Google's Responsive Search Ads

GAME CHANGER!

These are definitely the largest and most flexible of search ad formats yet. Unlike traditional search ads, where there is so much repetitive A/B testing and static headlines and descriptions, we can now create up to 15 different headlines and up to 4 different descriptions! We can also "pin" certain headlines or descriptions to make sure the essential parts of the ad are ALWAYS show, for example your company/brand name.

Collectively, these headlines and descriptions can be arranged in over 43,000 different permutations, which means our ad testing possibilities are HUGE.

But the best part is actually that Google will dynamically run multiple combinations of headlines and descriptions, which Google's Machine Learning will then optimise which combinations perform best and find and serve the best message for the different users, depending on the keyword they used, their device and even their historic browsing behaviour.

Showing the most engaging and relevant ads to users at their time of need, will no doubt improve overall account performance. According to Google, Responsive Search Ads can have a 5-15% lift in CTR, compared to standard search ads. When implemented correctly, it can also lower CPCs, help advertisers improve ROI and reduce wasted ad spend.

It's so exciting how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are becoming so much more integrated in Google’s advertising platform.

Exciting times are ahead!

Mobile Sites & UX

“If your Mobile Pages load 1 second faster, you can increase CONVERSIONS by 27% ”

— Google

Impatient and always in a hurry? Perhaps technology has created this pressure, particularly in Western Society.

It's therefore not surprising to find research suggesting that reducing the time your website takes to load, helps engage (and convert!) customers.

Sometimes even a small change on your website can immediately boost sales and conversion rates significantly.

Where to start? Checkout www.webpagetest.org to run some basic tests to see how your website performs across a variety of different networks and host locations.

Next, some very basic guidelines/targets you can try to stick to when building a page:

• Page Weight = 1MB

• Speed index = Less than 3000

• Total Requests/Resources = Between 80 and 100

• Fonts = 0 to 3 (try to also minimise the number of variants if you can too)

• Images = Upto 30

End of the day: Less data = Faster load time

The biggest challenge for businesses is trying to balance the art/design elements of the site with the content/science components. Sometimes I like to bring everything down to basics and say "put yourself in your customer's shoes" - how (happy/comfortable) are they whilst browsing your website/pages?

HOW IS SEARCH EVOLVING?

Google has been personalising search results for years, using our search history, device preferences (especially mobile) and social signals, and attempting to integrate them to deliver the most useful results and relevant information to each user.

Mobile searches now outnumber desktop searches globally, eliciting the need to further enhance the capabilities of voice, visual and location-based searches.

Search has always been about bringing people the most relevant information in the shortest amount of time. People, of all ages now, have become tech savvier and with less patience. Search engines are revolutionising the way we access information through the growth of data and precision of targeting. When you turn on your phone, Google already knows where you are, providing additional context around our lives. It may only be a matter of time before someone decides to utilise such data to create a "decision engine". 

Sergey Brin (Google) once said, "My vision when we started Google.. was that eventually you wouldn't have to have a "search query" at all.. You'd just have information come to you as you needed it.."

The rise of Smart Apps and next-gen personal assistants such as Apple's Siri, may have shifted some people away from searching on Google and towards 'direct answers', by channeling certain interests and delivering specific information. I do believe that Search engines will always have a place regardless, perhaps just in a more sophisticated shape and form.. watch this space!

Happy searching!

Yana 

SEM crash course

SEM, SEO, search marketing, ppc, clicks, impressions, CTR, conversion rate, quality scores, maximum cpc bid, keywords, ad copy, landing pages, negative keywords.. sometimes things can seem overly complicated. 

Got 6 minutes? Checkout my quick crash course to better understand how this all works.

https://youtu.be/m_mXvHgCFnc

Enjoy & happy searching!

Yana

Convert Abandoners with Remarketing

Qualifying and getting people to your website is sometimes hard enough. Getting customers to sign up or place items in the cart is an even greater challenge. And even when they finally start the process, more than 70% of carts with items in them get abandoned!

tried remarketing?

Remarketing is a terrific way to drive efficiencies of all your different channels. It let's you re-engage with visitors again who have left your website.

Unlike general display advertising, where you can select the type of audience you hope to attract not knowing if they have heard of you before or not (for example, by targeting their gender, age, interests etc) - remarketing allows you to re-attract the people who have already expressed that initial interest in your business/website.

To get the most out of your remarketing campaigns, make sure you create personalised content and ads.

As a general rule - increased ad frequency and exposure = higher the brand awareness and hence, conversions!

Here is a quick video to learn more about remarketing and how it works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsEg1wxOw8Y

Happy searching!
Yana