Category: Google Ads

Search terms Google – How to generate traffic with the right keywords

“If you search, you will find” – this saying applies not only to everything in life but of course also to the Internet. This lesson is particularly important when it comes to your website. Because your potential customers should find you or your company, whom they carry out a search query that deals with your core business. The noise is loud on the Internet – you will encounter a large number of companies that are also trying to direct search queries to specific terms to their websites. With this article, we would like to show you how you can increase the traffic on your site with the appropriate tools and strategies by choosing the right search terms Google.

What is part of the ideal search engine optimization (SEO)?

As we have already indicated, the right choice of focus keyword, which should lead interested users to your website, is critical. But how do you find these terms and make use of them? When we talk about SEO optimization, we also have to talk about SEO keyword. Through the ideal method of the right keywords, you contribute to the fact that search engines – and thus also users – are referred to your website faster. The search result leads directly to your company.

Of course, some aspects are entirely logical and require no further keyword research – if you have a flower shop, for example, it is clear that terms such as “flower shop, flowers, flower arrangements” etc. are among the names that your potential customer is looking for becomes. Only this type of keyword determination is not enough to get the best results. Intensive keyword research is of particular importance and requires effective  SEO online marketing.  Your on-page optimization. This way, search queries are ideally used to give your company even more reach. It also helps to find new topics for your content marketing strategy.

Search terms Google – Learn to think about how your customer is looking!

Think carefully about how your customers can reach you. Most entrepreneurs use  Google Ads accounts to become more visible on the Internet. These are filled with the appropriate keywords. There are a variety of different sources available to help you find the right ones to improve your search engine marketing.

For example, consider the following when determining keywords:

  • Your website: Always keep it up to date. Find gaps between the content of your website and your keyword list.
  • Your products: Make sure that your products can be found quickly and easily on Google. If you’re a retailer, things like product names and models can make keywords powerful.
  • Your brand: also think about your brand. The name of your brand – together with the product – already represents a new keyword group.

It can also make sense to enter your URLs as keywords. Some people also search for them on Google if, for example, they cannot remember the name of a product.

An essential feature for optimal SEO – keyword tools

Your keywords should reflect all of the different types of user queries that could help someone find your business when they’re looking for something you offer. So that the Google search of your potential customers also ends on your website, you should use a keywords tool. One of the best known is the so-called Google Keyword Planner. This tool has the task to find the right search terms for your Google Ads campaigns and shows you how high (or how low) specific words are in the course about the topic of your choice.

The Google Keyword Planner offers the following options.

  • Search for keywords and find ideas for Google ad groups
  • Ranking of existing keywords that you enter yourself
  • Creation of various keyword lists

Step-by-step: the Google Keyword Planner

To use the Google Keyword Planner, you need a Google Adwords account. If you don’t have an Adwords account yet, you can set it up in a few minutes. By the way, you do not need to initiate an active Adwords campaign to use the tool – nevertheless, you should install the Adwords account completely.

Next, log in to your Google Adwords account. Then click the wrench icon in the toolbar at the top of the page and select the Keyword Planner tool. Now you have two options – on the one hand; you can find relevant search terms from the planner or have your keywords checked for significance. Fortunately, these two SEO-oriented keyword research tools are enough to generate thousands of potential keywords. The tremendous new SEO offer optimized texts.

Generate keywords in different ways

If you want to generate new search terms instead of checking existing keywords, the search field shows you the option to type words, phrases or URLs that relate to your topic. How good the results of the research are depending on your input, which is why you should be strategically wise here.

  • “Word entry”: These are individual words that describe your company (e.g. “car” or “vacation”). This enables you to access Google’s internal keyword database for various industries.
  • “Phrases”: Here, you enter terms that consist of one to three keywords. For example, if we assume that you have a pet shop, you can enter terms such as “feed for rodents” or “grain-free animal feed” here. Terms that your customers would use in their Google search to find what they’re looking for.
  • “A URL that relates to your company”: This is primarily for Adwords users. But even in this way, you can sometimes find important keywords by entering the URL of your website or an article on your homepage.

Check your keywords

This is a function that is useful if you already have a long list of keywords and want to check their search volume. To put it in a nutshell, this option will not help you generate new keyword ideas. You may also discover new online marketing trends for your industry. Nevertheless, the information determined in this way is by no means uninteresting. Copy a list of keywords into the search field and click “Go”.

Search terms Google – What is all about SEO?

Determining the right keywords is a measure that influences a wide variety of factors in the ideal SEM search engine optimization. The correct search terms are also useful in connection with services such as Google Suggest. But Google has come up with much more for the optimal traffic on your website.

Here is an overview of the essential features:

Google Search Console

The Search Console ensures that your website always stays up to date. Thanks to the Google Search Console, you can find errors in the code, internal links and other areas of the site. The Search Console also shows which online search queries the user came to the website and which terms were relevant. Since many users are now only online via smartphone, Google’s Search Console also shows how well your site is displayed on the go. The feature also shows you how often specific keywords are used within the domain.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool that produces detailed statistics about website activity. Google explains on its website that the system “helps to analyze the traffic on a website and to get a complete picture of your target group”.

Google Analytics uses a Javascript tracking code to collect data about visitors to your website and their interactions on your page. You then insert this code on your website.

With Google Trends, you can observe specific topics and search terms. This is also important for keyword analysis. Thanks to the tool, and you can see the search interest in a question or a search term within a specified period and also see which words are searched in addition to the first time.

Google Suggest

It is not easy to improve your status on Google Suggest or to provide the keywords that ensure that auto-completion is in your company’s favour. You had already noticed how important Google Suggest had become when you started a search query on Google. The tool is strongly oriented to the search behaviour of its users by logically merging term groups according to their temporary popularity.

As soon as you started typing a term, the word was completed by not only spelling it out but adding alternative names. Wouldn’t it be nice if your company could also benefit from this feature?

The direct influence on Google Suggest is challenging to control – it is essential in this context that you conduct meaningful content marketing and try to identify suitable keyword trends using Google Trends and include them in your content strategy. Because in the end, it is always about generating content in which the terms that users are looking for are incorporated.

Conclusion: Anyone who says SEO must also mean keyword optimization

Even if proper keyword research can be a bit time-consuming, it is worth it. After all, you want your new, potential customers to find you and your offer immediately if you are looking for services or goods from your core business. With the right key terms that you can generate with the right tools, you can find out exactly how your target group is looking. You then incorporate these terms into your content marketing strategy and your general online marketing measures  – and thus manage to generate traffic to your website.

Google Ads Optimization

If you want your Google Search campaigns to run at their best, you have to optimize on three levels: before, within and after Google Ads. If these three levels harmonize with each other, the cash register rings.

Photo by Josh Sorenson on Unsplash

Do you regularly spend money on Google Ads and ask yourself what and where you can optimize in your campaigns so that you can get more out of them? Too often, we only deal with the adjustments within Google Ads. If we visualize the individual steps of a user up to the conversion, it becomes clear that we only orchestrate the music on one level.

Level 1: Optimization before Google Ads – research the need

First of all: If you skip this level, you will later have trouble composing irresistible ads and landing pages on levels 2 and 3.

The focus is on the user and his needs. Because: If he takes the mouse to go to Google’s search field, something happens in his head. He pursues a goal, carries questions around and looks for an answer.

Play according to the notes of the value proposition

We have to track down the intrinsic motivation of the user. To attach to her later in messaging. And to find a killer value proposition that not only maintains motivation but increases it. Because of the higher the motivation, the greater the willingness to convert. The value proposition must penetrate all facets of the messaging (ads, landing page texts, imagery, design, etc.) to develop its maximum conversion power.

The right call-to-action – good sound for the user

Call-to-action is an extension of the value proposition. What kind of action do we want, and can we ask users to do? What is the next logical step in your journey? Google Ads audiences are often invited too much. And the harmonious canon deteriorates. The right conversion contributes significantly to the success of a campaign.

A practical example: With the introduction of a new conversion alone, we were able to cut the lead costs in half for one of my customers (a provider of heating systems for private households). We replaced an extensive offer request form on the website with a simple request for free advice, including on-site analysis.

The research tools

It makes sense that we should deal with the keywords and the motives behind them pleasantly. The search term report within Google Ads often reveals something about the motivation and intentions of our users. If you’ve had campaigns running for a while, be sure to do research here too.

Other tools and sources to enrich the keywords found with additional user insights:

  • Customer surveys: interview the people who decided the cost-benefit assessment in your favour. Tooltip: typeform.com
  • Website Visitor Surveys: Survey the users on the website while they deal with your offer. Tooltip: hotjar.com
  • Email communication: Support or sales are often in close contact with customers and users who are willing to buy.
  • Interviews: either with customers directly or with sales
  • Reviews: Social media, Google my business, Trustpilot etc. Important: Read over there from your competitors

Level 2: Optimization within Google Ads – direct campaigns

Now it’s time to target (keywords, audiences, etc.) and advert messaging. Today we mostly leave the bidding to the algorithm. That’s why I’m not going to go into that here. Side note: I expect that Google will gradually ban any manual adjustments from the Google Ads interface. This trend has been evident for some time.

The needs and pains are identified. We dealt with the keywords and the associated motifs. There is clarity about the value proposition. The best way to fine-tune the structure of your campaigns is to have a separate ad group or campaign for each need. This is how you align the keywords, ads and landing pages.

Text better ads – so your music can be heard

The output of Google Ads visible to the user is solely the display. It will probably take a little longer for the algorithm to support us. So reserve enough time for it. Your ads make you stand out from the rest of your competitors. Business colleague and Google Ads copywriter Aurel Gergey rightly says: “If you don’t stand out, you’ll fail.” But be careful: don’t leave the thread here and pick it up again on the landing page. More on that later. By the way: Aurel Gergey has written an e-book about optimizing Google Ads ads.

A practical example: As part of a testimonial video production for our customer «MOVU», we conducted an hour-long interview with around ten customers. We discovered the motives that motivated the testimonials to realize their move with MOVU. It quickly became clear that the move was very stressful for everyone: a step is drastic and time-consuming. There is uncertainty about how to tackle the upcoming move as stress-free as possible. A lot has to be clarified. Some distrusted the moving companies and feared unexpectedly high costs.

We decided to verbally address the topic of “stress” in the advertisements. With this, we discussed the critical point. However, we consciously turned the message into a positive: We communicated that MOVU reduces the stress associated with the move. To get the necessary attention, we used the not very common term “de-stress”. In doing so, we focused on the benefits of MOVU at the same time. In the description of the advertisement, we devoted ourselves to proving the promise. We have prepared the advertising message in the form of a mathematical equation – this simplifies reading and thus offers a taste of the promised de-stressing.

More resonance with additional audiences

Not only if your budget is limited, but it can also make sense to narrow your keyword targeting through new audiences. Can sensible viewers about your users be derived from the insights gained at level 1? Google provides us with a lot with in-market, affinity, custom affinity and custom intent audiences. If you are dealing with voluminous keywords in your campaign, it is worth considering to ensure even more resonance among your users.

Level 3: Optimization according to Google Ads – the final chord

The main thing here is that you keep your promises. And finish singing the song of your ad on your landing page. How often are we promised something in advertisements that we won’t find anywhere else on the landing page? The landing page is the place where the value proposition developed on level 1 can spread. In the headlines and subheadlines, the visual language and the design. The interest piqued in the ad and the sprayed emotions should be stimulated further, and the user should be asked to take action.

A practical example: For our customer «MOVU», we identified the conversion with the highest conversion based on the historical data in Google Ads. We looked at messaging and copied the content more or less 1 to 1 onto the landing page – into the headline and subheadline. And lo and behold: We recorded an uplift in the double-digit percentage range with the conversion rate. And this with the conversion located further back in the funnel and relevant for us.

A case study from MOVU: The headline and subheadline on the landing page are almost identical in content to the Google Ads ad. An example of the interlocking of levels 2 and 3.

Provide speed with separate intent landing pages

With SEA traffic, we are lucky that users are usually very focused. If you have identified different needs and intentions at level 1 that are expressed in different keyword clusters, you should think about dedicated intent landing pages. In this way, you can increase the relevance of your landing page, increase the pace and guide the user to their destination faster. You have prepared the campaign structure required for this on level 2.

Conclusion

If you want to increase ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) with Google Ads, you can’t avoid making music on all three levels. And if you manage to bring the three levels together into a musical ensemble: Then you are doing not only a favour for your users, but also your wallet. Whoever optimizes holistically wins.

Content distribution – introduction for beginners

The topic of content distribution cannot be viewed in isolation, but must be explained in the context of “content marketing “. Content marketing has become an established discipline in online marketing, but it makes sense to define the term content marketing in advance.

Definition of content marketing

“Content marketing is a specific design of a company’s communication policy in such a way that the target persons and target groups are offered informational, advisory, and entertaining content that is often only indirectly related to the range of services of the company communicating in this way.”

It is crucial that content marketing is clearly differentiated from advertising:

“In contrast to advertising techniques such as advertisements, banners, or commercials, the content of content marketing does not focus on the positive presentation of your own company with its products but offers useful information, further knowledge or entertainment. The content and marketing of content marketing are based on specialist press, consulting and entertainment publications. Content marketing achieves its goals by profiling content producers as experts, consultants, and entertainers, who demonstrate skills, know-how, and value proposition through the content instead of just claiming it.”

(Source: Wikipedia)

The content marketing strategy forms the basis of all content marketing measures. Among other things, the goals and target groups are analyzed and defined. To achieve the announced goals, however, the content must be made visible to the target group at all; a relevant reach must be completed in the respective target group. Since many companies have a relatively low number of visitors to your website, it is not enough to simply publish the content, for example, a blog post, under the menu item “Blog” on the company website. The same applies to the company’s YouTube channel – the video will be discontinued, and it is hoped that many viewers will see the video. This procedure of “publish and pray” is not desirable, because, in times of the so-called content shock, there is exceptionally high competition from content for the attention of users. However, if the respective target group does not perceive the content, it can of course not achieve its goals

Here are a few statistics on content production:

Fig .: Every Second Youtube (source http://www.everysecond.io/youtube )

Due to this explosive increase in online content, it has to be actively distributed among the relevant target groups; this is the task of content distribution. Here is a definition:

Definition of content distribution

Content distribution “is not a discipline in its own right, but uses existing online marketing methods to make content visible on the web. From this, it can be concluded that those who want to promote content successfully must be familiar with these disciplines.” (From: “Content Distribution”, Auler / Huberty, 2019)

Content distribution strategy / marketing

When creating a content marketing strategy, a strategy should be developed for how the content is distributed to the target groups. Content distribution is not to be considered separately from the general content marketing strategy, but is

an integral part of a content marketing strategy. The following questions should be answered:

  1. Target group definition:
  2. precise research on the target groups/personas and their information needs
  3. Set goals: Define content distribution goals
  4. (derived from content marketing strategy)
  5. Determine content form and media forms: Which content should be advertised on which platform
  6. Determine KPIs: How are the goals measured?

The PESO model, which was initially developed by Forrester Research, can be used as the basis for developing a content distribution strategy.

The PESO model – methods and Media for content distribution

Content distribution takes place in different channels with the help of various disciplines of online marketing. Using the so-called PESO model, four media forms can be distinguished, each using multiple online marketing methods for content distribution.

P = Paid Media

E = Earned Media

S = Social Media

O = Owned Media

Paid Media

This includes all media in which reach is purchased through a media budget, i.e., search engine advertising and advertising on social platforms. Payments are mainly made using Pay-Per-Click (PPC). Examples are:

  • Google Ads
  • Facebook Ads
  • LinkedIn Ads
  • Xing Ads
  • Instagram Ads

Whether the planned marketing and communication goals are achieved depends on two factors: 1. the amount of the media budget and 2. the know-how about how the ads must be created in the respective medium to achieve the best possible Achieve performance. For example, a white paper can be promoted via Google Ads. For this, a keyword search must be carried out on Google Ads, then the text of the campaign must be set up in such a way that it appeals to the user, complex settings must be made in the dashboard, which ensures that the budget is used in a targeted manner. Different campaigns are often tested against each other, and those with the highest conversions have to be constantly monitored and optimized.

Another form of online advertising that can be used for content distribution are banners and display advertising.

Native advertising is also one of the paid forms of advertising. With native advertising, portals with a high number of users and a fit for the target group are selected, and the publishers receive a commission for the publication of content.

According to Wikipedia, native advertising is “… a form of advertising on the Internet and in print media that is designed by offering content in such a way that it is difficult to distinguish it from editorial articles.” Only through labels such as “Sponsored Post” or “A service from …” do the contributions differ from editorial content, otherwise the content is adapted in terms of design to the environment so that the user experience is not impaired.

benefits

  • Low entry costs
  • Scalable
  • Immediate effect
  • Controllable

Challenges

  • Not sustainable
  • Not high credibility because of advertising

Earned Media

Earned media are publications that the company has virtually earned. As the term suggests, this form of reach cannot be bought. It is generated, for example, by consumers or specialist editors, newspapers, magazines, or blog operators.

If, for example, users share a company video on Facebook and talk about it, the user’s Facebook page becomes the distribution channel of the respective company. This form of content distribution has the advantage that it builds trust among potential consumers because it acts as a personal recommendation.

Companies, therefore, have little direct influence in the area of ​​earned Media. But here too there are ways to support content distribution: Companies can make other website operators and journalists aware of their content with the aim of viral distribution. This form is called content outreach or content seeding.

benefits

  • High credibility

Challenges

  • No control
  • Can be negative
  • Difficult to measure

Social Media

This includes the shipping in the not own social media channels but on the accounts of users on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, etc. This is about carrying out interactions with the users, for example, by liking and commenting.

Advantage:

  • High credibility

Challenges

  • No control
  • Can be negative

Owned Media

Owned Media includes those media and channels that are owned or controlled by the company:

  • Company website
  • Visitors can only see content on the company website on the site. If the site does not have high traffic, the visibility of the content is correspondingly low. To achieve a high reach, the content must be disseminated through additional measures.
  • Own social media presence such as Facebook fan page, YouTube channel, Instagram account, LinkedIn company presence. This is all about the content that a company posts on its platforms. What the users do with the material can then no longer be influenced by the company.
  • Newsletter marketing
  • Newsletters are a handy tool for content distribution because it is a targeted approach. If a user subscribes to a newsletter list, it means that he is interested in the company’s products or services. The information ends up in his mailbox, so very directly to the user. The opening rate can be used to measure the reach of the content.

The US retail chain Lowe’s is an example of effective content distribution via the company’s own Instagram channel. Videos have been posted for the DIY sector, which shows in time-lapse how you can quickly repair or build things yourself. The videos show the problem and the solution and thus provide useful content for the consumer. Further information is available via the link in the profile. One of these posts received over 32,000 views and 32 comments.

Benefits of owned Media

  • Contents are controllable
  • No time restrictions
  • No media costs

Challenge:

  • The reach of the material depends on the traffic on your website
  • The credibility and thus the building of trust is lower than with “Earned Media”

Converged Media

The media types shown in the PESO model do not exist in isolation from one another, but rather interact. Paid media can push own media channels and social media. Earned Media can increase the success of content perception in the owned media area. This interaction of the various media channels is known as “converged media.” This combination of different channels is the most effective method of content distribution.

SEO versus SEA? Compare, but please correctly.

SEO (organic) or SEA (paid) search?

Which search channel may be the better one is a frequently asked question by customers in online marketing. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this, even if some marketing experts like to believe it. A long time ago, I found one of the most misleading threads in digital marketing that I’ve come across on Twitter for a long time. An SEO stated unequivocally that organic search traffic was far superior to the paid one in every respect:

This tweet seemed to me to be somewhat provocative and unreflective. But to my surprise, many other SEOs hooked up to the thread and agreed to the thesis without exception. Honestly: I do not know any data that could seriously support this statement even in the beginning. Especially not when it is generally said that the performance of organic search should outperform paid search in every respect. Trying to play SEO against SEA is too one-dimensional.

The goal with SEO and SEA is identical

Both disciplines aim to generate traffic for your website. In principle, from the user’s perspective, it makes no difference whether a paid (SEA) or organic (SEO) search result is clicked:

  • The user searches for content that satisfies his search intent
  • Search results are suggested to him
  • The user decides on an outcome.

Both approaches are keyword-based and lead to success from keyword optimization. There are synergies between the two disciplines, but there are also deviations at crucial points. The SEA / Google Ads errors are more comfortable to fix by experts.

Ads, Ads, Ads?

Some users click on advertisements. And some organic click links. Marketers should try to address both (in the best situation) and not prefer one to the other. But let’s dig deeper and think about ways to compare the performance of paid and organic search – without any bias.

The paid search has overtaken the organic search for ROxS

It is an open secret within the industry that Google has been offering innovations that hurt organic traffic since the beginning of 2016 at the latest. This includes, among other things, the inclusion of a fourth advertisement above the natural links in the browser window of the desktop, the addition of a third (and later a fourth) advertisement above the natural links, the doubling of product advertisements on smartphones and the fact that the Local Pack / Google my business (GMB) has been listed at the very beginning of the search results for some time. The Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) versus Return on SEO-Efforts Spend (ROSS).

All of these developments ultimately led to the result that the organic search had suffered rapid losses in growth compared to the previous year for several quarters, as the diagram of the Merkle Digital Marketing Report shows (registration required):

Convince yourself – take a look at Google’s Q1 2017 financial result, which shows a 53% increase in paid clicks in Google results. And please do not think that this result does not affect the organic search. However, you should know that only around 6.8 percent of the total clicks go to paid ads and about 93.2 percent to organic results.

SEO vs. SEA – whether it suits you or not

I don’t write these things because I like them or because SwaCash would make more money with SEA (no, our margin is slightly better with SEO than with AdWords ). Our agency runs both SEO and SEA with passion and makes no difference here when it comes to the individual goals of the customer. I still emphasize the importance of organic results in our online marketing workshops today, but that does not prevent me from recommending marketing decision-makers in individual cases what gives them the best results in the short, medium and long term promises and usually does not focus all of its resources on organic search.

Since Google is continually making changes that affect organic search and often not correctly in a positive sense, I think that all of these changes have to be dealt with in a much more differentiated manner. In any case, the paid search is growing and growing:

Note: These are USA values. The situation is different in the UK. I have not found any relevant comparative figures for D / A / CH.

I can say little of it straight away to the benefit of paid search. Even though this may vary from brand to brand, for most marketers, it does precisely that.

But what about all the other numbers that show that organic search is soaring while doing poorly with paid search? Anyone who knows how to carry out such comparisons correctly would be cautious here and would pay close attention to the nuances when analyzing these key figures. Clarifying such details once and for all should, therefore, probably not be done via Twitter.

Here are just two tips for everyone who wants to make a meaningful comparison between paid search (SEA) and SEO.

1. Query types and devices should be segmented

If a lot of your SEO traffic stems from searches for the brand name and only a small proportion of the paid search comes from other search queries, the performance varies considerably. This is shocking, I know. For this reason, traffic and conversion performance by brand vs. Non-brand segmentation. Also, further levels with subcategories should be created within these critical points.

The appearance of confusing organic search complicates this segmentation process queries in analysis packages (keyword: not provided or (not set) ). However, it is still possible, for example, with the help of the Google Search Console.

Similarly, organic and paid searches drive different types of traffic from different devices for each brand. Device types perform differently, which is also reflected in the key figures, from CTR to conversion rate to bounce rate. This would imply that all overarching performance evaluations could be “thrown” and that the different device types twist the principal characters.

An analysis, the result of which produces a winner whose victory was not brought about based on segmented data and critical figures, did not place any value on such segmentation. Presenting such a universal result, which should also apply to every conceivable brand, is utterly absurd.

2. Benefit from both paid and organic searches and measure growth

It’s not just about measuring how paid, and organic search performs on a given day. It is essential to understand how they work together. Every marketing expert wants to rank organically for every keyword that they are considering, to offer in the paid search – preferably for the top position, of course. However, it is merely impossible for every website to appear on the first page of the organic search ranking for every single query that can be valuable to them.

Similarly, each brand would like an ad at the top of the page for every search query relevant to them. But the economy of paid search also limits this considerably. It is not profitable to bid on the top position of any search term, and in many cases, it is not even advisable to offer on the first page at all if the resulting profit is not significant in the end.

This results in a situation in which brands would like to have both organic and paid listing in the ranking (especially since users click both). Still, it is impossible to create absolute visibility for both. The key is to understand how these two types of visibility work together.

In the case of branded keywords, a page may intercept the total paid search traffic that it generates through advertising and the listing in organic search. Of course, this also depends on other factors, such as how many competitors bid on the same keywords and how the brand itself already occupies many natural links in the ranking on the first page.

Nevertheless, it turns out time and again that in a vast majority of cross-validation processes among brands, organic links do not generate the same traffic that the paid advertising receives. This suggests the increasing use of branded ads. So when it comes to this expanding traffic, there is no reason to say that SEO could outperform paid search – either the traffic comes through ads or you don’t get it at all. Point.

In the case of a non-brand-specific search query in which a website does not rank on the first page, all traffic that comes from a paid search increases. So should one try to rank organically for this search query? Absolutely, but it does not mean that you should forego paid search entirely just because you have heard that organic search does better on all metrics.

Conclusion: stay impartial!

I think that marketing experts should use as many different search types as possible, regardless of whether it’s paid links, the local pack, the knowledge graph, or even SEO. Choosing one channel over the other just because some voices claim that this is the only right way to go is silly and dispenses with the critical nuances of such a debate.

For the discussion of how the two channels work together, it is harmful to play one against the other. Because of the complicated relationship between paid and organic search, such partiality is only conducive to those who are committed to either and are trying to adapt the market to their needs.

In this regard, I am happy to work in an agency that deals with both SEO as familiar with paid search, so we are completely free is the best of both highlights and talk to the same extent about their challenges. It is important for us to work multidimensionally and to include every channel so that we can get the best out of every search query – regardless of whether it is SEO or paid search.

In a nutshell: stay open-minded, think critically, and try to understand that a comparison of paid and organic search can only take place based on a multifaceted analysis. And meanwhile, it CAN go so far that it can be worthwhile in individual cases to advertise SEO content in content marketing! With SEO versus SEA consideration, however, it becomes even more complicated!

Digital marketing – the first trends in 2020

Digital marketing is subject to constant change. While one encounters many imponderables in SEO, one can (almost) rely on Google Ads that the next update of the Google SERPs now “prefers” Google Ads (SEA) – a trend that will continue beyond 2020

Digital marketing – the first trends in 2020


After the latest update in 2020, the difference between SEO and SEA results is only minimal. Could this have been a very short interlude?

Couple weeks ago, Google began introducing a new desktop search design that blurs the line between organic search results and the ads above them. In a deliberately dark pattern, the only difference between ads and search results is the small black and white “ad” symbol next to the announcement. It has been formatted to resemble the new favicons that now appear next to the search results. Initial data collected by Digiday suggests that the changes may already be causing people to click more ads.


Guardian’s Alex Hern is one of many to point out the problem and believe that there is now virtually no visual difference between ads and search results. “Technically speaking, the label is still there, but it’s hard to distinguish it from normal search results,” he tweeted.


I would argue there is now no visual distinction between ads and results. There is still, technically, * labelling *, but it’s hard to escape the conclusion that it is supposed to be challenging to spot at a glance where the adverts end.

  • hern (@alexhern) January 23, 2020

This is particularly noticeable when you consider how different Google has designed its ads in the past. Until 2013, the search engine gave its ads an utterly different background colour to differentiate them from organic search results. But even after that, Google used colours so that users can quickly see where their ads ended and organic results begin.

In a blog post, in which the new design last year for mobile devices came to the change partly explained Google so that adding favicons to the organic search results serves that “his branding a site in the centre should” which means “it’s easier to scan the results.” However, Google spent much less time reporting changes to their ads, which now feel much more critical, especially when you look at the results on a laptop or monitor.


In the past, Google’s Sundeep Jain justified simplifying ads by saying that a more straightforward design “makes it easier for users to digest information,” says Search Engine Land, He added that the company is trying to reduce the number of different colours on a page to bring a little more “harmony” to the layout.


It is hard not to get the feeling that this “harmony” is less about offering a better user experience than it is about increasing Google’s advertising revenue. As Digiday reports, there is data to suggest that this is indeed the case. According to an agency for digital marketing, the click through rates for some search ads on the desktop have already increased significantly, and the click through rates for some of its customers on the mobile phone rose last year from 17 to 18 per cent after similar changes were made to the Google layout of the mobile search,


Google is an information and advertising company in one


Google is also an advertising company. In the third quarter of 2019, the parent company Alphabet earned nearly $ 34 billion from Google advertising, with total revenue of $ 40 billion for Alphabet in total. With such a scale, small changes in ad clickthrough rates could have a significant impact on the Alphabet’s profitability, even if it means that advertisers are more likely to get more clicks.

You need to know that in 2020 in Google Ads and pay better attention to it


Honestly: It’s hard to get organic traffic to a website. There’s tons of competition for keywords, social media is now pay-to-play, and voice search is a downer in everything SEO-related.


If you want to get more leads and sales, you have to do de facto pay-per-click advertising (PPC). And with a whopping 63,000 searches a second, Google is the place to do it:

  • Google has 90.46% of the global search engine market share.
  • 15% of all searches have never been done on Google.
  • Google has a market value of $ 739 billion.
  • An average person conducts 3-4 searches a day.

Google is continually expanding and updating its extensive product range, which makes it difficult for the typical marketer to stay up-to-date. That’s why we’ve compiled the six most significant Google Ads trends for 2020 to help you plan the right marketing campaigns for your business this year.

Trend No. 1: Smart bidding for Google Ads


Google has invested heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years, and smart bidding is one of the many results of this investment. The definition of Google is:

Smart bidding is a subset of automated bidding strategies that use machine learning to optimize conversions or the conversion value in each auction – a feature known as auction time bidding.

Simply put, it takes the guesswork out of bidding on Google ads. Google’s AI system uses machine learning to optimize for conversion in every auction automatically. You tell Google your advertising goal and Smart Bidding will find out how you can achieve it within your budget. IMPORTANT NOTE: The more data and budget you invest, the better it works. For smaller budgets, we, therefore, work with scripts and balancing the channels Native Ads and Social via the Google Tag Manager.


Smart bidding works for several PPC goals, including

  • Goal CPA: Generate new leads and customers at the cost you want per acquisition.
  • Goal ROAS: Get the best return on investment (ROI) for your expenses.
  • Maximize conversions: Increase your conversion rate.


With Smart Bidding, you can use many different signals to optimize your offer, some of which are system-dependent and not available when you submit a bid manually. Here are just a few of the signs you can choose from:

  • Location intent: where a user intends to go compared to their physical location. For example, when someone is looking for travel.
  • Day of the week and time of day: Local companies can address customers with relevant information or offers at certain times.
  • Remarketing list: Ads can be optimized based on users’ recent interactions with products and the nature of those interactions.
  • Features of the ad: If you have multiple versions of an ad, Google can bid on those that are most likely to convert.
  • User interface language: The bids can be adjusted for the word in which a user searches.

Machine learning enables smart bidding to manage multiple signals simultaneously to tailor bids to the context of each user. So if a user is more likely to click on your ad while on the way home from work on the bus, Google can raise your mobile ad bids on weekdays between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Smart bidding is an excellent option for companies just getting started with Google Ads or for those who don’t have much time to manage a campaign. The main disadvantage of using it is that you have no control over which third-party websites your display ads appear on – you have to choose all or none of them.

Trend # 2: Google Discovery Ads


Google launched Discover, its personalized mobile news feed, in late 2018. The feed aims to present relevant content to the user even when they are not looking for it:


The content of Discover is arranged as maps under topics that need to be researched. It includes different types of depending on the interests of the user Videos, recipes, news articles and blog entries. Since the focus of the content is on relevance, you do not always get the latest content – as a rule, the current content of high quality is still offered.


Google Discover is available via the mobile Google app and visiting Google.com via a mobile browser. Users can control what is shown in the feed, which leads to a more personal experience.


Earlier this year, Google launched Discovery Ads, which are native ads that appear in different Google feed environments.

Similar to display ads or YouTube ads, discovery ads need to be visually appealing and mobile-friendly to look native to the feeds they’re being played on. Google uses machine learning to optimize ad serving based on user search history, feed engagement, and other factors to serve the most interesting prospects:


With Discovery Ads, you can present more than one image, similar to the carousel ads from Facebook.

With Google’s Discovery ads, marketers can reach potential customers not only through the Discover feed but also through the YouTube home feed and Gmail.


Trend # 3: Google gallery ads


In summer 2019, Google launched the beta version of Gallery Ads. Similar to Facebook’s carousel ads, they contain images that mobile users can scroll through to get more visual information about a brand, product, or service.


According to Google, gallery ads seem to work: initial reports show that ad groups that contain one or more gallery ads have up to 25% more interactions.


Gallery ads appear at the top of the mobile search results and contain 4-8 images. Each image has its text, along with a static heading and URL, and advertisers pay when a user clicks or swipes an image.

Google gallery ads may not have as many uses for B2B or service-oriented offerings. Still, companies with offers that are well suited for rich image material should use this if they are published on a large scale.


With Google increasingly moving away from text-only ads, advertisers have more opportunities to present their products and services in a way that makes the most sense to their business – and their customers.


Trend # 4: Google ads and voice search


As more and more people buy smart/smart speakers, the text-based search is decreasing. And that will be very difficult for advertisers. Consider these statistics:

  • 55% of all American households will have an intelligent speaker by 2022.
  • 72% of people who have voice-activated speakers say that their devices are used as part of their daily routine.
  • Voice shopping is expected to increase from $ 2 billion today to $ 40 billion in 2022.
  • 2 out of 5 adults use voice search once a day.


From now on, voice searches on screens – such as Google voice searches on the desktop or the phone – will show ads …

… but smart speakers like Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices will not show them. This is bad news.


The good news? That will change. Google is already testing ads on Google Home. Since users are moving away from text-based searches, the technology giant will surely find ways to monetize voice searches.

Trend No. 5: Extended audience segments


We talked a little bit about audience signals above, and expanding them is something that Google devotes a lot of time and resources to. Giving companies more options to reach the right customer is a win-win offer for Google because it benefits both the company and the user (not to mention Google’s sales result).


In October 2019, Google announced two expanded target group segments :
Affinity audience: These target groups are built around interests and are identified based on surfing behaviour. Some examples of Affinity Audiences are beauty connoisseurs, convenience store shoppers and power users of cloud services. According to Google, Volkswagon used the affinity audience to create one achieve a 250% increase in conversion rates.

In-market audience: This audience actively researches or compares products and services. Google recently launched new seasonal event segments for these audiences so that advertisers can reach consumers through Search and YouTube with timely offers.


According to Google, Toyota saw a 67% increase in conversion rate and a 34% reduction in cost per conversion when they used the Black Friday and Christmas segments to focus on buyers who are actively looking for a car. With more than 700 identified target groups in the market, many companies will have the opportunity to interact with customers who are ready to make a purchase.

Find these new audiences in the ad UI:

Google has expanded its audience


None of these signals is new, but they have been developed to allow companies to reach their ideal customers at the right time. You can overlay these target groups over other parameters when you set up a new campaign.

Conclusion


The only constant at Google is that the company is continually evolving to serve customers’ needs better.


These will be the significant trends to look out for in 2020, but we’re sure that a few others will emerge later in the year. In the meantime, you can get creative with all of these new display types!