Digital Marketing Blog | SEO and Google Ads - Results from #60

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Google Shopping Action and other reasons to hire a Google Ads Agency

A well-designed AdWords or Google Shopping Action campaign can make a huge difference for brands and businesses; and to achieve this, it's essential to have a Google AdWords Agency. A professional and certified agency not only means executing campaigns with well-thought-out, analyzed strategies primarily aimed at meeting client objectives, but also means staying up-to-date on Google's latest developments in Spain, the United States, Latin America, and around the world. One of this year's new features, to which Google AdWords agencies have had access before anyone else, is Google Shopping Action , a tool that allows retailers to display their products on different Google platforms and that will undoubtedly revolutionize the world of online sales. You're probably wondering why Google Shopping Action is expected to revolutionize e-commerce and the way products are displayed online. Well, because this tool allows users to use shared lists, a universal shopping cart, or instant payment with previously recorded and saved data to accelerate conversion and provide a better search and shopping experience.

In short, a Google AdWords agency works to maximize the performance of a campaign by implementing the best and most innovative Google Shopping Action tools in a specialized manner.

Below, we'll tell you all the reasons to hire a certified agency and start selling and succeeding online.

  1. Continuous support

Personalized support and attention are essential to improving the performance of new and existing AdWords campaigns. A good Google AdWords agency not only develops excellent visibility strategies to generate conversions, but also regularly analyzes campaign performance and identifies areas of potential growth for each client.

  1. Exclusive access to Google news

For example, Google Shopping Action , a tool that officially launched in early March, but which Google AdWords agencies already had access to. Certified agencies have access to information, data, and new trends provided directly from Silicon Valley.

  1. Access to Google's latest beta features

A Google AdWords agency not only receives information on new developments and trends much earlier, but also has the ability to test and pilot new Google features, applications, and functions up to a year before they become available to the general public.

  1. Continuing education

Ongoing training is necessary to update, improve, and increase proficiency in AdWords and other Google advertising products, with the goal of expanding the range of benefits for clients. In conclusion, a certified Google AdWords agency has the ability to comprehensively plan, execute, and optimize digital marketing campaigns. Want to learn more about Google Shopping Action and Google AdWords? Click here.

Everything you need to know about the new Google Shopping Actions

What is Google Shopping Actions and what are the benefits for retailers?

Competition in e-commerce is growing. The online retail market leader, Amazon, continues to grow and increase its profits, so Google, in an attempt to keep up and better position itself against its main rival, has announced the launch of a new shopping service called Google Shopping Actions. This innovative system will allow retailers to display their products in Google searches and offer a more comprehensive customer experience, ranging from search to purchase and shipping.

What Google Shopping Actions offers

Google Shopping Actions allows listed products to appear across all Google platforms, including the increasingly popular smart home ecosystem of Google Assistant and Google Home for voice shopping. In fact, according to the Mountain View giant, since the launch of the Google Home Mini and Home Max on October 19 of last year, a device has been sold every second. This is a truly impressive figure considering it's something new, limited to a few countries, and arguably still in development. Returning to the topic of Google Shopping Actions , we see how, thanks to its features, the future of e-commerce could take a rather unexpected turn. Some of its most important functions are:

  • Shared lists with saved payment credentials, allowing customers to purchase products from multiple devices.
  • Google Assistant with Voice Shopping, which offers customers a hands-free, voice-powered shopping experience.
  • Universal shopping cart, to merge purchases from mobile, desktop, and even Google Home devices.
  • Instant checkout, 1-click reordering, and personalized recommendations at the most likely moment to purchase.
  • Loyalty program for high-value customers.

Benefits for small retailers

In addition to making stores and products more visible, the biggest advantage Google Shopping Actions offers small retailers is the sales model. Shopping Actions uses a pay-per-sale model, meaning the retailer only pays Google a portion of each actual sale through the system. Although the rates have not yet been announced, they are expected to be very similar to those of Amazon. Businesses of any size can participate in the system; in fact, a specific turnover is not required as long as they sell products from the categories included in the program: household goods, kitchen and bathroom, electronics, health and beauty, pet supplies, sporting goods, toys, clothing, food, etc. Google Shopping Actions appear within the advertising and sponsored products section on the Google Search and Google Shopping pages, so organic results are not affected. So far, the sales system is only available in the United States, where retailers participating in the pilot program (Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Costco Wholesale, among others) saw their customers' average shopping cart size increase by 30%. The company has not yet announced a launch date for Spain and the rest of the world, but according to the latest news, it is expected to be very soon. If you'd like to learn about this and other Google news , be sure to visit our blog to stay informed at all times.

The fifth Ads match type: the broad match modifier

Until recently, Google AdWords offered four keyword match types: phrase match, exact match, broad match, and negative match. However, to create more optimized ads and impact conversion rates, it was sometimes necessary to combine phrase match and exact match in a single keyword. Let's take, as an example, a transportation company that offers trips only from Barcelona to Madrid and for which a keyword pattern was established that matched the following searches:

  • Barcelona to Madrid by bus
  • Bus from Barcelona to Madrid

Since the search results for trips from Madrid to Barcelona aren't relevant, we should find a way to avoid matching the following searches:

  • Madrid to Barcelona by bus
  • Bus from Madrid to Barcelona

But even though the ideal formula for this case was "Madrid to Barcelona" + "bus," using different match types within the same keywords wasn't possible. Instead, it was only possible to include the exact match type in all existing combinations of the query, resulting in endless lists and a lot of time wasted. Solution: The AdWords broad match modifier

The AdWords match modifier is a powerful tool that allows you to combine phrase match, exact match, and broad match into a single keyword.

This wonder allows us to achieve much greater reach than exact match, but with greater control than broad match. How does it work? The AdWords broad match modifier is very simple; it simply involves adding the + symbol to a word accompanied by other words already in broad match. Whereas, if we add a period between words that begin with the + symbol, they will appear in the matching results in that same order. In other words, it works as a phrase match within the general keyword. This Google AdWords system is especially useful when the specific order of the words completely changes the meaning of the search, as we showed in the example: "Bus Madrid to Barcelona/Bus Barcelona to Madrid." Let's look at other examples and ways to use the broad match modifier:

Match type Syntax Example Matching search
Phrase match and broad match modifier +phrase match +broad match modifier +car insurance +Albacete Car insurance policy in AB
Phrase agreement and phrase agreement +phrase agreement +phrase agreement +luxury bus +Bilbao to Seville Luxury bus tour for 8 people from Bilbao to Seville
Phrase match and broad match +phrase match Broad match +blue soccer shoes Cheap blue sneakers for summer sports
Phrase Match and Broad Match Modifier and Broad Match +phrase match +broad match modifier Broad match +Chinese restaurant +Cheap Bilbao Affordable Chinese restaurant in Bilbao

In conclusion, AdWords experts attest to the benefits of the broad match modifier, especially when analyzing click-through rates (CTR) and conversions. This system can be very effective for optimizing keywords and being more selective with matches, especially when the specific order of words has a significant impact on results. Are you up for trying it? If you'd also like to learn about the most common Google AdWords errors, you can do so by visiting this link . Adwords Matching

Mobile-first indexing: Google makes its new crawling method official

The official Google blog has just announced what many of us already suspected: that the search engine's crawling and indexing system will value the mobile version of websites much more than the desktop version when crawling. Google calls this "Mobile-first indexing." According to the article, the research and work carried out by the California platform has taken more than a year and a half until they have officially determined this new variation in the website review system. One of the main reasons that led them to make this decision is that a large proportion of websites still do not use a responsive system , that is, self-adaptive, but rather create one site adapted to mobile and another adapted to PC without canonicalizing both, and therefore suffer from what is known as "duplicate content." In its eagerness to make things as easy as possible for users, and according to the most recent studies, a high percentage of users browse the web using their mobile devices, Google has therefore made this new decision.

All webmasters will receive notification of Mobile-first indexing through Google Search Console.

According to Google engineer , a single index of results will continue to be maintained and not two separate ones, so the indexed versions will both be as they have been shown to date, but the search engine will determine the mobile version as the first option when launching its bots and the one it will take as initial to assess its positioning. All webmasters should receive a notification through the Search Console in which we are informed of the process that Google has called Mobile-First and we will also be able to notice a significant increase in indexing and work of the Bot in the Smartphone version. Another important change is that it will also prioritize the mobile version in the cache results that the search engine offers when a website no longer exists or we want to see a previous edition. Last, but not least, of the changes that this new step by the search engine entails is that it will prioritize responsive content or the mobile version of the website over AMP results and will index it first, which represents a complete turnaround in its strategy for mobile phones since just a few months ago AMP seemed to be the future of mobile versions.

As always, Google warns that its Mobile-first indexing will be implemented with plenty of time and margin before the changes take effect and affect websites.

Fan Zhang also tells us that this change primarily affects the way Google works when collecting data and not so much how it displays it, but we already know that whenever the almighty search engine makes a change, the foundations of SEO are affected. Zhang takes advantage of the message to confirm that in July, any page that is not properly optimized and relatively fast will be affected in its positioning. In short, how will this change really affect us? Well, initially, and according to the article itself, the impact is on the way Google takes information from a website and not so much on the display of results. However, it is true that if the website does not have a mobile-adapted version and only has a desktop version, it will end up harmed, just as if the mobile version is poorly adapted or does not meet the search engine's standards. In the long run, it will be affected in positioning, since Google has been facilitating and warning since 2015 that its intention is for mobile versions of websites to be the primary focus. Throughout 2018, Google has made several interesting changes, and this certainly won't be the last. They've also announced via email that their Insights service will be integrated into the new AdWords interface, requiring users to create a profile to use the tools. This is similar to what happened with their Keyword Consultant. If you have a website and still don't know or understand the importance of optimizing for mobile SEO, we'll explain it to you in this article. We'll be keeping a close eye on future developments.

5 common mistakes in Google Ads and how to avoid them

 

Making some mistakes in Google Ads is normal. Ads are one of the most powerful tools for driving online traffic and improving SEO ranking . More and more companies—both large and small—know this, and that's why they don't hesitate to allocate part of their budget to click-based advertising.

 

A poorly managed Google Ads campaign can be costly, but an optimized campaign can work wonders and help a business generate sales like magic.

 

In this article, we'll tell you the 5 most common mistakes that even the best Google Ads agencies make, and we'll give you some tips on how to avoid them and achieve success.

 

Are you making any of these 5 mistakes in Google Ads?

 

Not taking into account the user experience on landing pages

 

Many ad experts focus on creating perfect ads, but they forget that the user experience beyond the ad is also very valuable.

 

The quality of a landing page is an essential component and can directly affect the visibility of Google Ads.

 

Recommendation:

 

An optimized landing page means a fast loading speed, it must be responsive , attractively designed, with relevant content and precise CTAs (calls to action).

 

Not grouping keywords correctly

 

Even if the user experience on your ad landing pages is great, there's something even more important that can directly impact conversions: relevance.

 

Imagine clicking on an ad for “Nike shoes” hoping to find a wide variety of Nike shoes, only to end up on a page with Reebok, New Balance, or any other non-Nike brand.

 

Although it may seem obvious, this mistake is common and is often made by veteran Google Ads agencies .

 

Recommendation: Group keywords based on relevance and create ad groups with specific landing pages . This will not only improve click-through rates and conversions, but also your clients' SEO rankings .

 

Direct users to the home page

 

If you want to become an expert in Ads , you must avoid this mistake at all costs. It's a very common mistake, especially when it comes to online stores, as it risks diverting the user's attention from what they were originally looking for, and they end up leaving the page without making a purchase.

 

Recommendation: If you want to publish an ad for "children's clothing," ideally, the user should click on the ad and land in the "children's clothing" section of your online store.

 

  1. Not making a good choice of keywords

 

Irrelevant keywords with low search volume directly affect the quality of your Google Ads. If you haven't seen good results in recent weeks, it may be time to review your keyword list.

 

Recommendation: Avoid having more than 20 keywords per ad group and eliminate those that are irrelevant or don't generate conversions. This will also help you avoid overspending.

 

SEO and Ads experts use Google's Keyword Planner to add keywords with the highest search volumes—follow in the footsteps of the best!

 

Little use of negative keywords

 

Nobody is perfect, not even Google Ads . Even if you use super-optimized keywords, your ads can still appear for irrelevant searches.

 

For example, if you have “graphic design” as a keyword (because your client offers services as a graphic designer), your ad might appear for searches like “what is graphic design” or “universities to study graphic design.”

 

Recommendation: If you add these terms to your negative keyword list, you'll avoid appearing in irrelevant searches with minimal conversion potential.

 

Running Google Ads campaigns can be complicated, even for digital marketing and SEO agencies.

 

However, if you follow the recommendations we give you at Click Online 360 , you can launch optimized campaigns, obtain satisfactory results, and ultimately become an Ads expert.

Promotion extension in Google Ads

The new AdWords interface is now a reality, and although it's still in beta, Google has already announced that we'll soon have to say goodbye to the old one. Although it's a bit difficult to adapt to the new interface, especially for quick and accurate optimizations, it brings new features such as the new PROMOTION EXTENSION. This extension offers a new opportunity for advertisers selling products on the search network. Our ads can be expanded, and we can add promotional codes to them. Here's a link on how to configure promotion extensions in Google AdWords. In the settings, we can choose whether to set the extension at the account, campaign, or ad group level. We can also choose the country in which to appear and the currency format. One of the most useful points is that we can set the promotion only for special days like Black Friday or Valentine's Day, for example, by default. Google also highlights this in bold, significantly increasing our CTR. Finally, we should mention that we can also indicate the days between which the discount coupon is available. If you want to see a little more about how to configure this extension, we leave you a video created for the Digital Marketing school ClickFormacion360.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mauXwdyNoik

What's new in Google Ads

We always tell you about the latest Google AdWords developments , and you all know that Google AdWords never ceases to surprise us and add improvements to the tool . ClickOnline360, as one of the best agencies in Spain, has access to beta versions of AdWords updates before the public. Well, this year they've introduced us to a set of new AdWords features that will leave you all amazed . We've been fortunate enough to see previews and test them first, but now we can start implementing them with our clients . This allows us, among other things, to give ClickOnLine360 clients a certain competitive advantage and thus improve their results and reputation . At the moment, we can't reveal all the new Google AdWords features that the search giant has prepared for us, but if you want to stay up to date, be sure to stay tuned to the blog. As a bonus, we can tell you that audiences are going to take center stage and that automation is going to be the big leap forward for Google AdWords this year. Attribution will be another of the main themes of 2017 and, as always, it will involve debate among users, technicians, clients, etc. On the other hand, there will be new ad extensions and, above all, the consolidation of all existing ones. It is vitally important that we provide extensions to the ads . With these, our quality score increases significantly. Or, seen another way, without ad extensions we receive many penalties. This is how we begin the year of Google AdWords, and ClickOnLine360 is here to help you and provide all the solutions you need . If you are interested in training with official Google speakers and also learning all the latest news, this is your Google AdWords Course Barcelona or Google AdWords Online Course .

The importance of optimizing mobile SEO

At Click Online 360, we know that more than half of users who browse the internet do so from their mobile devices . That's why, before launching a website, we optimize it for mobile . By doing this, we're also optimizing the website's SEO . Google will rank it better if it's adapted. But why does it rank it better? The key is in the user experience. That's why we must always keep in mind: Having a responsive design: Having a responsive design ensures that the content is displayed correctly regardless of the screen size from which it's viewed. Furthermore, with this type of design, we ensure optimal navigation in terms of user experience, a fundamental aspect. Fast website loading speed: Not making the user wait is also a factor that influences their experience. Therefore, the loading speed must be fast if we want to improve SEO. Google's PageSpeed Insights tool allows us to identify all errors related to a website's loading speed. This way, we can know what to fix to optimize it (optimize images, for example): https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/ A poor browsing experience is crucial when it comes to ranking a website compared to our competitors. And not only in terms of the website's quality, but also in how its content is displayed depending on the device being browsed from. Therefore, it's important for SEO to focus on the user: Their experience will influence our position.

Expanded Ads – Expanded Text Ads

Google always surprises us with new features , and AdWords in particular is constantly implementing improvements and betas that the American giant gradually releases. We also know that from time to time, "bombshells" appear that shake up this very special sector of Digital Marketing. Even before the summer, certain agencies like ours were given access to the new text ad formats , Expanded Text Ads. These are very specific to mobile devices, but they obviously work for the desktop or tablet search network, as well as for text ads on the Google Display Network. AdWords Expanded Ads basically mean that your ads will now look like this:

  • Two title fields of up to 30 characters each.
  • A single expanded description field of up to 80 characters.
  • A display URL that uses the domain of the final URL.
  • Two optional "Path" fields used in the ad's display URL, up to 15 characters each.

In this way, text ads gain greater importance in search results due to their increased size. But especially considering that lateral positions no longer exist, and now, with the aforementioned increased size, we must be aware of the importance of positions. In other words, the relevance of auctions has increased considerably with the last two Google AdWords updates. This shouldn't scare us, but quite the opposite. If we follow a clear strategy and meet certain criteria of quality and relevance for the user, we will have no problem publishing our advertising links without any problems. We must understand that, in the end , Expanded Ads are an adaptation to reality, which is none other than the unconditional use of mobile devices by users. At ClickOnline360, we are clear on this and have been implementing it for months. Can we help you?

How to choose a good Google Ads Agency

Choosing a Google AdWords Agency to carry out SEM campaigns for a specific company is always a very complex decision. Basically, for two important reasons: the agency's targeting strategy and the financial responsibility that the agency will have, since investments in these types of campaigns are not exactly cheap. However, a little analysis will show that there are agencies that deserve trust. Being in the Google certification program already generates a guarantee. The exams are complex and demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the AdWords tool. But that's not all. To obtain the official Google certification logo, other requirements must be met, such as experience, an MCC, a minimum budget invested in the last 90 days, etc. To put it simply, Google doesn't just give out its seal. Another example to help you choose a good Google AdWords Agency is the Restaurant and Good Dinner Theory: If you go to a restaurant for dinner with friends or your partner and are satisfied, you will pay the bill with satisfaction and leave a tip. If not, you'll do it reluctantly, or perhaps not at all. The same goes for agencies. It's fine to pay a high fee if the work is well done and the results are optimal. What's not easy to understand are the percentages; that is, if the company invests X monthly, does the agency always charge 10% of X, no matter what? Is it fair to the company? Does the AdWords agency justify its work this way? No, permanence: if I don't like it on the phone... why would I do it at an agency? For example, in a restaurant, if I don't like the first course, I'll leave; maybe I'll take a chance on the second, but certainly not on dessert. In short, choosing a good Google AdWords agency isn't an easy task, but it's not impossible either if we take into account everything mentioned above. And it goes without saying that at Click Online 360, we comply with all of these requirements. :)