PPC Archives | WSI Connect

4 Things You Need to Fix On Your Google Ads Accounts Right Now

March 26, 2020 // by Luke Middendorf

Google ad campaigns are quite effective at attracting leads and nurturing them into loyal, repeat customers. You can even customize your Google Ads to target a specific audience, drive more traffic to your website, and get better returns on your ad spend.

However, it’s very common for companies to waste a lot of money when using Google Ads.

When a user clicks on your ad, they trust the ad to solve a problem or address an underlying need. But if you haven’t set up the post effectively with the right content, targeted keywords, titles, images, and description, more clicks will not translate into sales for your business.

Here are the four things to fix in your Google ads account right now.

1. Keyword strategies

Are you using the correct keyword strategy? Our approach is to segment keywords into two categories:

informational keywords vs. buying intent keywords.

When conducting an audit we often find companies spending the bulk of their budget on informational keywords. For example, a landscaping company wouldn’t want to use informational keywords such as “landscaping DIY” or “landscaping ideas”. They are much less likely to convert into a paying customer than someone that is searching using a buying intent keyword such as “landscaper near me”.

Prioritize keywords that imply buying intent for your Google ads. Target informational keywords in your blog content.

The match type of keywords matters immensely. Broad matching, for instance, makes your ad display regardless of the order of the keywords. This might have potential, but it also brings in irrelevant traffic to your website that may not convert as well as exact match keywords. Exact-match keywords display your ads when users search for the exact term you’re targeting.

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2. A/B test your ads

A/B testing is very easy to do with Google Ads. It is an important method to improve click-through rates and improve your ad quality score. Improving these areas allows you to get more value out of your ad spend.

For each ad group you should have at least 3 ad variations running at a time. This way, you’re essentially A/B testing your ad by using different headlines and descriptions that approach the user differently.

A/B testing your Google Ads is crucial if you want to see the sweet spot between ad spend and ROI. It takes a lot of testing and tweaking the ads to find the right combo. It’s uncommon for even seasoned marketers to create a top performing ad on their first try.

Keep experimenting to find out which one performs better. Track click-though rates and conversions to help measure the effectiveness of your ads.

3. Linking your ads to your home page

The only times you should link your ads to your home page is if:

you offer a single type of product or service, or
for very generic searches.

For the vast majority of your ad groups, it will be much more effective to link to a specific product or service page.

Example #1. If you are a car dealer that is bidding on the keyword “car dealership near me” it makes sense to send the visitor to the home page because we don’t have any additional context about what they are looking for.

Example #2. A car dealership that is targeting the key word “used Honda Accord for sale”, should link to a page that shows their current inventory of used Honda Accords. We know what the person is searching for, so we should make it as easy as possible to help them find the information that they want.

4. Not targeting ads locally

Google Ads offers a number of options for geographic targeting such as by city, zip code, and by radius. Targeting should be prioritized according to where you customers come from.

Example: Customers of self-storage businesses typically come from a 6 mile radius. The closer they are to the storage facility, the more likely they are to convert. In this example we would target a 6 mile radius and a 3 mile radius, increasing the bid amount for the 3 mile radius target.

Choosing the right targeting option requires in depth analysis of your customers and target markets.

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Digital Marketing Strategies to Generate Leads for your Business

March 17, 2013 // by Luke Middendorf

Almost every business should leverage digital marketing for lead generation. After all, competition often seems like it is encroaching from every angle. It can no doubt feel like a chore to get the most out of your business and track down the right sales leads to help you in the long run.

In spite of the difficulty associated with all of this small business work in and around a variety of industries, there are things that you can do to generate leads for your business, and gain customers over time. Primarily and chiefly, it all starts with digital marketing strategies that can help you gain the most out of you brand awareness and recognition, and in turn, get the most out of your leads to develop potential long-lasting customers.

Search Engine Optimization

First and foremost, search engine optimization is a phenomenal way to build awareness and reach new heights in business on the digital sphere. No matter what industry or sector you are in, people are likely searching for your company and your products, and SEO helps you, to help them, find your business quickly.

Online Advertising

Online advertising, through programs such as pay-per-click, are a powerful way to reach targeted audiences. They allow you to market your business based on keywords that are relevant to your products and services. It also allows you to specifically target local markets by geo-location. Best of all, you only pay when someone clicks on your add.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great digital way to stay in touch with people who are your past customers, or those who may consider becoming your customers in the future. Through email marketing, you can work in tandem with customers to provide specials, stay in close communication, and never be more than a phone call or message away.

Social Media

Finally, social media is all the rage today. For many businesses, it can be a useful tool for engaging and communicating with your current customers. You can connect with individuals and answer their questions, showcase your products, and more – for free on these simple and available social sites like Twitter and Facebook. Your customers are already on them and talking about you – why not make it a point to get on there, as well?

Promote your business is critical for growth. The above digital marketing strategies for lead generation are useful for driving this growth. Customers and potential leads are out there online – in order to leverage them for what you want, you need to be online as well.

Interested in learning about how WSI Digital Marketing can help you leverage the Internet to grow your business? Contact us today to learn more.

Internet Marketing – How Plumbers Can Leverage It To Grow Their Business

January 28, 2013 // by Luke Middendorf

Why is Internet marketing important for plumbers? We get it. Plumbing isn’t the sexiest job out there. And when you think about advertising, it’s not like your plumbing company has the budget, need, or desire to go get a few supermodels and try to make drains and pipes a sexy idea.

But here’s the thing: everybody needs a plumber. And you know that, which is why you’re having success. But what happens if you want more success? And really, how do you get that success and target customers in your local geographic area, so you can build a network of local folks who become your loyal clients and customers for years to come?

Internet marketing is ideal for plumbing companies, both large and small, to leverage out and increase sales and customer retention in a variety of ways. If you’re new to digital marketing and what it could do for your business, let’s go over some of the ways it can help you and improve your sales, profits, and reputation in the community.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Pay-per-click (online advertising) works to leverage digital systems and Internet habits by advertising on sites and increasing your brand awareness for customers. The best part…you only pay for the advertising if people click through on the ad to your site. That ensures that you are getting your money’s worth on the ads. It also enables you to can track where people are finding your company, what they are searching for, and how they are finding you.

Local Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing works when people go on Google and type in search queries. So if somebody in your area types in, “I need a plumber,” a variety of websites will pop up. Ads will pop up, too, and that’s where you can make a big impact, showing your business and what you offer to people actively looking for a plumber. They, in turn, click through to your business and you raise your profile online and offline by finding new customers actively searching for plumbing help.

Social Media Marketing

Social media is very popular nowadays, and for good reason. After all, countless people are on it, and businesses, too. This is a great opportunity to raise your business profile and stand out from the competition, by joining LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, with your business and brand. Sure, you don’t need to tweet out endless plumbing facts all day, but the act of being there, listening to customer concerns, and engaging with people about their issues and questions can improve your business reputation and make you be seen as a business to be respected and used when it comes to plumbing problems and more.

In today’s competitive markets Internet marketing is essential for finding new customers. Whatever industry you are in, it can help you grow your business endlessly. For plumbers, specifically, leveraging Internet marketing to highlight local needs and potential customers can be incredibly beneficial for your business for years to come.

WSI Connect will leverage cutting edges techniques to develop the best marketing strategy for your business. Contact us today to learn more.