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We’ve all been guilty of using Google to search everyday questions like “How many ounces are in a pound?” or “Can I use bacon grease as an oil?” However, Google has also led many of us to information and news that have become critical to our lives and businesses. You may have even used Google to find this article.
With so many questions to ask Google, it’s no surprise that Google ad placements are an essential asset for businesses of all sizes. According to hubspot, “Google is the most widely used search engine, receiving more than 5 billion searches per day. Not to mention that the Google Ads platform has been around for nearly two decades, giving it some seniority in paid advertising. And according to Google, advertisers earn $8 for every $1 they spend on Google Ads.”
Learning to harness the power of Google Ads will help your business stand out from your competitors. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Optimize your website
Google has a complex algorithm that requires ad creators to consider more than just the ingenuity of their product or service offerings. According to google“Ad rank is recalculated each time your ad is eligible to appear and competes in an auction, so your ad rank may fluctuate each time depending on your competition, the context of the person’s search, and your quality at the time.”
VP Strategic Partners at SEO Werkz, Chris Siebeneck, said: “[In 2021, website] usability became a big part of Google’s search algorithm. People should be able to use your website easily and do what they want or what you want them to do. Google realized that and looked at ways to rate it and be part of the algorithm. If your site is hard to use, Google doesn’t want to send people to it to get frustrated.”
There are multiple ways to optimize your website, including making your site more usable through mobile devices. According to Statistica, “In the fourth quarter of 2021, smartphones accounted for 71 percent of retail store visits in the United States and generated 58 percent of online store orders.” In contrast, users on desktops generated only 27 percent of website traffic on retail sites.
Use Critical Keywords
Strategic SEO requires that you also identify the keywords that your target market uses in their search engines. Once you identify these keywords, you can use them throughout your content and drive more relevant traffic to your site.
“SEO keyword research is a method used by businesses and SEO professionals around the world to determine what their audiences are interested in,” said Jae Bae, founder and head of growth at Hedley Digital. “Businesses use this to find out which phrases or words are popular with their target audiences in order to rank higher in search engines and make their websites more visible to potential customers.”
Founded by Chris Fawcett, Third Marble Marketing has worked with several clients to develop effective Google Ads strategies for highly targeted keyword searches.
“One client who exemplifies highly targeted keywords is a female rabbi who specializes in facilitating same-sex marriages,” Fawcett said. “Clients like them provide consumers with an extremely niche service, which means that the people searching for these services have to search with very specific keywords on Google.”
Google Search Console (GSC) is a great place to start your keyword research. GSC provides free information on the words that drive the most traffic to various websites and other SEO metrics. This information will be helpful as you build your list of “seed keywords” and use these words in your content.
Create valuable content
It is essential to use keywords that are relevant to your target audience. However, remember that your customers consume mountains of content all day long and crave new and informative content.
A study revealed that 77 percent of people use Google Search at least three times a day and see about 10,000 ads on average. For your Google Ads to have a chance at those 9,999 other ads, they must have substantial value that only you can deliver.
Jessica Wong is the founder and CEO of Valux Digital, a full-service marketing and PR firm. With over 20 years of experience, she reminds leaders and content creators that their content is meant to provide significant value, not just fill space.
“Meaningful content drives engagement and can help capture the hand-raisers,” Wong said. “If your brand can build a reputation for delivering unique, high-quality content, you’re in a great position to gain loyal followers. In general, I’ve found that blog posts need to be at least 300 words to rank well in search engines, and HubSpot estimates that the ideal length for SEO is between 2,100 and 2,400 words.”
Paying attention to the number of words your target audience prefers may sound tedious, but it can be very rewarding.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.