Most list articles — think “The Top 10 DSLR Cameras” or “The 5 Best CRM Products” — are written by armchair commentators.

They’re utilitarian, boring, and easy for rivals to copy.

Even if your lists rank well, their success is usually short-lived. Eventually, a competitor with greater authority (and perhaps a bigger word count) will swoop in.

Despite mountains of pageviews, try to measure their return on investment and you’ll find that… well, there probably isn’t one.

But there’s no need to fret.

Your list articles (or “listicles”) can be transformed into interesting, defensible, revenue-generating assets in five steps.

Here’s how.

1. Choose novel selection criteria

Most list articles are based on the same research methodology. If it had a name, it would probably be called “the first 10 things I found on Google.”

You search for your target keyword, scan the top-ranking content, and choose an assortment of popular things — software, products, people — to collate in your own article.

It’s a pragmatic process: deadlines are tight, original research is time-consuming, and compiling a list of popular “things” will never be controversial.

But this selection process is neither useful to your target reader nor defensible.

Your list risks recapitulating the same information as the existing search results.

It becomes another commodity among many.

Good listicles — like all good content — need a strong hook, a way to pique the reader’s interest and differentiate them from similar lists.

Your selection criteria can create this hook:

• Try ditching the “best” qualifier and pick something more concrete and interesting (e.g., X Overlooked/Foundational/Overrated…)
• Target a particular reader or use case (e.g., X for Front-End Devs/Content Marketers/CFOs…)
• Focus on a particular product trait (e.g., The X Best Browser-Based/Freemium/No Code …)

2. Persuade the reader by surfacing your thought process

Many writers assume that listicles don’t need to be persuasive.

After all, they’re intended as an educational resource, a repository of objective information that allows the reader to make their own informed choice.

As a result, most list articles dump things on a page and leave the reader to reach their own conclusions.

But I would disagree with this assumption.

I think that it’s more important to be persuasive because the entire premise of your list hinges on a promise to your reader: that the items you’ve featured really are the best, most relevant, most carefully selected choices from a sea of myriad alternatives. Your job is to persuade the reader that your selection and your selection methodology are worth trusting.

A good way to achieve this is to surface your thinking and explain the rationale behind each choice. You had selection criteria in mind when compiling your list, so bring the reader along for the ride, and answer the questions they’ll be thinking:

• Why did this particular thing warrant inclusion? “This is the most recommended…,” “This is the lowest-priced…”
• Why did you omit others? “We excluded any products without a freemium plan…”
• Is there something about this choice that defies conventional wisdom? “Though not a conventional CRM, this database tool is perfectly equipped to handle core CRM tasks…”

3. Share personal experience to demonstrate credibility

One sad reality of SEO is that good results — at least in terms of keyword rankings and pageviews — can come from bad articles.

In the case of listicles, “bad” means written without any firsthand experience of the items being curated. (My first published article, some 12 years ago, was a review of hair-curling tongs. Eagle-eyed readers will notice that I am as bald as an egg.)

Although these armchair articles can often rank for their intended keywords, they fail where it really matters: encouraging the reader to believe the advice on offer and make an actual purchase.

If your goal for content is to generate meaningful revenue — and not just rank for keywords — then it’s necessary to show firsthand experience of the thing that you’re recommending (and prove it to the reader).

Usually, this means some combination of:

• Screenshots of the back end of the software being reviewed (any part of the interface that you can’t access without actually logging in)
• Real-life product photos that don’t look like stock photography (bonus points for including yourself in the photo)
• Personal anecdotes about usage and sharing experiences that only a user would have

4. Lean on the experiences of others when personal experience is impossible

One caveat to the “share personal experience” point: it’s not always easy to have firsthand experience. Some products are too complicated, situational, or downright expensive to experience.

Given the constraints of content marketing, it’s never going to be cost-effective to pay your writer to train as a systems architect or implement an enterprise-level data warehousing solution.

Crucially though, your reader won’t care about your constraints: they want to see credible advice regardless.

So if you can’t personally experience the thing, base your listicle on the experiences of those who have. That means surveying, quoting, and synthesizing the experiences of real firsthand users of the product, tool, process, or service.

If you don’t feel credible, find someone who is credible.

If you have access to a large audience — like surveying your client’s customers or their social media audiences — this process can become a differentiator in its own right, allowing you to market your article on the breadth of its research (how many other listicles can say they’re based on “surveying 50 systems architects”?).

If you don’t, a deep dive into one person’s expert opinion can still be enough to lend credibility to your list (e.g., “The Best Startup Data Warehousing Solutions, According to This Startup CTO”).

5. Make a single, opinionated recommendation

The primary goal of listicle content isn’t to rank for keywords or generate traffic; it’s to help the reader make a decision.

Most listicles are good at one part of this process: offering a wide array of suitable choices. But these choices are often less helpful than they first appear.

Does the reader really need to know about 20 DSLR cameras if they’re only ever going to purchase one?

Most articles hedge their bets because collating popular “things” doesn’t provide enough information to make a useful recommendation.

But if your article didn’t help you choose — how will it help your reader?

Great listicles provide options but also go a step further: they take a stand and make a single opinionated recommendation.

This is a potent differentiator.

By seeking out firsthand experiences of the “things” on review, it becomes possible to form opinions and make clear, defensible recommendations: we did our homework; here’s the one you should buy.

Wirecutter is a master of this strategy, pairing extensive research (for their “best everyday wineglass” list, reviewing over 250 glasses) with a single final recommendation.

Optimize for revenue, not pageviews

These recommendations probably sound great in theory, but are they actually worth implementing?

Do we really need to dedicate more time and money to listicle content if we can generate tens of thousands of monthly pageviews from articles with a less rigorous research methodology?

Yes.

Pageviews are only useful as far as they further our ability to generate revenue.

Long, meandering copycat articles, lacking clear recommendations and written without credible research, may generate pageviews (for now) — but they don’t generate revenue.

The post 5 ways to level-up lazy listicles appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Google Ads custom columns just got a whole lot more customizable. Launched in 2014, a custom column in Google Ads is a nifty feature that allows advertisers to display non-standard data directly within the web interface.

These custom columns have historically allowed advertisers to view column breakouts by conversion, device and network. Now, these columns are becoming even more powerful.

A major visualization improvement within the web editor. The new features within custom columns include:

• Spreadsheet functions
• The ability to calculate and compare across date ranges
• Options to reference other custom columns within formulas
• Filter ability for custom variables for conversions
• Non-metric columns within formulas (e.g., the ability to pull in campaign names, budgets and more)
• New column formats such as “Date”, “Text”, and “True/False”
• The ability to apply multiple filters to one formula

These additions are a massive win. They bring more critical, customizable data to a location where you can directly edit campaigns. This should save you substantial time. You no longer need to toggle from reporting to editing.

Google announced that new metrics and features for custom columns are rolling out to accounts over the “next few weeks.”

Spreadsheet functions. The most significant change to custom columns is the addition of ‘functions,’ which will produce a return value based mainly on parameter input. These are passed in via parentheses after the function name and act similarly to options available in popular spreadsheet software. From rounding up numbers to combining text strings, these functions allow for curated content directly within Google Ads columns.

Calculating & comparing across date ranges. One of the most helpful new filters allows for custom columns that average or compare over a given timeframe.

An example provided by Google shows the ability to validate click data over a set report day function while returning a variable of true/false using this formula:

Clicks / report_days_count())>=100

This will give you the ability to set up columns to quickly diagnose what campaigns/ad groups are hitting specific metrics and goals for given periods within the web interface.

Referencing other custom columns within a formula. This allows for the referencing of other custom columns to surface more data at once. You can create a unique custom column that could be referenced within a formula to extract even more data without duplicating the process.

Even the minor upgrades are incredibly helpful. Outside of the new formulas and functions the additional upgrades are major time-savers. The ability to sort custom columns will help surface critical elements quicker and pulling non-metric data will help those that like viewing more data.

Custom columns will also have the ability to have multiple filters to a formula for even better segmentation.

Why we care. This is a monumental gift to Google Ads advertisers everywhere. In a time that it feels like ad platforms are getting simpler, this upgrade bucks the trend. The ability to create powerful formula-driven columns within the web editor interface is a zig to the seemingly constant barrage of unwanted zags. If you’ve become accustomed to a back-and-forth between reports and editors, you may see notable time savings with carefully curated columns.

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Did you know that 51% of prospective buyers use Youtube to start their home search? Video is one of the most effective leads to grab the attention of hot leads and build your professional real estate brand. Use these 25 real estate video tips to make your digital marketing drastically more effective.

25 Attention-Grabbing Real Estate Video Ideas is just one of many great real estate strategies on The Spark

Anyone can argue that the popularity and successes of account-based marketing (ABM) are unmatched. Lately, marketers looking to get started with ABM are often flooded with terms like “strategy,” “thought leadership” or “best practices.” Thus, many B2B marketers are eager to implement the core tenants of ABM but are unsure of where to begin.

If you find yourself in this dilemma, join Jodi Cerretani, senior director of demand generation at RollWorks, for a refreshing ABM session. You’ll learn the steps you can take today to drive results tomorrow, including three tried and proven ABM plays to drive quick wins, the must-have ABM tech stack and the number one secret to getting buy-in from sales this quarter. You’ll also receive a copy-and-pastable ABM performance funnel.

In addition to these tactics, Cerretani also explains RollWorks’ three pillars of ABM:

1. Identify high-value targets
2. Engage buying committees through coordinated marketing and sales programs 
3. Measure the impact against shared goals 

With these proven tips, the right data and the right mindset, marketers can easily drive full-funnel impact against their targets, using the technologies they already have in their stack. 

Leveraging a robust ABM tech stack with many channels can aid marketers with attacking and impacting every level of their funnel very precisely.
View the session and build your framework so you can start to realize the actual value of ABM.

The post Proven steps to getting started with ABM appeared first on Search Engine Land.

There will be a significant change on June 30. That’s when Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) will become the dominant ad format in Google Ads accounts.

With this, advertisers will no longer be able to add or edit extended text ads (ETAs). Existing account ETAs will continue to serve alongside RSAs, and advertisers will only be able to pause, resume or remove ETAs.

RSAs are a huge shift from the ETA format. Read on to learn how RSAs work and tips for how to get more out of them.   

The new RSA ad format

It has 15 headlines (30 characters each) and four descriptions (100 characters each).

With RSAs, Google determines which combination of headlines and descriptions will appear in ads and how often they’ll appear. Advertisers can pin headlines and descriptions, so they appear in positions 1, 2, 3, etc. There’s a limit of three enabled responsive search ads per ad group. At this point, Google is recommending two ETAs and one RSA per ad group.

Be mindful that there is solid logic behind limiting the number of RSAs per ad group. This format doesn’t represent “a single ad” but rather an ad testing environment that could potentially serve upwards of 10,000 combinations to users. Running multiples of these would only muddy the waters.

RSAs are also graded with ad strengths: poor, average and excellent. Here’s an example of an ad with average ad strength:

The RSA ad strength is not related to the ad quality score. Ad strength is based on increasing RSA CTR and providing fruitful information for Google bots to chew on. It’s a guideline and does not relate to actual ad performance.

Conversely, asset combos are based on ad performance and more salient factors to our marketing objectives. It’s wise to rely mainly on the info in asset combos based on your ad performance.

Google provides no conversion or revenue data associated with the different ad combinations. Combinations are listed in order of impressions shown, providing a sense of what ad combinations are winning out, but the reasons for “winning out” are based on Google’s criteria.

As of this writing, there is no Modify Columns capability when viewing RSA combinations. Modify Columns is available when viewing the overall RSA (or other ad formats).

Assets (components like headlines) can also be viewed in order of how many impressions were shown.

RSAs gobble up impressions in the race for ad impressions within an ad group. Once an RSA is added to an ad group, we find it nearly always takes impressions from other ads in the ad group and tends to become the favored ad when in rotation with ETA’s, no matter how well the latter perform. I’ve reviewed data in many accounts, and when in rotation against ETAs, RSAs typically get 85-90% of impressions and clicks.

RSAs ask a lot of account managers, as they provide a lot more scope for various assets (headline and description versions). Here’s how to do better with them.

Give yourself time to write good ads

RSAs are different than ETAs. Roll up your sleeves and expect to spend time generating headlines and descriptions. Take your time brainstorming and focus on compelling features, benefits, USPs, etc., that will ultimately encourage people to buy from you.

I do my brainstorming in “batches” (usually 2-3) and aim to get as many ideas down on paper as possible. I’ll then filter and choose headlines and descriptions that will best resonate with my target audience. This sounds easy, but it takes time to develop compelling ad copy.

Pay attention to headlines

While setting up ads, Google provides a lot of recommendations on headlines. This makes sense, as headlines compel users to click on ads the most.

The interface may encourage you to add headlines that don’t make sense or are much broader than necessary. For example, it may suggest the broader phrase “Tennis gear” for an ad group that contains Dunlop tennis ball keywords. Don’t feel compelled to use RSA headline suggestions from Google if they don’t work for your company or the product/service you’re selling.

Some other pointers:

• Ad strength visibly increases when we include keyword terms in our ad groups in our RSA headlines.
• 6-7 headlines in an RSA will provide a good number of ad impressions.

Pinning tips

Advertisers can pin headlines/descriptions, so specific headlines/descriptions always appear in positions 1, 2, 3, etc. Advertisers can pin multiple headlines/descriptions to the same position.

This can be useful for companies with strict brand guidelines. For example, a business name must appear in the first headline of ad copy. This can also be useful for regulated industries where certain information must appear in the ad copy.

We’ve tested pinned and unpinned ads. Google’s system prefers unpinned ads, and they tend to have higher ad strength. Sometimes, this is the only change we make to ads, and we notice a significant difference in the impressions an ad receives. Naturally, unpinned ads give Google the most leeway to serve ads and flexibility for their machines to learn.

In many cases, we’ve noticed RSAs only serve two headlines. So, pin the most important info to position 1 or 2.

RSAs are a tough pill to swallow

None of this is easy to deal with. We’ll have to deal with the uncomfortable reality that the RSA format is hungry for so much more creative input that it will exact a heavier mental toll on account managers than previous ad formats.

All that in an environment that only provides true performance data in the aggregate, allowing bots to decide which combinations to favor. But what choice do we have?

The post Shifting to Google Responsive Search Ads: 3 must-know tips appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Advertising in the mortgage industry is very regulated with mortgage regulations. There are many restricted words and phrases. Mortgage lenders must make sure that they are compliant when marketing. They cannot discriminate between buyers. All loan terms and interest rates must be clearly defined. Violations of the rules can lead to fines and penalties. To stay compliant, make sure your company follows the rules. A few regulations to be aware of are:

1. Regulation Z

Regulation Z is the Truth in Lending Law. It requires that advertising for mortgage loans is not misleading. Loans must be available to those who qualify. The primary goal of Regulation Z is to provide consumers with the actual cost of credit. Lenders must disclose interest rates in writing, and they must use clear language about loans and credit terms. This allows consumers to compare credit terms more knowledgeably. 

Under Regulation Z, lenders must provide consumers with the nominal interest rate and the annual percentage rate (APR) of a loan. The APR is more realistic than the nominal rate, and it’s comparable between lenders and includes any fees the borrower must pay. The advertising regulation also allows consumers to cancel loans within a certain period, and the Federal Trade Commission enforces it.

2. Regulation N

Regulation N is the Mortgage Acts and Practices in Advertising law. It includes rules and requirements for commercial marketing materials. The law was established by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Mortgage Act decides what financial products constitute mortgage credit products. It also tells mortgage brokers how they may advertise their products to clients.

Regulation N prohibits deceptive claims in mortgage advertising. For example, lenders cannot advertise a low fixed-rate loan without specifying how it will change over the long term. Other examples of deceptive claims include:

• Not indicating consumer fees associated with a mortgage
• Misrepresentation of the type of mortgage
• Not providing the variability of interest rates

All loan officers and mortgage brokers must follow Regulation N.

3. Regulation B

Regulation B is known as the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. ECOA does not include technical requirements for advertising. It does prohibit mortgage lenders from practices that discriminate against certain factors. These factors include age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, and marital status.

Congress created Regulation B to ensure that loans are available to all creditworthy customers. This means that any factor not related to credit cannot be used when making a loan approval decision. Regulation B covers a creditor’s actions before, during, and after a credit transaction. The primary purpose of Regulation B is to prevent discrimination. 

Using BNTouch Mortgage CRM

BNTouch Mortgage CRM can help loan officers and mortgage brokers maintain marketing compliance. The platform offers many marketing templates that mortgage professionals can use. It also includes a digital loan platform to simplify the borrowing process.

If you are seeking a Mortgage CRM, contact BNTouch for a free demo today!

The post Marketing Regulations Every Mortgage Lender Should Know appeared first on .

YouTube Search Insights, which was previewed as an experimental feature in November, will become available to all creators and brands by the end of this month, the company announced. 

The tool shows you data based on searches across all of YouTube, as well as just your viewers’ searches. There is also a content gap filter, which shows you searches for which searchers were unable to find a video. These are bucketed by search volume (high, medium and low). 

Where to find the tool. Head to YouTube Studio. After you click on Analytics, the search insights will be available under the Research tab. Because this doesn’t launch fully until the end of April, you might not see it yet.

Data the tool provides It will only provide aggregated data from the past 28 days on English language search terms from the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia and India. The company plans to roll this out to more languages and regions as soon as possible. That’s according to this video published on the Creator Insider YouTube channel.

Why we care. This tool should be helpful for brands and creators. You can use it to help inform and improve your content planning and make sure you’re creating videos that are relevant to your audience, as well as what YouTube users are searching for. While Google generally has taken away data, it’s nice to see them provide search query data to help brands and creators create more relevant content. 

The post YouTube launching new search insights tool appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Many advertisers woke up this morning and upon opening their Meta for Business accounts, found that ads were turned off late last night. Adding to injury, in many cases the ads turned off were some of the best performing assets.

Meta has not issued a statement, but if you are running Facebook Ads it would be prudent to log into your accounts and check to see if any of your ads were inadvertently turned off on or around 7 p.m. PST Tuesday.

What to do. Rok Hladnik shared on Twitter an easy way to diagnose if the ads were running and subsequently turned off. To view, simply view ads in ad manager that have been serving, then view “ad delivery.’” Within the ad delivery selector, you will be able to choose the “off”  button to showcase ads that are off.

This will show you if ads were turned off after were running earlier in the day/week. It is also possible to see changes within the campaign history.

Why we care. Advertisers need their ads to run to be successful. It appears this issue did not fire notifications and is impacting quality ads that may significantly hinder the success of a campaign. While Facebook has not provided a statement yet, this is a major problem that a diligent marketer can fix quickly.

The post Marketers report Meta bug turning off Facebook ads appeared first on Search Engine Land.