whether you should finance your next vehicle!

How does financing a car work?

It’s worth noting that there are a few car finance agreements to choose from, but they usually work in the same way as each other. You borrow an amount to cover your car purchase from a finance lender and pay it back over an agreed term in monthly instalments. Your monthly budget will also include any fees and interest to pay too. You can set your finance term to fit in with your affordability and car financing deals can usually be spread over 3-5 years. You can choose the car you want from a participating dealership and payments will be based on the cost price of your chosen vehicle. Depending on the deal you choose, your loan will either be secured or unsecured. A secured loan means the deal is secured against the vehicle and can be taken from you if you fail to stick to the rules of the agreement.

Advantages of choosing car finance:

There are so many benefits to financing a car and for many drivers it can be a no brainer.

  • Multiple finance agreements to choose from. Car finance isn’t just one agreement and, in the UK, the most popular ways to finance a car is through hire purchase, personal contract purchase and a personal loan option. You can choose an agreement that’s right for you based on what you want out of your finance deal and also to suit your monthly budget.
  • Spread the cost. One of the biggest benefits of getting a car through finance is that you can spread the cost of ownership into affordable monthly repayments that suit your budget.
  • Get a newer, better car. When you buy with cash, your budget may be smaller which means you may be limited to the cars you can buy. You can usually get a newer, more reliable car when you spread the cost with finance and pay for it over a term that suits you.
  • Fixed payments. The interest rate you pay can fluctuate in line with the Bank of England base rate but once you secure a finance deal, most interest rates and monthly payments are fixed. This means you will pay the same each month for the duration of the loan and it won’t change, unless you refinance your car loan early.

Disadvantages of choosing to finance a car:

It wouldn’t be fair to look at the benefits and not also assess a few factors which may not make car finance the most cost-effective way to get a vehicle.

  • Interest to pay on top of your loan. You can benefit from 0% interest car finance deals, but these are usually reserved for brand new cars where the purchase price is higher anyway. You will need to pay interest on your car loan and the interest rate you are offered can massively vary from customer to customer. Choosing a higher interest rate can make car finance less cost-effective.
  • Can harm your credit. If you fail to stick to the rules of your credit agreements, it can have a negative impact on your credit. Missed or late car repayments negatively impacts your score and affect your ability to borrow in the future.
  • Mileage and damage charges. Certain agreements such as PCP deals require you to set a mileage limit at the start of your deal. If you exceed the annual mileage, there can be additional charges to pay. Some drivers don’t like this as they feel they are restricted by the finance company. You will also have to agree to keep the car in good condition if you want to hand the car back at the end of the deal and you may need to pay for any damage charges too.

The post Is Car Finance the Best Way to Fund Your Next Car? appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/money/personal-finance/car-finance-best-way-fund-next-car/

How to audit your YouTube channel for brand success

Despite what some business leaders still (shockingly) think, YouTube isn’t just cat videos and fail compilations; it’s a mighty tool in your marketing arsenal. 

If you’re not harnessing its full potential, you’re missing out big time. 

Regularly performing a thorough audit is one way to ensure you’re squeezing all the value from your brand’s YouTube channel. Here’s how it’s done.

Understanding YouTube metrics and analytics

Views, subscribers, likes, comments and shares give a good feel for how your video content is performing. 

But if you really want to get into the nitty-gritty, YouTube Analytics is a gold mine. 

It tells you everything from watch time and traffic sources to audience demographics, with data for individual videos and the channel overall. 

Understanding these numbers is crucial to know what is and isn’t working. 

Here’s a breakdown of some of the most important metrics in YouTube analytics:

Views

  • This is the total number of times a video has been watched on YouTube. It’s a primary indicator of how many people your content is reaching.

Subscribers

  • The number of people who have subscribed to your YouTube channel. Subscribers are your core audience and will likely engage regularly with your content.

Watch time

  • The total amount of time people have spent watching your videos. This is a crucial metric as YouTube’s algorithm heavily considers watch time when ranking videos.

Audience retention

  • This metric shows you how long, on average, viewers stay engaged with your videos. If people are regularly watching your video until the end, this indicates that your content is engaging and relevant.

Engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares)

  • These metrics show how viewers interact with your videos. High levels of engagement typically indicate that your content is resonating with your audience.

Visibility metrics (impressions and CTR)

  • Impressions refer to how often your video’s thumbnail is shown to people on YouTube, while the CTR shows how often people click on it to watch the video. Having high impressions but low CTR can suggest your title or thumbnail needs a bit of tweaking.

Traffic sources

  • This shows where your viewers find your videos, whether through YouTube’s search engine, suggested videos, external sites, etc. It helps you understand where your marketing efforts are most effective.

Demographics

  • Information about your audience (e.g., age, gender, location). Knowing your audience demographics can help you create more targeted and relevant content.

Top videos

  • This shows which of your videos are most popular based on watch time. Understanding what type of content performs best can guide your future content creation strategy.

Playback locations

  • This tells you where people are watching your videos, such as on the YouTube watch page, embedded on other websites, or within YouTube’s mobile app. This helps you understand how your audience prefers to consume your content.

Remember, while these metrics are all important, the ones that matter most will depend on your specific goals and strategy.

Before you dive into the deep end, have clear goals in mind. 

Do you want to increase your subscriber base? Boost engagement? Drive traffic to your website? 

Align your YouTube channel goals with your overall marketing strategy and make sure they’re SMART:

  • Specific. 
  • Measurable.
  • Achievable.
  • Relevant.
  • Time-bound. 

5 important metrics to work on for improved YouTube ranking and visibility

If you want to audit your YouTube channel to find opportunities to improve rankings and visibility, here are the metrics you should focus on:

View duration (watch time)

YouTube wants to keep viewers glued to the platform. 

So, the longer your videos hold viewers’ attention, the more YouTube’s algorithm will favor you. 

Monitor your analytics to see which videos capture attention and why. 

  • Are they more fast-paced and engaging? 
  • Do they deliver on the promise of the title and thumbnail? 
  • Are they particularly topical? 

Do more of what’s working, and cut what’s not.

Audience retention

Many marketers miss or struggle to interpret this metric. 

Audience retention refers to the percentage of a video that viewers stick around to watch. 

If your 10-minute video consistently loses viewers at the 2-minute mark, you have a problem. 

You need to figure out what’s causing viewers to bounce and fix it. 

Is it a boring intro? A misleading title? Solve the issue to keep your audience around for longer.

In the audience retention graph for each video, what we’re looking for is a relatively flat line or one that only gradually declines. 

Steep drops and dips are to be further investigated. 

To find the chart, go to YouTube Studio > Content > Select a video > Analytics, then scroll down to Key Moment for Audience Retention.

YouTube Studio - Audience retention

Engagement metrics (Likes, comments, shares and subscriptions)

When viewers interact with your videos – by liking, commenting, sharing, or subscribing – YouTube takes it as a sign that you’re creating valuable, engaging content. 

So encourage that interaction! Ask viewers to like, comment, share and subscribe. 

And don’t be a wallflower yourself. Respond to comments and engage with your audience. 

Just be sure to keep it positive and professional.

Click-through rate (CTR)

This measures how many people see your video thumbnail and title (impressions) and then click to watch. It’s a vital sign of how compelling your video’s ‘packaging’ is. To boost your CTR, craft irresistible titles and design eye-catching thumbnails. But remember, clickbait might earn you a click, but it’ll hurt your view duration and audience retention if your video doesn’t deliver on its promise.

Traffic sources

This shows you where your views are coming from – whether it’s YouTube search, suggested videos, external websites, or other sources. 

Understanding this can help you tailor your SEO strategy. If many viewers find you through YouTube search, you’ll want to double down on keyword optimization. 

If external websites are driving traffic, look at which sites are linking to you or embedding your content, and why.

YouTube audit essentials

Now that you understand what metrics you’re dealing with, the real work begins. 

To make your brand’s channel shine, you must first understand where it stands, what’s working, and what could use a little love. 

It’s time to roll up those sleeves and dive into a YouTube channel audit. 

Below are the essential steps and elements you must include in your audit. 

Step 1: Check out the channel aesthetics

First impressions count. Start by looking at your channel’s logo, banner, and overall visual aesthetic. 

Does it scream “your brand,” or is it more of a whisper? 

Make sure everything aligns with your brand’s identity and vibe. 

Also, double-check the About section. It should tell viewers exactly what your channel is about, when to expect new videos, and how to get in touch. 

Think of it as your brand’s elevator pitch.

Step 2: Dive into the video library

Watch a selection of videos across the library – some old, some new, some with high views, some with low views. 

Take a look at the channel analytics and pay close attention to the focus metrics I mentioned above. Compare year over year, if you can. 

This will give you a feel for the content quality and how it has evolved over time. 

  • Are the videos in line with the brand’s messaging? 
  • Are they serving the viewers’ needs or interests? 

If not, it’s time for a rethink.

An important point to understand is that you want your channel to feel timely, topical, and relevant. 

So any non-evergreen content you have that is now outdated (looking at you, “2020 SEO Trends to Watch Out For”) could be bringing down performance. 

Sadly, YouTube doesn’t allow you to upload a new version and keep all the stats from the old one, you’ll need to start from scratch. 

Step 3: Thumbnails, titles and descriptions

Here’s where we get down to the nitty-gritty. Take a look at the video thumbnails, titles, and descriptions. 

  • Are they eye-catching? 
  • Do they clearly communicate what the video is about? 
  • Are they optimized with relevant keywords? 

The combination of your thumbnail and title is like a movie poster for your video, so it needs to be compelling.

And the description is your chance to reel in viewers (and search engines) with more detail.

Step 4: Get engaged

Check out the engagement on your videos. 

  • Are viewers liking, commenting and sharing? 
  • More importantly, are you responding to those comments? 

Engagement isn’t a one-way street, so be sure to take the time to interact with your audience.

Step 5: Compare with competitors

Take a peek at what your competitors are up to. 

  • What are they doing well? 
  • What aren’t they doing so well?

Find ways to differentiate your brand and make your content stand out. 

Tools like TubeBuddy are great for competitor analysis, as well as optimizing your own channel. 

Step 6: Review your SEO

If you’re serious about success on YouTube, SEO is not optional, it’s mandatory. Optimize your video titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords. 

And let’s not forget the thumbnails – they’re the first thing viewers see. Make them catchy.

Playlists are also a fantastic way to keep viewers hooked to your channel. 

YouTube SEO is a discipline in itself, but an important one to get your head around if you want to make the most of your brand’s channel. 

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Bonus: Your YouTube upload checklist

So, you’ve done your audit, the house is in order and existing videos are starting to get some traction. 

How do we avoid having to do all this again in six months? 

Presenting YouTube upload checklists! 

A YouTube upload checklist should cover key steps in the process of preparing, optimizing and uploading a video for maximum visibility, engagement and SEO benefit. 

Here’s a rundown of the essentials:

Pre-upload

  • Content quality and value: Ensure your video provides meaningful content to your audience. Whether it’s educational or entertaining, it needs to offer something valuable.
  • Video quality: Your video should be HD quality (1080p or higher) for a professional appearance.
  • Editing: Check your video for any editing errors and ensure smooth transitions, clear audio, and appropriate pacing.
  • Branding: Incorporate your brand identity, like your logo and colors.

Upload

  • Title: Craft a catchy and relevant title that includes your main keyword.
  • Description: The first two to three lines are crucial, so include your keyword early. Expand on the video content and include relevant links.
  • Tags: Use relevant tags, including main keywords and related terms.
  • Custom thumbnail: Create a visually appealing and compelling thumbnail that aligns with your video content.
  • End screens: Use end screens to promote other videos, drive subscriptions, or guide users to your website.
  • Pinned comments: Post and pin a comment to the top of your video’s comment section. Start the conversation yourself instead of waiting for viewers to do it. It can be much quicker to get engagement flowing with this method. 
  • Closed captions: Include closed captions (CC) for your videos. This enhances accessibility and contributes to SEO, as the text is searchable.
  • Playlists: Add your video to relevant playlists to encourage extended viewing.
  • Scheduling: Determine the best time to publish your video to maximize engagement.
  • Visibility settings: Ensure your video is set to publish or scheduled to publish at a certain time.

Post-upload

  • Engagement: Engage with your audience by responding to comments.
  • Promotion: Share your video on other social platforms to increase visibility.

Double down on metrics that matter to your brand

Succeeding on YouTube and mastering its nuances might seem daunting. But once you break it down and understand the metrics that drive your channel’s success, it’s not as scary as it seems.

Creating a successful YouTube channel involves more than just posting content. It’s about knowing your audience, setting clear goals, making your content easily discoverable and engaging, and consistently evaluating and optimizing your strategy using data.

From auditing your channel aesthetics to diving deep into the video library, it’s a journey, not a one-off task.

Plus, with the handy upload checklist, you’ll set your videos up for success every time you go live. 

The key to brand success on YouTube lies in:

  • Ensuring your video is professional.
  • Having well-optimized metadata.
  • Interacting with your audience.
  • Promoting your content after upload.

All these are essential strategies for growing your YouTube channel and enhancing your brand’s visibility.

The post How to audit your YouTube channel for brand success appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/audit-youtube-channel-429930

Google Merchant Center adds customer support feature

Google has launched a new customer support feature on Merchant Center.

The new tool enables retailers to input their customer support information and returns policy.

Merchant Center is then able to share these details with shoppers without them ever having to leave the program.

Why we care. Consumers often feel frustrated and dissatisfied when they can’t easily access customer support and returns-related information while shopping online. Giving them the ability to quickly and easily search for these details within Merchant Center can improve the user experience and help build trust. The more shoppers trust a brand, the more likely is is they will buy and become loyal customers.

Setting up customer support information. Here’s how Google said retailers can add their customer support information:

  1. Log into Merchant Center.
  2. Once on the Home page, navigate to the Add customer support info card.
  3. Select Add info.
  4. Input the following customer support information:
    1. Customer service telephone number
    2. Customer service email address
    3. Customer service web page URL (i.e. link to a customer service form)
    4. Select the “Live chat support available” toggle if your business supports this
    5. Select the “Chat bot support available” toggle if your business supports this
    6. After providing the relevant information, select your preferred contact method.
  5. Once these steps are complete, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click  ‘Save’.

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What has Google said? Google explained the importance of providing customer service information via a statement issued on Merchant Center:

  • “Customer service is important for your business and your customers because it allows you to help customers solve any issues with your product or service.
  • “It also helps you build trust with your customers. So it’s important that your customers know how they can reach you for support.”

Deep dive. Read Google’s Merchant Center customer support guide for more information.

The post Google Merchant Center adds customer support feature appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/google-merchant-center-customer-support-429957

Can Ticket Selling Underpin a Profitable Business?

Home Business Magazine Online

Let’s face facts; ticket reselling has gotten a bad rap in the digital age, with practices such as scalping or touting at football matches considered to be both unfair and unscrupulous.

However, it should be remembered that ticket reselling is broadly legal and well regulated, while it also underpins a huge and fast-growing marketplace.

In fact, the global secondary ticket resale market was valued at a staggering $5.24 billion in 2020, while it’s expected to peak at £9.7 billion by 2027 and grow at a CAGR of 9.2% in the next four years.

With these points in mind, it’s possible to resell a broad array of tickets as part of a highly profitable and lucrative business. But what steps can you take to optimise your chances of success in this sector?

Understand the Law and Its Impact

As I’ve already touched on, there are plenty of laws in place to regulate ticket reselling, although many of these were passed with the primary objective of cracking down on touting at sports matches (especially football).

For example, the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 was primarily constructed to help crackdown on football hooliganism, by prohibiting fans from reselling tickets to rival fans in the same section.

Similarly, the 2006 Violent Crime Reduction Act evolved from the creative attempts to circumnavigate the 1994 legislation, such as selling a matchday program with a free ticket thrown into the deal.

Understanding such legalities is key if you intend to sell a broad range of tickets successfully and compliantly, regardless of the volume or quantities you initially deal in.

Make Use of Reputable Reselling Sites

If you do want to sell sports tickets as part of your business model, it’s highly recommended that you use reputable and licensed reselling sites.

The reason for this is simple; as such sites are heavily regulated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and compelled to follow all relevant local and national laws. So, the best and most established platforms have the full trust of buyers, while they allow reputable vendors to become trusted sellers and operate profitably.

Currently, for example, reputable resale sites like Liverugbytickets.com and Ticombo are advertising available tickets for most of the published RWC23 fixtures. Conversely, the official RWC site is only offering limited spaces for 12 of the tournament’s 48 games, so fans are flocking to reselling platforms to make a purchase.

As a result, resellers who are able to sell at market value will be able to access a huge and motivated audience through such sites, especially if they’ve earned a reputation as a trusted vendor and operate with complete transparency.

Get a Handle on Your Margins

Ultimately, being a profitable ticket reseller depends on your grasp of your margins, as not all tickets sell equally and some are capable of driving much higher prices than others.

At the same time, the more profitable tickets will be more costly in the first place, so it’s important to deploy a bulk buying strategy where possible and be precise when setting your resale prices.

To provide an example, concert tickets may deliver an approximate return of £40-£50 per ticket, whereas major sports matches can deliver profits of £250 and upwards depending on availability and demand. These differences must be factored into your buying and pricing strategies, or you’ll find it hard to bank any kind of sustainable profit.

This is also one of the reasons why you should look to start small before scaling your efforts organically over time, in line with your profitability and the experience that you’ve gained selling different types of tickets.

The post Can Ticket Selling Underpin a Profitable Business? appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/business-spotlights/ticket-selling-underpin-profitable-business/