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Spring has been quite the busy season for Microsoft Advertising. First we heard about the news on RSA extensions adding an extra 60 days, then the search behemoth announced innovate new cash-back incentives ads. A handful of additions and upgrades have been announced in May, led by Auto-generated remarketing lists.

New auto-generated remarketing lists

You may see a new notification about audiences when logging into your Microsoft Advertising account. These new audiences are for those looking to “get started with remarketing, or you’re already using remarketing and want to optimize performance.”

Advertisers will have the ability to choose from the following preset audiences:

All Visitors. People who have visited your website in the past 30 days.

All Converters. People who have converted in the past 180 days.

Smart Remarketing. According to Microsoft these are “People who are likely to convert”. These audiences are powered by Microsoft Advertising’s audience intelligence with a goal of providing high conversion rates.

These breakouts make sense as they give advertisers flexibility to target (or remove) those commonly used audiences without requiring advanced technical knowhow. The smart remarketing sounds promising and may be worth a test by all advertisers if in fact the intelligence works as advertised.

Dynamic Search Ad rollout, subdomain support & exact domains

In other news, Microsoft’s Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) are rolling out to Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela.

Advertisers will also be rejoicing as they’ll now have the ability to use DSAs on subdomains. The changes don’t stop there as Exact auto-target URLs are coming for more fine tuned “URL equals” targeting than the “URL contains” operator. This should make specific targeting much easier for advertisers.

Other Microsoft Advertising additions

A few other helpful enhancements releasing in May include:

• Manage images in Microsoft Advertising Editor
  You can now create new ads, upload images as well as delete/replace previous images.
• Microsoft Audience Network enhancements
  New bidding is coming including CPM pricing and smart bidding.

Why We Care. While most folks reading this now already have remarketing lists created, the ‘smart remarketing’ lists are a new tool to test. While the previous visitors and previous purchasers aren’t revolutionary, they may help new advertisers perform better on the platform.

Lastly, the ability to be able to use DSAs on subdomains is a much welcomed addition and the

The post Microsoft Advertising is rolling out Auto-generated remarketing lists and more appeared first on Search Engine Land.

June 30 is almost here. That’s when Google will sunset expanded text ads (ETAs).

Google has given us a lot of time, advice and resources to prepare for the successor to ETAs – Responsive Search Ads (RSAs).

Are you ready? Read this guide for useful information and to understand how this transition may affect your paid search campaigns.

Details on the transition

Starting June 30, advertisers will no longer be able to create or edit ETAs in Google Ads.

However, existing ETAs will still be able to run alongside RSAs moving forward.

Advertisers will still have the ability to pause and resume these ads based on guidance from the reporting that Google Ads will continue to provide.

What are RSAs?

RSAs are responsive search ads. Advertisers upload multiple headlines and descriptions, then let Google’s machine learning optimize the ad versions in real-time. The goal is to increase engagement (click-through rate).

Google allows up to 15 different headlines and up to four different descriptions to be considered when creating the ad combinations shown in the search results.

Think of all the possibilities for Google’s machine learning to optimize ad messages. There are more than 43,000 different variations available to keep your messages fresh and keep the ad engagement on an uphill trajectory.

Over time, the system will customize the ad versions based on the user’s search behavior, device preferences and other signals to serve the right version at the right time. The result looks exactly like the ETAs and includes up to three headlines, two descriptions and a display URL.

Google initially introduced RSAs in beta in 2018 and continued to expose advertisers to the change.

Alerts throughout the Google Ads platform have appeared over the past several months. These alerts are typically shown while creating new or editing existing ads.

RSAs became the default ad type in Google Ads on Feb. 18, 2021.

Benefits of RSAs

Yes, there are some drawbacks to this transition. For example, advertisers have less control over the ad combinations and low visibility into which combinations performed the best.

However, there are also reasons to get excited. Here are three big benefits:

• You will save time. After the initial planning of the RSA, you will save the many hours of creation, testing and analysis that previously went into new versions of ETAs.
• Performance will improve. Advertisers are already seeing improved click-through rates associated with RSAs. As the system optimizes and learns, click-through rates will increase, and the best-performing versions will be prioritized.
• Optimization will happen in real-time. As the learning progresses, the system gets smarter at delivering top performers. This ensures ads will be more engaging to consumers and become more optimized as time goes on.

How does the transition affect search ad strategy?

Use the knowledge about what worked best from your ETAs and carry it over to RSAs.

All the work and testing you have done will pay off with this update.

You may believe that your best-performing ETAs will stop performing and you should pause them immediately. Not true.

Instead, you should continue running the best ETAs. Analyze their performance against RSAs in each ad group.

Now is the time to start thinking about all the headlines and descriptions you want to use in your RSAs. With Google doing the heavy lifting when it comes to combination optimization and testing, we need to give Google our most effective marketing messages.

Lack of control of the combinations requires some strategic planning and attention to what is possible.

How to write effective RSAs

Google gives some helpful advice on how to create effective search ads. All these suggestions should be considered when writing your RSAs.

Here’s what is most important when writing effective RSAs.

Headlines are your bread and butter

Headlines make your ads stand out and entice potential customers to click through on your ad versus your competitor’s ad. They also have a significant impact on how Google ranks the quality of the ad.

• Keep your headline unique. Google will not display headlines that are too similar. Redundant headlines will limit the number of combinations that Google can serve.
• Include keywords in at least five headlines. To maximize your ad quality score, Google offers dynamic keyword insertion to insert your keywords directly into your headlines.
• Include three headlines that do not have campaign keywords. These headlines can include specific calls to action exclusive discount offers when available.
• Have a combination of short and long headlines. Headlines can have up to 30 characters.
• Aim to deliver at least 10 headlines for Google to optimize.

Create attention-grabbing descriptions

Use your descriptions to let potential customers know why you are the best option. Don’t make them guess. Get your marketing message across by thinking about the following:

• Highlight something unique in each description. Think about the different combinations that may be put together and if they make sense in any order. This is important. One description should not be dependent on another.
• Tell the audience what you want them to do. Whether it be “Download a Newsletter” or “Purchase Today,” strong, clear calls to action are a must.

Use pinning to control combinations only when necessary

Google allows you to pin headlines and descriptions, so they show up in a specific position. This is an excellent feature that can help you regain a bit of the control you may feel you have lost.

Use pinning only when necessary. Google is a learning machine. Pinning one headline reduces the testing and learning Google can do by over 75%. The percentage increases as the number of pins go up.

Take advantage of Google’s ad strength score

We love the fact Google gives us a peek into how our ads can be improved. Take this seriously.

Many times, we feel our ads encompass all needed elements, but Google may not agree. The ad strength meter measures quantity, relevance and diversity in the provided headlines and descriptions.

Use this information to improve the ads until Google sees them as “Good” or even “Excellent.” Google provides an option to view ideas that may help expand your ads and make them more relevant.

Google Ads RSA preparation checklist

• Continue learning: Take advantage of the next two months. Keep testing new versions of your ETAs to identify what works and move those messages over to your RSAs.
• Create one RSA per ad group: Make sure each ad group has one active RSA. Use the recommendations above and from Google to write effective RSAs.
• Use ad extensions: Implement at least four ad extensions for each group. Ad extensions can be applied at multiple levels, including account, campaign and ad group. Apply extensions at the ad group level so the extensions are relevant. A higher number of extensions increases the amount of information the searcher must evaluate before clicking on your ad.

The post Google Responsive Search Ads: What you need to know appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Microsoft Advertising has released new advertiser certification, new exams, new badges and a new learning center for advertisers today. Microsoft said they have “reimagined and relaunched”  Learning LabOpens in new window and Microsoft Advertising Certified ProfessionalOpens in new window (MACP) learning solutions making “them both more valuable and easier to use.”

New Microsoft Advertising Certification

New exams. Microsoft has moved from having one exam to three new exams, which focus on different offerings within Microsoft Advertising. These are “50-question certification exams that explore different areas within Microsoft Advertising,” the company said.

New badges. When you pass these exams, you qualify for four different certification badges.

These include:

• Microsoft Advertising Search Certification
• Microsoft Advertising Native & Display Certification
• Microsoft Advertising Shopping Certification
• Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional

The first three are specific to verticals within Microsoft Advertising, but if you pass all three exams in all areas, you then qualify for the Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional badge.

What they look like. Here are screenshots of those badges:

If you were MACP certified as of April 2022, read Microsoft’s FAQs to learn more about how to access your legacy PDF certificate and claim your new Microsoft Advertising Search Certification digital badge.

New Microsoft Advertising Learning Lab

Microsoft said they have redesigned the Microsoft Advertising Learning Lab to “make it modern and simple.” Here is what is new in the Learning Lab:

1. Learning Paths: These bring together key concepts you need to develop your skills as a digital marketer with Microsoft Advertising for each topic in one place. This includes learning courses, a preparation course for each exam, and the exam.
2. Events: Attend live virtual eventsOpens in new window led by Microsoft Advertising experts or watch the recent ones on-demand.
3. Your Dashboard and Trophy Case: You can see the badges you’ve earned and the courses you’ve taken all in one place.

Why we care. Those of you who run Microsoft Advertising campaigns will want to review this new learning center and see how they can obtain these new certifications. If you have had certification in the past, you may need to revise those with these new criteria.

The post Microsoft Advertising has new certification badges, levels and a new learning center appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Any agency or company knows hiring top talent and good people is tough right now. The ad industry has its highest employment rate ever in a time when people are fleeing the industry due to burnout.

The last thing an agency leader wants to deal with is seeing their strongest employees go elsewhere. 

So, how do you retain skilled employees during The Great Resignation? The solution is grounded in building a culture of trust. 

How to build a culture of trust

You’ve invested countless hours interviewing, onboarding and training your employees.

On the job, they’ve proven themselves to be strong performers.

You’ve also provided them with the tools and resources to succeed. 

And yet, countless agencies are run by leaders that micromanage their employees.

It’s time to trust them to do their job and get out of their way. 

Here’s how:

• Get everyone on the same page: Be open about what you’re trying to accomplish, your vision and how employees play a part in that vision. The idea here is to get everyone rowing in the same direction.
• Encourage transparency: Building a culture of trust cannot happen without openness. We encourage our employees to be open and transparent about their feelings, and our managers to do the same. Leadership is transparent about company performance and plans for the organization. This transparency infuses a sense of ownership and respect throughout the organization.

Appreciate and recognize your employees

Nothing will burn out a good employee faster than feeling underappreciated.

Appreciation can come in many forms, including a quick thank you, promotion or salary increase.

Recognition can be public or private, and it should come from any level within the organization. 

Here’s how my agency approaches appreciation and recognition:

Peer recognition program

Bonus.ly has been a great addition to our company’s culture.

Each month, employees have a specific number of points that can be used to recognize peers.

Points are accumulated and redeemed through gift cards to restaurants, shops, entertainment, charity donations or cold hard cash.

The Slack integration makes it easy to see who is recognizing who.

Leadership recognition

Peer recognition is wonderful, but employees also need to know that they’re making a real impact on the company. This is where leadership recognition comes in.

Publically, we recognize employees who contribute to the bottom line through company meetings or internal case studies.

This public recognition serves to show appreciation to the employee but also helps to encourage others to achieve similar feats. 

How to build connections between employees

The Institute of Leadership and Management found that 77% of respondents say that building close relationships with colleagues was the most important factor in determining job satisfaction.

Connection is critical in building a culture of trust and ultimately retaining great employees. In a remote workplace, this is especially important.

We’ve found three ways to help build connections between employees:

• Make time for connection: Take the time to connect with employees on a personal level. Building rapport is essential when things are busy. This signals to your employees that even amidst the chaos, they’re still important to you. So, make time during 1:1s to learn about employees and tell them about yourself.
• Enjoy your colleagues: As a primarily remote company, this takes some effort. We regularly use apps like Kahoot for fun quizzes, ice breaker challenges and Polly for polls on Slack.
• Encourage sharing of expertise: Embedded within our culture is both a strong motivation to get better and to support one another. We foster both by sharing our expertise. Employees will create brown bag training sessions taught by various team members. Managers will also often encourage team members to ask questions broadly on Slack. As a result, questions have quick answers and employees are reminded that team support is valued.

Also, make sure to post pictures of team members meeting each other and having a good time. 

Offer flexibility and grace

Always remember that you’ve hired people, not just “workers.”

Work is just one facet of their lives. Burnout in our industry is very real.

Take care to ensure your best employees flourish. To retain great employees, offer flexibility and grace. 

Here’s how we do that: 

• Daily flexibility: Allow some flexibility within the workday for employees to take care of what they need. We regularly have employees that need to pick up their kids, take the dog to the vet or even go for a jog. We’ve found that providing this flexibility enables employees to perform at their best and be more productive. 
• Encourage time off: We saw many of our employees not taking time off during the pandemic. They felt like there was no point because they couldn’t go anywhere. What resulted was decreased productivity and overall gloom within the organization. To turn things around, we encouraged employees to take time off. We implemented an unlimited vacation policy so people didn’t feel like they were “wasting” vacation days. And managers noted when an employee hadn’t taken time off.
• Create backups: One of the concerns in taking time off is the fear that the work will pile up. That’s why we created a system for employees to partner with other employees to act as backups while they’re out. With the backup plans in place, employees are truly “off” when on vacation.
• Allow for grace: Throughout the pandemic, we’ve had to allow some grace for employees dealing with circumstances in their lives that impact work. Everyone goes through stressful events, and its not reasonable to think it won’t affect work. We allow some grace for productivity to decline, work hours to be shortened or additional time off for employees dealing with “life.” 

Build the workplace where you’d like to work

This is how you retain great employees. Trust, appreciation, connection and flexibility are the tenets of a strong culture. But they also happen to be the key to retaining great employees. 

The post How to retain employees during the Great Resignation appeared first on Search Engine Land.

A hub and spoke content marketing strategy can help you boost keywords rankings, increase website traffic and enhance downstream metrics like conversions, leads and sales.

Join Conductor in a live webinar and learn the basics of a hub and spoke model. You’ll also take away a four-step process you can use to rank higher.

Register today for “4 Steps to Ranking Higher on Google with Hub and Spoke Content Marketing” presented by Conductor.

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