Category Archives: Website Traffic

Navigating the GA4 Reporting Disruption: What Businesses Need to Know

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Navigating the GA4 Reporting Disruption: What Businesses Need to Know

For businesses and marketers relying on Google Analytics 4 (GA4), recent weeks have been a challenging time. Starting November 13, 2024, users noticed unexpected drops in reported website traffic, with some seeing up to 50% discrepancies. This issue sparked widespread concern, as accurate analytics are vital for business intelligence, performance monitoring, and strategic planning.

After a week of uncertainty and frustration, Google confirmed the problem and announced that it had been resolved as of November 20, 2024. Here’s an overview of what happened, how it was addressed, and lessons businesses can take away from the incident.

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The Root of the Issue

GA4 users first reported seeing sharp declines in their website traffic metrics. While real-time data appeared normal, historical reporting tables were significantly underreporting visitors, causing confusion and concern.

The disruption appeared to stem from an issue with the generation of standard reporting tables in GA4. Users with BigQuery integrations noted that their exports were unaffected, confirming that data collection itself was intact, but the reporting system was flawed.

Despite the severity of the problem, Google remained silent for five days before acknowledging the issue through its Google Ads Status Dashboard. The statement confirmed ongoing investigations and reassured users that granular reports and BigQuery exports were unaffected.

The Fix: Resolution Announced

On November 20, 2024, Google announced that the issue had been resolved. The company apologized for the disruption and thanked users for their patience.

In its statement, Google confirmed that reporting functionality in GA4 had returned to normal. However, there has been no confirmation yet about whether the missing historical data will be restored retroactively. This leaves businesses with a potential gap in their analytics history, requiring additional reconciliation efforts.

The Impact on Businesses

For many organizations, the disruption highlighted just how reliant they have become on GA4 for business-critical decisions. Accurate analytics are essential for tracking the success of marketing campaigns, allocating budgets, and understanding customer behavior.

The week-long underreporting of traffic posed challenges in several key areas:

  • Performance Analysis: With traffic metrics inaccurately reported, businesses struggled to evaluate campaign success.
  • Budget Allocation: Inconsistent data may have led to hesitation or missteps in marketing spend decisions.
  • Client Reporting: Agencies relying on GA4 data for client reporting had to scramble to find alternative metrics or explain discrepancies.

Lessons Learned

While the issue has been resolved, this incident underscores the importance of diversification and redundancy in analytics tools. Here are some takeaways for businesses:

  1. Leverage Multiple Tools
    Relying solely on one platform, such as GA4, can leave you vulnerable to unexpected disruptions. Pair GA4 with other analytics tools, such as Google Search Console or independent platforms, to ensure consistent data availability.
  1. Utilize BigQuery Integration
    For those using GA4, integrating with BigQuery provides an additional layer of data security and accessibility. During the disruption, BigQuery exports remained intact, offering a lifeline for users who needed reliable metrics.
  1. Regular Data Backups
    Periodically exporting data to external storage ensures you have a reference point in case of future issues. Historical backups can provide continuity and peace of mind.
  1. Monitor Real-Time Data
    Real-time analytics proved to be a reliable resource during this incident. Keeping an eye on live metrics can help identify anomalies and maintain situational awareness.

Moving Forward

The GA4 reporting disruption serves as a reminder that even industry-standard tools are not immune to technical issues. As businesses adapt to this new analytics era, resilience and preparation will be key.

Google has apologized for the inconvenience caused by the week-long disruption, but the incident highlights the need for transparency and timely communication in such situations. By diversifying tools, integrating BigQuery, and maintaining regular data backups, businesses can safeguard their analytics efforts against future challenges.

The resolution of this issue is welcome news, but it also serves as a wake-up call for organizations to strengthen their analytics strategies. The goal is not just to collect data but to ensure it remains accurate, accessible, and actionable—no matter what comes next.

For more insights on digital marketing tools and strategies, visit Zenergy Works. Keep your analytics robust and your business thriving.

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Tips on Holiday Success for Google Ads

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Tips on Holiday Success for Google Ads

As the holiday season approaches, business owners with websites face one of the most competitive and rewarding times for digital marketing. For any digital marketing firm, the holidays present a golden opportunity to help clients capture more traffic, leads, and conversions. At Zenergy Works, we specialize in Google Ads management and understand how to make the most of paid ads during this critical period. In this post, I’ll share actionable tips to help you succeed with Google Ads this holiday season.

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1. Start Early and Plan Strategically

The key to holiday success is preparation. Begin by analyzing your past holiday campaign performance and identifying what worked. Use that data to shape your strategy. Create a detailed campaign calendar, outlining when specific promotions, discounts, or sales will run.

Be mindful of key holiday shopping dates such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and even Green Monday. Start your campaigns early to capture pre-holiday shoppers and stay visible during the peak season.  We suggest using Google Ads’ Performance Planner to forecast campaign performance and budget allocations effectively.

2. Optimize for Mobile

Did you know that mobile devices account for a significant portion of holiday shopping? Your campaigns need to cater to on-the-go customers. Optimize your landing pages for mobile use and ensure that your website is fast, responsive, and user-friendly.

In your ad campaigns, leverage mobile-friendly ad formats like call ads or app promotions if they fit your business model. Use the mobile-first indexing insights from Google Analytics to identify and address pain points in your user experience.

3. Focus on the Right Keywords

Holiday shoppers often use highly specific search terms. Tailor your keyword strategy to include:

  • Branded keywords (e.g., “Zenergy Works holiday deals”).
  • Seasonal keywords (e.g., “holiday gifts,” “Christmas discounts”).
  • Long-tail keywords that target purchase-ready customers.

At Zenergy Works, we emphasize targeting the right audience. As part of your paid ads strategy, be sure to refine your keyword list using tools like Google’s Keyword Planner.

4. Leverage Remarketing Campaigns

Not every visitor will convert on their first visit. Remarketing allows you to stay top of mind with potential customers who have already interacted with your site. Set up remarketing lists to re-engage those visitors and encourage them to complete their purchases.

5. Adjust Your Budget

The cost-per-click (CPC) often rises during the holidays due to increased competition. Anticipate this by adjusting your budget accordingly. Focus on high-performing campaigns and allocate a larger share of your budget to them. Consider using Google’s Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) bid strategy to ensure your investment delivers strong returns.

6. Create Compelling Ad Copy and Visuals

Holiday shoppers are bombarded with ads, so yours must stand out. Use ad copy that evokes urgency and excitement:

  • “Limited-Time Holiday Offer – Shop Now!”
  • “Exclusive Christmas Deals – Ends Soon!”

Incorporate festive imagery and call-to-action buttons like “Shop Now” or “Get Yours Today.” Google Ads’ Responsive Search Ads allow you to test multiple versions of ad copy, ensuring the most effective message reaches your audience.

7. Utilize Ad Extensions

Ad extensions enhance your ads and provide additional information to potential customers. During the holidays, focus on:

  • Promotion Extensions: Highlight special discounts or free shipping offers.
  • Call Extensions: Allow mobile users to call your business directly.
  • Location Extensions: Drive foot traffic to your physical store if applicable.

By making your ads more informative, you’ll increase your click-through rates and conversions.

8. Monitor Campaign Performance and Adjust

The holidays are dynamic, and market conditions can shift quickly. Regularly monitor your campaigns to ensure they’re delivering optimal results. Use real-time data to adjust bids, pause underperforming ads, and refine targeting criteria. With tools like Google Analytics and Google Ads Insights, you can track important metrics such as conversion rate, click-through rate, and cost per acquisition.

At Zenergy Works, we pride ourselves on helping businesses navigate the complexities of digital marketing, especially during the bustling holiday season. Whether you’re new to Google Ads or looking to enhance your strategy, our team of experts can assist you with top-notch Google Ads management and comprehensive campaign solutions.

Are you ready to maximize your paid ads performance this holiday season? Get a free quote on paid ads management today!

Let’s work together to make this your most successful holiday season yet. Contact us at Zenergy Works, and let’s turn clicks into conversions.

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How To Create Amazing SEO Blog Posts

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How To Create Amazing SEO Blog Posts

Whether you’re a seasoned blogger or just starting, creating content that ranks well on search engines requires attention to detail and strategic planning. At Zenergy Works, we’re dedicated to helping businesses get noticed online. In this blog post, I’ll share the essential steps for creating amazing SEO blog posts that capture attention and drive results.

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1. Start with a Strong Foundation: Keyword Research

The first step in any SEO strategy is keyword research. Keywords are the search terms people type into Google or other search engines to find the content they need. As an SEO company, we know how critical it is to choose the right keywords—words that not only bring in traffic but attract the right audience. For this post, we focused on “blog posts” as the primary keyword and included relevant keywords like “SEO” and “SEO company.”

When choosing keywords, think about what high-performance auto enthusiasts might be searching for. Are they looking for tips on performance upgrades? Maintenance advice? Use keyword research tools to find these terms, and remember to check search volumes and competition levels.

2. Create a Catchy, SEO-Optimized Title

Titles are the first thing readers and search engines see, so they need to be both catchy and optimized for SEO. Your title should include the primary keyword (in this case, “Blog Posts”) and clearly communicate the article’s value. A good rule of thumb is to keep titles under 60 characters to ensure they display fully in search results.

For instance, “How To Create Amazing SEO Blog Posts” is a clear and direct title that includes the keyword and hints at the value readers will get from the post.

3. Write for Your Audience, Not Just Search Engines

SEO might be all about getting noticed online, but the ultimate goal is to connect with your target audience. In this case, the audience is high-performance auto owners who are likely passionate about speed, precision, and quality. Use language and references that resonate with them and reflect the topics that are important to your target audience.

4. Structure Your Post with Headings and Subheadings

An effective blog post should be well-organized. Use headings and subheadings to break up the content and make it easy for readers to skim. Search engines also pay attention to headings, so include relevant keywords in them when it makes sense.

In addition to improving readability, a good structure helps search engines understand the content and its relevance. Headings also provide natural stopping points, which is especially helpful for readers who may want to skip to specific sections. It is usually best to use H1 for the main blog title, H2 for section headings, and H3 or lower for subsections.

5. Write Compelling Meta Descriptions

A meta description is the brief snippet that appears under your title in search engine results. Although it doesn’t directly impact rankings, it can influence click-through rates. Write a compelling meta description that includes your primary keyword and entices readers to click, much like structuring a paid ad.

For example:

“Learn the secrets to creating SEO-optimized blog posts that drive traffic. Follow these expert tips to make your content stand out.”

Keep it under 160 characters to ensure the whole description is visible on the results page.

6. Use High-Quality Images and Alt Text

Visuals make blog posts more engaging and break up the text, but they also have SEO value. Use high-quality images that are relevant to the content. For example, images of high-performance cars, close-ups of engines, or shots of cars on the racetrack could work well here.

Don’t forget to add descriptive alt text to each image. Alt text helps search engines understand what’s in the image and improves accessibility for visually impaired users. Include keywords where appropriate but keep the descriptions natural and relevant.

7. Optimize Your Content for Mobile Users

More than half of web traffic comes from mobile devices, so optimizing for mobile is essential. Make sure your blog post looks great on smaller screens. This includes using shorter paragraphs, larger fonts, and a responsive design that adapts to any device.

Search engines prioritize mobile-friendly content, so this step can improve your rankings. Plus, it ensures a better user experience for your readers, keeping them engaged longer.

8. Encourage Engagement with a Strong Call to Action

Every great blog post should end with a call to action (CTA). This could be as simple as encouraging readers to leave a comment, share the post, or visit your services page. A CTA not only prompts reader interaction but also increases time spent on your website—an important factor for SEO.

For high-performance auto owners, a CTA could invite them to explore related content, sign up for a newsletter with tips on car performance, or check out specific services we offer at Zenergy Works.

Creating SEO-friendly blog posts doesn’t have to be complicated. By focusing on keyword research, writing for your audience, and optimizing each element of your post, you can create content that not only ranks well but also resonates with your target audience. At Zenergy Works, we’re committed to helping you achieve online success. Follow these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to writing amazing SEO blog posts that drive results.

If you want to apply these techniques to your SEO campaign, please reach out to us and we will work with you to bring you quality website traffic.

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How Can Digital Marketing Help Grow My Business?

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How Can Digital Marketing Help Grow My Business?

When it comes to growing your business, tapping into the power of digital marketing is a game-changer. However, for your efforts to be most effective, it’s essential to understand the wide range of digital marketing tactics available and what they have to offer

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When you employ multiple tactics simultaneously, your digital marketing strategy becomes a robust toolkit that propels your business’s growth forward and becomes a driving force behind its success. 

For example, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps improve organic search placement, while paid ads (primarily on Google and Bing) ensure immediate visibility by placing your business at the top of the search engine results pages. This combination gives you both long-term visibility through SEO and instantaneous visibility through paid advertisements—ultimately driving more traffic and potential customers to your website. 

Email marketing uses an organic collection of customer email addresses to stay in touch with existing and prospective customers; social media marketing utilizes social media platforms frequented by your customer profiles to promote your unique selling proposition, brand image, and products. 

Our digital marketing strategies focus on building sales while improving your company image and brand recognition; these proven tactics can be effectively applied to any business, whether B2C, B2B, retail, or a professional service. 

Leveraging Digital Marketing to Build Sales

SEO and Paid Search Ads on Google and Bing have immense potential in terms of driving sales. These techniques specifically target keyword searches used by potential customers who have moved past the casual browsing phase and are ready to make purchase decisions:

  • Keyword research: Understanding what your potential customers are searching for is key to visibility. Conduct comprehensive keyword research to identify the terms and phrases your audience uses when looking for products or services like yours.
  • Highlighting key products and services: Showcase your most popular and profitable offerings; this will direct attention to them and increase the likelihood of conversions. 
  • Create conversion-oriented landing pages: Develop dedicated landing pages focused on converting visitors to customers. These pages should contain clear, concise information about your products or services backed by testimonials from previous clients. Additionally, incorporating credibility statements focused on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness) will bolster customer confidence in your brand. 

Email marketing is a powerful, cost-effective way to announce promotions or incentives for new and improved products or services, as well as an opportunity to improve products or services through upsells. It serves as a direct line to your audience and encourages them to make purchases or take advantage of special offers. 

Social media is a less formal platform for driving sales and promotions. However, for your campaign to succeed, it’s crucial to provide useful and relevant information. Share content that helps your customers use your products or services more efficiently or offers valuable industry-specific tips. Once you’ve established credibility through your content, call-to-actions to purchase your products or engage your services will be more effective. 

Building Your Image and Brand Recognition

Not all SEO content needs to be sales-oriented. In fact, Google (and other search engines) view content that provides value to users as the best content—and therefore worthy of being ranked higher in the search results. 

In addition, valuable content that educates and informs your audience positions your firm as an esteemed authority in your field. Blog posts and FAQs are instrumental in sharing your knowledge and establishing credibility. 

Likewise, Paid Display and Performance Max campaigns aren’t solely about immediate conversions; they’re designed to reach a curated customer profile and expand brand recognition. While this isn’t meant to imply that you won’t receive conversions from this platform—you certainly will—you’ll also have the benefit of amplifying your visibility in a way that drives both immediate action and long-term familiarity with your brand. 

Email marketing is an excellent platform for distributing content to existing and potential customers already familiar with your business, whether it’s a new blog or essential updates. This regular engagement deepens your relationship with your customer base, fosters brand loyalty, and encourages repeat business—all of which are key to helping your company grow. 

Social media platforms offer a window into your company’s culture and values for those in your target markets, which allows you to forge online relationships and cultivate brand recognition among your target audiences. 

Crafting a Successful Digital Marketing Strategy

While this guide doesn’t cover every digital marketing platform and its nuances, it does offer a general roadmap for crafting a successful digital marketing strategy. 

Keep in mind that the cornerstone of any successful digital marketing strategy lies in having a website that delivers a robust and seamless user experience; your website is the foundation that drives the success of all of these strategies and ties them all together. Learn more about creating a strong online presence here. 

Is Direct Traffic Really Direct?

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Google Analytics is the most common analytics platform out there. Because of this, GA, as it is affectionately known by those familiar with it, has had a leading role in identifying the types of traffic to a website and how they are measured. Google Analytics shows 5 primary types of channels of traffic: Direct, Social, Organic, Paid, and Referral. There can be other channels present (ie. email) if tracking has been established for these channels.

To reach the traffic report broken down by medium, you should follow this path in your Google Analytics account: Home>Acquisition>All Traffic>Channels. Google defines   Direct traffic as URLs that people either type in directly or reach via their browser bookmarks. GA relies on a code that is usually placed in the header of your website which tracks the referring site user clicked on to reach the site.Direct Traffic

We saw the amounts of Direct traffic increase dramatically in 2012/2013 as the use of mobile browsers and browser privacy settings became more prevalent. The reason for this is that GA began to place all the traffic for which the source could not be recognized under the “Direct” channel. The numbers on direct traffic for most of our clients are continuing to grow because:

  • The increased use of privacy and security plugins in users’ browsers, thus more traffic is stripped from the organic and referral channels to be placed in the Direct channel.
  • Tablet and mobile devices (ie. Safari in iOs6 and above) are not reporting the traffic source, especially for organic traffic, making mobile traffic difficult to track.  Studies show that iOs, despite losing significant market share to Android, still represents approximately 30% of the mobile browsers currently in service.
  • The current popularity of QR codes has added to direct traffic because QR scans show up in GA as Direct traffic.

How do you minimize this trend? Unfortunately, only partial solutions are currently available. Email marketing, social media posts, and paid campaigns can be tagged using Google Tag Manager and UTM codes, and Google Paid campaigns can easily be added to GA by following the path here: Admin>+create property>Google Ads Linking.

 Google Analytics will continue to create a challenge in identifying and reading between the lines to identify direct traffic v. organic traffic v. mobile traffic from the sources outlined here. Use common sense and follow the trend of direct traffic v. mobile traffic overview (path in GA Audience>Mobile>Overview) v. mobile traffic by device (path in GA Audience>Mobile>Devices) to see if the trends match. Over time, patterns will develop that will help to fully outline the success of organic placement in mobile SERP.

Eric Van Cleave is Co-CEO and Digital Director for Zenergy Works, a Santa Rosa, California Online Marketing and SEO firm.

Website Traffic Dropping? Here Is Where to Look For Answers

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Is Google Analytics full of bad news?  Is your online branding campaign in crisis due to declining traffic?   Don’t panic, here are some things to look for when identifying potential issues that may be negatively affecting your SEO or Website traffic.

 

  1. Look In Google Analytics.  Compare year over year and current period versus 6 months ago to identify whether this is a short term trend.   Look for traffic spikes upward that may have skewed results in the past comparison times.   Seasonality can be a factor, as well as Holiday schedules.  Look in Google Analytics under Acquisition>All Traffic>Channels to identify the exact traffic source that is declining.  If it is organic traffic that is declining, look at Behavior>Site Content>Landing Pages in Google Analytics to see declines in specific entry pages to the website.  If the drop is consistent across the board, look in Google Webmaster Tools for Manual Penalties.  Look in SEM Rush or another SEO Management Tool to look for toxic links or on page defects like mixed content and slow load speed that can affect traffic.   If the decline is with specific landing pages, and therefore, specific keywords, look for declines in your rankings for the keyword streams in search engine results.   It is important to run diagnostic tools on your pages to understand if this is do to something that you need to fix, or whether your competition is catching up and passing you.  The first step is to make sure that the tracking code on each page is in place and functioning.  You may check this by using the Google Tracking Code Checker. Either way, be prepared  to make site corrections, bolster SEO efforts and perhaps even design paid campaigns to make sure that you stay in the search results mix for the keywords that are vital to your business and your brand.
  2. Review Recent Website Changes. Have you eliminated content?  Has something been done to affect the indexing of your pages?   Google Webmaster Tools will help to answer those questions.  Go to crawl>crawl errors in in Google Webmaster Tools to Crawl and look for significant errors in crawl errors and 404s.  Go to Google Index>Index Status and see if the number of pages indexed has decreased.  Again, a website diagnostic tool like SEMRush can simplify this task for you.   Also look on SEMRush or similar for duplicate content that may have accidentally been added to your site.  The best way to do this is to look for Duplicate Titles and Duplicate Meta Descriptions.
  3. Changes in Google Algorithms. I can hear all of you saying now-“shouldn’t you have mentioned this first to save me all of the work in Analytics, Webmaster Tools and SEMRush?”  Short answer is “nope” for 2 reasons.   The first is that many of the issues discussed here will help your rankings in the face of updates anyway, so you have not wasted your time, and second, if you have been practicing good SEO practices all along, like I know all of you have been doing, then you are unlikely to get penalized by an algorithm update.  If none of the other diagnostics suggested here present an answer, by all means, search the internet tirelessly for news of a Google Algrorithm update/change/modification.   The problem is that most algorithm changes are not easy to decipher because Google is not clear about what specifically they have changed.  It can require many hours of trial and error to understand the exact nature of the change, so going back to the basics of white hat SEO is the most direct path to maximum compliance with all Google Algorithms.  The only certainty is that Google will continue to update its algorithms.  If you optimize your site with the intent of being the best response to a search for your keyword streams instead of trying to spam the system to gain an unfair advantage, you will most likely be immune to Google Algorithm Updates.

 

Conclusion.  Organic Search Engine Optimization and effective paid advertising campaigns have become more difficult and complicated with each passing year.  Successful business owners have a defined message that they want to share with their potential customers.  It is not hard to understand why an initial meeting is so important for a professional services business, or why a storefront is vital to the success of a brick and mortar retail store.  Many businesses neglect their websites and the impression that they make.  You do not only need to impress potential customers with your website presence, but you need to show Google and the other search engines that you provide the best information and resources for a potential customer looking for the goods or services that your business provides.

Eric Van Cleave is CO-CEO and Digital Director of TIV Branding, a Santa Rosa, California Branding Agency.

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