TopSpot’s Post

You know how advertisers on Google search bid on keywords auctions where the top advertising slot for a given keyword goes to the highest bidder? Well, not so much. In testimony in its antitrust lawsuit this week, a Google exec revealed that the company can and does manipulate these auctions in ways that make more money for Google. And because nothing this company does is transparent, advertisers have no way of knowing this manipulation is happening. "We tend not to tell advertisers about pricing changes," Google's head of advertising said. #google #advertising #googleadwords #searchmarketing #antitrust https://lnkd.in/dRxBzhF3

Well. The United States Department of Justice antitrust trial didn't go well for Google. It's no secret that trust in Google's self-reported attribution was poor to non-existant, but now there are verified reports of falsifying data to increase rates. Do you think this has always been the case, or are these escalating symptoms of a company that has lost its way? https://bit.ly/4auyYIu #seo #paidsearch #digitalmarketing

Google is back in court. The case alleges Google used its dominant market share to illegally throttle competition in both search and search advertising. The case, U.S. et al v. Google, focuses on the company’s popular search engine, alleging Google used its 90% market share to illegally throttle competition in both search and search advertising. - Read the full article in the link in the comments section.

🔎 Transparency in digital advertising is more critical than ever. As a TrafficGuard employee, this article on the trust challenges with Google highlights the importance of independent oversight. Check out: https://lnkd.in/eJYvG5jE

Looks like Google may have increased prices by up to 10% for some queries, reveals Google Ad executive Jerry Dischler at a federal antitrust trial. This has shaken the digital marketing world, raising questions about whether Google manipulates Smart Bidding to boost its profits 💰. What's your take on this? 🤔 Should there be more openness about how digital ad pricing works? Drop your thoughts below! #DigitalMarketing #GoogleAds https://buff.ly/3LBCuHe

Have you seen this? Search Engine Land has published a great summary of the DOJs closing statement in the Google antitrust trial. It had been clear throughout the trial how much pricing manipulation has been done, but seeing it summarized in one place makes it so much more striking. It's clear Google has not lived up to their "don't be evil" standard. And yet, here we are as marketers with no viable alternatives to the investments made in Google paid search. https://lnkd.in/eq2caTQi #paidsearch #cpcs

Reading the latest developments in the Google antitrust lawsuit with my morning coffee, I can’t say I’m entirely shocked. Can we still trust Google? Well no, but also what else do we do? The court documents paint a picture of Google manipulating the system to boost its profits, all under the pretence of ‘randomising’. It’s a classic case of a company maximising its earnings in the absence of real competition. So, what does this mean for us as advertisers? Should we abandon Google, labelling it as the deceptive giant it appears to be? In short, no. Despite these revelations, Google still dominates the search engine market, holding the vast majority of search volume. Our primary goal is to reach our customers, and for now, Google remains the most effective way to do that. It’s unsettling to see, but the reality is that Google will continue operating as it always has. As advertisers, our responsibility is to stay vigilant. We need to monitor our accounts closely to maximise our return on investment while minimising unnecessary spending. The key takeaway here? Stay informed and adapt. Keep leveraging Google’s platform for its unparalleled reach, but do so with a keen eye on your campaign metrics and a readiness to adjust strategies as needed. #PPC #GoogleAds #DigitalMarketing #Antitrust #MarketingStrategy #SearchEngineMarketing #AdvertisingTips

#PR pros should keep an eye on the U.S. government's antitrust trial against Google for its search practices. #SEO strategy has become a significant pillar of #publicrelations today because it cuts across all aspects of owned, shared, earned, and paid media. It's far from certain what will happen in the case, but if Google is legally required to make changes to its search business, including YouTube, these changes could affect PR best practices. https://lnkd.in/eJkFUWCf #Communications #Publicaffairs

#seos, Google Ads executive Jerry Dischler as stepped down from his 15 year position at Google after his testimony for the Google antitrust trial. Here's what happened: Jerry Dischler testified that Google: 1/ Has allegedly increased ads by as much as 5% for the average advertiser. 2/ Has allegedly increased prices as much as 10% for select queries. 3/ Typically does not communicate to advertisers about the pricing changes. In response, a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land: “Search ads costs are the result of a real-time auction where advertisers never pay more than their maximum bid. We’re constantly launching improvements designed to make ads better for both advertisers and users.” “Our quality improvements help eliminate irrelevant ads, improve relevance, drive greater advertiser value, and deliver high quality user experiences.” I highly recommend reading more on this Search Engine Land post linked in the comments. Why does this matter to someone in the #seo world? #ppc and SEO work hand in hand. Google has always and will always give precedence to people paying for visibility over those who rank organically, but relationships between advertisers and Google might shift given the outcome of this trial. What do you think about Dischler's comments? Does Google possibly increasing ad prices come as a surprise to you?

Court rules Google must face £13.6bn advertising lawsuit! Google must face a £13.6bn lawsuit alleging it has too much power over the online advertising market, a court has ruled. The case, brought by a group called Ad Tech Collective Action LLP, alleges the search giant behaved in an anti-competitive way which caused online publishers in the UK to lose money. Google's parent company Alphabet called the case "incoherent" in its attempts to get the legal action dropped. Source BBC. com/news/articles/cqlle3k92zqo #seotips #contentmarketing #seo #blogger #Google #GoogleAdsense #Update #advertising