11-27-2020 The Week in Review

The Role of Social Media on Your Website: If You're Not Using It- Lose It

Interesting things have happened last week and this week. Here is a brief synopsis to keep you up to date.

Google Ads Sneaks in Auto Update without Approval Features

You’ll want to be smart and watch your account. Google has rolled out a beta program that makes automatic account updates without your approval. These changes are not, as of now, even reflected in change history. You’ll want to make sure you know what is happening by reading the article linked below. If we manage your account, Google has provided us with a master control panel to turn on and off features as a Google Partner.  More info…


Unconventional Link Building Strategies

You may have actually fallen prey to some of these tactics yourself already, but that being said, some are savvy and could possibly be leveraged for your own needs. More info…


Google Guaranteed Starts to Be Visible in Maps Listings

We are just now starting to see the Google Guaranteed checkmark in Google Maps listings. This program is one Google rolled out earlier in the year and costs a business $50 a month after a certification and vetting process. These are actually upgraded Google My Business profiles. Google has stated that this is an experiment and may keep or may not keep this update as it rolls out more businesses. Right now, only certain business sectors are eligible for this feature. Some businesses are choosing instead to do local service ads instead of participating in the Google Guaranteed program. More info…


Why Your Website May Have Lost Search Placement

This article details 5 points as to why your website may have lost organic search placement. There is no ground breaking information here, but it is a good review.  The writer focuses on changes to competition, search algorithms, expectations, and your own website changes. Still a good read for this week. More info…


Duck, Duck, Go Search Engine is Trending

Duck, Duck, Go is considered a possible replacement for Google due to its privacy related focus. Although it does not have near the traffic Google does, searches on the platform are trending up. Of note is that Duck, Duck, Go shows Microsoft Advertising ads. This could be a huge consideration for some clients in the very near future. Learn more…

Google Ads New Call Ads and Call Recording

Call recording is new for Google Ads. Rolled out this past week in many of our client accounts is a feature to record and hold for 30 days calls from call extensions and the use of Call Ads in your account.

To enable these new call recording options, click into your campaign tab and then select settings > account. Then open the Call section and select to allow call recording. You will need to accept Google’s EULA.

To listen to call recordings, you will go to the Reports tab at the top and then create a report of the date range of your choosing for calls and call extensions. Google will auto populate a report with links to listen to actual calls.

What we have found is that for some clients based on the recordings, we are moving them to a call schedule for their business open times and not showing click to call and call extensions when the business is not open.

For others, we are finding that the call recordings validate the usefulness of using Google Ads and a budget increase may be warranted to get more activity.

Please note that calls from your website if you are using this conversion type will not be recorded only those associated with Call Extensions.

For us, we find that this extra option allows us as account managers to do a reality check on the phone call traffic we are driving with click activity. For clients. the call recordings will allow validation of responses taken by staff to fine tune a message or increase training to better serve customers and potential prospects from their first phone contact after a click.

We invite you to find out more about our Google Ads services and our Google Partner status on our website.

COVID-19 Guide for Google Ads: When to Restart Your Google Ads Program

McCord Web Services is a Google Partner and a Certified Google Ads Professional

Our new series COVID-19 Guide for Google Ads starts today.  In this article we will discuss when is it time to restart Google Ads.

We recommend assuring that you are following your county and state guidelines first. If your state has not opened up businesses in your sector, it is not time to restart your Google Ads program yet.

That being said, if you feel that you may be losing traction against competitors that are opening, we have done for some clients “warm up” ad text. By adding “we will be open on such and such a date and are taking virtual consultations or pre-bookings”, you can start to drive your website traffic and meet demand.

We have found for many plastic surgery practices that there is so much pent-up demand that conversions are blowing through the roof when a Google Ads restart is done.

For other businesses, demand is not the issue, but rather cash flow to restart Google Ads really is the issue. In this case, we recommend chatting with your account manager to see if you can start with a smaller footprint and lower negotiated management fee.

For those that have not stopped Google Ads programs during the virus – like ecommerce and service-based businesses, activity on Google Ads is good. For some very good. Even pest control firms are reporting excellent lead generation these past months.

If you have worried about what to do with Google Ads and COVID-19, now’s the time to review what strategies your Google Ads Manager may suggest.

For our own clients who have paused programs during the virus, we encourage you to get with us for a custom plan on how to get back going with Google Ads. We know that we will be able to find a business-friendly way to assist you in driving traffic again and getting the leads you need to move forward from Google Ads exposure.