1 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.900 Five years ago Google restricted ads from 2 00:00:03.900 --> 00:00:07.000 showing any time someone types 3 00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:09.400 in the word cash advance into the search 4 00:00:09.400 --> 00:00:13.200 query on Google google.com. Right? So 5 00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:17.100 if you type in the word cash advance into google.com, you'll 6 00:00:16.100 --> 00:00:19.200 notice you will get any paid ads in the 7 00:00:19.200 --> 00:00:22.700 search results. This was kind of big news because 8 00:00:22.700 --> 00:00:25.500 it was aims specifically at limiting 9 00:00:25.500 --> 00:00:28.600 payday lenders from offering payday lending 10 00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:31.700 ads, but there was collateral damage the collateral 11 00:00:31.700 --> 00:00:34.400 damage was if the phrase included the 12 00:00:34.400 --> 00:00:38.000 word cash advance, that means it could be anything. Right? 13 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:40.300 So if you type in merchant cash advance, yeah 14 00:00:40.300 --> 00:00:43.700 that too was not allowed to show any advertising at 15 00:00:43.700 --> 00:00:46.600 all, even though a merchant cash advance has 16 00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:49.700 nothing to do with consumer lending or payday lending or anything. It's 17 00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:52.400 just a term that has been used quite frequently for 18 00:00:52.400 --> 00:00:55.500 specific small business finance product all the 19 00:00:55.500 --> 00:00:57.900 sudden they got wrapped up into this payday lending initiative. 20 00:00:58.900 --> 00:01:01.000 And you have all these companies who are no longer 21 00:01:01.500 --> 00:01:04.700 allowed to advertise do paid advertising on the 22 00:01:04.700 --> 00:01:07.100 merchant cash advance search queries. If you 23 00:01:07.100 --> 00:01:10.800 type in merchant cash advance today into Google you will 24 00:01:10.800 --> 00:01:13.500 notice you don't get any paid ads in 25 00:01:13.500 --> 00:01:16.900 your search results and that has not changed since 26 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:19.900 2017. So I thought perhaps back then 27 00:01:19.900 --> 00:01:22.200 they would just be being really aggressive that they 28 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:23.900 would adjust the algorithm so that 29 00:01:24.700 --> 00:01:27.100 Products that weren't what they were, you know 30 00:01:27.100 --> 00:01:30.200 products they weren't trying to restrict didn't face the 31 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:33.100 same issue, but they just left it at is well. Let me ask 32 00:01:33.100 --> 00:01:37.700 you this you may or may not know this but when it comes to things like Google Maps Alexa, 33 00:01:36.700 --> 00:01:40.300 you know, all those different 34 00:01:39.300 --> 00:01:42.700 types not actually going on google.com, but 35 00:01:42.700 --> 00:01:45.700 something like Google Maps if you put in cash advance emerging 36 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:47.100 cash advance, but that also limit 37 00:01:48.800 --> 00:01:51.000 No, so yeah, this just doesn't have to 38 00:01:51.100 --> 00:01:54.100 do with results in general and only has 39 00:01:54.100 --> 00:01:55.300 to do with paid ads. 40 00:01:55.800 --> 00:01:58.300 So you there won't be any paid ads if 41 00:01:58.300 --> 00:02:01.100 you type in merchant cash advance into Google you will still get 42 00:02:01.100 --> 00:02:04.600 search results and you will still get Google Maps listings. 43 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:08.300 In fact, one of the consequences of them 44 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:11.800 eliminating paid ads for that particular keyword 45 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:15.500 is that the organic search results benefited 46 00:02:14.500 --> 00:02:17.300 by being the first things that 47 00:02:17.300 --> 00:02:20.500 you see usually see all these ad Links at the top. Yeah, if 48 00:02:20.500 --> 00:02:23.200 the scroll down to get to the organic links, but now you 49 00:02:23.200 --> 00:02:26.200 have you don't have any of the add to the top so every everybody 50 00:02:26.200 --> 00:02:29.700 got pushed up and so a lot of what you 51 00:02:29.700 --> 00:02:32.100 see in search results is kind of personalized. So I 52 00:02:32.100 --> 00:02:35.500 try to from several different browsers to kind of get a feel for what someone might 53 00:02:35.500 --> 00:02:38.400 see and it turns out very often. I 54 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:41.900 would see Google Maps listings that match 55 00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:44.600 that keyword. Yeah. So if you typed in 56 00:02:44.600 --> 00:02:47.500 merchant cash advance into Google you might literally get 57 00:02:47.500 --> 00:02:50.400 here is a listing, you know for someone who 58 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:53.300 offers that product and here's your phone number and here's your address in 59 00:02:53.300 --> 00:02:56.200 Google maps that those particular companies are probably 60 00:02:56.200 --> 00:02:59.100 benefiting very much for free by the 61 00:02:59.100 --> 00:03:02.400 way. They don't pay anything work probably benefiting very much 62 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:04.900 from getting those those 63 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:08.600 And being in those results, so ultimately would you 64 00:03:08.600 --> 00:03:11.300 say that this limit that happened five years 65 00:03:11.300 --> 00:03:14.500 ago. Did it benefit the industry or did it 66 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:15.200 cause damage? 67 00:03:15.600 --> 00:03:18.200 I don't think it's so my theory is that it probably 68 00:03:18.200 --> 00:03:19.200 didn't do anything at all. 69 00:03:19.700 --> 00:03:22.400 So if you ask around what do 70 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:25.400 small business owners search for when they're thinking 71 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:26.000 I need capital. 72 00:03:27.100 --> 00:03:30.800 Probably very few of them are like, oh, I know I'll type in the exact 73 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:33.400 words merchant cash advance into Google search 74 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:36.100 there probably start off by saying need a loan for 75 00:03:36.100 --> 00:03:39.900 my business small business lenders. Where can I get alone? Where 76 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:43.000 can I find Capital? It's more more. You 77 00:03:42.200 --> 00:03:45.900 know that type of thing broad like where do I start? They 78 00:03:45.900 --> 00:03:48.700 might end up with the product that's fits what 79 00:03:48.700 --> 00:03:51.800 they need, but they don't think they go and saying very specifically 80 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:54.600 merchant cash advance, right? And so 81 00:03:54.600 --> 00:03:57.700 if you look at the amount of of queries that 82 00:03:57.700 --> 00:04:00.400 are even made for merchant cash advance in the 83 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:03.400 recent 12 months, I think Google said people always searching for 84 00:04:03.400 --> 00:04:06.300 this between a thousand and 10,000 times per month 85 00:04:06.300 --> 00:04:09.400 on average. And if you 86 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:12.500 if you you know boil that down over 12 months 87 00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:15.500 like over a year. That's really not very much and 88 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:17.200 you also have to take him to consideration. 89 00:04:18.100 --> 00:04:21.300 That a large number of those are probably people 90 00:04:21.300 --> 00:04:24.300 who work in the industry. Yeah who are looking to see 91 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:27.300 what comes up when you search it search it and where 92 00:04:27.300 --> 00:04:30.200 do they rank when you search it right and say like 93 00:04:30.200 --> 00:04:34.700 ultimately everyone's goes like you said to me that top 10 when 94 00:04:33.700 --> 00:04:36.100 they type in merchant cash 95 00:04:36.100 --> 00:04:39.100 advance to be the top 10 results. So their business can get 96 00:04:39.100 --> 00:04:42.000 more business. But yeah, so that's the theory right and you want to be in 97 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:45.400 the top 10, that'd be the goal. That would be I would assume as 98 00:04:45.400 --> 00:04:48.400 a business owner. Right? Right. That's what that's what some 99 00:04:48.400 --> 00:04:51.900 people hope to achieve but I think ultimately the 100 00:04:51.900 --> 00:04:54.400 term is not really one that 101 00:04:54.400 --> 00:04:57.000 you're gonna get a ton of traffic from or not the right type of 102 00:04:57.400 --> 00:05:00.900 traffic because there's just so few search queries for 103 00:05:00.900 --> 00:05:03.200 that term and you have to think a lot of it is 104 00:05:03.200 --> 00:05:06.100 other people in the industry who were just typing it 105 00:05:06.100 --> 00:05:09.400 in and not necessarily potential customers for you. So if 106 00:05:09.400 --> 00:05:12.400 you rent really well there how much business that will that 107 00:05:12.400 --> 00:05:15.800 will that will create for you? Probably not 108 00:05:15.800 --> 00:05:17.700 that much not to say it's not nothing. I don't know. 109 00:05:18.400 --> 00:05:21.200 I'm not those businesses that are getting the clicks. But if you 110 00:05:21.200 --> 00:05:24.300 just look at at the numbers it Paints the story of it's probably 111 00:05:24.300 --> 00:05:27.800 not that much and so I don't really think it's really 112 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:30.300 done had any impact on the industry in any 113 00:05:30.300 --> 00:05:31.300 way at all. 114 00:05:32.400 --> 00:05:35.200 If you kind of look at other keywords that 115 00:05:35.200 --> 00:05:38.500 business owners are searching for you'll find that things like 116 00:05:38.500 --> 00:05:41.700 equipment Leasing and invoice factoring are pretty unpopular too 117 00:05:41.700 --> 00:05:45.000 that even though these are very common products that 118 00:05:44.100 --> 00:05:47.500 it seems like to me based upon 119 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:50.200 Google's data that business owners are probably 120 00:05:50.200 --> 00:05:53.700 not starting with those keywords. Yeah. It seems like 121 00:05:53.700 --> 00:05:56.300 they're starting with more basic ones again based 122 00:05:56.300 --> 00:05:58.500 on Google's data like business loan. 123 00:05:59.100 --> 00:06:02.400 SBA loan and where they end up as completely different 124 00:06:02.400 --> 00:06:05.500 than where they started right those will be the keywords. You 125 00:06:05.500 --> 00:06:08.100 would want to rank for Yeah, a hundred percent and you 126 00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:11.300 can advertise your business for SBA loan 127 00:06:11.300 --> 00:06:14.500 or business loan and so forth. It just had an equipment Leasing 128 00:06:14.500 --> 00:06:17.100 and invoice Factory. You just can't have on a paid ad 129 00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:21.200 for merchant cash advance. Yeah. It's interesting to see how 130 00:06:20.200 --> 00:06:23.600 this is all kind of transpired over 131 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:26.400 the years. I think the impact really has not been. 132 00:06:27.100 --> 00:06:30.200 Anything at all? Yeah. Well, that's good. That's 133 00:06:30.200 --> 00:06:33.900 a great observation and also very interesting story 134 00:06:33.900 --> 00:06:37.300 just in general because I I be 135 00:06:36.300 --> 00:06:39.000 prior to this. I did not have knowledge that. 136 00:06:40.200 --> 00:06:43.200 Cash advance was limited when you search it on Google. 137 00:06:43.200 --> 00:06:46.600 So that's the whole thing. Most people most people probably did 138 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.500 not know that story is five 139 00:06:49.500 --> 00:06:52.800 years old. Yeah, and I don't think people really noticed. Yeah, 140 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:55.600 unless you're someone who focuses on 141 00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:58.600 online marketing and you do paid search and 142 00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:01.400 that's part of what your job description is. You probably know 143 00:07:01.400 --> 00:07:04.500 for sure because you can advertise the on that 144 00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:07.400 keyword on Bing you're on Yahoo. But on 145 00:07:07.400 --> 00:07:10.500 Google you can't but if you're not working in paid search, 146 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:13.500 you probably did not even know and it 147 00:07:13.500 --> 00:07:17.000 probably did not really even have any impact on anything 148 00:07:16.400 --> 00:07:19.100 that you do but it is 149 00:07:19.100 --> 00:07:22.700 something that I like to see here's what happened. Yeah, 150 00:07:22.700 --> 00:07:25.400 you know what happened since and I 151 00:07:25.400 --> 00:07:28.500 I think you have a side of it is you don't hear as 152 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:31.400 much about search engine optimization. Now as 153 00:07:31.400 --> 00:07:34.300 you did five years ago, yeah because the world doesn't revolve around 154 00:07:34.300 --> 00:07:37.300 Google as much anymore. Yeah, so you 155 00:07:37.300 --> 00:07:39.100 have people who are now finding 156 00:07:40.200 --> 00:07:43.600 This loan Solutions or financing Solutions through 157 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:46.800 Facebook ads Instagram ads and 158 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:49.700 so forth or I think there was even a report that 159 00:07:49.700 --> 00:07:53.100 people are using like, you know, Alexa Siri. Yeah 160 00:07:52.100 --> 00:07:55.800 to obtain financing or 161 00:07:55.800 --> 00:07:57.300 you know find where to start so 162 00:07:58.300 --> 00:08:01.300 that keyword on Google isn't the be all 163 00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:04.600 and all anymore and if you don't rank well for anything. Well, you 164 00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:07.200 can still be found other ways that five years ago. 165 00:08:07.200 --> 00:08:09.100 We're in exactly very popular.