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- 13 Nov
Which Google Ads Network Is Right for Me? A Pocket Guide
Search. Display. Shopping. YouTube. Each Google Ads network represents unique value. You know your niche, the makeup of your business, and what you want out of your campaigns. But you’re working with a finite budget, and you want to maximize the return on every ad dollar you spend. So, the million-dollar question remains. Which network should your ads live? Or better yet, how do you allocate funds across these networks to maximize ROI? Is PPC just a giant game of Bingo?Short answer: kind of. But it doesn’t have to be frustrating.
Especially if you’re on a budget—which, on some level, everyone is—choosing the right Google Ads network for you can feel a little like buying a car. You want to leave the lot with a vehicle that, over time, offers the most valuable return. Leave with the wrong vehicle—or, in the case of the advertiser, spend your budget in a network that doesn’t allow you to meet or exceed your campaign objectives—and you’re stuck with an asset you’ll want to lose as soon as possible. In either case, it can feel like there’s little room for error.
So, to give you a big of guidance, WordStream came up with a complete pocket guide to choosing the Google Ads network that works best for you. And to get a quick look at how they shake out, read the full article at WordStream.com
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- 17 Oct
Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Local SEO Right Now
Local SEO is essential to smaller businesses. They operate on a regional, as opposed to a national, level. So, while national SEO focuses more on ranking in searches across the country, local SEO prioritizes appearing on SERPs in a specific location. And, this strategy relies on marketing your products and services to local leads.Doesn’t it Just Make Sense to Go Where Your Customers Are?
Optimizing your local SEO means more website traffic, leads, and conversions. And this is because the strategy is more relevant to your base of local customers. Think of this focused strategy as a way to help you compete more effectively against larger national brands. They have unlimited resources to spend. You don’t And by focusing on specific local-SEO to-dos, you can neutralize their advantage.
After all, 35% of all search traffic is local according to an estimate in a 2017 ReviewTrackers’ study. So, without local SEO, your business could be losing out on a significant amount of traffic. So to help you begin to “Go Local,” here are the top 10 ways you can make your local SEO successful.
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- 13 Oct
5 Ways to Increase Your Mobile Conversion Rate
by Brad Smith
Even though mobile traffic surpassed desktop traffic way back in 2016, many advertisers are still treating their campaigns with a desktop approach. They optimize their campaigns, ad groups, and landing pages for desktop first. Thinking that then they can start to bring in mobile traffic on the side.But, that simply doesn’t work anymore
Now, it seems that mobile users have vastly different behavior than desktop searchers. Using the same strategy across devices isn’t viable. And in support of this idea, recently WordStream released some new data on average mobile ad conversion rates. And the data revealed that the conversion rates vary widely based on what kind of ad we’re looking at. So, that means that you can’t even generalize across all mobile ads; the type of ad you’re using makes a big difference too.
Today’s PPC marketers need to optimize for mobile users and improve the conversion experience on smaller devices. Here are five tips to maximize conversions on your mobile-targeted search ads starting today on WordStream.com
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- 16 Jul
Google Responsive Search Ads: 13 Facts & Best Practices You Need to Know
by Mark Irvine
Google never disappoints at their annual Google Marketing Live event. And this year was no exception. Among the many new ad features and tools they announced, one in particular stuck out as a real potential game-changer – Responsive Search Ads.
Google Newest, Largest, Most Flexible Search Ad Format
Responsive Search Ads are potentially the most revolutionary change coming to your search campaigns since 2016, when Google first released Expanded Search Ads.
So, what exactly is changing? Here are 13 things advertisers need to know about Responsive Search Ads at WordStream.com
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- 14 Jul
11 Big Changes Coming to Google Ads: What You Need to Know
by Allen Finn
Recently, at Google’s Marketing Live event a whole host of changes were announced. And any one of those changes can have a huge impact on your digital marketing efforts.During the event, Google Senior VP of Ads, Sridhar Ramaswamy noted that today we operate in a world packed with more curious consumers. Those consumers are far more demanding. And they are way more impatient.
But, People Aren’t Stupid
And that means that today, our prospects expect us to deliver in our ads. They expect ads that offer personalized, hyper-relevant solutions, not generalizations. They want answers yesterday. And they want to save money. Put more eloquently Sridhar said that, “People don’t see value in advertising if they don’t feel valued by advertising.”
So, to see the 11 most interesting features and changes announced at Google Marketing Live, read the full article at WordStream.com
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- 07 Jul
The Case Against SKAGs
As summer is heating up, let’s talk about another HOT and controversial paid search strategy. Let’s dive into SKAGs!
Single Keyword Ad Groups [SKAG] have been a hot topic among the PPC community for a while. Some argue that this form of account organization allows you to create extremely targeted AdWords campaigns. And who wouldn’t want to keep everything tightly wound together. After all, then your money is only spent on those searching for the EXACT keyword that speaks directly to your products or services?
In a Bifurcated World, Even AdWord Strategies are Controversial
While some PPC people love SKAGs, they’re not right for everybody. And after some careful review, it is clear that there’s a case to be made against using SKAGs in your paid search accounts. So, to learn more about how SKAGs work, and why you might want to consider other keyword grouping strategies, read the full article at WordStream.com
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- 05 Jul
Goodbye, AdWords. Hello Google Ads
by Allen Finn
Google has made the executive decision. They are going to consolidate its overwhelming abundance of ad products under three brand new umbrellas. this will include their Google Ads, Google Marketing Platform, and Google Ads Manager. And, in fact, in the process, we are saying goodbye to the digital marketing world’s favorite: AdWords.You Didn’t Misread That
Google is in fact sunsetting AdWords, but in name alone. This and a slew of other shakeups (more consolidation! Smart Campaigns!) were announced by Google’s Senior VP of Ads and Commerce, Sridhar Ramaswamy.
If you are wonder what this all means and why this rebrand is happening now. Or if you would like to understand what Google Ads means for the future of keywords, then read the full article at WordStream.com
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- 25 May
Advanced Remarketing: How to Build an Intent Map (And Get More Conversions)
by Allen Finn
WordStream has devoted tens of thousands of words to remarketing. They’ve touted best practices, #hacks, and cross-platform strategies, shared superlative creative. And they have made note of just about anything that relates to getting your ads in front of your most valuable prospects (again).But What About Taking Your Remarketing Program to the Next Level?
It’s no secret that remarketing is integral to sustained success in online advertising. After all, it allows you to reach prospects already familiar with your brand. It can provide them ample opportunity to return to your site and complete some sacred, coveted [desired action]. In fact, WordStream’s Senior Data Scientist, Mark Irvine, has discovered that people are 2x more likely to convert after seeing your ad 6 times.
So, whether you’re a SaaS company looking to fill your funnel and push leads to trial and, eventually, purchase. Or if you’re an ecommerce shop looking to move units, read the full article at WordStream.com to learn Advanced Remarketing: How to Build an Intent Map and Get More Conversions.
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- 12 Apr
Get Web Traffic Without Relying on Google – or Spending a Dime
by Neil Patel
As of this month, Google had almost 75% of the search engine market share. And that means that far more people are looking for information on Google than on any other search engine. So, if you have a new website, you should be putting most of your energy into ranking on Google, right?
That May Not be the Best Way
There’s no doubt that Google is a big player when it comes to generating web traffic and that AdWords can help you get where you want to go – fast. But not everyone who is just starting out can afford to go all in on AdWords.
So, how do you get website traffic without relying on Google? Believe it or not, it’s possible. And you can even do it for free. And to learn how, read the full article at KISSmetrics.com
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- 24 Feb
AdWords Event Tracking Made Easy: How to Track Custom Conversions
Custom event tracking is an amazing tool. It’s a way to quantify all those valuable actions taken on your website that regular, old, conversion tracking simply can’t capture. So, typically, conversion tracking takes place by trigger events such as when a “Thank You” page is accessed.However, this is not the case when the action takes place on-page. As an example, someone does something on your page that you would like to track. But, that action takes place on a single page and no “Thank You” page is generated. And, that means that since there is no URL change, conversion tracking doesn’t take place.
This is where Custom Event Tracking comes into play . . .
Custom event tracking allows you to measure the results of an on-page action. It may be something as simple as a form fill-in. Or a light box opening. Or it may even be a product being added to a shopping cart. But by wrapping that action in a specific tracking code – upon completion – a conversion is recorded. And all without bringing your prospect to a new page. And, Voila! Your event is tracked.
So, to learn what the AdWords custom event tracker is and why it matters, read the full article at WordStream.com
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- 20 Feb
Your Google Rank Doesn’t Matter Anymore
Back five or six years ago, we had all the information we needed. It was there, all within Google Analytics, and you could get relatively accurate search volume estimates from within Google’s Keyword Tool. However, that changed. Google move to encrypted search. The tools and services we used to that point were rendered less and even ineffective in measuring the impact of organic search on a granular level.Changes. . . All These Changes
Next was Google’s decision to move search volume estimate within their Keyword Planner tool to show estimates in broad ranges. These changes have forced marketers to adapt their search strategy. Now they need to focus less on individual keywords and shift to a topic-centric content strategy. This is especially true for content sitting at the top of the funnel.
Now, to find out if your Google Rank even matters now, and what you can do about it, read the full article at HubSpot.com
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- 03 Jan
Why the Top of Your Funnel is Almost Always More Profitable than the Bottom
Yes. AdWords converts better than most other channels. Anywhere, ever. But. That doesn’t mean it’s the only option. Or even the best option.There Are Two Reasons Why
First, your cost per lead tends to be higher than other inbound channels. Second, AdWords doesn’t scale as well as other options. So that means you hit a point of diminishing returns. And that is mainly because only 3.4% of search queries actually results in an AdWords click. That isn’t a lot. Especially on your 5-of-10 niche keywords that actually convert.
The trick is to turn your attention from the bottom of the funnel back to the top. And to find out why the top of your funnel is almost always more profitable than the bottom, read the full article at KISSmetrics.com
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- 25 Oct
9 Quick Tips to Significantly Improve PPC Performance
PPC advertising is arguably the most effective form of online marketing. As the name suggests, it works on a pay-per-click basis. In other words, when ads are clicked on by a user, the advertiser pays a fee to Google.Pretty simple, right?
PPC advertising can bring targeted and qualified traffic to your website. And it is consistent and easily scalable. Achieving success using PPC advertising is simply a matter of optimizing your PPC campaigns efficiently and avoiding common PPC mistakes.
So, to learn the 9 Quick Tips to Significantly Improve PPC Performance, read the full article on Jeff Bullas’ Blog.
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- 01 Sep
The Google Fred Update: Why It Matters and What to Do
by Dan Shewan
On March 7, 2017, webmasters, site owners, and search engine optimization professionals began to panic. Some sites had seen a massive decrease in traffic seemingly overnight. Frantic SEOs tried to assuage their clients. Some of whom had seen a drop in traffic of up to 90%.A Sad But True Story
This was how most folks learned of the latest major Google algorithm update. It is widely known that Google constantly makes adjustments to and updates its search algorithms throughout the year. Few updates, however, have the kind of immediate impact that Fred did. Now, almost six months after Fred rolled out, some sites are still struggling to regain the traffic they lost. Some, but not all.
So, exactly what was the Google Fred Update? What was the purpose of Googles update? And what are the immediate and longer-term impacts of the change. And most importantly, what you can do to plan for and mitigate against potential declines in traffic as the result of future updates?
To find out, read the full article at WordStream.com
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- 12 Aug
The Totally Easy, Not at All Intimidating Guide to Keyword Research
Keyword research sounds like such a daunting and confusing task doesn’t it? What’s the point of researching a keyword anyway? Shouldn’t your natural marketing instincts tell you which keywords are most relevant to your business.Well, . . . . Perhaps Not Quite
Without quality keywords, found through effective keyword research, your search marketing campaigns (paid AND organic) will be completely misguided. And, if people aren’t searching for your keywords, then they are essentially useless. Search volume corresponds to interest. And without interest in your keywords, leads won’t be able to discover your ads or organic listings, visit your website, and turn into a paying customer.
Big Deal, Right? Yep. It is . . .
According to Parse.ly, Google search is responsible for driving a full third of internet referral traffic. And if you want your piece of this pie, you need to understand how to plan keywords. So, read the full article at WordStream.com to learn The Totally Easy, Not at All Intimidating Guide to Keyword Research.
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- 04 Aug
5 Ways to Use Facebook Ads to Take Down Your Competitors
by Allen Finn
I’m willing to wager that at least one of Facebook’s 5 million advertisers is your direct competitor. Even if Joe’s HVAC or Asics don’t really know what they’re doing, they’re siphoning your share of voice.What exactly does that mean?
If you’re not advertising on Facebook yet you may be missing out. Your prospects are probably already growing familiar with your competitors’ brands that are. And this doesn’t bode well for the bodies circling the top of your sales funnel. But it’s especially concerning when we consider the fact that these are folks with wallets already in hand.
Competitive advertising on Facebook is the next frontier
So, to gain a fundamental understanding of what makes Facebook ads valuable to your business, and more importantly, how to get them off the ground read the full article at WordStream.com – 5 ways you can use Facebook ads to take down your competitors.
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- 09 May
Four Ways to Use Recent AdWords Updates to Power Up Your Ad Performance
by Janet Janzen
In the past year, Google made changes to AdWords. No surprise there. There are always changes but it is important to understand these changes. And it’s even more important to understand how to leverage them to the benefit of your marketing efforts.The changes were intended to open up new channels for marketers on mobile devices. Admittedly they will improve ad performance. But you will need to use the right tools and tactics to maximize response.
So, how can you make the most of those new channels to get more leads and improve your conversion rate? Here are four easy tweaks that will make the most of those new channels to get you more leads and conversions at MarketingProfs.com
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- 06 May
The Last Guide to AdWords Account Structure You’ll Ever Need
If you are thinking of beginning to use AdWords for your first campaign or have been using it for a long time, you may have asked yourself, “How do I structure my account?” so today, we’re going to lay it out for you. This is the last guide to structuring a Google AdWords account you’ll probably ever need!Whether From the Ground Up Or a ‘Fixer-Upper’ Start Here
Building a successful AdWords account is a lot like building a house. Whether you’re starting with an empty lot and building from the ground up, or renovating an old dump of an account that’s falling apart. (Sometimes, you inherit a campaign that’s so irreparably damaged, it’s better to just tear it down and start over.)
To read The Last Guide to AdWords Account Structure You’ll Ever Need, read the full article at WordStream.com
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- 17 Mar
How to Turn Cold Facebook Traffic into Red Hot Leads
If you are looking for success in Facebook advertising, the thing to remember is that Facebook is cold traffic. With nearly two billion people using it, it’s not the same as Google AdWords. There, when someone navigates to the search engine, types in “cheap smartphones phoenix”, and is served up an appropriate ad with organic results. That’s warm traffic. We know why they came there.You’re Getting Warmer . . .
On Facebook however, we don’t know why the visitors came to the platform. They might be updating their status. They may be looking at photos from friends and family. Or they may simply be checking the news. Or simply killing time. The good news? You can turn cold Facebook traffic into red hot leads if you use ads the right way.
To learn how it is done right, read the full article at KISSmetrics.com
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