Rich Results on Google's SERP when searching for 'Google Ads'

Google Ads, the ultimate way to boost your leads

by Google AdsPPCSearch Engines

What is Google Ads?

Google Ads is an advertising platform that is used to promote your product or service. It can boost website traffic, increase your in-store footfall and make your brand more visible to potential customers. This is done in many ways including:

  • Search Ad Campaigns
  • Display Ad Campaigns
  • Video Ad Campaigns
  • App Ad Campaigns
  • Shopping Ad Campaigns

In this article we will be looking at Search Ad Campaigns. What the benefits are of using Google ads, how to generate leads through Google ads and things to avoid when using Google ads.

Google Ads has been used by numerous businesses and has helped them achieve their goals of getting an increased amount of leads. The average click rate across all industries for these advertisements is 3.17% for search and 0.46% for display which is higher than what it used to be. Meaning that Google Ads is on the rise and will eventually be used by a larger number of businesses due to things such as technology advancement and people using Google more frequently. 

Advertisers are only charged when a user clicks on their Ad hence the name pay per click (PPC). Google Adwords has been rebranded to Google Ads in 2018.

Benefits of using Google Ads 

Capability of targeting your Ads

Using Google Ads you can target your adverts towards your target audience so you don’t waste money advertising your business to people who aren’t interested. This can be done using filters such as:

  • Ad geographical location – pick the location where your ads are displayed. 
  • Age range – you can choose which age range you want your ads to appear too.
  • Relevant Keywords – the more specific they are to your business the better.
  • Language – target speakers of a specific language. 
  • Device type – ads can appear on all devices, however, you can change that if you want to do so.
Faster results than SEO (organic search results)

The purpose of both SEO and Google Ads is to generate more traffic and leads. However, Google Ads results are instant, whereas with SEO it will take a lot longer to see results.  With Google Ads you will jump above all the organic results which will increase your website traffic dramatically. 

Increase your brand recognition

Google Ads will not only boost your website traffic and clicks, but it will make your brand more visible to customers. Which is essential as the more often users read your brand name the more likely they are to purchase from your business. 

Google’s reach

Google is the biggest search engine, it processes over 2 trillion searches per year! Having your business appear in the top results of this search engine is guaranteed to give you an edge over your competitors. 

Control and management features

Google Ads lets you know when someone has clicked on your Ad. It will also track if a customer purchased your product, downloaded your app OR placed a phone order. It will also let you know your customers shopping habits, such as how long they research the product before purchasing. All this data can give you valuable information on which strategies are working and which ones need improving, in order to gain more customers.

If all these benefits are still not enough, here are some statistics:

  • 46% of the total clicks go to the top three paid advertising positions.
  • 96% of brands are spending money on Google Ads.
  • 85.8% of desktop searches happen on Google.
  • 86% of consumers use the Internet to find a local business.

Things to avoid when using Google Ads

Poor Keyword research

Understanding the key words used for the Ad is crucial, this is because the keywords can contribute to the Ads success. 

If poor keywords are used the ad will not reach as many people which will result in the potential loss of leads. If the correct ones are used then the advert will perform well and reach the audience that it is supposed to. However, if the incorrect keywords are used people will find it more difficult to see the advert and the wrong type of people (not the target market) will be more likely to come across the advert. 

Search network targeting options

When creating a Google Ads campaign, one of the steps is assigning the types of key terms that you want your Ad to appear in. Similarly, there are negative keywords that help Google understand which types of search terms you do not want your Ad to appear in. This will help save you money on Ads which target the wrong audience.

How to generate leads through Google Ads?

In order to generate leads the business needs to understand a couple things before posting an Ad.

An effective Ad that generates leads will need to have a clear understanding of what the Ad is and who the Ad is for. This will help generate sales because with a more narrow target audience the Ads can be used more effectively as they will reach the people who actually want to see the information. 

To boost your chances of generating leads, Ads must also be precise when using keywords so that people are able to see the Ad through search when it is posted. Optimising negative keywords and using relevant Ad extensions is also another aspect that must be taken into consideration when creating or posting the Ad. Google tends to review their Ads within 1 business day. However it has been known to take longer. So to increase your chances of getting your target audience to see your Ad, follow the Google guidelines because then the Ads have a higher chance of getting approved by Google faster.

In Conclusion

Google Ads can benefit your business dramatically and can be a major sales driver for your business. Effectively increasing your business turnover. It can get quite complicated and can be hard to get your head around but is definitely worth investing in if you want to get more leads for your business.  Here at Creative Thinking Media, we can create and manage an effective and responsive Google ads campaign for you. We are totally results driven and have proven to deliver great results for our clients, and can generate leads for your business or even just raise your business profile and increase brand awareness.

Article by Creative Thinking Media ©

If you wish to discuss how we can develop your brand or provide a great advertising strategy for your business, then email us on info@creatvethinkingmedia.co.uk.

Creative Thinking Media is a Creative Media Agency that is passionate about effective Marketing/Advertising Campaigns, Video Marketing, Brand Identity, Logos and Web Design.

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Rich Results on Google's SERP when searching for 'Search Engine Optimisation'

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Guide

by SEO

What is Search Engine Optimisation?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO ) is a process which allows your website to rank higher in search engines. Having a higher ranking on a search engine is essential, as the higher your website appears in the search results, the more viewers your website is going to be visible to. Therefore, increasing your online brand recognition and potentially gaining you new customers.

With most search engines, the first few results are paid adverts or Google Ads, followed by the search results which are most relevant to your search query. These results are referred to as organic results. Search engines use algorithms and mathematical formulas to help them order the results and work out the most relevant results. 

The Basics

The main purpose of search engines is to provide users with accurate and relevant results online. Which is important as there are approximately 2 billion websites on the web.  SEO helps the algorithm to figure out which website is the most appropriate to display, this is done by looking at:

Which website is mobile friendly?

How responsive is the page?

Is the website secure and accessible? 

How old the website is?

Is the content optimised?

The more your website is optimised for relevant searches, it’s more likely to rank higher on the search engine results pages. 

What are the factors that affect Search Engine Optimisation?

Once you have implemented your website optimisations, and you see a high level of traffic, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s worked. There are many other factors that affect SEO. Here are the top 3 most important factors:

Technical SEO – optimising the infrastructure of your website. This helps search engines easily access, interpret and index your website. 

Search engines use bots to scan the web. These bots “crawl” (visit) websites and log all the content such as text, images and videos. Once all the information is collected the bot will add the data to the search engines “index” (database). This process means that when a search is performed, the bots scan through the index and present the most relevant result. 

On Page SEO – Optimising page content, keywords, headings, metadata and HTML tags to improve the searchability of your website.

Optimisation of text, image and videos on your website allows search engines to better understand your website and the content. Which means that the algorithm is more likely to push your website up higher in the results when a relevant search is made. 

Off Page SEO – Social media posts, comments & likes, backlinking, newsletters and digital advertising all contribute towards making your website rank higher.  

This allows your business to be seen on many different platforms, and means that more people will be searching for your business online and therefore will increase your search engine ranking. The search engine bots that crawl your website also consider all digital activities related to your business outside of your website to determine where your website will be positioned on the search engine results.

Local SEO

Most businesses generally have the same main goal for SEO which is to be ranked at the top of the search engine results pages.  But this is not always achievable for a business to rank so high nationally or globally. However having your website optimised to appear higher in local searches is.

Local searches have risen dramatically, Think with Google 2018 states that over 2 years, there was over 900% increase in searches for ‘near me today/tonight’ using mobile.

By using local SEO, your business can get a higher ranking on the search engine results page when geographical specific keywords are used in the search query. This will enable you to market your content to your target audience based on their geographical location. 

The bots used by search engine companies can recognise information that is related to the search being made from website, social media pages and listing pages.

Local SEO is essential for businesses who are trying to grow their business, as nearly half of all Google searches are people looking for local businesses. So it’s very important that you show up within the top results so you don’t miss out on opportunities such as potential customers. Local SEO will increase your website’s visibility within your local area which will have many positive impacts on your business. 

Conclusion 

Hopefully by now you realised the importance of SEO to your online business presence. Here at Creative Thinking Media we are eager to help your business have the best chance of succeeding and growing online.

Article by Creative Thinking Media ©

If you wish to discuss how we can develop your brand or provide a great advertising strategy for your business, then email us on info@creatvethinkingmedia.co.uk.

Creative Thinking Media is a Creative Media Agency that is passionate about effective Marketing/Advertising Campaigns, Video Marketing, Brand Identity, Logos and Web Design.

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My work placement journey

by Work Placement

Hi, my name is Fouad and I’m a Shipley college student, I am currently studying an T Level course in Digital production, design and development. This is a newly launched two-year course, developed in collaboration with employers and businesses and is equivalent to 3 A levels. As a part of this course I have to complete 315 hours (approximately 45 days) of work experience. This is why I am currently volunteering and completing an industrial placement at an amazing media agency called Creative Thinking Media.

My experience at Creative Thinking Media

Since the first day at Creative Thinking Media, I have felt very comfortable as a result of the warm and welcoming environment the team created while maintaining a professional attitude towards work.  This made me feel excited to work with the company because of their positive and optimistic attitude.

Before working at Creative Thinking Media my knowledge of social media campaigns and advertising campaigns was very limited, however since joining the agency I have picked up quite a lot from my work colleagues and manager on what the media campaigns are and how they work. I have also learnt so much when it comes to social media campaigns for businesses who want to increase their customer base and promote their brand. 

Sometimes the work does get quite stressful and pressured as deadlines have to be adhered too but the team is always there to support me whenever I need any help, which is relieving as I have very little work experience.

After one month of working at Creative Thinking Media, I have gained many valuable skills and experiences which have allowed me to:

  • Improve my knowledge of digital media and marketing
  • Improve my professional communication skills
  • Implement all the programming skills I have learnt at college to my work
  • Feel more confident with the work I have produced 
  • Gain new skills and knowledge on social media campaigns and advertising campaign
  • Understand how a media agency works

How the college supported me 

Shipley college have supported me massively in finding and getting an industrial placement, they referred my CV to a media agency near me, Creative Thinking Media who then invited me to an interview which went successfully.

Not only have the college taught me all the interview skills I needed and found me the placement, they even provided me with a high-spec laptop which had all the latest softwares that I needed for the placement.

Thanks to all the professional and experienced tutors at shipley college who made the whole experience of getting an industrial placement very convenient and easy.

Conclusion 

Volunteering/work experience is vital to anyone, no matter how high your grades are without experience you’re not very employable, getting used to working in an area in which you are interested in is vital for your future.

My experience at Creative Thinking Media feels like the perfect balance between serious work and a relaxed environment. It’s a professional media agency with friendly and welcoming staff who have made it an awesome experience. 

The key to enjoying your work placement is to be positive and have a smile on your face, this will improve the whole mood and atmosphere and therefore employers will be more willing to help and support you to become the most employable version of yourself.

Wishing you all the best! 

Fouad, Digital Assistant at Creative Thinking Media ©

If you would like to join our team then email us on info@creatvethinkingmedia.co.uk.

Creative Thinking Media is a Creative Media Agency that is passionate about effective Marketing/Advertising Campaigns, Video Marketing, Brand Identity, Logos and Web Design.

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Video-Marketing (1)

5 advantages of video content and how you can use it

by Video ContentVideo marketing

Video content can be utilised within all of forms of digital marketing to help boost reach, engagement and sales. This includes websites, email marketing, electronic billboards and social media. The advantages? Read on to find out how this could help boost your audience reach.

1. Conversions and sales

It’s no secret that people are more interested in watching rather than reading, it’s human nature. As a result of this, video marketing engagement results are a lot higher than that of text forms of marketing, such as emails. People would rather watch than read, which is why social media is more predominantly utilised to market today rather than email. As a matter of fact, only 18% of people who see ads in a text-based format will actually click on them. On top of that, marketers who utilise video-based marketing will see a 49% faster growth rate in revenue than that of non-video marketers.

2. The popularity of video

People are hooked on video-based content. movies, tv, programmes, documentaries they are all forms of video content. Studies show that 45% of people on the globe watch an hour or more of video per day, that’s nearly 4 billion people who watch a lot of video everyday. It is a good idea to invest in some video content, especially as your competition both local and international are very likely to be using video-based content themselves. This is why YouTube is such a popular platform for both consumers and businesses. After Google, YouTube is the second most popular website in the world. Do not forget, YouTube is a video-based platform.  Users view more than 1 billion hours of video everyday on YouTube alone.

3. Portability

Smartphones and portable devices are common in today’s day and age. Most smartphones hold a data plan, where users can utilise the internet just about anywhere by using their data. Smartphones are extremely popular for watching video content on, not to mention people can interact with their social media from their smartphones, meaning more video-based ads reach more consumers and businesses. As a matter of fact, Facebook states that users are 1.5 times more likely to view a video on their smartphones than on any other device.  Not only can video content be utilised on mobile phones, but also on many other platforms, such as most gaming consoles, televisions, tablets, etc.  A standard has been set when developing a tech platform – that standard is that video content must be accessible.

4. Multiple platforms

Many platforms support a form of media, social media being one of them. Both ads and entertainment are plentiful on social media. On Twitter alone, more than 82% of its users watch video content. Bare in mind that as of March 2019 Twitter had 330 million active users. 82% of them watch video content. Statistics show that on Facebook alone, posting video-based content will increase user engagement and reach by 33%.  Not only can video content be used on social media to market, but also across factors such as webinars, blogs, presentations and so forth.

5. Increase in engagement

As mentioned previously, people will engage more in video-based content over text-based content. Due to this, it is a popular form of marketing across many different businesses across the globe. Even including video content in text-based formats of marketing see huge increases in engagement – for example, including video based content in an email sees an increase of 200-300% in click-through rates.  There are two important factors to look at:

  • Popularity of the platform
  • Target audience

The popularity of the platform is basic – the more popular, the more potential people to engage with. However, when looking at your target audience, you need to establish what platform of social media is best for you. As an example, for businesses looking to engage other businesses through video content, Linkedin is likely the best platform to utilise due to the fact that interaction is mainly B2B on this platform.

Understanding how video content and video marketing works can ultimately help you to  reaching out to consumers.

Article by Creative Thinking Media ©

If you wish to discuss how we can develop your brand or provide a great advertising strategy for your business, then email us on info@creatvethinkingmedia.co.uk.

Creative Thinking Media is a Creative Media Agency that is passionate about effective Marketing/Advertising Campaigns, Video Marketing, Brand Identity, Logos and Web Design.

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Rich Results on Google's SERP when searching for 'Facebook Advertising'

Facebook advertising, 5 steps for an effective campaign

by Uncategorized

Many businesses across the globe have trouble putting together a profitable Facebook advertising campaign. Why is this?

Facebook holds many tools that businesses can utilise to create an effective Facebook advertising campaign. However, many businesses are not aware of these tools, which is why many campaigns tend not to get the ROI that businesses hope for.

Let’s take a look at some of these tools that businesses are
missing out on…

1. Canvas Ads

Canvas Ads were introduced to Facebook back in 2016.
Facebook describes the feature as “a full-screen ad experience built for
bringing brands and products to life on mobile”. Essentially it allows users to
create ads on Facebook that allow for full interaction of the content within
the ad, such as images, videos, etc. This is a popular form of advertising due
to the fact it means users can browse on one ad without having to navigate
outside of Facebook.

2. Video Ads

Video Ads are a very popular form of marketing, allowing
businesses to target specific channels through creativity. Video Ads on
Facebook hold some impressive statistics –

  • Shoppers that view videos on Facebook are twice
    as likely to purchase the product being targeted at them than a non-video
    viewer.
  • Over 500 million people view video on Facebook
    every day across the globe.
  • Facebook reports that 62% of people who watch a
    video are more interested in a product as opposed to not seeing a video about
    the product before.

3. Facebook Pixel

Before Facebook Pixel, businesses had to manually enter code into their respective websites to track conversion rates from Facebook. This made life difficult for businesses as it consumed valuable time, until Facebook Pixel made life much easier for them when it landed. The Facebook pixel is a snippet of code that you place on your website. It collects data that helps you track conversions from Facebook ads, optimise ads, build targeted audiences for future ads, and remarket to people who have already had some kind of engagement on your website.

It works by placing and triggering cookies to track users as
they interact with your website and your Facebook ads. A very simple, yet handy
piece of code.

4. Targeting the correct audience

Most businesses will simply jump the gun and try and target
as many people as they can when using social media platforms to advertise.  The statement “quality over quantity” could
not be more relevant in this situation. At the end of the day, it would be much
more ideal for a business to target 10,000 people interested in their kind of
services rather than targeting 1,000,000 random people. An advertising campaign
needs to be structured correctly and target audience is very much the
foundation of that structure. The target audience needs to be researched
thoroughly to ensure an advertising campaign is effective.

5. Build a strong brand identity

Ads should not just be used purely to sell products or services.
It is important that businesses gain a reputable status on a national or even
international scale. Using Facebook Ads to do this is a great way to let people
know about a business, purpose and goals. Doing so will gain a valuable business
reputation, with a vision for the long-run in mind when doing this. This will help businesses
to gain loyal customers, more sales, more reach, more engagement and thus more
profit.

Article by Creative Thinking Media ©

If you’re still struggling to manage your Facebook Ads or
need assistance on starting your Facebook advertising journey, then get in
touch and let us make the most of your budget. 

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How to develop an advertising strategy that works

by Advertising

Advertising is great in creating awareness about a product or a service which highlights the advantages to consumers. In order to advertise a product or service and to convince the buyers one has to develop an advertising strategy and develop a campaign to communicate ideas about products and services in the most simple and interesting way to the potential customers. Before developing an advertising campaign, one needs to think about the campaign in a logical fashion. Developing an advertising strategy will also reflect other business considerations like overall budget, brand recognition efforts and objectives like public image enhancement, market share growth as well.

If you have a small business with limited capital and can’t spend much to advertise your product or brand as a large organisation, with a great advertising strategy you can develop a highly effective advertising campaign. Creativity and flexible planning, based on an in-depth knowledge of the target consumer is the key to an effective advertising strategy.

6 Steps in constructing an Advertising Strategy:

Objective

First you need a clearly defined objective which you wish to achieve through the advertising campaign. Clear cut objectives/goals are vital for an advertising strategy development.

Define your Customer and target audience

While developing the advertising strategy you need to define clearly who are your customers? Are you selling in an urban, rural or suburban market? Ages, preferences, choices. To identify the target consumer, and the forces acting upon any purchasing decision, it is important to define three general criteria in relation to that consumer.

Demographics

It is about considering age, gender, income, ethnicity, and hobbies.

Behaviours

When studying the customer’s behaviour an advertiser needs to examine the customer’s awareness of the business and its competition, the type of vendors and services the consumer currently uses, and the types of appeals that are likely to convince the customer to give the advertiser’s product or service a chance.

Needs

An advertiser must determine the customer needs- functionality and self-image and the kind of message that will convince the customer that the advertiser’s services or products can achieve those needs.

Communication Media

Next step is to decide the media through which the message or the content will be reached. Here, media acquires importance even to the message development. A very strategic and creative message needs appropriate and well-placed media to reach out to the target audience.Media includes the entire media environment, both offline and online. 

Types of Advertising Strategies

Specific products or services can be promoted in multiple ways.

Traditional advertising strategies like television, radio ads and billboard advertising that target broader audiences can still be beneficial if carefully planned.

Advertising strategies that are part of a larger marketing strategy may also include: –

• Google AdWords (pay-per-click)

• Facebook/Social Media adverts specific to highly targeted consumers based on factors like age, income, gender, and location)

• Direct mail

• Cold calling/emailing

• Traditional strategies (television, radio, newspaper)

Understanding the function of advertising and marketing can ultimately help you achieve one important goal, reaching out to consumers likely to be interested in what you have to offer. It is a goal often made with thorough planning, insightful observations, ongoing engagement, and informed decision making.

Article by Creative Thinking Media

If you wish to discuss how we can develop your brand or provide a great advertising strategy for your business, then email us on info@creatvethinkingmedia.co.uk

Creative Thinking Media is a Creative Media Agency that is passionate about effective Marketing/Advertising Campaigns, Brand Identity, Logos and Web Design. ©

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Why Your Website is Your Most Important Marketing Tool

by Uncategorized

A website is one of the most important marketing tools in today’s day and age. There are multiple reasons for businesses to invest in their website. While many agencies will talk intensely about creative work that leaves a lasting impression on your customer through forward thinking design, or clever social media campaigns, we see the benefits of investing in your website at a simpler, homegrown level.

Legitimacy

At the very least, your website needs to legitimise your business in the market. There’s a time and place for highly creative or technical digital work, but first and foremost – users who find your website online need to understand, at a glance, that you’re a real business and smart enough to know that your customers are going to use your website as the first port of call in selecting you for any which product or service you’re offering.

Your website design doesn’t need to push design boundaries…

…but it should present your business as within the 21st Century (and of course, a design that does push boundaries is even better for your users to engage with). One thing is clear though – outdated designs will push customers away. Today’s users have formed habits from using websites and the user experience across dated websites clash with these habits. Your website should 100% be mobile optimised today as majority of users across most audiences will be using mobile to browse the web. Users will quickly exit a website that challenges them in usability and mobile user experience is a key consideration when considering a website design update.

Modern Design

A design that appears to be visually modern also acts simply as a justification that your business is in fact open and operating. Many customers today are fickle and will quickly turn away from your website simply because it doesn’t look like it’s been updated in many years. They’re quick to assume it’s closed or that the content itself is outdated and therefore unreliable (think product pages, price lists etc). It’s important to give your website a fresh coat of paint every five years at the least. General digital design best practice and trends change over this period of time, as do user expectations.

Keep your content current

This opens up another tip for ensuring your customers will use your website as justification that you’re legit – frequent content updates show that you’re actively using your website for marketing purposes. Current price lists, notice of upcoming sales and even blog content will show your customer that you’re considering them as a user, and not relying on them to contact your directly. Their trust in your content and overall offering will increase. Current content will also minimise the amount of general query phone calls your business receives – giving you higher qualified customers who do pick up the phone to speak to you.

Bonus SEO benefits

Frequently updated blog content will also do you favours in SEO. Search engines use algorithms that identify keywords within meaningful content, and rank this content higher within keyword search results. We all know how often we dive deeper into Google search results past page three – slim to none. Higher SEO rankings will attract more online traffic.

Your Online Identity is Crucial to Success

We’re not saying that your website needs to present a grand website design with a technical beast behind it, or that you need to hire a full time content writer to ensure you have blog content every second day – but you do need to take these tips into account and invest in your online identity to turn your website into the marketing tool it can become.

Article by Creative Thinking Media

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