Google again testing ads on local business profiles

With new ‘pilot program,’ Google again testing ads on local business profiles

The ads can’t be removed or influenced by the business owner.

Have you noticed this on your local listings yet?

Google is testing ads again in local business profiles. The company did something similar in 2017 and again last year. Tim Capper was the first to notice this recent test, in restaurants and several other categories.

No opt-out. I confirmed that businesses cannot opt-out or choose the advertisers that appear on their local profiles. The ads can appear both on desktop and mobile and are frustrating some business owners because they may incentive customers to use coupons or Groupons that they may not have known about previously.

For more information read the entire original article here from Search Engine Land:

https://searchengineland.com/with-new-pilot-program-google-again-testing-ads-on-local-business-profiles-337125

Manage Your Business Remotely in Times of Uncertainty from Google

This is the first time in many years that we didn’t get the opportunity to host the Annual Grow With Google Small Business Week Seminars at Demand Quest. It’s an event that we generally love to host because we get to meet new small business owners and marketers, we get to learn about best practices from Google, and we get to see former students. While we were unable to host, we still want to share Google’s talk so here’s how to Manage Your Business Remotely in Times of Uncertainty from Google

 

You can also find it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSVCXlJbjVg&feature=youtu.be

If you have any questions about how to restructure your campaigns during these uncertain times, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to talk about what’s going on and how to stay relevant during Covid. You can reach me at rachael @ demandquest.com

May Digital Marketing Newsletter

We’re still waiting for summer here in Minnesota and have been paying attention to Google’s big marketing updates; you can catch up on their announcements here: https://adsonair.withgoogle.com/events/marketinglive Here’s what we’re keeping an eye on and what we’re reading for fun:

Game of Thrones: 
Disappointed in the ending? Most people seem to be. Check out this John Hughes-type alternate ending; it made me laugh: http://bit.ly/2QiARjO

PPC – Google Ads: 
Key Takeaways from the Google Marketing Live Talks including shopping campaigns & discovery campaigns: http://bit.ly/2WkvMgw
3 Most Common eCommerce Advertising Mistakes (and how to stay away from them): http://bit.ly/2WfaroJ
Performance Planner now live in Google Ads: Shows predicted impact of campaign changes on conversions, clicks, more: https://selnd.com/2HNrCo8
10 Visual AdWords Reports You Could Be Using: http://bit.ly/30zHeUR

Social Media:
The Beginners Guide to Marketing Automation: http://bit.ly/2EvtW2e
Does Vertical Video Make a Difference? http://bit.ly/2VHEst0
Instagram’s Explore Page Now Includes Stories: http://bit.ly/2QibAWQ
Facebook curb the hate (or tries to): https://engt.co/2YLzWf0
Speaking of hate – Facebook introduces ‘one strike’ policy to combat abuse of its live-streaming service: https://tcrn.ch/2YFd6W8
Facebook feeds may be getting another update – stories and posts together?  https://tcrn.ch/2wfG5DT
Plan Like the Pros: How to Create a Storyboard for Instagram Stories (+ Free Template): http://bit.ly/2HwmKoa

Search Engine Optimization: 
Image SEO: Optimizing images for search engines: http://bit.ly/2EsA1w6
Top Three Things A Developer Can Do For Search Rankings Don’t Include Links: http://bit.ly/30F3WLk​
12 reasons your SEO traffic is plateauing and how to fix it: http://bit.ly/2X0yd51
7 Proven SEO Reporting Best Practices That Boost Client Retention: http://bit.ly/2WX09Xg

Local Search: 
Step up your favicon game. Google is making a minor tweak to its search design: http://bit.ly/2X32u2X
Google My Business Suggests Positive Reviews to Share as Posts: http://bit.ly/30HHDoj

What else we’re reading: 
Fake pictures of faces are getting much harder to detect: http://bit.ly/2VWzxt1
Can you spot the real face versus the computer generated face? We passed with 90% but think we’ll do even better after we read the tutorial. Check out the test: http://www.whichfaceisreal.com/
Speaking of fakes, can you tell when you’re reading a fake review on Amazon? Or on any site? Run it through here: https://www.fakespot.com/
Random good news? You can now take your Amazon returns to Kohls: https://tcrn.ch/2YJqWHc
And finally, who doesn’t want more 🙃 emojis to communicate? Here’s an 🥳 Emoji Keyboard so you can include even more: 😮 http://bit.ly/2M32Sxg 🚀🥳 🎶♻️😁

Our spring digital marketing classes are closed for the semester. If you’re interested in Custom Training or Google Ads Audits, please let us know!  Join us online: Twitter/DQ — Facebook — Instagram — LinkedIn Student Alumni Group

Free National Small Business Week Seminar May 8th

It’s back! In appreciation of National Small Business Week, we’re hosting a free seminar with Google to help you Drive Business Results with Google Ads to reach more customers with our Livestream on the Fundamentals of Advertising with Google Ads.

There are billions of local searches happening on Google every day. Celebrate National Small Business week by joining us at the DemandQuest Marketing Institute to tune into the Google Livestream where we will show you how to get in front of customers in your area. We’ll explore popular campaign types and how each can help your business connect with local customers online, promote special offers, and grow brand awareness.

Join us on Wednesday, May 8th from 10:30-12:30 pm

We’ve been teaching digital marketing for over 10 years and we’re excited to be teaming up with Google to bring a short morning session of great digital marketing insights, free for local businesses. Bring a laptop to work during class or just bring a notebook for notes. We’ll send out resources via email after class. This class will sell out so we will only be able to offer space for up to 4 team members per company/email address. Please respect our free class offer by respecting this policy. Light refreshments will also be provided.

Google & DemandQuest Small Business Holiday Livestream

To get ready for the holiday shopping season, we’re hosting a free seminar with Google to help you Drive a Holiday Shopping Rush for your Business.

The holiday season will be here before we know it. Join us at the DemandQuest Marketing Institute to tune into the Google Livestream where we will show you how to get in front of customers in your area. The Holiday Livestream is on Wednesday, Oct 17th from 10:30-12:30 pm. Register now.

We’ve been teaching digital marketing for over 10 years and we’re excited to be teaming up with Google to bring a short morning session of great digital marketing insights, free for local businesses. Bring a laptop to work during class or just bring a notebook for notes. We’ll send out resources via email after class. This class will sell out so we will only be able to offer space for up to 4 team members per company/email address. Light refreshments will also be provided.

#SmallThanksxGoogle

Register here for free: http://bit.ly/2wZbMCf

 

Small Business Week “Build a Local Presence” Livestream from Google – May 2, 2018

In appreciation of National Small Bussiness Week, we’re hosting a free seminar with Google to help you Build a Local Search Presence

Join us May 2, 2018, from 10:30-12 pm in NE Minneapolis.

There are billions of local searches happening on Google every day. Celebrate National Small Business week by joining us at the DemandQuest Marketing Institute to tune into the Google Livestream where we will show you how to get in front of customers in your area. We’ll discuss consumer trends related to local searches, and share best practices for using Google My Business features, like posts and reviews, to put your best foot forward. We’ll have a Q&A with our resident Google expert and instructor Ted Kozlowski. Join us on Wednesday, May 2nd from 10:30-12 pm at our school in NE Minneapolis.

As a Google Premier Partner, we’ve been teaching digital marketing for over 10 years and we’re excited to be teaming up with Google to bring a short morning session of great digital marketing insights, free for local businesses. Bring a laptop to work during class or just bring a notebook for notes. We’ll send out resources via email after class. This class will sell out so we will only be able to offer space for up to 4 team members per company/email address. Please respect our free class offer by respecting this policy. Light refreshments will also be provided.

Register here to save your spot: http://bit.ly/2HvWuHJ