Advertising | Skyrush Marketing NYC, Long Island

What is the difference between SEO and PPC on Long Island?

Back in the day if you had issues with your plumbing, you were stuck with two options: Crack open the yellow pages and search for a plumber or go with whoever is well recommended. Search engines are modern yellow pages. The first couple of listings are paid for by the highest bidders and the rest are free. So why would you spend money on a listing if you could just make one for free? Well, when we consider the pros and cons of both tactics, we see that the optimal solution often combines a fine balance. With the hundreds of thousands of listings like yours, the only way to get on top of that list is to gain credibility. That’s why it is so important for companies to research digital marketing services in New York and Long Island, to find the best fit for their brand.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Customers have no time to go through multiple pages just to find what they’re looking for. They assume that Google is serving them the best answers right off the bat. And without paying top dollar to be on top of the list, you must show search engines that your ad deserves to be high up on the search results. SEO takes time and effort. A lot of it. And since Google’s algorithm is constantly changing, keeping up could be a challenge. So how does one rank to be deemed “worthy” by Google and show up on top of their search results? If your website provides visitors great user experience, then customers will not only stay on it but will keep coming back for more. Let’s look at the two main pillars of SEO and how they are essential in the ranking of your website.

On-Site SEO

Metadata – properly labeling your pages give search engines and users more information on what the page is about. Putting your keywords in your title tags helps boost your click-through rates. It is also important to make sure that you have the right number of characters in your meta-tags because if your titles and descriptions are too long or too short, that can count against you in terms of SEO.
Page URLs – shorter URLs and using your target keywords in your URLs increases your chances of ranking.
Page Speed – according to Google, a load time of 1 to 3 seconds increases bounce rates up to 32%. Loading time is crucial and it plays a big part in a visitor’s user experience. At Skyrush Marketing, we consistently check our clients’ websites’ page speeds. If the load time is too long, we work to optimize the site. One example of this is compressing images.
Content – if your website has no content then what is there to rank? And having the exact information in which visitors are searching for brings up your ranking in search results. It is important to value both quality and quantity when it comes to the content on your page. If you have all images and little to no text, this will hurt Google ranking.
Cross-Linking – this is a valuable way to optimize for search. Linking to other pages of your site gives search engines more content to trace and the keywords associated with them. For instance, when Skyrush wrote new web content for one of our clients, a leading medical facility, we focused on linking services such as spine surgery to other pages related to the spine, such as informative blog posts or FAQs.

Off-Site SEO

Backlinks – search engines find new webpages by following backlinks from existing webpages. Being part of reputable directories is a great way to add authority to your online presence.
Social Media – posting content constantly is a great way to engage more with your audience. Creating a plan and sticking to it will also impact how often your content shows up in your audience’s social feeds.
Shareable Content – blog posts and articles that can be shared as guest posts or on common blogging platforms such as WordPress and Blogger.
Influencers – influencers can connect with your audiences as trusted peers. Finding the right influencers who are authentic and trusted can transform your audience into loyal customers. Skyrush Marketing has long-lasting relationships with influencers in a variety of fields such as technology, medical, and automotive.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

Pay-per-click advertising is your first-class ticket to the top of the search engine results. But just like overpriced airplane tickets, you are going to have to be willing to pay top dollar every time somebody clicks on your ad. Note that Google’s number 1 priority is the searcher and it is their job to serve the right information that people are looking for. Credibility and proper optimization will always be a factor when trying to make it up on the search results. Going back to what we were talking about earlier. If you were going to put out an ad in the yellow pages back in the day, then you should be qualified to deliver quality service. Being well-recommended and advertising your services at the same time is a great balance when it comes to the success of your business. That pretty much goes the same for SEO and PPC. A well-optimized website is a great foundation for PPC.

There’s a lot that goes into paid search. The very first thing you need to figure out before giving Google your money is what is your goal? Is it to promote awareness, gain leads or sell more products? Having clear goals will make your success easier to measure. From there, you can come up with an appropriate budget to spend.

At Skyrush Marketing, your Long Island digital agency, our team of marketing experts specializes in both SEO and PPC. With the perfect blend of SEO and PPC, our digital marketing team on Long Island can help you achieve each one of your business goals while heavily impacting your company’s online presence.

Contact Skyrush Marketing for your free consultation.

Native Marketing 101

Do you sometimes notice ads trying to casually sneak into your social media feeds? That’s because consumer preferences have changed when it comes to consuming online content. Digital Marketing has also evolved and marketers have been using a marketing strategy called Native Advertising. Nowadays, it’s pretty hard to differentiate between ads and original website content. Some may look at this as a good thing but is it? Are these businesses trying to mislead their consumers into buying their products without them knowing? Who is protecting consumers from being misled into consuming paid advertisements? Let’s break it down and learn more about Native Advertising.

What is Native Advertising?

Native Advertising is a seamless way for brands to get their message across without disrupting the user’s online experience. Flashy banners and pop up ads can sometimes be annoying and consumers have trained themselves to ignore some of these types of ads. Some have even resorted to using programs like adblockers to avoid disruptions. These ads are well integrated and fit into the look and feel of whichever website, program or app you are using.

Benefits of Native Advertising

One big thing that Ads need to combat is Ad Fatigue. This is when an audience becomes too familiar with certain ads and eventually stop engaging with them. While the average display ad can get old and users lose interest, native ads have overcome this challenge. Brands are starting to create paid advertisements that mimic the content their customers are already engaging with. This strategy leads to increased click-through rates and conversions.

Cracking Down on Advertisers

To regulate the use of Native Ads, The Federal Trade Commission provides Native Advertising Guidelines for Businesses to protect consumers from being misled. Advertisers are required to disclose when content is sponsored or paid for to help consumers know when they are viewing ads. So how does one spot a native ad? Let’s list down the different types of native ads and see their different distinguishing features.

Types of Native Ads & Examples

In-Feed Units

All these ads that you see labeled as sponsored are in-feed units. You can mostly see these paid ads as you scroll through your social media feed or your favorite publisher site like Entreprenuer.com. These ads are strategically placed to be inline with the content you are currently viewing.

Paid Search Units

Paid Search Units are usually seen on search engine results pages. Businesses bid for the top spots and are made to look like organic search results.

Recommended Widgets

Recommended Widgets are ads usually placed on the side of a webpage or at the bottom of an article. This ‘“recommended” content is paid for and is also similar to the content you are viewing.

Promoted Listings

Similar to Paid Search Units, Promoted listing are listings that are paid for by businesses placed on top of and are made to look like organic search results.

In-Ad with Native Element Units

These types of native ads are contextually relevant to the website you are on and are designed to look like the content you are consuming.

It’s safe to say that all the different types of native ads we shared have one noticeable similarity. All native ads are strategically placed within the media they are in and are designed to seamlessly flow with the user experience. And the only way to spot a native ad is if it is labeled as sponsored, recommended or ad. Unlike disruptive ads, consumers don’t mind native ads. Consumers have a better chance of engaging with native ads since these ads are related to the content they follow.

Skyrush Marketing’s Expertise in Native Advertising

At Skyrush Marketing, our team of experts specializes in native marketing. We understand what it takes to create an effective native ad that not only blends well with the user experience but also engages with your target audiences. Our highly competitive digital marketing tools and strategies ensure the growth of your brand’s online presence.

Contact us today for your free consultation

Getting Your Google Ads Certification

If you’re new to digital marketing, then it’s important to learn as much as you can about Google Ads. Previously known as Google Adwords, Google Ads is the platform through which you can run search and display ads on Google and the Google Partner networks. Even though many people assume this platform is only useful for marketing agencies, it’s important for businesses to have an understanding of Google Ads in order to collaborate with their marketing teams. There are a lot of different aspects of the Google Ads platform to master in order to reach people who are interested in the products and services your business offers.

How does Google Ads Work?

First, it’s important to understand how Google Ads works and what the ads look like on Google. Let’s start with search ads. When someone searches on Google and the search engine results page (SERP) comes up, the ads are listed on the top section of the results. These are identified as ads as shown in the image below:

As you can see, the first three listings on this page are ads, and the fourth listing is actually the first organic search result. This means that the businesses with the three ad listings had to pay to get that placement. Google Ads works on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis. That means that businesses bid to get the top spots and pay as someone clicks on their ad. On the other hand, the fourth listing on the page above did not pay to get that spot on the SERP. Instead, it used Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In our other blog post we cover the difference between SEO and Search Engine Marketing (SEM), but for this post, we’re going to dig deeper into SEM.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Google Ads. The platform has evolved rapidly over the years, and the latest version of Google Ads includes new features such as responsive search ads and responsive display ads, which incorporate Google’s machine learning algorithms to present the optimal combinations of ad headlines, text, and format to appeal to your target market.

So, how do you learn everything you need to know about Google Ads?

There are multiple approaches to learning the ins and outs of Google Ads. At Skyrush Marketing, we suggest a blend of learning techniques that involves the following:

Self-guided research
Interactive training sessions
On-the-job training
Official Google Ads Certification

Let’s go into more detail about each of the steps to mastering Google Ads.

Self-Guided Research: When you begin to explore Google Ads, the first thing you should do is start researching the platform on your own. You want to learn as much as you can about Google Ads through authoritative websites, blogs, colleagues, and other sources. For instance, you may reach out to one of your LinkedIn connections who is certified in Google Ads and ask for some information. You may also conduct some of your own Google searches and go through the Google Ads help pages to read about the basics. In addition, niche bloggers will often cover overviews of Google Ads to give you a sense of the general functionality of the platform. After you spend several hours (which can be spread out over several days) reading about Google Ads on your own, it’s time to move on to the next step.

Interactive Training Sessions: There are tons of interactive training sessions available for Google Ads. The most popular, or course, is the training provided by Google. You can access the Google training tools on the Academy for Ads website. This training provides you with small chunks of information and questions throughout the modules so you can test your knowledge as you go. While the training isn’t individualized, it gives a great overview of what Google Ads is, how it works, and how to navigate it to achieve specific goals. All of the digital marketer at Skyrush Marketing have gone through the Google Ads training course and felt that it was an excellent experience to follow-up their initial research. There are other courses you can take too, such as:

All of these structured courses offer a unique experience as they are designed and led by someone different. Taking multiple courses allows you to gain multiple perspectives about Google Ads and fill in the blanks that may be left in just one course.

On-the-Job Training: Even though all the Google Ads courses that are available online are helpful, there’s something to be said about actually creating your own Google Ads campaign and testing out the platform yourself. At Skyrush, our digital marketers enjoy showing our clients how Google Ads works. That way, they can explore the features on their own and really get a feel for what services we are providing and how we are optimizing their campaigns. Most of the digital marketers at Skyrush agreed that the on-the-job training that was included before they started working with clients on their own gave them much more confidence in their ability to master Google Ads.

Official Google Ads Certification: While official certifications aren’t everything, at Skyrush Marketing, we understand that keeping up with all of our Google Certifications ensures that we are always on top of the leading trends in Google. All of our digital marketers are certified in Google Ads and they renew their certification each year. The certification exam is a structured multiple-choice exam provided on the Google Academy for Ads. We recommend studying for the Google Ads Certification exam and getting as much hands-on practice as you can before taking the exam, so you feel comfortable applying your knowledge. Set aside enough time to go through each question thoroughly, because you don’t want to miss questions due to rushing. Once you pass your certification exam(s), you’ll earn a Google Badge on your profile, which can help you stand out from others.

Now that we’ve gone over how to master Google Ads and why it is important, it’s time to get started. Remember, if you need assistance setting up your Google Ads campaign or you want a professional team to manage your campaign, contact Skyrush Marketing and we can provide you with paid search and display advertising services.

Contact Your Long Island Digital Agency Today

If you are interested in working at Skyrush Marketing, contact us at [email protected]

Responsive Display Ad Strategies

Now that Google made responsive display ads the new default ad type for the Display Network, it’s time for businesses to start making the most of this option. Responsive Display ads offer a variety of benefits, but in order to really make the most of them, you need to develop a strategy. In this post, we’ll offer some tips for developing a solid strategy for utilizing Responsive Display Ads, but first, as a refresher, you can read a brief overview of the new default ad format.

What Are Responsive Display Ads?

This new default ad format for Google’s Display Network is powered by Google’s artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. Basically, the technology allows advertisers to test multiple inputs and then determines the best-performing combination of inputs to show a specific audience.

With responsive display ads, advertisers can include up to:

15 images
5 videos
5 headlines
5 descriptions
5 logos

Creating responsive display ads is simple – just upload all your assets, including images, headlines, logos, videos, and descriptions. Now Google will use machine learning technology to automatically generate the appropriate ads to be shown on the Google Display Network.

Best Practices for Responsive Display Ads

While they are certainly simple to set up, responsive display ads require a solid strategy. Below, we outline some of the best practices to make the most of your responsive display ads:

The More Headlines, The Better: You should provide as many headlines as possible because this increases the opportunity for a relevant ad to be shown. Ultimately, this increases your ad’s performance.
Unique Selling Points: When you’re creating your ads, thing about the specific benefits your product or service offers. Highlight what sets you apart, such as solving a specific problem that other products or services can’t.
Test Out Headline Lengths: You don’t always need to use the maximum character count for your headlines. In some cases, shorter headlines perform better, so it’s important to test them out. After you look at your ad’s performance, you can take this strategy and apply it to future campaigns.
Different Descriptions: Don’t use the same description for all your ads. You should have at least two different descriptions. This is important because Google’s machine learning technology needs to test out different options to get the most out of your responsive display ad experience.
Use the Combinations Report: While it might seem difficult to manage the performance of all the different combinations of ads, the combinations report simplifies matters for advertisers. The report shows which groupings of assets and copy are performing best. This way, you can get insights into what works and what doesn’t. The report has separate sections for different combinations based on images, text, dynamic feeds, and videos, so that you don’t have to rely solely on machine learning.
Ad Strength Scores: Ad strength scores are already available for responsive search ads, and now a variation is available for the responsive display ads. The ad strength scorecard checks that the right number of distinct headlines, images, and descriptions are used. In addition, the scorecard highlights “Next Steps” you can take to improve your ad strength.

Of course, these are just some of the basic tips to start setting up your responsive display ads. There is so much more to learn as you create your ads and analyze the performance.

Skyrush Marketing Uses Responsive Display Ads

Even though the responsive display ads become the default format on Google quite recently, Skryrush Marketing has been utilizing this ad format consistently since it was available. Our team is highly skilled in all aspects of digital marketing and our agency is a Google Premier Partner, so we are always up-to-date on the latest Google developments. We’re here to take your brand’s digital marketing to the next level.

Contact Us Today for a Free Consultation

Is it Time to Expand Your Brand? Look at Burger King’s Impossible Whopper.

As your customers’ preferences evolve, it’s important for your brand to keep up. This can involve expanding product and service offerings or even limiting options to focus on your niche market. Either way, you have to use data to determine what your customers want and how to best meet their wants and needs. By continuing to collect data on customer preferences, analyzing the data, and using AI, brands can improve their digital marketing efforts and improve sales.

Recently, Burger King did a great job of showing us why it’s necessary to constantly keep up with customers’ wants and needs by market testing their new meatless Impossible Whopper.

A Meatless Whopper?

On April 1, 2019, Burger King announced their decision to test out the Impossible Whopper, a meatless alternative to the traditional whopper. The collaboration between Burger King and Impossible Foods, strives to bring in new customers and keep existing customers coming back. While the meatless whopper is currently only released in 59 locations in the St. Louis area, Burger King says that if everything goes well, they’ll roll out the Impossible Whopper across the country.

The Impossible Whopper was designed to taste just like the traditional Whopper. The new burger has only slightly fewer calories, but it is also very low in cholesterol and includes zero trans fats. Impossible burger patties offer a unique twist on the traditional veggie burgers. They actually mimic the appearance and texture of beef, based on Impossible Foods’ new recipe that is used for the Impossible Whopper at Burger King.

Why Change the Brand?

Burger King is obviously known for its burgers, so why change what they stand for? According to an article on CNN, Burger King has been trying to find a way to add a vegetarian burger option to its menu for close to a year. And, they didn’t just make this decision on the fly – they’re basing this on current concerns about the following issues:

Animal Cruelty
Climate Change
Personal Health Risks

Expanding Your Target Market

In essence, Burger King made the decision to break into a new market. People who have chosen to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet may have avoided Burger King in the past because they didn’t offer meatless alternatives. This could have impacted individuals with high cholesterol, was well as those highly concerned with animals and the climate.

There’s already so much hype surrounding the Impossible Burger, and Burger King is taking full advantage of this in the digital realm. The topic is trending on social media and news sites are picking up the story and putting their own spin on it (much like this blog post).

Skyrush Understands Digital Marketing Strategies

Now that people are talking about the Impossible Whopper, the chain needs to focus on their digital marketing strategy in order to keep the hype going. This involves a variety of tactics, such as paid search marketing, social media marketing, SEO, reputation management, and content marketing. For instance, our digital marketing experts at Skyrush Marketing foresee tons of quality content coming out soon about the Impossible Burger. By promoting their top content related to the new meatless burger, Burger King can drive internet users to personalized landing pages urging them to make a purchase. In addition, by promoting the content of popular blogs, they can generate more engagement and the user-generated content can build up a new reputation for Burger King that appeals to the expanded target market. At Skyrush Marketing, we know how to assess these types of major business decisions and use our expertise to promote changes and ensure success.

Contact us today for a free marketing assessment

Category: Advertising