The Stack is a weekly podcast where we share and discuss the latest trends, news, and content from the world of marketing, sales, and tech. In each episode, Sean, Tim, and Ryan sit down to chat about the hard-hitting questions related to sales, marketing, and tech. You can subscribe on iTunes and Soundcloud.
In this episode, we share our key takeaways from Google Ads and how to take a different approach to your marketing efforts.
We would love to hear your thoughts so make sure to comment or tweet us at @Sylvestrer1, @SeanHenri, and @Tendrecroppes or @PepperlandMKTG.
Google’s New Responsive Display Ads Let Advertisers Upload 15 Images, 5 Headlines, More
Google Team
Google introducing new features to Google Ads. Here’s what you should worry about:
- You can upload 15 images
- 5 headlines
- 5 descriptions
- 5 logos
- Ads will automatically adjust their size
Key Takeaways:
- So now you will be able to upload plenty of images and descriptions which was previously only 1 or 2 for each section.
- Google said that adding these additional images/descriptions resulted in “10% more conversions at a similar CPA”.
Google’s exact match close variants expand again: Now include same meaning variations
Search Engine Land by Ginny Marvin
Exact keyword marketing has been updated over the years and has progressed from keyword having to match exactly, a close enough match, or even misspelled words will trigger a Google Ad. Now, just the intent behind the search can trigger the same ad. This article gives a great example of how this works in action when talking about searchers intent.
Sean: “For 90% of advertisers this is a good thing, it will allow you to reach people who are looking and experimenting with every variation. But for the sophisticated folks who have put the time and effort into doing their keyword research, this may cause a problem and might not want this change.”
Google on How to Improve Sites that Don’t Rank
Search Engine Journal by Roger Montti
“Google’s John Mueller discussed what would make a search engineer want to include a different site into the search results. In a webmaster hangout, John Mueller discussed how a site could be just as good as the sites in the top ten. He then noted that just as good isn’t necessarily good enough.”
Key Takeaways:
- Conduct competitor research to identify characteristics of their sites that you should include, as well as how you can stand out
- Read reviews about competitors from noncompetitors to see where your competitors fall short
- Find a unique angle
- Be the only site to do something
You’ve Got Product/Market Fit… What About Marketing/Market Fit?
Rand Fishkin on Sparktoro
We do a lot of the research that goes into our marketing efforts and that leads to a handful of tactics we recommend to our clients. The problem is that most marketing companies, agencies or managers aren’t given the opportunity to do deep dives into their market. There is so much value in really understanding what makes your customers needs, problems or questions are. Spend time with your audience, no, literally. Go to shows and places they go to, put yourself in their shoes for a while and see what problems or questions arise. This will give you the understanding needed to be super laser focus on your target market.
“What should you do? Strategy before tactics… research before strategy.”
Sean: “It takes a lot of time, and money, so it’s not very easy to get this homework done. It’s totally worth it.”
Tim: “If you just into tactics instead of going through the process of understanding your audience it’s less fun.”
Ryan: “The deeper we dive into our client’s audience the easier it is to come up with a strategy because we make that audience our best friends and know what they want to see.”
Here’s what you should take away…
Google’s new updates are going to allow you to get even more CTR when it comes to display ads. You can now add more description and personalization to all of your ads. They will automatically resize so you can sit back and relax.
You might not have to do as much keyword research because of Google’s new expansion of exact match close variants. This new expansion will identify the searchers intent and display relevant ads even if they don’t have the exact keyword. You may like this if you don’t spend a lot of time investing in keyword research but if you do, you might feel differently.
Stop worrying about your technical crawl issues. Google says that if you are worried about rank, worry about your content. The internet is full of trash if you want your website to rank well, you have to be better than all of your competitors. If you are targeting a search, look at other article and identify where you can add better or more relevant information. Focus on including secondary keywords and anything else to minimize secondary searches. To rank better, you have to be better.
Lastly, if you have the time, budget, and freedom to walk around in your audience’s shoes, do it. We try to do this as much as we can because we have received the best results when we do. If you can, take a visit to relevant events and meet-ups to see what they like, dislike, their interests; anything you can add to your persona is valuable information and makes for a better marketing initiative.
