Search South

10/05/2023

Decoding Keyword Match Types In Google Ads: Strategic Insights And Recommendations

So, you’re looking to get your head around this whole Google Ads thing, right? Well, there’s this super important concept you’ve gotta know – Keyword Match Types. They’re like the secret sauce that can make or break your ad campaigns. In this article, we’re going to chat about the different types of keyword matches that Google Ads offers and when it’s a good idea to use them. So, get comfortable, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s dive into the world of Google Ads keywords!

Keywords are the critical touchpoints in any Google Ads campaign. They are the link that connects an advertiser’s products or services to potential customers searching for them. But not all keywords are created equal, nor do they function in the same way. This is where the understanding of keyword match types comes into play.

In Google Ads, there are four keyword match types. These are Broad Match, Modified Broad Match, Phrase Match, and Exact Match. Each match type is differentiated by the level of match between the keyword and the user’s search query, thereby influencing when and where an ad will be displayed.

Broad Match is the default setting and the most expansive of all match types. When a keyword is set to broad match, Google Ads has the flexibility to trigger your ad for searches that include any word in your keyword, in any order, and even for related concepts. This match type can help advertisers reach the widest audience possible. However, this freedom also means that your ad could be shown for irrelevant search terms, potentially leading to wasted spend. Google recommends using broad match when your goal is to reach a large audience and you’re less concerned about targeting specific search terms.

Read on to find out more:

May 10, 2023 0 0 Google Ads Decoding Keyword Match Types in Google Ads: Strategic Insights and Recommendations So, you’re looking to get your head around this whole Google Ads thing, right? Well, there’s this super important concept you’ve gotta know – Keyword Match Types. They’re like the...

02/05/2023

Unlocking The Power Of Facebook Ads

In the ever-changing landscape of online marketing, Facebook Ads has emerged as a formidable tool for businesses seeking to connect with their target audience. With an array of advanced features at their disposal, advertisers can fine-tune their campaigns to reach the right people, at the right time, with the right message.

In this article, we will delve into the depths of Facebook Ads, exploring its advanced elements such as attribution, reporting, targeting, audiences, and the use of different ad formats.

Attribution: Assigning Credit Where It’s Due

One of the biggest challenges in digital marketing is accurately attributing the success of a campaign to specific actions or touchpoints. Facebook Ads tackles this issue through its advanced attribution feature, which allows marketers to gain a clear understanding of how their ads are performing in relation to their business goals.

Facebook’s attribution model can be customized to suit the needs of any advertiser. By default, the platform employs a 28-day click and 1-day view attribution window. However, users can modify these settings to better align with their unique objectives and customer journey. This flexibility empowers marketers to make informed decisions about their ad spend and optimize their campaigns for maximum impact.

Read More:

https://www.search-south.com/2023/05/02/unlocking-the-power-of-facebook-ads-a-deep-dive-into-advanced-features/

26/04/2023

The Importance Of Conversion Rates In Google Ads And Their Impact On Your Business

In the world of digital marketing, Google Ads has emerged as one of the most powerful tools for driving website traffic, generating leads, and ultimately increasing revenue.

Despite the countless metrics that marketers can analyze, one of the most crucial aspects to focus on is the conversion rate. This article will explore the significance of conversion rates within Google Ads, why they matter, and how they can impact your business.

Understanding Conversion Rates in Google Ads

Before diving into the importance of conversion rates, let’s define the term. In the context of Google Ads, a conversion rate refers to the percentage of users who click on an advertisement and subsequently complete a desired action. This action can range from making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter to downloading an app or filling out a contact form. By monitoring conversion rates, marketers can gauge the effectiveness of their ads and determine which strategies are resonating with their target audience.

Read on to find out more: https://www.search-south.com/2023/04/26/the-importance-of-conversion-rates-in-google-ads-and-their-impact-on-your-business/

25/04/2023

Paid Search Versus Organic Search: Using Your Budget Effectively

Should you focus your digital marketing budget on paid search, or organic search? Or maybe a bit of both?

We take a closer look at the pros and cons of pay per click (PPC) solutions and search engine optimisation (SEO) to help guide your marketing investment decisions.

A Brief Explainer

Let’s start with a brief explanation of what we mean by paid search and organic search. If you’re already well versed in the ins and outs of digital marketing, then you may wish to skip this section!

When you carry out a search using a search engine (such as Google), you are shown a set of results. Those results consist of various elements. Typically, you will see some results (links) that are marked as being “sponsored”. These are what are known as paid search ads.

The sponsored ads will often be in the most prominent positions within the search engine results page, frequently shown in the top few places on your screen.

Beneath the paid search ads, you have the “organic” search results. Essentially, the organic results have been created by the search engine scanning content across the web and then presenting you with the most relevant results for your query.

So we can see some key differences here:

1. Paid search ads tend to be most prominent on the search engine results pages

2. Advertisers have paid for positioning on those paid search ads

3. The organic results are typically lower on the page

4. Those organic results are determined by “relevance”, as identified by the search engine

Now that we’re clear on the terminology and the differences, let’s look at where you should be investing your money, if you want to drive quality, targeted traffic from the search engines.

Read on:

April 25, 2023 0 0 Google Ads, Paid Marketing, PPC, SEO Paid Search Versus Organic Search: Using Your Budget Effectively Should you focus your digital marketing budget on paid search, or organic search? Or maybe a bit of both? We take a closer look at the pros and cons of pay per click (PPC) solutio...

21/04/2023

Are Samsung to stop using Google as the default search engine? Apparently, this may not be as likely as has been suggested by various news outlets recently, due to Google's Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA).

Debunking the Samsung-Bing rumor. Here's why Google will remain Samsung's default search engine in the US.

20/04/2023

We’ve been managing Google Ads (once called Google Adwords) accounts for more than 15 years. Over that time period, there have been huge changes to the way in which Google’s advertising platform works. Don’t worry – I’m not about to launch into a long list of all the changes that we’ve seen over the years!

But I do want to focus on one area: negative keywords. This is part of a Google Ads account that can be neglected, but which has become increasingly important in recent years. Read on and I’ll explain more!

https://www.search-south.com/2023/04/20/use-negative-keywords-to-reduce-your-google-ads-bill/

19/04/2023

Google Ads Attribution: Understanding The Fundamentals

Google recently announced that some of their attribution models are “going away“. This is news that many advertisers may have missed. Those who did see the announcement may well have found themselves thinking: “So what?”

Attribution is a core concept in the world of digital marketing and it’s all about trying to understand which channel (or even which individual ad) helped you to make a sale. Initially, in the early days of attribution, a basic model took hold: it’s what is known as last click attribution and you’ll still see it used today.

Last click attribution works by assuming that it was the last click on to your website that ultimately generated your sale. So, to take an example, if someone clicks on a Google Ads link and then makes a purchase, then Google Ads is attributed as the channel that generated the sale. That would be irrespective of what happened prior to that click on the Google ad.

But there’s a problem with the last click attribution model and it’s something that became evident at quite an early stage in the world of online advertising. The problem is that user behaviour is often quite complex and there will often be multiple touch points prior to purchase.

April 19, 2023 0 0 Ecommerce, Google Ads Google Ads Attribution: Understanding The Fundamentals Google recently announced that some of their attribution models are “going away“. This is news that many advertisers may have missed. Those who did see the announcement may well have found themselves ...

31/01/2023

Common Problems With Google Ads Ecommerce Ads

We’ve previously discussed how to identify if you have an issue with advertising your ecommerce store via Google Ads. In particular, we noted how critical it is to be measuring all elements of your campaigns, enabling you to see precisely what you’re getting for your money.

Maybe you have all of that detailed tracking in place and you’ve been able to run the calculations. You can see that Google Ads simply isn’t delivering the revenue that you require in order to justify the levels of spending. What happens next? Here are some of the most common problems that we see with Google Ads accounts in the ecommerce space – running through fixes in each of these areas could help to turn your account around:

1. Google Shopping Feed Optimisation

Google Shopping is likely to form a central plank of your Google Ads efforts. The starting point for any Google Shopping campaign is to have a feed in place and one that is optimised for success. Have you reviewed the state of your own feed and how it’s performing?

2. Google Shopping Campaign Structure

How are your Google Shopping campaigns structured and are you making the most of the ad platforms features to ensure that budget is being spent on your best converting products? Are you using the various signals that are available to you, so that your products are best positioned against those offered by competitors?

3. Geographic Targeting

Do you only sell products to customers within specific geographic areas. It may be that you only sell within the UK, for example. You may not have realised by Google’s default geographic settings will often bring in visitors who are not located within your target area. If you’ve not already done so, then it’s time to review your targeting settings and to tighten up what’s in place.

4. Display Network Expansion

Are you allowing Google to use up spare budget on the display network? In our experience, traffic on the display network tends to convert extremely badly and it’s likely that this will be hurting your results. It’s probably time to turn it off!

5. Implementing Recommendations

Within your Google Ads account, you may have spotted the Recommendations tab. Have you been through the account and implemented all of the recommendations? If you have, then you may want to re-think what you have put in place. Although some recommendations may be helpful, there are many that ultimately have the impact of increasing your spending levels, without producing the revenue that you are looking for.

6. Bid Strategies

What bid strategies are you using? Inappropriate strategies are the cause of many problems that we see within Google Ads accounts. There are times when you may wish to use Maximise Impressions (to take one example), but those times are rare: if you’re using that sort of strategy, then it’s time to re-visit your options.

7. Broad Keyword Targeting

With every passing year, it seems that Google’s ad targeting is becoming less and less specific. You may have thought that you were setting up a tightly targeted account at the outset, but take a look at the search queries that are triggering ad displays: you might be surprised by some of the results!

8. Negative Keyword Matches

If you’re appearing for too many irrelevant search queries, then you’ll need to get a handle on your negative keyword lists. These can help you to better target your spending.

9. Audience Targeting

Are you taking full advantage of the audience data that’s available to you and using it for cross-channel marketing activity? If not, you should be!

10. Mobile Versus Desktop

Are you using the same bidding strategy and approach for mobile traffic as for desktop traffic? Results tend to differ considerably, so we would recommend a much more refined strategy.

If you’re having problems with your Google Ads performance levels, then it can feel like it’s impossible to get the results that you need. But, by tackling each of the core areas within your account, it’s possible to get things back on track!

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30/01/2023

Why isn't your ecommerce store getting better results from Google Ads?

Google Ads represents an obvious way to market for many ecommerce store owners. Google's dominance within the search engine landscape means that there is a constant stream of potential buyers available via Google search.

Unlike some other channels, Google's search network is associated with intent too. In short, it's relatively simple to identify those who are interested in buying what you have to offer.

Given the obvious advantages of Google Ads in helping you to reach your target audience, why might this channel not be working for you?

Typically, we see different definitions of what "not working" looks like in this context. These definitions span from the ecommerce store that is failing to generate any sales at all, to those where sales are being achieved, but not in a profitable manner. There may also be challenges associated with consistency of sales.

Are you clear on your own situation?

Having proper tracking in place is absolutely central to understanding how your Google Ads budget is being spent and what you are getting in return. We can't emphasise this enough: you need to be able to see precisely how much revenue is being generated at the keyword, search term and product level. If you don't have that information available to you, then you're fighting a losing battle.

We frequently speak to advertisers who don't have this basic data flow in place. As a result, they struggle to identify precisely how much value is being added via their advertising efforts.

The great beauty of an ecommerce pay per click (PPC) campaign is that it should be entirely transparent. You should be able to see exactly what you get back for every pound that you are spending. This means putting in place conversion tracking that allows you to see how many sales are being generated and, perhaps more importantly, the revenue resulting from each purchase.

Are you happy with your tracking data?

If you're happy that you have comprehensive tracking data in place, then you should be in position to make some judgements on what the data reveals.

You probably already have a good idea of your profit margins, which may well vary at the product level. You'll also have an understanding of your overheads. Have you ever sat down and used that information to work out how much you can afford to spend on acquiring each sale via Google Ads? If you've not carried out that exercise, then now would be a good time to do so!

Do the numbers add up for your business?

With a clear idea of revenue versus spend and clarity on where you need to be at, you should now be able to see whether your Google Ads advertising account is producing the results that you need. One point to note here that a lot of ecommerce store owners and managers tend to miss: some of the customers that originally purchase, having clicked on a Google ad, will return to purchase again in the future. Thus, you need to consider the lifetime value of your customers, rather than simply the revenue associated with their first purchase.

As you look at the data, if you're seeing that this advertising channel doesn't work for your business, then what should you do about it?

The key here is to take a look at all areas that may be contributing to the situation. So, you'll want to consider:

- Your Google Ads account: is it setup correctly, or are there improvements needed in this area?
- Your product selections and the competition: are your products appealing to your target audience? How are they selling via other channels right now?
- Your website and landing pages: what's the user experience like on your website? Is it currently allowing you to maximise conversion rates?

By delving into each of these key areas, you can start to turn things around. We have more detail available on each and you can sign up for our newsletter for greater insights. https://www.search-south.com/newsletter/

27/01/2023

https://www.search-south.com/2023/01/14/key-metrics-for-ecommerce-stores/

Running Google Ads campaigns for your ecommerce store? Here are the key metrics that you should be monitoring to get the best results.

January 14, 2023 0 0 Ecommerce, Google Ads Key Metrics for Ecommerce Stores When running Google Ads campaigns for an ecommerce store, there are several key metrics that you should monitor to ensure the success of your campaigns and to make informed decisions about how to optimize them. Some of the m...

27/03/2020

Before you start looking to for an edge to increase; you must also understand what is needed as an online investor...
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http://www.search-south.com/2019/08/23/get-better-return-investment-google-ads/
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27/03/2020

The key words you use determine the activity of your PPC; this means that if they are weak, it will negatively affect the whole AdWords account...
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http://www.search-south.com/2019/09/06/google-ads-quality-score-examining-key-factors/
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