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Give customers what they want with AMP landing pages

With growing connectivity and everything at your fingertips, thanks to mobile devices customers are looking to get what they want as quickly as possible. Whether looking for flights, ordering a takeaway or carrying out some online shopping, they want things now. If your website isn’t setup for mobile speed then you’ll be losing out as customers will simply go elsewhere if your page takes a long time to load.

Google has realised this and has now introduced the ability for advertisers to use Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) as their landing pages of choice. But why should advertisers care? Well, according to research by The State of Online Retail Performance in April this year, for every second that a website takes to load conversions fall by 20%.

The demonstration below from Google shows the difference between a standard landing page and an AMP landing page when clicking on a mobile result:

By giving your customers a better landing page experience you’ll not only get more conversions and sales from your website but you’ll also be rewarded with a lower click cost and better ad ranking. Give your customers what they want and ensure they’re getting the best experience possible with an optimised AMP landing page for all of your mobile visitors.

This functionality will be rolling out in the next couple of weeks for Google Ads advertisers so now’s the time to get your AMP pages up and running and check that they’re working as they should be. To find out more about using AMP for your Google Ads landing pages and how to create these visit the Google Ads developer’s guide for AMP.

AMP landing pages will be available for all mobile clicks although initially these landing pages will only be cached for the Chrome browser on Android, additional support will be coming for other mobile browsers and devices in the next couple of weeks.

Using Google Ads IF functions to create mobile adverts

Since Google moved to the expanded text advert format, advertisers have lost the ability to create mobile preferred text adverts to cater to the needs of mobile users. As expanded text adverts are designed to show the same messaging across all devices what can we do to help customise the mobile experience? Well in this article we’re going to look at a simple function that is easy to implement, easy to manage and won’t take a lot of time.

What is the Google Ads IF function?

The IF function works in a very similar way to the dynamic keyword insertion functionality that already exists for adverts but takes this a step further. Instead of being limited to just replacing default text with a keyword you can now specify additional parameters. Google’s definition of how this works is:

“IF functions allow you to insert a specific message in your text ad when a condition is met, and a default text when it does not. This makes your ads tailored to each search and more relevant to potential customers. Unlike ad customizers, IF functions do not use a feed. ”

Why use IF functions?

One of the key benefits of IF functions are that they provide a very easy way to effectively target mobile users without the need to create separate ad groups or campaigns. They are also a lot easier to setup than ad customizers and can be used to target both mobile devices and specific audiences that you have setup in Google Ads.

The benefits are clear with IF functions. You can effectively target mobile users and show them unique messaging with mobile optimised calls to action such as “call now, free shipping on mobile orders” and other strong messaging. You could also offer unique discounts or incentives for mobile users.

Is mobile really important?

Yes! Advertisers can’t afford to ignore the rise of mobile and the shift away from traditional desktop and laptop environments. Mobile traffic is now the biggest share of search traffic and as more and more of us rely on our mobile devices this trend is set to continue.

Mobile commerce is also on the rise and not just for low-value items. As more websites are creating streamlined mobile experiences customer confidence is growing and we’re seeing a big increase in the value of mobile commerce. In 2016 there was a 47% year-on-year increase in sales made on smartphones. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly website then you really are missing out.

Which pay per click platform is the most valuable for your business?

Getting your message in front of potential customers has never been easier thanks to the power of smart phones, tablets and internet connected devices. With advertising you can reach users on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google, Yahoo, Bing, YouTube and even in the apps that your customers use. In this article we’ll take a look at the best options and help you decide on which platform will help your business reach your advertising goals.

Facebook

As the world’s largest social network, Facebook has a monthly user base of over 2 billion active users and offers businesses a unique opportunity to connect with a massive audience. Over recent years Facebook has also dramatically improved its paid advertising model to give advertisers even more power to reach the right audience. But is it right for your business?

Pros

Targeting options – From demographics and interests to geographical locations and behaviours, Facebook lets you really drill down to help find relevant people to target.

Remarketing – By using the Pixel tracking you can further improve your adverts targeting to reach people who have interacted with your website. Want to target only users who have abandoned your shopping cart and offer them a discount code? Well with the Pixel tracking you can.

Lower advertising costs – In comparison to more traditional keyword auctions, Facebook tends to offer a lower cost per engagement than other paid platforms.

Cons

Below average CTR – Targeting an audience that isn’t actively looking for your products or services means that you can expect a lot lower click through rates on your paid advertising with Facebook. Getting your audience right is the key to success.

Needs constant changes – Relevancy is key so you need to change up your audience and advertising frequently to ensure your adverts get seen.

Bing / Yahoo

Using Bing’s advertising platform marketers are able to serve adverts on Yahoo and Bing as both networks use the same platform. And while many people think that Bing and Yahoo aren’t as important as Google there are some good reasons that you may want to include them in your advertising budget.

Pros

Lower cost per clicks – If budget is one of the biggest factors that affect your advertising then looking at the Yahoo and Bing network may be a good option for your business. Generally speaking the cost per click prices will be lower on Bing then on Google.

Customer service – As anyone who has ever encountered a problem in Google Ads will know, finding a solution can be a long winded and time consuming process. With Bing you’re able to talk to a support technician on the phone.

Cons

Less search traffic – There’s a reason why Google is the number one, it drives the most traffic to websites. In comparison Bing and Yahoo simply can’t compete with the traffic volumes of Google.

Google

With the largest share of organic traffic and the go to place for many people to find what they’re looking for, Google is a great option for businesses of all size. What’s more it also offers advertisers a raft of features and targeting options to reach customers and clients at the right time.

Pros

Targeting options – From in app and video to shopping and search, Google has a whole host of targeting options available to give advertisers unrivalled reach for their advertising.

Top ad positions – Want to be at the top for your chosen keywords, you can make it happen with Google Ads. If you’re happy to put the budget in to beat your competitors then you can position your business at the top of the searches.

Ad formats – From text adverts and video ads to shopping and image adverts, Google offers advertisers a range of creative ways to put their message in front of potential customers.

Cons

Expensive clicks – Because of its effectiveness, Google Ads tends to be the most expensive paid platform for advertisers. Click costs are often link with competitiveness with the better terms costing the most.

Steep learning curve – To get the most from Google Ads you need to know how to use all the features – this takes time and knowledge which some advertisers might not have.

Conclusion

For most businesses Google still holds the edge in terms of paid advertising and will help your users find you exactly when they’re looking for products or services. Putting your business in front of them will help you grow your customer base and increase your revenue.

Google Ads Editor 12 – Custom rules make campaign management even easier

The latest update to Google Ads Editor brings with it a whole host of new features to help make offline campaign management even easier than before. And while this latest version has undergone a subtle design change as well as giving advertisers the ability to create and update responsive adverts it’s the custom rules feature we’ll be exploring in this blog article. So if you’ve not done so already go and download version 12 of Google Ads Editor and let’s begin.

With the growing complexity of managing an Google Ads account it can be hard to remember all the best practices when creating your campaigns. The latest generation of Google Ads Editor aims to make this a lot easier by showing warnings for campaigns that aren’t setup within these best practices. So let’s take a look and see how we can make sure our campaigns are setup with best practices in mind.

Custom Rules

This brand new section can be found in the left hand navigation panel and is where we’ll be focusing on checking the setup of our campaigns. As standard there are 16 custom rules which show notifications for a variety of campaign and ad group settings and allow you to quickly see where any problems might exist in your setup.

Below is a screenshot of the new custom rules section:

As you can see there are a number of custom rules that cover campaign and ad group settings such as callout extensions, number of adverts, conversion tracking, accelerated delivery, search partners and many other settings. And while in some cases you may want to go against the default settings e.g. if you want to show your adverts as quickly as possible then you may want accelerated delivery switched on, for most advertisers these custom rules will represent the best possible setup for their campaigns.

These custom rules also go beyond just telling you that something is wrong, by right clicking on the custom rule that has a violation you’ll be taken to the section of the campaign where you can make the necessary changes.

For more advanced advertisers you can also setup your own custom rules to ensure that campaigns are setup to your own requirements. This new custom rules section is a powerful and informative way to check the settings for all of your campaigns in bulk – great for large advertisers who have hundreds of campaigns to manage.

Another useful feature is the addition of a custom rule violation filters which let you show filter and only show violations that match the filters that you select. This is great news for advertisers who are managing massive accounts and will help them save time and quickly edit in bulk the settings that they need to.

Google looking to build a better web experience

Google has joined the Coalition for Better Ads, an industry group that is dedicated to improving online adverts. This looks to put a stop to annoying and intrusive adverts on the web – like the ones that force you to wait 10 seconds before you can see the on a page or blare out music or video unexpectedly. With so many bad experiences many people use ad blockers which in turn has a direct impact on content creators, journalists, videographers and anyone that relies on adverts to fund their content creation.

So what can be done?

In support of a better web the coalition has announced a set of better ad standards that shows how adverts can be improved for consumers. Google is launching new tools for publishers to help them see how the new standards apply to their websites and also make it easier for them to fix any issues. The Ad Experience Report provides screenshots and videos of annoying ad experiences that Google have identified.

Funding Choices allows publishers to show a customised message to visitors using an ad blocker which invites them to enable ads on their site or pay for a pass to remove ads on the site through the new Google Contributor. Funding Choices is available to all publishers in the UK as well as US, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

Chrome to support Better Ads Standards

Chrome has always tried to focus on providing a great user experience when browsing the web by preventing pop-ups in new tabs but this is going to be taken a step further starting in 2018. Chrome will stop showing ads on websites that are not compliant with the Better Ads Standards. This includes adverts that are owned or served by Google, so this is a big step.

These changes are all aimed to help to make the web a better place and help content creators to continue to fund their work through online advertising.

What online advertisers can learn from the world of print

If you’re looking at ways to improve the performance of your paid search campaigns and Google Ads account then one of the most obvious places to start is with your adverts. This is the first point of contact between your business and potential customers and one that sets expectations. In this article, we’ll look at powerful print advertising techniques and how you can apply them to your Google Ads adverts.

Have a clear message

First up is making sure you have a clear message that you are trying to convey with your advert. There is never enough space to fit in everything you want to say so make sure your advert is laser targeted on one thing, whether this is a product or service, make this the focus. Mirror keyword usage in your advert text to help with engagement.

Use a strong headline

Your advert headline is your chance to capture the attention of your customers, so don’t throw this away. Where possible use prices or promotions in your headline to highlight offers e.g. “20% Summer Sale – Must End This Weekend” and don’t forget people’s FOMO (fear of missing out). Creating a sense of urgency can really help ensure that your customers choose to click your advert rather than your competitors.

Other ways to make your headline stronger include using emotional triggers that are based on the needs of your customer and focus on them. Using punctuation is another strong way to make your advert stand out and don’t be afraid of asking a question in your headline. Keep your goal in mind and what action you want your customers to take when creating your advert headlines.

Social proof

A great way to help influence behaviour is by using social proof to back-up the claims about your service or products. In print this was always with inclusions of stats like 9 out of 10 customers would recommend Persil to their friends. In the digital world, we can take this further with the inclusion of review extensions which can show relevant reviews with your adverts.

Include a call to action

Don’t forget to include a call to action with every advert that gives potential customers a reason to click on your advert. Some common examples include using phrases such as call today, buy now, free quote, sign up today etc. This puts this action into the mind of potential customers and helps direct them to the next stage.

Google Ads features you should be using in 2017

Google Ads has come a long way over the years and has moved from a simple online auction format based on simple keyword searches to the go to online marketplace for products and services. As a platform it is constantly growing and bringing out new features to help advertisers more easily reach the right audience. In this article we’ll take a look at some of the newest features and why you should be using them in your campaigns.

Expanded text adverts

Standard text adverts are being replaced with expanded text adverts and these are the new default when you are creating new adverts. But there are still plenty of advertisers who are using the old format adverts and missing out on the extra characters and real estate afforded to expanded adverts. So to get the best results make sure you replace all your old text adverts with the new expanded ones.

Price extensions

If you have tiered price services or different service packages then why not let your customers know with the easy to use price extensions. On mobile devices these extensions are swipeable so potential customers can swipe through the different pricing options. They can help you get more relevant traffic to your business and can even direct traffic to different landing pages in a similar way to sitelink extensions.

Demographic targeting

Do you know who your perfect customer is? Well with campaign level demographic targeting you can make sure that these are the people you target and that you’re not spending money on demographics that you’re not interested in. You can then spend more money on the audience that is more likely to turn into customers for your business.

Device adjustments

Did you know that you can bid separate amounts on tablet, mobile and computers? Well with device adjustments that’s exactly what you’ll be able to do. So if your website is not optimised for mobile devices then you may want to decrease your bid for mobile devices. Likewise if you have a responsive mobile-friendly website that has strong mobile calls to action then you may want to spend more on mobile traffic.

These features should help you make the most of your Google Ads campaigns in 2017 and drive more relevant traffic to your website than ever before.

5 PPC Tips to Boost Local Performance

There are many strategies that businesses can use to improve their marketing but one of the most successful is often targeting local customers. These are the people that live close by and are looking for your products or services. By focusing on local customers you can not only increase your enquiries but also attract more referral traffic and ultimately work – what’s not to like?

So let’s dive in and take a look at the top 5 tips that will help your Google Ads campaign perform better locally.

Radius targeting

Our first tip is all about location, location, location and in particular radius targeting. This is a way to geo-target your campaigns to a specific radius around a point or location. So for example, if you know that people are willing to travel 30 minutes to visit your store then you might want to set your radius to 15 miles around your business address. This means that anyone outside this location won’t see your adverts.

Target long tail keywords

Yes, it’s true that 2 – 3 keyword phrases have a lot more search volume but by using long tailed keywords you’ll have a much higher conversion rate. For local businesses, this is key in helping you weed out people who are just browsing and instead focus your budget towards visitors who actually want to visit your business. Adding your location to your keywords also ensures that potential customers who are close to you will see your advert when they’re searching.

Call extensions

Want to help customers to connect with your business? Then adding a call extension to your adverts is the way to go about it. Not only can a call extension give customers the option of calling your business directly from the search results but you’ll also be able to track phone calls as conversions if you’re using a Google forwarding number. This means you can optimise the performance of your campaign and see which of your adverts is generating calls!

Negative keywords

Nope, we don’t mean bidding on keywords that are bad. Negative keywords offer a way to restrict when your adverts show up, so for example, if you have a keyword “plumbers in Manchester” then a negative keyword you might want to include would be courses. By including irrelevant words you can help to make your campaigns more targeted resulting in a better conversion rate and more enquiries for your budget.

In-store conversions

Make sure that you measure the performance of website metrics that lead to in-store visitors. This can be a get directions button on your website, a click to call button or viewing the opening hours of your store. These are all things that can be measured with Google Analytics and imported into Google Ads to help you improve your local performance.

We hope that these tips have helped you understand the importance of PPC to boost local performance.

Are voice search adverts the future of Google Ads

With so many intelligent home assistant devices on the market it was only a matter of time before marketers came up with a way to put a paid advert on them. This appears to have been the case when Google Home delivered an unsolicited advertisement to owners of the device on the launch day of the film ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

While Google denied the claim that the feature was an advert with this statement: “This wasn’t intended to be an ad. What’s circulating online was a part of our My Day feature, where after providing helpful information about your day, we sometimes call out timely content. We’re continuing to experiment with new ways to surface unique content for users and we could have done better in this case.”

Sadly most people didn’t believe the blurb from Google in that if something sounds like and advert and acts like an advert then it will be considered by people to be an advert.

The advert could be heard by Google Home users interacting and saying “Okay Google, good morning” and after the usual updates about time, weather and commute the advert went along the lines of “By the way, Disney’s movie, Beauty and the Beast opens in theatres today. In this version Belle is the inventor not Maurice. That sounds more like it to me.”

Is this the future of monetising voice search?

With more and more of us using voice to interact with devices around us such as our cars, phones and intelligent assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home it’s only a matter of time before we start to see audio adverts appearing on these devices. These assistants are great at giving us the content and results we want but platforms like Google rely on adverts to generate their income.

And while we probably it might be some time before voice adverts hit the mainstream this one avenue channel that we’d expect to open up to a paid advertising model and another channel that marketers will need to add to their attribution reports.

We’re excited to see where voice takes us and how platforms like Amazon Alexa and Google Home choose to monetise these services.

4 simple steps to supercharge your website

So you’ve done the hard work of getting people to visit your website but how can you make sure that they turn into customers and don’t just disappear back onto the search results, and heaven forbid, one of your competitors? Well the answer is making sure your website is as relevant as possible.

In this article we’ll take you through some things you can do to help to supercharge your website and turn it into a valuable sales tool.

Step 1

Make it easy for your customers to find what they want. If you have an easy to navigate website that conveys trust then you are a lot more likely to turn your website traffic into customers. Whether you sell your products directly on your website or have a service based business, your website needs to capture the attention of your audience and give them what they’re looking for.

For example if you have an advert targeting “electrician in Liverpool” then you need to make it clear on your website that you are based in or at the very least cover Liverpool and reassure them that they can trust your business.

Step 2

Take a good look at your calls-to-action. Do they stand out? Are they engaging? Your calls-to-action need to tell customers exactly what you want them to do and make it clear what the next step will be. They should also stand out on your page and be able to grab the attention of your website visitors.

A great example of this is Dropbox which makes it clear what action to perform with a very clear call-to-action on the homepage.

Step 3

Did you know that over 50% of all search engine traffic now comes from mobile devices? So if you want to succeed online you’re going to need a website that is mobile friendly. The better you can make the customer experience on your website, the more chance you’ll have of turning your visitors into customers.

Having a mobile friendly website will also help your website rank better in the search engines naturally, meaning you’ll get even more traffic and more potential customers.

Step 4

One of the most commonly overlooked elements of a website is the contact section. Making sure that your details are correct is crucial to ensure that visitors are able to get in touch with you. Another common problem is businesses not answering the phone and not having a voicemail service. If a potential customer can’t get in contact with you then they’ll look elsewhere meaning you’ll be losing out.

Make sure you have a voicemail service setup for landline and mobile numbers that are listed on your website and regularly check these to ensure you’re not missing out.

We hope that you’ve found these tips helpful and would be happy to hear any tips that you may have for supercharging your website in the comments section below.