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Good morning Search Marketer, thank you.

Thanks to the thousands who joined us for SMX Next this week! If you didn't get a chance to register, all of the sessions are still available on demand. You'll be able rewatch George Nguyen's keynote on Content marketing in times of disruption and Greg Sterling's look at the evolution of Google My Business and local search from yesterday as well as all the other presentations. 

On the news front, Google is shuttering CallJoy, its virtual agent for SMBs, next month. But it announced yesterday that Web Vitals metrics and related recommendations are now baked into the Test My Site Tool. A new Deloitte study underscores just why businesses should invest in mobile site speed improvements: Just 0.1 second improvement can boost AOV by nearly 10%, it found. 

Google is also testing product feeds in App campaigns and expanding deep linking to more ad formats. You can read more about those announcements here.

Lots more below,

Ginny Marvin,
Editor-in-Chief

 
 
 
Social Shorts
 

Instagram Shopping opening to creators

 

Instagram is expanding access to Instagram Shopping to more types of businesses. That includes content creators, who will be able to sell merchandise on directly on Instagram. With this change come updates to the Commerce Eligibility Requirements. Businesses must tag products on Instagram from their own websites "so that people have a consistent and trusted shopping experience." The change goes into effect July 9.

Why we care. Commerce is a key focus for Instagram (and parent Facebook). This move brings creators and more small businesses into the Shopping fold. YouTube already enables creators to sell merchandise on the platform.

More in social news…

 

Are brand crashers driving up your paid search CPCs?

In paid search, your most effective and affordable strategy should be to leverage your brand. Your brand terms, experience, message and USPs are what differentiates you – this should be your safe space in paid search. But there's a problem… Other brands are crashing your party! This guide from Adthena outlines 6 steps to successfully evict rival brands encroaching on your click-share.

Get it now »

 
5 tips for optimizing your Google Ads Campaigns
 

Sponsored by SEISO

If you're using Google Ads to advertise your goods or services, you won't be increasing your profitability and reaching your max potential unless you take the necessary steps to optimize your Google Ads campaign. Through the process of helping thousands of digital marketing and online advertising professionals assess their campaigns, SEISO recommends five essential tips to help optimize your Google Ads campaigns and get the most from your ad dollars.

Learn more »

 

Stand apart from the competition

Winning a Search Engine Land Award can help attract new business, boost team morale, and showcase your company's achievements — all things hard-working search marketers need now, more than ever. What are you waiting for?

Start your application now »

 
 
 
What we're reading
 

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

A look at how news publishers make money with Google Ad Manager – Google Blog

Download the SEO's Local Search Cheat Sheet! – Moz

Google Ads Optimization Score: What Is It & How Do You Know If Your Score Is Strong 

Enough? – Metric Theory

Google Posts Disallows Political & Social Commentary Or Personal Rants – Search Engine Roundtable

How to Find Keywords Your Competitors Rank For But You Don't – Koozai

How to Ideate Content Marketing Campaigns – Screaming Frog

How To Track Featured Snippet Clicks via Chrome Using Google Tag Manager – Brodie Clark 

Consulting

Justice Department, State Attorneys General to Confer on Google Antitrust Challenge – Wall Street Journal

Share your feedback about the Ad Manager API – Google Ads Developer Blog

Using the CrUX Dashboard on Data Studio – Web Dev

Yoast SEO 14.4: An improved publishing flow – Yoast