This document summarizes 5 recent Google updates: 1) AMP carousel ads have been expanded to include related stories from a single publisher, 2) January 31st will be the last day to create standard text ads, 3) Google removed over 1.7 billion bad ads in 2016, double the number removed in 2015, 4) Google is testing a new local inventory ad format that resembles the local pack, and 5) Google will introduce a new interface for managing photos on Google My Business listings.

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OUR LATEST ROUNDUP OF ALL THE GOOGLE UPDATES YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT.
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3. 1. AMP Carousel Ads have
expanded

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Nope, we’re not referring to the AMP carousel ads for mobile search
results—that’s old news. These new AMP carousel ads are an
expansion of stories from a single publisher, ahem, referred to as
“single-source carousels” a la SearchEngineLand.

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This latest batch made its quiet debut at the end of 2016; not a peep
from Google. They show related stories from a publisher, which can
appear in conjunction with the news reel.

7. 2. Goodbye, creating Standard
Yext Ads (January 31)

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It’s been a long time coming, but you still may appreciate a reminder:
January 31 marks the last day you can create standard text ads. After
January 31, you can still use existing standard ads, but you will no
longer have the ability to create and edit.
Want to brush up on best practices for leveraging expanded text
ads? MatchCraft and Google are two great places to start.

9. 3. Google chopped more than
1.7 million bad ads last year

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We can all celebrate a lot less junk on the web these days. In fact,
Google pulls together a ‘bad ads‘ report every year for this purpose.
But what’s interesting about 2016 is that “Google says it took down
more than double the number of ads in 2016 that it did in 2015 by
removing 1.7 billion ads, compared to the 780 million removed in
2015.” Yowza—1.7 billion ads!

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This means ads for illegal products (we’re talking about you,
gambling!), ads concealing tricky malware and those pesky payday
loan ads have all bit the dust.

13. 4. New look for Local Inventory
ads is being tested

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Google is cranking out monetization strategies for local queries run
on mobile devices. A smart move, since local searches are growing
50 percent faster than regular mobile searches!

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The latest: a test for local inventory ads (LIA) that “that looks like a
shopping ad-ification of the Local Pack. . . the result shows a map
with a couple of LIAs below it where local pack results would
typically show.”

17. 5. It’s going to be easier to
manage photos in Google My
Business

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Google will be introducing a brand spanking new UI to help business
owners cut out the hassle of managing photos for their Google Maps
listing. Categories are getting the boot; they’re being replaced with
tags. Plus, there will be a new way to post your cover photo and logo.
It’s actively being rolled out slowly, so keep an eye out for your
updated interface!

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ABOUT MATCHCRAFT
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A pioneer in the marketing and technology space, matchcraft provides a
best-in-class technology platform that enables companies to successfully
sell and manage search campaigns for their clients.
Unlike other marketing technology platforms, matchcraft helps organizations
efficiently manage even the smallest campaigns, enabling our clients to
provide spectacular service to all of their customers.
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