Google AdWords Is Becoming Google Ads

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Google has revealed that their complex lineup of ad products is getting re-branded. AdWords launched 18 years ago with the goal of easing the process of connecting online with businesses. The most significant change since then has been the increasing use and incorporation of the mobile internet into our everyday lives. With several changes in the space came with increased complexity; therefore Google decided to simplify brands and solutions for their advertising products. The main changes Google is making with their current platforms is combining all different advertising channels to make the lives of digital marketers much easier. The three brands AdWords is breaking down into are: Google Ads, Google Marketing Platform, and Google Ad Manager.

Google Ads

Google Ads will be the front door for advertisers to buy on all Google surfaces. It represents the full range of advertising capabilities that Google currently offers. In this space, Google is also creating a campaign type called Smart Campaigns. Designed specifically for small business advertisers, Smart Campaigns will allow for ease into first-time online advertising. The purpose is to identify actions that are priorities to these businesses whether that be phone calls, purchases, or store visits. After recognizing these prioritized actions, Google Ads will then use machine learning to optimize ad copy and targeting to drive more of those actions.

Google Marketing Platform

Google will combine DoubleClick Digital Marketing and Google Analytics 360 into one single brand: Google Marketing Platform. The main reason for the conjunction of platforms is because feedback has told Google that there are several advantages to using ads and the technology of analytics together. According to Google’s official blog, their goal is to have this platform be a place where marketers can plan, buy, measure and optimize digital media and customer experiences in one place. In addition to uniting DoubleClick and Analytics 360, Google is also announcing a new platform called Display & Video 360. This will combine features from DoubleClick Bid Manager, Campaign Manager, Studio and Audience Center. Display & Video 360 will also enable marketing and media teams collaboration abilities in a single space.

Google Marketing Platform

Tech Crunch shares a quote from the Managing Director for Platforms, Dan Taylor:

“The Google Marketing Platform is responding to a growing need for collaboration. For example, Adidas used the platform to bring its brand and performance marketing teams together with the measurement team.”

Google Ad Manager

Google Ad Manager will combine Google’s monetization tools such as DoubleClick Ad Exchange and DoubleClick for Publishers. This has been a 3-year merging process, and over this time Google has been working to unify this platform. The benefit of this will be publishers being able to manage business directly and efficiently. AdSense and Admob brands are expected to continue with no consolidation.

Jonathan Bellack, Google’s director of product management for publisher platforms, says the following about the Google Ad Manager Platform:

“These categories have just been breaking down for a while — all of our publishers already log into one user interface. So the only thing that’s really changing is the logo.”

 

More From Onimod Global

For more information regarding digital marketing expertise, trends and insights, visit the Onimod Global Website. We provide weekly news updates on the latest in the world of digital marketing. Enjoy!

 

4 Simple SEO Content Marketing Strategies to Drive Traffic

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Producing strong content is great, but does it drive relevant traffic? The ultimate purpose behind content marketing should always be driving as much relevant traffic as possible to your website, landing pages, or any other form of conversion method. At the end of the day, paying attention to basic SEO fundamentals will enhance content marketing efforts. Ignoring the basic, technical SEO issues that arise will come back to haunt you in the long run. Listed below are four basic, but essential SEO content marketing strategies to increase organic traffic.

Pay Attention to Meta Descriptions
It’s no surprise how important meta descriptions are when it comes to organic search results and ranking well. Well developed meta descriptions can result in better engagement rates and generate more online visibility for your content. The downside is however once a meta description is created, most people never think about it again. Why does this matter? Well according to an article from Search Engine Land, “Google increased the maximum length of search results snippets from 160 characters to 320 characters.” Therefore, this could be a missed opportunity, as adding more enticing content to descriptions has great potential to increase traffic.

Include Internal Links
Although having relevant outbound links is important, including internal links in your content is crucial when it comes to SEO purposes. According to an article from Yoast, “adding internal links connects your content and ensures that Google can crawl your site to help with better rankings.” Like outbound links, internal links can also become nonexistent and point to irrelevant or missing pages. This can cause major problems regarding search engine visibility and can upset visitors to the site. Overall, implementing proper inbound links will boost organic rankings and improve content marketing efforts.

Monitor Page Speed
In addition to the other factors previously listed, page speed is also important when it comes to content marketing and increasing SEO rankings. Many organizations fall behind in this aspect because their belief is to implement WordPress themes with plenty of plugins, which just decreases site speed. The Search Engine Land article points out that “CSS and JavaScript files the plugins load add unnecessary HTTP requests. The more HTTP requests, the slower your website will load.” Ultimately, if page speed is not consistently monitored, organic rankings will suffer as a result.

Check Broken Outbound Links
This one seems obvious, but websites come and go overtime with ownership changes and domains shutting down. This means that any links that were directed to a meaningful source at one point may now be irrelevant. The Search Engine Land article recommends utilizing tools like “Screaming Frog” that will scan all outbound links in your content to ensure broken links don’t exist. Moreover, checking broken links is often times forgotten about, and this has a detrimental effect on both content quality and SEO efforts.

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For more information on content marketing and other digital marketing news, visit the Onimod Global Website! Our content creation specialists regularly publish new content relating to current industry events and trends.

When is it Time to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency?

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Regardless of how long your company has been in business, there will come a time when you realize you need assistance with online marketing efforts. The demand for engaging and effective digital marketing strategies is increasing, and numerous organizations don’t want to fall behind the curve. According to the U.S. Digital Marketing Spending Report from Gartner, “many companies outsource up to 50% of all online marketing activities.” Moreover, it’s critical to hire an experienced digital marketing agency sooner than later, and listed below are signs that it’s the right time to outsource.

Lack of relevant skills
It’s easy to imagine how much business owners already have to deal with when it comes to overseeing their own company. Therefore, trying to incorporate marketing efforts into individuals with busy schedules is probably not the best bet. Staying current with SEO strategies, SEM, social media, email marketing, etc is very time consuming and requires plenty of effort. Once your company has realized it’s time to work with an agency, be sure to find one that is experienced and is a good fit. Review case studies and other work from multiple agencies to help with your outsourcing process.

Inadequate Reporting
Are your marketing results being measured? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that matter the most? Are you focused on brand awareness, leads, or conversions? These are questions that should always be addressed when it comes to an organization’s digital marketing efforts. Hiring the right digital marketing agency would give your company the ability to measure results with accuracy and evaluate if returns on investments are positive.

Website is getting poor traffic
A lack of website traffic is a common issue that many businesses encounter. They begin to realize that the traffic being driven to their site is often irrelevant and lower than expected. Is your company paying close attention to Google Analytics data? How well does the site continually rank for relevant search queries? Questions like these can be better answered by a digital marketing agency with a proven track record. Ultimately, hiring an experienced agency is most likely the best solution to increasing relevant website traffic

Content quality is lacking
Many companies need to face the reality that their internal employees are most likely not experts regarding content generation and knowing how to increase online presence. A good digital marketing agency will consist of content marketing experts that better understand effective SEO strategies, high quality content, and how to increase organic traffic. Therefore, if content marketing results are poor, it’s time to hire a digital marketing agency that will help your business grow.

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At Onimod Global we are a proven digital marketing agency and know what it takes to fulfill the needs of our clients. Check out Our Work and see what digital solutions we have to offer! We look forward to hearing from you!

Ending the War Between Finance and Marketing Departments in Your Company

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There are many important areas of a business. These areas are very familiar with the natural give-and-take between them, but none seem to struggle quite as much as the departments of finance and marketing.

Return on Investment

The goals that the financing department abides by are to save money for the business, and invest money into good opportunities. Most investments have a clear return on investment, but marketing gets a little more tricky than static percentages.

Marketing is a dynamic investment. This means that it is not always easy to put marketing efforts into dollars and percents. Even tools like Google Analytics can fail to express the full return on investment that marketing can bring to an organization.

While many tools like Google Analytics and the Facebook Ad Manager can measure impressions, clicks, and conversions, they still may fall short. For example, a user may see and click on your company’s Facebook ad, but not convert. They may however, convert later by going directly to your site and making a purchase.

Marketing does not get any recognition for this conversion. Instead, it appears to be a wasted impression and click, and a separate organic purchase. This is why individuals with a finance perspective can view marketing and advertising as a waste of money.

Finding a Solution

The first step to solving this problem is creating awareness within your organization. Try to bring a fresh perspective to each department. Help everyone understand that they are not competing against each other, but instead are supposed to be working together to achieve the overall goals of the business.

An article by MarketingWeek.com discussed many of these same issues. They spoke with Zoe Clapp, the CMO of UKTV, who gave great insight into how their company handles this kind of tough situation.

UKTV decided to fully integrate a member of their finance team into the marketing team. This way, the two departments could work together in meeting important objectives.

Clapp spoke positively about the experience by saying, “Rather than us coming to finance blank with this list of ‘here’s what we want to do, give us a chunk of money’, finance had been all the way through the process and we found that really helpful. That made us come to a better and more rounded decision.”

Final Observations

Of course, this solution is not one-size-fits-all. There may be other ways in which your company can overcome these kinds of interdepartmental hurdles.

The major takeaway from this is to remember to maintain good communication. Keep everyone on the same page and in the same boat. You want to absolutely avoid any kind of war between two of your biggest internal departments, and effective communication is the best way to do it.

Read on for more helpful insights by visiting the Onimod Global blog! We are constantly making updates and posting new material that we feel will help our readers become better digital marketers. To visit our blog page click HERE!

Mobile Search Traffic has Taken Over Desktop

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It’s no surprise that the quantity of mobile searches has eclipsed desktop searches in the past 2-3 years. The rate of mobile/tablet searches compared to desktop will continue to rise in the future as well. According to Brightedge, it’s reported now that “57% of all search traffic is coming through smartphones and tablets. Compared to 43% from desktop searches.” Listed below are some factors as to why mobile search traffic will continue to surpass desktop.

One of the reasons this remains the case is simplicity and convenience. Smartphones are typically on us at all times and that allows for convenient search engine access at the “tip of our fingers.” Literally in the click of 2-3 buttons, a Google search can be conducted on any smartphone or tablet. This trend isn’t going anywhere in the near future as well. According to the Pew Research Center “Approximately three quarters (77%) of all adults in America today own a smartphone.”

Evolution of Mobile Users

Image from the Pew Research Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The “always on the go” mentality of society today is another reason for increased mobile search traffic. Everyone’s got something going on and people are always on the move. Moreover, the direct result of this mindset is a large volume of search traffic coming from mobile devices. Lets say you’re out and about trying to find a place to eat for instance. What’s the first instinct that comes to mind – mobile searching on Google. “Best restaurant in the area” or “best places to eat in the city” are common searches that would be used in these scenarios. In the end, mobile search traffic will continue to flourish and it’s up to advertisers to know how to adapt to this trend.

Contact Us: For more information regarding digital marketing expertise, visit the Onimod Global Website. We provide weekly news updates on the latest in the world of digital marketing. Enjoy!

How to Create the Perfect Digital Marketing Strategy

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The key to a great digital marketing campaign is the well thought out plan behind it. If you try to launch any campaign without specific directives, it’s likely that you will waste a lot of time and money without producing any real results. This is why many businesses turn to a digital marketing professional. The experts at Onimod Global are here to assist you, and provide insight into what it takes to put together a high quality digital marketing strategy.

Persona Development

Every marketing strategy should be focused around the consumer. The first step in your strategy is to identify who this consumer is. Many professionals outline a buyer persona because it has been proven to be a substantially more effective marketing method.

The persona allows you as the marketer to develop a much more detailed description of your ideal target audience. These details include goals, challenges, interests, and personal priorities of the consumer.

Campaign Goals

In can also be beneficial to ask these detailed questions of your own company and product. Clearly defining the final objective is essential. Much of the strategy will be built around what you eventually hope to achieve with the digital marketing campaign.

While most plans are structured around conversions and sales, there are a wide variety of other goals to be considered. Increasing brand awareness through simple traffic and reach campaigns can be very effective. It is also common to launch campaigns with the intent to gather positive reviews about a product or company. Make sure that you are considering all of your options before moving on to the next step.

Measurement

Your measurements will depend upon the chosen objective for the marketing strategy. Determining the overall success of your digital marketing initiatives will be shown through key performance indicators.

Common key indicators are conversion rates, click-through rates, and overall impressions. If your campaign spans across multiple platforms, it would be wise to link them all together in Google Analytics.

Analyze

Google Analytics is a wonderful tool for digital marketers. This program allows you to combine all of your data into one easily manageable source. After letting all of your ads run over the course of a few weeks, you should have plenty of solid information regarding your marketing efforts. Once the data is compiled, it is easy to glean insights about the campaign.

Analytics provides an opportunity to compare all marketing mediums in use side by side. This way you can clearly see if the Facebook ads are outperforming the Bing ads. Looking at the overall performance of these many platforms can help you see which is most successful, and which is not.

Revisit and Readjust

Now that you possess tons of information and insight into your digital marketing activities. Using analytical tools you should be able to pick out details about the different ads and how they are running across different platforms.

With this information, you should be able to determine how to best spend your ad dollar. Trim the fat of the campaign and eliminate poorly performing advertising options. Or, you can try to rewrite your ads completely and start fresh.

Whatever you decide to do, now you know how. A new plan must be created every step of the way. They do not all have to be incredibly complicated or intricate, but they do need to be intelligent business decisions. The key to any advertising strategy is to have one. Plain and simple.

Create the Perfect PPC Campaign in 5 Easy Steps

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1.) Define Key Performance Indicators

Not all KPIs are created equal. When starting an advertising campaign, make sure to clearly state which metrics are most important to you. Do you want to focus on conversations, or reach? Do you want higher click-through-rates, or impressions?

For example, if the client is looking for new leads, you want to focus on conversions. If the campaign is generating a ton of clicks but still isn’t showing many conversions, then there may be an issue with your ad and whether or not it’s truly relevant to users. Lower volumes of clicks that actually produce sales are so much more valuable than massive amounts of clicks and no real results.

2.) Optimize Your Landing Page

Develop a simple, succinct, and foolproof landing page. Lead the user through your landing page effectively by giving them fewer options. Restricting actions such as navigating to a different page or downloading different files makes it clear what the correct actions are.

The best way to do this would be to create a unique landing page for an ad. This will also help you to see how well the ad is performing. Keep the landing page short and sweet with a quick contact form or sign up sheet, and you will significantly lower the risk of confusing the user.

Also make sure that the landing page is as relevant as possible to the ad. This will help to improve both the quality score of the ad, as well as its conversion rate.

3.) Boost Your Quality Score

There are so many simple ways to improve your quality score. Google’s algorithm gives first and foremost preference to the user’s experience. This means that it tries to show only the ads that are the most relevant to that user and their recent search. A better quality score equals better positioning on the results page. Oh, and did I mention that all of this is for free?

Here are a couple quick solutions to enhance your ad’s quality score:

  • Add sitelinks
  • Refine your keyword lists to improve relevance  
  • Optimize the landing page

4.) Focus on What Happens Next

The customer’s experience does not suddenly end once they click on your ad. There is always a next step. Did they fill out a form? Did they look at other pages on the website? Did they leave the website?

Try to dive deeper into how users are engaging with your brand, and what types of responses they are receiving. If they did fill out a form, where did that information go? Is it sitting in a file that no one ever checks on their computer’s desktop? Or is it being utilized and added to the company’s email marketing campaign contacts? It is not enough to simply have the information, it also must be used effectively.

5.) Don’t Stop Improving

Even if your campaign is performing well, it can always be better. Keep refining your keyword lists to make sure that all of the terms are extremely relevant to their ads as well as to potential customers.

Making these types of small changes over a long period of time is a strategy referred to as making “micro-wins” and can be explored further in this article of ours. Micro-wins won’t produce phenomenal results right away, but they certainly will over time.

Micro-Wins: The Key to AdWords Success

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There are plenty of articles out there claiming to have some sort of quick fix or tip to exponentially boost your AdWords campaigns. In certain case studies these hints may have actually been incredibly successful, but that doesn’t mean the same goes for every advertiser or every business. In reality, micro-wins are much more valuable and much more attainable by most digital marketers.

 

What Are Micro-Wins?

Micro-wins are a series of tiny improvements over a long course of time, sort of like a theory of evolution on an AdWords campaign. These changes may not look like much in the beginning, but when compiled together at the end of a year, they make a very large impact.

 

Exploration

Hundreds upon hundreds of trial and error attempts are the secret to achieving these micro-wins. It’s best to begin by trying a myriad of strategies, so as not to limit your campaign based on what you think you already know. Experiment, it’s okay to fail! This is how you determine what works and what definitely does not.

 

Refinement

Once you can see where the biggest potential lies, start trimming off the fat. Take away all of the failed experiments, and all the money they’re draining, and leave those that still hold some potential for the future.

 

Optimization

Start experimenting again. Weed out the best of the best in terms of advertisements by thinking outside of normal limitations. Do not be afraid to try something new because you can always change it later on if needed. Once completed, you’ll be left with only the highest achieving and most successful ads.

Google rolls out AdWords account-level call extensions, among other call updates

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Business names in call-only ads, more detailed reporting and an expansion of automated call extensions are on the way. Read more

Introducing the Mobile-Friendly Test API from Google

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Google has finally released Mobile-Friendly Test API for webmasters so developers can now build their own tools around the mobile-friendly testing tool to see if pages are mobile-friendly.

Google’s John Mueller said, “The API method runs all tests, and returns the same information — including a list of the blocked URLs — as the manual test.” He added, “The documentation includes simple samples to help get you started quickly.”

With so many users on mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly web is important to us all. The Mobile-Friendly Test is a great way to check individual pages manually. They’re happy to announce that this test is now available via API as well.

The Mobile-Friendly Test API lets you test URLs using automated tools. For example, you could use it to monitor important pages in your website in order to prevent accidental regressions in templates that you use. The API method runs all tests, and returns the same information – including a list of the blocked URLs – as the manual test. The documentation includes simple samples to help get you started quickly.

Google hopes this API makes it easier to check your pages for mobile-friendliness and to get any such issues resolved faster.

We know the importance of mobile friendliness. It is one of the most important SEO trends in 2017. Google has given enough signs that mobile friendliness is critical for your website. For example, Mobilegeddon, mobile-first index, mobile friendliness warning, and so on.

So, If you still don’t have a mobile friendly website, Mobile-Friendly Test API is another reason to make one now. This proves Google is serious about mobile friendliness of your website.

For more information on how we can improve your website to become more mobile-friendly, contact a Digital Marketing expert at Onimod Global today.