Displaying items by tag: Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Over the last few years, transparency has become an increasingly central issue in the world of online advertising. Google has addressed this issue head-on, noting in a recent blog post that they want their users to have some choice and control over the ads they see, and also to be able to quickly and easily determine who’s paid to place those ads. There are a number of examples of Google’s emphasis on ad transparency, such as the “Why This Ad?” feature you might see from time to time. By clicking on this text, users can receive information about why Google chose to show them that particular advertisement at that particular moment.

A Fortune 500 CEO has been quoted as saying, “Market share is gained during tough times.” This has been proven time and time again over the years. And for small business owners, we have not seen many times more tough than the last two months. Fortunately, some businesses have had the cash reserves to take this quote to heart and keep a strong marketing message in place. They will no doubt reap the benefits soon. However, many small businesses have had to cut all marketing efforts during this time and may be caught off guard by not having a plan on how or when to reenter the marketplace.

We’re a few weeks into the new year, but it’s not too late to make a few sales- and marketing-related resolutions. In particular, there are some new leaves you might turn over with regard to your company’s local search presence. Here are just a few brief examples of some good habits that can make your business more easily discoverable by local search engine users.

As businesses seek new ways for raising brand awareness, driving website traffic, and converting leads into paying customers, PPC advertising increasingly stands out as an appealing option. PPC stands for pay-per-click, and, true to its name, it allows the advertiser to pay only when their ad gets some engagement from the end user; in other words, you only pay when you get some kind of result, allowing you to minimize advertising waste. And, because PPC advertising is governed by a bidding system, you can be highly flexible in your advertising budget, potentially scaling your efforts as you gain your PPC sea legs.

If you know much about Google search algorithms, then you probably know they’re never static. On the contrary, Google makes adjustments and revisions to its algorithms on a fairly routine basis. Their goal is always to provide the end user with a better search experience; naturally, these changes have an impact on marketers and SEO professionals, as well.

As you embark on any kind of PPC initiative, it’s important to define your metrics and clarify how you’ll evaluate your campaign. Google has long offered advertisers a spectrum of metrics to choose from, and historically, one of the more meaningful metrics has been Average Page Position.

If you’re looking for a compelling reason to invest in PPC advertising (Google ads or Bing ads, most likely), you won’t have to look very far. In truth, the benefits of PPC abound. It offers a relatively low threshold for entry, and potentially some prompt results. It provides you with a wealth of meaningful data. It allows you to track what you’re doing and see what works and what doesn’t. It interacts harmoniously with other marketing channels.

The ultimate goal of any marketing campaign is to ensure that your business is “seen” by your target audience—that is, local customers who are interested in your products or services. In today’s world, that means focusing heavily on local SEO. Simply put, when nearby consumers conduct a Google search for local businesses, it’s imperative that they come across yours. That’s what local SEO is all about.

For years, fixed CPM has been the standard in digital ad-buying. This model allows advertisers to bid on impressions at a fixed cost per thousand, which is useful in some ways but limiting in others. For example, most auction-based ad platforms have prices that fluctuate day by day, hour by hour, even minute by minute, based on a whole host of factors. As such, it’s very difficult to know when you’re simply paying the best possible price, maximizing your ad budget.

Every business needs compelling written content on their website—and the ultimate purpose of that content is always to facilitate conversions. Simply put, you want the people who are reading your website to buy whatever it is you’re selling—and your written copy can help seal the deal.