Just Google it. It’s a phrase we say all the time. Google is more than a browser these days—it’s a verb. Google can do a lot for your business beyond searching. Let’s take a look at how you can use Google to get your business in front of the prospects you want.
What is SEO anyway?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing a website to appear higher on search rankings for targeted keywords. SEO can be distilled down into making a website with all the words and information your customers need to know about your product or business. However, it can also be a complicated process with a lot of moving parts using a wide number of strategies such as competition analysis, long term keyword strategies and off-site relationship building with other websites and businesses.
The Google advantage
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) with platforms like Google Ads can help bypass the SEO process by purchasing keywords with a semi-automated bidding process. Google Ads is one of many SEM platforms available, and the most widely used. With a market share of over 85 per cent of all browser users, Google is the go-to choice for advertising.
So how does it work? You select a list of keywords relevant to your business that you would like to rank for. You will be presented with options for location and demographic targeting. Once you’re set up with that, you create ads that highlight your products and services, with options for location and demographic targeting. When a customer searches using a term you’ve selected, Google will place a relevant ad similar to a search result in high visible spots on the results page, with the top three spots being the primary goal. It may seem simple at first but there’s a lot under the hood that you can use to optimize your campaign.
For instance, you can set up your campaign to target customers that are more likely to request a quote or make a purchase by setting up triggers on your website. Those triggers provide feedback to Google Ads on what kind of traffic is being sent over. If the ads being served aren’t performing in a way that gets your business verifiable purchases, those ads or the people who click on them will be served less.
Get going
Getting started with Google Ads is simple. Upon signing up there are step-by-step instructions that can help anyone get set up with their first campaign. However, the amount of options available can be daunting, even with guidance from the set-up process. Picking the options that work for your business can be tough without help. One misconception is that you can create a campaign and let it passively send business over. This couldn’t be further from the truth. A properly set up campaign will be created with short term and long term goals in mind. These goals need to be monitored with adjustments made frequently according to these strategies. If a competitor is approaching Google Ads this way, you need to ensure you’re doing the same or you’ll get left behind. It’s never a bad idea to create an account to test out the platform and see what it looks like on the back-end. However, it’s always a good idea to speak with a Google Ads expert to provide insight into how it all works. You can make Google Ads pay off for your organization with the right goals and advice.
