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Acquisition Channel Opportunities: SEO, App Stores, Instagram Ads

Want to get more paying users? I've analyzed over 3500 digital marketing articles from the past week and picked the top 3 most relevant for indie founders that can help you increase your MRR:

1. Google began rewriting title tags in search results. Here's what you can do about it

If you've noticed your page titles look different in Google's search results, you're not alone. Google has officially confirmed the new page title update, causing the SEO world to, well, panic.

Here's what we know about the update so far:

  • It affects a lot of sites. According to Semrush, Google dropped HTML title tag usage by 77%. That's a lot.

  • It's still in "beta". Google opened a support thread where you can complain about edge cases. Here's an interesting one I found (though it's now fixed):

img

The opportunity: This update will change lots of competitors' page titles to something they probably don't want to. Be the first to adopt before them and reap the benefits of higher CTRs in search results.

2. Apple will let you email users users about alternative payment options

Apple has conceded. The company published a blog post where they announced plans for several updates for developers who publish apps on their App Store.

The update we care about: App developers will be able to email users about payment methods outside of the App Store.

The catch: App developers can email users whose information was originally obtained OUTSIDE the app (not inside). I expect this to change though.

The opportunity (and promising future): The Epic lawsuit that caused this Apple announcement is far from over. Companies suing Apple will probably request far more than this. There's also a pending bill in Congress that will force Apple and Google to allow developers to accept third-party payments and list their apps on alternative app stores.

But even with this update, if you're a SaaS with a mobile app, you should be able to save money on commissions and then spend it somewhere else (like marketing).

3. Instagram has a new type of ad that targets shoppers

The ad will be located inside the Instagram Shop Tab, and it will allow you to target users when they're in a shopping mood.

Here's how it will look like (notice the "Sponsored" text):

img

The opportunity: If you're into e-commerce and want to "catch" people at the point where they're ready to buy, consider testing this ad format.

My prediction is that these ads will be more expensive than traditional Instagram ads, but they'll also convert better. At the end of the day, it's ROI that counts.

  1. 1

    Change in Title tags also presents a good opportunity to create a Chrome Extension that helps you to check your title tags vs. what Google is showing in the search results.

    Someone has created a bookmarklet to do exactly that. I have covered it in my newsletter: https://chromeextensionideas.substack.com/p/chrome-extension-ideas-5

    You should also check this thread to understand the pain point of SEOs: https://twitter.com/carlhendy/status/1431283991693438982

  2. 1

    Wow, I didn't know any of these. Thanks for the insights, Darko.

  3. 1

    It's interesting to see what ultimately happens with the App stores. South Korea just passed their 'anti-Google' law, forbidding App stores to charge hefty in-app commissions: https://www.reuters.com/article/southkorea-antitrust-tech-idUSKBN2FW0UC

    1. 1

      Wow this is brand new, thanks for sharing!

  4. 1

    Many SEOs have requested to opt out of the title update, although I doubt Google will make this an option.

    1. 1

      Doubt this will happen.

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