Google Ads Best Practices I've been a freelancer managing numerous Google Ads accounts since 2013 and one of the questions I'm often asked is what are Google Ads best practices? My answer is this - find every variable that you can and optimise it for return on ad spend. But first the basic account settings need to be applied correctly, so what are they and how should we deal with them? Google Ads Account Structure The structure is: Account Campaigns Ad Groups 1) Account At the account level, you enter your business and billing information. This is also where you control users of the account and set their access levels. It's also where you set up account linking for Google Anlytics and Search Console, your Youtube channel, and a number of other applications. You'll also find account preferences here and one very important setting that you must check. Account level settings apply to all campaigns under the account, and hence to all ad groups in those campaigns. Time Zone When your Google Ads account was set up - you, or whoever set up the account will have selected a time zone. There are two options [...]

Do Google Ads Work for Small Business? Are Google Ads Worth it? Having set up and managed hundreds of Google Ads (formerly Adwords) campaigns for clients over the last 10 years, I’m often asked, do google ads work for small business? The answer is yes, google ads do work for small business, but like any other system, you have to set it up properly. You also need to adjust it over time for best results. We call that Google Ads optimisation. Google Adwords (now Google Ads) has been around since the year 2000 when it had 350 advertisers initially using it. So it's safe to say that it's a mature advertising platform and given that it brings in a fair chunk of Google's annual £83 Billion profits, it's not going anywhere soon. Back in 2000, when we all realised that the Y2K bug wasn't going to stop the world, clicks were very cheap. Gary Veynerchuck famously built his father's wine business on 5c clicks for the keyword "wine". Those days are long gone though and clicks are now way more expensive - so are Google Ads worth it? It may surprise you to learn that [...]

Tips for Google Ads More and more businesses are turning to advertising online in the hope of attracting more customers and therefore more business.  But for anyone just starting out, knowing how much to spend on their online advertising can prove challenging.    PPC (pay per click) advertising is a very useful marketing tool however, you need to be careful especially when using the likes of Google Ads as you will be paying for every click.     Many companies end up paying for unnecessary clicks that a little planning could eradicate. 1.  Using all Available Bid Modifiers You can modify bids for: Devices Location Day of the Week Hour of the Day Keywords Gender So based on conversions, for the same return, you might end up paying: £2 for a click from a woman in Richmond on a Monday at 3pm who types "emergency plumber" into Google But only 20p for a click from a man in Twickenham on a Wednesday at 9am who types "plumber" into Google Because the first one converts 10x better than the other. And with enough data, that's entirely possible. 2.  Your Default account and Campaign Settings are Wrong There [...]

Google Analytics used to show you which search phrases people typed into Google before visiting your website, which was very useful for determining which keywords to target in your SEO planning. But some years ago, Google began to replace these search phrases with (not set) and a wealth of infoemation was lost to the average website owner. But through paid advertising (PPC) this information is still available to not only internet markets but site owners as well.  Allowing them to better understand which keywords are helping to drive traffic to their site.  Also allowing them to discover the keyword searches that are actually helping to generate results for their business. But although PPC is effective, knowing the kinds of mistakes others have made will help to ensure that the campaigns you run don’t falter. So what kinds of mistakes should you be avoiding when it comes to setting up and running a PPC campaign? 1. Forgetting To Do Your Homework It is crucial that you understand who your target audience is, such as their behaviour online and what particular channels they happen to be active in.  By learning more about your target audience you are able to [...]

There are many tools that you can use when it comes to marketing a business online.  But the one we are looking at in this article specifically is PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising.    As well as being a necessary component for creating a successful digital marketing campaign.  This is a tool that you will find useful in helping to ensure that your business succeeds. But like so many other small businesses you probably aren’t fully aware of just how beneficial this marketing tool can be.   As a result of this, you really could be missing out on some really great opportunities that will help your online business grow quicker.  But in a way that is controlled and profitable. This form of advertising through the use of Google Adwords, Facebook Ads or tweets you promote on Twitter.   It is a way of marketing that allows you to reach those all-important potential customers faster.  Plus allows you to promote your various products or services.    So Just Why Is PPC An Important Marketing Tool? 1. It is Cost Effective A great many people I know don’t use this tool to market their business as they believe it [...]

There are many different marketing strategies you can now use that will help your business to start appearing in search engine results.   But one that some small businesses tend to forget about is search engine advertising.  PPC (Pay Per Click) adverts are amongst the quickest ways for helping to drive traffic to a site that will in turn help to generate more leads and more sales.    Below I am going to be looking at the five main reasons why small businesses should be looking at using PPC to help as part of their local marketing campaign.    1.  PPC Allows A Business To Target Customers By Search Terms And Geography With this form of advertising, you are able to reach customers in a specific area.  If for example, you are able to ship your product to a specific city or state then you can make sure that your campaigns are targeted at this areas. The same also goes for using keywords that will enable you to target a specific group.  As a result, this will help to ensure that you eliminate any people who aren’t really interested in what you have to offer.    In turn, [...]

The first thing you need to understand about Online Marketing is that it can be a bit like chess.  Learning how it works doesn’t take all that long, but it takes quite a lot time to then master the skills you’ve learned. For many business owners today they quickly become frustrated with this form of marketing because they aren’t seeing any real return on their initial investment.  Yet there are certain tricks that can be used that will improve any online businesses ROI when using PPC. 1.  Use Exact Keyword Matches In Some Of Your Ads Keywords are the lifeblood of any online marketing campaign including PPC ads, even more so than demographics.  It is these words that people will be using to search online for a specific product or website.   So to improve the effectiveness of your PPC campaign make sure you use the exact keywords that people are using when searching online.    As a result of using these words, it means that you ad will only appear when a particular phrase has been used and no others words will be allowed.  Okay, the number of people it is going to be reaching will be limited.  [...]