Category: News & Trends

Posted on

We Are Bullish on Bing.com – Get Your Advertising On Target

Get Your Advertising on Target

It’s time time to review your ad spend on Google Ads and get your advertising on target to generate more leads at a lower cost. Here at McCord Web Services, we are bullish on the use of Microsoft Advertising and ChatGPT is the reason why.

Bing is the second-largest search engine worldwide with a 2.47% market share¹. Bing’s cut of the market has increased by 1.23% since 2019¹. Bing’s market share peaked at 3.63% in 2014¹.

In the desktop search engine market, Bing has a global market share of 6.15%¹. Bing’s share of the desktop search market has grown by 26.8% since 2019, increasing from 4.85%¹. By comparison, when it comes to desktop searches, Google has a market share of 86.82%¹.

Microsoft generated $8.53 billion in search advertising revenue in the 2021 fiscal year¹. Bing is available in 105 languages and 238 countries¹. Bing has a market share of 38.46% among US console users¹.

In summary, Bing’s market share has been growing since 2019 but still lags behind Google’s market share which is currently at 92.13%¹. However, Bing is still generating significant revenue for Microsoft and is available in many languages and countries¹.

With the introduction of the tight integration of Windows 11 and Edge and popularity and news buzz on ChatGPT and integration into Bing’s search bar, Bing’s popularity is not through the roof. Market share and interest continues to grow.

As for our clients, many have started to move into Microsoft Advertising and are getting great results.

Maybe you should be looking at Microsoft Advertising for lower cost conversions than Google Ads. For a number of clients we are seeing conversion costs of under $50 when a conversion in Google is over $100. Visit our website for more information on our Microsoft Advertising services today.

Today’s update using ChatGPT:

As of April 2021, Google holds a whopping **92.18%** share of the global search engine market while Bing ranks second with a market share of **2.27%**².

However, Bing Ads reach **63 million** searchers that aren’t reached with Google AdWords¹. Bing prompts **35% higher** in results than Google Ads³. Bing also has a less competitive playfield which means users do not have much to bid on keywords to secure their search result spot³. Microsoft adds that Bing covers **34%** of desktop-based search engine space³.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/29/2023(1) Bing vs Google: 2023 Head to Head Comparison | SerpWatch. https://serpwatch.io/blog/bing-vs-google/ Accessed 3/29/2023.

(2) Bing Ads vs. Google Ads: Which Deserves Your Ad Dollars? – WebFX. https://www.webfx.com/blog/marketing/google-adwords-vs-bing-ads/ Accessed 3/29/2023.

(3) Bing Ads vs. Google Ads: Which Platform is Better in 2023?. https://www.thinkorion.com/blog/bing-ads-vs-google-ads Accessed 3/29/2023.

(4) Global search engine desktop market share 2023 | Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/216573/worldwide-market-share-of-search-engines/ Accessed 3/29/2023.

(5) Bing Ads vs. Google Ads: The Pros & Cons of Each Platform – Instapage. https://instapage.com/blog/bing-ads-vs-google-ads Accessed 3/29/2023.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/27/2023(1) Microsoft Bing Usage and Revenue Stats (New Data) – Backlinko. https://backlinko.com/bing-users Accessed 3/27/2023.

(2) 46 Critical Bing Statistics: 2023 Market Share Analysis & Data. https://financesonline.com/bing-statistics/ Accessed 3/27/2023.

(3) Global search engine desktop market share 2023 | Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/216573/worldwide-market-share-of-search-engines/ Accessed 3/27/2023.

(4) Microsoft Bing hits 100 million active users in bid to grab share from …. https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/9/23631912/microsoft-bing-100-million-daily-active-users-milestone Accessed 3/27/2023.

Posted on

IcelandDriver.com and Hávar Sigurjónsson

Iceland glacial lake

Although this is off my usual topic, I want to recommend a tour service and individual to you today. Hávar Sigurjónsson owner of IcelandDriver.com was my tour guide recently on a 17 day trip to Iceland.

Iceland is a wonderful place to visit and full of interesting sites, waterfalls, history, and glaciers. Our tour guide Hávar Sigurjónsson provided and in-depth tour with engaging conversation and a deep understanding of the history, culture, and folklore of Iceland.

Have a trip your way. Our small group tour of Iceland consisted of travelers age 25 up to 70. Hávar had activities for everyone. For the younger sporter set, he took tourists on additional tours by bike or hiking after we arrived at the hotel. For others, like myself, we relaxed at the first class hotels after a full day and then met the full group at dinner. There were activities for all ages and interests.

My husband and I highly recommend Hávar Sigurjónsson owner of IcelandDriver.com to you for consideration when you decide to book your own tour of Iceland. Our trip was a comprehensive tour and a once in a lifetime experience.

Posted on

Privacy Changes Drive Google to Sunset Universal Analytics in Favor of G4

July 1, 2023 is the sunset date for UA or Universal Analytics.

Google has announced that it will sunset the popular web traffic analytics tool called Universal Analytics in favor of G4 Analytics on July 1, 2023.

Why is Google making this change?

With the changing needs for privacy, Google has decided that it is time for everyone to get onboard and embrace G4 Analytics. Read about the differences between the two.

G4 has been out for two years, but many, myself included, consider the dashboard difficult to set up and use. This has slowed webmasters and marketing managers from embracing the new cookieless technology of G4.

Additionally, Google announced that the data from Universal Analytics (UA) will not flow into G4. So, webmasters should plan on adding code now for G4 to start gathering data before the UA sunset date. Some webmasters and site owners may want to do a download of UA data before the sunset of the application.

It’s all about the third party cookies

All of these changes are about the use of third party cookies for tracking. Google Ads uses audiences and cookies from UA when merged with Google Ads to create tracking for advanced audiences. Specifically the explanation below puts this issue in easy to understand terms.

“…the change reflects an evolution on how analytics is associated with websites and the changing role analytics plays in privacy. Universal Analytics represented the pinnacles of page-loaded measurement, introducing cross platform tracking and more flexible code options for producing custom dimensions and metrics. However, it still relied on cookies, the text files in browsers, to transmit data behind the dimensions and metrics. ” Read more.

By moving beyond cookies with G4, Google is building for the future, but may also be self-serving to benefit remarketing and conversion technology alternatives to protect Google Ads. The loss of third party cookies is a huge issue for Google Ads conversion tracking and for the serving of remarketing ads for advertisers.

For now, Google and McCord Web Services is recommending running UA Analytics and G4 on the same website. Allowing the two to run will build a number of months worth of data before UA Analytics is sunset.

The problem with G4 is it is more than an update it is a new protocol

If you have logged into a G4 account you most likely are stunned at the lack of any data. G4 runs on custom events, there are really very few built out features at this time which makes it hard for webmasters to embrace G4 as a functional alternative to UA Analytics.

Although the ability to customize events may be a boon for some, for most G4 cannot be considered a plug and play application. We are hopeful that as the sunset date gets closer Google will listen to the feedback about needing to make G4 more user friendly and offer more information on how to set up events that make sense to replace the information lost when compared to UA.

Our recommendation is to start now with G4 code implementation so data can start accruing for at least one year. And to start learning now to create events for the important statistics you like in Universal Analytics in G4.

We encourage you to subscribe to our blog posts to stay informed on what’s coming up for G4 and Google Ads.  Just visit our blog home page and look on the right side bar for subscribe by email to get a copy of our blog posts when they are published.

 

 

Posted on

New Visibility Services for Local Businesses

Small business visibility services.

We’ve just introduced a new service for businesses located in Fredericksburg and Harrisonburg, Virginia. Check out the details or view on our website.

Our unique local business visibility program allows you to choose the services and level of engagement you need to grow your business. Choose from services like drone photography, drone videography, video creation for ad and website use, Google My Business management, and Google Ads Express advertising —all with an eye on driving more local traffic to your store or to increase sales of your local services.

Flexible Local Business Program Options

You get to choose what makes sense for your business*, but having a professional recommendation can make all the difference in your results.

Drone Shoot Package

Our experienced FAA Licensed, insured, and supremely experienced drone pilot will work with you to create a custom drone package based on your needs. Prices start at $489 for 20 minutes of fly time and the creation of a custom 2 minute video using drone video and still aerial photography. (There is an additional charge for longer fly times based on the area to photograph, travel outside our two service areas, and the addition of music to the video.) Our pilot will provide a custom quote based on the review of your location and unique needs.

Google My Business (GMB) Account Set Up and Management

You may already have a Google My Business account and just need a review and monthly management or you may need help with the full set up. We can assist with GMB verification, verbiage for your page, add monthly posts or events on your schedule, and even mentor you on how to manage it all yourself after et up. GMB set up prices start at $289 or just buy our services by the hour for what you need, when you need it, on your own unique schedule or on-demand.

Google Ads Express Set Up and Management

Google My Business makes it easy to get started in a junior automated version of Google Ads called Google Ads Express. We can set up your first ad program and budget and teach you how to manage it. Or, test out Google Ads with Express and then move to the full professional version of Google Ads for results that are an investment in your business’ growth. Management prices start at $189 to get started with Google Ads Express through the Google My Business portal and help with Google Analytics tracking and conversion goals. (Your webmaster may need to install code on your website for Google Analytics.) We recommend starting with a $300 a month click budget. Clicks are billed separately to your credit card by Google Ads. We do not make a margin on clicks.

Move to the full professional Google Ads version with professional set up and monthly account management within 90 days and get a $150 credit from us on your set up service.

Monthly Management Options

If you need help managing your Google My Business page with monthly posts, event creation updates, or periodic introduction of new images, ask us about our monthly Google My Business management service. Monthly management of your GMB page starts at $189 for one event creation, one small 150-word post, and help with responding to most comments.

*Please note: our local business visibility program is tailor-made for businesses located in our service areas of the Fredericksburg and Harrisonburg, Virginia. Ask us if we can help you with a streamlined version of this unique program in your location.