Good morning, search marketers, it's good to be back.
You may not have noticed I was gone last week, thanks to my colleague George Nguyen who kept the helm steady while I was away for a bit of family time. Jumping back in…
If you're using Google's smart bidding (target CPA, maximize conversions, etc.) in any of your Shopping or App campaigns, take note that some new signals will "soon" come into play. Price competitiveness and seasonality will be factors in automated bidding for Shopping campaigns, and an app's ratings and reviews will play a factor in App campaigns.
No announcement on when these signals might roll out; we noticed them on a help page, but the coming additions bring up the bigger conversation about automation and transparency and performance. More signals, more data should theoretically mean better algorithms and better performance, right? I'd love to know what you're seeing with smart bidding. Email me at editors@searchengineland.com. I'm no Luddite when it comes to automation, but the transparency tradeoff — having some insight into which signals are playing what roles in bids, for example — could stand to be more balanced.
If you haven't entered the Search Engine Land Awards, there's still time. There are 17 categories in which to show off your SEO or SEM innovation and success stories. We're accepting entries until 11:59 PST this Friday, April 26. The winners will be announced at a celebration party during SMX Advanced in Seattle this June (psst, early bird rates expire April 27).
Ginny Marvin
Editor-In-Chief
