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There are multiple reasons why omnichannel retailing is the future of e-commerce. Not only is it based on the idea that customers should be able to access brands no matter where they are, but that the experience must be pleasurable and enjoyable. Find out what you can do to improve the omnichannel experience for your customers in this article.
Reports started coming in a couple weeks ago that Google was undertaking a new beta test: replacing the “next” button at the bottom of mobile search results pages in favor of a “more results” button—which, when clicked, would load more results on that same page, as opposed to hopping to a new page. These early rumblings reached a crescendo a few days ago, when, as confirmed by Google’s Danny Sullivan, Google began rolling the feature out universally:
In this post, we’ll give a full rundown on the “More Results” test as it has unfolded, and discuss the potentially substantial ripples it could send throughout the world of paid and organic search.
Let’s dive in.
What Is Google’s “More Results” Test?
More Results is a mobile-only test currently in beta at Google. Google is experimenting with replacing the option to click to the next page of the SERP with the option to merely expand (or elongate) page one. To illustrate, here is a nice gif of the proposed action from Barry Schwartz over at Search Engine Land.
In theory, then, if More Results were to go completely universal, and if Google were to stick with it, pages two and up of the SERP would be indefinitely eliminated, and all results would exist on “page one.” The effect that would have on ranking designations remains unclear. What is clear, at least for the moment, is that this is a mobile-only test.
In theory (again), More Results is perfect for mobile. Back in December of 2017, Google tested a very limited version of More Results. The button itself came two-thirds up a truncated page, after just two or three search results. The current iteration of More Results would seem to offer the best of both worlds—the decreased load time of staying on page one, with the full-bodied flavor of a full mobile SERP. An endlessly scrollable page—in case, say, you reach result number 15, decided result number 5 was click-worthy after all, and want to quickly scroll back.
Implications: Desktop vs. Mobile
As I’ve said, this experiment is tailor-made for mobile, and really doesn’t change much of the current aesthetic. You’re going from this:
And this:
To this:
Sideways to down. Nothing groundbreaking there.
Still, the prospect of staying on one page is appealing, especially if you’re remote and load speeds are already compromised—a pretty common mobile occurrence.
And on desktop? Does More Results make sense? Ehhhhhh.
Sacrificing those funny-looking O’s is going to make it awfully difficult to skip to page 3 on multiple IPs and vigorously up the click-through rate of your number 36-ranked blog post. Not that someone would do that. Ditto, it’s going to make it hard for your average Joe to skip back to that bed and breakfast he mentally earmarked after his third tap of “More Results”—especially if he’s tapped it 3 more times since then.
But honestly, the most sensible argument against More Results on desktop might just be that we don’t need it. The desktop experience allows for plenty of clicking accuracy, and desktop browsing (usually) receives the benefit of wifi-connected load speeds. More autonomy where you can afford it, right?
What about my ads?
The jury is still very much out on how More Results could affect mobile advertising (though we have some ideas). If you’re among those thinking about the efficacy of your mobile AdWords campaigns, it might pay to direct some pointed concern @dannysullivan (sorry, Danny), because we can’t do much more than give it the eye test and make observations. That said, when you look at how ads appear on the current mobile SERP, there is one very interesting thing to note.
Head to your mobile device and type in a query that’s going to return some paid results. I went with, simply, “mobile ads”:
Nothing out of the ordinary here. A few paid results to start, 10 organic results, and a few paid results to finish:
What’s interesting, though, is what happens when you do tap “More Results”:
If that button says “Next” instead of “More Results,” the next 3 or 4 results are ads. At the top of page 2. It appears that with More Results, however, in order to avoid listing six/seven ads in a row, Google has pushed those ads beneath the 10 organic results you would normally see on page 2. That means that if your ad was in the 11th position in the mobile SERP, it’s now in the 21st. Likewise, scroll down and tap “More Results” again, and the ads you would normally see at the bottom of page 2 have been relegated beneath 10 more organic results.
To put this in a less muddled conceptual lens, and using “mobile ads” as an example: in the old mobile SERP, the ratio of organic results to paid results per page was 10:7. On pages 1, 2, 3, so forth. In the new mobile SERP, the ratio changes from 10:7 to 10:3 after your first click of “More Results.” Way less ads, way more organic results.
It’s too early to tell what, if any impact this change will have on mobile campaigns, but you can easily imagine some lost visibility on the paid side of things. Still, when Google has eliminated ads in the past (a la right-hand sidebar ads), it’s because those ads were hardly getting clicks anyway. So it could be this will have little to no effect on impressions or clicks. We’re keeping our ears to the ground either way!
What does it all mean??
If Google catches the amount of flack for More Results as if did for Zero Results, this experiment will last about as long as that one did: no longer than a week. Interestingly, More Results and Zero Results share the same ostensible benefit (decreased load time), but seem to contend with different stakeholders. The biggest detractors of Zero Results were SEOs (over the loss of organic traffic and visibility) and users (over the misunderstanding of their search intent). The biggest detractors of More Results may very well be acquisition specialists losing visibility in their paid campaigns.
Clarity should emerge in the coming weeks!
We’ll do our best to update this post as the story develops.
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Guest blogging is still a great way to build rapport within your industry, but finding ideas for content can be hard. I am going to break down how to simplify the process using the SEMrush Keyword Gap tool and their other tools to find organic competitors. See how you can easily find a topic that a publisher needs with these tips.
I help out on the GMB forum and see lots of people claiming to have fake reviews on a daily basis. Google‘s language is confusing, so I am going to spell out what makes a fake review and how you can go about reporting it.
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If you’re based–or advertise to customers–in Europe, there’s a pretty decent chance you’re familiar with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Since Facebook is one of the world’s most popular advertising platforms, they felt it necessary to put together a release regarding how advertisers (you) can use their data moving forward and, more importantly, how these sweeping protections will impact the way we use Facebook to create audiences, store data, and target prospects.
But Facebook is a little different from your average Spanish law firm or Lincoln, Nebraska-based SaaS company looking to advertise to prospects in one of the European Union’s 28-member countries. That’s because they are at once a data controller (they handle personal data) and a data processor (they process personal data for other data controllers). Odds are, your business only falls into bucket A, but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.
Today, we’re going to dive into Facebook’s latest release regarding GDPR compliance and, most notably, what it means for the 3 million-plus businesses that advertise on Facebook. First, though, a bit about the GDPR.
What Is the GDPR?
Per its own website, the GDPR is “the most important change in data privacy regulation in 20 years.”
Basically, if you’re based in the EU or you “offer goods or services to, or monitor the behavior of, EU data subjects,” the GDPR will force you to be more transparent regarding the kinds of personal data you collect and what you do with it. Furthermore, prospects must give their expressed consent in order for you to harvest and utilize that data. No tomfoolery. No shenanigans. Only the utmost transparency.
As you can imagine, this gives consumers waaaay more power over their personal data. It also bolsters their rights to know about breaches, to see exactly what you know about them on-demand, and to be “forgotten.” If they don’t want you to have their data, you must respect their authority. Failure to comply will result in lofty fines (like, 4% of global annual revenue lofty).
Businesses the world over have been scrambling to become GDPR compliant before the regulation takes effect on May 25, 2018. Facebook is one of those businesses.
What Does Facebook Have to Say?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last month or so, you’re well aware of Facebook’s recent woes regarding the handling of user data. As such, they’re making a concerted effort to be transparent and proactive in regard to GDPR protections.
Per the aforementioned Facebook release, the social network’s GDPR preparations are focused on three cornerstone commitments: transparency, control, and accountability.
While that sounds vague and buzzwordy, in reality it’s pretty straightforward: Facebook is going to make it easier for people to figure out what Facebook knows about individuals based on the data they share on their Facebooks, and they’re going to make a concerted effort to care a bit more about how other entities–namely advertisers–handle said data. Woo!
With that, here are some of the key ways in which Facebook’s response to the GDPR–and thus, the GDPR itself–will impact you as an advertiser.
The Responsibility of Each Advertiser Is…
To do exactly what Facebook’s doing!
You need to inform your prospects of the kinds of data you’re collecting, what you’re doing with it, and who else will see it. Now, if you’re using Facebook’s baked-in targeting methods, you don’t need to worry about much here; things are a little different in the event you’re using the Facebook Pixel or Custom Audiences (more on that in a minute). You can learn more about how to become GDPR compliant (or learn the answers to more nuanced questions) on the EU’s FAQ page, but it boils down to this:
You need to ensure “a relevant legal basis (for example, consent, contractual necessity or legitimate interests)” for your use of consumer data.
In the event you’re non-compliant come May 25th, don’t try to pass the buck off to Facebook. As they clearly state, “Each company is responsible for ensuring their own compliance with the GDPR, just as they are responsible for compliance with the laws that apply to them today.”
Will The Facebook Pixel Be Impacted?
Per Facebook, anyone using a Facebook Pixel “will have obligations under the GDPR.” In their “Guide to Consent,” Facebook lists examples of instances where you might need to obtain consent from prospects such as…
Retail websites that collect data about the products people view for the purposes of ad targeting
Blogs that use cookies to collate aggregate demographic data about readers
Facebook advertisers who install the Facebook Pixel to measure ad conversions or retarget prospects on Facebook
Acquiring consent is pretty simple. You need to tell people on your site what, how, and why you track their data, and they need to agree to it. This can happen through the use of a cookie bar (sounds like some sweet-toothed hipster mecca) or requesting consent at sign up, a la Facebook:
For more information on this and GDPR compliance, I strongly recommend visiting the EU and Facebook links above, respectively.
What About Instagram?
The other day, I heard the following statistic float out of a gaggle of WordStreamers sauntering past my desk. “60% of people don’t know that Instagram is owned by Facebook.” If you previously fell into that massive group, you can officially count yourself among the informed. Congratulations!
And since Facebook owns Instagram, Instagram will be as GDPR compliant as Facebook is at all times. You don’t need to do anything extra in order to use Instagram ads or acquire additional consent to leverage consumer data as a targeting method on the photo-centric platform. The same goes for Messenger and WhatsApp.
An Extra Step for Custom Audiences
This is where things get tricky. Time to revisit that whole “data controller vs. data processor” thing.
When you place the Facebook Pixel on your site, Facebook–not your business–is the data controller; this means that they are responsible for informing your prospects of the fact that their personal data is being processed and leveraged as targeting across their various properties.
Conversely, when you upload a custom audience to Facebook using a data file, Facebook is merely a data processor. As such, you will be responsible for complying with GDPR standards before that information is uploaded to Facebook for use as a targeting method.
How?
Facebook is in the process of developing a Custom Audiences permission tool that will require you to provide proof (it isn’t currently known what “proof” will consist of” that you acquired consent.” We’ll update you with more information when it’s officially released.
Leads Ads Are A Tricky Proposition
Facebook Lead ads are a fantastic business tool; in some accounts, they’re the most powerful weapon in your advertising arsenal.
As such, they come with their own very special red tape!
Per Facebook, “In the case of lead ads, both Facebook and the business are data controllers, thus, both parties are responsible for ensuring compliance.” How fun!
Basically, this means that both you and Facebook need to let your prospects know that you’re processing their data. Luckily, Facebook makes it pretty simple to link your lead ad to your privacy policy, allowing you to collect consent in real time.
Final Thoughts
For any business attempting to reach prospects in the EU, ensure GDPR compliance across the board is necessary. But while it isn’t required for you to extend the same courtesy to prospects in the US, doing so would go a long way to assuage the privacy-related concerns of your potential customers (and help your business avoid a month like Facebook just had).
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