Bill Hartzer

Bill Hartzer on Search, Marketing, Tech, and Domains.

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April Fool’s Day 2020 Cancelled

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April Fool's Day 2020 Cancelled

For at least the past 15 years, just about every single year that I have been posting on this blog, I make an April Fool’s post. Usually it’s on and around the 1st of April, and in the past it’s actually been, well, a few days before. However, this year, 2020, is very different. So, officially, I have cancelled April Fool’s 2020, at least my April Fool’s joke. I can’t tell you what it was going to be, as I actually don’t know. I’ve been too busy and pre-occupied with other details that I haven’t even thought about it. But, going along with tradition, I feel as if I need to make an April 1st post. [Continue reading]

Google Ads Phone Support Not Accepting Phone Calls

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Google Ads Phone Support

Google Ads Support is not currently accepting any phone calls. When you call the phone number for Google Ads phone support, which is 1-866-246-6453, you get a recorded message that they are not accepting any phone calls. The automated message (which is a computer-type voice and not a human-recorded voice) says that they are not accepting phone calls. They then go on to say that they are not accepting phone calls because they are protecting their employees from the effects of COVID-19 and the Coronavirus. [Continue reading]

Results of Removing My Google My Business Listing

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remove google my business listing - 7 months

Every month, there are over 5 billion searches on Google for restaurants. 3 billion searches for hotels. 1 billion searches for clothing stores. 600 searches for hair and beauty salons. 5 million searches for coffee shops (Google My Business data, … [Continue reading]

Domain Name Influencers to Follow on Twitter

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domain name influencers

Updated March 9, 2020 A recent discussion about the best Domain Name industry Twitter accounts got me thinking--there are a lot more domain name influencers on Twitter than be put into one Tweet. Even though there are a lot of characters available … [Continue reading]

Hitwise is Shutting Down

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by Bill Hartzer, February 18, 2020 at 2:38pm CST Hitwise, the internet data company that has helped global brands and agencies understand how consumers think, search, book, and buy online, is shutting down. In a statement published on their … [Continue reading]

Google App Maker is Shutting Down

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Google App Market Shutting Down

Google is shutting down Google App Maker, a tool that allows you to make custom apps for your business. App Maker is included with G Suite Business and Enterprise editions, as well as with G Suite for Education. … [Continue reading]

Kobe Bryant Dead – TMZ Website Down

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TMZ Website Down

Certainly no one expected this. A Sunday morning helicopter crash with NBA star Kobe Bryant aboard. TMZ, the entertainment news service that first broke the news of Kobe Bryant's death, did not expect this either. The website is getting so much … [Continue reading]

SEO Testing: TLD Bias in Search

Posted By Bill Hartzer on at

As a search engine optimization (SEO) and domain name consultant, one of the questions I get asked most often about domain names is whether or not the domain name or TLD (Top Level Domain) matters. Will the domain name ending have an effect on SEO or … [Continue reading]

Google to Require TLS 1.2 or Higher on SSL Websites

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google chrome TLS 1.2 message

Starting in January 2020 (this month), Google Chrome will start warning users when they visit websites that are not using TLS 1.2 or higher on their secure website. This is a change in Google's policy about SSL secure HTTPs websites, as they … [Continue reading]

Google Invites, Then Un-Invites, Users to Google Cameos

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Apparently Google mistakenly sent out invites to their highly-sought-after Google Cameos app, then promptly un-invited many of those same people. In the second email, they claim that they made a mistake. Google Cameos is an invite-only Google App … [Continue reading]