The new year is the perfect time to sharpen your strategies and set the foundation for success. Join Data-Driven Strategies for Retail Success and learn how to harness the power of data and technology to elevate your marketing efforts.
Learn how leading brands are using cutting-edge techniques to drive results—and how you can apply these insights to your own strategy. Our expert panel will cover:
Optimizing shopper journeys with actionable data.
Using A/B testing to make impactful decisions.
Delivering personalized experiences at scale with AI.
Lessons from the past peak season to inform your 2025 plans.
Whether you’re a digital marketer, merchandiser, or executive, this webinar is your chance to start the year with a strategy that drives measurable growth. Save your spot here!
https://i0.wp.com/dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Join-our-experts-for-this-live-panel-discussion-g2NF0D.jpeg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=110801920http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-01-14 19:09:452025-01-14 19:09:45Start 2025 strong with data-driven strategies for retail success by Edna Chavira
Savvy PPC marketers often praise LTV:CAC as a superior KPI for measuring profitability and guiding budget decisions.
While insightful, correctly leveraging LTV:CAC is far more complex than it seems – and certainly not as straightforward as ROAS, which itself can be misleading.
To avoid missteps, it’s crucial to understand when LTV:CAC is useful, its limitations, and how a poorly calculated metric can lead you to the wrong north star.
If your agency recommends increasing your PPC budget based on a “great” LTV:CAC ratio, be cautious. There may be critical nuances (or even conflicts of interest) at play.
This article breaks down the fundamentals of LTV:CAC, including:
What LTV:CAC is and why it’s important.
Common pitfalls when using the metric.
How to refine LTV:CAC, plus alternative KPIs.
What is LTV:CAC?
LTV:CAC (customer lifetime value to customer acquisition cost) measures the relationship between the value a customer brings to a business over time and the cost of acquiring that customer. It’s calculated as:
LTV:CAC = LTV / CAC
This ratio helps businesses assess whether their customer acquisition efforts are profitable.
A higher LTV:CAC indicates that customers generate more revenue than their acquisition cost, while a lower ratio could signal inefficiency or unprofitable marketing.
Breaking down the components
LTV (customer lifetime value) represents the total revenue a customer generates throughout their relationship with a business.
Formula:
LTV = (Average order value x Total transactions) / Unique customers
CAC (customer acquisition cost) is the average cost incurred to acquire a new customer within a specific period.
Formula:
CAC = Total marketing costs / Number of new customers
Note: Always calculate both metrics using the same time period to avoid skewed results.
Why is LTV:CAC important – and how can it be dangerous?
LTV:CAC serves one core purpose: ensuring profitability.
This KPI is critical for a company’s future because it measures whether the value generated from newly acquired customers justifies the cost of acquiring them.
It’s often compared to return on ad spend, or ROAS, (revenue generated by ads / ad costs) but goes a step further.
While ROAS focuses on immediate returns, LTV:CAC considers the long-term revenue potential of a customer.
This broader view can encourage marketers to lower ROAS targets and increase budgets, assuming future revenue will balance acquisition costs over time.
For example, imagine a marketer spends $30 to acquire a new customer who generates $30 in immediate revenue (100% ROAS).
Based on historical data, the finance team predicts that this customer will make three additional purchases of $30 each, totaling $120 in revenue over their lifetime.
Total revenue = $30 (initial purchase) + 3 x $30 = $120
LTV = $120
CAC = $30
LTV:CAC = $120 / $30 or 4:1
This 4:1 ratio might suggest strong profitability and justify increased spending.
However, it can be dangerous.
Profitability metrics like LTV:CAC often require deeper financial oversight, yet marketers may lack visibility into key cost components, such as payback periods, retention variability, and operational costs.
Misunderstanding these factors can lead to overestimations of profitability and misguided budget increases.
Let’s break down some of the common traps that make LTV:CAC a potentially misleading metric.
LTV:CAC is often praised by top marketers as a superior KPI, which might tempt you to adopt it too.
While it can be valuable in scenarios with high retention and repeat purchase rates (like SaaS), it’s not always reliable.
Before using LTV:CAC, run a retention analysis to answer: “How many times do my customers purchase on average over a set period?”
In ecommerce, customer retention is typically around 30% at best.
Using the earlier ROAS example, if you spend $30 to generate $120 in revenue (400% ROAS), you might assume retention will increase total revenue by 30%, raising it to $156. This would suggest a higher 520% ROAS.
While appealing, it’s far from transformative enough to justify dramatically increasing your budget.
2. Overlooking payback period and cash flow
Even if your retention is strong enough to justify using LTV:CAC as your north star metric and your ratio slightly exceeds the standard 3:1, increasing your PPC budget blindly can be risky.
Why? Because LTV:CAC doesn’t account for the payback period – the time required to recover CAC expenses, or how long it takes for revenue to break even with acquisition costs.
If your payback period is 12 months, customers won’t become profitable until the 12-month mark.
During that time, your balance sheet remains negative, putting strain on cash flow and limiting your ability to reinvest in PPC campaigns or other growth strategies.
To scale faster, you need cash on hand since existing funds are already tied up in customer acquisition.
Options include raising capital or improving fundamentals (e.g., lowering CAC, raising prices, or encouraging prepayment).
Bottom line: A positive LTV:CAC doesn’t guarantee you can safely scale your budget.
3. Misunderstanding marketing LTV vs. finance LTV
Marketers often calculate LTV using basic metrics like revenue – sometimes even pre-tax figures – resulting in inflated and misleading values.
Naturally, both LTV and CAC should accurately reflect the balance sheet, but this is where many marketers go wrong.
Finance teams often step in to correct these calculations, which can lead to uncomfortable conversations if marketers lack financial literacy.
To avoid this, marketers need to understand finance-level metrics and how their stakeholders calculate profitability.
LTV is fundamentally a finance KPI. Some finance teams calculate it using gross profit margin (COGS), while others factor in operating expenses (OPEX), making it closer to an EBIT-based KPI.
Ultimately, it’s not about challenging their process but aligning with it.
To collaborate effectively, marketers should understand key cost components like:
Support.
Infrastructure.
Materials (for physical products).
Sales and marketing expenses.
Development costs.
Other operational expenses.
By aligning with finance teams and using accurate metrics, LTV:CAC can become a far more reliable KPI.
4. Miscalculating CAC by ignoring non-marketing customer sources
PPC, marketing, and other customer sources are critical when assessing CAC and its impact on LTV:CAC.
Lowering CAC is an obvious way to improve the LTV:CAC ratio, but it can complicate calculating CAC accurately.
A common issue is calculating CAC by dividing total marketing costs by total new customers, disregarding other customer sources.
In some businesses, where marketing drives about 95% of customer acquisition, this approach might not significantly affect the LTV:CAC ratio and simplifies the calculation.
However, this often overlooks non-marketing customer sources like word of mouth, viral organic content, or baseline growth.
This inflates the customer count, artificially lowering CAC and boosting LTV:CAC, creating a misleading impression of growth.
In the long run, this can lead to structural issues.
While some argue that word of mouth stems from branding or top-of-funnel campaigns, this is only sometimes true.
Many customer sources, such as referral programs, sales initiatives, or product-driven growth, are independent of traditional marketing or PPC efforts.
Assuming all customers are equal can lead to inflated LTV:CAC ratios and dangerous strategies.
You might attempt to boost LTV and make LTV:CAC look better quickly, but this approach can be misleading.
A common mistake is calculating LTV as total revenue divided by total customers over a period, creating an average that hides differences between customer segments.
Not all customers contribute equally in terms of revenue and retention.
For instance, if the average LTV is $480, it likely doesn’t reflect the actual distribution of customer value:
60% of customers spend around $280.
30% of customers spend around $600.
10% of customers spend around $1,300.
If you aim for a 3:1 LTV:CAC ratio based on the $480 average LTV, you would set a target CAC of $160.
However, for 60% of your customers, who only generate $280 in LTV, the sustainable CAC should be $93 ($280/3).
This highlights a significant gap, as the average target would be too high for most customers.
Additionally, the top 10% of customers with a $1,300 LTV likely aren’t acquired through marketing, which complicates the calculation further.
Each of these components is dynamic and depends on the company’s ability to maintain or improve its fundamentals:
MRR: Can you cross-sell or upsell effectively?
GPM: Can you enhance overall efficiency?
Cancellation rate: Are new competitors entering the market? Is the market shrinking?
For example, HubSpot reportedly tripled its LTV in just 18 months. Now, imagine a smaller company experiencing the opposite trend.
Bottom line: LTV is a forecast, not a certainty. Don’t place too much confidence in LTV or your LTV:CAC ratio.
7. Treating LTV as a strategy
While this might seem slightly off-topic for PPC practitioners, it’s crucial to grasp when collaborating with stakeholders.
Holding the LTV flag high without fully engaging with others can lead to issues.
Imagine you secure additional budget for performance marketing – great news!
But as spending increases, CAC rises, making the LTV:CAC ratio worse.
In response, you might raise prices to boost LTV.
Problem solved?
Not quite.
Higher prices may lead to increased monthly cancellations. Even worse, the new customers acquired with that extra budget might be of lower quality, spending less and churning faster.
The customer support team steps in, confident they can resolve these issues by expanding their efforts, which increases costs and strains cash flow.
This scenario highlights how LTV is deeply interconnected with various aspects of the business.
Mistaking this metric for a stand-alone strategy can lead to missteps. It’s essential to use LTV as a tool, not a strategy in itself, to ensure sustainable growth.
How to ‘fix’ LTV:CAC, plus alternative KPIs
LTV:CAC can be a useful metric, but its complexity and potential for misinterpretation mean it requires careful handling.
To make the most of this KPI and ensure it accurately reflects your business’s health, consider the following tips.
Low retention? Don’t use LTV:CAC
In ecommerce, if your repeat purchase rate is around 30%, LTV may not be a relevant metric from a marketing perspective.
Instead, focus on CAC alone and aim to be profitable from the first order.
This approach, though tougher, is more sustainable and reflective of genuine growth – think ROAS.
Improve retention through upselling, cross-selling, customer support, or product enhancements.
https://i0.wp.com/dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/LTV-CAC-explained-Why-it-isnt-the-ultimate-KPI-800x450-Z6OGSQ.png?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1450800http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-01-14 14:00:002025-01-14 14:00:00LTV:CAC explained: Why you shouldn’t rely on this KPI
Amazon recently announced significant changes to its product title policy, set to take effect Jan. 21. This update marks a shift in how sellers approach product listing titles on the Amazon platform.
Titles have long been considered the most important piece of structured data on a product detail page for Amazon SEO.
This is especially true as the title appears not only on the search engine results page (SERP) and product detail page but also as the advertising copy for most ad types.
In the private label Amazon spaces, in particular, title construction has prioritized exact keyword phrase matches in titles, leading to an increase in lengthy and unclear titles as sellers try to squeeze in as many keyword phrases as possible – a practice Amazon now aims to address through these policy changes.
Amazon has progressively tightened character limitations across various listing fields in recent years.
The new policy establishes a universal 200-character limit for most product categories, with some apparel categories facing even stricter constraints of 125 characters.
Amazon has always said it wanted concise titles. However, most sellers have found that longer titles can help with indexing and ranking.
Amazon’s policy limits titles to 80 characters. (We usually recommend 100-200 characters.)
This new restriction is not entirely unforeseen, as we have seen Amazon more aggressively enforce the existing 200-character title length in several categories in 2024.
Disallowing special characters
Amazon has never been a fan of emojis in titles or decorative symbols, and they are now getting even stricter by only allowing a handful of special characters.
“The special characters !, $, ?, _, {, }, ^, ¬, and ¦ are not allowed, unless they are part of the brand name.”
You can still use pipes “|” and dashes “-” to break up your title, but most other special characters are being restricted with this new policy.
The exception for this new policy for special characters is if the special character is part of the brand name.
This will likely mean that the brand used in the Brand Registry and the trademark would include that special character.
For example, if your brand was trademarked and registered as “TaDa!” Then you could include that in your title as it is part of your brand name.
Amazon also says that some special characters will only be allowed in specific contexts:
“Other special characters, such as ~, #, <, >, and *, are allowed only in specific contexts. For example, you may use these symbols as product identifiers (“Style #4301”) or measurements (“<10 lb”).”
“Decorative usage of special characters is not allowed. For example, the title “Paradise Towel Wear Co. Beach Coverup << Size Kids XXS >>” is non-compliant because of the excessive use of symbols around the size.”
Keyword repetition restrictions
The most significant change addresses keyword repetition in titles.
The new policy limits the use of the same word to no more than twice, with exceptions for prepositions, articles, and conjunctions.
In practice, this means a word can appear twice but not three times.
This change poses a challenge for sellers with traditionally repeated keywords to incorporate as many keyword phrases as possible into their titles.
During Amazon’s AMA on Jan. 8, it was clarified that plurals and different forms of the same word will also count as repeated usage.
Exceptions for brand names
The policy makes an important distinctionregarding brand names. Words appearing within brand names are treated separately from their use in product descriptions.
“The brand name is also not allowed more than twice. If part of the brand name appears in the title in different context, then it is not considered a duplicate. For example, in ‘Old Navy and Navy Blue,’ the word ‘Navy’ is not considered a duplicate.”
One issue with this is how Amazon will determine where the line is if a keyword is used in a separate context.
Amazon has also clarified that they will consider titles that repeat words, such as “loaf pan, muffin pan, baking pan,” to be duplicates.
It looks like they will be looking for duplicates with a much wider net than anticipated when this was first announced.
Implementation timeline and process
Amazon will begin notifying sellers of non-compliant titles after Jan. 21, providing a 14-day window for resolution.
Non-compliant titles can be identified and managed through the Manage All Inventory tab in Seller Central.
If you have a brand with special characters or your primary purpose in your brand name, you will want to check for alerts as soon as the policy goes into effect in Seller Central in the Manage Inventory page.
If you think you were flagged in error, you should submit a case to Seller Support as quickly as possible. This will allow you time to escalate the issue as needed before your 14-day compliance window is up.
Changing titles in bulk
If you need to change multiple titles it is always best to do that with a flat file (.csv upload). To do this, you would take the following steps:
Use the downloaded file to update titles. You can then use this file to update many listings all at once. You may be able to use find and replace within Excel to speed up title changes.
Upload the files to Amazon. After the file processes, check for errors. It is also a good practice to wait 24 hours and visually check all updated listings to ensure the title changes are reflected in the system. Make sure you understand how flat file updates work and that you have the field that indicates full or partial updates completed correctly.
Schedule time on Jan. 21 to review any recommended changes from Amazon. If you believe you should have an exception or if your listing was flagged in error, you may need to submit a ticket.
Future implications
This is a fundamental change in how sellers will approach titles (and, in turn, their ad copy). Amazon changes policies often, so it could be that they relax these requirements.
However, I think these restrictions could help us enter a new era of more thoughtful and meticulously crafted titles that are ultimately more focused on catering to the customer than search algorithms.
After all, clear, helpful titles are what turn browsers into buyers.
Note: Links to Amazon Seller Central pages are generally accessible only to registered sellers who have an active Amazon Seller account.
Google’s share of the global search engine market fell below 90% for the first time since 2015, according to Statcounter. Google’s global search market share was under 90% during each of the final three months of 2024.
The data. Here’s a screenshot of the 2024 search market share, showing Google dipping below 90% – to 89.34% in October; 89.99% in November; and 89.73% in December:
And here’s the last three-month stretch where Google’s search market share was under 90%, in 2015: 89.62% in January; 89.47% in February; 89.52% in March:
Why we care. As the old saying goes, one’s a dot, two’s a line, and three’s a trend. Cleary, we’re seeing a trend here with Google losing search market share.
Where’s the drop? Google’s search market share appeared to be fairly consistent in most regions except Asia, which appears to have been a big reason for Google’s overall drop.
U.S. drop? Google’s U.S. search market share peaked at 90.37% in November, but fell to 87.39% in December. In the other months of 2024, Google’s U.S. search market share was fairly consistent, varying between 86-88%.
The big picture. Google has been under attack for nearly two years over the growing unhelpfulness of its search results despite dominating thanks to its illegal monopoly status with a commanding and consistent 90-92+% share for nearly a decade.
Are we now finally starting to see the beginning people moving away to other search engines? This will be an area of interest to watch in the coming months.
Where did searchers go? Did they go to AI answer engines, like ChatGPT Search and Perplexity? Well, not the way Statcounter measures things. Statcounter mainly tracks Microsoft Bing, Yandex, Yahoo and Baidu, but also has another grouping called “other,” which includes the likes of DuckDuckGo and Ecosia.
Bing, Yandex, and Yahoo each gained some of Google’s lost share. Second-place Microsoft Bing hovered at or just under 4% for the final five months of 2024.
https://i0.wp.com/dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/search-market-share-monthly-2024-statcounter-x4hqiP.png?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=17201280http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-01-13 16:21:452025-01-13 16:21:45Google’s search market share drops below 90% for first time since 2015
Reddit today announced two significant product launches: a trends analysis tool for businesses and a new advertising format for its popular Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions.
Reddit’s new business-focused offerings come as the platform hits major growth milestones, including its first time exceeding 100 million daily active users and reaching profitability.
The details. The new Reddit Pro Trends tool, available within Reddit Pro’s free suite, allows businesses to:
Track real-time conversations about their brands, products, and industry trends.
Visualize conversation volume across Reddit communities.
Monitor discussions across approximately 100,000 “smart” keywords.
Access a feed of relevant conversations.
Soon view related keyword suggestions.
Why we care. These new capabilities allow for monitoring real-time conversations about your products and directly promoting Q&A sessions, essentially helping you access communities that are actively discussing your market segment. The new AMA ad format, especially, provides a structured way for you to participate in these conversations rather than just observe them.
Between the lines. Early adopters like Wayfair and the NBA tested Reddit Pro Trends, with participating businesses seeing a 12% increase in post creation. Smaller companies like Nudge Security and Van Votz, also tested the analytics tool, using it to find niche audiences.
What’s next. The new AMA Ads format lets businesses promote Q&A sessions directly through Reddit’s ad dashboard, complete with RSVP tracking capabilities.
Bottom line.These launches reflect Reddit’s strategic push to monetize its massive user base while providing value to businesses looking to tap into authentic community discussions.
https://i0.wp.com/dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/4-Reddit-ad-formats-you-need-to-know-800x450-9euVOr.png?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1450800http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-01-07 17:44:412025-01-07 17:44:41Reddit introduces business analytics tools and AMA ads
You can say much about 2024, but you can’t call it boring.
From AI Overviews rolling out (now with ads!) to a feed-choking election to cookies (somehow) sticking around in Chrome to the rise of LLM search, PPC advertisers have had to deal with turbulence in the past year.
What can B2B advertisers expect in 2025?
I’ll share my predictions for key platforms like Google, LinkedIn, and Reddit, as well as trends in measurement and martech.
While these are just my best guesses, many are based on trends we already see in our client accounts.
2025 Google predictions
Google will lose some of the search market
We’re already seeing searches soar on LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Even if Gemini improves its UX and results, it won’t keep Google from losing volume and changing user behavior.
Google won’t have to divest itself of Chrome (yet)
This is kind of a layup. No matter what the DOJ pushes for in its antitrust victory from November, it will not happen in 2025.
Even if the judge agrees that Google needs to sell Chrome, appeals and plenty of red tape will likely keep this from becoming a reality within the next 12 months.
Google will launch at least one promising beta for B2B ads
It has been a long dry run for B2B marketers looking for fun betas and features from Google.
Today, all updates seem to point to one thing: feeding the algorithm.
B2B marketers have had fewer opportunities to experiment in search since I entered the field over a decade ago.
That said, I foresee Google throwing us a bit of a bone this year – maybe to counteract the negative momentum it’s carrying into 2025.
They could shock us by reinstituting some match-type controls, but I doubt it.
They’ll likely give us some tools that make responsive search ads (RSAs) easier to work with and more transparent about which combinations actually work for advertisers.
Advertisers will more broadly adopt enhanced conversions.
This is cheating a bit since it’s a prediction for Google advertisers and not Google itself, but I think enhanced conversion usage will be much broader in 12 months than it is today.
In B2B advertising, the key will be finding the right balance between:
Setting AI guardrails through segmentation.
Ensuring segments are large enough to maintain data density, as the system struggles when data is limited.
Enhanced conversions are a good tool for helping advertisers port more data into the back end.
This will be essential for training Google to find the right users and keep budget focused on impact.
2025 LinkedIn predictions
Ad types will keep diversifying
Videos, thought leader ads (TLAs), conversation ads, and new ways to promote individual POVs.
We’re seeing promising results from testing all of those in 2024, and I expect LinkedIn to provide more variety in 2025.
The UX and advertising algorithms will improve
LinkedIn’s UX and bidding and targeting algorithms have both lagged, even as clients shift more budget toward the platform.
Those areas will receive more attention in 2025, and the algorithm may even improve at detecting and suppressing AI-generated content, including tedious automated comments.
You may also see LinkedIn make it easier for advertisers to collect lead information on the platform.
For instance, adding lead forms to TLAs would be a nice marriage of conversion friendliness and a popular new ad type.
The best ads won’t look like ads
One of the things we’re working on with our clients is getting creative with messaging and tying it to pain points or industry or job lingo.
In short, we’re doubling down on empathetic messaging and authenticity, which is not unique to LinkedIn.
With the feed getting junkier and more AI-formulaic by the day, the more organic you can make an ad look, the more people will pay attention.
Improved testing will roll out as competition grows
For its market share, Reddit made arguably the most significant moves in B2B advertising in 2024.
With new ad types, audience features, advanced reporting, and enhanced targeting capabilities, Reddit enters 2025 with a growing user base and a spot on the shortlist of must-test platforms for B2B and SaaS advertisers.
They’ll meet the moment with more testing features, specifically A/B testing functionality that starts mimicking rival platforms.
Tracking and attribution will struggle
Because Reddit is populated by a younger, tech-savvy audience, part of its brand is tied to user privacy (hence usernames, not real names).
This is great for users with edgy and authentic POVs to share, but it will make life harder for advertisers trying to track the real business impact of their Reddit campaigns.
(Related prediction: their fairly rudimentary CAPI function will improve quite a bit in 2025.)
Chrome’s third-party cookies will survive 2025 – kind of
Yes, Chrome’s cookies will be severely weakened by the (still-impending) opt-out feature that Google plans to implement.
But my prediction is that the cookies will be (somehow) clinging to life at the end of 2025 because I don’t see Google and the IAB agreeing on an alternate solution.
CDPs will gain serious momentum
More marketers will move to adopt server-side tracking in 2025 (disclaimer: we’re pushing our clients hard in that direction) as a holistic, privacy-safe transition away from third-party cookies.
We’re seeing most of our clients getting an artificial increase in “direct” traffic as data is stripped away.
This will hit a critical point, leading brands to get proactive about server-side solutions.
First-party data enrichment tools will gain prominence
Less third-party data to work with means more emphasis on first-party data and the tools that empower it.
Look for names like Stape and Pendar, which are beefing up first-party data collected on the server side, to start appearing more frequently in brand conversations.
Anticipating transformations in B2B paid media and martech
There’s room for 2025 to be a more transformative year than 2024 for B2B campaigns – if only because there will be more room for challengers to Google’s market dominance.
I expect marketers to become more proactive about tracking and measurement solutions because their hands are being forced.
This should also lead to new scrutiny about which campaigns are actually driving business impact. (Or maybe that’s just something on my wishlist every year.)
https://i0.wp.com/dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-predictions-for-top-B2B-paid-media-channels-800x450-OKJuhf.png?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1450800http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-01-07 13:00:002025-01-07 13:00:002025 predictions for top B2B paid media channels
You can now export hourly data for the past 24-hours from Google Search Console’s performance report. A month ago, Google added the new 24-hour view to the performance reports, but there was no easy way to export that data to other platforms, now there is.
Exporting. Google announced on social that you can now export the data, I tested it, and yes, it exports the past 24-hours of data, hour by hour.
Google wrote, “Last month we announced the 24 hour view in the Search Console Performance reports, and we got lots of positive feedback and feature requests. Today, we’re making the export button available for that view (one of the most requested features): the ability to export data on an hourly basis for the last 24 hours. Enjoy the new data!”
Google then shared this screenshot showing you can export this data to Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel or CSV format:
Why we care. Being able to use the data outside of the web interface in Google Search Console can be super helpful when trying to debug and discover new insights. While you can only export this data for the past 24 hours, it can still be useful to see this data come in, in almost real time, from Google Search Console. That being said, the more recent data is not always the final data that Google shows, so reviewing the data again may be important, depending on what reports you are trying to generate.
Keep an eye on this data, validate it against the other exports, and see how you can use it to improve your site and content over time.
https://i0.wp.com/dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/google-search-console-export-24-hours-7BiHQk.jpeg?fit=1880%2C1174&ssl=111741880http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-01-07 12:56:222025-01-07 12:56:22Google Search Console performance report 24-hour view now can be exported
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”?
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: 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 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.
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.
https://i0.wp.com/dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/StellarSEO-20250107-header-IgWa9t.jpeg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=110801920http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-01-07 12:00:002025-01-07 12:00:00How to find the best link building service for you by Stellar SEO
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.
For example, when summer sales dropped, they scheduled customer calls. The feedback was clear:
“We love the blanket, but we’re sweating. It’s in storage until winter.” – Aaron Spivak
That single insight led to their breakthrough “ice fabric” technology, which:
Raised $1M on Kickstarter
Sold 3,000 units in 72 hours
Became their highest-margin product
The entrepreneurs continued talking to customers to inform product development.
“When people ask what our marketing hack is or which agency we worked with, they miss the point. We had 3,000 people on the phone tell us exactly what they wanted. That’s the real secret.” – Aaron Spivak
How to Have Customer Conversations
It’s easy to overthink product research. But Hush proved that you just need to begin talking to customers.
Here’s a simple process to get started:
Send a brief email with a link for a 15-minute call. The Hush team found this approach got better responses than long surveys or complicated feedback forms.
Approach each conversation with genuine curiosity. Don’t defend your products or explain your constraints. Just listen. Ask what their perfect product would look like. Follow interesting threads that emerge.
Start with five customers this week. That’s enough to spot patterns while being totally manageable. Even if you’re swamped, you can find 75 minutes for conversations that could transform your business.
Take detailed notes using their exact words. In addition to product ideas, you can get feedback points and marketing content.
The goal is to build such deep customer understanding that product failures become nearly impossible.
You may not remember product specs, but you likely recall Sara Blakely cutting the feet off her pantyhose to create Spanx. Or Patagonia’s founder testing gear on mountain expeditions.
Most brands miss by showing only the highlight reel—the wins, the perfect moments, and the polished content.
Telling raw, relatable stories is how you build a lasting brand.
How Mid Day Squares Built a $20M Chocolate Empire Through Storytelling
In 2018, Jake Karls and his co-founders launched Mid Day Squares with a radical commitment to transparency.
They documented everything about building the company—from production line disasters to legal battles to funding negotiations.
Mid Day Sqaures unconventional approach involved:
Sharing the entrepreneurial journey, not just the product (85-90% of content)
Showing behind-the-scenes wins and failures
Filming raw, unscripted moments
“When people ask what’s our marketing hack or which agency we worked with, they’re missing the point. Building in public and sharing our authentic story turned customers into fans who felt like they were buying from friends.” – Jake Karls
Mid Day Squares grew to over $20 million in revenue. And Jake attributes much of their success to creative content.
But brand storytelling isn’t just for founder-led content.
How TBH Skincare Makes Customer-Focused Content
When Rachel Wilde started TBH Skincare, she took a different approach to content marketing.
In addition to founder stories, she created content on real customer experiences. It focused on honest education about acne treatment.
“I always say start with the customer. Understand what they want, and hit them with the right with the right message in the right place at the right time.” – Rachel Wilde
This customer-first storytelling shaped every aspect of their content, including:
Focusing on raw, unfiltered customer results
Creating educational content that destigmatizes acne
TBH Skincare grew to $14M ($22M AUD) in four years.
How to Start Creating Engaging Stories
Before investing in content, identify what makes your brand relatable. Here are some best practices to get started:
Document your “why.” Beyond making money, what drives your company? What change are you trying to create?
Choose your storytelling lane. Will you focus on founder content? Customer stories? Educational content? Pick an approach that plays to your strengths and resonates with your audience.
Start small but consistent. You don’t need fancy equipment or a full content team. Both Mid Day Squares and TBH Skincare started with iPhones and posted daily while staying true to their story.
Test and iterate. Track which stories resonate deeply. Look for patterns in engagement and sales attribution. Double down on what works.
“Most brands create different content for each marketing channel. We just document our journey and then adapt those stories for different platforms. It’s more authentic and way more efficient.” – Jake Karls
The TBH Skincare team has found authentic stories outperform traditional ads across every channel.
“When you have a piece of content that really resonates with people, you can use it everywhere. Our best-performing ads weren’t planned campaigns—they were real moments we captured and then amplified.” – Rachel Wilde
The lesson?
View storytelling as the key to better marketing. It’ll boost all your other channels.
3. Optimize Search Marketing (Paid and Organic)
Every day, billions of people tell Google exactly what they want to buy. Capturing this traffic isn’t cheap or easy—but it’s steady.
Paid search gives instant traffic but needs constant investment. Organic search is free but takes time to build up. Together, they drive consistent sales.
“The key is perfect alignment. Your keyword matches the intent, your ad matches the keyword, and your landing page matches the ad. No disconnects.” – Dan Turner
Here’s exactly what they changed:
Built granular campaigns: Instead of lumping everything together, they created separate campaigns for each product category. Every campaign got its own custom landing page and clear conversion path.
Implemented systematic testing: Every ad needed a minimum of 5,000 impressions before making decisions. Proper budget allocation for each test. Regular creative refreshes.
The result?
A consistent 10x return on ad spend (ROAS).
How to Make the Most Out of Your Google Ads Campaigns
Before you spend a dollar on ads, understand your profit. Then, analyzing your competitors and keyword research follows.
Calculate Your Campaign Profitability
Work out how much you can spend to get a customer while making a profit. Without this calculation, you risk burning your ad budget on dud campaigns.
To avoid this mistake, note three metrics:
Target cost per click (CPC)
Expected conversion rate
Maximum customer acquisition cost (CAC)
Here’s an example of the math:
Product price: $100
Profit margin: 50% (meaning you make $50 per sale)
Target ROAS: 3:1 (for every $1 spent on ads, you want $3 in revenue)
Expected conversion rate: 2% (2 out of 100 visitors buy)
The maximum CAC calculation is $50 profit ÷ 3 = $16.67 maximum ad spend per customer. With a 2% conversion rate, you can’t spend over $16.67 to acquire a customer while keeping campaigns profitable.
Do Keyword Research
Keyword research answers a simple question: are people searching for what you’re selling?
Start by Googling your products to see what ads are displaying.
For example, here’s what the ads look like for “pendulum lights.”
There are lots of ads, which implies they’re working.
You could theoretically follow this simple process of Googling, observing, and copying.
But, to reduce wasted budget, use a tool like Semrush. It’ll help you understand the demand and cost for profitable keywords.
Helpful content on your product and category pages
Core technical optimization
Test everything. Double down on what works. Cut what doesn’t.
Every dollar should drive immediate sales (paid) or build long-term assets (organic).
4. Turn Email Into Sustainable Sales
The top brands drive 30-50% of their revenue through email marketing.
These email programs succeed by connecting three foundations we’ve covered:
Products customers want (Strategy #1)
Authentic storytelling (Strategy #2)
Steady website traffic (Strategy #3)
But there’s a fourth element that ties everything together: systematic execution.
Let’s explore how to build an email program that turns subscribers into customers—and customers into repeat buyers.
Note: The best practices I’m about to share are inspired by Boyuan Zhao, an email and SMS consultant for Shopify brands. I recommend checking out his free four-hour training on YouTube. It’s some of the best content I’ve seen on email marketing.
Build a Quality Email List
Your email list isn’t just a number.
“Most brands obsess over list size. But I’ve found that smaller, engaged lists consistently outperform massive, unengaged ones.” – Boyuan Zhao
Large lists built through aggressive tactics (giveaways, lead magnets, etc.) often convert at 1-2%.
Meanwhile, carefully grown lists using targeted pop-ups and organic signups can hit 8-15% conversion rates.
The math is simple:
100,000 subscribers at 1% = 1,000 customers
20,000 engaged subscribers at 10% = 2,000 customers
Plus, better engagement means higher deliverability. Which means more of your emails actually reach inboxes.
Start by optimizing your signup forms:
Test different offers (10% off vs. free shipping)
Use clear value propositions
Target exit intent to capture interested visitors
Avoid generic “Subscribe to our newsletter” messaging
You likely have a decent welcome series, abandoned cart emails, and a newsletter.
But to hit 50% attributed revenue to email, you need to think differently.
There are two shifts you need to make this happen.
Shift #1: Methodically Test Your Campaigns
“The brands consistently driving 50% of revenue through email aren’t doing anything revolutionary. They’re just incredibly systematic about execution.” – Boyuan Zhao
This means:
Testing one element at a time
Tracking actual revenue (not just opens and clicks)
Making small, continuous improvements
The results compound over time.
Shift #2: Simplify Your Automations
How many emails are in your sequences?
Probably too many.
“I’ve found that a well-executed 3-email sequence often outperforms complex 10-email flows. It’s not about the number of touchpoints. It’s about delivering the right message at the right time.” – Boyuan Zhao
Instead of building complex automations, focus on the fundamentals:
First impression (welcome)
Purchase intent (cart abandonment)
Post-purchase experience (reviews)
Reactivation (win-back)
Weave authentic brand storytelling into your automations and relentlessly test, test, test.
Do this, and you’re well on your way to more sales.
5. Optimize Operations for Profit (Free Calculator)
Even if you have winning products and amazing marketing, you can fail if your operations suck.
How Who Is Elijah Learned the True Cost of Growth
In 2023, founders Raquel and Adam Bouris of fragrance brand Who Is Elijah learned two expensive lessons about business.
First, their discovery set promotion seemed like a slam dunk: sell fragrance samples for $1 plus shipping.
They sold 6,000 sets in 24 hours.
“Sales looked great because thousands and thousands a week were going out.” – Adam Bouris
But the math told a different story.
Customers paid $1 plus $10 shipping. The actual shipping cost was $7-12 per unit. Add production, logistics, and overhead costs.
The result?
A 60% loss on every order. Ouch.
“We would’ve been better off turning the website off.” – Adam Bouris
Meanwhile, their team had grown from 28 to 44 people, but profits weren’t following.
Their initial approach followed conventional wisdom:
Hire department heads from big corporations
Build specialized teams for every function
Add headcount to solve anticipated problems
Despite growing revenue, operational costs were suffocating the business.
“One of the biggest problems founders make is they worry about the now instead of what’s on the other side of that decision. We were hiring people to fix problems six months away. That’s so stupid.” – Adam Bouris
Who Is Elijah made a complete operational reset, including two critical changes:
Fixed unit economics:
Stopped money-losing promotions
Calculated true cost per order
Built proper financial forecasting
Optimized team structure:
Cut their team from 44 to 21 people
Moved full-time specialists to agencies
Simplified internal processes
Built systems
Profitability improved. They also became more agile and innovative.
“I learned how to be a CFO the hard way, but I’m glad that I went through the pain.” – Adam Bouris
How to Build Better Operations
You can build efficient operations without an MBA or years of corporate experience. It starts with digging into four areas.
1. Understand Your Unit Economics
To understand your profitability create a system for tracking your unit economics.
Start with the three numbers that matter most:
1. Revenue per order
Average order value
Shipping revenue
Any other fees
2. Direct costs per order
Product cost
Shipping cost
Packaging cost
Payment processing fees
3. Operating costs per order
Marketing spend ÷ number of orders
Platform fees
Customer service time
Storage/warehouse costs
Here’s a basic calculator to help:
[CALCULATOR]
This is a starting point. The rest of your numbers (tools, complex calculations, etc.) can come later.
Pro tip: Use a tool like Cin7 to automate this tracking. The investment pays for itself by identifying profit leaks.
2. Build Systems, Not Band-Aids
When problems arise, the tendency is to:
Hire someone to fix it
Create a quick workaround
Ignore it until it becomes a crisis
Instead, step back and design systems that prevent future issues.
Start with your three most time-consuming processes, e.g., order fulfillment, customer services, and inventory management.
For each process:
Document exactly how it’s done now
Identify bottlenecks and failure points
Create standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Build quality control checkpoints
Add automation where possible
3. Optimize Your Supply Chain
Your supply chain impacts everything: cash flow, customer satisfaction, and profitability. Here’s how to optimize it:
First, map your current supply chain:
List all suppliers and their lead times (it’s essential to have 2nd and 3rd options)
Document shipping carriers and costs
Track inventory levels and turnover
Identify quality control points
Note payment terms and minimums
Then, negotiate better terms. Here’s an email template:
We’ve been working together for [X months/years] and have purchased [$ amount] of inventory during this time. I’d like to discuss ways we can grow our partnership.
