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🔍 Google booted 1 million ad accounts last year

Good morning, search marketers, happy almost-weekend!

What do we call this thing? We have been calling this week's big Google search algorithm update the "March 12 core search algorithm update." Industry veteran Brett Tabke dubbed it the Florida 2 update but, don't confuse it with the original Florida update of 2003. This is a very different animal.

Yesterday afternoon, Google's Danny Sullivan floated the idea of naming these core updates either Core + date (Core Update March 2019) or Core + number. This would be Core 3 "because it's the third major core update since we began confirming core updates in this manner," said Danny. What's your vote?  

We know a lot of people are digging into their data and tracking fluctuations to identify what Tuesday's core search algorithm update was all about. Take our (quick, I promise) survey, and let us know what you're seeing!

Next month, advertisers will find a new Policy Manager in Google Ads. It'll be the central place to view and manage policy-related issues affecting your accounts. Google also announced a couple of other features around disapprovals that will be rolling out this spring.

Speaking of disapprovals… Google said it took down 2.3 billion ads last year in its annual "bad ads" report. That's actually more than a million fewer ads than last year, but the search giant pinned more focus on banning bad actors altogether. Google terminated nearly 1 million advertiser accounts last year, twice as many as in 2017.

Don't miss Fred Vallaeys' Pro Tip on RSA inventory and more below.

Ginny Marvin
Editor-In-Chief

Quick links to stories mentioned above:
+ What are you seeing? Help us analyze Google's March 2019 core algorithm update
+ Let's clear things up: Google's 'Florida 2' algorithm update is not related to original Florida update
+ Google launching Policy manager in Google Ads
+ Google took down 2.3 billion bad ads, 1 million ad accounts in 2018
+ SMX Overtime: Enterprise SEOs explain tactical approaches for large implementations
+ Back to Basics: A beginners guide to voice search and digital assistants in 2019

 
 
 
Pro Tip
 

Where Google RSA inventory comes from may surprise you

"Just like broad match will eventually stop showing ads for related queries that fail to turn impressions into clicks, so will RSAs," explains Frederick Vallaeys of Optmyzr. "Google makes no money from impressions; they make money from clicks. And Google is pretty strict about not showing things that seem irrelevant, i.e., RSA variations that never get clicked because these are a waste of space and a detriment to Google's position as the provider of useful answers."

READ MORE »

 

Live Webinar: 5 Steps for Competing (in search) with Digital Goliaths - Mar. 26

Sponsored by Adthena

Amazon, Wayfair, Walmart, Booking.com dominate market share everywhere you look. Join our industry experts as they provide five steps to compete with these digital goliaths and build innovative, successful online brands. You'll learn how to use keyword testing to identify opportunities to win market share, police competitive brand bidding to reduce CPCs and protect branded keyword value, and build a strategy against your sector's Goliath. Join this webinar to learn more.

READ MORE »

 
Search Shorts
 

Ranking in Google and Bing

Google Analytics not used for rankings. Don't be fooled. Google has once again said that they do not use data from Google Analytics for ranking your web site in their search results.

Bing has hundreds of features. Features are used for inputs in Bing's ranking model and they have hundreds, if not thousands of those features for ranking purposes said Frédéric Dubut of Bing.

Game Google. Google's John Mueller said in a Reddit thread that the best way to game Google's search results is to have an awesome site.

 
What We're Reading
 

We've curated our picks from across the web so you can retire your feed reader

Google's Page Leveled `Veiled Threat' Over Company Control – Bloomberg

How Google Influences the Conversation in Washington – Wired

Supporting people with disabilities: Be My Eyes and phone support now available – Google Blog

Bing Search Quality Raters Don't Directly Impact Rankings – Search Engine Roundtable

Google Update March 2019 – Florida 2 – Bronco

Google Updates the Guidelines for Seasonal Businesses – Sterling Sky Inc

Postcards from China – 8 SEO Treasures for the World's Biggest eCommerce Market – Search Metrics

 
 
 
Join Us
 

Gain expert SEO & SEM tactics to drive your campaign's success. Attend SMX Advanced, June 3-5!

Attend Search Engine Land's SMX Advanced, June 3-5, 2019 for expert-led sessions, networking (including the 2019 Search Engine Land Awards), and top amenities including WiFi, delicious meals, and snacks. This is your once-a-year event to learn only advanced SEO and SEM tactics. You'll come away with at least one tactic that you can immediately put to use… we guarantee it. View rates and register today!