October, 2020 - Mason Interactive

Last week we wrote about the upcoming update to Facebook’s attribution window from 28 to 7 days as the default, planned to take place on October 12th. This week, we want to bring you a new update on the topic from our friends at Facebook.

The default attribution window will remain unchanged for the rest of 2020, due to a large influx of feedback from Facebook’s agency partners like Mason interactive. Keep in mind that these are real time updates on information we receive, we’ll be sure to update this content if things change!

Facebook’s plan to update the attribution window just before the big holiday push certainly came as a surprise to us all. Whereas the planned change isn’t going to impact ad performance, we weren’t particularly thrilled about it being rolled out during such a key time of year.

What does this mean for you as an advertiser?

Good news
Consistent data flow
Minimal disruption to bidding algorithm (this can never be zero)
Expecting an attribution window update in Q1 of 2021

Thank you for listening, Facebook, we appreciate having the extra data to navigate through the holiday season.

We are honoured to be selected as digital marketing partner for online beauty retailer Kalista Beauty.

Kalista Beauty’s philosophy is to make beauty accessible to all – from indie fan favorites to timeless classic luxury brands. The retailer achieves the best in pricing by leveraging an unrivaled sourcing network, cutting edge logistical & technological advances as well as a commitment to sustainable eco-friendly practices.

Mason Interactive’s team will manage SEO & Paid Media for Kalista Beauty. The two channels will create a powerful funnel to attract and convert high quality traffic – both organic and paid. Whereas SEO optimization will improve the website’s authority and help the site to rank higher on search engines, advertising campaigns will bring immediate results for Kalista Beauty.

“The world needs more retailers like Kalista Beauty who can introduce new beauty brands to wider audiences”, says Mason Interactive CEO Brook Llewellyn Shepard. “Our team is excited to start the work, and we look forward to building a successful partnership – starting with the upcoming Holiday season.”

We are committed to provide excellent service, and support brands on their digital journeys. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with our digital experts, and take the first step on your journey.

Learn more about Kalista Beauty here.

On Sept 30th 2020, Facebook announced a change to its attribution model. As of October 12th, Facebook (and Instagram) are moving from a default 28 day click, to a 7 day click.

This means that advertisers will see fewer sales reported in the Facebook platform, but that actual sales/leads/events tracked in your Salesforce/Shopify/CRM will not be affected.

“Rolling this change out pre-holiday is surprising, but 2020 is the gift that keeps on giving.” says Adrian Padron, Mason Interactive’s Director of Media. “Facebook is adjusting its default attribution window because of upcoming digital privacy initiatives affecting multiple browsers, chiefly Chrome. These initiatives are expected to limit businesses’ ability to measure peoples’ interactions across domains and devices.”

Said plainly, the 28 day default window, a crucial component in the Facebook algorithm, is about to be modified in response to Google Chrome limiting what the browser passes back to Facebook.

This will have an impact on the capability of Facebooks’ machine learning. The logic seems to be, “Better to give the machine cleaner and more recent data, rather than spotty data from a larger window of time.”

What does this mean for you after October 12?

Moving from a 28 day click attribution window to a 7 day click ultimately means fewer conversions being attributed to your Facebook pixel
You will have a better picture of the immediate impact of ads

At Mason Interactive, no matter what vertical your partnership falls under, we always focus on your goals. Referencing the platform data is only one piece of the puzzle. It is a guiding force for our teams to make optimization decisions.

We always have to remember that machine learning and AI based bidding algorithms are getting better everyday. We also need to remember that one consumer journey can have multiple touchpoints. The pixel attributed performance is a proxy for making decisions and even though this change is coming, the way in which we work with our partners will not change because we stay focused on key goal goals and a backend source of truth.

Not sure what attribution means for your sales?

Check out the video below to learn more.

A lot that goes into a successful SEO campaign. At times, keeping up with the ever-changing search engine algorithms and SEO best practices can be overwhelming. While some practices can be effective, some can significantly damage your search ranking.

We listed five of the most common SEO mistakes you should avoid when starting an SEO campaign.

1. Choosing the Wrong Keywords & Keyword Stuffing

Choosing the right keywords for your SEO campaign is extremely important. This basically dictates what you will appear for in search engine results pages (SERPs). For example, if your company sells “digital marketing services” you do not want to optimize for keywords like “traditional advertising” or “print advertising services”. Users searching for those keywords are not looking for digital marketing and will likely result in a bounce. You want to make sure that your services line up with a users’ search intent, so when they click on your result they find what they are looking for.

Keyword stuffing is another issue that occurs often. Google is a very intelligent machine and knows when something looks “spammy”. Stuffing a bunch of keywords into your copy will NOT increase your rankings. Google ranks websites based on the QUALITY and LENGTH of content. Pick a few high-value keywords and place them strategically throughout your content to maximize your SEO efforts.

Check out this on-demand webinar for tips on how to choose the right keywords for your business.

2. Duplicate Content

Understandably, it requires a lot of effort to create original content for each part of your website. Some may be tempted to copy content from one page to another and think they have a better chance of ranking for incorporated keywords. However, duplicate content has the opposite effect. Google penalizes sites that have duplicate content, so be sure to create unique content for each page on your site.

3. Titles & Metas are Heavily Overlooked

Meta titles and descriptions are what the SEO world likes to call “low-hanging fruit”. These bits of HTML code help Google understand what your pages are about. Making sure that your titles and descriptions are up-to-date with high-value keywords that correspond to your pages is a very easy way to make sure you stay in Google’s good graces. Meta descriptions should try to be kept under 160 characters while meta titles should be kept under 60 characters, with the most high-value keywords towards the beginning.

4. Quality over Quantity When it Comes to Links

Is having external links in your site’s content important? Yes. Does that mean you should load up your content with external links? No. The quality of external links is more important than the quantity. You want to have links that lead to credible and authoritative sites. In addition to the quality of the link, you want to pay attention to the anchor text used for the external link. Avoid using “click here” or similar call to actions, because this wastes precious SEO opportunities. If you are linking out to a digital marketing agency’s SEO page, the anchor text should be “SEO services”.

5. Ignoring Your Site’s Mobile Experience

Mobile speed is not just a Google ranking factor, it is also a user experience (UX) issue. When a user visits your site on their mobile device, they are likely to leave your site if it is taking too long to load. This can result in a drop in traffic and leads, which can be easily prevented. Google provides a free Pagespeed Insights tool where you can check your mobile and desktop speed, and even see Google’s recommendations for improving your score.

Making sure that you take these five strategies into consideration when building an SEO campaign will severely impact the effectiveness of your campaign. Contact us for more information on how to build the best SEO strategy for your business or schedule a free marketing analysis with one of our digital marketing experts to see how we can help you.