Posts in category: InfoFlash PR

The Quality Score is an important metric for the status of your ads. Learn more about the Google Ads Quality Score here.

Anyone who creates ads through Google Ads should be familiar with the Quality Score. The Google Ads Quality Score provides information about the quality of your Google Ads. Google is trying to better support advertisers in optimizing their ads. Before we explain what these metrics mean, we’ll show you what the Quality Score actually is.

The Google Ads Quality Score

How is the quality score calculated?

Three components are used to calculate the quality factor:

• CTR (estimated click-through rate): This value tells you how likely it is that users will click on your ad when it is shown to them.
• Ad relevance: Here you can see how well your ad matches the user’s search intent.
• Landing page user experience: This metric shows you how relevant and helpful your landing page is for users who click on your ad.

Each of the three components is assigned a status: “Above Average,” “Average,” and “Below Average.” Google Ads is always a competitive environment. For this reason, the Quality Score assessment is based on a comparison with other advertisers whose ads were delivered for the same keyword in the last 90 days.

Where can you find the quality factor?

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.
2. Now select the Keywords option in the menu on the left.
3. Now you have to click on the column symbol in the table.
4. Under “Customize Columns for Keywords,” you’ll find the Quality Score section. If you want to view the current Quality Score and the status of individual components, you can add a statistics table or several of the following columns:
   • Quality factor
   • User experience with the landing page
   • Expected CTR
   • Ad relevance
5. It’s also possible to view previous quality factors for a reporting period. Simply select one or more of the following metrics:
   • Quality factor (history)
   • User experience with the landing page (history)
   • Ad relevance (history)
   • Expected CTR (history)
6. Finally, click “Apply.”

(Source: google.com )

Why you should pay attention to your quality factor

Quality Score is an important aspect of your Google Ads campaign that you should check regularly. Here are some reasons why it’s important:

• Ad Position: The Quality Score influences the positioning of your ads in search results. Higher quality leads to better positioning, which translates to greater visibility and click-through potential for your ads.
• Cost efficiency: A high Quality Score allows you to achieve better positions at a lower cost. Google rewards relevant and high-quality ads with lower cost per click (CPC), leading to better campaign profitability.
• Keyword Relevance: Quality Score considers the relevance of the keywords you use in your ads and on your landing pages. Checking Quality Score helps you ensure your keywords align with your ads and landing page, which can lead to a higher conversion rate.
• Ad Relevance: Quality Score also evaluates the relevance of your ads themselves. Check Quality Score to ensure your ads are well-written, engaging, and relevant to your audience.
• Account Optimization: Checking Quality Score allows you to identify weak points in your ads and keywords. By optimizing Quality Score, you can improve your ads and keywords for better results.

In summary, regularly checking the Quality Score in your Google Ads campaign will help improve the performance of your ads, increase visibility, reduce costs, and ultimately achieve better profitability.

7 tips to improve your Google Ads Quality Score

There are several steps you can take to improve your Google Ads Quality Score. Here are some tips to help you improve your ads’ Quality Score:

1. Use relevant keywords. Use relevant keywords in your ad groups that align well with users’ search intent. Make sure the keywords are closely linked to your ads and landing pages.

2. Optimize your ads: Write compelling ads with a clear connection to your keywords. Use the keywords in the ad title and ad copy to increase relevance. Also, make sure to include a clear call to action to increase click-through rates.

3. Landing Page Optimization: Ensure your ad landing pages offer relevant content and a good user experience. The landing pages should deliver on the ad promises and provide users with the information they’re looking for.

4. High usability: Optimize the loading times of your landing pages to ensure a fast and smooth user experience. A fast website not only improves your Quality Score but also your conversion rate.

5. Use ad extensions: Use ad extensions like sitelinks, call extensions, or location extensions to provide additional information and options for action. This increases the relevance of your ads and improves click-through rates.

6. Exclude keywords: Exclude keywords to exclude irrelevant search queries and display your ads only for relevant searches. This increases click-through rates and reduces costs.

7. Optimize your campaign structure: Carefully structure your campaigns and ad groups to group relevant ads and keywords. A well-organized campaign structure facilitates ad optimization and increases relevance.

By implementing these measures and continuously monitoring your Quality Score, you can improve the performance of your Google Ads campaign and save costs.

The Quality Score is not everything

Of course, you can optimize your ads outside of the Google Ads Quality Score, although you should always keep an eye on it. However, if you use the tips above to optimize your ads, you’ll be on the safe side.

With all these measures in mind, expert advice can’t hurt. If you need help optimizing your ads or setting up your Google Ads, we’re happy to help as a certified Google Ads agency based in Hanover.

ChatGPT aims to revolutionize content marketing of the future by using a chatbot to generate content quickly and effortlessly. In short: You specify the criteria for a text, and ChatGPT creates it instantly for you. In this article, we’ll introduce you to the advantages and disadvantages of ChatGPT in content marketing and show you how this technology can simplify your work.

What is ChatGPT?

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is the prototype of a revolutionary chatbot based on a GPT-3 language model. The US company launched ChatGPT and made it available to the public in late 2022. Using natural language processing ( NLP for short), ChatGPT can generate text-based content such as blog posts, essays, and social media posts within seconds, requiring little effort from users. 

ChatGPT produces texts in multiple languages ​​that appear as if they were written by a human hand. The bot also interprets the user’s intent while typing and provides contextual responses based on user behavior. ChatGPT version 3.5 is free, but registration is required to use the AI ​​bot. With the paid version of ChatGPT, you get better and more up-to-date content. You can also generate images for blog posts, for example.

What are the benefits of ChatGPT in content marketing?

Even if the chatbot isn’t perfect yet, you can definitely benefit from ChatGPT in content marketing. Here are the advantages of the chatbot for you as a content marketer in your everyday work: 

Speed: ChatGPT is so exciting in content marketing because it allows you to create content faster than ever before. AI can accelerate parts of your content marketing routine. This applies especially to idea generation, but also to research and the actual writing process.

SEO aspects: If you research the right keywords, you can commission ChatGPT to incorporate them into your text. This way, you can also incorporate the aspect of Google ranking into your work by using the right keywords.

Inspiration: Writer’s block is an absolute nightmare for a copywriter. If you use ChatGPT in content marketing, the bot supports the creative process by providing you with ideas. This can help you overcome blockages, avoid frustration, and reach your goal faster.

Cost-effective content production: Hiring and training copywriters is a time-consuming and costly process. With AI and the right commands, you can save on personnel costs and generate content at the touch of a button. You can currently even use ChatGPT from OpenAI for free. However, AI will never replace the conscientious work of professional editors. 

5 tips on how to create high-quality content with ChatGPT

AI is an extremely helpful tool when used intelligently by a human. The key to using ChatGPT in content marketing is using the right commands, also known as prompts. The following 5 tips are essential:

1. Ask clear questions: ChatGPT’s dataset is from 2021. Therefore, you must double-check all the information you receive from the AI ​​bot yourself—especially if you want to create a news article and use statistics as a basis. Here are two example scenarios: As part of an article, the bot provides you with figures from a statistic on smartphone usage among young people. Be sure to double-check these figures. The second scenario: You are looking for examples of the successful application of marketing measures by companies. In this case, be sure to use the phrase “real measures,” as otherwise ChatGPT tends to invent examples that “could” have happened. 

2. Research keywords in advance: Even if you’re using ChatGPT for content marketing, you shouldn’t neglect the valuable step of keyword research when creating content. Keywords are an important factor for a good Google ranking and provide a rough guide to the content direction of your text. Tools like Keywordtool.io and Google Suggest/Google Autocomplete can help you find keywords and frequently asked questions to feed ChatGPT with. 

3. Context is king: Give ChatGPT as much information as possible about the context of your text to get relevant answers. Who is your text aimed at? What tone should it be written in – “marketing language,” colloquial, casual, or formal? How many words should the text contain? Be sure to include such specifications in your prompt, for example: “Write me a text in marketing language for young people in a casual style of about 1,000 words on the topic of ‘content marketing on Facebook.'” This way, you can be sure that your text speaks to your target audience. After all, you don’t want to read an emotionless bot article when you open your favorite newsletter 

4. Enhance the content with your own: Only you know what your target audience truly needs – personalize the texts ChatGPT delivers with specific information and data to appeal to your audience. This could be personal experiences or current figures from your company. Your own opinion can sometimes also be important for personalizing a text. 

5. Don’t rely on ChatGPT for content marketing: The servers are currently frequently overloaded, and the AI ​​bot sometimes doesn’t work for several hours. Therefore, it’s important to always have backup texts or employees and/or freelancers available in case of emergency. 

ChatGPT vulnerabilities in text creation 

The bot can be a very useful tool for text creation, but ChatGPT also has its weaknesses:

• Incorrect data: You should review all content, especially if it refers to events from 2021 onwards. Always keep in mind that the bot is working with a 2021 dataset.
• Filler words and repetitions. The use of AI tools can cause texts to become stretched. The same information is repeated, and sentences sometimes contain many filler words to create a high word count. This quickly makes texts empty of content, difficult to read, and thus uninteresting for your readers—and also for Google. The search engine follows the EEAT principle: Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness. Poorly readable texts without added value do not adhere to this principle and can therefore be penalized by Google. You can find out more about content with added value in our blog article on Google’s Helpful Content Update .

• Duplicate content: An AI creates new content from existing texts. Some sentences may therefore be very close to the original, making the content no longer unique and even plagiarism a possibility. Duplicate content checking tools are available to check the uniqueness of your texts.

ChatGPT is a support in content marketing, but not a replacement. 

ChatGPT isn’t the only chatbot with artificial intelligence. Back in 2021, Google introduced a new language model for dialog applications (Language Model for Dialog Applications, or LaMDA for short). Google also developed the PaLM language model, the Imagen text-to-image diffusion model, and the MusicLM text-to-audio AI. Bard, Google’s experimental conversational AI service, was recently developed on the basis of LaMDA. However, this potential ChatGPT competitor also has its pitfalls – a serious factual error was already present in its initial presentation. 

ChatGPT can’t (yet) perform miracles in content marketing. However, with the right input, AI can significantly support you in your tasks. The chatbot needs to be fed with appropriate information, such as keywords, questions, or writing style requirements, to work accurately. ChatGPT text modules always need to be fact-checked, stylistically refined, edited, and given your personal touch. 

Despite all this, with the right application, ChatGPT will save you a lot of time—time you can use to further optimize your work and focus on your relationships with your customers. Writer’s block might now be a thing of the past with ChatGPT. 

SEO texts, or search engine optimized texts, are the foundation of search engine optimization. But there’s more to it than just including the right amount of keywords in a text so that Google likes it. Learn how to optimize your content for search engines now!

1. Don’t write for Google

The first and most important tip:  DON’T  WRITE FOR GOOGLE – sounds wrong, but it makes sense. The best strategy for writing for Google is to focus on the user. Google’s algorithm is so complex that it can’t be easily outsmarted with a few tips. This is also necessary to maintain the quality of Google searches.

Google sifts through trillions (that’s the number, by the way: 1,000,000,000,000) of websites to find the information we’re looking for. Various factors on these pages are indexed to determine whether the website answers our search query. To maintain consistently high quality and provide users with the results they need, Google is constantly changing its algorithm. These so-called Google updates can impact current ranking positions to varying degrees, and no one knows what change Google will make next – and this is precisely the reason why content should be produced for people. In our article on EEAT, you’ll learn how to write SEO texts with these factors in mind.

The complexity of the algorithm is difficult to grasp. Some factors are, of course, known, such as links, keywords, dwell time, formatting, or trust – but more on that later.

So, before you start writing content for your website, define your target audience. What do they want? What are they interested in? By defining a concrete target audience, you can best identify your readers’ desires and interests and address them with your text. Factors such as age, gender, marital status, occupation, education, and personal characteristics can be used to identify specific target groups.

With keyword research, you can filter out similar and related keywords and see what else your target audience is interested in – and you’ll have enough material for high-quality SEO texts that really interest your target audience.

2. Unique content creates added value

“Compelling content” – Ever heard of it? It means irresistible, captivating, and simply good content, and it best describes what your content should be like. Your goal should be to provide the best content for a specific topic. Online shops, in particular, are often seen trying to cram as many keywords as possible into an SEO text and rank on Google through linking. However, this often creates no added value for the reader at all. If this added value isn’t present, Google won’t reward it either.

At its best, good content is characterized by the fact that competitors haven’t yet provided this content in the format you’ve chosen. Your text should answer all the questions the reader might have about this topic – even before they think of them. Authenticity and quality are helpful companions here. This also applies to language usage, grammar, and spelling – yes, Google recognizes that too!

Important: Feel free to draw inspiration from other content, but never copy other people’s content! So-called duplicate content is detected and negatively evaluated by Google. This duplicate content is then accessible via two URLs, and Google can’t differentiate which URL should be displayed in the rankings.
If you’re going to add new text to your website, the least you can do is ensure it doesn’t already exist somewhere else. Ideally, you’ll trigger an “aha” moment for the reader by providing them with information they weren’t expecting.

3. Keyword density

After conducting extensive keyword research, for example, using a tool, you should decide on a main keyword. This is about what people might type into the search engine to find your content. However, too high a keyword density can negatively impact your ranking. If you simply insert the keyword as often as possible into your SEO text, this is called keyword stuffing. From Google’s perspective, this is not permitted and refers to a technique in which the search term is used excessively frequently in the metadata, text, and link content.

This results in increased keyword density, which is then classified as spam. Nevertheless, it still makes sense to use the most important search term in the  H1and subheadings, image files, etc.

A general guideline is a keyword density of between one and three percent. However, this shouldn’t be your goal. Your SEO text shouldn’t be optimized for search terms; rather, your search term serves to narrow down which topics are covered. This way, you’ll automatically use the necessary terms. You can then check your text for keywords afterward.

In addition to your main keyword, you should also research relevant secondary keywords to ensure that your SEO text also addresses topics that interest your readers. This way, you achieve two things in one: you use relevant search terms and you provide added value.

By using synonyms and semantic terms, you ensure a varied text structure, good readability, and the possibility of being found under various search terms.

4. What text structure and headings do to your SEO text

It sounds banal, but the structure and layout of your SEO text and its headings are highly relevant. First things first: the headline. The headline is essentially the flagship of your SEO text and is the first thing users see in a Google search. This determines whether readers click or scroll further, so choose it carefully. The main keyword should definitely appear in it. It’s best to place it as early as possible. In general, a good headline should be short, catchy, and informative. Above all, it should promise exactly what the text itself delivers.

What good is a well-written SEO text if no one wants to read it because the headline sounds boring? It should give the reader an idea of ​​what to expect and immediately convince them. If your headline is unattractive, the reader might be put off, and no one will read your text, and if no one clicks, Google will also find out and negatively evaluate the user’s lack of clicking.

Now that the user has reached your website via your appealing headline, they should be greeted by structured text. Subheadings can contain additional keywords, synonyms, and semantic terms, but these should not be the main focus. Subheadings should briefly show the reader what to expect. They serve to structure the entire text and help the reader find their way around. Questions can also be useful here and help Google index the page. Using questions is particularly important for voice search. Someone who used to Google “good Italian restaurant Hanover” might now ask their voice assistant, “Where can I find a good Italian restaurant in Hanover?” Therefore, you should try to ask and answer questions in your SEO text.

You should also pay attention to the hierarchy from h1 to h6. The h1 heading is the most important, the h6 the least important. Google recognizes a certain document structure from this. You can also include an exciting teaser text or a call-to-action button to give the whole thing a framework. Images and graphics also add visual interest to your text. This may also help you be found in Google Image Search.

5. Links and meta description

Next to the headline, the meta description is the first thing the user reads. With a tool such as the SERP Simulator, you can see how much space you have for your description and how it will appear in the SERPs. Google can put this description together on its own, but you can also write it yourself. Don’t rely on the automatically generated description; use the characters to express yourself. The main keyword from the title should appear here as well. You can also use special characters. They attract attention. A clear  CTA (call to action) is also useful and encourages the user to click. Possible phrases are “Read now”, “Order here”, or “Find out more now”.

By using a link, you create connections, which Google sees as a positive. Internal links show readers what else your website has to offer, allowing them to find out more. This increases the time they spend on your website. With outbound links, the page must open in a new tab. Otherwise, you’ll send your reader away from one page and directly to another. Also, only choose meaningful links. Quality is more important than quantity!

The World Wide Web is gigantic and grows by countless pages every day. This includes many duplicates. Newspaper articles and press releases published under multiple domains, products available for purchase in multiple online stores, or even backups, test servers, and parameter URLs that accidentally end up in Google’s index can all constitute duplicate content. But how does Google decide which document is the original, and does it even matter?

Search engines have one goal: to provide their users with the best search results for their search queries. After all, Google is “just” a service provider that must meet its customers’ expectations to remain successful in the long term. Therefore, the search engine giant is constantly working on improving its algorithm, constantly seeking factors that provide reliable information about the relevance of search results. The signals that users themselves “send” are crucial for Google search.

Big influence of user signals on Google ranking

The world of search engine optimization (SEO) is constantly evolving, and one of the newer elements gaining importance is user signals as a ranking factor on Google. User signals refer to the behavior of users on a website and how they interact with search results. These signals provide Google with important information about how relevant, useful, and trustworthy a website is to users. Learn more about how user signals influence search rankings here:

1. Click-through rate (CTR)

Google measures how often a search result is clicked. The simple calculation: The more clicks, the better a search result appeals to searchers, as it appears more relevant. Of course, pages listed high in the rankings naturally have a higher click-through rate than lower-ranking pages. Therefore, the click-through rate should not be overestimated. However, it can cause ranking changes if a lower-ranking page receives more clicks than a higher-ranking one.

2. Time spent on the page

The time spent on a page tells Google how relevant it is for searchers. The longer the time spent on a page, the more informative, entertaining, or at least interesting a page appears to be. However, this data should also be treated with caution. In individual cases, a long time spent on a page can also indicate that it’s particularly confusing, requiring a search for the desired information. However, it can generally be assumed that most visitors won’t even bother with such chaotic pages.

3. Bounce Rate

The bounce rate tells Google what percentage of visitors who reach a website via a search engine result page (SERP) leave the website on the landing page. These visitors, therefore, generate only one page impression. This user signal highlights the complexity of assessing user behavior. Simply classifying a page with a high bounce rate as irrelevant would be simplistic.

People who Google are often looking for very specific information. Once they find it on the page they clicked on, they leave satisfied without further interaction. Therefore, the bounce rate can increase even if the visitor is satisfied. If they don’t find the information they’re looking for, they also leave the page and return to the search results. This also increases the bounce rate.

Return-to-SERP rate

More interesting than the bounce rate alone is the return-to-SERP rate, which measures how often a user returns to the search results from a clicked page. If the user then clicks on another search result, this signals to Google that they obviously didn’t find what they were looking for on the previous page.

Due to the analysis issues described above, Google likely links the bounce rate to a time reference. Only visitors who leave particularly quickly, for example, within ten seconds, are included in the bounce rate value. This excludes visitors who immediately found what they were looking for and therefore left the website on the landing page.

4. Social Signals

Social signals are a fairly reliable indicator of relevance. These include posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as their interactions. On social networks, only compelling content gets liked, shared, and commented on. Therefore, the more often links to a particular page appear there, the more helpful, interesting, or entertaining it must be.

For Google, the intensity of use of one’s own social media profiles is also an indicator of the topicality of an internet offering.

5. Pages per session

This signal indicates how many pages a user visits during a session on a website. A higher number of pages per session indicates that users continue to browse for further relevant content on the page. Google may view this as a sign of a comprehensive and useful website.

6. Repeat visits

When users return to a website regularly, this can indicate valuable and trustworthy content. Google may view repeat visits as a sign of established authority and high user satisfaction.

User signals can be optimized in many ways.

To send Google optimal user signals, real added value is essential. But to offer this, you need to know your target audience and understand their needs. Of course, good content and a user-friendly website can also positively influence the user signals discussed above. This type of search engine optimization is even explicitly encouraged by Google, as it improves content and usability without resorting to dubious methods.

Here’s how to optimize the individual factors:

1. Increase click rate

A page only has a few seconds in the search results to convince a searcher to visit it. The page title and the maximum two-line description ( meta description ) take up the most space. Each website operator usually determines these themselves, which allows for considerable creative freedom. Because the title and description are the first points of contact with a page, they should be worded carefully.

The title should convey the page’s content as concisely as possible in a few words. Therefore, the website name should be placed at the end, not at the beginning. The title element should be no longer than 55 characters (excluding spaces), otherwise it will be truncated.

The description specifies exactly what the visitor can expect. It is a brief synopsis or preview of the content. For optimal wording, it helps to follow the AIDA principle: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. Depending on the industry, special characters such as checkmarks and asterisks can draw attention to the description. The description will be truncated if it exceeds 156 characters (including spaces).

2. Increase length of stay

Anyone who provides relevant content doesn’t really have to worry about dwell time. However, there are a few small adjustments you can make to maximize the results. Generally speaking, more content also requires more time. Short articles like those in “Bild” don’t retain visitors for very long. A certain article length can therefore be beneficial, provided the text consistently provides usable information and not just hot air. Anyone who artificially inflates their articles will likely reap the opposite effect, and users will abandon their site.

Paragraphs and subheadings

To prevent long texts from discouraging and alienating visitors, they should be well-structured with paragraphs and subheadings and enriched with images. Photo galleries, infographics, statistics, etc., can further increase dwell time. The most important information should always be at the top of an article. This way, the reader immediately recognizes that it’s worth reading on.

Demand interaction

Blogs should encourage their readers to interact—first and foremost, of course, by leaving comments. Comments can be encouraged by actively encouraging them at the end of an article. This shouldn’t be a general request, however, but rather a specific question, for example, about personal experiences with a topic.

Support via live chat

Another way to increase dwell time and simultaneously reduce the bounce rate is to offer support to your visitors. This works particularly well with live chat. One click is all it takes for the visitor to contact the site operator. Online shops, in particular, benefit from this service, which increases the likelihood of a purchase.

In principle, however, such live chats are suitable for anyone willing to answer visitors’ questions about the website’s content.
Instead of a live chat, you can also display a message box and answer questions via email. Alternatively, a forum where like-minded people can exchange ideas on a topic can increase the length of stay.

3. Reduce bounce rate

Bounce rates are always high when searchers don’t find what they’re expecting. A good title and description are, therefore, the first step toward a low bounce rate. After that, the page itself must be compelling.

As already explained, visitors who bounce particularly quickly are the most problematic. This reflex is often triggered by pages that load too slowly, regardless of their content. Long loading times are doubly detrimental: They themselves are a negative factor for Google rankings, but the increased bounce rate also drags the page down. Optimizing page speed is therefore important for several reasons.

The right first impression

First impressions are also important: If a page appears chaotic to visitors, they’ll quickly return to the search results without further consideration. The same applies to poor design. A clear design with a good structure that guides the visitor’s eye is recommended. The page layout should be intuitive, so they know where to find something within seconds. Clear categorization also helps with orientation.

Easy navigation

Particular attention should be paid to navigation. Only if it is clearly visible and easy to use will visitors continue to visit other pages on the website. By placing internal links to further information or related articles at the end of an article, you can entice visitors to visit additional pages, which significantly reduces the bounce rate.

Pages that require sensitive interactions—that is, those that want to sell something or request the submission of personal data—must be designed with particular care. Visitors must trust them to take action. Design and clarity are particularly important here. Furthermore, visitors should be transparently informed about why data is being requested and how it is being processed. This reduces skepticism and builds trust.

4. Increase social media interactions

To increase visibility on social networks and traffic from them, you should make things as easy as possible for your visitors. If there are social buttons at the end of an article, texts will be shared significantly more often. After all, just a few clicks are enough. However, if the visitor has to laboriously write a recommendation to their friends and followers on the network themselves, the article must be of outstanding quality for them to take the time to do this.

Competitions

Also popular are contests that require a person to like a Facebook page or tweet with a link to the contest to participate. The lower the hurdle, the more attractive the prizes and the higher the chance of winning, the more people are willing to participate.

Free consideration

Similar to entering a contest, social media activity can also be required for content approval. This is already done for additional offers such as free eBooks. In exchange for a tweet “as payment,” the eBook is available for free. With the WordPress plugin Social Locker, entire pages can be placed behind an “interaction barrier.” Only those who post, like, or share can read the entire article. In principle, this is a great way to achieve more interaction on social networks, but by no means suitable for every industry. A less social media-savvy target audience is likely to be put off by such requirements, which in turn negatively impacts the bounce rate and dwell time.

Conclusion: Content and usability are the be-all and end-all

Optimizing user signals has become a crucial factor not only for improving visibility and search engine rankings but also for providing a better user experience. The way users interact with your website says a lot about how relevant, useful, and trustworthy your content is. The multitude of user signals, from CTR to dwell time to bounce rate, provide valuable insights that help search engines like Google assess the quality of your website.

The foundation for successful user signal optimization lies in creating high-quality content tailored to the needs and interests of your target audience. A clear and intuitive website, fast loading times, mobile optimization, and interactive elements all help improve the user experience and encourage user engagement. By listening to user feedback and continuously working on improving your website, you can increase user satisfaction while positively impacting your search engine rankings.

The progressive evolution of search engine algorithms toward incorporating user signals demonstrates that search engine providers strive to provide their users with the best possible experience. This means that those who value high-quality content and a positive user experience will be rewarded in the long run. Optimizing user signals should therefore not only be viewed as a strategic approach to boosting search engine rankings, but as a fundamental step toward building a strong online presence and providing real value to users.

In the US, users have been selling and buying through Facebook’s Marketplace feature since fall 2016. Now it’s coming to Germany, threatening other providers like Shpock and eBay Classifieds. We’ve taken a look at Facebook Marketplace and show you what you can expect.

What is Facebook Marketplace?

Essentially, Facebook Marketplace is an online flea market. That’s nothing new. However, some users might be pleased that you no longer have to leave Facebook to access it. Facebook’s basic idea is to pool the numerous sales groups, thereby giving individual sellers greater reach for their listings.

It’s designed to be incredibly easy to use. You can sell anything you no longer need on the platform free of charge. The format is primarily aimed at local sales. In addition to Germany, the feature is currently being rolled out in 16 other countries. However, sales here don’t cross national borders. Facebook justifies this restriction by saying that most users only search for local listings in their area anyway.

You can sell anything that complies with Facebook’s trading guidelines. So, theoretically, you could even list cars or real estate.

How does the marketplace work?

Facebook Marketplace is a platform where you can buy or sell used items. Before using the platform, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the site’s trading policies.

To access the Marketplace, log in to Facebook via your browser. Then click on “Marketplace” on the left side of your News Feed. The Marketplace will open in a separate window with its own navigation bar, allowing you to filter products by category.

Payment isn’t handled centrally via the platform, but rather privately between sellers. If you want to sell a product, click “+ Create new listing” and then “Sale item.” Here you can add photos, set the price, and enter other information. Finally, click “Publish.”

Interestingly, there are no fees for either buyers or sellers. This aspect makes the marketplace a serious competitor to platforms like eBay Classifieds.

Facebook Marketplace offers a straightforward way to buy or sell used items and proves to be a practical addition to the variety of online trading platforms.

Method of payment

While users in the US already pay via Facebook Messenger, German users still have to handle the payment themselves. Prepayment and PayPal are available here, as is already common practice in many sales groups. Our tip: it’s best to use PayPal because you can always get your money back in cases of fraud.

When and if Facebook will roll out payment via Messenger in Germany has not yet been confirmed.

The marketers among you are surely already excited, as the platform is a prime advertising opportunity, as users are already searching for products there, and the intent to buy is already there. Unfortunately, we, or rather, Facebook, have to disappoint you, because advertising is not currently planned for the Marketplace. In the US, only a few tests were conducted. The results of these tests have not been published either.

What do commercial traders need to pay attention to on Facebook Marketplace?

Facebook Marketplace offers you, as a business retailer, a great opportunity to showcase your products to a broad user base. However, there are some important points to keep in mind to ensure the best possible experience on this platform. Here are some tips for you:

1. Policies and Terms of Service: Make sure you fully understand and adhere to Facebook Marketplace’s policies and terms of service. These rules define what types of products and services you can offer on the platform.

2. Clear and accurate product descriptions: Create detailed and precise product descriptions. Potential buyers should understand exactly what to expect from your products. Include information about the condition, size, color, brand, etc.

3. High-quality images: Use high-quality images to present your products clearly and attractively. Good images pique buyers’ interest and help them make an informed purchasing decision.

4. Honest condition information: Be honest and transparent about the condition of your products. If there are any signs of wear, clearly state this in your description.

5. Pricing: Set reasonable and competitive prices for your products. Compare similar listings on the marketplace to ensure your prices are fair.

6. Fast response time: Respond promptly to inquiries from potential buyers. A quick response time demonstrates your professionalism and your interest in a successful transaction.

7. Trustworthy profile: Make sure your Facebook profile appears trustworthy. A complete profile with clear information about your business can boost buyer trust.

8. Payment and shipping options: Clarify in advance which payment and shipping options you offer. Clearly communicating this information will avoid misunderstandings.

9. Customer reviews and feedback: Collect positive customer reviews and feedback to build your credibility. Buyers often rely on the opinions of others before making a purchase.

10. Customer Focus: Provide excellent customer service. Be helpful and courteous to build a positive relationship with your customers.

Facebook Marketplace can be an effective platform for you as a business retailer to showcase your products and reach new customers. If you follow these tips, you can build a positive reputation and operate successfully in the marketplace.

How secure is Facebook Marketplace?

Facebook, of course, states that users have nothing to fear. Ultimately, however, Facebook Marketplace is only as “safe” as Facebook itself. Everyone has their own opinion and their own sense of security.

What’s certain is that you decide how much others see of you, which is up to you and your privacy settings. Communication between users takes place via Facebook Messenger or the Marketplace itself. To buy or sell products, you must be at least 18 years old.

Marketplace kills the eBay star?

The signs certainly point to this. eBay’s user numbers have been stagnating for some time, and the platform is struggling to stay relevant. Facebook is entering the market with a much larger user base (2 billion active users worldwide; 550 million users are already active in sales groups).

One might even assume that Facebook is shooting itself in the foot with Marketplace, because what will become of the many sales groups? These will remain and will even be strengthened with the new feature.

All ads you post in one of the groups can also be displayed on the Marketplace at the same time, increasing reach and reaching more potential buyers. It remains to be seen how this will be received by users who use groups to stay among their peers.

But what about eBay? Could the most well-known online flea market soon be extinct? Not necessarily. Sure, Facebook seems like an invincible opponent, but the social media giant has already tested the “Daily Deals” feature in the US, which also integrates offers from the eBay platform into the Marketplace. Users can only see the offers there. The transaction then takes place via the eBay website itself. So it smacks of cooperation rather than displacement.

Conclusion

The Marketplace makes Facebook more of a sales platform, but it could also enjoy similar popularity here as it does among US users. According to Facebook, over 18 million listings were posted there in May 2017 alone.

Sometimes there’s not much difference between success and failure. However, for your company to measure the impact of its actions, it needs KPIs. But what are KPIs, and which ones are truly important for you? In this FAQ article, we’ll show you what these three magic letters mean and explore 10 questions related to them.

Key Takeaway – The most important things in brief:

• Definition and meaning: KPIs are performance indicators used to measure, control, and evaluate various activities in companies in order to monitor and control their efficiency and success.
• Application examples: In online marketing, KPIs are used to measure the performance of advertisements, newsletters, or social media campaigns, for example, based on leads, conversion rate, or generated traffic.
• Customization and selection: KPIs must be tailored to a company’s specific goals and strategies. Choosing the right KPIs depends on the company’s individual goals and the measures used.

1. KPI: Definition and Scope

Key Performance Indicators – or KPIs for short – are performance indicators that are used to measure, control, and evaluate activities in various areas. 

In online marketing, for example, you gain important insights into whether your ads, newsletters, or social media campaigns are generating the desired number of leads, conversion rates, or traffic. The collected data allows you to continuously adjust your (advertising) activities toward your goals.

As a conversion optimization agency, we are happy to help, support, and advise you on your project.

2. What are KPIs? – a simple explanation

Essentially, you and your company will target specific goals; using KPIs, you then measure and demonstrate how effectively your employees, processes, or activities have performed so far. Or, figuratively speaking, KPIs serve as your company’s navigation system, giving you an overview of your current situation. They convey whether you’re still on the home stretch toward success or whether measures need to be taken to get your activities back on track.

3. What are important KPIs?

Whether in sales, marketing, or human resources, KPIs are used to measure success in all areas and are therefore just as diverse. Key performance indicators that you might encounter in various departments include the following:

• Products sold in a specific region ( Local SEO )
• Traffic that is directed to your website via your TikTok advertising
• Return rate of a specific product
• Number of followers gained in the last month
• Sales generated by a newly launched product in a specific period
• Takeover rate after probationary period/training

4. What are KPIs used for?

Key performance indicators are essential for your company for several reasons. To understand this, ask yourself the following question: If you don’t measure your activities, how will you know whether your measures will ultimately be successful or ultimately fail? This is precisely where performance indicators come in. KPIs show how close or far you are from achieving your desired goal. This makes it clear how successful or unsuccessful the previous performance of your employees, processes, advertisements —or whatever you want to measure—has been. 

5. Which KPIs are important for my objectives? 

KPIs should always be selected based on the company’s defined goals, developed measures, pursued strategies, and other individual requirements. Therefore, a general answer as to which key performance indicators should be used is not possible. They must always be selected and adapted to your company’s individual needs.

This becomes especially clear when you look at practical examples: For a blogger, the number of clicks on their posts might be crucial, whereas for an online retailer, the conversion rate might be crucial. Even within a department, different departments will track different KPIs. While keyword ranking, among other things, is a key performance indicator for search engine optimization (SEO), search engine advertising (SEA) primarily revolves around the costs incurred when a click on the corresponding ad occurs.

6. How do I choose the right KPIs?

There are numerous KPIs, so deciding which ones are best isn’t necessarily a quick one. Simply measuring randomly won’t yield much added value, apart from a pile of useless data. Therefore, you should first consider what goals you actually want to achieve with your chosen measures. 

As an online shop, you may have added a new product to your range and now want to test how it impacts your customers through a newsletter. A useful performance indicator in this case would be the click-through rate, which tells you how often your customers ultimately clicked on the product in the newsletter. It is therefore a first meaningful indicator of the product’s appeal. Other KPIs, such as the open rate, may also be useful for drawing further conclusions.

You can safely ignore other key performance indicators that aren’t related to this product or the advertising campaign, because you should always keep in mind: quality over quantity. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a pile of useless data again.

Ask yourself these questions to create KPIs

• What is our goal?
• Why is this important?
• How is progress measured?
• What options are there for influencing the situation?
• Who is responsible for the outcome?
• How do I know when I have achieved this goal?
• How is progress towards the goal monitored?

Characteristics of KPIs

Strategic
It is important that you can identify with the goals and vision of your company.

Simple
KPIs should be both easy to measure and easy to understand. You should know how to record and calculate KPIs. This allows you to contribute your own ideas and innovations.

Actionable:
You should understand how you can influence key performance indicators. An effective KPI drives decisions without raising further questions.

Cascading
KPIs extend from the very top down to you as an individual. This spreads the strategic corporate goals throughout the company. This creates clear responsibilities, generates synergies between departments, and enables effective communication at all levels.

Easily measurable:
Key performance indicators must be measurable—but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be quantity-based (like the number of products sold per month). Qualitative KPIs like customer satisfaction or employee engagement are also surveyed. It’s important that KPIs are always based on solid goals, based on your company’s vision.

Evaluate on time.
KPI results are presented in reports. The right frequency is crucial. Too many reports could overwhelm you, while too few could lead to trends being missed or you getting off track.

Visibility:
Visibility throughout the organization is also crucial for effective KPIs. Just as with cascading KPIs, general awareness of goals and metrics boosts your commitment and effort.

7. KPIs in online marketing: What can I measure?

A key advantage of online marketing is the ability to track and measure almost everything. Here, too, KPIs vary in relevance across different areas—from social media to SEA to employer branding. In social media marketing, for example, you’re more likely to find the number of new followers per month for your newly launched Instagram ad or the rate of shares on Facebook as metrics. In search engine advertising, you’re more likely to find CPC, i.e., the cost per click on your ad, or CPA, i.e., the cost of a desired action. 

8. How can I measure KPIs?

One of the most popular tools for tracking KPIs is Google Analytics. By simply integrating a tracking code into your website’s HTML code, this web analytics tool allows you to collect vast amounts of data and analyze your website in the process. Data collection begins when you implement the tracking code on your website. 

9. What is a KPI dashboard?

And how can you present your company’s key performance indicators without immediately throwing in the towel with all the numerical confusion? With the help of KPI dashboards . If your KPIs are your navigation device, then the corresponding KPI dashboard is your onboard computer. All important information is bundled in one place – but at the same time, it’s visualized in such a structured way that you get a direct overview of the measures you’ve developed and their current progress.

What makes a good KPI dashboard?

A good KPI dashboard is characterized by the fact that it shows you all the key metrics and information you need at a glance. It’s designed to be clear and easy to understand, so you can quickly understand the performance of your project or company.

Good KPI dashboards are characterized by the following features:

• Clarity: A good KPI dashboard impresses with its clear structure and intuitive layout, which makes it easy to grasp the most important information at a glance.
• Relevant KPIs: It shows only those metrics that are directly related to your goals and strategic decisions to enable a targeted assessment of performance.
• Regular updates: Through continuous updates, the dashboard ensures that you always have access to current and accurate data so you can take timely action.
• Visualizations: Graphs and charts illustrate complex data and trends, allowing for faster and easier interpretation.
• Time series: Using historical data, you can analyze developments over different periods of time and respond to changes.
• Customizability: The dashboard can be adapted to your individual needs by adding, removing, or rearranging KPIs.
• Link to goals: The selected KPIs are directly linked to your company’s strategic goals to capture progress at a glance.
• Easy navigation: The clear user interface allows effortless navigation between different KPIs and views.
• Efficiency: By centrally displaying relevant information, the dashboard saves time and makes it easier to focus on key action steps.

10. What KPI dashboard tools are available? 

• Geckoboard offers you the possibility to display data from over 60 web services in real time.
• Thanks to its optimized mobile version, Tableau is particularly suitable for use on mobile devices.
• Klipfolio is an online dashboard platform that also gives you insight into your data in real time.
• SimpleKPI focuses primarily on keeping the design process of your KPI dashboard as simple as possible.

Conclusion: KPIs – the companions to the success of your activities

By now, you should know that there’s a lot behind those three magic letters. KPIs not only reveal the success or failure of your activities, but they also help you determine your status quo and help you get erroneous measures back on track.

For this reason, you’ll encounter them in almost every area and department, which, conversely, also means that you can’t simply randomly select a few performance indicators to achieve your desired success. Instead, it’s now up to you to identify your goals and the KPIs needed to achieve them, paving the way for your measures to safely reach your desired goal.

This should answer the question “What are KPIs?” For more news and information, please subscribe to our newsletter. Want to delve deeper into the topic of online marketing? Then our online marketing seminar is just right for you.

Are your keywords fighting an internal battle for ranking positions? Does one URL sometimes rank over another for a particular keyword? Learn how to identify and counteract internal keyword cannibalization in this article.

Key Takeaway – The most important things in brief:

• SEO Effects: Keyword cannibalism can be both positive (more traffic opportunities) and negative (wrong URL ranks, ineffective ranking) for SEO.
• Causes of the problem: Competing subpages for the same keywords lead to relevance problems, ranking losses, and complicate SEO analyses.
• Detection: Tools such as Sistrix or the Google Search Console help to identify affected keywords and URLs.
• Solutions: Merge content, remove or deindex unnecessary pages, use unique keywords, and internal links.

What is keyword cannibalization?

Keyword cannibalism is one of the more complex topics in SEO, and it’s not inherently bad. For example, if your domain ranks in the top 10 for a keyword with two pages, this can actually be extremely positive for you, as it gives you even more opportunities to attract relevant traffic. 

It is becoming increasingly common for more than one page of a domain to rank in the top 10 on Google.

If the wrong URL ranks for your keyword, it can hurt your domain and the achievement of your online marketing goals. If URL A and URL B rank for your keyword sometimes, or if two URLs rank at the same time but neither performs particularly well, this is negative keyword cannibalization, and you should take action to address it. 

Why you should avoid keyword cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization occurs when different pages on your website compete for the same keywords. This phenomenon poses a significant problem for Googlebot and your SEO efforts, as it can significantly impact the relevance and effectiveness of your content. Here are some reasons why you should avoid keyword cannibalization at all costs:

• Relevance issues for Googlebot: If multiple subpages of your website are optimized for the same keyword, Googlebot will have difficulty identifying the most relevant and important URL for the corresponding semantic context. This can lead to none of your pages achieving optimal rankings for that keyword.
• Ranking losses: Keyword cannibalization can cause previously well-ranked pages to fall back in the Google index. Even new SEO measures can be ineffective due to keyword cannibalization, as they don’t deliver the desired ranking improvements.
• Inefficient content use. If your domain is indexed with multiple URLs for a single search term, traffic is spread across different pages instead of being concentrated on one page. This leads to users encountering different content and potentially taking different actions when searching for the same topic. This makes strategic and efficient content use impossible.
• Complicated SEO analysis and reporting: Duplicate rankings for the same keyword complicate the evaluation of your SEO efforts. URLs and keywords that appear multiple times in search results are difficult to analyze and evaluate, making it more difficult to create SEO reports and analyze your website’s performance.

Keyword cannibalization often occurs gradually

Websites thrive on new content, and content marketing is (rightfully) receiving increasing attention. Creating new pages and addressing new topics as part of content management is usually part of the SEO strategy. No matter how good new content is, it carries the risk of keyword cannibalization. This often happens gradually. Webmasters first create a product page and then report on the new product in their blog, or a topic is covered on two pages, each from a different perspective. 

Which page should rank? If you don’t answer this question, or can’t answer it, Google won’t be able to answer it either, and your competitors, who have a clear answer, will rank better than you.

What indicates keyword cannibalism? 

Many sites are affected by keyword cannibalization. To detect keyword cannibalization, you should monitor your rankings. You can do this, for example, with Sistrix, the Google Search Console (GSC), or with a simple site command in Google Search. 

How to resolve keyword cannibalism and achieve better rankings

Once you’ve identified keyword cannibalization, you can often resolve it quite easily. Take a close look at your pages. Why are there two pages on the topic of “cat tree,” and which page is actually meant to rank for that specific keyword and generate sales? Why are two pages ranking for “vinyl wallpaper”? Is one of them truly optimized for the keyword, or do I need a new landing page specifically optimized for the topic? Also consider the potential conversion rate and user experience.

If you have too many pages on a topic, there are several options. For example, you can merge the content of page A and page B. One of the two URLs can then be deleted and redirected to the existing page via a 301. 

If you can’t merge content and delete pages, you can also set the less relevant page to “noindex .” This way, users can still access the page via the site’s navigation, but it will no longer compete with the other similar pages in the Google index. 

What can you do to prevent cannibalism from occurring in the first place?

Always consider the following points to avoid keyword cannibalism in the first place:

• Specify the main keyword for a URL: There can only be one URL for this keyword. Make sure you don’t create any additional pages for this keyword. 
• Link internally with unique link text: Always link your URLs internally with the page’s main keyword. Never link two different pages with the same link text. 
• Create new pages for keywords that are important to you and for which you have not yet defined a specific page. 

Always keep in mind: If you don’t have an answer as to which page should rank for which keyword, how is Google supposed to find the answer? 

Our conclusion on keyword cannibalization

The problem of keyword cannibalization offers many opportunities to optimize and better structure your website. It’s worth taking a look here. Various tools can help you track down affected URLs and resolve keyword cannibalization. And by optimizing your content marketing strategy so that there is always a unique main keyword per URL in the future, you can prevent keyword cannibalization from occurring in the first place.

If you’d like to stay up-to-date on the world of online marketing and receive guides like this directly via email, please subscribe to our online marketing newsletter. If you need help from an SEO agency or assistance with your content strategy, just contact us – we’d be happy to help!