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.”

 

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What You Should Know About New Google Maps Local Search Ads

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In response to the recent Google Performance Summit, Google made several announcements on how their services will be changing in the months to come. One of the most important announcements included the introduction of new local search advertisements through Google Maps.

What’s The Difference?

Google already provides location based advertisement options in addition to the Google My Business platform, so what exactly is so special about these new local search ads? Well, these new ads will be available in several new formats including:

  • Promoted Pins
  • In-Store Promotions
  • Customizable Business Pages
  • Local Inventory Search

All of these options are meant to drive foot traffic to a physical location. Now, you may be wondering why businesses would be interested in brick-and-mortar stores when e-commerce is on the rise.

Google revealed during their summit that 75% of people who conduct a location based search on their mobile device will then visit that location within 24 hours with 28% of these visits resulting in a purchase.

Bridging The Gap

Clearly, mobile is not be the only concern. What advertisers should focus on is utilizing mobile in order to drive physical visits and purchases. To do this, the business must first be visible in every form possible across the Internet.

These new local search ads will facilitate this need of visibility by providing another dynamic platform on which consumers can find your business. While this new form of local search ads will not make all of your advertising dreams come true, it is certainly a useful tool to have in your arsenal of digital marketing services.

Process Pending

These new ads are only available in a beta form, and are not available to all advertisers. As such, there is little information currently available about these new ads, but one thing that we do know is how Google chooses which local search ads do and do not show through Google Maps.

Google has provided the following factors in regard to what will affect new ad rankings:

  • Location
  • Interests
  • Query Text
  • Search/Browsing History
  • Behaviors
  • Time of Day
  • Demographics

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How to Digitally Optimize Your Campaign for the Hotel Industry

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One of the most inspiring aspects of digital marketing is that it can be useful across an incredible number of different industries. Each industry comes with its own unique strengths and caveats, and the industry of hospitality is no different.

Step One: Strategize

Of course, digital marketing success cannot be achieved by simply setting up a campaign through Bing or Google. This action does not make you a search engine marketing expert. In order for any marketing campaign to be successful, there needs to be a certain amount of effort put into formulating a strategy.

This basic and primary phase is so often understated or ignored, and unfortunately this ignorance can cause serious problems down the road. It is not enough to just generate leads. Instead, you should be focused on gaining quality conversions. What is the use in having thousands of respondents who will never actually book a stay in your hotel?

Step Two: Make Use of Your Resources

When it comes to advertising for your hotel, there are many different digital tools that you can utilize. A major advantage to digital marketing is that it gives you the ability to generate quality leads for a relatively low price.

In the world of digital advertising, two major brands dominate; Google and Facebook. These will be your go-to ad platforms as you begin to construct a digital marketing campaign for your hotel.

These two platforms possess several strengths such as:

  • Low cost per conversion.
  • Localized ads to target consumers currently located near you.
  • Mobile ads that appeal to the preferences of consumers today who are looking for ease and convenience in their purchases.
  • Native advertising throughout the regularly used social media and search engines that consumers use in their every day routine.

The list goes on, but these four reasons alone are enough to peak the interest of any hotel brand. There are also many other platforms that your brand can utilize, but these two advertising platforms should serve as a good baseline for your first steps in digital marketing.

Step 3: Review and Revise

It is always important to review a campaign before it is launched. This final step helps to rid the campaign of any minute errors that may not have been noticed the first time around. Taking a second look also provides the marketer with the chance to make sure that all ads align directly with the campaign’s mission. It can be fairly easy for a digital campaign to split off into a slightly different direction as it is making its way through the construction process.

This stage also provides a period in which you can review your other marketing sources and make sure that they are up to date. For example, many brands neglect their website and the incredible impact it has upon their brand. Brilliant and engaging ads will do little to convince a consumer of quality when all ads lead back to a broken and outdated website.

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To access our full compilation of news articles, please click here. Thank you, and we look forward to providing you with more digital marketing insights soon!

The Importance of Google My Business for Local SEO Rankings

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Google My Business (GMB) is a unique tool that provides local businesses with an opportunity to appear in Google search and map results to essentially increase local SEO rankings. Having a GMB listing and being active is critical in today’s digital world for local businesses in order to stand out from the crowd. Including important business information and images, optimizing your GMB listing, and frequently posting updates will greatly improve a business’s local search visibility. This post will explore the overall importance of Google My Business when it comes to local SEO and outranking industry competitors.

Google My Business Overview
Utilizing Google My Business allows your organization to take charge of what people see when conducting a local search for your business. Google states that “Google My Business gives you the tools to update your listing and engage with customers from your phone, tablet, or computer. All for free.” GMB enables you to update business hours, images, menus (restaurants), locations, have reviews, and now lets you add posts to highlight what’s happening. Moreover, it’s a crucial tool for businesses to increase online visibility so potential consumers can find you.

Setting up and Optimizing Your Google My Business Listing
Just simply setting up a GMB listing is a good starting point, but in a competitive environment you will need to go above and beyond to stand out. The first step to driving in new business is to claim your listing. This will enable your business to update all of the relevant information like location, hours, images, and contact information. A second step is to seek assistance from your customer base regarding reviews and making sure they are positive. A large number of positive reviews can increase the likelihood of ranking higher in search results. Once these initial steps are completed, the next plan should be to develop consistent posts to keep potential consumers engaged about what’s happening with your business. The GMB posting feature allows your business to display deals, events, or important company news. Ultimately, it should be noted that the more time you spend in the Google My Business interface, the better local SEO presence your business will experience.

Advanced Google My Business Optimization Strategies
In addition to the basic GMB optimization tactics previously listed, there are more advanced GMB optimization strategies that will improve local visibility even more. First, the importance of displaying intriguing images often times gets overlooked. Select photos that will stand out and grab the attention of online users to attract more website clicks on your listing. Another important tactic according to digital marketing expert Kevin Gibbons is to “check up on popular times of the day and create SEM or paid social campaigns to drive more visitors during times your business is open but not as busy.” In the end, Google My Business offers an excellent opportunity for businesses to enhance their local online visibility and create a better overall chance to increase both online and in-store traffic.

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How to Build Customer Loyalty That Drives Local Search Traffic

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When dreaming up ways to improve search engine results, few SEO specialists consider customer loyalty. However, customer loyalty plays a very crucial role in marketing for a company.

Lessons From Amazon

Amazon never set out to become a brand driven by customer satisfaction. Their primary concern has always been to fulfill orders as efficiently as possible, but along the way they were able to gain valuable insights of customers. All reviews on Amazon are 100% due to the efforts of verified customers. By allowing consumers to share their own experiences, Amazon was quickly able to build an incredibly trustworthy service.

High customer satisfaction translates directly to customer loyalty. Any time a customer is dissatisfied with an Amazon product, they receive a full refund, and typically also gain a complimentary service from the company to incentivize the customer to come back. Customers love to have a voice, and Amazon is more than happy to provide them with a way to be heard by other target customers. Companies with a customer focus certainly have a thing or two to learn from Amazon regarding their customer loyalty methods.

6 Additional Components

It is no simple task to replicate the efforts of Amazon. For this reason, the search engine optimization specialists from Onimod Global are here to offer several simple ways in which you can develop better customer loyalty within your own organization. The following 6 tips are based off of Wesley Young’s article that was recently published through Search Engine Land:

  1. Social Loyalty: Social media has grown to wield an impressive amount of influence over any given company. Recently, Facebook began appealing to users looking for recommendations regarding any number of products or services. This feature allows other users to weigh in on the topic and recommend businesses that they find relevant to their friend’s search. This word-of-mouth by proxy through Facebook is significant because it disrupts typical search engine procedures.
  2. Narrative Control: As mentioned with the example of Amazon, online reviews carry an incredible amount of power. Make sure that you are giving customers a way to express their loyalty via online platforms such as Facebook and Yelp. You can even use this information as a testimonial to the benefits that your company offers.
  3. Forever Loyal: Truly loyal customers will seek out a preferred business no matter what the odds. Young used the example of Chick-Fil-A to represent this ideal. He noted that no matter where he goes, he can find a line out the door of Chick-Fil-A, even when other area fast food restaurants have no wait at all.
  4. Loyalty Economics: It can be difficult to track down truly loyal customers. Typically, a company’s marketing efforts toward new clients are much more expensive than if the company were to simply continue marketing toward dissatisfied customers. For this reason, it may be worth considering ways in which you can better the experience of existing customers rather than solely focusing on new customer leads.
  5. Loyalty Database: Data is an invaluable resource for any business. Data regarding repeat customers is even more essential to promoting growth and prosperity. Once you are able to gain information about current loyal customers, you will be more easily able to locate new ones, which cuts out a lot of wasted ad dollar being used in search engine marketing.
  6. Determining Improvements: Even if a company’s customer satisfaction ratings are high, there is usually significant room for improvement. This issue points back to the loyalty database and what insights it can provide to your business. By going back over the numbers you can begin to paint a much clearer picture for both current and potential customers about your business and why it is the right choice for them to purchase goods and services from.

 

“Micro-Moments” Provide Better Insight into Changing Consumer Preferences

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There are many steps in the consumer journey. One of the most difficult aspects of marketing is understanding this journey in its entirety. It may not simply be one single ad that inspired a purchase. There may be several interactions that are going unnoticed.

As consumers continually change, we marketers are faced with the task of keeping up. The digital world is incredibly fast paced. Those who are unable or unwilling to move along with trends eventually fall behind. That is why we here at Onimod Global are always doing our best to keep you up to date on the latest trends and topics.

Google Search Data

Big data has been a big topic of discussion for years now. The unlimited potential that exists in the tiny, seemingly insignificant, data that any individual generates on a daily basis is mind boggling. Many marketers are wondering how they can harness this power to better the brands that they serve.

One of the biggest collectors of data is Google. There is truly a wealth of knowledge to be had in the data mines that this search engine giant holds. Most recently, Google has been exploring the concept of “micro-moments”. According to Google, “Micro-moments occur when people reflexively turn to a device—increasingly a smartphone—to act on a need to learn something, do something, discover something, watch something, or buy something.”

This concept may not seem like much, but Google believes that micro-moments will play an increasingly large role in the life of consumers everywhere. In fact, Google has developed personas to represent the different types of consumers it believes that are represented through these micro-moments.

The Well-Advised Consumer

This type of consumer always does their homework. Whenever they make a decision in their life, big or small, they typically will consult a device first. This could range from anything as simple as a search for a nearby donut shop to a deep dive into the best types of portable bluetooth speakers for under $300.

The Right Here Consumer

Many marketing strategies focus around the idea of personalization. This tactic is touted as a sure fire way to promote better interactions with potential customers. While there is some evidence behind this statement, the method has become so widely used that it is now an expectation of consumers.

Users today do not typically feel the need to enter anything more than “sports bar” when looking for somewhere nearby to enjoy tonight’s game. Instead, they believe that their device and the apps it uses will automatically make an assumption about their location for them. Any sort of site or app that does not comply with this is quickly perceived as irrelevant by the consumer, and repeat usage is unlikely.

The Right Now Consumer

The final persona that Google developed through exploration of micro-moments is the right now consumer. This type of consumer finds satisfaction in things that are most immediate and convenient for them. This trend has become very apparent recently.

Google reports that today, “smartphone users are 50% more likely to expect to purchase something immediately while using their smartphone compared to a year ago.” This means that less time is being spent within the customer journey as users today are more apt to complete a transaction immediately from their device rather than later through non-mobile means.

Final Considerations

What this means for marketers is that they need to pay more attention to these micro-moments in order to better understand their target consumers, and which category each of those consumers fall into. This kind of attention to detail will greatly aid in any marketer’s efforts to better understand the customer journey, which will ultimately lead to better generation of sales.

3 Highlights from the Consumer Electronics Show

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The Consumer Electronics Show is an event for all those around the world who are passionate about the business of consumer technologies. This event garners some serious attention. With over 180,000 attendees between January 9-12, it was certainly a hotspot for many digital professionals.

As always, some products and services stood out in the crowd. Many vendors were trying to create unique and unusual displays that would be sure to peak the interest of CES attendees. Below are the 3 most talked about booths from the conference. Enjoy!

Weird and Unusual

One great way to stand out and get attention is to be alarmingly different from everything else. This was the main idea behind the booth for Psychasec, which featured bodies in bags and more that were encapsulated for all to see. The bodies of course were fake, but they still made quite a statement.

In reality, the booth was never supposed to be for Psychasec at all, because Psychasec does not exist. This booth was actually used as a promotion tactic for an upcoming Netflix show called “Altered Carbon”. The premise of the show is set roughly 300 in the future where technology has made it possible for bodies to be interchanged between humans, thus allowing people to evade death.

Google’s Giant Gumball Machine

As always, Google made quite a splash at this year’s CES conference. The search engine giant set its sights on highlighting its new Google Assistant. This form of artificial intelligence is designed to aid the user in over 1 million actions such as answering questions.

In order to get CES attendees to interact with the machine, Google reps would hand out a giant coin that when entered into the giant gumball machine, would activate the Google Assistant. According to Adweek, people lined up to ask the Google Assistant all sorts of questions like ““What sound does a hippopotamus make?” and “What is Picasso’s full name?”.

These interactions did not only provide participants with answers, but also with prizes. The gumball machine would spit out all sorts of items like security cameras, smart speakers, and gift cards. Adweek reported that Google planned to award 1,400 prizes each day of the show through its giant gumball machine.

Virtual Reality Boxing Match

As momentum continues to grow behind the topic of virtual reality, many companies are jumping on board. At CES, Floyd Mayweather debuted his own virtual reality experience. Mayweather performed a demonstration of his game, the “Mayweather Boxing & Fitness Virtual Reality Program”, which was very well received.

The boxing legend, who ended his career with a 50-0 record, was a hit with guests. Not only were they excited to see Mayweather in action, but they also seemed to really enjoy the product he was featuring. Adweek reports that the game will only be available through the Mayweather Boxing Club gyms for the initial release period.

Mayweather spoke of the experience in a short news conference by saying, ““This is just the beginning, introducing everyone to what we’re going to do in the future”. We here at Onimod Global are certainly excited to see what the future holds!

Google Set to Launch new “Google Stamp” Platform Soon

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It’s been reported that Google is set to launch their new “Google Stamp” platform in the near future with intentions to compete with Instagram’s stories and Snapchat’s Discover features. Although the exact launch date of the new Google platform is unknown, there has been plenty of speculation about the full capabilities of this tool. This post will explore what is known so far about the Google Stamp and its future marketing implications.

Google Stamp Overview
Back in August, news was released from the Wall Street Journal that Google has been developing their new Google Stamp product as a direct competitor to Snapchat’s Discover feature. The Discover component is one of Snapchat’s most lucrative and popular features, which enables users to view stories of breaking news, sporting events, celebrities, and every other important thing happening in the world. According to an article from Search Engine Watch, the Google Stamp platform is “expected to function in a similar manner to Snapchat Discover. Users will be able to view difference pieces of content with a healthy mix of video, images, and text to keep readers engaged.” Another interesting aspect to point out is the meaning behind the Google Stamp name. Stamp is a combination of the “St” as an abbreviation for stories and the “amp” acronym for accelerated mobile pages.

Advertising Implications
With the implementation of Google Stamp coming in the near future, this raises the questions of advertising implications and what this will mean for brands looking to get involved. The Search Engine Watch article points out that “advertisers should not view this as a traditional media purchase, as there will need to be close collaboration between content creators and content promoters to ensure that ads are contextual.” As for the campaign format, it’s thought to be similar to launching a campaign on Snapchat or Instagram. The article mentions how “the same team who handles AdWords campaigns would have to integrate new skill sets to make the most of this opportunity to effectively advertise on Google Stamp.” Ultimately, it will be interesting to see what advertising options become available on the Google Stamp and how brands choose to utilize them.

Unanswered Questions
All of the information released so far about the Google Stamp leaves plenty of unanswered questions, as a lot is still unknown about the product. The Search Engine Watch article lists numerous questions that will be important to answer once the Google Stamp officially launches. Listed below are some of the critical questions the article mentions.

– “Which types of queries will trigger Stamp results?”
– “How frequently will Google Stamp be featured in search results?”
– “Will users migrate over to Google to use what seems likely to be a very similar product to Snapchat Discover?”
– “What options will be open to advertisers? Will Google introduce innovative new formats to maximize Stamp’s potential?”

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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!

Yahoo Sues Mozilla for Replacement of Firefox’s Default Search to Google

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It was announced earlier this week that Yahoo’s parent company (Oath) has decided to sue Mozilla for “breach of contract.” Oath claims that Mozilla “terminated a long term strategic agreement with Yahoo” in November. Mozilla recently launched their upgraded Firefox Quantum browser and has implemented Google as their new default search tool. It was approximately 3 years ago when Yahoo and Mozilla signed an agreement that Yahoo would be the default search engine on Firefox.

According to Greg Sterling in an article from Search Engine Land, the lawsuit “seeks unspecified money damages and interest from Mozilla, but Mozilla claims they have the right to terminate the relationship under the contract.” Mozilla’s Firefox browser lost market share to Chrome during the 3 year period with Yahoo. Mozilla blames this lose in market share largely on Yahoo search. Yahoo/Oath argue that “issues with the browser experience (speed and performance)” were to blame instead. Sterling points out that “the truth probably lies somewhere in between.”

Implications Moving Forward
Mozilla switching from Yahoo to Google as their new default search tool is huge. As if Google’s market share in search engine providers wasn’t large enough, this move will expand their share even more. The article states that “Firefox’s market share is about 13 percent to Chrome’s nearly 59 percent. Yahoo search market share is roughly 12 percent to Google’s 63 percent.” Ultimately, it will be interesting to see where Firefox’s market share goes from here, as the reactions to the upgraded “Firefox Quantum” browser appear to be positive thus far.

Contact Us: For more information regarding digital marketing expertise and news, visit the Onimod Global Website. We look forward to hearing from you!

Paid Advertising Metrics That Matter

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There is no busier time of the year for an advertiser than the holidays. As millions of consumers are looking to purchase gifts for their loved ones, we advertisers are here competing against one another for their attention.

Digital technologies have allowed advertisers much more access into the everyday life of the consumer, which is an incredible advantage for most. However, it is not enough to simply run a digital marketing campaign unless you can accurately measure and interpret its results. So what do you need to look for?

AdWords Pay Per Click

SearchEngineLand.com has recently published an article that discusses the best measurements to analyze when assessing the value of a PPC campaign, particularly those carried out through Google AdWords. The article brings many important topics to light, and is centered around 4 major areas of concern for AdWords PPC campaigns:

  1. High Cost Per Click = low profitability
  2. Long-tail keywords are a waste of money
  3. More clicks don’t mean more conversions
  4. There is no silver bullet

Facebook

Facebook has completely dominated the market when it comes to social media advertising. With more than 2 billion active users, Facebook provides an ideal consumer base for most businesses. The platform is also equipped with many different tools to help marketers keep track of how well their campaigns are performing.

The Facebook Pixel is just such a tool. As you are setting up your campaign, you are given the option to track users with the Facebook Pixel. This allows marketers to get a more complete picture of the customer journey by embedding a tiny, pixel-sized image into the ad. A similar Onimod blog post discusses this topic a bit further with the recent debut of the Snapchat Pixel. To read the full article, please click HERE.

Another highly useful Facebook tool is their split testing option. This campaign type allows the marketer to run two of the exact same ads to two completely different audiences. This form of A/B testing helps advertisers get a better idea of who their target consumers truly are.

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