How to find the best link building service for you by Stellar SEO

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How to find the right link building service for you
How to find the right link building service for you

There’s no shortage of companies competing for your link building budget, especially since a 2024 Google leak reaffirmed the critical importance of links.

But there are also an overwhelming number of generic articles listing the “best” link building agencies or offering endless lists of questions to ask a potential agency. 

With so many options and questionable players in the SEO industry, it’s no surprise that many people have had one – or even several – bad experiences.

Ready to find out how to avoid your next SEO mishap and find the best link building agency – based on your needs?

We will. But first, a little about me.

I’m Travis Bliffen, the CEO of Stellar SEO, a 2024 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing link building agency. We’ve been around since 2012 and have built tens of thousands of links across many challenging industries. 

Based on my first-hand experience – and numerous conversations with customers who sought us out after choosing the wrong link building partner – here’s what I’ve learned.

What makes a link building service good?

What makes a link building service “good”?

If you decide to outsource link building, you need to check with a potential partner agency about whether:

  • The links they build effectively boost rankings without creating more risk than you are comfortable with.
  • Their approach, beliefs, and strategies align with your internal expectations.

While the link building process can become complex, link building is elementary. 

Focus on strategies to encourage high-quality websites to link to you more frequently than to your competitors. Your link building agency’s creativity directly impacts the quantity and quality of links you can secure.

The importance of aligning expectations with reality

If you’re ready to entrust link building to an outside agency, ensure your expectations are rooted in reality.

It’s easy to get swept up by promises of quick fixes or dramatic ranking boosts. However, SEO is rarely that simple. 

A solid link building agency will have to:

  • Analyze your website and your business goals.
  • Perform competitor analysis.
  • Create a link building plan.
  • Work with writers who will create your content.
  • Work with an outreach team to find guest posting or link placement opportunities.
  • Ensure quality control and review.

Given the amount of work put into every link, a quality link building company can be costly. This is why you should focus on the desired business outcome, not just vanity metrics. 

  • What is the desired outcome from the link placements? Is your primary goal to generate referral traffic through link building? If so, that requires a different approach than links to boost organic traffic to key pages.
  • What internal criteria does your team have? Some companies have a list of must-haves in any potential link placement. If your team has preferences, sharing these upfront will help the agency match you with the appropriate campaign type.
  • How do you weigh risk vs. cost? A successful link building campaign should deliver a return on investment (ROI), though the timeline can vary. For instance, paid link campaigns often have a lower cost per link and deliver ROI more quickly compared to content marketing-based link earning. Both approaches can be effective, but it’s important to choose the one that fits your budget and comfort level.

Decide your goals and discuss them openly with your potential link building partner early. Otherwise, you will waste your time and money.

What to look for in a link building agency.

What to look for in a link building agency: More than just a pitch

Every agency will tell you it’s the best in the business. Your job is to determine which can back up their claims with substance.

To do that, you’ll need to know what questions to ask — and how to interpret the answers.

1. What’s your approach to link building?

A good link building company will be highly specific about its services and process. Its representatives must articulate their strategies clearly and explain how they plan to implement them to help your website.

This can include content-driven digital PR, outreach campaigns, and link magnets.

Vague or overly technical answers are a red flag. 

2. How do you measure success?

Look for companies that mention concrete indicators of ROI, such as:

  • Organic traffic improvement.
  • Keyword rankings growth.
  • Conversions.

We get regular inquiries from companies looking to boost their DA (Domain Authority) or DR (Domain Rating). We first tell them that that’s a terrible reason to hire a link building agency. 

Due to acquiring excellent links, DA, DR, and other metrics will improve over time. However, having a clear strategy to generate traffic and leads during the process will increase your campaign ROI exponentially.

3. How do you control link quality?

A trustworthy link building company will have set standards for the links it provides. Not all links must come from high-DR websites, but the company must provide relevant links in your niche.

With backlinks, quality trumps quantity. 

Talk to the link building service about their screening process and any guaranteed checks or minimum metrics their links will meet. More importantly, ask them how to determine those standards and how your niche could impact the thresholds.

4. What will the reporting process look like?

If you’re outsourcing link building services, you must know what reports you can expect. Ask about the frequency of the reports, the kind of data you’ll see, and the company’s policy if the links don’t meet the agreed-upon metrics.

There is no right or wrong answer to this; you just need to determine if they will report what is important to you. If it isn’t part of their default reporting, ask if they can add it to your reports.

Spotting Link Building Red Flags

Spotting the red flags

Unfortunately, you’ll find that many shady actors call themselves a link building company, only to offer you personal blogging networks, link farms, and other harmful SEO practices. Here are some common warning signs:

  • Too-good-to-be-true promises: It’s impossible to guarantee search engine rankings – there are too many factors affecting your position on Google. Any agency that promises guaranteed rankings or instant success is a sham.
  • Low prices with big promises: High-quality link building requires the work of an entire team, plus often fees that many quality websites demand. If the link building company fee is suspiciously low, you’re probably paying for harmful, risky/spammy practices.
  • Evasive answers: An agency that can’t clearly explain its link building techniques or dodges your questions is probably best kept far from your business.

Building a partnership that works

Digital marketing is more than just a one-and-done process. 

You will likely need to cooperate with the link building company for years – links die, and your website will stop giving you the necessary “juice.” In fact, 74.5% of links were lost in the previous nine years, according to Ahrefs.

That’s why you need to find someone who has been in the link building business for a long time and can maintain long-term partnerships. Focus on:

  • Communication: Responsiveness is one sign of how much the company will prioritize your account. If it’s slow to respond or unwilling to provide clear updates, it might be a sign to look elsewhere.
  • Tangible results: Ensure you see measurable outcomes, such as improved rankings, traffic, and conversions. Here is an example.
Building a link building partnership that works

A real estate investor contacted Stellar SEO after getting hit by a Google helpful content update. We recovered his site traffic and 5Xed monthly visitors, significantly boosting motivated seller leads.

  • Transparency: Demand transparency in reporting, quality control, fee structure, and any other aspect of work.

Trust, but verify to find the best link building service

Look for a link building agency that:

  • Understands your niche.
  • Has the right strategy.
  • Measures its success using relevant metrics. 

Finding the right link building services isn’t about the cheapest option or the instant success. It’s about finding a team that has carried its clients through years of Google updates – and one you can see yourself working with for the next few years. 

Stellar SEO has an average client retention time of more than five years for direct clients. We also partner with several great digital marketing agencies that love our flexible white-label link building services.

While high-quality backlinks are only part of the equation for SEO success, they carry significant weight, making them a sound investment in 2025.

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Instacart expands foodservice advertising

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Cut+Dry, a major ecommerce platform for foodservice distributors and manufacturers, is integrating Instacart’s Carrot Ads technology to unlock new advertising revenue streams and connect brands with buyers at the point of sale.

Food manufacturers have long faced challenges in influencing purchasing decisions in foodservice. This partnership bridges that gap, empowering brands to engage buyers directly while opening new revenue opportunities for distributors.

What’s happening:

  • Cut+Dry will integrate Carrot Ads, Instacart’s ad tech platform, allowing food manufacturers to advertise directly to operators and distributors.
  • The move expands digital advertising into the foodservice space, which has historically been underrepresented in online marketing.
  • Distributors gain additional revenue streams by hosting ads, while manufacturers boost brand awareness and sales.

Key benefits:

  • For manufacturers: Direct access to buyers with more influence at the point of sale.
  • For distributors: New ad revenue and greater engagement with operators.

Why we care. This integration provides a new avenue to reach decision-makers in the multi-billion dollar foodservice industry, where traditional advertising channels have limited reach. The partnership creates a scalable, measurable ad platform that connects brands to a previously untapped audience in foodservice distribution.

What they’re saying. Mani Kulasooriya, CEO of Cut+Dry, said:

  • “By integrating Instacart’s advertising capabilities with our platform, we’re creating one of the largest digital ad opportunities in foodservice.”

What’s next. Carrot Ads on Cut+Dry will be available over the next few quarters, giving brands new avenues to reach the multi-billion dollar foodservice market. Instacart will expand its Carrot Ads partnerships, further bridging the gap between retail and foodservice industries.

Bottom line. This partnership taps into the growing foodservice market, driving growth for brands and distributors alike while establishing new digital ad opportunities in an evolving industry.

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Google updates financial products policy for crypto ads

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Google will update its cryptocurrency and related products policy this month, refining the rules for advertising crypto-related services in the United Kingdom.

As the crypto industry grows, clearer advertising rules aim to protect consumers and ensure compliance with local regulations, fostering a more transparent environment.

What’s changing:

  • Beginning Jan. 15, advertisers offering cryptocurrency exchanges targeting the UK must meet specific requirements and obtain certification from Google.
  • Ads for cryptocurrency exchanges and wallets will only be permitted if the advertiser is registered with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
  • Hardware wallet ads are allowed, but they must strictly provide storage services without engaging in trading, selling, or exchanging assets.

Certification requirements:

  • Advertisers must comply with all local legal requirements and secure Google’s certification to promote their products.
  • Non-compliance with these rules may lead to ad disapproval or account suspension.

Why we care. Crypto businesses targeting the UK can now reach audiences through Google Ads, provided they adhere to FCA regulations and Google’s certification process.

This update opens opportunities for regulated crypto firms while ensuring consumer protection through vetted advertisers.

What’s next:

  • Google’s policy update will apply globally to all advertisers offering financial products targeting the UK.
  • Advertisers are encouraged to review and pursue certification before Jan. 15 to avoid disruptions.

Bottom line. Google’s updated policy reflects its commitment to aligning with financial regulations, creating a safer ecosystem for crypto advertising while supporting compliant businesses.

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How to fix the ‘Page with redirect’ error in Google Search Console

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The “Page with redirect” error in Google Search Console shows a page on your website is redirected to a different URL when the user or Googlebot attempts to access the URL. 

This means all the pages listed in the report are not showing in search results. 

Nothing new, right?

At first glance, this error in Google Search Console may not seem like the “nectar of the gods.” 

But after reading through 138 questions in the Search Console Help community and seeing that Stack Exchange saw 278 views on a similar question, I realize there are probably many SEO professionals who would leave their entire life fortunes to solve this issue if they could.   

In the name of very serious SEO needs, I had to investigate. 

How do I fix ‘Page with redirect’ in Google Search Console?

1. Manually review all the pages flagged in the report

First, I manually reviewed all the pages flagged in the Google Search Console “Page with redirect” report. 

To access the report, go to Google Search Console > Pages > and look under the section “Why pages aren’t indexed.”

page-redirect-google-search-console-errors

Once in the report, I look for two things: 

  • Is the chart rising?
  • Was the last crawl date recent?
page-redirect-report-google-search-console-errors

If you answered yes, I recommend exporting the data to Google Sheets, Excel, or CSV to analyze further. 

2. Determine if redirects are OK

Once you export the redirect file, you must determine if the redirects are OK. 

Redirects are OK in two scenarios:

  • Permanent move: If you permanently move a URL to a new destination, a 301 redirect is ideal to maintain its value. 
  • Broken links: If you were fixing a broken link to a relevant webpage, this redirect is OK. 

If you audit all the redirects on this list and decide all the redirects listed are accurate and intentional, you can stop reading. You are done. 

I recommend revisiting this report monthly and doing a deep dive every quarter. 

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3. Conduct a sampling of URLs using the Inspect tool

If you want to gut-check yourself, choose a sampling of 10-25 URLs from your export list to test in the Inspect URL tool in Google Search Console. 

When inspecting the URLs, you’re looking to see if the status states, “Page is not indexed: Page with redirect.” 

Also, the user-declared canonical tag should be the URL you created the 301 redirect to. 

inspect-url-page-redirect-google-search-console

4. If redirects are a problem 

There are a few scenarios where redirects become a problem. 

  • 302 redirects: If your 302 redirects are truly meant to be temporary (meaning less than a month or so), you can keep them. However, eventually, Google treats 302 redirects as 301 permanent redirects. When this happens, it can negatively impact rankings. 
  • Too many redirects: If you notice redirect chains or loops, meaning URL A goes to URL B, then URL C, to get to its final destination of URL D, you will want to go back and create redirects for URL A, B, and C to point to the final destination of URL D. 
  • Redirecting vital pages: If you accidentally redirected an important page, remove the redirect to avoid losing visibility in the SERPs. 

5. Audit your XML sitemap

Always remember to double-check your XML sitemap. You want to ensure there are no redirects listed in the XML sitemap. 

If redirects are listed in the XML sitemap, remove them. 

Also, make sure the page you redirected the old URL to is listed in the XML sitemap. 

You can filter submitted and unsubmitted pages from your XML sitemap in Google Search Console.

submitted-page-sitemap-redirect-error-google-search-console

If you filter by submitted pages and see a list of URLs, you’ll want to remove these URLs from your XML sitemap if the redirect is accurate. 

At the core of your “Page with redirect” error in Google Search Console lies a simple solution: taking a more mindful approach to your redirects and canonical tags. That’s it. 

But just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. 

I run quarterly audits to review all canonical tags and redirect pages to ensure I follow proper protocol and the directives act as I want. 

Plus, it’s a good habit. The fact that you’re adjusting canonical tags and implementing redirects is already a win in my book. 

Even with that solid win, you, like many of us SEO professionals, still have room for improvement. 

There’s nothing to fear with the ‘Page with redirect’ error in Google Search Console

Let’s be real: I’m not running to worship at the Google Gods alter to fix my “Page with redirect” error report in Google Search Console. 

Nine times out of 10, there’s no action I need to take. However, moments of awe-inspiring glory have shed light on a URL that was not meant to be redirected.  

The “Page with redirect” error report in Google Search Console has become a staple in my monthly SEO checklist routine. 

If you have access to Google Search Console, you’re in the know now. You’re part of a community where holistic, clean, and effective SEO work is gospel. 

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Optimizing LLMs for B2B SEO: An overview

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Optimizing LLMs for B2B SEO: An overview

We’re still in (very) early days for LLM (large language model) search, but fast-increasing user adoption is helping us draw insights on effective tactics for brands to deploy to appear in results on platforms like Perplexity, ChatGPT search, Gemini, and more.

This article looks at those tactics from a B2B lens, broken down by the following SEO initiatives:

Note that many of these tactics – but not all – should be familiar to SEOs who have experience with traditional search engines. 

Content strategy

The first step toward creating effective content for LLMs is to understand the nature of user queries. 

LLMs, more than traditional search engines, are host to conversational queries, like “How can I protect my business from ransomware attacks?” (where a similar Google query might be “ransomware attack protection for businesses”).

To adapt your content strategy, study the nature of the queries and create content that directly answers them. This includes conversational headings like “The best software to protect businesses from ransomware attacks.” 

In B2B, where the purchase journey is longer, it’s not as simple as optimizing for product-related queries; it’s essential to incorporate educational content to ease users into the awareness and engagement stages.

When it comes to the content itself, many of the principles of traditional SEO apply – particularly the need to go both broad and deep to establish authority and relevance. 

Incorporate supporting content like guides, case studies, and user testimonials. 

Make sure you’re working with pillar pages linking to in-depth blogs like “How CRM helps sales teams close deals faster.”

Remember that context matters a ton for LLMs for each piece of content (no matter the format). 

Optimize for nuanced, contextual responses by addressing multiple facets of a topic in the same piece. 

For example, a rich blog post for a fintech company could be titled “What is embedded finance? Benefits and challenges for SaaS platforms,” with subsections for: 

  • Benefits for startups.
  • Use cases in real-world scenarios.
  • Integration challenges and how to overcome them.

Semantic SEO

“Semantic SEO” is a relatively recent SEO initiative that means approaching content with respect to the full topic, not just keyword elements. 

In LLM SEO, the first item of semantic SEO is entity-based optimization, which includes:

For example, a cloud solutions provider can use schema markup to:

  • Mark up product pages with “Product” schema for solutions like “Cloud Data Storage Services.”
  • Build authority by linking to their business profile on Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and/or Crunchbase.

Because semantic SEO widens its focus from keywords, it’s essential to optimize for diverse phrases and synonyms instead of fixating solely on exact-match keywords. 

(You can use tools like Google Natural Language Processing or OpenAI embeddings to understand the relationship between tools.)

Let’s use a marketing automation platform as an example. 

Along with optimizing for a primary keyword, like “lead generation software,” include synonyms and variants like “Automated lead management tools” and “B2B marketing platforms.”

Dig deeper: ChatGPT search vs. Google: A deep dive analysis of 62 queries

Technical SEO

At this point, technical SEO for LLMs isn’t (by my understanding) all that different than technical SEO for traditional search engines. 

To increase your chances of showing up in LLM searches, tackle the following:

Data accessibility

  • Confirm content is crawlable and indexable by search engines and available for API integrations.
  • Optimize page speed and mobile performance for enhanced usability.

Structured data

  • Leverage structured data to signal intent and relevance clearly.
  • Implement detailed schema, such as “FAQPage,” “HowTo,” and “Product,” to improve how LLMs process your content.

User intent matching

Advanced SEO in both traditional search and LLMs incorporates an understanding of user intent into content. 

For B2B, this content should be strategically distributed across all stages of the buyer journey: awareness, education, technical understanding of solutions, and ultimately purchase intent.

For “instant” queries, provide actionable and direct responses, formatting answers in bullet points or concise paragraphs for LLM readiness while providing links to deeper resources. 

For example, a business offering AI-powered analytics can create content like: “What is predictive analytics in B2B?” and provide direct answers such as:

  • “Predictive analytics uses historical data to forecast future trends. For B2B, this helps identify potential leads and optimize sales strategies.”

Dig deeper: How to optimize for search intent: 19 practical tips

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Authority and trust

This is perhaps the area where we see almost no difference (yet) between LLMs and traditional search engines: establishing E-E-A-T principles is critical.

To do this (if you aren’t already), make sure your owned media:

  • Prioritizes experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness in all content.
  • Includes author bios, credentials, and citations to reinforce trustworthiness.
  • Cites reliable sources like Gartner, Forrester, or proprietary data studies.
  • Builds backlinks from authoritative domains to strengthen your site’s credibility.
  • Gains mentions in trusted publications to improve how LLMs perceive your brand.

For example, a logistics software company could secure backlinks from:

  • Industry publications like Logistics Management.
  • Mentions in business-oriented media like TechCrunch or Forbes.

Dig deeper: Decoding Google’s E-E-A-T: A comprehensive guide to quality assessment signals

AI feature optimization

This initiative is where SEO practices diverge most widely from traditional search engines. 

The way users interact with LLMs differs from how they interact with the Google search bar. 

For LLM-specific content enhancements:

  • Focus on content that answers “People Also Ask” and conversational follow-up queries.
  • Experiment with creating and optimizing content designed for direct API consumption.

For example, a tech consulting firm could create a resource hub for topics like “common cloud migration questions” with detailed Q&A formats that AI can surface easily.

If user behavior continues to feature more structured, question-based queries, make sure your content is designed to answer those directly. 

For example, a company specializing in ERP software can design content to appear for queries like:

  • “What are the best ERP solutions for mid-sized companies?”
  • “What is the ROI of implementing ERP software?”

Some LLMs (and we expect more to move in this direction) are multimedia-focused. 

For those, rich media integration – using videos, infographics, and charts to enhance engagement and improve content retrievability – will help spur inclusion in search results.

For example, a cybersecurity firm can enhance blogs with:

  • Infographics summarizing “5 types of cyberattacks businesses should watch for in 2025.”
  • Embedded videos explaining “How our threat detection tool works in real-time.”

Dig deeper: How to evolve your organic approach for the rise of answer engines

Continuous testing and adaptation

At this relatively early stage of LLM SEO maturity (and our understanding of it), continuous testing, measurement, and adaptation are among the most critical initiatives. 

At our agency, we focus on two fronts:

As you gather more information about what’s working, you can find common themes to deploy across your accounts. 

Dig deeper: How to cultivate SEO growth through continuous improvement

Optimizing for LLM-driven search in B2B

Because LLMs are in their infancy and because user behavior is changing so rapidly across the search landscape, find and regularly reference trusted sources to stay on top of trends and developments. 

In 12 months, this article might look woefully outdated, so it’s best to keep your finger on the pulse to adapt quickly.

Dig deeper: Decoding LLMs: How to be visible in generative AI search results

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Top 10 SEO expert columns of 2024 on Search Engine Land

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Search Engine Land's Top SEO columns of 2024

Since Search Engine Land launched, we have given SEO experts a platform to share their in-depth knowledge and timely insights – with the goal of helping you solve problems, manage challenges and understand the constantly shifting SEO landscape.

What follows are links to the 10 most-read, must-read Search Engine Land SEO columns of 2024 that were contributed by our fantastic group of Subject Matter Experts.

10. The SEO’s guide to Google Search Console

Dive into Google Search Console’s features and reports, plus how to navigate the tool like a pro, from basic setup to advanced SEO analysis. (By Anna Crowe. Published July 8.)

9. 15 AI tools you should use for SEO

Get more done in less time with these must-have AI tools to automate tasks, optimize content and improve your search engine rankings. (By Ludwig Makhyan. Published Sept. 27.)

8. How to use Google Search Console to unlock easy SEO wins

Steps for using GSC to review your traffic, analyze the search landscape and make impactful optimizations for quick results. (By Marcus Miller. Published Aug. 22.)

7. How to make your AI-generated content sound more human

Leverage AI like ChatGPT to generate more human-sounding long-form content. Refine prompts with details to produce engaging articles. (By James Allen. Published Feb. 26.)

6. Google recognizes content creators: A breakthrough for E-E-A-T and SEO

Google now highlights content creators as trusted sources in search results. Here’s why this matters for E-E-A-T and how SEOs can benefit. (By Jason Barnard. Published Sept. 25.)

5. How SEO moves forward with the Google Content Warehouse API leak

Addressing common questions, critiques and concerns following the massive Google Search leak and how your approach to SEO should change. (By Michael King. Published May 30.)

4. What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?

Understand what GEO is, how it’s revolutionizing digital marketing and key strategies to optimize for AI-driven search. (By Christina Adame. Published July 29.)

3. Unpacking Google’s massive search documentation leak

This breakdown unveils potential Google Search ranking factors, including details on PageRank variations, site authority metrics and more. (By Andrew Ansley. Published May 30.)

2. How Google Search ranking works

An in-depth analysis of how Google’s complex ranking system works and components like Twiddlers and NavBoost that influence search results. (By Mario Fischer. Published Aug. 13.)

1. ChatGPT vs. Google Bard vs. Bing Chat vs. Claude: Which generative AI solution is best?

Here’s a comparison of genAI tools ChatGPT, Bard, Bing Chat Balanced, Bing Chat Creative, and Claude based on four metrics. (By Eric Enge. Published Jan. 26.)

Top 10 PPC expert columns of 2024 on Search Engine Land

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Search Engine Land's Top PPC Columns of 2024

Search Engine Land gives PPC experts a platform to share their in-depth knowledge and timely insights – with the goal of helping you solve problems, manage challenges and understand the constantly shifting landscape of paid search, paid social, and display.

What follows are links to the 10 most-read, must-read Search Engine Land PPC columns of 2024 that were contributed by our fantastic group of subject matter experts.

10. Value-based bidding: Why it’s key to boosting your Google Ads

Discover how this bid strategy can optimize your Google Ads campaigns for the most valuable actions and overall profitability. (By Sarah Stemen. Published Feb. 7.)

9. Mastering Performance Max using scripts

Learn to negate poor performers, track disapproved products and exclude spammy placements with Google Ads scripts. (By Nils Rooijmans. Published Sept. 20.)

8. Google is hiding search data from advertisers and profiting

Here’s how it affects your ad campaigns and what you can do to optimize performance despite limited visibility. (By Mark Meyerson. Published Sept. 10.)

7. Google Ads for lead gen: 9 tips to scale low-spending campaigns

Looking to elevate your Google Ads lead gen efforts? Here are nine levers that can boost your PPC campaigns toward significant growth. (By Menachem Ani. Published Jan. 10.)

6. The Performance Max playbook: Best practices and emerging tactics for 2024

Strategies for running Performance Max campaigns in 2024, covering campaign structure, creative, budgeting and conversion tracking. (By Navah Hopkins. Published April 11.)

5. What Google’s query matching update means for future PPC campaigns

Learn about Google Ads’ latest improvements to query matching and brand controls and what it indicates about how keywords will evolve. (By Menachem Ani. Published July 10.)

4. 4 advanced GPT-4 capabilities to level up your PPC efforts

Leverage AI for PPC with improved prompts, data integration via plugins, custom GPTs, and API-enabled actions. (By Frederick Vallaeys. Published Feb. 1.)

3. ChatGPT for PPC: 17 strategic prompts you can use today

Learn how to use ChatGPT to level up your paid search efforts without sacrificing strategy, authenticity and creativity. (By Amy Hebdon. Published Sept. 3.)

2. What 54 Google Ads experiments taught me about lead gen

Two years of experiments reveal key findings on the best-performing bid strategies, keyword match types, campaign settings and more. (By Mark Meyerson. Published Aug. 29.)

1. How to analyze Performance Max search terms insights for PPC success

Google Ads fixed the bug preventing Performance Max search query data from showing in scripts. Here’s how to analyze it PPC optimization. (By Frederick Vallaeys. Published March 13.)

Google’s CEO warns ChatGPT may become synonymous to AI the way Google is to Search

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Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, and its executive team held a strategy meeting with employees last week on its 2025 outlook and what Google needs to focus on to get there. As you can imagine, much of it was around AI and shipping AI products that are better, faster and more consumer focused.

This was covered in CNBC’s write up named Google CEO Pichai tells employees to gear up for big 2025: ‘The stakes are high’.

Consumer focused Gemini. “Scaling Gemini on the consumer side will be our biggest focus next year,” Pichai was quoted as saying. The issue is, ChatGPT from OpenAI is quickly becoming the brand for AI, like Google is for Search. The CNBC article reads:

One comment read aloud by Pichai suggested that ChatGPT “is becoming synonymous to AI the same way Google is to search,” with the questioner asking, “What’s our plan to combat this in the upcoming year? Or are we not focusing as much on consumer facing LLM?”

Pichai wants Google to be that, not OpenAI. Will that be baked into Google Search or a new AI mode in Search or something else, it is not clear.

Comparing OpenAI to Google. Pichai also showed a chart of large language models, with Gemini 1.5 leading OpenAI’s GPT and other competitors. But that lead might not stay and that Google may have to play catchup, he suggested. “I expect some back and forth” in 2025, Pichai said. “I think we’ll be state of the art.”

“In history, you don’t always need to be first but you have to execute well and really be the best in class as a product,” he said. “I think that’s what 2025 is all about.”

Build and ship faster. Pichai also stressed that the company needs to go back to its early roots and build and ship faster, while also being more scrappy. Throughout the meeting, Pichai kept reminding employees of the need to “stay scrappy.”

“In early Google days, you look at how the founders built our data centers, they were really really scrappy in every decision they made,” Pichai said. “Often, constraints lead to creativity. Not all problems are always solved by headcount.”

This will help Google compete in this area.

“I think 2025 will be critical,” Pichai said. “I think it’s really important we internalize the urgency of this moment, and need to move faster as a company. The stakes are high. These are disruptive moments. In 2025, we need to be relentlessly focused on unlocking the benefits of this technology and solve real user problems.”

Why we care. 2025 will be a big year for AI, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google and other AI startups. This is an important year for these companies to gain market share and brand recognition in this space.

It will also be an exciting year, as these AI technologies should lead to fundamental changes in consumer behavior.

Top 10 PPC news of the year 2024 on Search Engine Land

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The world of digital marketing in 2024 has been nothing short of transformative, with Google once again taking center stage in many of the year’s biggest developments. From the ongoing debates about third-party cookies to advancements in Google Analytics and the rising distrust among advertisers, the year was marked by shifts that tested the adaptability and resilience of marketers everywhere.

As we enter the last few weeks of the year, let’s take a look at the top newsworthy headlines according to pageviews.

10. Google Ads phasing out card payments

In June Google notified some high-spending advertisers that they would need to stop using credit or debit cards for Google Ads payments by July 31, 2024. Affected accounts needed to transition to bank-based payment methods or risk suspension.

  • Advertisers expressed frustration, citing financial strain, loss of cashflow flexibility and lack of benefits.
  • Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin confirmed that only a small subset of advertisers would be impacted.

9. Google Ads ad copy: what works and what doesn’t in 2024

Optmyzr analyzed over 1 million Google Ads to uncover key insights into ad copy strategies, focusing on metrics like CPA, CTR, and ROAS. The findings challenge conventional wisdom and highlight opportunities for marketers to improve performance.

The report covered:

  • Ad strength – its misleading
  • Pinning Assets – against Google’s recommendations, it could be worth pinning all headlines
  • Sentence case vs Title Case – sentence case is a clear winner especially for RSAs
  • Creative length – shorter headlines performed better

8. Google is shutting down websites made with business profiles

Google Business Profile (GBP) websites were discontinued in March 2024. Visitors to these websites were redirected to the associated Business Profile form March until June 10 and from then it will be a “page not found error” they would see whenever such a link is clicked.

This caused the need of a new site for brands who had GBP websites, using platforms like Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, WordPress, Google Sites, or GoDaddy

7. Advertisers don’t trust Google

2024 saw advertisers trust level at an all time low as the Department of Justice’s laid out a damning case against Google, releasing a document even, detailing extensively why there should be trust issues against Google.

It took little coaxing to have several advertisers let us know why their trust is at an all time low. Advertisers complained of manipulative practices, lack of transparency, erosion of trust and much more.

6. Costs increasing

Advertising spend on Google search ads in the U.S. increased by 17% year-over-year in Q4 2023, with steady click growth at 8% and cost-per-click (CPC) rising by 9%, according to Tinuiti’s Q4 2023 Digital Ads Benchmark Report.

The rise in ad spend and growing confidence in paid media suggest advertisers adapted to challenges in 2023, leveraging mobile and emerging platforms like PMax to drive performance.

However by April, despite CPCs being up, spend was plateauing as advertisers were seeing a decline in clicks.

5. Google exposes competitor data

Advertisers are used to the odd Google Ads reporting glitch here and there, however in August, a unique one happened where competitor data was exposed.

Advertisers were unable to manage campaigns or access critical performance data. Additionally, a serious data breach has exposed unrelated item IDs, product titles, and Merchant Center information, potentially revealing competitors’ sensitive information.

It took a week for the issue to be fully resolved.

4. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) adds new dimensions

In February, GA4 introduced eight new dimensions to enhance tracking and analysis of paid and organic traffic sources. With new dimensions like Manual source, Manual medium, Manual Campaign and more, these dimensions provide deeper insights into user behavior and performance across channels.

3. Google Ads discrepancies

In July, advertiser Brais Calvo Vázquez’s discovered that Google Analytics 4 (GA4) includes a hidden report that allows users to compare conversion data exported to Google Ads, helping to identify and explain discrepancies between the two platforms.

This tool, accessible by appending “/advertising/key-event-differences” to a GA4 property URL, provides advertisers with insights to improve campaign accuracy and performance.

Some users have had access to this report for over a year, indicating it may have been in extended testing. Google made no comment to this discovery.

2. Search Partner Update

February Google announced introducing greater advertiser control over ad placements within its Search Partner Network (SPN). Starting March 4, advertisers using Performance Max (PMax) campaigns will gain access to impression-level reporting for SPN sites. Additionally, exclusions applied at the account level will extend to SPN placements, YouTube, and display ads.

The changes aim to provide advertisers with enhanced transparency and control, allowing them to safeguard their brand reputation. The SPN includes websites and apps that display search ads, extending beyond Google’s main properties like YouTube and Google Discover.

1. Third Party Cookies

There had been back and forth about third party cookies for years now and whether to deprecate it and in 2024, Google had high hopes of going ahead with doing getting rid of it. However, their hopes were dashed almost as soon as they started their tests.

In January the report was Google started phasing out third party cookies. They were axing cookies from 1% of browser traffic, and the speculation at that stage was that they would phase out third-party cookies by the second half of 2024 as a crucial move in its Privacy Sandbox initiative.

In February due to concerns raised by UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, Google were stopped in their tracks form going ahead with the third party deprecation until concerns around its proposed Privacy Sandbox changes were sufficiently appeased. According to Google’s documentation:

  • “The Privacy Sandbox initiative aims to create technologies that both protect people’s privacy online and give companies and developers tools to build thriving digital businesses.”

However CMA had lots (39 and counting) of concerns, the three key ones being:

  • Google would still benefit from user data whilst competitors would be limited form this data,
  • That they will show favoritism towards their ad tech,
  • Publishers and advertisers won’t able to detect fraudulent activity.

In April the deadline for third party cookie deprecation moved from end of 2024 to 2025, conceding to the concerns the CMA raised in February. The had put evidence together that they were still doing the right by the industry and wanted to give the CMA enough time go over all the documentation they had provided.

Later that same month the concerns increased to 111 with the primary concern now being that Google will become too dominant in the market if their Privacy Sandbox solution went ahead.

After a couple of months of silence, the final decision came – Google scraps plans to kill third-party cookies in Chrome. The new promise is to introduce a new experience in Chrome whilst the Privacy Sandbox AMI will continue to be developed for alternative solutions.

That is a wrap on 2024. Several major talking points there, unsurprisingly mostly focused around Google there. What do we think 2025 will bring us? I reckon a lot more AI updates and experts truly needing to different themselves from those who just use AI as their selling point. It would also be interesting to see whether the Google we know now will have all its brands still intact by this time next year.

Google ads rolls out Brand Report for enhanced advertiser insights

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Google Ads introduced Brand Report, a new dashboard tool that gives advertisers consolidated insights into reach and frequency across campaigns.

The tool simplifies how brand advertisers track campaign performance by providing deduplicated metrics in one place, rather than scattered across multiple reports.

The details. Brand Report consolidates data from multiple tools, streamlining analysis of KPIs and demographic performance.

  • Advertisers can filter results by age, gender, and other on-target demographics.
  • Accessible directly in the Google Ads dashboard under “Insights and reports.”

Why we care. This update is significant because it finally solves the headache of piecing together reach and frequency data from multiple places.

By providing deduplicated metrics in one dashboard, you can now easily see who they’re actually reaching across campaigns, spot where they’re overspending on the same audiences, and make faster, smarter decisions about their brand advertising investments.

Key requirements:

  • Available at the single account level (no multi-account or MCC support).
  • Metrics cover a max of 92 days and up to 10,000 campaigns.
  • Requires 10,000+ impressions per campaign for data to populate.
  • Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns are excluded.

What’s next. You should now look out for when other campaign types, like Search, Performance Max and Shopping, will be included in the reports.