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Search Marketing Group, a leading digital marketing agency dedicated to assisting small businesses in Australia, stands out for its innovative and effective strategies. With a commitment to helping clients thrive in the digital landscape, the agency has become a trusted partner for businesses seeking to enhance their online presence.

We are proud of our victory at the APAC Search Awards for the Best PPC Campaign. This accolade not only showcases the agency’s expertise in Pay-Per-Click advertising but also highlights its dedication to delivering outstanding results for clients. The award reflects Search Marketing Group’s commitment to excellence in the dynamic field of digital marketing, reinforcing its position as a reliable and forward-thinking partner for small businesses aiming to navigate and succeed in the competitive online market.

Our Victorious Goals:

Search Marketing Group sets ambitious goals in the realms of SEO and Google Ads, aiming to redefine digital marketing success for its clients. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, the agency strives to elevate brands through cutting-edge SEO strategies, ensuring enhanced visibility and organic growth. Simultaneously, our Google Ads initiatives focus on precision and innovation, maximising client ROI through targeted campaigns. By pushing the boundaries of what’s achievable in the dynamic digital landscape, Search Marketing Group consistently demonstrates a forward-thinking approach, solidifying its reputation as a trailblazer in the industry, dedicated to realising and exceeding ambitious goals for the businesses it serves.

Delivered Outstanding Results: 

The winning Google Ad campaign excels with a comprehensive strategy, combining strategic precision and tailored relevance. We created engaging and informative ad content, deploying ad extensions strategically for valuable information. Geo-targeting ensures precise reach, while mobile responsiveness caters to on-the-go users. Robust remarketing strategies re-engage and convert interested users. Rigorous analytics, continuous testing, and effective budget management ensure cost-efficiency, and an optimised post-click experience and personalised ad content drive high lead generation and conversion rates, ensuring the success of the Google Ad campaign.

The Campaign in Numbers:

1. The conversion rate surged by 34.2%, reaching 17.45%. 
2. The total revenue generated amounted to $178.36K. 
3. CPL decreased to $25.11. 
4. Conversions witnessed an impressive 102% increase, reaching 7.10K. 
5. The Click-Through Rate (CTR) experienced growth, reaching 6.49%.

This campaign exemplifies the formidable influence of Google Ads in propelling considerable business growth, setting a groundbreaking standard for what can be achieved in the realm of digital marketing.

At Search Marketing Group, we are enthusiastic about advancing our growth journey and providing measurable results that drive our clients’ businesses forward.

Looking forward, our commitment to forging market leaders remains unwavering. Through integrating modern technology, creative expression, and data-driven insights, Search Marketing Group is devoted to continuous innovation, learning, and ensuring sustained long-term business growth for our clients.

Digital marketing is about getting your brand in front of the right people. Programmatic advertising is the next evolution, allowing you to better target your audience in the right places and times. 

While it sounds complicated (and can be), programmatic advertising can be invaluable for small businesses, helping you secure that valuable ad space and get better value for your investment. 

Right now, programmatic advertising accounts for 88% of digital display ad spend, which is only growing. If you’re not on board, you’re missing out on a great chance to beat your competitors and grow your business’s online presence. 

So to help you out, we’ve compiled everything you need about programmatic advertising. Read on and find out what programmatic advertising is, how it works, and how you can use it in your digital marketing strategy. 

What is programmatic advertising?

Programmatic advertising uses an automated bidding system to buy and sell ads in real-time. Basically, you use software to buy your digital ads – all in a fraction of a second.

There are two sides to the transaction: 

• Advertisers who want to buy ad space (that’s you!)
• Publishers or website owners with space to sell

Advertisers use what is known as a Demand Side Platform (DSP) to bid on ads. A DSP allows you to place your bid and determine who you want to target based on location, age, previous online behavior, and more. 

Publishers sell their ad space using a Supply Side Platform (SSP). This is how many people monetize their websites and apps. Making their space available on an SSP allows a new ad to be displayed every time the publisher’s website loads. 

How programmatic advertising works

Below is a step-by-step breakdown of how the programmatic advertising process works. 

1. Your customer clicks on a website.
2. The website owners put up the ad space for auction using SSP.
3. You automatically offer a bid using DSP.
4. If you’re the highest bidder, congratulations! If not, your customer is going to see someone else’s ad. 
5. Your customer sees the ad while scrolling and decides to click. From there, it’s up to your website and marketing to do the rest of the work!

Why is programmatic advertising so effective?

Better reach

Programmatic advertising works with several ad exchanges and networks, meaning you can reach more people without lots of effort or spending too much of your budget. 

More relevant content

Programmatic advertising allows you to use your whole ad inventory and display relevant messages to specific targeted audiences. 

And by streamlining the ad-buying processes, marketers can spend more time optimizing the ads to improve their campaigns. 

Less cost and better ROI

With programmatic advertising, you’re not just throwing things at the wall and hoping they’ll stick. The algorithm determines where your money will be best used so that you can see more results per dollar spent – and finetunes the process throughout your campaign. 

Case Study: The Economist uses programmatic advertising for an ROI of 10:1

The Economist is an excellent example of how to use programmatic ads. To combat their reputation as a dull publication focused only on economics, politics, and business, their marketers decided to show potential readers what they could be reading.

Using already-existing content from the publication and attention-grabbing headlines, the ads used data to find readers who hadn’t spent a lot of time on the website and gave them content they were interested in. 

By delivering the right messages to the right people in the proper context, the Economist was able to generate 650,000 new prospects with an ROI of 10:1. 

You can find out more about their campaign below. 

How can you use programmatic advertising in your digital marketing strategy?

Programmatic advertising is a great way to augment your digital marketing efforts. Here’s how you can start using it to get ahead of your competitors. 

1) Get familiar with programmatic advertising

There are different types of programmatic advertising and lots of different programmatic ad formats. If you’re thinking about jumping into this world, you need to familiarise yourself with the different ways you can automate your ad buying and the different terminology. 

2) Know your market

Programmatic advertising is only effective if you’re targeting the right audience. You could be winning all your bids, but if you’re showing your ads to people who could care less? You aren’t going to see that return on investment. 

Put in the work before you start advertising, and find out who your ideal audience is. From there, you can ensure you’re targeting users interested in what you offer and more likely to convert. 

3) Know your goals

Do you want more brand awareness? More traffic to your website? More phone calls or people looking for a quote? Or do you want to make more sales? 

Every campaign you run will have a goal. Ensure you know what you’re aiming for and that your approach to programmatic advertising is aligned. 

4) Don’t forget the human element!

Programmatic advertising certainly makes reaching your digital marketing goals more effortless, but it shouldn’t completely replace the work of human marketers. Think of it more like a tool that you can use to streamline your process and get even better results. 

You need skilled marketers to oversee programmatic advertising and plan and optimize your buying strategy. They can ensure that your ads are in the right place – both in terms of the people who are seeing it, and the websites your brand will be associated with. 

Get started with programmatic advertising.

Feeling overwhelmed by all the options available to you? Don’t be! Our experts are here to help with any questions or concerns you may have and will be happy to explain more about how we can use programmatic advertising to maximize your online presence. Call 1800 732 724 or connect with us online today. 

Our SEO Agency Cairns, SEO Agency Central Coast, SEO Agency Darwin, SEO Agency Geelong, and SEO Agency Perth services are planned and executed with the highest level of precision and thoughtfulness, leading to excellent results and satisfaction for the clients.

For more of the latest digital marketing advice, check out our Blog. You can also contact our team to learn more about how we can get the best results for your ad campaigns.

Maybe you’re dipping your first toe into the world of blog writing, hoping to get your business seen online. 

Maybe you’ve heard that having a blog that produces fresh, relevant, and regular content can boost your SEO. 

Or maybe you’re already writing great content that’s getting seen by… no one.

Whatever the issue, we’ve developed a helpful guide to Blog SEO that will lend a hand on your journey. 

Do I need a blog?

People may say blog writing was no longer relevant in 2022. Those people are objectively wrong. 

Consider:

• 77% of internet users read blogs
• 60% of marketers say that content marketing generates more demand and leads
• On average, businesses with a blog produce 67% more leads every month
• Businesses with a blog get twice the amount of email traffic than those that do
• Companies who blog get 97% more links to their websites

Basically? Blogging can only be a plus for your business. By putting fresh, relevant content out on the regular, you can bring in far more leads and customers than you would otherwise. 

Why blog writing is vital to your SEO

A blog is a key component of any digital marketing strategy for a number of reasons. Below are just some of the things that you can accomplish when you write regular blog posts:

• Target more keywords than you can with your website pages
• Earn more high-quality backlinks from reputable sites
• Demonstrate your expertise on a subject to potential buyers (and Google)
• Build a relationship with your readers and slowly turn leads into buyers
• Have more opportunities to rank for a user’s search 

How to write a good SEO-friendly blog post

Planning 

As with most things in life, planning is essential to blog writing. This is where you determine which ideas are worth talking about, what your customers are searching for, and how you can communicate them in the best possible way. 

Topic

You can find topics by looking at what your competitors are putting out, what issues are currently relevant in your field, and what your customers care about. 

What’s your take? Do you have a unique perspective or expertise on the matter?

Keyword research

Your blog will simply be sent to the ether without targeting the right keywords. And worse, you’ll be wasting an otherwise excellent opportunity to drive traffic to your site and target long-tail keywords, which often have far less competition. 

Long-tail keywords are a great place to start if you’re still looking for topics. This tells you what questions or interests your audience has. You can use any keyword research tool or stick with Google’s free Keyword Planner.

Ensure you’re not using the exact keywords as other web pages on your site, as this will confuse Google when deciding which one to rank. You’ll also want to avoid keyword stuffing – only use keywords when and where they feel natural. 

Structure

Though you’ll touch on this in planning, it’s worth mentioning.

You’ll need an introduction to the article, the main body/content, and a conclusion to wrap everything up. It can help to start with an outline:

• A (tentative) title
• Subheadings covering the different aspects of the topic you want to explore
• Dot points under each, giving a brief explanation about what you want to write

Remember that no one has time to sit down and read an essay.

Break up your content into more minor subheadings; the more, the better. This will help with scanning and ensure your reader finds the information they’re looking for much more accessible. 

Writing 

As you can imagine, how your blog is written will have a significant impact on how well it performs on Google. 

We know that Google prioritizes results that include well-written and relevant content, so how can you make sure that your blog passes muster? 

Outside of outsourcing a professional content writer, consider these 4 things. 

1. In general, longer posts perform better. However, according to Google’s John Mueller, word count is not necessarily linked:
   “Word count is not indicative of quality. Some pages have a lot of words that say nothing. Some pages have very few words that are very important & relevant to queries. You know your content best (hopefully) and can decide whether it needs the details.”
   To be on the safe side, aim for at least 300 words. Blogs over 1000 words are ideal, giving you plenty of room to explore a topic and answer a reader’s question in detail.
2. When you include research or facts, or cite someone else, link externally. Not only does this build trust with your reader, but it also helps show the search engine that you know your stuff.
3. Link to other blog posts and pages on your site (when relevant). This helps index your new post faster, build an accurate sitemap, and guide users to find more content they want from you. 
4. Keep it simple and casual. The best blogs are written like a conversation, which means it’s okay to start a sentence with ‘and’ or use more informal language. 

Of course, this depends on the subject and the audience – for serious topics, it may be best to keep things a little more serious. 

Title optimization

The title you choose is crucial – after all, it’s what gets clicks. Make sure you stick to the following:

• No tags longer than 60 characters, or it’ll be cut off on the results page
• Include your main keyword
• Use numbers and specifics where possible
• Grab the reader’s attention – what is it that they most want to know? What matters most to them? 

Above all, avoid clickbait. While this may get that desired click, your bounce rate will skyrocket and Google will suppress future content from your site. 

Images

The visual elements of your blog are just as essential as your words. Blogs that feature photos, infographics, videos, and other visual elements are almost guaranteed to rank higher than those that don’t.

You should also optimize every image using alt text that describes what it depicts – and includes your main keyword, if possible. 

Editing

Make sure you take a final read-through. Check for spelling, tone, and how easy it is to scan. 

You’ll probably also want to let someone else read your draft before posting – after you’ve read it a few times, there are always mistakes your brain will skip.

And there you have it! By following this guide, you’ll be on your way to writing better blog posts in no time. 

Need more help with your blog? We specialize in keyword research, content writing, SEO, and everything else you need to create regular blog posts that bring in leads. Get in touch with our team to find out more.

Our SEO Agency Cairns and SEO Agency Perth services are planned and executed with the highest precision and thoughtfulness, leading to excellent results and client satisfaction.

Starting in June 2022, you’ll no longer be able to create or edit your expanded text ads on Google. Instead, Google is now prioritizing responsive search ads. 

As responsive ads have been Google’s default since last February, you may have already dabbled with them. But today, we’re going to do a deep dive into everything you need to know about the world of responsive search ads: 

• What they are
• Why they’re great for your business
• How can you create a perfect one

What are responsive search ads?

Currently, there are two types of search ads you can use: responsive and expanded. 

The more traditional expanded text ads are static – you create up to 3 headlines and 2 descriptions, and the ad will be shown to the user exactly as written.   

On the other hand, responsive ads are a more flexible format that allows you to adapt to users and show them the most relevant ad. Although the format is the same as expanded text ads – a user will see up to 3 headlines and 2 descriptions – you can create up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, which can be shown. This means there are 43,680 possible permutations. 

You can use expanded text ads until June 2022, and any that you have running will still be shown to users afterward. However, you cannot create expanded text ads or edit existing ones. 

Benefits of responsive search ads

There’s a reason so many people love responsive ads and that Google has chosen to double down on them going forward. 

Below are some of the best benefits of using responsive search ads for your business. 

• Your ads can adapt to the width of a user’s device, meaning your message won’t be lost for mobile users. With almost 80% of Australians using their mobile phones for product research, you can give your brand the best chance at convincing your prospect. 
• Google uses an algorithm to determine which of your headlines and descriptions are the most likely to meet a user’s needs. This means you’ll be able to better target your audience without creating lots of ads. 
• You’ll get a better ROI for your ad spend – according to Google, businesses may see 5–15% higher CTR compared to standard search ads.

How to create a responsive search ad that converts

Want to create a tremendous responsive search ad for your business? Here’s how to get started.

1. Create a new responsive search ad

You can do this by clicking Ads & Extensions, the plus button, and selecting Responsive search ad. 

2. Decide on your ​​final URL and display path text

This will be the URL of your landing page. Display path text shows the user where they will land in terms of the structure of your website, as shown by this example from Google:

At this point, you should see a preview of your ad, but keep in mind that the combinations of headlines and descriptions you’ll add will be just a few of the possibilities users may see. 

3. Create your headlines

This is the most essential part of your ad – the first thing users will see. 

Each headline can have up to 30 characters. With responsive ads, you can create up to 15 headlines, but only the three most relevant will be displayed. 

If there’s a specific headline you always want a user to see – say, the one that includes your business name – you can pin it in a specific position. However, this will limit your number of ad combinations. 

Some other things to remember:

• You’ll want to include your keywords in at least 2 of your headlines, but don’t overstuff.
• Aim to have at least 3 headlines without keywords highlighting your business’ value proposition. 
• Avoid the same call to action or language in each headline – otherwise, things will get repetitive. 
• Try different angles and offers – this is a great chance to test your audience’s response. 

4. Create your descriptions

Each description can have up to 90 characters. You can create four descriptions for your ads, though only two will be displayed. Again, you can pin descriptions that you want the user to always see – a disclaimer, for example.

Remember:

• Ensure your descriptions include a call to action – what you want the user to do next.  
• You don’t have to fill up the 90 characters. It can be helpful to experiment with different description lengths. 
• Each description should make sense in isolation. You don’t know which order it will appear in. 

Important considerations when creating your responsive ad

Use the right keywords

Like everything else in the digital marketing sphere, a good, responsive ad relies on the keywords you use. No matter how good your copy is, it won’t work if you’re not targeting the right searchers. 

Start with a keyword research tool like Google Keyword Planner and find out which keywords you want to target based on volume, competition, and cost-per-click (CPC). 

You can also use Dynamic Keyword Insertion, which allows you to insert a keyword that matches a user’s search terms. 

Nail your landing page.

Don’t just send all your traffic to your home page. By designing a landing page that reflects your ad’s language, offer, and call to action, you match your audience’s expectations and have a greater chance of keeping them around long enough to convert. 

Increase your ad strength.

As you create your ad, you’ll see your Ad Strength and some recommendations. Keep these in mind and try to improve accordingly.

More is better

Google gives you the option to test 15 different headlines and 4 different descriptions – use it! By having more options, Google will be able to create more variations that will appeal to users. 

Iterate

Responsive text ads are an excellent opportunity to see what works and what doesn’t. Review your ads regularly and see which headlines and descriptions are resonating with your audience. 

Need some help with your responsive search ads? Talk to our Google Ads specialists today and find out how you can create a winning campaign. As a Google Premier Partner, we can create ads tailored to the platform in accordance with all guidelines and best practices.

By now, you probably know how beneficial Google ads can be for your business. But which ones should you focus on?

For beginners, it can be hard to navigate the world of Google ads, and there are many easy mistakes you can make along the way. Today, we’re going to explore the different types of Google ads you can use, what each can do for your business, and exactly how you can get started. 

What is a Google ad campaign?

Google ads are a type of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. That is, you only pay when a user clicks on your ad. These can be broken up into a few different types of ads: Search, Shopping, Display, and YouTube. 

01. Google Search

Google Search ads are text ads that appear on a results page when a user searches for a particular query. This means your business will appear before other organic results, allowing you to secure that top spot. 

Why choose Google Search ads?

• Support your organic traffic.
• Easy to set up 
• No extra assets are needed (photos, videos, etc.)

02. Google Shopping 

Google Shopping ads are the perfect way to advertise your online eCommerce offerings. When users search for a specific product or type, yours will be front and center. 

Note: there is a difference between Shopping and Smart Shopping ads. Check out our Google Shopping guide for a more in-depth breakdown of each type. 

Why choose Google Shopping ads?

• Place pictures of your products at the top of the results page
• Target users at the right stage of their customer journey
• Allow customers to compare your products easily 

03. Google Display

The Google Display Network is a massive collection of over 2 million websites, reaching 90% of the world’s internet users. When you create a Google Display ad, your brand can appear in social media newsfeeds, banners, and email inboxes.

Why choose Google Display ads?

• Display your brand across the internet to interested users
• Reach a wider audience
• Great for longer sales cycles

04. YouTube ads

You can use both video and non-video ads on YouTube. The latter are the same as Google display ads.

Video ads come in three different types: skippable ads in front of videos, non-skippable ads in front of videos, and video discovery ads (promoted videos on YouTube’s search page or recommended videos.

Why choose YouTube ads?

• Advanced targeting of specific demographics, interests and markets
• More engaged viewers
• Show off your product, service, or selling point

Creating a Google Ad campaign

Before we do anything, make sure you have a Google Ads account set up. You’ll also need a website, as this is where your ad will send customers, and Google will need to verify you as a real business. Once this is done, you’re ready to set up your first campaign!

01. Create a new campaign.

02. Select a goal from the list supplied.

03. Select a campaign type.

From here, the process will differ depending on what ads you choose. We’ve explored each one in a bit more detail below. We’ll avoid looking at brilliant campaigns today, as these are best used once you’ve developed some data from previous campaigns. 

How to set up a Google Search campaign

01. Choose which networks you want to target (for beginners, we suggest only targeting the Search Network).

02. Set the location and language. You can target people searching for your location and physically located there.  

03. Choose your audience. You can use a number of factors: interests, demographics, recent purchase intent, and whether or not they have previously interacted with your business. 

04. Choose your daily budget. This is how much you will spend on average on a given day.

05. Choose a bidding strategy. Depending on your campaign goal, you may want to maximize clicks, gain more impressions, or prioritize conversion. 

06. Create an ad group. This is one or more ads that share the same aim. You’ll want to pay special attention to keyword types to ensure your ads only show up for relevant searches. 

07. Create your search ad. You’ll need a final URL (landing page), the URL displayed to the user, a few headlines, and descriptions up to 90 characters. 

Based on their components, Google will indicate how well your ads are likely to perform. This may give you ideas on how to improve. You may also want to go with a PPC expert. 

08. Click ‘Save and Finish,’ and all left is for Google to approve and publish your ad, a process that usually takes 1–2 days.

How to set up a Google Shopping campaign

01. Make sure you have a Google Merchant account. This is where Google will pull product data from. 

02. Select the country(ies) where you sell and ship your products. 

03. (Optional) Apply the inventory filter to limit products you don’t want to advertise. Google will allow you to set specific criteria; only products that meet them will be shown.

04. (Optional) You may want to turn on local inventory ads if you have a physical store. This includes items you sell in-store.

05. Determine your bidding strategy and daily budget. 

06. Set a schedule for your campaign, and remember to include an end date. 

07. Create ad groups. For Shopping ads, you can create Product ads promoting a single product or Showcase ads that display a number of selected products. If you choose Product ads, you can break these down into smaller groups for each category in your online store. As a beginner, we suggest starting with Product ads for now.

08. Enter your ad group name and your bid. 

09. Click ‘Save.’ Once Google has reviewed your ad, you’ll be all good to go!

How to set up a Google Display campaign

01. Choose a campaign subtype. For beginners, we suggest starting with a standard display campaign. 

02. Choose your location and language.

03. Choose your bidding strategy and daily budget. 

04. Adjust your campaign settings. This includes your campaign start and end dates, what times of day your ads will be displayed, what devices your ads will appear on,  what ads you expect will perform the best, and a few other things. 

05. Create and name your ad group. 

06. Decide who you want to see your ads based on interests, demographics, recent purchase intent, life events, and whether or not they have previously interacted with your business. 

07. Decide where your ads will appear on the Google Display Network. You can go broad and choose general topics related to your brand, choose which keywords you want to target or select specific websites, videos, or apps where you want to place your ads. 

08. (Optional) You can allow Google to use your target customer to find others interested in your offerings. This may not be suitable for beginners or small businesses, as this can increase your budget. 

09. Create your display ads. You can create your ads and upload them or your assets and let Google create responsive ad combinations suitable for various platforms across the Display Network. Unless you have an in-house expert or seek the advice of a Google ad specialist, we suggest going with responsive ads to make sure they meet Google’s specifications. 

For the best results, Google suggests submitting the following:

• 5 or more images
• 2 or more logos
• 5 headlines
• 5 descriptions
• A video

10. Review your campaign. Once you’re happy, click ‘Publish Campaign’. Google will then assess and approve your ad.

How to set up a YouTube ad campaign

01. Select the type of video ad from the options shown below. You’ll probably want to start with a Video Reach campaign as a beginner.

02. Choose your bidding strategy and daily spending. 

03. Select which dates your ad will run. 

04. Choose where you want your ads to show up – in the search results only, all across YouTube, or all across the YouTube Display Network with Google video partners. 

05. Select the countries where you’d like to display the ad and the language. You can target worldwide (suitable for eCommerce and other more prominent brands) or focus solely on Australia. 

06. Determine your brand safety guidelines. This will affect which videos your ads appear next to or play on. 

07. Finetune your audience. You can specify which demographics (age, gender, income, location, parental status, life stage, etc.) you’d like to target, specific interests, and whether they’ve interacted with your brand. 

08. Ads that play before or during a video will have to be uploaded as a YouTube video. In general, you’ll want to keep videos under 3 minutes (15 seconds for non-skippable ads and 60 seconds for skippable ads on YouTube Kids). 

09. Enter your ad link and the final URL (landing page), your headline, and your call to action. 

10. Hit that ‘Create Campaign’ button, and you’re good to go! Once Google approves your ad, your business will be out there for the world to see. 

Need help with setting up and/or managing your ads? Our Google ad experts are at your disposal! We can help with all elements of your campaign, including keyword research, copy, asset creation (images and videos), bidding, audience segmentation, and more.

Want to start 2022 off on the right foot? Why not strengthen your online presence and give your business that well-deserved boost?

While SEO is a gradual process and the algorithm is constantly changing, there are some easy fixes that can have a significant impact on your ranking. To help get you started, we’ve assembled a list of 15 ways you can start improving your SEO Melbourne today and see results before the end of 2021. 

01. Market analysis and planning

Before you start with any good SEO strategy, you need to understand how users search for your content. You also need to see what keywords your competitors are targeting and whether there are any opportunities you can take advantage of. 

Keywords are crucial to any and all SEO you’ll do, so it’s important to get this step right.

Keyword Planner

This free tool from Google uses your main keywords to find all the relevant keywords in your niche. Keyword Planner will give you a range of keywords you can choose from and their monthly search volume. 

SEMrush

If you’d like to try a more advanced tool, SEMrush is an excellent place to start. By putting in your website URL, SEMrush will quickly scan Google and see which keywords your site is already ranking for. Using this, you can identify the keywords you have the best chance of ranking highly for and tailor your pages accordingly. 

SEMrush has both a paid and free option. The free version (currently) allows you to:

• Research up to 10 keywords a day, seeing 10 competitor results
• Create and manage 1 project (audit 100 pages and track 10 different keywords)

Other keyword research tools

Other tools you can use include:

• Google Search Console (more on that below)
• Soovle
• Jaaxy
• Ahrefs Keyword Explorer
• KeywordTool.io

There are a lot of keyword research tools out there, so feel free to explore and discover which works best for you. 

02. Keyword mapping

You’ve got a list of relevant keywords, but what to do with them? The next thing you need to do is map each of your keywords to the most appropriate page on your site. 

Say you’re a plumber. You’ll want to group all your keywords regarding drain unblocking and use these on the corresponding page. The same goes for blocked toilets, burst pipes, leaky taps, hot water systems, emergency plumbing services, gas fitting, and other service pages.

You can do all your keyword mapping in a simple Excel sheet or on Google Sheets. 

03. Meta titles and description

Your meta title and description are the information in the search results, meaning this is your chance to convince users to click. You’ll want to include your main keyword for the page in both, but avoid adding too many and ensure it reads naturally. 

To ensure that your content displays appropriately, keep titles under 60 characters and descriptions under 155–165 characters. 

04. Title tags

The tags on your web page are vital for organizing information. They are one of the most important ranking factors, second only to content. There are many title tags: H1, H2, H3, H4, and so on. 

Google suggests using the same meta title and H1 title, so make sure that your H1 matches the meta titles you wrote in the previous step. For your H2 and H3 tags, you’ll want to assess how many subheadings your competitors use and aim for a similar amount. While you should aim to put your secondary keywords in these headings, you’ll want to make sure that you avoid stuffing.

05. Content optimization

You’ve likely heard the expression that content is king – this is undoubtedly the case when it comes to SEO. Google is more likely to rank unique, relevant, and high-quality content, so this is where you’ll want to focus quite a bit of your time. 

While it is essential to include all the right keywords, you also want to ensure the content is optimized for human readers. All the SEO won’t help you if you bring people to your site and they can’t understand (or don’t care about) what you’re saying!

And finally, make sure you do a final edit for spelling and grammar. Nothing makes your site look more unprofessional or puts customers off quicker. 

06. Image alt text

Google isn’t quite as good with pictures as words, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your images work for you. Adding alt text simplifies the process and shows the engine exactly what your image is about. 

By including alt text, you’ll be able to implement some valuable keywords and ensure that all users are able to access your site. Visually impaired browsers will be able to use their screen readers to understand precisely what the page is showing, meaning that they will be able to understand it far better. 

Some best practices include:

• Use a maximum of 125 characters
• Be as descriptive as possible to give the user an idea of what is happening in the image
• Make sure the description (and the image) relates to the content on the page
• Include natural keywords, but don’t overstuff

07. Internal linking

While it may be hard and time-consuming to earn valuable backlinks, internal linking is a way you can boost the authority of specific pages. By adding internal links – links that take you to other pages on your site – to higher-ranking pages, you can pass some of that ‘link juice’ on to pages you wish to optimize. 

This is also helpful from a user standpoint, guiding your customers through your site logically, and allowing them to find the information they need. 

08. Sitemap

Submitting your sitemap is a simple way to help Google better navigate your website. Many website-creating platforms will automatically submit your sitemap for you, but you can also generate a free sitemap using XML-Sitemaps or submit a sitemap directly to Google. 

09. Competing pages

You’ve optimized all your web pages, and they still aren’t performing as you’d like. So what’s the problem?

This is referred to as keyword cannibalism – you have several pages optimized for the same keyword, stealing valuable clicks from each other. To fix this, you’ll need to carefully review each page on your site and ensure no overlap. While this may be time-consuming, this can have a pretty powerful impact on your ranking.

10. Page speed 

Page speed refers to how fast a website can load and can be measured by page load time (the amount of time it takes for a page to load fully) or time to first byte (the amount of time it takes for the browser to receive the first byte from the server). 

How fast your page loads significantly impact your business; by improving your load time by just 0.1 seconds, you can boost conversion rates by 8%. To do this, you may want to consult with a professional web developer or reconsider your hosting. 

You can check your current page speed by using Google’s PageSpeed Insights. 

11. Blogging

Publishing regular, relevant content to your site is crucial for attracting organic traffic and establishing yourself as an authority in your niche. What is the best way to do that? Blogging. 

Starting (and maintaining) a blog for your business allows you to target customers at different stages of their purchasing journey, answering their questions and demonstrating the benefit of your offerings. And best of all? With a large backlog of blogs that gain authority and backlinks over time, you’ll still be seeing the benefits of your blogs down the line. 

12. Clear call to action

Your call to action guides users to the next step, whether to ‘Call now,’ ‘Get a free quote’, download one of your lead magnets, or sign up to your mailing list. You’ll want to include one on each page to ensure that wherever users end up on your site, they always know what to do next.

For services, you’ll want to make sure your phone number is visible on every page and clickable to make it as simple as possible for clients to get in touch. To do this, use the following tag:

<a href=”tel:123456789″>123 456 789</a>

13. Social sharing

Social media is a powerful tool in your digital marketing arsenal – make sure you use it. First, ensure you have social sharing widgets on your webpage, especially on your blog. This will make it easier for users to share your content with others in their network and further their reach. 

If you’re looking to double down on your socials, make sure you check out our post on Social Media and SEO. 

14. Google Search Console

Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster) tells you what keywords users are searching for to find your content, which web pages they’re finding, and where those web pages are ranking. You’ll also be able to see:

• What countries are your users from
• What devices do they use
• Click-through rate
• Impressions

15. Google Analytics

If you haven’t already, ensure you have Google Analytics set up. This allows you to monitor several critical metrics for your site, including:

• Bounce rate
• Exit rate 
• Average session duration
• Pages per session
• Average time on page
• Organic traffic
• Organic impressions
• Keyword conversion rate

From this information, you can see how users are interacting with your site and how you can improve it. 

It is a good idea to sync your Google Analytics with your Google Search Console, as this will give you a complete picture of the user experience and how to target your audience better. 

Want to dominate your competitors in 2023? Book a free 30-minute consultation with one of our SEO specialists, and we’ll show you how to get there!

As the old saying goes, you need to spend money to make money, which certainly applies to Google Ads. With pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, you only get as much as you put in. 

That said, spending more money doesn’t always translate into better performance. According to the quarterly Next&Co Digital Media Wastage Report released last month, brands waste an average of 37% of their digital ad spend. And while this is certainly damaging for larger companies, it can be catastrophic for smaller businesses. 

Want to stop wasting all that ad spend and see some better ROI? We’ve compiled a beginner’s guide to Google Ads featuring some of the most common mistakes we see from clients to help you get started. 

Make sure you use the right keyword types

When it comes to Google Ads, there are three keyword types:

• Broad match – Your ad appears on searches related to your keywords.
• Phrase match – Your ad shows up on searches that include a specific phrase. This is more specific than broach match but less refined than exact, as it can incorporate words before and after the phrase. 
• Exact match – Your ad only shows up when the user searches for your keywords or the exact search intent.

There are benefits to each: broad keywords will reach the widest audience, including those who may not necessarily be interested in your offerings, while the exact match is much more narrow but produces more qualified leads. The type you choose will depend on the type of business, how competitive your niche is, what your business goals are, and your audience. 

In other words, there is no single right keyword type—if you select the same default setting for all of your campaigns, you’re burning some money somewhere. 

Filter for keywords with zero conversion.

Targeting the wrong keywords is one of the most common mistakes businesses make; 12.5% of paid search budgets are spent on irrelevant search terms or ones that fail to convert. 

Doesn’t it sound that big? Put it this way: if your Google Ad budget is $1000, you’ve just wasted $125 on nothing of value to your business. If your budget is $5000, that’s $625 gone. And so forth. Over time, this can add up. 

This is why it is so important to regularly review your keywords and see whether there are any you may want to prune. 

Negative keywords

If you aren’t using negative keywords by now, you are wasting some good money on clicks that will do nothing for your business. As important as getting the right clicks are, it is just as vital to avoid the wrong ones. 

There are three different types of negative keywords you can use:

• Broad match negative – Exclude any search terms that contain irrelevant words. 
• Phrase match negative – Exclude specific phrases. Words must be in the same order but can have words before and after. 
• Exact match negative – Only exclude the exact irrelevant term.

Use bid modifiers

There are a few ways you can tailor your bids to improve relevancy to users and increase your ROI. Below are three of the most useful.

Device modifiers

You may find that most of your customers are looking up your business while out and about via their mobile phones, meaning it may be more beneficial to focus more of your ad spend on mobile. For example, a business that offers emergency mechanic or tow truck services may want to prioritize mobile devices.

Consider your audience and when, where, and how they are searching for your offerings. This will allow you to allocate your budget better. 

Geotargeting

Google allows you to specify both the location of the user and any locations of interest (e.g., someone searching for ‘best electrician Carlton’). 

If you’re a small local business with a physical store or a narrow service area, there’s no use in targeting ads statewide, nationally, or even internationally. On the other hand, if you ship Australia-wide, targeting across Australia makes sense. 

Scheduling

Say you’re only open on weekdays. You don’t want to waste valuable ad dollars targeting people on weekends. Google allows you to plan your ads to display during dates and times (say, 9 am to 5 pm) so that you can optimize your spending. 

Don’t aim for a 100% Google Ad Optimisation Score.

This may seem counterintuitive—after all, shouldn’t Google know best? But surprisingly, all the suggestions the search engine makes to improve your campaigns may not be suitable for your business. 

As with many things in digital marketing, a human touch can make a difference, critically assessing the strategies Google proposes and testing them to see their effect. 

Experts have found that while your ad optimization score can guide you in the right direction and provide some avenues you may not have considered, aiming for a 100% can cost you more in the long run. A score of around 80% is usually sufficient to see your business thriving. 

Integrate PPC with SEO

While Google Ads can deliver powerful short-term results and drastically boost your growth, they should never be the sole foundation of your digital marketing strategy. 

SEO Adelaide is about bringing in organic traffic (far more sustainable than paid) and creating the best website experience for users. When used in tandem with PPC, it can reduce your ad spend by:

• Helping you identify converting keywords
• Improving the quality score of your campaign
• Optimizing landing pages to convert
• Providing valuable data and insights into what drives your customers to buy

Monitor your campaign

It seems simple, right? Unfortunately, the biggest mistake beginners—and even more experienced PPC users—make is taking their hands off the wheel of their campaign. As we’ve said before, this can lead to wasted spending, but it can also lead to missed opportunities.

Regular audits and fine-tuning of your Google Ad campaigns allow you to see what works well for your business and lean into it. The more data you get, the more you know what your customers respond to and how to incorporate it into your ads. 

PPC shouldn’t be a one-and-done type of deal—it should be a continuous and evolving project that complements your business needs and goals. 

Want a Google Premier Partner to take care of your ads for you? Our team can help you make the most of your budget and ensure you get the best results. Get in touch now for a free consultation!