Menu

Google AdWords

Before You Use Google AdWords…

by Leave a Comment

Although creating an Google AdWords account is easy and free, there is a good amount of preparation work that should be done before paying for your first PPC click. Before you put your company credit card info in AdWords, make sure you can clearly answer the following questions:

What Is The End Goal For Your PPC?

Stephen Covey wrote it best in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Begin with the end in mind.”  Knowing if you want to build a subscriber list, generate leads via form submissions, or increase online sales, will change your campaign targeting and setting as well as your keywords, call to actions, and extensions.

Who Is The Target Audience For Your Google AdWords Ads?

Know who you want to reach and engage with online. This will impact audience targeting setting including which network(s) to target (Search and/or Display). Are you trying to generate new traffic or focused on driving return visitors via remarketing? This would drastically impact the verbiage of your ad copy and landing page(s). Pairing the answer to the first two questions, will help you write targeted and clear Call-To-Actions within your ad copy and landing pages.

Why Should Your Audience Click On Your PPC Ad?

Without knowing your company’s value proposition, your ad copy on Google AdWords will be very generic and unlikely to get clicks. Make sure you highlight features and benefits that you (and only you) can offer your customers. Give them a reason to click on your ad. Here is the example (with my notes) from Google AdWords Support:

The Headlines hint at who they are targeting  – someone looking for insurance within their budget.

The body/ad description line builds trust, offers and discount and the suggested call to action is request an online quote. (Sidenote – don’t forget to leverage Ad Extensions to add more specific details to your ads.)

How Will Your Customers Reach You After Their AdWords Click?

Go through your customers journey yourself. What are they searching, does your ad catch your own attention, and is your landing page relevant and easy to use/navigate? After you have done that once, consider doing it again on a different devices (computer, tablet, or most importantly mobile.)

After, going through these quick questions, you will be prepared to setup and begin running your Google AdWords. As you go through the setup process, keep in mind your target audience and what their needs/wants are. Use your ad copy and landing page to speak directly to their problem/pain points and your solution to them. Ensure your landing pages are as mobile friendly as possible and that your conversion funnel/path can be easily completed on any devices. Once you are ready to go live, start collecting data and reap the benefit of all your preparation work.

Have any questions, or think we missed a crucial piece of preparation work for setting up a PPC campaign, let us know in the comments or via twitter or facebook.

Gk Elite Case Study – Conversion Tracking Using Google Adwords

by Leave a Comment

You Can't Improve What You Can't Measure (Accurately)

Recently, DaBrian Marketing Group wrote a case study on one of our Pay Per Click (PPC) clients. When we first reviewed their Google Adwords accounts, it appeared they were receiving several conversions. However on further review, their conversion configuration did not align with actual online transactions. After establishing new conversions that lead to and track online sales, DaBrian Marketing was able to measure return on ad spend (ROAS) and optimize our client’s PPC to increase transactions and their bottom line.

To learn more about this case study, watch the video below and download the full case study. If you have any questions, or would like DaBrian Marketing Group to take a look at your PPC, give us a call at 610 743 5602.

What problems are you having with your Pay Per Click advertising? Tell us in the comments below!

DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC. Offers Businesses the Opportunity to Learn More About Online Advertising

by Leave a Comment

Google Online Advertising event in Reading, Pa

DaBrian Marketing Group, a Google Certified Partner, will hold a Google Connect education event provided by a Google employee on September 28, 2016.

Reading, Pennsylvania – DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC, leaders in online advertising and digital marketing solutions, will host a Google Connect event from 11:30am to 1:30pm on September 28, 2016. The event will be hosted at DaBrian Marketing Group’s offices at 500 Penn Street, Suite 201 in Reading, Pennsylvania, and will feature Tim Reis, Director of Performance Agencies, and David Chung, Mobile Site Transformer, at Google. This event is only available at Google Partner locations. Reis and Chung’s live-streamed presentation will focus on online advertising capabilities and Google Adwords.

According to Google, 74 percent of people get frustrated with website offers, ads, and promotions that appear to have nothing to do with their interests. In addition, 76 percent of people who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a business within 24 hours, and 28 percent of those searches result in a purchase. This event will help businesses to gain a better understanding of what their company could and should be doing to effectively use online advertising, delivered straight from a Google employee who specializes in this work.

“In discussions with potential clients, they often assume that Google AdWords is just search which simply is not the case. We help clients to identify opportunities that align with their business, geography, and target audience,” says Daniel Laws, Jr, President and CEO of DaBrian Marketing Group. “Through this event, businesses can discover the true power of Pay per Click advertising and how DaBrian Marketing can manage their ad campaigns that will successfully allow them to stand out amongst their competitors and gain the leads they want most.”

DaBrian Marketing Group is a full-service digital marketing agency and Google Certified Partner that specializes in pay per click advertising, online advertising, and Google Adwords. They are local experts and offer their clients extensive experience with the Google AdWords platform and certifications. The company is able to access frequent updates from Google directly because of a close professional relationship they have developed when they need advice. This Google Connect event is free of charge and lunch will be provided. To register, visit the online registration page.

DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC.

DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC provides clients with the most innovative digital marketing solutions to solve their business challenges. Their diverse staff has a commitment to analytical measurement and analysis as well as their commitment to a community, job growth, and talent retention in the local area. For more information, visit DaBrianMarketing.com.

Contact Information

DaBrian Marketing Group
Email: Search@DaBrianMarketing.com
Phone: 610.743.5602

Source: DaBrian Marketing Group

Pay Per Click Ad Copy Writing Just Got… (Easier?) Longer

by Leave a Comment

PPC ad copy character limits have been one of the most challenging components of Pay per Click. Google AdWords has announced/released Expanded Text Ads (ETA). While this new update to the Ad format gives advertisers more characters to use, does it make this challenge any easier?

The new Ads increase the character limit on the Headline, add an additional new Headline, and combine the two  description lines into a longer single block of text. Here are the specific details:

 Old (Traditional) Ad FormatNew Expanded Text Ads (ETA)
Headline 1

25 Characters

30 Characters

Headline 2

N/A

30 Characters

Description Line(s)

35 + 35 Characters

80 Characters

Display URL

35 Characters

Your URL + 15 + 15 Characters

Total

130 Characters

170 + Your URL

Expanded Text Ads - Google AdWords

When Are Pay Per Click ETAs Coming?

While ETAs are available now, October 26th January 31, 2017 (Google just gave you more time) is when Expanded Text Ads will be the default text ad format shown when you conduct a search on Google or create a new Ad Copy in AdWords.

Why Is Google Making an Ad Copy Change?

This change furthers Google’s attempt to align a user’s experience on all devices (desktop, tablet, and mobile). In addition to a consistent user experience, Google is reporting that the testing of Expanded Text Ads has boosted Click-through rates (CTR) as much as 10-20%. These additional clicks bring more visitors to your site and offer more opportunities for new leads, online sales, and revenue.

What Is NOT Changing - Ad Extensions & Customizers

All Ad Extension (Location, Call, Sitelinks, Callouts, Review, and more) will continue to work with Expanded Text Ads. However, if your Ad Copy and Ad Extensions are duplicates of each other, then they will be less likely to be shown.

Along with Ad Extensions, Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) and Ad Customizers will continue to work within Expanded Text Ads. With the increase in character limits, not only will these features work, but they are easier to fit into your Ads.

My Thoughts on Pay Per Click Expanded Text Ads

I am very excited for this change! More characters mean we can communicate more features, benefits, and unique selling propositions. As I am writing new Ads in the Expanded Text Ad format, I am working on utilizing DKI and Ad Customizers. I look forward to improved Quality Score, higher CTRs, and lower Cost per Click. More importantly for our clients, these new ads should result in more Conversions (Leads and Sales) at a lower Cost per Acquisition (CPA), and higher Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). Larger character limits may not make Ad Copywriting easier, but it will be interesting to see how advertisers use them. How are you planning on utilizing the additional characters in your PPC Ads?

Leave your questions or comments about Expanded Text Ads or PPC Management below or contact DaBrian Marketing Group.

Don’t Let Just Anyone Manage Your AdWords! Get a Google Partner!

by Leave a Comment

Potential customers are searching for your products and services on Google. While you have invested in SEO (search engine optimization) and are acquiring organic traffic, you could be reaching more customers with PPC (pay per click). The problem is: where do you begin? Keywords, Ad Copy, Bids, Match Types, Ad Extensions, Landing Pages, Budgets, Placements, Mobile Ads, Display Ads, Day Parting, and Bid Adjustments to name a few…

Don’t worry! There are digital marketing managers and agencies that can help you. However, be very careful when selecting someone to manage your Google AdWords account and digital marketing dollars. Here are a few things to look for as you search for help with your PPC:

Search for a Google Partner (Agency)

The first step to becoming a Google Partner is having at least one employee get individually certified with Google AdWords. One must take and pass at least two exams to become a certified individual. The first must be the basic Google AdWords Fundamental Exam. Afterwards, one can choose which speciality exam(s) to take. These exams cover Search, Display, Shopping, Video, and Mobile.

Google Partner Badge

One employee must be individually certified for an agency to be an eligible partner, however, the agency still needs to meet performance requirements. These requirements dictate that the agency have a proven record with managing over $10,000 in 90 days as well as continuing to grow (in Ad Spend).

Not All Google Partner Agencies Are Equal

An agency with one certified employee in one domain of Google AdWords can showcase the same badge and “Google Partner” status as an agency with 10 certified employees in all five of AdWords categories. Recently, Google has addressed this concern by awarding agencies with specializations. These specializations require an agency to have at least one employee certified in a certain category and maintain a minimum of $10,000 managed spend in that category (search, display, shopping, video, or mobile).

Google Partner Specializations

Look for an agency that has employees that are both certified and experienced with managing ads within the categories that you are/will be running. Don’t forget to allow room for growth. Just because you aren’t thinking about video ads now, doesn’t mean that you won’t create them in the future. Having an ally that knows how to manage them helps to boost the performance of your other (search, display, etc.) ads as well as grow your business with profitable advertising.

Don’t Forget Google Analytics

Although it is not a requirement to be a Google Partner, having employees that are certified in Google Analytics ensures that the agency knows how to measure the efficacy of your ads and their performance beyond simple clicks. Connecting Google Analytics to your Google AdWords account allows for the tracking and monitoring of users that come to your website via PPC ads and their interactions with your pages. Having a PPC manager that understands Google AdWords, Google Analytics, and your business’ goals ensures that your Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) is maximized.

Google Analytics Individual Qualification

Before hiring a team to run your Google AdWords, make sure that they have the knowledge and experience to deliver the results that meet (or exceed) your expectations. First, look for the Google Partner Badge. Secondly, make sure that the agency has at least one person who is certified in the category or domain that you want to run your ads. Finally, look for individuals who are certified in Google Analytics to ensure that they can measure and showcase Return On Ad Spend (ROAS).  

If you have PPC questions, if you are looking for help managing your Google AdWords, or if you just want to audit your current account, contact DaBrian Marketing Group(a Google Partner), today!

Google Adwords Audit/Grader

by Leave a Comment

Google AdWords Audit/Grader – Example Google AdWords Audit (This will accompany a YouTube Video)

The first three pages of the audit is like an executive summary including a general performance grade (ie, excellent, average, poor, etc.), a few facts pertaining to the activity of your account over the last 30 days, a report card, and finally an overall grade out of 100. While this quick 3 page summary is a great overview, the more granular sections of the audit really help uncover what can be done to improve your account performance.

Quality Score Optimization

Having a good Quality Score is important to keeping your Cost per Click (CPC) low while keeping your Ads showing in the prime Ad Positions (1 – 4.) This account has a low Quality Score, which we will see is negatively impacting other areas of the account performance.

Click Through Rate (CTR) Optimization

While CTR is above 1.00%, it could be higher. The Ad Position is mostly between 5 – 10, which is bottom of page 1 or even worse Page 2. Focusing on improving Quality Score will help increase Ad Position and boost CTR.

Account Activity

This given account has had a lot of changes happening over the 30 day time frame. This is great to see that the problem areas are being addressed, specifically the over 200 changes to keywords, and almost 500 changes to Ads.

Text Ad Optimization

Testing Text Ads is a must for account managers who are trying to maximize Clicks and ultimately Conversions. While this account has over 100 text ads with more than 10 per ad group, your account may only need to have 2-3 per ad group so that each ad gets enough impressions (views) to determine which ad copy relates better to your target audience. (Sometimes less really is better!)

Long-Tail Keyword Optimization

Short 1 Word keywords will get a lot of impressions, but utilizing multiple word keyword phrase will help you better reach your target audience. Again, less (in this case Impressions) is not a bad thing and can lead to more/better Clicks.

Impression Share (IS) Optimization

How often are your Ads getting Impressions compared to how often they could be shown. This account is losing a large chunk of Impression Share due to low Ad Rank (or position). This is another area that would benefit from improving Quality Score.

Landing Page Optimization

Clicks are nice to get, but where does that Click take the user? A good landing page will encourage the user to take action – Lead Generation, Sales, etc. Make sure you are testing multiple Landing Pages to see which is going to help you achieve your goals.

Mobile Advertising

People are coming to your site on mobile devices. Are your Ads helping to drive that traffic, and is your site (Landing Pages) mobile friendly? There is no good/bad percentage to have here, but it is important to know how users are getting to your site and interacting with your ads.
PPC Best Practices

While there are more than 8 best practices that Certified Google Partners are required to adhere to, this audit performs a quick check to confirm your account adheres to the following 8 PPC Best Practices:

  • Network Targeting
  • Geo Targeting
  • Language Targeting
  • Conversion Tracking
  • Multiple Text Ads Running
  • Modified Broad Match Type
  • Negative Keywords
  • Use of Google AdWords Ad Extension

If you would like to see an audit of Your Google AdWords account or speak to a Certified Google Partner pertaining to your PPC, you can contact DaBrian Marketing Group via phone (610) 743- 5602 or email at Sales@DaBrianMarkeitng.com