I hope this message finds you safe and well. As Google approaches the holiday season, Google is happy to announce two new beta features that will help you improve your price competitiveness.
1) Pricing Rules
“Buy on Google” is launching an automatic product repricer to help you be more competitive through dynamic price adjustments.
You will be able to set pricing rules that the new feature will use to adjust the product price within the range you set (ex. adjust price to 10% below regular product price). Find out more about early results here.
If you would like to participate in this Beta launch, please fill out this form.
2) Separate pricing for Buy on Google & Shopping Ads
This new feature will allow you to set separate prices for these two channels directly within your product feed.
If you would like to participate in this Beta launch, please fill out this form.
Need Help? Reach out to out support team. We’re here to help.
86% of online consumers say they’re on the lookout for shopping ideas as they watch videos or explore content across the web. With Discovery ads, you can connect with up to 2.9 billion people as they browse their favorite Google feeds—whether they’re watching videos on YouTube, scrolling through Discover, or checking new offers in Gmail—all with a single, easy-to-use campaign.
Follow these best practices to set up your Discovery Ads campaigns for success:
Start with audiences that currently drive performance in your account. Focus on existing customers, people who have already visited your website, and people similar to your customer base. For example, you can start with custom intent and in-market audiences. Remember to keep audience expansion enabled to maximize your reach to new audiences who are likely to convert.
Wait until the campaign has at least 40 conversions before making any changes. Since Discovery campaigns perform better with more data, we also recommend setting a daily budget at least 10 times your target cost-per-action.
Use the single-image and multi-image carousel options with both square and landscape images. Discovery campaigns automatically select the best-performing assets, so it’s important to include several image options to drive performance. Download the creative asset guide for details on how to build visually inspiring ads.
Need help managing your Discovery ads in order to reach more potential customers and grow online sales for your business, give us a call — we’re here to help!
People are searching for new information and ways to manage their lives. In fact, a recent Google/Ipsos survey showed 32 percent of U.S. consumers shopped online with a brand they hadn’t before the pandemic. This shift in demand has created opportunities for businesses to find new customers and grow.
Below are some effective ways you can drive high-quality leads and connect with people who are most likely to buy your products or services:
Uncover opportunities by using optimization score and Performance Planner. Use automated tools to make bid and budget changes based on shifts in customer demand.
Include the optional “Visit website” link in your call ads. This option makes it easier for people to learn more about your business before calling you and can help you drive higher-quality calls.
Call ad featuring an optional “Visit website” link
Add lead form extensions. People can tap your ad and easily share information with you right as they’re searching for what they need—even before visiting your site.
Resources to help you generate quality leads
Businesses now have to be better at both generating and managing their leads. Google is sharing a collection of lead generation resources on their Advertising Solutions Center. There, you’ll hear more about the latest updates and learn from other businesses who made the shift to digital.
When people visit your website or stop by your store, you have an opportunity to understand what they’re looking for and how your business can help. With Customer Match, you can use first-party data to engage with these customers and people like them—all in a user and data privacy-safe way. To learn how you can ensure user privacy within your marketing, download The marketer’s playbook.
Below are some best practices to help you make the most out of your data using Customer Match:
Keep list segmentation broad and enable Smart Bidding. Smart Bidding will automatically take Customer Match lists into consideration when making bid decisions, so you don’t need to over-segment your lists.
Use your match rate to help diagnose if you have any data formatting issues. Match rate is the percentage of your upload that was able to be matched to Google users, so the bigger the list size the better.
Use similar audiences with Customer Match as a prospecting strategy. Similar audiences can use your Customer Match lists to find people who share similar characteristics, behaviors, and interests.
Save time by using a verified Customer Match upload partner. For example, use the Zapier integration to automatically upload and refresh your customer lists. You can also add information to your lists like alternate email addresses, which can increase match rates and list size.
Research is currently underway to understand the impacts of COVID 19 infection on pregnant women. Data are limited, but at present there is no evidence that they are at higher risk of severe illness than the general population.
However, due to changes in their bodies and immune systems, we know that pregnant women can be badly affected by some respiratory infections. It is therefore important that they take precautions to protect themselves against COVID-19, and report possible symptoms (including fever, cough or difficulty breathing) to their healthcare provider.
I'm pregnant. How can I protect myself against COVID-19?
Pregnant women should take the same precautions to avoid COVID-19 infection as other people. You can help protect yourself by:
Washing your hands frequentlywith an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
Keeping space between yourselves and othersand avoiding crowded spaces.
Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Practicing respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
If you have fever, cough or difficulty breathing, seek medical care early. Call before going to a health facility, and follow the directions of your local health authority.
Pregnant women and women who have recently delivered – including those affected by COVID-19 – should attend their routine care appointments.
Should pregnant women be tested for COVID-19?
Testing protocols and eligibility vary depending on where you live.
However, WHO recommendations are that pregnant women with symptoms of COVID-19 should be prioritized for testing. If they have COVID-19, they may need specialized care.
What care should be available during pregnancy and childbirth?
All pregnant women, including those with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections, have the right to high quality care before, during and after childbirth. This includes antenatal, newborn, postnatal, intrapartum and mental health care.
A safe and positive childbirth experience includes:
Being treated with respect and dignity;
Having a companion of choice present during delivery;
Clear communication by maternity staff;
Appropriate pain relief strategies:
Mobility in labour where possible, and birth position of choice.
If COVID-19 is suspected or confirmed, health workers should take all appropriate precautions to reduce risks of infection to themselves and others, including hand hygiene, and appropriate use of protective clothing like gloves, gown and medical mask.
Can women with COVID-19 breastfeed?
Yes. Women with COVID-19 can breastfeed if they wish to do so. They should:
Practicerespiratory hygieneduring feeding,wearing a maskwhere available;
Wash hands before and after touching the baby;
Routinely clean and disinfect surfaces they have touched.
Can I touch and hold my newborn baby if I have COVID-19?
Yes. Close contact and early, exclusive breastfeeding helps a baby to thrive. You should be supported to
Breastfeed safely, with goodrespiratory hygiene;
Hold your newborn skin-to-skin, and
Share a room with your baby
You should wash your hands before and after touching your baby, and keep all surfaces clean.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19.
What is COVID-19?
COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment. Around 1 out of every 6 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness. People with fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention.
How Does COVID-19 spread?
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. This is why it is important to stay more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick.
WHO is assessing ongoing research on the ways COVID-19 is spread and will continue to share updated findings.
Can the virus that causes COVID-19 be transmitted through the air?
Studies to date suggest that the virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air. See previous answer on “How does COVID-19 spread?”
Can COVID-19 be caught from a person who has no symptoms?
The main way the disease spreads is through respiratory droplets expelled by someone who is coughing. The risk of catching COVID-19 from someone with no symptoms at all is very low. However, many people with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms. This is particularly true at the early stages of the disease. It is therefore possible to catch COVID-19 from someone who has, for example, just a mild cough and does not feel ill. WHO is assessing ongoing research on the period of transmission of COVID-19 and will continue to share updated findings.
Can I catch COVID-19 from the feces of someone with the disease?
The risk of catching COVID-19 from the feces of an infected person appears to be low. While initial investigations suggest the virus may be present in feces in some cases, spread through this route is not a main feature of the outbreak. WHO is assessing ongoing research on the ways COVID-19 is spread and will continue to share new findings. Because this is a risk, however, it is another reason to clean hands regularly, after using the bathroom and before eating.
What can I do to protect myself and prevent the spread of disease? Protection measures for everyone
Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO website and through your national and local public health authority. Many countries around the world have seen cases of COVID-19 and several have seen outbreaks. Authorities in China and some other countries have succeeded in slowing or stopping their outbreaks. However, the situation is unpredictable so check regularly for the latest news.
You can reduce your chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19 by taking some simple precautions:
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately. Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority. Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.
Keep up to date on the latest COVID-19 hotspots (cities or local areas where COVID-19 is spreading widely). If possible, avoid traveling to places – especially if you are an older person or have diabetes, heart or lung disease. Why? You have a higher chance of catching COVID-19 in one of these areas.
Protection measures for persons who are in or have recently visited (past 14 days) areas where COVID-19 is spreading
Follow the guidance outlined above (Protection measures for everyone)
Self-isolate by staying at home if you begin to feel unwell, even with mild symptoms such as headache, low grade fever (37.3 C or above) and slight runny nose, until you recover. If it is essential for you to have someone bring you supplies or to go out, e.g. to buy food, then wear a mask to avoid infecting other people. Why? Avoiding contact with others and visits to medical facilities will allow these facilities to operate more effectively and help protect you and others from possible COVID-19 and other viruses.
If you develop fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical advice promptly as this may be due to a respiratory infection or other serious condition. Call in advance and tell your provider of any recent travel or contact with travelers.
Why? Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also help to prevent possible spread of COVID-19 and other viruses.
How likely am I to catch COVID-19?
The risk depends on where you are – and more specifically, whether there is a COVID-19 outbreak unfolding there.
For most people in most locations the risk of catching COVID-19 is still low. However, there are now places around the world (cities or areas) where the disease is spreading. For people living in, or visiting, these areas the risk of catching COVID-19 is higher. Governments and health authorities are taking vigorous action every time a new case of COVID-19 is identified. Be sure to comply with any local restrictions on travel, movement or large gatherings. Cooperating with disease control efforts will reduce your risk of catching or spreading COVID-19.
COVID-19 outbreaks can be contained and transmission stopped, as has been shown in China and some other countries. Unfortunately, new outbreaks can emerge rapidly. It’s important to be aware of the situation where you are or intend to go. WHO publishes daily updates on the COVID-19 situation worldwide.
It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment).
If you think a surface may be infected, clean it with simple disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.
Can humans become infected with the COVID-19 from an animal source?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in animals. Occasionally, people get infected with these viruses which may then spread to other people. For example, SARS-CoV was associated with civet cats and MERS-CoV is transmitted by dromedary camels. Possible animal sources of COVID-19 have not yet been confirmed.
To protect yourself, such as when visiting live animal markets, avoid direct contact with animals and surfaces in contact with animals. Ensure good food safety practices at all times. Handle raw meat, milk or animal organs with care to avoid contamination of uncooked foods and avoid consuming raw or undercooked animal products.
Can I catch COVID-19 from my pet?
While there has been one instance of a dog being infected in Hong Kong, to date, there is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit COVID-19. COVID-19 is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. To protect yourself, clean your hands frequently and thoroughly.
WHO continues to monitor the latest research on this and other COVID-19 topics and will update as new findings are available.
What Is the Future of Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
Experts aren’t sure what will happen. Some things that may influence what happens with coronavirus include:
how effective areas are at controlling its spread
how long it takes to develop medicines to treat coronavirus
how long it takes to develop a COVID-19 vaccine
How Do Doctors Test People for Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
To test someone for coronavirus, doctors send a mucus sample from the nose and back of the throat to a lab. If the person coughs up mucus, doctors might send that for testing too.
Basic Protective Measures Against The New coronavirus
Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO (World Health Organization) website and through your national and local public health authority. Most people who become infected experience mild illness and recover, but it can be more severe for others. Take care of your health and protect others by doing the following:
Wash Your Hands Frequently
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
Maintain Social Distancing
Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain the virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.
Avoid Touching Eyes, Nose and Mouth
Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
Practice Respiratory Hygiene
Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
Why? Droplets spread the virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.
If You Have Fever, Cough and Difficulty Breathing, Seek Medical Care Early
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.
Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent the spread of viruses and other infections.
Stay Informed and Follow Advice Given by Your Healthcare Provider
Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. Follow the advice given by your healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority or your employer on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on whether COVID-19 is spreading in your area. They are best placed to advise on what people in your area should be doing to protect themselves.
Protection measures for persons who are in or have recently visited (past 14 days) areas where COVID-19 is spreading
Follow the guidance outlined above.
Stay at home if you begin to feel unwell, even with mild symptoms such as headache and a slight runny nose, until you recover. Why? Avoiding contact with others and visits to medical facilities will allow these facilities to operate more effectively and help protect you and others from possible COVID-19 and other viruses.
If you develop fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical advice promptly as this may be due to a respiratory infection or other serious condition. Call in advance and tell your provider of any recent travel or contact with travelers. Why? Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also help to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 and other viruses. More information Click Here
Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE)
When it comes to mobile marketing, speed is table stakes. If a page takes too long to load, people won’t think twice about abandoning it. But a speedy mobile site is a win for consumers and your brand. Find out more about how mobile speed can impact your bottom line, get advice from mobile industry leaders, and learn how to build stronger mobile experiences for consumers.
We’ve all been there before: You try to search for something and make a simple purchase on your mobile phone, and you find roadblocks everywhere. The site is too slow to load. It’s impossible to find the item you’re looking for. The checkout process takes forever. You abandon your cart in frustration.
This familiar situation can have a considerable impact on a brand’s bottom line. In retail, we’ve seen that even a one-second delay in load time can impact conversion by up to 20%,1 meaning too many companies are missing out on conversions that should be quick and easy.
The good news is there are quick fixes that you can implement to optimize your mobile experience. And as one company learned, these steps can produce big wins right away.
5 ways to optimize your mobile site speed
Speed up, pare down
Last year, my team at Google did an audit of 100 of the biggest and most visited mobile sites in Canada. We saw the same issues come up again and again. And they’re not unique to Canada.
Here are five actions you can take that will have the biggest impact:
Assess your mobile site speed. See where your site stands by using Test My Site, a free tool that can quickly assess the mobile performance of your website and provide custom solutions to help you improve its speed. It will also tell you how your site speed compares to that of your competitors, and how it could impact your company’s potential revenue.
Reduce page weight. The sites we looked at were far too heavy for mobile devices. The average mobile site in Canada is 3,000 KB.2 Globally, 79% of pages are over 1MB, 53% are over 2MB, and 23% are over 4MB.3Seconds really matter on mobile, and you shouldn’t expect your user to download that much data and wait several seconds for your site to load. Ensure your page weight is less than 1,000 KB.
Remove automatic image carousels. Your customers are likely only seeing the first image in a carousel before they start to scroll. If you need to lose page weight, start by removing the carousels.
Optimize search. Invite your users to start their journey with a search by putting your search box above the fold on your mobile site. Ensure you’re autocorrecting typos, too, as those are all too common on mobile.
Speed up the checkout process. Many brands are making this part of the process too lengthy. Help to return customers by remembering their past purchase information or implementing services like PayPal or Google Pay. And enable them to make a purchase with only a few simple taps.
How one brand got results with this approach
A Vancouver-based junk removal company, 1-800-Got-Junk?, with franchises throughout North America and Australia, was looking for ways to improve its mobile booking process. After reducing page weight, improving forms for users to fill in, and making the calendar booking system easier for mobile users, the team saw excellent results almost instantly.
Results 1-800-Got-Junk? saw after optimizing their mobile site
Over the course of 28 days in November 2018, the company’s mobile sessions were up by 19% year over year, and entries in its mobile online booking engine increased 13%. With page-load time down 28%, the bounce rate reduced by 4%.
“Our mobile experience is now one more way that we make the ordinary business of junk removal exceptional,” said Geoff Henshaw, vice president, digital marketing and customer insights at 1-800-Got-Junk?.
The solutions are out there, and they’re not difficult to implement. Create an action plan, monitor your mobile site speed regularly, and a frictionless mobile future awaits.
