Google Bard can now answer questions about the content of YouTube videos. Bard now summarizes video footage when users enter a YouTube URL.

Why we care. Expanding Bard’s capabilities could lead to greater engagement for content creators. Summaries of video content may also enhance users’ experiences. This functionality makes content more accessible, whether users are subscribing to a YouTube channel or making a purchase.

Getting started. To integrate Bard with YouTube, turn on the YouTube extension toggle on the Bard website, as demonstrated in the screenshot below, shared by Skill Leap AI:

Once the YouTube extension option is enabled, users can start a conversation with Bard by asking it a question relating to a video, such as:

• “Give me a recipe for Thanksgiving turkey. Show me a video.”

Bard will then answer the prompt by serving a collection of approximately five videos from YouTube. Users can then ask for details about a video’s content, such as:

• “Give me the recipe for video 2.”

Bard will understand what is meant by “video 2” and provide a text summary, including a breakdown of the ingredients and methods.

Bard can then provide more detailed information about the video. Some follow up prompts might include:

• “Can you describe the overall tone or style of the video, such as informative, entertaining or persuasive?”
• “What is the cooking time?”
• “How many people does this recipe serve?”
• “Is there a specific target audience that this video seems to be addressing?”
• “Did this video receive any comments or engagement from viewers, and what are some common reactions?”

Accessibility. Bard’s new YouTube capabilities appear to have been rolled out to all users, suggesting a transition from the testing phase to general availability, according to Forbes. Extensions within Bard, including this feature, are only available for Gmail (personal) accounts at this time.

Deep dive. Read our guide on how to use Google Bard for better SEO for more information on how to best utilize the chatbot for brand awareness.

The pressure is on for marketing leaders as we round out the year. The directive is to end 2023 strong and prepare for 2024 long before it’s started. Although the new year is still weeks away, budget planning shouldn’t be a last minute shot in the dark. 

Budgets are created from company goals, historical data and forward-looking considerations. To make budgeting more difficult, CMOs face challenges going into 2024, including:

• Higher inflation rates than in the recent past and economic uncertainty.
• Pressure to do more with less budget and headcount.
• Urgency to realize the productivity gains promised by AI and other new technologies.
• Messy data and lack of measurement made worse by third-party cookie deprecation.

“Global advertising spend is set to grow […] 8.2% in 2024, a boost that will see the market top $1 trillion for the first time ever,” according to WARC’s Global Ad Spend Outlook 2023/24.

Despite this prediction, budget cuts are common. Competition for ad inventory will continue; CPCs will rise, making improving efficiency all the more necessary.

Current events like the Summer Olympics and US presidential election will create opportunities for brands to grab the spotlight. Advertisers should avoid pulling back on spend if they can afford to and take advantage of these high-profile events. 

With that in mind, the ideal PPC budget begins with your targets.

Setting goals

To set achievable goals, start with the big picture and get more granular. Not all channels will achieve the same outcomes, so platforms must work in tandem. Targeting, ad formats and costs per action differ from platform to platform, so a solid cross-channel strategy is crucial to achieving business objectives.

For example, suppose the organization’s goal is to increase revenue. In that case, marketing channels might support that by:

• Improving efficiency in cost per acquisition to stretch dollars further.
• Decreasing sales cycle lengths.
• Increasing brand awareness and/or competitive differentiation.
• Generating higher-ticket sales. 
• Decreasing churn, upselling current customers and/or increasing retention rate.

How can each channel play to its strengths to work toward goals? Pull in your platform managers for brainstorming. Create a roadmap to keep objectives and tactics clear among media and consider how success will be measured differently across channels. 

For example, if your goal is to decrease sales cycle lengths, you will need to add touchpoints to your buyer journey to drive users to make quicker decisions. A roadmap might look like this:

Evaluating the opportunity

Once your goals are established, it’s time to estimate what’s possible. Tools like the Google Performance can help.

However, measuring available market share on channels like display, social and YouTube is not as simple. Each channel has its own performance forecasting tool to help you gauge a rough estimate of what you might get in return for a specific budget.

For example, Google Performance Planner uses a slider to show what’s possible within the current campaigns. Compare it with your current/past spend.

Think about how much you are willing to pay per result. You will eventually hit a point of diminishing returns. How far are you willing to push the efficiency envelope?

Analyzing the success of past performance by channel is important, especially when faced with budget cuts. A superficial examination may suggest a channel is underperforming, but a deeper dive could reveal that you haven’t accounted for the incremental value it provides.

For instance, you may find LinkedIn’s cost per lead to be higher than other advertising channels, but ask yourself:

• How does the lead quality compare? 
• Is there value from a brand perspective in serving ads to users you know are within your desired B2B targeting, even if they aren’t ready to convert?
• Is the time from opportunity to close shorter in this channel?
• Does this channel achieve high-ticket sales than others.

Multitouch attribution is ideal but tricky. Investing in an attribution tool can clarify what channels are performing best and allow for informed optimizations. A marketing team is only as good as the data it has to inform campaigns.

Data cleanup will be a priority for many in 2024. Data clean rooms will continue to see adoption increase in the new year as a way for organizations to standardize their data and allow marketers to have a single source of truth for performance. It will be more important than ever to hold your team accountable for using appropriate tracking measures, i.e., platform conversion tracking, UTMs, proper CRM routing and attribution.

Understanding what has worked or not worked in the past helps you move toward a cross-channel media mix for the coming year. Make adjustments as necessary to work toward meeting your ROAS goals. Turn off what truly isn’t working and reallocate dollars where they will go further.

Dig deeper: Google’s attribution model shake-up: 3 solutions for advertisers

Allocating budget for testing

Advertising is always changing. New features are always coming down the pike for PPC channels.

Advertisers should prepare to allocate a portion of their budget to testing in the new year, setting aside at least 10-15% of their budget to test. Often, incremental budgets are put toward testing in a last-minute effort to boost results. Avoid the scrambling by planning for tests upfront.

When considering a testing budget, think about the audience sizes.

• Hold-out tests don’t require a large budget because the sample size is smaller.
• Tests that run to a broader mass audience will need more to reach statistical significance.

Give your tests enough time and budget to understand the true incrementality.

Dig deeper: Efficiency vs. volume in PPC: 4 tips to strike a balance in incremental conversions

Forecasting outcomes

Once you’ve evaluated the opportunity, identified your channel mix and planned the tests you want to run, tie it all together to forecast the outcome. Consider the following:

• Historical metrics.
• Variance for increasing costs.
• Point of diminishing returns/market saturation.
• Seasonality.
• Changes outside of digital advertising (i.e., product launches, upcoming attribution changes).

Net-new launches are more difficult to forecast, but most platforms have their own forecasting tool to leverage based on audience size and budget. Take historical KPIs for similar campaigns/channels into consideration.

Try reaching out to channel reps for industry or competitor benchmarks and/or poll your network on the KPIs and trends they’re seeing. Additionally, if you work with an advertising agency, lean on them for estimates and industry insights.

Dig deeper: A guide to effective PPC projections

Asking for more money

As those budget conversations begin to happen for the next year, make your case for additional budget compelling. Asking for additional funds requires:

• The art of storytelling.
• Historical data.
• Forecasted return. 
• Industry trends.
• Competitive insights. 

Company executives set objectives, and they may need help understanding what to expect from digital marketing channels and how success is measured. Not everyone speaks the marketing language. Some executive-level training can help set expectations.

Build an executive view for measuring performance as well. This can help your team think bigger and answer different questions the C-suite cares about.

Decision-makers must understand why you’re asking for a budget increase. Explain what’s being left on the table at the current budget. The more data you have to back up your claims and forecast outcomes, the better your chance of securing that executive buy-in.

Dig deeper: How to deliver PPC results to executives: Get out of the weeds

YouTube Shorts ads are being rolled out to more advertisers as the solution moves from beta to general availability.

For the first time, Marketers are reporting the ability to choose Short ads as a video format, integrate them with in-stream ads and combine them with in-feed ads.

While many advertisers worldwide are finally gaining access to these new options, Google notes that this feature is not yet available on all accounts, but will be rolled out to all advertisers within the coming months.

Why we care. PPC consultant Kristian Maltzahn, who was the first to flag the feature on LinkedIn, told Search Engine Land:

• “YouTube the Shorts format is what everyone is talking about right now, so I’m really excited about this!”
• “The Shorts format opens up for a whole new way of approaching YouTube Ads. YouTube ads have for a long time been a platform for TV-quality advertising, which is of course really interesting and still very relevant. However I think the demand from consumers is changing, which we have seen with ads on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.”
• “I think YouTube Shorts welcomes that form of demand and makes it possible for marketers to embrace it. I think YouTube chose not to make the format exclusively available for marketers at first, to make sure that users wouldn’t be introduced to a new format that was pumped full of ads.”
• “So the fact that YouTube are now opening up for more exclusively advertising on Shorts, I think is a testament to how quickly the format has gained popularity.”

Getting started. To check if the YouTube Shorts ad format is available on your YouTube Ads account, go to:

• Create Campaign.
• Choose “Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance.”
• Select “Video.”
• If the feature is available on your account, you will find it under Video in the Efficient Reach section.

Expansion. Google Ads is reportedly planning to expand this feature to additional video campaign formats in the near future, so make sure you stay tuned for future updates.

What Google is saying. A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land:

• “Ads on Shorts rolled out in 2022 and this year we announced new Shorts for awareness ads solutions. That highlighted the beta inclusion of Shorts in Video reach campaigns and the pilot of YouTube Select Run of Shorts lineups.”
• “Shorts in Video reach campaigns are now generally available to all advertisers, but YouTube Select Run of Shorts lineups remain in limited pilots.”
• “The new YouTube Select lineups are Shorts-specific. And with the evolution of Video reach campaigns, advertisers can opt in to just Shorts or other surfaces, should they choose.”
• “YouTube is a dynamic platform, so advertisers are encouraged to take advantage of the solutions that allow them to achieve their goals fluidly across formats.”

Deep dive. Read our guide to getting your YouTube Shorts noticed for tips and tricks for maximum engagement.

Google is planning to update its Video publisher policy on April 1, 2024.

All video inventory monetized with Google ad code (“Video Inventory”) through AdSense, Ad Manager, and AdMob, in accordance with the Google Publisher Policies, will be impacted.

The move aims to streamline policies across various Google products and align them with current industry standards, such as IAB OpenRTB.

Why we care. Take a look at the revised Policies to see if there’s an impact on your Video Inventory. If your Video Inventory was previously disapproved, and you think it should now comply with the updated policies, you can request a review or appeal starting from April 1, 2024.

How the Video publisher policy is changing.

The updated policies are as follows:

Accurately describe inventory.

1. Video Inventory must provide declarations with accurate signals (for Ad Manager, see VAST ad tag URL parameters), including:
   • Audibility of ad placement: Audible by default or muted (for Ad Manager, see vpmute parameter).
   • Type of ad placement: Video ads serving into video players with video content must be accurately declared as either “In-stream” or “Accompanying Content” placements (for Ad Manager, see plcmt parameter). Video ads serving into non-video player placements do not require declarations, and will be automatically determined by Google based on inventory format as either “Interstitial” or “Standalone” placements.
     • “In-stream” means a video or audio ad played within the stream of video or audio content, where the video or audio content is the focus of the user’s visit or explicitly requested by the user. Example: A video ad that is played before, in the middle of, or after the stream of a user-requested video content.
     • Accompanying Content” means a video ad played within the stream of video content accompanying the main content of the user’s visit, where the video content is neither the focus of the user’s visit nor explicitly requested by the user. Accompanying Content placements must load within the body of the page, and muted by default. Example: A video ad that is played before, in the middle of, or after the stream of muted video content that takes up a small portion of a primarily editorial page.
     • Interstitial” means a video ad played without the presence of any other streaming video content in a transition between content, where the video ad is the primary focus of the page and takes up the majority of the viewport. Example: A video ad that is independent of any other streaming video content, and that is placed in full view in a natural break or transition between content.
     • Standalone” means a video ad played without the presence of any other streaming video content, where the video ad is not the focus of the page. Example: A video ad that is independent of any other streaming video content, and that is placed in a banner at the right rail of an article page.

Use supported implementations

2. In-stream or Accompanying Content placements must use the Google Interactive Media Ads SDK or Google Programmatic Access Library on supported platforms, unless through an official Google Beta program.

• Partners and publishers cannot use Interactive Media Ads products to monetize YouTube content. For YouTube content, partners and publishers must monetize through the YouTube Partner Program.

3. Interstitial or Standalone placements must use Google-provided solutions: on web: Google Publisher Tags; in app: the Google Mobile Ads SDK (for Ad Manager; for AdMob).

• The Google Interactive Media Ads SDK is not allowed for Interstitial or Standalone placements, except for placements in games.

Protect advertiser value.

4. Video Inventory content or controls (for example, play, pause, mute, skip, or dismiss), including ad content or controls where provided, must not be obstructed, hidden, or non-functional.

5. For In-stream placements, audio ads must not be requested or served in muted placements.

Respect the user.

6. Video Inventory may autoplay, provided that:

• Only one Video Inventory across all placement types may autoplay with sound at any time.
  • Additionally for In-stream or Accompanying Content placements, only one video player may autoplay in view at any time.
• The ad must not autoplay until at least 50% of the ad unit is visible.

7. Video Inventory may be sticky, provided that:

• A dismiss option is presented for the entire duration of the video or ad content. This option must not be hidden, obstructed, or non-functional.
• For In-stream or Accompanying Content placements, the video player must start in the main content and only transition to a sticky placement as a user scrolls the video player off the page.

Terminology update. In Ad Manager, terms like “instream” or “in-stream” include both “In-stream” and “Accompanying Content” as defined in the updated Policies. Ad Manager Video Inventory categorized as “In-stream” or “Accompanying Content” must comply with the corresponding requirements outlined in the Policies.

What Google is saying. A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land:

• “We’re updating our Video Publisher policies to align with new IAB standards around audibility and video placement, which we helped develop.”
• “We previously shared with our partners that we would be adopting these standards and are now formally updating our policies to reflect this update.”

Deep dive. Read Google’s current Video publisher policy to compare the planned updates which will come into effect next year.

Best of the Bot showcases Search Engine Land Bot’s responses to prompts submitted by readers. The language model is based on content from Search Engine Land layered on top of ChatGPT. The editors of Search Engine Land selected this response for its usefulness and have supplemented it with additional relevant content.

I am the first generative AI chatbot for search marketers. I am trained with Search Engine Land content.

Here’s something somebody asked me! After that, how you can improve prompts to get even better answers from me.

Prompt:

Create a Facebook post for crystal sale 30% off everything storewide black Friday sale at Dublin Rocks & Minerals.

Answer:

🔮 Don’t miss out on the biggest crystal sale of the year! Dublin Rocks & Minerals is offering a spectacular Black Friday deal with 30% off everything storewide! 🔮 Whether you’re a crystal enthusiast or looking for the perfect holiday gift, this is the perfect opportunity to add some sparkle to your collection. From amethyst to quartz, we have a wide selection of crystals to suit every taste and need. Join us on Black Friday and take advantage of this incredible offer. Our knowledgeable staff will be there to assist you in finding the perfect crystal for your needs. Don’t wait, this sale is only available for a limited time! Visit Dublin Rocks & Minerals at [store address] and get ready to indulge in the magic of crystals at unbeatable prices. See you there! ✨ #BlackFridaySale #CrystalSale #DublinRocksAndMinerals #30PercentOff #LimitedTimeOffer.

How this prompt could be improved

You are a veteran-owned retailer that sells unique high-quality minerals, crystals, and handcrafted jewellery sourced from around the world. Your products have all been carefully chosen for their beauty, energy, and transformative properties that your customers believe can bring happiness, beauty, and peace into their world. You have unwavering dedication to customer service. You are persuasive and trustworthy, which reassures consumers about making purchases from your brand, you have in-depth knowledge about your products and speak with confidence. Your target audience is spiritual people who prioritize their wellbeing and believe in the healing powers of crystals and minerals. Each social media post you share online aims to inform, inspire and sell products.

Please create a concise, impactful and engaging Facebook post for Dublin Rocks & Minerals to let their followers know that they have a one-off opportunity this Black Friday to buy your crystals with a 30% discount for a limited time only. The purpose of this post is boost sales and increase your social media followers.

Use emojis and other media where appropriate to drive consumers back to your product pages so that they can make a purchase.

The key elements and enhancements to this prompt are as follows:

(Task)

Please create a concise, impactful and engaging Facebook post for Dublin Rocks & Minerals to let their followers know that they have a one-off opportunity this Black Friday to buy your crystals with a 30% discount for a limited time only. The purpose of this post is boost sales and increase your social media followers.

(Context)

You are a veteran-owned retailer that sells unique high-quality minerals, crystals, and handcrafted jewellery sourced from around the world. Your products have all been carefully chosen for their beauty, energy, and transformative properties that your customers believe can bring happiness, beauty, and peace into their world. You have unwavering dedication to customer service.

(Tone)

You are persuasive and trustworthy, which reassures consumers about making purchases from your brand, you have in-depth knowledge about your products and speak with confidence.

(Example) 

Your target audience is spiritual people who prioritize their wellbeing and believe in the healing powers of crystals and minerals. Each social media post you share online aims to inform, inspire and sell products. You use emojis and other media where appropriate to drive consumers back to your product pages so that they can make a purchase.

New SearchBot answer

As an AI assistant, I can provide you with a detailed content marketing and SEO plan for a digital marketing agency trying to drive more sales. Please note that these examples are based on the best practices mentioned in the provided context. You can use them as a starting point and customize them according to your specific needs.

🌟✨ Exclusive Black Friday Offer: 30% Off on Transformative Crystals! ✨🌟

🔮 Calling all crystal enthusiasts and spiritual seekers! Dublin Rocks & Minerals is thrilled to announce our exclusive Black Friday sale! 🎉 For a limited time only, you can indulge in the magic of our high-quality crystals and handcrafted jewelry with an incredible 30% discount! 💎💫

✨ Immerse yourself in the captivating beauty and positive energy of our carefully curated collection sourced from around the world. Each crystal and gemstone has been chosen for its transformative properties, bringing happiness, beauty, and peace into your world. 🌈🙏

🛍️ Don’t miss out on this one-time opportunity to enhance your spiritual journey and surround yourself with the healing powers of nature. Whether you’re seeking balance, clarity, or protection, our crystals are here to guide you on your path to wellbeing. 🌿💖

🌟 Visit our website now to explore our wide range of crystals, minerals, and handcrafted jewelry. Click the link below to discover the perfect piece that resonates with your soul. 👇

🔗 [Insert website link]

💫✨ Let the transformative energy of crystals elevate your life. This Black Friday, embrace the power within and unlock a world of possibilities. 💎✨

🙌 Share this post with your friends and fellow crystal lovers to spread the joy of this incredible offer! Follow us for more updates, inspiration, and exclusive deals. Together, let’s create a community of enlightened souls. 🌟🔮

#BlackFridaySale #TransformativeCrystals #SpiritualJourney #DublinRocksAndMinerals

Try Search Engine Land Bot

Snapchat has started testing an ad-free paid subscription plan in Australia.

For $US10.50 a month, the new Snapchat+ tier enables consumers to use the platform without disruption from Story or Lens ads.

However, the app notes that users may still see sponsored places or My AI responses.

Why we care. Should ad-free subscriptions gain popularity, there is a potential for a notable impact on ad reach within Snapchat, subsequently affecting campaign performance and advertiser ROI. However, considering the substantial revenue generated by ads on Snapchat, it is improbable that the platform would willingly allow any negative impact on its advertising ecosystem.

Snapchat+ tiers.
Here is a breakdown of the various subscriptions currently offered in Australia. It’s important to note that as of now, ad-free plans have not been made widely available:

• Monthly plan: For $US3.91 a month, users can experience a version of Snapchat that serves all ad formats – this totals to $US46.97 a year.
• Annual plan: By signing up to a 12-month subscription, users pay $US2.73 a month for a version of Snapchat that serves all ad formats – this totals to $US32.67 a year.
• Ad-free monthly plan: For $US10.50 a month, users can experience a mostly ad-free version of Snapchat.

Snapchat+ subscriptions can be cancelled any time in the app store.

Australia market only. The ad-free Snapchat+ subscription plan is currently only being tested in Australia. It’s unclear if the new tier will be rolled out to consumers in the US given the platform’s reliance on ad revenue in America.

First look. The new Snapchat+ tier was first spotted by social media consultant, Jonah Manzano. He shared a screenshot of the new offering with his followers on Instagram:

When asked why he thought the plan was being tested in Australia before potentially being rolled out to additional markets, Manzano said:

• “The perception that Australia gets new features first may stem from social media companies choosing the country for initial testing due to its diverse user base and advanced technological infrastructure.”
• “It’s not solely based on laws or regulations but rather a strategic decision influenced by factors like user engagement and feedback.”

Deep dive. Visit the Snapchat Help Center for more information on the platform’s ad-free subscription plans.

Sam Altman is returning as CEO, OpenAI announced.

It is – perhaps (hopefully?) – the final chapter of a chaotic week that saw Altman ousted as CEO, two interim CEOs announced and nearly every OpenAI threaten to quit and go to Microsoft unless the entire board resigned.

The announcement. OpenAI announced the news via an X post on Tuesday night:

• “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo. We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this.”

Why we care. Now that the drama is over, let’s solve these ChatGPT service interruptions. Some of us are trying to work.

Status quo ante. Despite all the drama, OpenAI seemingly is now returning back to the way things were before all the drama that unfolded started Friday, with the shocking news that Altman had been ousted as CEO and all the chaos that followed.

They’re back. OpenAI’s (former – and once again(?) president) Greg Brockman shared this image via X:

Microsoft’s reaction. Altman posted that this move had the support of Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella:

• “i love openai, and everything i’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together. when i decided to join msft on sun evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. with the new board and w satya’s support, i’m looking forward to returning to openai, and building on our strong partnership with msft.”

Nadella reposted Altman’s message and added:

• “We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance. Sam, Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the OAI leadership team in ensuring OAI continues to thrive and build on its mission. We look forward to building on our strong partnership and delivering the value of this next generation of AI to our customers and partners.”

Dig deeper. See Techmeme for all the coverage.

YouTube has admitted to intentionally creating a suboptimal experience for users employing ad blockers.

Reports of a deliberate five-second delay in loading video pages on Mozilla’s Firefox have emerged on forums like Reddit and Hacker News.

Despite initial speculation about browser specificity, YouTube has clarified that users across all platforms may encounter loading delays. This deliberate delay is part of YouTube’s ongoing campaign to discourage the use of ad blockers.

Why we care. Encouraging users to disable ad blockers on YouTube can benefit advertisers by expanding reach. However, this broader reach might increase advertising costs and result in ads reaching less valuable customers, impacting the effectiveness of the marketing strategy. Achieving a balance between reach and targeting is crucial for optimizing return on investment.

Who is impacted? Not everyone is experiencing the reported five-second delay. Attempts by some individuals to recreate the issue on both Mac and Windows machines, while logged into YouTube or not, using ad-blockers or not, and in incognito mode or not, did not result in any observed delay. However, those that are impacted do have ad blockers installed.

What YouTube is saying. A YouTube spokesperson told Business Insider:

• “In the past week, users using ad blockers may have experienced suboptimal viewing, which included delays in loading, regardless of the browser they are using. Users who have uninstalled their ad blockers may still experience a temporary delay in loading, and should try refreshing their browser.”
• “Ads are a vital lifeline for our creators that helps them run and grow their businesses. That’s why the use of ad blockers violates YouTube’s Terms of Service.”
• “We’ve been urging users for some time to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience.”

Deep dive. Read our report on YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown for more information.

Google Ads is investigating reports of an issue impacting AdMob.

The affected users have said that while they are able to access AdMob, they cannot retrieve their most recent data.

Some clicks that are recorded from Apple iOS 17 devices are not being counted in the reports, leading to inaccurate reporting as a consequence.

Why we care. Inaccurate data may result in an incorrect understanding of the performance of ad campaigns, making it challenging for advertisers to optimize their strategies effectively.

When will the problem be fixed? Google is continuing to investigate this issue with an update expected at 7pm UTC on 22 November 2023.

Google confirmed that it started investigating the issue at 11.14pm on 21 November 2023.

Fixed. Google posted an update later today saying, “The problem with AdMob has been resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support. All the clicks are now being counted in the reports.”

Deep dive. Read the service disruption announcement from Google in full for more information.

Google Ads has confirmed that it is going to update the Location asset requirements in December.

The update will clarify the types of location assets that are not permitted on Google Ads.

Locations that will not be allowed as Location assets include:

• Locations that are closed
• Locations that are not recognized by Google
• Locations that do not match the business running the ad.
• Assets with products or services that do not match the specified location.

Why we care. Using location assets in ads lets you display important business information, like the address and phone number, boosting conversion potential. Not following these requirements may mean leaving out crucial details, potentially harming your return on investment.

Deep dive. Read Google’s Location asset requirements article for more information.