Search Marketing Archives - Page 2 of 5

Six Strategies for Writing Compelling Ad Copy

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Andrew

Pay-per-click (PPC) ads allow you to create highly targeted advertising campaigns in an effort to reach your most valuable customers online. These paid search ads get your message in front of the right customers at the very top of search engine results pages.

When a potential customer enters a search query and your ad appears, it may be the first time they see or hear about your brand. Make a great first impression by crafting ad copy that introduces your offer to a customer, but also compels them to visit your website. Capturing their attention, enticing them with your offer, and providing them with the necessary steps to convert all begins with your ad copy. By following these six tried-and-true tactics, you can write great copy that compels your audience to click:

Be Relevant: Relevancy begins with an optimized campaign that delivers your message to the right audience. However, your ad copy is also critical in gaining relevance with potential customers. Your ad should match the keyword theme in its corresponding ad group and the copy you’re using should match the landing page users are directed to after clicking an ad. The more your ad matches the searcher’s intent, the more likely they are to click through to your website.

Keep it concise: With character limits in ad headlines and descriptions, you don’t have much room for wordy messaging. Be concise and to the point. Stick to your message and don’t try to cover too much information in one ad.

Share Your Unique Value: After grabbing the searcher’s attention with the headline, share something that makes you stand out from the competition. Why should the potential customer buy your product or use your service? Include promotions, exclusive offers, or other competitive differentiators to encourage users to click.

Guide with a call-to-action:Tell the user what you want them to do after getting to your site with a call-to-action that drives click-through and conversion rates. Using phrases like, “buy now” or “contact us” will help guide your visitors to complete the action you want after getting to your site.

Enable Ad Extensions: Your headlines are the most important part of your text ads. Ad extensions complement the headlines and improve overall click-through rate. Extensions like sitelinks, call or location extensions, and user reviews/ratings provide relevant messaging that gives searchers more information about your business.

Test and Refine: Writing great ad copy that resonates with your audience doesn’t always happen on your first try. Implement ad tests so you can see what works and what doesn’t with your customers. Continue to test to discover what motivates searchers to act.

Need help creating and implementing your PPC campaign? Contact us today and we’ll help you deliver your compelling message to your target audience.

Bing Product Ads: An Emerging Market

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Andrew

Google is king of search engines, but Microsoft’s Bing is still a worthwhile investment. To reach your audience in all the places they are looking, it’s important to have a presence on Bing. This search engine powers nearly one in three U.S. searches and 11 billion monthly searches around the globe. Through a partnership between Microsoft and Yahoo, your ads could appear on the top or to the right of Bing, Yahoo and MSN search results. Just like Google, you can choose to target your ads to different geographic locations, times or days of the week, and consumer demographics.

What are Bing product ads?

Products Ads include custom images from your own online inventory, plus unique promotional text and pricing. Product Ads use your specific product information to determine who sees your ads. If someone’s search query is relevant to your products, your Product Ad can show up on the search results. Photos and relevant information help catch a user’s interest, and influences purchase decisions even before they click your ad.

Following Google’s lead, Bing is now showing carousels for their Product Ads in the Bing search results. The new Bing carousels are showing up for a variety of searches, showing eight products within the carousel. Informative product ads can translate into greater engagement, higher click-through rates, and higher conversion rates.

Where will your ad appear?

Like Google, Bing Ads is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising system. You bid based on how much you are willing to pay per each click on your ad. Bing has limited online real estate so they auction available spaces. You are bidding against other advertisers selling similar products or services who want to place their ads into the space you want. Your ad position is based on several things, including:

How relevant your ad and website are to the search terms a user enters.
How your bid compares to other bids in the Bing Ads auction.
Your ad’s click-through rate and past performance.

The stronger you are in these areas, the better your chances of winning the top ad position.

If you want to extend your paid search campaign to Bing, we can help! Contact us today and we’ll get your comprehensive PPC advertising strategy up and running.

5 Tips to Create Effective Paid Search Campaigns

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Andrew

Every day, more and more consumers use mobile search to find information and make purchases. Since most people are using mobile to search, you need to have an active presence on mobile. Google AdWords makes it easy to execute a paid search campaign to reach mobile users. By setting up an effective mobile paid search campaign you get in front of more prospects, when and where they’re looking for you.

Here are five tips to create an effective campaign:

1.Set Goals: What are your campaign objectives? Do you want to generate more calls? Improve traffic? Increase click-through rates? Setting goals helps you gauge whether or not your campaign is running smoothly. Continually analyze your campaign performance, test, and optimize.

2.Define Your Target Audience: Accurate targeting helps you reach in-market buyers. Knowing about your customers, including their location and device helps you pinpoint which search queries are a good match for your ads. Precise, focused targeting helps drive your ad creative so you can capture interested buyers when they are looking for what you have to offer.

3.Determine Your Keywords: The keywords you choose to target tell Google AdWords which user searches your ads should appear for. It’s important to consider the many different keywords and phrases a mobile searcher uses when looking for information. Choose unique, action-oriented keywords that help users make a decision quickly.

4.Use Ad Extensions: Ad extensions are simple to set up and can have a huge impact on your paid search performance. AdWords independently creates and displays the automated extensions (seller ratings, consumer ratings, social extensions, and previous visits) when it predicts that they’ll improve your ad’s performance. You can manually create new ad extensions that will show beneath your ad, including:

Site extension: links to promote additional landing pages or direct customers to more specific page on site
Call extension: a click to call button
Location extension: address to find nearest storefront
Click-to-text extensions: like call extensions, but they provide users a method for sending a direct text to the business.

5.Compel mobile searchers to click with clear calls to action: A focused call-to-action with a few well-chose words is better than long, convoluted paragraphs. Skip the flowery language and opt for clear, direct language that conveys your message in simple terms. One clear call-to-action offers value to the consumer and increases conversions.

Paid search is all about showing the right ads to the right audience. We have the expertise and experience to execute an effective paid search campaign that delivers results. Contact us today.

Personalized Digital Ads Deliver 3X Car Buyer Engagement

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Andrew

When a consumer sees an ad for something they’ve expressed interest in previously, they’ll be more likely to click on it. It is no surprise that consumers respond better to ads that are uniquely tailored to their needs. A new study quantifies just how important it is to personalize ads to improve engagement.

The 2016 Jivox Benchmark Report finds that consumer engagement with online advertising increases by three times when ads are personalized versus standard display ads. The study analyzed performance data drawn from over a billion ad impressions looking to measure the impact of personalization on digital ad performance.

The report examined ad engagement on three key performance indicators (KPIs): click-through rate (CTR), engagement rate, and average length of time spent on your website. The ads Jivox evaluated performed higher than traditional ads on all three KPIs. On average, the personalized digital ads from the study delivered a CTR that was 230% higher than the Google display ad benchmark. The personalized ads from the study achieved an engagement rate 84% higher than the Google display ad benchmark. You can make this data work to your advantage by launching your own personalized campaign with dynamic ads.

Launch your own personalized campaign

We can help you experience this same high engagement and higher revenue streams by serving personalized ads to active, in-market car buyers. We serve ads with your inventory to qualified prospects who are already searching for a new car. With these dynamic ads, we drive traffic directly to vehicle description pages (VDPs) for cars at your dealership.

We identify the best audience with data from your customers and our own data segments, and deliver then the ad to your customer. Ads pull real-time inventory from your website’s data feed and we optimize the bid to bring the most possible traffic back to your site. A dynamic ad served to your target audience generates the maximum amount of VDP views. The ad is highly relevant, prompting users to click through to the website, right to VDPs for cars on your lot.

Personalization has the power to deliver campaigns that are three times as effective, maximizing your ad spend and reaching in-market consumers who are actively searching for the cars you are selling.

Search Campaigns Can be Used for Branding

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Andrew

Search advertising has long been used as a direct-response marketing strategy, but a new study from Google reveals it could be helpful in branding as well.

Throughout 2013, Google and Ipsos MediaCT conducted 61 search experiments to measure the impact of search ads on brand awareness. They measured both top-of-mind awareness and unaided brand awareness even when the consumer doesn’t click on the ad.

Overall, Google found that there was a positive impact on unaided brand awareness and top of mind awareness.

Top of mind awareness from search campaigns

This can add an interesting twist to your search campaigns. Rather than focusing solely on direct-response campaigns, you can include a search campaign for branding as well. This can help drive your direct-response campaigns by improving your mindshare of customers.

To learn more about getting your own search campaign up and running, contact us today.

Hey, Google: Selling Cars is Harder Than You Think

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Andrew

A couple of years ago, Google debuted a new product called Google Cars. Dealerships everywhere were curious and apprehensive about the new product. There was talk about Google gaining too much power in how consumers would search for cars, and a few dealers were skeptical it would work.

Now, after a couple years, we’ve been able to determine that Google Cars was not a success. Consumers didn’t use the tool nearly as much as was anticipated, and dealers received mixed results from the leads generated by the program.

The failure of a company Google’s size at creating a tool to connect with car shoppers shows that it’s harder to sell cars online than everyone thinks. It’s not about “doing digital;” it’s about doing digital right.

If you’re trying to connect with car shoppers in search engines, you can do it two ways: a traditional PPC program, or a dynamic, inventory-specific program like Search Liners.

Search Liners aggregates your inventory and creates individual search ads for each car on your lot. That way, when a consumer does a search for a specific car you have, the PPC for that specific model will display and when they click it will drive them right to the VDP for that specific car.

Just because Google Cars didn’t work out doesn’t mean it’s impossible to connect with car shoppers on search engines – you just have to do it right.

5 Tips For Building a Better Mobile Site

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Andrew

One of the most basic things you can do to grow your business is get a solid mobile plan. Thankfully, this doesn’t require any major investments like developing a mobile app – it can be as simple as getting a basic mobile website.

In one of Google’s studies, they found 57% of mobile users won’t recommend a business with a poorly-designed mobile site. Additionally, 40% of mobile users turn to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience.

So what should you do? It’s time to get a mobile site. A mobile site is the easiest way to bring more customers into your business. For example: 95% of smartphone users have searched for local info, 61% called a business after searching, 59% visited in person, and 90% of these users acted within 24 hours.

Here are our top five tips for you to get started with your mobile website:

1. Make it Fast

Mobile users are usually searching for your website while on the go, trying to get things done while they go about their day. In order to serve them, remove clutter and give them the basics they need to contact you such as your phone number, address and hours of operation.

2. Make Conversion Easy

Mobile users have higher purchase intent than desktop users, but they still need additional prodding to make a purchase. Focus on information that will help the mobile user convert: product details, photo galleries and simplified data entry.

3. Make it Touch-Friendly

Clear navigation is key with mobile users, as they don’t have as much screen real estate as their desktop counterparts. Minimize scrolling and make buttons large enough to press with a thumb. If a user “fat-fingers” a link one too many times, they might leave and never come back.

4. Make it Seamless

Users might check your website out at home, and then be reminded to check it while they are on the go. If they navigate to your mobile website and it is a vastly different experience from your desktop version, they might be unnerved. Keep logos and colors uniform across both sites, so it’s obvious that they are visiting your mobile site, not one of their competitors.

5. Make it Accessible

Your mobile site needs to work on more than one platform. Android and iOS make up the lion’s share of smartphone users, but you still need to cater to the millions of people that use other operating systems. Also, use HTML as flash doesn’t show up on mobile devices.

It’s time to get started with a mobile advertising campaign. Your business should be reaching as many people as possible, and mobile is the best course of action.

If you follow these tips in creating your mobile website then you should have no problem in converting and cashing in on the growing crop of mobile users.

Yahoo’s Tumblr purchase means they’re going big into display advertising

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Andrew

Over the past week or so since Yahoo announced they were buying Tumblr, many panned the idea, dismissing it as an aging tech giant’s feeble attempt to stay relevant to younger audiences. What the buy really means is that Yahoo is going all-in on display advertising.

Let’s not forget that Marissa Mayer was a top executive at Google, basically the biggest Internet success story ever. She has seen first-hand the data behind all of Google’s products – including its search and display networks.

People think of search advertising as the de-facto form of Internet advertising, but the truth is display advertising is equally as effective, and helps you capture your customers at a different point in the funnel.

In a recent Wordstream study on search versus display advertising, they found that average CPAs (cost per action) on Google display networks are often lower than Google search CPAs.

Display ads have gotten better and better over the years with advancements like retargeting, contextual targeting and search retargeting. Plus, with certain CPCs on search becoming outrageously expensive (some top $50), display advertising is becoming more attractive because of its lower barrier to entry.

Some think that Yahoo paid too much for Tumblr. I think that Tumblr gives Yahoo a new avenue to pursue a younger audience, and gives it more display inventory for ad serving.

Plus, with the leaps and bounds made in display advertising, it helps Yahoo diversify beyond the search results.

Tablet users are engaged during primetime – are you marketing to them?

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Andrew

Tablets are becoming more and more commonplace both in work and at home, and they are now the ultimate companion device for consumers as they watch TV.

In a new report from Flurry Analytics, tablet users are shown to use their tablets throughout the day, but during the primetime hours the usage spikes.

What does this mean? It means tablet users are using their devices as they watch TV. They’re searching, networking and playing games. Their high engagement during the primetime TV hours means that you have an additional way to get their attention instead of just TV commercials.

Imagine you run a primetime TV spot at 7:30 p.m. on a local news channel. An interested customer sees your ad, grabs their tablet and looks you up online. You have two opportunities to grab them while they are searching for your business.

The first is with a search targeting campaign. Also known as paid search, search targeting puts your ad at the top of search engines. This gives you the chance to reach people as they look up your business.

The second is with Retargeting. Retargeting displays ads to people after they visit your website, allowing you to remarket your business to them. So if the interested tablet user searches and finds your website, but leaves without taking action, you can still reach out to them through a Retargeting campaign.

Tablet users have high primetime engagement, and tend to be older and more affluent than other demographics. It’s time to target tablet users with search and display ads.

It’s Time to Start Targeting

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Andrew

Targeting is the new way to reach your customers. In a new study from ValueClick, more than half of all marketers said that they thought Retargeting was one of the most important forms of targeting available.

The reason is simple: you are able to advertise and reach out to your website visitors repeatedly, giving you more opportunities to bring them back to your site and heightening brand awareness so they’ll remember you.

You already spend money bringing people to your website, so don’t you want to have multiple chances to reach out to them? Retargeting increases the ROI on all your other advertising because it brings back people who you hear about your website through all other advertising.

There are other forms of targeting such as behavioral, contextual, pixel and search retargeting. Each one offers a different way to reach your customers, and can be combined to bring you the best mix of traffic to your site.

If you currently don’t do any targeting, however, Retargeting is a great way to start. It makes use of your existing advertising and the website traffic you currently have. Retargeting is so simple that if you aren’t retargeting then you aren’t even in the game. It’s time to step up and start Retargeting your website visitors.