🔍 Early verdicts from testing Discovery campaigns

Feb 03, 2020

Good morning search marketers, will the Discover feed be Google's next cash cow?

Google is treading very slowly with the introduction of ads in the Discover feed, but the prospect of monetizing it had Google ad execs amped when they introduced Discovery campaigns last May. We spoke with several advertisers who have been testing Discovery ads and the early consensus is they've shown to be low cost, high volume campaigns that can be effective for awareness and direct response.

Creative can easily be re-purposed from Facebook which means most advertisers won't have to create new assets from scratch. Still, it's too early to get a sense of how the Discover feed is actually performing in aggregate (the campaigns also run on Gmail and YouTube's homepage) or if Discover will be next vein in the Google goldmine, but the early adopters offer tips from their successes.

Apple isn't giving up on Maps. It released a rebuilt Apple Maps in the U.S. last week. New features include 360-degree views like Google Street View, Collections and more. "Brands, local SEOs and retailers cannot afford to neglect or discount Apple Maps," says Greg Sterling. Also remember the Yelp factor: it is a significant local content provider to Apple Maps.

On a proud note, our history of Google's ad labeling changes has been mentioned in a host of publications. And on Friday, it was featured in a New York Times article on why Google backtracked on its desktop update. Our talented deputy editor Taylor Peterson designed the timeline — as well as our SEO and PPC Periodic Tables. She'll be at SMX West, so be sure to say hi if you're able to join us.

Keep reading for a Pro Tip for those managing local business listings and more.

Ginny Marvin,
Editor-in-Chief

Pro Tip

How to manage proximity limitations for a service area business

"It is not recommended to make multiple GMB accounts for the same location. Google actually advises against this. One of the biggest reasons GMB accounts are shut down is because the addresses for the locations are not correct," explains SMX East speaker Monico Ho of SOCi. "Unless you have different business locations that serve different areas, you should stick to one GMB profile. The best thing to do is to create one GMB account and optimize that page. Your multi-location business can then aggregate more reviews on that page as well. Breaking up your business with different GMB accounts could be confusing to consumers. In addition, with multiple GMB accounts, you are diluting other ranking factors, like ratings and reviews."

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Preemptive link disavowing is unnecessary

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