Maximize Your Ad Spend With Google’s New Destination Requirements Policy

Is your firm running ads? If yes, you’ll want to read ahead! Find out more about the new changes to Google ads and the best practices you should implement moving forward.

Ever had this happen to you? You’re enjoying watching a video, and suddenly, a super annoying ad pops up. If you’re like most of us, you’ve been there. Most of the time you probably skip the ad as quickly as possible and continue watching, or maybe you finally decided to ’re ‘outsmart’ the advertisers by installing ad blockers. 

According to findings, around 27% of American internet users have ad blockers. Globally, 42.7% of internet users use ad blockers. The reasons? Primarily because, as most people say “there are too many ads,” and others go further, saying, “there are too many ads that are annoying or irrelevant.” See for yourself:  

So, what do ad blockers have to do with Google’s recent update to their Destination Requirements Policy? 

We’ll delve into the details in the following sections, but briefly, Google continuously aims to provide the best user experience. One obvious way to do so is to discontinue frustrating ad experiences such as flashing and invasive pop-ups. When a user has lots of annoying ad experiences, there’s a higher chance they’ll install ad blockers, which means that your ads, even if they meet Google’s criteria, won’t get seen either.

What happens when users install ad blockers? 

Publishers and businesses cannot make money from ads that no one sees. Without an audience, the entire advertising ecosystem is disrupted. This is 100% avoidable, thanks to Google’s new update. 

What’s the Destination Requirements Policy update?

As Google states, “We want consumers to have a good experience when they click on an ad, so ad destinations must offer unique value to users and be functional, useful, and easy to navigate.”

Google wants to ensure its ads offer a positive experience through the Destinations Requirements Policy. To do so, they use something similar to SEO; for example, content that gives EAT (expertise, authority, and trust) ranks better organically. 

This all sounds great, but if you’re wondering, “what is Destination in this case?” This isn’t the type of destination you reach at airports. Google defines ‘Destination’ as the page where users land once they click on your ad; this could range from a homepage to a landing page.

Starting October 2022, the Destinations Requirements Policy will be updated to include ad experiences that conform with the CBA, Coalition for Better Ads. This is a nonprofit organization that, like Google, wants to ensure the best ad experience for users. Giants like Google and Facebook are partnered with the CBA. 

The CBA created rules all ads should follow under a set of global standards called BAS, Better Ads Standards, and defined 18 types of ads that are disapproved. (More on this in the following sections.)

Implementing the Better Ads Standards’ Practices 

The Coalition for Better Ads researched over 66,000 consumers in various countries representing 70% of global ad spending. 

Based on this research, the Better Ads Standards’ practices were built. Instead of focusing on what practices to include, the CBA decided to showcase what not to do. Perhaps you’re familiar from first-hand experience with one or more of the following (irritating) types of ads: 

• Disruptive unskippable ads
• Obstructive ads aq
• Flashing, animated pop-ups, and others 

For example, when it comes to mobile, here are the ads you should avoid at all costs:

There’s an entire list of least preferred ad experiences. Feel free to explore it here.

What type of ads will be disapproved of by Google?

A ‘disapproved’ ad means it violated Google’s policies. When this happens, the ad cannot run until the elements are fixed or appealed. 

Here’s the great news! The ad experiences that do not conform to the Better Ads Standards will inform the advertiser via the Ad Experience Report. 

Learn how to install and view your reports here:

 

 

And even better news for those working with Consultwebs! If you’re running Google Ads with us, feel free to reach out to us, and we’ll be happy to guide you through your reports.

Takeaway 

Frustrating ad experiences are common, and you’ve probably had your share! Fortunately, giants like Google are trying to counteract invasive ads and avoid driving users like you and me towards installing ad blockers. 

We know that quality ads can be powerful (take the case of the great Super Bowl ads). They help drive users towards valuable free content and help build connections. However, as Google enforces its new policies, you’ll need to use best practices to keep reaching the users that need your services. 

If you want to protect your digital ecosystem and, most importantly, your advertisement dollars, we’ve got a team of experts on board and ready to help.

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The First Legal Marketing Agency to Go Agile

There’s a trend towards organizational agility, and Consultwebs is the first legal marketing agency to adopt Agile. Why does this matter for firms? And how do you know if your firm is Agile or not? (Take the FREE ANALYSIS at the end.)

For firms investing in marketing, here are a few questions: 

• Can your marketing agency handle fast-paced digital marketing work? 
• Are they contributing to your firm’s long-term plans? 
• Are they able to take advantage of emerging opportunities and trends? 
• Are they able to use your budget in the most dynamic way possible? 
• How do they handle changing priorities? 
• What about increasing diversity among your projects?

Today, there is an apparent rise in organizational agility. For this reason, it’s critical the agency you opt for:

• Has the ability to handle fast-paced, dynamic work like various digital advertising channels.
• Clarifies how marketing contributes to your firm’s success.
• Takes advantage of emerging opportunities.

 

We understand digital marketing services are dynamic and highly complex, and to meet today’s demands, Consultwebs was the first legal marketing agency to adopt Agile.

So, what is Agile? More importantly, why is it essential for law firms, and how does it look in action? 

We’ve previously covered some of the top FAQs for law firms going agile. Still, generally speaking, Agile is a tactical approach that gives businesses the ability to change, specifically to create the most effective responses to change; this includes in-house Agile practices and/or external organizational agility. For firms investing in marketing, this is the key to the best management.

Now, let’s look at the challenges and opportunities law firms can expect when adopting an Agile agency.

Why Consultwebs is Adopting Agile Management

Firms want to navigate challenges and venture into new opportunities, which is precisely what Consultwebs is helping firms accomplish. AgileSherpas, the world’s leading Agile training, found that more B2B and B2B industries are moving from traditional waterfall techniques to Agile. Take a look:

Understanding today’s customers’ touchpoints

Marketing is a highly-complex service, and the work between capturing a lead, nurturing it, and turning it into an actual case is far-stretched but not impossible, as we’ve seen in the profitable success many firms have with us. 

However, can only one channel take all the credit for a firm’s success? Actually, on average, it can take around 8 different touchpoints to engage a user. For this reason alone, the most successful firms today are trying to be everywhere, digitally speaking. We continue to witness this first-hand, case after case.

Improving your firm’s chances of being top of mind 

Nobody decides to wake up in the morning and call a law firm, but you’ll want to be there when the time comes and they do. Prospects contact a firm once they require legal services, but that shouldn’t stop firms from creating an association and relationship beforehand. This is what is known as brand recall.

Making the most of the digital advertising budget 

Firms investing, or looking to invest, in digital advertising services can benefit the most from our marketing Agile management. Why? The top benefit of Agile is better management of changing priorities and projects. Due to the dynamic and complex nature of digital advertising, this is a match made in heaven. 

 

In fact, the latest tech report by AgileSherpas finds that Agile management is being adopted primarily for social media efforts.

With Agile management in place, Consultwebs can swiftly relocate a firm’s digital advertising budget accordingly. The adoption of Agile is helping businesses dynamically reallocate their budget on an ongoing basis:

An Example of How Agile Works With Consultwebs: 

• If data suggests costs are increasing on Facebook during the holiday season, we would have limited options when making Facebook campaign alterations or turning it off before Agile. 

• Now, Agile allows us to use those funds on other platforms like Google Ads, LSAs, Digital Audio, etc. Here, clients can still get consistent results while Facebook runs at a higher cost.

Planning for the Unplanned Road Ahead 

Investing in organizational agility doesn’t mean problems won’t arise. However, challenges like last-minute requests, lack of consistency in work, and poor effectiveness are handled better than in traditional teams.

All firms investing marketing dollars need a team that is:

• Aligning with your goals, especially long-term ones. 
• Maximizing the customer experience. 
• Moving the needle. 

Before diving in, you’ll want to know: “How Agile is my firm’s marketing?” 

 

Find Out How Agile Your Firm is With this FREE analysis.

Whether you want to plan for the unplanned road ahead, ask more questions, see Agile management in action, or more, we’re here to help.

 

 

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Is Your Law Firm Email Strategy Compliant? (Checklist Included!)

Did you know that there are email rules and regulations all businesses need to follow? 

• Email marketing revenue is expected to increase to $17.9 billion by 2027, so knowing the rules can keep businesses from making costly mistakes. 
• All companies in the US leveraging an email marketing strategy must adhere to the CAN-SPAM act. 
• Businesses that are non-compliant with the act are subject to fines up to $46,517!

With the rapid rise of social media, you may be thinking email marketing is dead, but that’s far from the truth! According to Statista, there are already 4 billion daily email users, and by 2025 the number is expected to increase to 4.6 billion.  

Email marketing is a powerful business tool and one of the best ways to reach clients directly. Like social media, a significant benefit of email is that firms can easily track the ROI through metrics like open and click-through rates. 

Another big plus of using email is that once your firm begins to collect a list of prospects and clients, you can quickly start dividing them into different segments. For example, you could have a list of active users, inactive users, referrals, active cases, invoices, etc. This helps firms throughout the acquisition and retention process. 

However, as great as this sounds, we all know how it feels to get unwanted emails. Studies show that most of our inboxes are full of promotional emails: 

For this reason, the CAN-SPAM Act protects users like you and me against spam and unwanted emails. 

 

Firms leveraging or looking to leverage an email marketing strategy need to know about this regulation because those that don’t comply are subject to steep fines of up to $46,517! Yes, $46,517.

 

You can avoid that by staying informed.

The CAN-SPAM Act

The Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act, CAN-SPAM act, was signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 16, 2003, and it established the first ground rules for all commercial emails in the US.

• Similarly, Europe has the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), and Canada has the CASL (Canada Anti-Spam Law). 

Here are the 7 rules all your commercial emails need to follow:

1. 1. Don’t use false or misleading header information. Your “From,” “To,” “Reply-To,” and routing information must be accurate. The user must be able to identify the business that initiated the message. 
   2. Don’t use deceptive subject lines. The subject line must accurately reflect your message.
   3. Identify the message as an ad. Businesses must disclose if a message is an advertisement.
   4. Tell recipients where you’re located. Your message needs to include a valid postal address – this could be your current street address or private mailbox registered with a commercial mail receiving agency.
   5. Tell recipients how to opt-out of receiving future emails from you. This is very important. Your message must include clear explanations of how the recipient can opt-out of receiving your emails in the future.  
   6. Honor opt-out requests promptly. If you receive any opt-out requests, you must be able to process them for at least 30 days after the message was sent out and honor the opt-out request within 10 business days. 
      • Once a user has told you they don’t want to receive any more messages from you, you cannot sell or transfer the email address. The only legal way to transfer these addresses is if you hire a company, e.g., a legal marketing agency, to take care of your email addresses.
   7. Monitor what others are doing on your behalf. Remember, if you hire another company to handle your email marketing, you are still legally responsible for complying with the law. Both the third party and your law firm are lawfully accountable.

Protect Your Firm From Fines  

Whether your firm or a third party is handling your email strategy, it’s critical to know how to navigate the regulations that protect all users. We’ve compiled a FREE easy-to-follow email anatomy pager to help you implement some email best practices.

Download Your NEW Email Anatomy Strategy.

As digital continues to grow daily, new rules and regulations will likely be enacted to protect all users. If you have questions about email compliance or, better yet, want to put your emails in the hands of experts – we’ve got you covered.

 

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