Search Advertising Tips
1. Identify and follow
the rules of Bing, Yahoo!, and Google search ads before running your campaign
as all have slightly different formats.
2. Optimize the URL
displayed in your search ad so that it’s relevant to the product or service you
are promoting.
3. Include target
keywords in your headlines and copy that either match or closely match the
keywords you bid on in order to boost the chance that your ad appears for those
terms.
4. Write strong calls to
action for your search ads that directly state what you want consumers to do.
For example “Contact for a Free Estimate” or “Get a 50% Coupon.”
5. When using a
click-to-call extension, consider using a tracking number so that you can
identify and measure which ads perform the best.
6. Don’t spend precious
text ad character count on your business name. It should already be in your
optimized URL.
7. Do capitalize the
first letter of major words in your ad. Don’t (read “NEVER”) go crazy with all
caps.
8. Should you use correct
punctuation in text ads? Yes! It just makes good sense.
9. Using trademarks in text ad copy is a no-no unless, of
course, you own them. You can, however, bid on terms relevant to your business.
10. DUUA
(don’t use unknown abbreviations). While it could pique the interest of a few
searchers, why take that chance?
Website Tips
11. If
you haven’t updated your website since 2010, do it now. A clean, modern design
is key in digital marketing, plus it ensures that you meet today’s best
practices and Web standards.
12. Make
your website mobile-friendly! The 2014 Local Search Study results indicate that nearly 80%
of local mobile searches end in a purchase. This is a big audience you
shouldn’t ignore.
13. Accurately
complete your site’s metadata (title tags, descriptions, alt text, etc.). Not
doing so can negatively impact your visibility on SERPs.
14. A
business blog is a winning addition to your website. It can help boost
your site’s SEO, set you apart from the competition, and demonstrate your
knowledge and expertise. It’s a win-win situation.
15. In
order to get found by local consumers, you need to optimize your site with
local information like your address and geo-targeted keywords.
Search Engine Optimization
16. Having
a business blog is useless if you don’t regularly create and promote original
and sharable content to help prove relevance and therefore rank in search
engines.
17. Enable
share buttons on your blog so that readers can easily post your content to
their social media pages and drive visitors back to your website.
18. Optimize your Google+ Local page to help your business
name, phone number, location, and even opening hours show up in Google Maps and
Google’s local search results.
19. Much
like Google+ Local, Yelp is platform to complete and post information about
your business. More importantly, it helps feed Apple Maps with local business
results.
20. Include
geo-specific keywords, such as your city, neighborhood, and zip codes, in your
website, blog, and even social media copy to appear in search results for these
terms.
19. Don’t
only promote blog posts once. Repurpose them as engaging images, quotes, or
questions in order to generate additional views, shares, and subject
relativity.
21. Getting
back links from influencers and other industry-related websites that have
already established credibility are great for building your own authority and
driving more visits back to your site.
23. Enable
Google Authorship to help build your personal brand. By establishing yourself
as a subject matter expert, you can share your own content, generate more
shares, and drive more website visits.
22. Since
positive reviews rank in search engine results, generate positive reviews with
high rankings to help persuade consumers to choose your business.
26. Once
you receive positive reviews, promote them on your website and social media
sites so that consumers who search for you business on social sites or local
directories see the great things others say about your business.
25. Images
can help sell your business, and they also rank in search engines. Don’t name
your images “photo.jpg,” and instead name them more descriptively, add alt
text, or captions on your website to help
Social Media
27. Think,
review, and review again before you make a social media post or comment. The
ability to easily take screenshots makes it difficult to take back a social
media mistake.
28. Since
your employees also represent your brand, both in person and online, implement
a social media policy that at the least permits them from sharing internal
information.
29. Before
you jump on a trending hashtag, make sure you know the origin of it. Not doing
so can potentially cause social media regrets.
30. Like
it or not, you “share” your brand on social media. And since consumers can
start good and bad conversations about you, make sure to set up alerts that
notify you of new mentions, comments, or messages.