By: Craig Spooner
Paid search, often in the form of Google AdWords, is frequently seen as an unnecessary expense, but do you remember the last time you made a significant purchase without searching on Google? In today’s marketplace, more than 81% of all consumers conduct searches online to compare products, find new solutions, and make informed purchasing decisions. These consumers are generally better-informed and more selective in their purchasing habits than their offline counterparts—and they possess more power in the marketplace than ever before because of their ability to quickly and efficiently refine their search to their needs.
Because of this shift in power, an effective digital advertising strategy is essential in getting your products and solutions in front of the online consumer. Having a solid SEO strategy and an intuitive site that’s optimized for web searches is fundamental to your success, but unfortunately, this is as far as many companies are willing to go. For those who yearn to go beyond website optimization to increase conversions, the list below could help sell you on the benefits of digital advertising!
- AdWords gets you to the top of Google search results immediately.
Be honest: during your daily Googling, how often do you find yourself going beyond the first page of results? Pretty much never, right? So how are consumers supposed to find your company if you’re still on the third page, waiting for that website optimization to kick in? The top paid search position garners 33% of all clicks, the second position accounts for another 18%, and the list falls quickly from there. Creating ads for your products and services takes the waiting out of the optimization process and gets you to the top spots in search results right away.
- AdWords allows you to monitor your keywords and optimize based on performance.
Curious what keywords drive the most traffic to your site? Want to know which landing page design is driving the most conversions? AdWords allows you to monitor the performance of each ad group, keyword, and landing page associated with your campaign, helping you optimize your SEO and website design to reflect the best-performing ads, keywords, and designs that help drive more meaningful conversions.
- AdWords lets you target your audience.
Reaching the right audience is one of the primary goals of any marketing campaign. With AdWords, you can run your ad globally or nationally, and can even scale AdWords’ geographic targeting to serve your ad only to individuals searching for your product from within a set radius of your location. AdWords can also target specific device types such as phones, tablets, and desktops.
- AdWords allows you to control your budget.
When I first started using AdWords, I was worried that my lack of knowledge and experience with the platform would lead to me losing track or overstepping the bounds of the agreed-upon budget. That never happened. With AdWords, you have full control over your ad placement. You can set a campaign budget for a set date range that automatically shuts itself down upon completion. You can choose the days that your ads appear rather than having your ads running all the time. You can even use the Bid Strategy settings to optimize your ads for different types of interactions, including clicks, conversions, target search page location, target CPA, target outranking share, and enhanced CPC.
- AdWords creates more opportunities to connect.
The fun doesn’t stop with the ads. AdWords allows you to attach various callouts and extensions to your ads to increase the likelihood of a conversion. Adding specific product callouts or offers (like “one week free,” “all-in-one solution,” or “25% off”) entices consumers to click. You can also create an ad extension with your phone number or site link so consumers can click or call instantly if they are ready to chat.
The list of benefits for AdWords goes on and on! While nothing can beat a comprehensive, well-rounded SEO strategy, an AdWords campaign is a golden opportunity to measure, evaluate, and optimize your existing strategies and quickly showcase an offer or service. When coupled with product launches or strategic marketing campaigns, AdWords can act as the card up your sleeve to garner more new traffic and increase conversion rates. When reviewing your marketing plan, do yourself a favor and look deeper into AdWords. Scalable cost, flexible ad delivery, and precise targeting make it an option you can’t ignore—and one that can increase your marketing advantage over your competition.
Thanks for sharing!
