Crush Competitors with the right Google AdWords strategy!
BOOM! The Internet has made an explosion of endless communication possibilities.
I like to refer the time we are living in as the era of communication. Through social media and numerous search engines, we can communicate our ideas and our business ventures.
Our rudimentary form of advertising includes TV, Radio, or printed advertisements. However, as I said, the internet is at its peak, and as empowered business owners it is time to take into consideration the different advertising routes the internet has to offer.
So let’s get right to it!
Paid Search Marketing
The term paid search can be linked or related to terms such as:
- SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
- PPC (Pay per Click)
- CPC (Cost per Click)
- CPM (Cost per thousand)
In a nutshell, this means that Paid Search is an advertising method of marketing in which you will pay for every time someone clicks on your ad or every time your ad is displayed. Different search engines and social media networks make use of paid search marketing.
Each of these has a different tactic on how to use this marketing approach.
Different search engines and social media networks such as Google AdWords, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are considered front-runners when it comes to successful advertising.
Take a look at a brief description of each.
Google AdWords
We all know that when it comes to searches, Google is and will be the front-runner for a long time.
Just to give you an idea, Google was able to end the year with $101.8 BILLION as net worth.
Have you ever seen those small clickable ads at the top of the first page when you search something on Google? Well, those are AdWords ads. These ads can take people by surprise while searching the web, but there is no denying people see the ads, and if it is either because they liked the ad or just out of curiosity, the ads will receive clicks.
AdWords is much more than a clickable ad; it is an ad that functions as a direct line to your business. AdWords has numerous ways for your ad to be successful, but the main reason why Google AdWords has become so successful because they have been able to find ways that will strategically optimize the potential of each ad placed with AdWords.
As you read on you will learn new ways to optimize your AdWords experience.
Before diving into the details of different advertising strategies on social networks and search engines, remember this:
- It is important to work with someone who has experience. These are non-traditional marketing methods.
- Someone with experience on AdWords and SEO tools will be able to optimize the features provided by each, for your business to get better results.
Bing Ads
Another popular search engine is Bing, which is powered and operated by Microsoft Company.
Bing as a search engine has created a similar way of advertising like Google AdWords. Some of the things your business will benefit from using Bing Ads are:
- You can reach a more mature audience.
- Bings audience is divided evenly between Males and Females.
- Bing has a higher percentage of college graduates as an audience (27%)
- 135 million unique searchers are on Bing network.
Fun Fact: 31% of Bing users have a salary of $100,000 or more.
Just like Google AdWords, Bing ads make usage of relevant keywords to specific topics. Even though Bing offers a good deal, there is no denying you will not get the same amount of coverage as to using AdWords.
The most popular social network goes by the name of Facebook. Facebook can count on 2.01 billion monthly active users. The amount of exposure this social network can generate on your ad can be endless.
As of how advertising on Facebook works, it is very different from those of Google AdWords, for the simple fact that Facebook is not a paid search service, it is a paid social service. Ads on Facebook are more of a display ad than a search ad.
The difference between paid social and paid search is that paid social is advertising on social networks.
Facebook ads in comparison to Google AdWords target potential customers based on:
- Location
- Demographic
- Profile information
Facebook ads can be more cost-effective than those of other advertising tools. An ad on Facebook will vary depending on how you decide to budget your campaign. Prices range from Cost per Click (CPC), Cost per like, to Cost per app installs. Don’t worry! You will have the ability to make your ad wallet friendly.
So what does this mean for a business?
Since the marketing techniques regarding paid social and paid search have different approaches, most companies combine forces with these two. Why not have the best of both worlds?
Using Google AdWords will give you the benefit of looking for new customers and Facebook will let the customer find you, based on their likes and dislikes.
Instagram was acquired by Facebook in the year 2012, for the price of 1 billion dollars. It is said to be one of the best purchases Facebook has done.
The popularity that Instagram has gained in the past few years has been incredible. Instagram comes at number two on the most used social network apps. Instagram has 700 million monthly active users.
Just admit it, like the rest of us, you want to Instagram just about everything, from your dog to your morning savior: coffee. Its popularity has become a channel for different companies to be able to advertise their product, not only giving them the ability to showcase their product or service, but also show how to do it and how it works. 48.8% of brands use Instagram advertising services. This social network is expecting to generate $1.5 billion in mobile advertising.
Instagram has become an efficient way of advertising ones product, the reason being, we live in a world where everything has to be visually pleasing, and Instagram is the perfect channel to do so. With the use of hashtags, people can create more traffic, and draw attention to your account. Accounts use hashtags to be found easily.
Fun Fact: the most popular hash tags on Instagram posts are: #love, #me, #instagood, # follow.
Twitter is another hugely popular social networking service, like those on Facebook and Google AdWords. It allows people to express themselves and their thoughts through 140 characters.
If you want fame and the ability to express yourself, you will undoubtedly create an account. (Even politicians are fans of this social network)
Twitter is the perfect tool to keep your customers updated on any changes in your product or company.
Twitter advertising has three different types:
Promoted Tweets
The advertiser will pay for the display of promoted tweets on people’s timeline, even without them following.
Promoted Accounts
Targeted potential customers will be able to view these promoted accounts. These are reports targeted to more specific potential clients.
Promoted trends
Twitter will let you know what the daily trending topics are. This type of promotion will help you expand your topic and make it to the top of the list.
Twitter was able to have high revenue of 545 million dollars on advertising alone (combining International and US revenues). Twitter saw an increase of 6% over the course of one year.
Fun Fact: Saudi Arabia has the highest rate of Twitter users
Fun fact: By the year 2015, 100,000 million tweets included GIFs.
LinkedIn’s main purpose is to be able to create a community of professionals. The company was acquired by Microsoft, at a price of 26.2 billion dollars.
LinkedIn counts with its advertising services, but it functions differently from the rest of social media. As I mentioned before, LinkedIn focused on professionals. This social network has 500 million professionals looking for new systems and different career opportunities.
Since the target market is different, this means that its approach is different.
So, based on what is LinkedIn is their advertisements filtered?
LinkedIn filters the way they target their ads depending on these four aspects:
- Job
- Title
- Function
- Industry
These are their primary filters chosen, with the purpose of tackling those potential customers right in their field.
Knowing the fundamentals of paid search and its different functions, let’s dive into the more organic
Difference between SEO and Paid Search
The main difference between SEO and Paid Search is that the traffic generated from SEO is organic, meaning free with the use of keywords. Paid search is, well, paid. It is based on keywords and content only paid for every time someone clicks on your ad.
One of the main differences between SEO and Paid Search is the fact that you will see faster results with paid search. Paid search can count on a variety of features that will optimize the ads traffic.
AdWords features keywords, CTR, ad extensions, location targeting, and more.
Content and keywords use an SEO forte.
Using Google AdWords, you can go after the specific queries that are being used to look for your product or service.
Knowing the specific questions, benefits you as a business owner, to know what your potential customer is seeking. With this information, you can deliver what they want on all of your platforms, especially on your website.
Your goal for any advertisement, whether it is paid search or paid social is to convert those clicks on your ad into actual profit or real clients. However, how can you make sure you have a successful landing page?
FOLLOW THESE PRO TIPS
Above the fold
You might be asking yourself, what the heck is “above the fold”? Above the fold is the first portion of a landing page you see before you start scrolling down. It is the first thing that the visitor will see; this is why it is so important to have an attractive one. All of the content in this section of the landing page will determine if they stay engaged or they just say “ciao” to your website.
Headline
Chances are, your headline is the first thing your customer will see, so take into consideration that you have to use the same tone and language throughout your landing page and ad.
Giveaway
If you offer right off the bat something to your customer, he or she might stay engaged on your website. You can achieve this by creating some benefit in which they have to sign up or offer certifications, and unique selling propositions. It will quickly turn into a call to action, therefore increasing your email list.
Images
Things that are visually pleasing will become more appealing to you. Appeal your attention. Including images on your ad and landing page will engage your potential customer. Images can also boost your credibility. (Just make sure your images coincide with your actual product or service).
Content and text
Your goal is not to bore your website visitor. Make sure your text is short, sweet, and straight to the point.
Optimize your traffic!
Adding Ad extensions Will Optimize your results!
The more content you add to your ad, the more likely it is going to be seen. Ad extensions available on AdWords for this reason, it will generate more organic traffic on your ad. Keep in my mind that every part of your ad requires a maximum amount of characters.
| Field | Maximum amount of characters |
| Headline 1and 2 | 30 |
| Display URL | 30 characters in paths + domain= around 60 |
| Description | 80 |
Some of the extensions available are the following:
-
Site links:
this type of extension give you the ability to add extra links to take your potential clients directly to a particular page on your website. For example, if you have a clothing website your site links can include “Women’s Apparel” “Kids Apparel” or “Men’s Apparel” (depending on what you want to offer the most).
-
Call out extensions:
Improve the content of your ad by adding a call out extensions. This extension gives you the chance to promote something that makes your business unique. Examples of this type of extension include “Free Shipping,” “Delivery 24/7”, “Free Certifications,” “24/7 Customer Service”, or any promotional service.
-
Call:
On AdWords, you can set up automatic call extension on your ad so that clients can contact your business directly. With this, you can link your Google business account with your AdWords account.
-
Structure snippets:
this is an extension you can add to your ad to focus on specific aspects of either the product or service you are offering. Let’s say there’s a flower shop called “Franks Flower shop” if the owner decides to include structure snippet, he could include “Shop Franks Flower Shop for roses, tulips, orchids.”
-
Price extension:
This extension is to add the price of a particular product or service. AN extension like this one can make your ad more attractive to potential clients since you are listing what they might be pursuing.
-
Review extension:
nothing better than being able to show off the good work you are delivering! You can add any appraisal you have received, to show your efficiency.
-
Message extension:
with the message extension you can encourage your potential clients to message you for further information. The message icon will appear on the ad giving your potential customers the ability to contact you by mobile text messages directly through your advertisement.
-
App extensions:
if your business has an app available, through AdWords you can include an app extension in which you encourage your customers to download your app.
Allows you to know what is working and what is not working
AdWords can keep track of the traffic coming into your ads by measuring the click-through rates (CTR), keywords and negative keywords, and search terms.
However, you might be asking yourself, is that enough information to analyze?
Don’t worry about that; Google has millions of tricks up their sleeve to optimize your AdWords experience.
You can stop irrelevant traffic from triggering your ads (negative keywords)
Any business in the world would like to have the ability to see what type of advertisements work the best and when the work the best.
With Google AdWords, you will have the ability to see the traffic of your ads, and what days your ads receive more traffic than other days.
Measure:
- What days of the week did it receive more clicks?
- Around what time did your ad get more clicks?
Great keywords strategy
Nothing of this would be possible without the remarkable existence of keyword strategy. Without an efficient keyword strategy, no ad would be relevant.
We know that AdWords works by the bid you make on keywords. Every little detail on your AdWords ad will give the ability to Google to measure the traffic you have on your ads.
Pro tips to find the Right Keywords!
- Think like your customer: write and list all your categories and divide which words relate to each group. Which words will your potential client will be using to search each category.
- It’s better to use specific keywords: broad keywords entail that many ads or websites can use the same as yours. The more specific your keywords are the easier it is for the searcher to find what he or she is looking for.
- Group similar keywords together: to show more relevant ads to potential customers, group your keywords and ads into ad groups based on what you offer.
Pro Tip:
Make use of Keyword Planner, which is a tool provided by AdWords, to know what keywords work best for you. It is the perfect tool if you are new in the AdWords world!
You will benefit by:
- Based on your chosen keywords you can get historical statistics and traffic.
- Keywords research, which means you will get insight on what keywords may be relevant for you to add.
Different match types in Google AdWords
Broad
Broad is the default match type for every keyword chosen. Ads may show on searches that include misspellings, synonyms, related searches, and other irrelevant variables that don’t match to what you are seeking.
Example
| Broad match keyword: | Ads may show on searches for: |
| Women’s bags | Bags for women
Bags for men |
Broad Match Modifier in Google AdWords
Let’s you target searches that include at least one of your keywords. You target more specific keywords that must be present in the search queries. It’s achieved with the use of a + sign before the keyword that must be present in the questions.
Example:
| Broad match modifier keyword: | Ads may show on searches for: |
| Women’s +bags | Bags for women
Bags for men |
Phrase
Ads may show on searches that match a phrase, or a close variation of that phrase with additional words before or after the quotation mark symbol “keywords.” Ads will not show if the word is added to the middle of the phrase, or if words in it are rearranged in any way.
| Phrase match keyword: | Ads may show on searches for: |
| “Women’s bags.” | Buy women’s bags
Women’s bags 50% off |
Exact
Ads show on searches that match the exact term or a very similar variation of it. Close variations here may also include a reordering of words if it does not change the meaning. Add brackets to your exact keyword term you want to focus.
| Exact match keyword: | Ads may show on searches for: |
| [Women’s bags] | women’s bags
Bags for women |
Negative Keywords in Google AdWords
The use of negative keywords can become very useful to your ad exposure. Negative Keywords helps you rebate certain search words and phrases from your campaign. Your business will be able to focus on the keywords that make your ad relevant.
| Negative match keyword: | Ads may show on searches for: |
| Women’s bags
-Luggage |
Bags for women
Bags for Men |
WARNING: Since too many of them can result in having a smaller audience reach, choose negative keywords wisely.
It is important to know that Google AdWords divides into three levels, to get a better reach, your account, your campaign, and your ad groups.
*Keep reading to learn more about these*
Creating your Google AdWords Account
The first thing you have to do is create your account! Without it, you will not be able to enjoy all of the AdWords perks! An account on AdWords is only filling the necessary information to get the process going. All you will need is an email address, a VERY safe password, and your billing information.
Campaign level
After creating a successful account, the next step is to build your campaign. Campaigns have their budget and settings to determine where your ads appear.
It is composed of a set of ad groups (ads, keywords, and bids) that share a budget, location targeting, and other settings.
Campaigns are used to organize categories of products or services that you offer. It will separate your ad groups into different categories.
When creating your campaign, you can:
– Organize your ads by theme.
– You separate your ads into various products or service types you offer
Ad group level
An Ad group contains a set of one or more similar ads, characterized by the similarity in keywords and phrases. The objective is for all similar ads to target a shared set of keywords. You place a bid, or, price, to be used when an ad group.
Example:
| Ad group | |
| Desserts |
|
Geographic targeting strategy
Geotargeting gives you the ability to choose where exactly you want your ads to appear. Based on your location, this approach focuses on want you want, by filtering the zip code, city, state, or country.
These are the exact steps to set up your location targeted
- Go to the campaign you want to add locations for
- Click on settings
- Click on locations
- Click on “add locations” or “+ Locations”
- Edit Locations
- Click on advanced search.
- You will see different tools to segment the market. (Search, Radius targeting, location groups, bulk locations)
- Enter all information needed.
- Directly from the search option, you could also exclude any location.
Ad schedule strategy
Ad Schedule is the perfect tool for you to use as an organized business owner. For those of you who have little time during the day, this plan is perfect for you! With Ad Schedule, you can program when and what days you want your ads to show, of course, the days that will benefit your business.
Based on the budget
AdWords offers you to set your budget, which is one of its best benefits. You are in control of how much money you will spend.
Think about it, you can either set up a monthly budget to run your ads and when that budget is spent (monthly invoicing). There is also the possibility to able to set a daily budget for your campaigns.
*Money will never be an issue with you in control of it *
Remarketing Campaign
Remarketing campaigns have the purpose of targeting users who have visited your website but did not convert. The goal of this campaign is to be able to have a higher conversion rate.
However, take a look at this, with remarketing you can take it to another level, with the use of a Dynamic remarketing campaign.
So, what’s the difference?
With dynamic remarketing, you will not only be able to remarket your website to those who have visited it, but also remarket the specific products that he or she might have clicked on while visiting your site.
It often happens with sites that offer you a complete shopping experience, for example, Amazon. From experience, I can tell you that this works! One minute I’ll be looking for an individual item on the site, and the next I will have Amazon trying to sell the same product I clicked on, through a Facebook ad.
The usage of social media networks is the most common. Think about it; most people check up on their social media accounts multiple times a day; it became a no-brainer for companies to start remarking through their ads.
UTM Codes to separate traffic in analytics
If you thought you could not get more specific when analyzing your traffic, my friend, you were wrong!
The inclusion of UTM codes can keep track of when, where, and why your website is functioning.
You might be asking yourself what UTM codes are?
UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module. A UTM is a code used by Google to track unique URLs. It is a simple cipher that you can attach to a custom URL to track a source, medium, and campaign name.
To know where searchers came from, it will enable Google analytics. Installing this code will give you the ability for you to see where your business is more prevalent, meaning that you can analyze which market should be your focus.
Conclusion
Businesses are in the midst of a communication explosion. Since technology has advanced so quickly throughout the years, means it is the perfect time to take advantage of that.
With the ongoing use of the internet, as a business, you can offer your product or service to absolutely anyone your heart desires.
With the advanced advertising features search engines such as Google and Bing, and social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and linked in, it has become easier to reach your target market. Through specifications of keywords and ad extensions, you will be able to convert your online visitors into actual customers.
Google AdWords has become one of the most widespread online advertising services. It offers everything you need for your ad to be 100% effective. By tracking the traffic on your websites, you will be able to learn new helpful information to optimize your ad. Also, remember the benefits of being in control of the budget.
Quick tip: NEVER hold back on using more than one type of paid search or SEO marketing!