Highlight your Niche, Don’t Overgeneralize

For many business owners, there is a general perception that their online content should be as broad as possible, drawing customers in from all corners of the web.

That line of reasoning has been stomped by the May 2022 Google Core Update!  Google wants to prioritize content that highlights the E-A-T model:

1. Expertise
2. Authoritativeness
3. Trustworthiness

How do you improve the E-A-T rating of your site?  Get positive reviews on your products, ask for mentions from followers or fellow businesses, and ensure that users feel safe and secure when buying products from your site.  Ask for customers to leave positive feedback on sites like Trust Pilot or Google reviews – that is a surefire way to improve your E-A-T!

Be a Specialist: Highlight your Niche

In doing so, it appears Google wants to boost e-commerce stores and content that demonstrate strong expertise in their niche, and do not try to blast out mundane, poor-quality content on everything from celebrity news to “The best couches of 2022.” 

This is potentially a huge boon for niche e-commerce business owners.  You no longer have to dilute your online content by broadening its scope!  Rather, it’s best now to push the other direction, and make your posts specialized to your niche business.  Google Search wants to reward e-commerce businesses who provide the highest-quality products in their field, and will no longer let retail giants outrank SME competitors based solely on their larger online domain.

Refine Your Search Results with Longtail Keywords

Picking the relevant keywords to buy Google ads has always been important, but the recent Google Core Update makes longtail keywords more important than ever before.  What are longtail keywords?  They are the manifestation of “niche” interests within search engines.  Longtail keyword phrases are highly specialized and specific, meaning instead of a customer searching…

“Buy shampoo,”

They search:

“Shampoo with all-natural ingredients and anti-dandruff.”

Instead of searching,

              “Buy new couch,”

They search

              “New cherrywood handmade couch with futon and memory foam cushion.”

Notice the difference?  Longtail keywords are generally longer (3+ words), describing very specific products.  Review your current product line, and make sure you only buy Google AdWords that describe your product in precise detail!  They usually have lower a lower cost-per-click (CPC) as well, so that’s an added bonus for your online marketing budget.

Amazon: The King of Longtail Keywords

While they are a retail giant now, Amazon is the classic example of longtail keyword success.  When they were simply a humble bookstore, Amazon did not want to compete by selling 1,000,000 copies of the most recent bestseller.  Bookstore giants like Barnes n’ Noble were dominant on these popular titles.

Instead, Amazon aimed to sell books with niche audiences, maybe only selling 10 copies of each title.  However, if they were able to dig and find 100,000 books that each had a niche audience of 10, guess what… they still sold 1,000,000 books 😉 In essence, longtail keywords are a big reason why Amazon became the retail giant it is today.    

Conclusion: Google Core Supports Longtail Keywords

If you want to benefit from the recent Google Core Update, find longtail keywords related to your product line, bid on low-CPC Google AdWords related to them, and watch your sales grow!  If you are having trouble retargeting customers, or want an advertising option outside Google’s Display Network, contact Ad360 today!  We have the niche expertise to power your digital marketing success 😊

Video Clips: The Key to Increasing Online Sales

The biggest beneficiary from Google’s May 2022 Core Update appears to be any blog content with video attached to it. 

When examining the marketing trends on social media platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram Reels, and Youtube Shorts, this makes perfect sense: people love the quick rapid-fire format of watching little video “shorts.” 

It provides digestible amounts of information in a bite-sized format, and it complements online content beautifully by enriching the aural-visual dynamic of your website.

A Simple Strategy to Deploy Video Content

Integrating video clips into your regular content is not as difficult as it sounds!  Like we’ve made clear, the clips can literally be as short as 15 seconds to 2 minutes.  The clips do not need to be movie-length features. 

Instead, aim to regularly write blog posts of 200+ words, and simply attach a video summarizing or adding to the thoughts your briefly outline in your post. Make this content marketing strategy part of your daily routine.

The key here is consistency – don’t mind if your videos don’t “go viral” right away.  The goal is to build a library of short-form videos, so when a post finally does gain traction online, customers can appreciate the conscientious of your content!

Some E-Commerce Owners are Frustrated by Google Core’s Update

It’s clear that Google’s Core Update has already affected a lot of businesses online.  While the new Search Engine algorithm just began rolling out in May 2022, some e-commerce sites reported immediately falling out of the SERP rankings for important keywords, as well as seeing a drastic drop in clicks and impressions on the site.  Take the following tips below as a starting point to improve your Google SERP ranking.

Click here for part I of our coverage on the Google Core Update

1. Increase Posting Frequency

The most effective way to rebuild and grow your SEO, as well as your e-commerce sites online visibility, is to begin posting more frequently on your site.  

Did you have a blog post rocket to the top of the Google charts two years ago? That’s great, but it won’t be enough to continue thriving following the May 2022 Google Core Update. If you are staying current and up-to-date on the major trends within your industry, Google is going to be rewarding you with a boost in page ranking!

2. Strive for Originality

On top of that, Google will now be rewarding sites that post original content.  If you are reposting content from another site or using AI-generated content, Google is going to ding you.  Also, if the quality of the content is basically a rambling word salad, and considered not useful for users, Google will rank that lower, as well.

Best Solution: Diversify your Traffic Generation Avenues

Aside from posting original quality content for frequently, it’s important that e-commerce business owners use the Google Core Update as a wakeup call to not rely solely on the search engine giant for their revenue! 

You can begin ad campaigns with Ad360 in one click that bring visibility to the entire web, meaning you get impressions from outside Google’s display network and across all apps.  On top of trying out various social media platforms, business owners can ensure that even if the Google Core Update affects their traffic from search engine’s other revenue streams and ad channels pick up the slack!

Google Algorithms Control your SERP Ranking

Because of its ubiquity on the market, Google holds huge influence on your e-commerce store’s visibility and viability through your site’s SERP: “Search engine results page.”  Being ranked on the first page in Google search is the aim of any successful e-commerce business, so many will research or hire experts in “Search Engine Optimization” (SEO) to do just that!

Big News: Changes to Google’s Core Algorithm?

After following the same guidelines for the past few years, Google has officially begun rolling out the next “Google Core” algorithm update.  While the implications of this update will not be clear for several more weeks, its important for e-commerce businesses to be aware of how Google’s Core Update could affect the visibility of their e-commerce site.

Double-Check Your “Core Web Vital” Metrics

Core Web Vital metrics include your site’s page speed, its response to user input, and the stability of the webpage loading across different devices.  While it’s early on, it appears sites with strong core vitals are immediately seeing a boost in traffic.  We’ve mentioned the importance of webpage speed here, so make sure you get a comprehensive website audit to check these core vitals! 

While anecdotal, some online business owners reported seeing a 25% spike in traffic following the Google Core Update.  It appears the strong fundamentals of their “Core Web Vitals” played a role in their boosted visibility online.

Also, it is clear that sites with original content are being boosted.  If you have AI-generated content, or have boosted the work of someone else, Google now has software that spots the duplication of content, resulting in a lower SERP for your e-commerce store.

News Updates on Google Search Algorithm

Since Ad360 is devoted to helping e-commerce businesses successfully advertise their quality products online, we are paying close attention to the rollout of Google’s Core Update for Google Search.  Stay tuned for new developments and insights on this story!