🔍 Early core update trends | McDonald's Waze OOH ads

Plus, full-funnel SEM and the disappearance of in-depth articles. Mar 19, 2019 Good morning, search marketers, have you recovered? Google said over the weekend that its[latest core search algorithm wasn’t its biggest](. The company also responded to several other questions we asked. If you’re wondering if the update incorporated some new use of neural matching, it didn’t. Was the March 2019 core update a reversal of last August’s update? No, but early patterns seen across several sources are interesting. Nearly 60 percent of respondents to our survey on the core update [said they have seen a recovery from a previous core update](. Meanwhile, several venerable publishers seem to have lost visibility with this update after seeing gains in August, according to Search Metrics data. It’s still early, and we continue to gather data via our[survey](. Let us know what you’ve seen so far. On the ads front, Google Ads users will find[reporting column recommendations on by default]( in the UI now. With that, you might choose to get some column width back because Bid Strategy Type is no longer a required column. Waze has several new initiatives to bring digital to out-of-home. It can now[target in-car ads around out-of-home billboard locations](. It tested a campaign with McDonald’s in which it showed ads to drivers along routes in a target market that had McDonald’s billboards. The ads called on drivers to go to the nearby McDonald’s. The companies said the campaign drove 8,400 “navigations” to McDonald’s locations. Lots more below, including a Pro Tip on where to find new audiences and improve conversions. Ginny Marvin Editor-in-Chief Quick links to stories mentioned above: + [Waze conquers ‘digital dark zone’ with in-car, out-of-home ad coordination]( + [Google on the March 2019 core update: This is not the biggest update we’ve released]( + [Early data on Google March 2019 Core Update show an interesting pattern]( + [Google Ads now makes reporting column recommendations]( Pro Tip Here's how to find new audiences to improve conversions In the Audience Insights tool in Google Ads Audience Manager “ advertisers can see the top in-market and affinity audiences your selected audience falls under,” explains Joe Martinez of Clix Marketing. “But you don’t have to stick to all users. You can change the ‘Audience to get insights on’ option to a variety of audiences you have in your Google Ads account. This will help you learn more about the users in each of your base audiences. “If your account has built up enough users to view a variety of audience data, try and find patterns between the audiences. If you see certain in-market or affinity audiences show up in several audiences you’re pulling data, you should probably test those first. If the same in-market or affinity audiences are showing up over and over again, the odds are other users within those audiences could use your products or services too.” [READ MORE »]( Live Webinar: 5 Steps for Competing (in search) with Digital Goliaths - Mar. 26 Sponsored by Adthena Amazon, Wayfair, Walmart, Booking.com dominate market share everywhere you look. Join our industry experts as they provide five steps to compete with these digital goliaths and build innovative, successful online brands. You’ll learn how to use keyword testing to identify opportunities to win market share, police competitive brand bidding to reduce CPCs and protect branded keyword value, and build a strategy against your sector’s Goliath. Join this webinar to learn more. [READ MORE »]( Search Shorts Rest in peace John Thyfault RIP John Thyfault. SEM community member John Thyfault, the VP of SEM at Beasley Direct, [suddenly passed away at the age of 54](. Google Analytics forum moved. The support forum for Google Analytics, like many of the other support forums, [have moved to a new location](. Wikipedia influences Google. Most of you know that content on Wikipedia has a strong influence on the Google knowledge panel and it can also [cause issues if the information on Wikipedia is wrong](. Video thumbnails in search. Are you seeing more [video thumbnails in the Google mobile search results](? Some are. What we're reading We've curated our picks from across the web so you can retire your feed reader [Display Topic Targeting: 3 Reasons Why You Should Do It]( – PPC Hero [Google Florida 2.0 Algorithm Update: Early Observations]( – SEO Book [Google Investigation: State Attorneys General Lay Groundwork]( – Bloomberg [Q&A On Google – Showing Questions That Need Answers In Google Search]( – Search Engine Roundtable [Your Web Page Dates: Why They Matter for SEO Freshness and How to Manage Them]( – BrightEdge SEO Blog Join Us Gain expert SEO & SEM tactics to drive your campaign's success. Attend SMX Advanced, June 3-5! Attend Search Engine Land’s [SMX Advanced](, June 3-5, 2019 for expert-led sessions, networking (including the 2019 Search Engine Land Awards), and top amenities including WiFi, delicious meals, and snacks. This is your once-a-year event to learn only advanced SEO and SEM tactics. You’ll come away with at least one tactic that you can immediately put to use… we guarantee it. 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