Category: Internet Marketing

Benefits of Custom E-commerce Development Projects

Home Business Magazine Online

Finding a place under the fierce sun of online shopping, a crowded and saturated beach of good-looking competitors, is not an easy feat in 2023. With numbers counting up to 24 million online stores, you must deliver a high-quality web store with all essential ingredients and something unique.

The online retail is showing no stopping. In fact, by 2040, Nasdaq research thinks 95% of all purchases will be online. So, if you have a product or want to expand your physical store, there is little doubt that you should invest in an e-commerce business model.

Luckily, numerous quality platforms can help you start an online store. However, to create a feature-rich, cutting-edge solution sprinkled with the latest plug-ins and technologies, you should probably consider custom e-commerce development.

Advantages of custom software development

Software development is a bustling industry that offers ready-made solutions like e-commerce development platforms, CRM, ERP, and other products in other niches. Since it’s hard to fit your individual business into finished products seamlessly, you will probably have to hire developers to adjust the off-the-shelf modules. While the final result might be satisfactory, if you want more benefits and to stand out, creating a custom solution might be a better option, especially in a highly competitive e-commerce industry.

Software development companies building your solution will enable a high level of personalization. The product will be created to meet all your needs. You can add features and technologies outside of what ready-made products offer in their packages. Tailor your solution to fit project plans and entertain the target audience.

Initial costs of custom development are higher than off-the-shelf software. However, in the long run, a custom solution doesn’t require costly subscriptions, and recurring expenses are lower and more focused on maintenance. If you choose to create solutions on open-source software, you will avoid paying licensing fees. Simultaneously, off-the-shelf products also need custom development to add new features, and with custom software, you will be better positioned to stay on top of the technology game.

Each software solution comes with a set of security features. In custom development, you can incorporate all of the currently leading solutions and insist on extensive testing to ensure there are no vulnerabilities in the code.

If you choose a development company wisely, you can rely on continuous support and maintenance. A personalized relationship is something you won’t get with off-the-shelf solutions. However, you do need to check the developers you employ. Successful projects and longevity are keys to relying on custom ecommerce development and having peace of mind.

One crucial aspect of an online store is scalability. If your business takes off, you will want an easy way to expand your website and add more product categories and items. Custom development can think of that in the beginning, laying the foundation for future growth.

Another essential feature is integration with third-party solutions. You will want your online shop to integrate with existing company ERP seamlessly or to include advanced payment options.

Magento is one of the favorites if you’re looking for an e-commerce platform that blends into custom software development benefits. An open-source solution with thousands of developers in a broad community that emphasizes scalability, speed, and third-party support.

Why is Magento popular among e-commerce developers?

The battle for every customer is rampaging in the e-commerce industry. To facilitate the countless online stores, businesses can choose from various e-commerce platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento, and Wix.

As an open-source solution, and because of its longevity in the market, Magento is considered the top choice for custom development. But what makes it so appealing?

Magento has a massive community of developers because it powers online shops for over 15 years. It is estimated that around 300,000 developers globally work with this platform. You can find reliable help, quality plug-ins, and support, which helps the platform stay relevant and competitive.

Online retail increasingly relies on smartphones, with up to 70% of online purchases coming through mobile. Magento has built-in support for HTML5 and responsive design, meaning your website should look good on any screen size. Responsiveness includes flexible grids and layouts, as well as the handling of images.

Security is a major concern for both the Magento e-commerce development company and the client. The platform comes with numerous security options and extensions. You can find strong data encryption through the AES-256 algorithm, session and cookie validation, and CSRF protection. Building on that, you can include ReCAPTCHA and two-factor authentication to improve your security.

Developers will appreciate the Magento platform with predesigned components, elements, and themes. Whether you design a site from scratch or use some of the existing items, Magento offers broad customization options.

Aside from looking good, you will want your online store to perform well and attract traffic. Magento has a comprehensive set of SEO features built into the platform. You can add custom anchor text for navigation links and change the page title and H1 tags. You will also get canonical URLs that help avoid content duplication, and its CMS has advanced options for organic link building. Another thing Magento thrives on is page loading speed, which is essential for SEO and customer experience and retention.

Possible disadvantages of custom development

Custom software development is not ideal for all clients, and if you need a super basic online store with only a few items, you might consider doing it by yourself. Some of the issues you could encounter are high initial costs.

Small companies might be turned off by the cost of hiring a team of developers despite having benefits in the long run. If you’re not experienced and don’t look thoroughly, you might hire the wrong vendor, which could cost you time and resources to get it right.

If you’re in a hurry and must launch an online store quickly, you could also try easy-to-use platforms. Custom development may take months to deliver satisfactory results.

Conclusion

If you want to make your online store competitive and attractive, it should stand out from the crowd. This is not an easy feat, with hundreds of thousands of e-commerce websites. Choosing custom e-commerce development to create unique shopping experiences might be your best choice.

Personalization, adding custom features, and most attractive e-commerce solutions are a few reasons that can help you elevate over competitors. If you choose an open-source platform like Magento, you can build upon already robust SEO, security, and customization options while having speedy page loading and broad third-party solution support.

The post Benefits of Custom E-commerce Development Projects appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/ecommerce/benefits-custom-e-commerce-development-projects/

Google says major changes coming to search rankings

Google’s Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, has reportedly said that major changes are coming to Google’s search rankings in the future. This comes from a talk Sullivan gave at an event last Friday, where he was quoted as saying that these “major changes” are coming and that some may need to “buckle up.”

Danny Sullivan after this story was published replied on X saying, “I was talking about various things people have raised where they want to see our results improve, or where they think “sure, you fixed this but what about….” And that these things all correspond to improvements we have in the works. That there’s so much coming that I don’t want to say buckle up, because those who are making good, people-first content should be fine. But that said, there’s a lot of improvements on the way.”

Quotes. Here are the two sources I found quoting Sullivan as saying, “buckle-up there are major changes coming to search ranking signals…”

Here is some more clarification:

Busy year of algorithm updates. It has been a wild and very volatile year for SEOs with a ton of Google search ranking algorithm updates. Just this past few weeks we had the November 2023 reviews update, November 2023 core update, October 2023 spam update, and the October 2023 Core Update.

Why we care. Are there more big changes coming to Google’s core ranking algorithms in the near term? What will be so “major” that some of us need to “buckle up” and get ready for? How much will these future algorithm updates be even more impactful than the ones we are currently experiencing?

Or maybe these quotes were taken out of context and we don’t need to stress too much about these changes.

The post Google says major changes coming to search rankings appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/google-says-major-changes-coming-to-search-rankings-434548

Conveying keyword insights to non-SEOs: A visual approach

Explaining keyword research to those unfamiliar with SEO to gain support can be challenging.

Stakeholders often find it difficult to grasp the value of SEO, and at the same time, SEOs struggle to communicate the benefits and contributions effectively.

Fortunately, there are strategies available for SEOs to bridge this gap by employing their keyword research more strategically and effectively. 

This article explores a visual approach for effectively communicating keyword research insights with stakeholders outside the search industry. 

Leveraging unique visuals

Non-SEO-savvy stakeholders may not know much about search keywords but likely understand general marketing concepts like the marketing funnel and audience segments.

You can use this understanding to explore keywords more deeply and create strategies that align with these broader marketing terms.

One critical yet frequently overlooked element here is search intent. 

You can group keywords based on intent and create a bubble chart to visually represent the position of each keyword cluster within the marketing funnel, like the chart below.

Keyword intent clusters

The chart clearly shows the content needed to help searchers at each level of the marketing funnel. Overall, it reveals the necessary content for different stages of the funnel.

But it’s not just limited to that; you can also narrow it down to specific topics or subsets of keywords. This allows for a detailed analysis and a better understanding of the specific types of content needed for each topic.

Taking the above keyword intent visualization and drilling into the “all-weather tires” cluster shows that “Awareness” content should be produced to target these keyword clusters. Unlocking this insight means SEOs can match the searchers’ expectations.

Keyword intent clusters - Awareness

This visualization shows how certain keywords help users move through the marketing funnel, and there are more actions you can take to optimize it further.

Companies often use audience personas or segments in broader marketing efforts. Integrating this knowledge is vital for effective communication, especially with stakeholders focused on paid search, as they commonly associate keywords with audience segments.

Likewise, by utilizing ChatGPT, SEOs can categorize keyword topics based on audience personas, resulting in a visual representation like the one below:

Categorized keyword topics based on audience personas

This chart displays the size of various topics and indicates which audience segments are most likely to engage with content related to those topics.

With these visuals, you are in a stronger position to develop more effective content strategies and enhance your communication with stakeholders outside the search domain.

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How to build the visuals

The effectiveness of these two visuals is undeniable, though they require additional effort to develop.

Keyword intent cluster

SEOs can use various approaches to build keyword intent clusters, but I’ll outline the most straightforward and effective method.

To begin, we need more than just keyword data and search volume to craft this visual. Specifically, it will require top 10 organic listings and a keyword intent score.

A keyword intent score can be calculated through various means. I suggest you use a tool you can access that supplies keyword intent. 

When creating my own visuals, I used the DataForSEO API and assigned a score for each SERP feature that appeared on a SERP, then calculated the average score for each keyword. 

This can also be accomplished in a tool like Semrush by transforming the categorical keyword intents into a numerical scale. 

When assigning a value for each intent, select a minimum value representing transactional intent and a maximum value representing informational intent. A blended intent can also be calculated by assigning a value between two intents. 

We can create the intent clusters now that a numerical value has been established for keyword intent. 

By gathering page 1 organic listings data, we leverage Google’s intelligence to create more accurate and relevant keyword clusters.

To create the clusters, compile the organic listings for a keyword into a list and compare it to another keyword list, keeping track of the number of similar pages appearing in each list. 

Upon completing this analysis, we will be in a position to construct a similarity matrix for all the keywords, identical to the example provided below:

keyword matrix

Next, create the clusters and aggregate all of their associated metrics. Through my experimentation, I discovered that establishing a threshold at 4 or 5 similar URLs resulted in the most cohesive clustering.

Once all keyword clusters have been aggregated along with their metrics, it’s time to assemble a bubble chart. The data at this point should closely align with the below:

aggregated keyword clusters

Each cluster in the bubble chart should ideally start with a value of 0 on the x-axis unless you are in the process of fine-tuning the visual to reduce bubble overlap. 

I advise initializing all clusters at 0 and making necessary adjustments to the data once the bubble chart has been generated. 

This fine-tuning step is crucial. Without it, the visual can become unclear and difficult to comprehend. To see the impact of this step, compare the examples below.

fine-tuning funnel visuals

After fine-tuning, the visual is complete and ready to help communicate the value of specific keywords to stakeholders outside the search domain.

Associate topic clusters with audience personas

If you can access your company’s audience personas or segments, use this information to better align with stakeholders.

Integrating topic clusters with audience personas offers insight into the content that targets each audience within a business. These insights enable SEOs to identify content gaps and potential areas for improvement, equipping them with the necessary data to communicate more strategically.

A quick analysis of the chart below clearly reveals that the business is not effectively engaging with “Emma.” Consequently, when determining the direction for future content creation, they might utilize this insight as a valid reason to devise content that resonates more with “Emma.”

Associate topic clusters with audience personas

Similar to the keyword intent cluster visualization, there are various ways to create this chart. I’ll share the simplest method I’ve found.

Start by giving ChatGPT your audience personas and asking it to summarize each. This helps make sure that ChatGPT really understands them. 

Here is an example prompt:

“I have a list of topics that I would like you to categorize based on the audience personas that I will provide and your knowledge of each topic. Before starting, write a paragraph about each persona to ensure you understand them well. Then I will give you the list of topics to categorize. After categorizing the keywords, please return them to me in a table that I can copy and paste into Excel.

Persona 1:
NAME: INSERT PERSONA NAME
DESCRIPTION: INSERT PERSONA DESCRIPTION – RECOMMENDED >100 WORDS
DEMOGRAPHICS:
AGE: …
GENDER: …
LOCATION: …
EDUCATION: …
INCOME: …
FAMILY LIFE: …
STRUGGLES: INSERT LIST OF STRUGGLES/PAIN POINTS
HOBBIES: INSERT LIST OF HOBBIES
VALUES: LIST PERSONAL VALUES OF THIS PERSONA

Persona 2:
[INSERT PERSONA KNOWLEDGE]

Persona 3:
[INSERT PERSONA KNOWLEDGE].”

When creating this prompt, provide ChatGPT with comprehensive details about each persona. This helps it establish the best understanding of the audience personas possible, which can be verified through the summaries. 

After confirming that it has an accurate grasp of the personas, proceed by uploading the list of keyword topics that require categorization.

If all goes well, ChatGPT should generate a table for you that is separated by commas and resembles the following structure:

Topic clustering per audience persona with ChatGPT

Next, simply transfer the output to Excel and utilize the “Text to Columns” feature to split the data effectively.

Once the data has been collected, convert the audiences’ names into values for the bubble chart. So, this is to say that Brittany will now be represented by the number four on the y-axis. 

For topics assigned to two or more audiences, take the average of the audience number.

An example is the topic “fuel efficiency,” which was categorized for John and Emma, so it was assigned 2.5 as an audience value. 

After gathering all necessary data, transform the audience names into numerical values for the bubble chart. 

To illustrate, Brittany will be represented as the number four on the y-axis. For topics assigned to two or more audiences, calculate the mean of the audience numbers.

Take, for instance, the topic “fuel efficiency,” attributed to both John and Emma, resulting in an assigned audience value of 2.5.

Subsequently, count the number of subjects assigned to each audience and allocate a numerical value to each topic, indicating its position on the x-axis. The data should closely resemble the example below:

Topics with assigned numerical values

After gathering all necessary data, SEOs can create a bubble graph using Excel.

They can enhance the graph by incorporating additional visual elements, such as background images or gradients, to delineate segments for each target audience clearly.

Visualizing complex SEO concepts for effective stakeholder communication

Bridging the gap between SEO concepts and stakeholder understanding is challenging but crucial. 

With keyword intent clusters and audience persona charts, SEOs have a streamlined and visual way to convey complex concepts. 

Using the visual aids discussed in this article, you can approach stakeholders with more strategic content insights that align with familiar concepts. 

The post Conveying keyword insights to non-SEOs: A visual approach appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/keyword-insights-non-seos-visual-approach-434491

Retro Revival: Nostalgia and Vintage Restaurant Furniture

Home Business Magazine Online

In the ever-changing environment of restaurant design, the Retro Revival trend has developed as an engaging and enduring concept that transcends time. The charm of retro restaurant furniture, with its capacity to transport clients to bygone times, is critical in generating memorable dining experiences. This trend isn’t about copying; it’s an immersive journey into the core of design, where the essence of nostalgia pervades every piece.

In this investigation, we look deeply into the psychology of nostalgia, its tremendous impact on customer experiences, and the critical role that retro restaurant furniture plays in establishing the character of these enterprises. We will also explore the difficulties of acquiring, maintaining, and incorporating old artifacts, as well as the obstacles and ethical issues that come with embracing the timeless beauty of the past.

The Power of Nostalgia in Restaurant Design

Nostalgia is a powerful and widely understood feeling that has a tremendous impact on our decisions and perceptions. It ties us to beloved memories, elevating restaurant design above mere aesthetics to become an emotional connection. Restauranteurs create a mood that transcends ordinary aesthetics by tapping into the deep wellsprings of reminiscence. This emotional connection develops loyalty and a sense of belonging, giving customers the impression that they are returning to a beloved moment rather than simply dining out. Nostalgia is more than just a pretty face; it’s a psychological phenomenon that improves the customer experience.

The Retro Revival Trend

The Retro Revival style is a rich tapestry made up of threads from several eras. It does not focus on a single era but rather highlights the finest of all of them. From the glitzy Roaring Twenties to the simplicity and elegance of mid-century modernism, this trend gives new vitality to traditional design motifs. An increasing number of industries and businesses are capitalizing on the trend, recreating and reinterpreting iconic components to create a modern yet timeless allure. Vintage restaurant furniture is essential in replicating the atmosphere of bygone eras, giving authenticity and character that cannot be recreated.

The Allure of Vintage Restaurant Furniture

Vintage commercial-grade restaurant furniture has an inherent appeal derived from the craftsmanship of a bygone era. It’s not only the aged textures and faded colors; it’s the stories these items hold. Each chair or table is a vessel that has stood the test of time and has its own story. Including such items in restaurant design not only creates an environment, but also produces a sense of nostalgia and wonder in diners. Aside from aesthetics, vintage furniture provides versatility, allowing restaurateurs to create varied rooms that appeal to a wide range of customers. Furthermore, it adheres to ecological standards by reviving ancient items rather than adding to environmental stress.

Sourcing Vintage Restaurant Furniture

Finding authentic vintage pieces is an experience that necessitates a keen eye and a love of exploring. Estate sales and auctions frequently reveal hidden gems, providing a window into the past. The joy of discovering one-of-a-kind finds in thrift stores is unparalleled, yet unpredictable. Online markets and specialist dealers cater to a larger audience, making vintage pieces available to collectors all over the world. Reproduction and reinterpreted vintage furniture offer feasible solutions for customers seeking a mix between authenticity and affordability, allowing restaurateurs to generate a nostalgic ambiance without breaking the budget. These many sourcing channels enable restaurateurs to build one-of-a-kind places that capture the soul of the past.

Incorporating Vintage Furniture in Restaurant Design

Incorporating old furniture into restaurant design necessitates a careful mix of retro and modern aesthetics. It is critical to mix and match styles, experiment with colors and materials, and ensure utilitarian factors like comfort and ergonomics. Lighting is essential for highlighting vintage artifacts and boosting the overall feel. Personalization gives a touch of distinction, allowing restaurateurs to instill a feeling of individuality and character in their operations. Each design aspect, from seating arrangements to lighting fixtures, contributes to creating a unified and memorable ambiance for customers.

Maintaining and Caring for Vintage Furniture

The charm of old furniture necessitates attentive maintenance and attention. Regular cleaning, addressing wear and tear promptly, and investing in professional restoration services when necessary are all tips for extending the life of these pieces. Upholstery maintenance, in particular, necessitates delicate handling to maintain both aesthetics and hygiene. By following basic maintenance procedures, restaurateurs can ensure that their vintage furniture continues to enchant customers for years to come, safeguarding the investment value of these one-of-a-kind items.

Sustainability and Ethical Considerations

In the midst of the glamour of vintage furniture, it is critical to analyze its environmental and ethical implications. Sustainable approaches like upcycling and eco-friendly design reduce waste and put less burden on natural resources. Responsible vintage furniture utilization is aided by ethical sourcing procedures, transparent supply chains, and support for local artisans. By emphasizing these factors, restaurateurs can not only create visually appealing venues but also have a positive impact on the environment and local communities. The nostalgic features in restaurant design get depth and meaning through sustainability and ethical sourcing.

Challenges and Potential Drawbacks

While the appeal of vintage restaurant furniture cannot be denied, there are some obstacles to overcome. It is critical to balance nostalgia with functionality and comfort; guests should feel at ease while enjoying the ambiance. Hygiene considerations, particularly with upholstery, necessitate meticulous attention to ensure that vintage pieces satisfy modern hygiene requirements.

Maximizing space in vintage-style restaurants without sacrificing ambiance presents a unique problem that necessitates careful layout planning. Additional considerations for restaurateurs include durability, safety, and accessibility in order to provide a smooth dining experience for all patrons. Taking up the challenges adds levels of complexity and usefulness to the use of historic furniture in restaurant design.

Embracing the Timeless Allure

Vintage commercial restaurant furniture is a tribute to the enduring pull of nostalgia as the Retro Revival movement continues to enchant the culinary world. Restauranteurs may build environments that transcend time by studying the psychology of nostalgia, researching varied sourcing choices, and negotiating the obstacles and ethical considerations.

Embracing the timeless beauty of old furniture is more than just a design choice; it’s an invitation for diners to embark on a nostalgic journey, where the past and present seamlessly collide, producing remarkable dining experiences that stay in clients’ hearts and memories. The marriage of aesthetics, emotions, and functionality results in a symphony of components that characterize the restaurant of the future, steeped in nostalgia for the past.

The post Retro Revival: Nostalgia and Vintage Restaurant Furniture appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/business-spotlights/retro-revival-nostalgia-vintage-restaurant-furniture/

Holiday Wine Gifts to Delight Your Business Clients

Home Business Magazine Online

As the year draws to a close and the holiday season unfolds, it’s time to celebrate the successes and partnerships that have defined your business journey. A great way to express gratitude to your esteemed clients is with a gift combining sophistication and festivity. Indulge in the art of thoughtful giving this holiday season by considering the delightful wine selections below as your go-to business gifts. Beyond the elegance of a well-crafted bottle, a gift of wine symbolizes the richness of your professional relationships. It offers a taste of shared successes and the promise of a prosperous future. As a business owner, your time is limited, so we made finding that perfect wine easy. Below are eleven holiday wine gifts for business clients that toast the spirit of collaboration and the joy of the season.

Larkmead Vineyards 2019 Solari

Andes mountains

Larkmead Vineyards is a historic winery located in the Napa Valley region of California, USA. It has a long history in the California wine industry with many stories. The winery was founded in 1895 by Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a colorful and prominent figure in San Francisco’s history. One of the key features of Larkmead is its estate vineyard, which is known for its diverse soils and microclimates. This diversity allows the winery to grow a variety of grape varietals. Larkmead Vineyards has gained a reputation for producing high-quality, estate-grown wines that reflect the unique characteristics of the Napa Valley terroir.

Larkmead’s 2019 Solari Estate Cabernet makes a fantastic Napa Valley wine that will make you stand out with your business clients, especially those who are prominent for your business. The Solari is the flagship wine at Larkmead Vineyards. As a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, it is a quintessential Napa Valley wine with an abundance of elegance and complexity. The incredible red spends an impressive 18 months of aging in 70% new French oak and shows off a deep, dark fruit flavor balanced by dried rose petals and baking spices. Morello cherries, bramble berries, and delicate earthen notes offer a glimpse of the distinct Calistoga terroir in which the grapes are grown. Wine enthusiasts will appreciate they can enjoy it now or cellar it for 20+ years. Retails for $200 at larkmead.com.

JUSTIN Winery Art of Blending Gift Set

Baldacci

JUSTIN Wines are well-known amongst wine enthusiasts all over the world making them a stand-out and appreciated gift. Located in the heart of California winemaking, Paso Robles, their story starts back in 1981 with a mission to make world-class Bordeaux-style blends. The soil of their vineyards is rich in fossilized limestone from eons of marine deposits, making JUSTIN’s soil ideal for creating big, Bordeaux-style reds. Paso Robles’ microclimate offers the grapes stark day-to-night temperature swings, allowing the grapes to develop intense flavor, structure, and balance.

JUSTIN’s Art Of Blending Gift Set represents sophistication and their beautiful Bordeaux-blend favorites. This trio includes ISOSCELES, JUSTIFICATION, and SAVANT offering your business clients the fine craftsmanship found in JUSTIN Bordeaux-style blended wines. The Left-Bank-style ISOSCELES recalls Chateau Margaux, while JUSTIFICATION expresses the spirit of legendary Right-Bank producers like Chateau Petrus by blending Merlot and Cabernet Franc. SAVANT is a unique Paso Robles blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, which beautifully showcases the distinct characteristics of the region. Retails for $225 at justinwine.com.

Baldacci Family Vineyards 2018 Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon

California

Baldacci Family Vineyards is a family-owned winery located in the Stags Leap District of the Napa Valley in California, USA. Baldacci owns over 50 acres in three districts (Stags Leap District, Calistoga, and Los Carneros), all of which are sustainably farmed. The winery is known for producing high-quality wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, from its estate vineyards. Their focus is on estate-grown, limited-production wines.

Baldacci’s 2018 Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon makes a bold statement to your business clients, both new and established. This stunning estate-grown cabernet sauvignon is Baldacci’s specialty. Baldacci’s Calistoga vineyard is seated in the shadow of Diamond Mountain and the soil is comprised primarily of volcanic ash. This adds a note of minerality to the wine, which helps temper the amazing amount of ripe fruit characteristics that come from this growing region. Your business clients will appreciate its aroma of dried blueberry and leather as well as its palate full of red cherry, pomegranate, and savory notes of cedar and tarragon. The Stags Leap District estate wine is aged for an incredible 23 months in 78% new French oak and continues to be a coveted, limited-production release year after year. Retails for $125 at baldaccivineyards.com.

Landmark Vineyards Overlook Holiday Pair

Chateau Margaux

Landmark Vineyards is located in Southern California and consists of two estates, Hop Kiln Estate (Russian River Valley) and Kenwood Estate (Sonoma Valley). Through time and labor-intensive techniques, Landmark Vineyards produce premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir perfect to gift your business clients. The Landmark Vineyards Overlook Holiday Pair features both of their complex, aromatic, flavorful wines. The 2021 Overlook Chardonnay was crafted from 42 separate blocks of grapes sourced from premium Sonoma County vineyards offering a mouth-filling yet refreshingly crisp and balanced wine with complex fruit and toasted elements. The 2021 Overlook Pinot Noir was sourced from Santa Barbara County, Sonoma County, and Monterey County and offers aromatic, ripe red fruit, autumn spice, and savory elements framed with wonderfully fine tannins. Retails for $70 at landmarkwine.com.

Viña San Pedro Cabo de Hornos 2018

Chateau Petrus

Viña San Pedro Cabo de Hornos 2018 was named after the explorers who discovered Cape Horn, this very pure expression of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon is grown 500 meters above sea level in volcanic soils at the foothills of the Andes mountains and is crafted under the highest quality standards, from vineyard to winery. Because of the soil’s volcanic origin, Viña San Pedro Cabo de Hornos 2018 has rounded tannins, a good structure, and an elegant body. It has aromas of ripe red and black fruit, like blackberries, blueberries, and blackcurrants, complemented by hints of tobacco and cedar which comes from the oak aging. Your business clients will love how well-rounded this wine is as well as its long and persistent finish. Retails for $70 at sanpedro.cl.

Cuvage Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC Brut Millesimato Metodo Classico Rosé’ 2019

Construction & Engineering (NEC)

Cuvage is an Italian Vineyard and Winery on 86 hectares of selected vineyards in the Northwest of Italy. The finesse of the steps taken during the growing and harvesting processes to the appreciation for those who work in the vineyards result in winemaking with the best grapes available. Cuvage’s Nebbiolo D’Alba (Rose Brut) is an elegant, structured, and balanced wine your business clients will love this holiday season. They can enjoy this Rose Brut with their holiday seafood like raw oysters, grilled or baked fatty fish, and shrimp risotto as well as decadent holiday cheese. Made with 100% Nebbiolo grape, its nose shows hints of freshly baked bread, nutmeg, rose petals, currant, raisins, and wild strawberries. The palate is crunchy, fresh, intense, and persistent with the notes of the nebbiolo grape. Retails for $39.99 at kegnbottle.com.

Valdemar Estates Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Corporate Financial Services (NEC)

 

Valdemar Estates is located in Walla Walla Valley, Washington, and produces beautiful examples of Spanish Wines. Valdemar Estates has a rich history of winemaking that dates back to 1889 when the Bujanda family began winemaking in Northern Spain. In 2019, Valdemar Estates opened in Washington state as the first internationally-owned winery.

Valdemar Estates’ Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is a wine that offers a slice of lavishness to those who are in the know about the quality and excellence of their standards, without Napa Cabernet prices. This wine comes from vines planted in solid basalt rock, creating limited yields of small clusters with vibrant flavors. The wine spends 19 months in 25% new and 75% used French Oak, and the result is a Cabernet that is both powerful and polished. Retails for $70 here.

Famiglia Pasqua Cascina San Vincenzo Amarone Della Valpolicella 2017

Diamond Mountain

Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine is an Italian winery and a well-known wine producer based in the Veneto region of Italy, with a history dating back several generations. Famiglia Pasqua Cascina San Vincenzo Amarone Della Valpolicella 2017 is a wine of great class, appreciated by enthusiasts for its majestic style and complexity. “Famiglia Pasqua” translates to “Pasqua Family” in Italian and “Cascina San Vincenzo” is a specific vineyard associated with Pasqua. This Amarone is deep red in color and has an expansive bouquet with aromas of blackberries, cherries, and violets. On the palate, it displays spicy tones reminiscent of chocolate and freshly roasted coffee, as well as vanilla notes from its long maturation in wood. The mouthfeel is velvety and well-balanced with gentle tannins and a long finish. Your business clients will love pairing this wine with a variety of foods from cheese boards to pot roasts and all holiday dishes in between. Retails for $54.99 at pasqua.it.

The Vineyards at Doden Stocketts Run

difficult site

The Vineyards at Dodon resides in Maryland and is leading the mid-Atlantic region in carbon-negative winemaking. Their goal has always been to produce wines representing their farm and community. Dodon has more than 31,000 vines densely planted over 17 acres in three adjacent vineyards. Doden’s land is a difficult site for agriculture, but it is perfect for a vineyard due to its scrupulously tended vines, nurturing climate, and passionate people. Their eco-friendly wines are the perfect gift for the sustainability-minded business client! The Vineyard at Dodon’s “Stocketts Run” red blend is a great gift for the holiday season, as its robust flavor profile is perfect for sipping with any meal, including fall and winter flavors like roasted chicken and winter squash, or for sharing a glass around a fire with friends. Retails for $34 at shop.dodonvineyards.com.

Naked Wines Holiday Wine Box 

Dodon

Naked Wines is different from all the other subscription services in that it connects members directly to the world’s best independent winemakers for hundreds of exclusive wines with prices up to 60% less than retail. Naked Wines and their team of experts curated the Naked Wines Holiday Holiday Wine Box and it’s perfect for gifting your business clients. Gifting this box takes away any mental stress related to choosing the perfect wine for business clients – you can give them a little bit of everything! Each of the six wine bottles included in this curated box is made by an award-winning winemaker. The wines include:

  • Scott Peterson ROX Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2021
  • F. Stephen Millier Black Label California Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
  • Scott Kelley Oregon Pinot Noir 2022
  • Matt Parish “The 24” Contra Costa Zinfandel 2021
  • Franc Dusak Reinke Vineyard Los Carneros Skin Fermented Pinot Gris 2022
  • WTD Cuvee no. 6 2020

No membership is required to purchase this curated collection. Retails for $69.99 (includes shipping) at us.nakedwines.com.

Querciabella Chianti Classico 2019

food lover

Querciabella is a Tuscan winery founded in 1974 and their wines delight even the most discriminating critics and wine drinkers. They have vineyards located throughout Tuscany’s Chianti Classico and Maremma areas and aim to preserve tradition with forward-thinking, natural winemaking. A wine and food lover’s delight, Querciabella’s Chianti Classico perfectly showcases high-altitude, perfectly exposed Sangiovese fruit. The grapes are harvested from Chianti’s best sub-zones: Greve, and Radda, and this results in a harmonious balance of crisp, inviting acidity, pure varietal fruit flavor, and character. Querciabella’s Chianti Classico has a bright ruby-red core with a slight purple hue. It has aromas of rose, redcurrant cherries, and a hint of licorice with red berry fruits sitting on the nose. It has fine tannins and nice acidity. Business clients will delighted at how well this wine compliments classic Tuscan dishes as well as fish and sashimi. Retails for $33 at querciabella.com.

The post Holiday Wine Gifts to Delight Your Business Clients appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/lifestyles/holiday-wine-gifts-delight-business-clients/

The future of customer experience lies in first-party data by Treasure Data

APPLE

As the marketing landscape evolves with over 12,000 tools vying for attention, understanding the challenges and opportunities is more critical than ever. The right insights on first-party data can empower you to stay ahead of the curve — and take advantage of new opportunities to engage with your customers. 

However, walking the line between data and privacy can be challenging without the right strategies. Navigating through this involves five critical areas:

1. First-party data

While it’s not a new subject, first-party data remains a significant challenge for organizations globally. The impending deprecation of third-party cookies is poised to catch many brands off guard. Browsers are already implementing various ad and cookie-blocking forms, with Google Chrome set to block third-party cookies by default in 2024. This shift underscores brands’ need to reassess and fortify their first-party data strategies.

2. Triple down on privacy

In an era where privacy is no longer confined to specialized conferences but is part of everyday consumer conversations, it’s crucial to understand the evolving landscape. Regulations like GDPR and CCPA have reshaped consumer expectations, and privacy has become a potent differentiator. Businesses must grasp the intricacies of data flow within their organizations, fostering transparency and value in their privacy practices.

3. Product differentiation through privacy

Privacy isn’t just a regulatory concern; it’s a strategic differentiator. A notable example is Apple, leveraging privacy as a competitive edge against global competitors. Understanding that consumers value their information, businesses must adapt, ensuring transparency and logical use of data. As privacy becomes a global conversation, companies must prepare, understand data flows and conduct regular audits of their data dictionaries.

4. Embracing zero-party data

Amidst the challenges, there’s a positive note—consumers still desire personalization. Beyond first-party data, there’s the concept of zero-party data—information explicitly shared by consumers. By directly asking for information to enhance user experiences, businesses can build trust and offer genuine value in exchange for data.

5. Shifting from assumed behaviors to explicit data requests

As marketers, it’s time to rethink strategies from assumed behaviors to explicit data requests. Focus on understanding user motivations rather than generic demographics. The future lies in asking for explicit information that enhances user experiences, fostering a deeper connection between brands and consumers.

Join Zack Wenthe, Treasure Data’s CDP evangelist, in this informative MarTech session as he explores what’s new with first-party data strategies and tips for avoiding getting caught off guard by new policies and regulations.

After this session, you’ll be able to:

  • Understand the impact of changing regulations and privacy policies.
  • Navigate the coming changes from third-party cookie deprecation (yes, it’s still happening).
  • Implement new ideas into your data strategy to help improve your connection with your customers.

Attend this session and learn how to harmoniously blend data and privacy to create personalized and valuable user experiences.

The post The future of customer experience lies in first-party data appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/the-future-of-customer-experience-lies-in-first-party-data-434353

The future of customer experience lies in first-party data by Treasure Data

As the marketing landscape evolves with over 12,000 tools vying for attention, understanding the challenges and opportunities is more critical than ever. The right insights on first-party data can empower you to stay ahead of the curve — and take advantage of new opportunities to engage with your customers. 

However, walking the line between data and privacy can be challenging without the right strategies. Navigating through this involves five critical areas:

1. First-party data

While it’s not a new subject, first-party data remains a significant challenge for organizations globally. The impending deprecation of third-party cookies is poised to catch many brands off guard. Browsers are already implementing various ad and cookie-blocking forms, with Google Chrome set to block third-party cookies by default in 2024. This shift underscores brands’ need to reassess and fortify their first-party data strategies.

2. Triple down on privacy

In an era where privacy is no longer confined to specialized conferences but is part of everyday consumer conversations, it’s crucial to understand the evolving landscape. Regulations like GDPR and CCPA have reshaped consumer expectations, and privacy has become a potent differentiator. Businesses must grasp the intricacies of data flow within their organizations, fostering transparency and value in their privacy practices.

3. Product differentiation through privacy

Privacy isn’t just a regulatory concern; it’s a strategic differentiator. A notable example is Apple, leveraging privacy as a competitive edge against global competitors. Understanding that consumers value their information, businesses must adapt, ensuring transparency and logical use of data. As privacy becomes a global conversation, companies must prepare, understand data flows and conduct regular audits of their data dictionaries.

4. Embracing zero-party data

Amidst the challenges, there’s a positive note—consumers still desire personalization. Beyond first-party data, there’s the concept of zero-party data—information explicitly shared by consumers. By directly asking for information to enhance user experiences, businesses can build trust and offer genuine value in exchange for data.

5. Shifting from assumed behaviors to explicit data requests

As marketers, it’s time to rethink strategies from assumed behaviors to explicit data requests. Focus on understanding user motivations rather than generic demographics. The future lies in asking for explicit information that enhances user experiences, fostering a deeper connection between brands and consumers.

Join Zack Wenthe, Treasure Data’s CDP evangelist, in this informative MarTech session as he explores what’s new with first-party data strategies and tips for avoiding getting caught off guard by new policies and regulations.

After this session, you’ll be able to:

  • Understand the impact of changing regulations and privacy policies.
  • Navigate the coming changes from third-party cookie deprecation (yes, it’s still happening).
  • Implement new ideas into your data strategy to help improve your connection with your customers.

Attend this session and learn how to harmoniously blend data and privacy to create personalized and valuable user experiences.

The post The future of customer experience lies in first-party data appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/the-future-of-customer-experience-lies-in-first-party-data-434353

Why ecommerce brands must showcase authentic E-E-A-T

Online shoppers want to buy from real experts. When searching for products or services, they look for sites with genuine experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness (known as E-E-A-T). 

To earn user trust, ecommerce brands must move out of the shadows and focus on building strong E-E-A-T signals, both on-site and off-site. Here’s why and how.

The value of E-E-A-T beyond SEO

As an online shopper, there is nothing more frustrating than seeking expert insight or experience-based advice on products or services – only to be provided with neither. 

I want to read a review from a real person who has used the item I am about to buy or who has stayed in the hotel I am about to book – one with specific details and real-life photos (or in internet parlance, receipts).

I don’t want to be persuaded by an anonymous expert that this is the best way to invest my money or time. 

This is why user-generated content (UGC) has become so valuable. It looks and feels authentic to people. 

It’s why journalists on the most authoritative news sites have bylines, often with a photo, and even their own personal brands that have been cultivated with social posts and podcast appearances. 

On a web rife with disinformation, I am far more likely to trust the words of a journalist with proven expertise and experience in their chosen beat, especially when it comes to topics such as finance and politics.

These days, consumers often exhibit the same due diligence when shopping. They want to buy skincare recommended by someone who knows what they’re talking about, not someone who has just been paid to share a #ad post on behalf of a skincare brand, and rightly so.

This tends to apply across the web. When there is so much content, you only want to spend time or money on the really helpful stuff.

For example, when it comes to travel blogs, I want the opinions of someone who has traveled to Rome and tried the cacio e pepe they are recommending before I’ll read their blog about it and click on an affiliate link to book a trip. 

Dig deeper: Ecommerce content: How to demonstrate beneficial purpose and expertise

What ecommerce can learn from George Foreman

In 1994, four years before Google was founded, the world was awash with television advertisements fronted by the former boxer George Foreman.

Foreman, the original influencer, was selling the Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, a type of countertop grill that could apparently reduce the content of the average mixed grill. At the end of the ad he would turn to the camera and deliver his catchphrase, “It’s so good I put my name on it!” 

This appeal to consumer trust clearly worked. By the end of the 1990s, it seemed like everyone had a Foreman grill in their kitchen. The grill went on to sell over 100 million units.

Suppose you’re writing content online to sell something directly or otherwise. In that case, you should be willing to put your name, face and brand into that content, like journalists using their byline to instill trust in their reportage and Foreman using his name to instill trust in his low-fat grill.

The best and most trusted content creators have created a personal brand as experts in their chosen niche, building trust with those who consume their content and come to them for their expertise.

It is what we expect from journalists, TikTok creators and also websites. If a website is full of content created by anonymous, nameless and faceless authors, it’s a pretty big red flag to consumers, and Google knows that this is not the content they are looking for. 

Beware of the B.S. bio

You can’t build trust and authority overnight with a hastily optimized author page and blank LinkedIn profile. Nothing about the below example, shared by Lily Ray on X, implies any real expertise or experience. 

Lily Ray on X - Travel blog author bio

A great example of an ecommerce site implementing E-E-A-T is Freddie Chatt’s The Village Cricket Co.

You’ll first notice a picture of Chatt in his cricket whites. He doesn’t go on to claim to be a cricket expert – quite the contrary. 

His bio on the site makes clear he is a passionate amateur and a lover of the game. It’s also full of references and inside jokes that will demonstrate to readers and fellow cricket fans that he is part of an in-group of genuine cricket enthusiasts.

Freddie Chatt's bio

This is a far better approach than pretending to be something he isn’t.

You don’t have to be an expert in the game. Relevant experience is enough as long as you’re transparent about it.

The most important thing about this is how clearly it demonstrates he is a real human who genuinely cares about cricket.

If I knew what a wicket was, I’m fairly certain that this is the type of website I would choose to buy my cricket bats from. 

The lesson here is not to go and create a persona, complete with a page-long fictitious bio and a Midjourney-generated photo.

It really doesn’t matter how elaborate a bio you write – or prompt ChatGPT to write – if the person behind it doesn’t exist.

This is one of the most worrying quick fixes to E-E-A-T. Combining this technique with digital PR raises some severe ethical concerns. I have written about this issue in “Why using AI to create YMYL experts is a REALLY bad idea.”

Step out of the shadows 

Much like consumers, Google prefers to deal with real brands rather than anonymous sites, especially ones led by humans with names and faces and real-life experience and expertise. 

So build a brand you are proud of around a topic you know (and/or love), and don’t be afraid to shout about it on- and off-site. 

The best brands share content across social. Some ecommerce sites have focused on building their off-page trust signals with their social accounts more aggressively than on-page ones.

Luxury goods reseller’s Luxe Collective has a pretty simple About us page, but it signposts you to their social pages where they demonstrate their E-E-A-T.

They refer to Instagram as “their main home” and also point toward their TikTok, where they demonstrate just how well they know and understand their short-form videos to their 1.5 million followers.

This is what has made them the go-to in pre-loved luxury. 

Luxe Collective - About us page

If “social at scale” feels beyond your reach, invest in some digital PR, which (aside from the links) will help you build brand recognition and let your authors build off-site expertise and trust signals. 

Moving on from faceless ecommerce

Shopping online is ubiquitous, and helping ecommerce sites reach their consumers (despite what a certain Verge article might have you believe) isn’t ruining the internet. 

But we all want to spend our money on websites we can trust, from people who are invested in what they are selling and not ashamed to put their name and face to it. 

Most importantly, while a brand is important, people buy from people. That is – real people with genuine human opinions, not from the AI-generated author profiles of pseudo-people.

Dig deeper: Ecommerce marketing next year: 5 ways to set up for success

The post Why ecommerce brands must showcase authentic E-E-A-T appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/ecommerce-brands-showcase-eeat-434437

Microsoft’s Audience Network expansion: Higher CPCs, lower CTRs, no added value

In pursuit of “maximizing the power of search intent,” Microsoft Advertising revised its multi-channel strategy in February.

However, not all advertisers have seen a welcome change to their account performance. 

Learn how the mandatory Audience Network expansion impacted this software company, which saw 26% of its budget spent with no added conversions or performance benefits.

What changed and why?

Through their multi-channel studies, Microsoft found that accounts that utilized both the Search and Audience Network performed better than those using only Search.

  • They reported that users who saw a brand’s ads on both networks were 2.6x times more likely to visit the website and 6.6x times more likely to convert than those who had only seen a Search ad.
  • Their beta results also showed that accounts that used this multi-channel strategy had a 14% higher conversion rate at a 21% lower CPA.
  • They stated that the main takeaway from their studies and tests was that the two networks should work together to reach the “best customers wherever they are and meet them in the moments that matter.”
Microsoft Ads Audience Network expansion
Above: The results from the Microsoft Advertising study

This was the reasoning behind introducing the multi-channel strategy, which means that all Search campaigns are eligible to show on their Audience Network and allows Microsoft to decide where and how your ads should appear. 

While this was something that advertisers could previously opt out of via the audience bid modifiers in campaign settings, this option was removed starting Feb. 23.

Advertisers who wanted to specifically run campaigns targeting only the Audience Network were encouraged to use Audience Ads campaigns, Microsoft’s version of a Google Ads Display campaign.

Microsoft reassured advertisers that this was a step in the right direction and that they were confident that their rich first-party data and AI would help make this approach work. 

Advertisers were also instructed to ensure that they had implemented best practices to their Search campaigns – including tracking conversion goals, using automated bid strategies and adding image extensions – to give the platform the right signals and guide the AI.

Note: Google Ads also does include Display Network as default for all Search campaigns, but this can be turned off at any time via campaign settings.

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Case study: Audience Network expansion increases costs, lowers results

Here is an example of how the change has impacted an account for a software company after eight months of the network expansion being introduced. 

This account ran Audience Ads before February (and continues to do so alongside their Search campaigns). It implemented all the best practices, which Microsoft stated would help with efficiency.

Microsoft Advertising’s multi-channel strategy case study

Findings:

  • Between Feb. 23 and Oct. 23, 26.81% of the account’s budget went toward the Audience Network expansion.
  • CPC for the Audience Network expansion was $2.49, $0.71 more expensive per click than the CPC for Search ads during the same period. They were $2.23 more expensive than Clicks for the Audience Ads campaign. 
  • The CTR for the Audience Network expansion was 0.14%, while CTR for Audience Ads running simultaneously was 0.49%. 
  • There were no direct conversions through the Audience Ads Search expansion traffic, and the account did not see any increase in conversion rate for their Search or Audience Ads campaigns. 

With over 26% of the account’s budget being used on the Audience Network expansion and the performance of this expansion being very poor, the business no longer sees Microsoft Advertising as the cost-effective platform it once was. 

In the previous 12 months, the business had decided to shift more of its budget away from Google Ads and onto Microsoft Advertising but is now considering returning to its previous arrangements. 

How have advertisers responded? 

With the poor results from the Audience Network expansion impacting overall account performance, some advertisers have stated that they have had to decrease spend on the platform significantly as they are longer seeing acceptable returns. 

Some have even said that their account performance has been so negatively impacted that they have decided to stop advertising on the platform altogether.

The general consensus seems to be that advertisers are frustrated by this change and the removal of their control to decide where and how their ads appear. 

While they understand the importance of a multi-channel approach and the need to reach potential customers outside search results, it does not appear to work for most accounts. 

They are not seeing the positive results reported from Microsoft’s beta tests, and they do not want to be forced to implement something they do not feel benefits their account.

Simply put, advertisers who want to run Search campaigns do not want them to also show on the Audience Network. 

What can advertisers do? 

Thankfully, advertisers have found workarounds to deal with this forced network expansion over recent months. However, the depth and timeframes of these workarounds differ.

Placement exclusions

The quickest option advertisers have to put some restrictions on the expansion is by using placement exclusions. 

While this will not stop ads from showing on the Audience Network completely, it does give advertisers some control over where their ads are shown and stop them from showing on the URLs they input. 

Advertisers can find and copy a list of placements their ads have shown on by pulling a Website URL report, which can be found under Reports > Performance > Website URL (Publisher).

Above: Accessing the Website URL (Publisher) report in Microsoft Advertising
Above: Accessing the Website URL (Publisher) report in Microsoft Advertising

How to add this to campaigns will depend on whether Audience Ads campaigns are running in the account:

  • If the account does not run Audience Ads campaigns
    • An account-level website exclusion list needs to be added to the account. Advertisers have to add URLs to this exclusion list (which can be found under Tools > Shared Library > Website exclusions list) to stop ads from showing on the website listed.
  • If the account runs Audience Ads campaigns
    • Advertisers will need to apply website exclusions to each individual Search campaign. This is because any account-wide exclusion list added will also affect the Audience Ads campaigns, potentially interfering with their viability and performance.
    • Advertisers must navigate to the settings section of their Search campaign, open up the Exclusions box and add the URLs before clicking save. This will need to be completed for each active Search campaign. 

It is important to remember that these exclusions will only be for the URLs inputted. It will not stop the ads from showing on the Audience Network completely. 

However, it offers advertisers a way to improve performance by excluding placements that have historically performed poorly. 

If they wish to use this method, it should become part of their regular optimizations as the exclusion lists will continuously need to be added to as new placements arise. 

Unfortunately, exclusion lists are limited to 10,000 URLs for account-level exclusions and 2,500 for campaign-level exclusions. Therefore, any advertiser wanting to opt out of the expansion should implement website exclusions while actioning the following solution.

Request to opt-out

While there is no way for advertisers to manually opt out of the Audience Network expansions themselves, they can request Microsoft Advertising to remove them.

This solution is not mentioned anywhere in their help guides, but many users across social media and numerous forums have confirmed that there are two options available:

  • If the account has an assigned Microsoft Advertising representative
    • Advertisers can speak to their representatives to ask for them to turn off the Audience Network expansion. 
  • If the account does not have an assigned Microsoft Advertising representation
    • Advertisers will need to contact customer support to request the change. After discussing why they want to do this, the case will be escalated to the Accounts Specialist Team, who will then action the request. 

This solution is not immediate, so advertisers should make their requests as soon as possible.

In the meantime, look at using placement exclusions to implement some form of control over their campaigns.

Watch your Microsoft Advertising account performance

Regardless of whether there are ways for advertisers to opt out of the Audience Network expansion, the move to make this a default setting and the highly concealed nature of its solutions has understandably not gone over well with advertisers.

Factoring that many small businesses will find it difficult to understand what has changed and how to handle it makes the Audience Network expansion a very questionable choice for Microsoft Advertising.

With more and more advertisers requesting to opt out of Audience Network and some advertisers choosing to stop advertising on the platform altogether, it will be interesting to see if Microsoft Advertising decides to reverse this change in the near future.

Or if Google Ads will take the same approach and remove the option to opt out of the Display Network for their Search campaigns. Only time will tell. 

The post Microsoft’s Audience Network expansion: Higher CPCs, lower CTRs, no added value appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/microsofts-audience-network-expansion-higher-cpcs-lower-ctrs-no-added-value-434430

Holiday Wine Gifts for Business Clients to Make an Impression

Home Business Magazine Online

As the holiday season approaches, the spirit of giving takes center stage, providing the perfect opportunity to express gratitude to your valued business clients. In the world of corporate gifting, few gestures convey warmth and appreciation as elegantly as a carefully selected bottle of fine wine or a curated gift set. This holiday season, consider elevating your client relationships with the timeless gift of exceptional wines. Whether you’re looking to celebrate successful collaborations or simply express your heartfelt thanks, a thoughtfully chosen wine gift is sure to leave a lasting impression, turning the festive season into a memorable occasion for your business partners. We’ve made the task of finding that perfect wine easy. Below are fifteen wine gifts for business clients sure to make a lasting impression.

Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino 2021

American Viticultural Areas

Founded in 1902, Argentina’s Catena Zapata is known for its pioneering role in resurrecting the Malbec grape and in discovering extreme high-altitude terroirs in the Andean foothills of Mendoza. Nicolás Catena Zapata is the only South American to have received Wine Enthusiast’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Decanter’s Man of the Year Award, and Wine Spectator’s Distinguished Service Award. The winery’s Adrianna Vineyard holds several 100-point wine ratings.

Catena Zapata’s Malbec Argentino 2021 makes a bold statement to any of your business clients with its alluring wine bottle design and the rich dark violet color of the wine. The label for Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino pays tribute to the Malbec grape’s history in France and its rise in Argentina. The Four female figures shown embody different landmarks in the history of the grape. This well-balanced wine is 100% malbec and full-bodied on the palate, naturally rendering fruit and fine-grained tannins. Your clients will enjoy its aroma of blueberries and violets with a strong suggestion of soil tones. They’ll love the flavors of mocha, dark berries, spice, and minerals. This spice, rich wine pairs perfectly with lamb chops, beef tenderloin, and goat cheese. Retails for $124.99 at wine.com.

St. Supery Elegant Blends Gift Set

Antinori

St. Supery Estate Vineyards and Winery was founded in 1982 in Napa Valley and produces 100% estate-grown, sustainably farmed, and certified Napa Green wines, focusing on Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and additional red Bordeaux varietals. St Supery’s Estate Vineyards include the Rutherford Estate Vineyard located in the celebrated Rutherford wine-growing region and the Dollarhide Estate Vineyard located in the northeastern hills of Napa Valley.

St Supery offers several holiday gift sets that make special gifts for business clients. The St Supery Elegant Blends Gift Box comes with both of their elegant Bordeaux-varietal blends: 2022 Napa Valley Estate Virtú and 2018 Napa Valley Estate Élu. Virtú is a fantastic wine with a great texture and offers a brilliant pale yellow hue. It has aromas of pink grapefruit, lemongrass, and kiwi with an undercurrent of seductive toasted French oak. Its flavors are citrus including lemon and key lime, and dried peaches encouraged with creamy, toasted oak. Élu offers a finely textured silky structure with density and grace. It has deep shades of reds and purples and aromas of juicy black plum, milk chocolate, and anise with elements of toasted vanillin and molasses. It tastes of dark plum and cassis, followed by mocha and toasted barrel attributes. St Supery Elegant Blends Gift Box retails for $145 at stsupery.com.

Fanciulle Vini Gift Set

Argentina

Fanciulle Vini is a winery in Tuscany that brings Tuscan winemaking to the prestigious level of fine French Burgundy but at a fraction of the price. All harvesting is done by hand to preserve the juice in the grapes. As a result, Fanciulle wines have a delicacy and subtlety, unlike other Tuscan wines.

Fanciulle’s Gift Package includes either their Vigneto Grande 2020 or their Villaggio 2019 as well as a 500ml bottle of their freshly-pressed Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Both wines are made from 100% Sangiovese grapes with Fanciulle’s Vigneto Grande 2020 coming from high-altitude, old-vine limestone vineyards and Fanciulle’s Villaggio 2019 coming from hillside clay vineyards. Vigneto Grande 2020 is their most floral and delicate wine and captures the complexity of red fruit flavors Sangiovese offers perfectly. This wine will age into layered complexity. Villaggio 2019 is juicy and full of the signature, ripe cherry flavors recognized in Sangiovese wines. No matter the wine you choose for Fanciulle’s gift box, your business clients will be delighted in this taste of Tuscany. Retails for $75 (Villaggio 2019) and $95 (Vignetto Grande 2020) at fanciullevini.com.

Napa Valley Quilt 2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Brendel

Quilt & Co. was founded in 2020 to showcase the wines crafted by renowned winemaker Joseph Wagner. Joseph has been crafting wines since 2021 that have been delighting wine drinkers ever since. Napa Valley Quilt 2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon makes a bold statement for your business clients with its sensational expression of what a Napa Valley Cabernet represents. There’s a reason it was recently awarded 96 points by The Tasting Panel Magazine!

Napa Valley Quilt 2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon winemakers tasted the developing wine throughout the fermentation and aging process and set aside the best 2% for this reserve bottling. The winemakers sought their selection based on intensity, complexity, and boldness of expression that could withstand a longer aging cycle and heavier use of the new French Oak. Your business clients will love its deep layers of dark black cherry, rich coffee, potent blackberry, sweet strawberry, dark currant, and notes of milky chocolate and hazelnut cream. This refined wine is a beautiful expression of what Napa Valley cabernet represents with a long, smooth finish and fine-grained tannins. It’s a sensational wine sure to impress and deliver luxury on both taste and price points. Retails for $110 at quiltandco.com.

Belle Glos Pinot Noir

Brunello di Montalcino

Gifting a top-rated Belle Glos wine is a holiday gift any business client will appreciate. Belle Glos Pinot Noir has a variety of selections that are produced in top growing coastal regions of California. Though all Belle Glos’ pinots come from a vineyard on the Pacific coast, each showcases their vineyard’s climate differences beautifully. Each pinot varies due to different amounts of fog, wind, sunlight, and soil type.

Belle Glos is well known for its notable red wax top and deep purple and garnet color. The pinot noir consists of lavish aromas of warm blackberry pie, licorice, and white pepper and sophisticated flavors of dry cherry, crushed lavender, and chocolate-covered fruit. The texture is rich and velvety which leads to a long, structured finish. Their pinot noirs pair all the beautiful stews and meats that come along with the holiday season. Retails for $55 (starting) at belleglos.com.

Aurora Cellars Gifting Program

Cabernet Sauvignon

Aurora Cellars is a leading name in the Michigan wine industry that grows, produces, bottles, and sells its own wine. Their vineyard grows a broad range of grapes to create many different wines sure to impress any wine drinker. Aurora Cellars’ Gifting Program is an exciting new program, designed to elevate the art of gift-giving for all occasions. Known for its exceptional handcrafted Michigan wines from the Leelanau Peninsula, Aurora Cellars brings together the best of local viticulture and personalized luxury packaging to create an unforgettable gifting experience for your business clients. Their gifts make a memorable experience for your clients, as the wine comes from a region they may have not experienced before.

With the help of Aurora Cellars’ Personal Gifting Concierge, the Gifting Program allows you to customize one-bottle or three-bottle gift sets complete with their custom luxury packaging. The thoughtfully designed tubes and boxes that exude sophistication and style create a memorable unboxing experience for your business clients. Each gift box also comes with a handwritten note card to add that special touch. There is also an option to engrave a special message or company logo on the wine bottles to transform them into cherished keepsakes. Engaging Aurora Cellars’ Gifting Program is easy. All you need to do is fill out a simple form outlining your needs and budget, then you will be contacted with a tailored gifting program, finally, you provide all the shipping addresses of your clients and Aurora Cellars handles the rest. Retail varies at auroracellars.com.

San Felice Campogiovanni Brunello di Montalcino 2017

Cabernet Sauvignon Quilt & Co.

San Felice’s Capogiovanni Estate is located on the southwestern side of Montalcino, an area best known for the production of Brunello. Of the estate’s 23 hectares, 14 are dedicated to the production of this San Felice Estate flagship wine. With the San Felice Campogiovanni Brunello di Montalcino 2017, your business clients will enjoy softness and elegance in flavor due to its Montalcino terroir.

Campogiovanni Brunello di Montalcino’s composition is 100% Sangiovese grape and is deep ruby red in color. Its aroma offers well-riped wild berries, blackberry preserves, tobacco leaves, and tanned leather. Your business clients will enjoy its generous palate is rich and lengthy finale. This is a very memorable wine pairing perfectly with holiday meats and cheeses. Campogiovanni Brunello is recognized for its finesse and longevity and is a five-time award-winning wine in the TOP 100 Wine Spectator. Retails for $79.99 at wine.com.

Chocolat Moderne Comfort and Joy Collection

California

Gifting a box of beautiful, decadent chocolates from Chocolat Moderne with your wine gift is a gesture your business clients will appreciate. For the past 20 years, Chocolat Moderne, a New York artisanal chocolatier, has been making the holidays sweeter with its beautiful holiday gift sets. Chocolat Moderne’s Comfort and Joy Collection is a perfect match for the special wine you will gift this holiday season. It features seasonal favorites like Gingerbread, Maple Magic, Chestnut, Peppermint Stick, Eggnog, and Pumpkin Cappuccino. But there’s more – Trifle and Banoffee Pie from Chocolat Moderne’s Great British Desserts assortment, plus Blood Orange Bergamot and Berries and Lavender, two of the most requested flavors from its Avant-Garde Bars. This box is stunning as well making it a perfect gift on its own. This is available in 12-piece and 24-piece box sets. Retails for $51 (12-piece box) at chocolatmoderne.com.

Brendel Cooper’s Reed Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

California wine

Brendel makes wines that are 100% organically farmed Napa Valley fruit and free of any unnecessary ingredients. They let the grapes speak for themselves and use minimal intervention from birth to bottle. They make wine that stays true to the land and their roots. Brendel’s Cooper’s Reed Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is reminiscent of the post-prohibition era in that its organic grapes are sourced from pristine valley-floor vineyards. The wine is aged slowly in large oak casks that bring out the purity of the fruit. This Napa Valley cabernet is meant to be a crowd-pleaser that evolves with each sip, impressing any business client. It has a slightly reserved beginning that leads to an exuberant end. Retails for $50 at brendelwines.com.

VINEBOX 12 Nights of Wine

Catena Zapata

Delight your business clients this holiday season with the annual sell-out sensation, VINEBOX 12 Nights of Wine. This offers an exclusive journey into the world of fine wines chosen from around the world in prestigious wine regions like Italy, France, Spain, and California. VINEBOX offers two different sets, Chill Collection and Cozy Collection. Chill features a delightful mix of rich whites, invigorating rosés, and even a few chillable reds. Cozy delivers 12 delicious reds curated for fireplace chats and cozy blankets.

In both the Cozy Collection and Chill Collection, your business clients will receive 12 wines, 100 ml each with a wine guide that includes tasting notes and pairing recommendations. They’ll also appreciate the sommelier-led virtual tasting notes for each wine. It also comes in beautiful packaging that is ready to gift. Standard shipping is free. Retails for $129 at getvinebox.com.

Elouan 2021 Pinot Noir

Corporate Financial Services (NEC)

Elouan was a result of California winemakers venturing up to the world-renowned Pinot Noir region of Oregon. Elouan Pinot Noir is the perfect gift for business clients to enjoy with family as it has incredible depth of flavor, vibrancy, and suppleness as well as concentration resulting in the perfect pair with favorite fall comfort food favorites such as savory French onion soup, warm baguette slices, fresh fall desserts, or a well-curated charcuterie board. This wine brings together fruits from three distinct terrains along Oregon’s premiere Western vineyards. These vineyards have long growing seasons which gives the wine intense structure and vibrant acidity making them unique from other wines. These vineyards also get ample sunlight making them ideal locations for the resonant style of Elouan Pinot Noir – after all, Elouan means ‘ample light’. The wine was aged for ten months in both new and seasoned French oak barrels. Retails for $22 at elouanwines.com.

Wiens Cellars 2021 Solace 

favorite fall comfort food favorites

For over 20 years, Wiens Cellars has managed its own four vineyards residing in Temecula Valley, California. They understand that producing world-class wines starts in the vineyards. Their relationship with the land as well as its terroir contributes to the beautiful wines found at Wiens Cellars. Wiens Cellars’ 2021 Solace features fresh breezes of lychee, white peach, and limestone, and on the palate, a hint of honey and pear with ample crisp acidity to assure a refreshingly clean finish. Solace’s composition is a blend of 41% Chardonnay and 59% Viognier. Because Solace is unoaked, it’s crisp, clean, and refreshing, giving any business client an uplifting experience to remember. They can pair Solace with grilled fish tacos, margarita pizza, or buttered popcorn! 2022 Vintage Available. Retails for $31 at shop.wienscellars.com.

Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio 2022

France

The 500-acre family-owned winery, Livio Felluga, is known for producing lush, crisp, and well-balanced wines. Located in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, its wines are recognized in a class with the most esteemed producers worldwide. Livio Felluga’s Pinot Grigio DOC has finesse and elegance your business clients will love. It also has faint coppery highlights that Pinot Grigios are known for. Its nose is subtle, minerally, and layered with ripe peach and apricot fruit, candied orange peel, melon, and lychees. The palate is full-bodied, soft, and nicely put together. Your business clients will appreciate Livio Felluga’s Pinot Grigio as this wine variety is the best-known Friulian wine around the world. Retails for $29.99 at mmdusa.net.

Pio Cesare Barbera d’Alba 2021

Friuli Venezia Giulia

Pio Cesare Wines are known for their consistency and regional expression. Their method of winemaking experiences minimal intervention, giving the authentic taste of the region their wines are known for. Your business clients will love Pio Cesare’s Barbera d’Alba 2021 DOC as it represents the traditional character of the Barbera grape. They can enjoy it now and experience all the flavor and complexity of the 100% Barbera grape, but if desired, the wine will age quite well. The Barbera grapes grown in the Barolo region give full structure, plummy, and complex flavor with spicy and ripe fruit, blackberry aroma, and a hint of toasted tobacco. It’s aged 18 months in French oak barrels. Retails for $19.99 at mmdusa.net.

Case Alte 16 Filari

Home Business

Case Alte began Camporaele, a small farming town in the province of Palermo, Italy, in the 1950s. The hilly land’s soil and climate conditions enable great production of wines with excellent character. The Case Alte 16 Filari is a Nero d’Avola with a vivacious taste and long finish. It boasts juicy and rich notes of blackberries, cherries, raspberries, balsamic rosemary, tobacco, and cloves. On the palate, it has a large structure with balanced acidity and fine tannins as well as the right vivacity and length to the wine. Not only does this wine offer a taste of Sicily, but it also comes in Casa Alte’s signature large bottle that makes a lovely gift for your business clients. For more, visit casealte.it.

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