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

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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                                                                                                                            width=

  • 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)                                                           

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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.

 

 

 

Getting Your Google Ads Certification

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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:

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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.

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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]

Know Your Audience – Optimizing Your PPC Campaigns

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Who do you want to see your search ads? Sometimes businesses fall into the trap of trying to reach too broad of a target audience. When you do this, you typically end up with a lower CTR and conversion rate, which is not what you want. That’s why your digital marketing program depends on clearly identifying your target audience.

Finding Your Target Audience

What you do want is to reach your target market. But who is your target audience? First, you need to do some research. Collect demographic information, interests, behaviors, and more, to determine who is most likely to convert. Gather as much information as possible and look for common themes and trends in the data. Once you know who your target audience is, it’s time to use that information to optimize your PPC campaigns.

Using Audience Targeting

Audience targeting is becoming just as important as keyword targeting for PPC this year. That’s because, as we demonstrated above, who you reach is critical to your SEM. Although audience targeting isn’t necessarily new, it’s expanding in its use cases. While many people think it is specific to retargeting, display, and social marketing strategies, but now more than ever, it’s a key component of an effective PPC campaign.

There are multiple ways to use audience targeting, and in this post, we’re going to cover four use cases:

  • Using Audience as a Bid Modifier Layer – This encompasses your remarketing lists for search ads (RLSA). Go to the audience targeting tab on Google Ads, add your targeting and then adjust the setting to Observation. This will allow you to add the audience as an additional layer in the targeting rather than making it the sole targeting. Just like you can adjust bids for different geography, you can adjust bids for certain audiences.
  • Segmenting Campaigns – Another way to use your RLSA: If you have a few different target markets that you’re looking to hit, we suggest creating separate campaigns for each target audience. By doing so, you allow yourself to edit the creatives and the copy for the campaign depending on which audience you’re trying to reach. Segmented campaigns are typically much more effective than broad, generalized campaigns. Your target audience will be more likely to engage if the campaign is specifically for them. Make adjustments as needed to ensure that your segmented campaigns really are tailored to the target audience.
  • In-Market Audiences – This is a newer feature that Google rolled out in over the summer of 2018. With in-market audiences, you can target the users who are engaging in online activities that demonstrate they are ready to purchase. For instance, if you are creating a campaign for a new car, in-market audience looks at who is searching online for their past search and browsing history. Unlike using remarketing lists, in-market audiences can introduce your brand to people who may have never even heard of your brand, vastly extending your reach.
  • Audience Exclusions – Sometimes rather than selecting who you want to see your ads, you need to identify who shouldn’t see them. For instance, if you’re running a search campaign with an offer for first-time customers, you’d want to exclude your current customer list because the ad doesn’t apply to them. There’s no reason for your ad to reach your current customers in this case. We recommend creating separate audiences for different conversion actions. That way, you cane exclude users already converting on an action for an ad that is also driving the same action.

Get More Information from Skyrush Marketing

Skyrush Marketing, a full team of creative staff, programmers, marketers, and content develops, works to continuously optimize our clients’ search campaigns. Audience targeting is only one of the many ways to improve the outcomes of your campaigns, but it’s a good place to start. We can handle any project, big or small, and deliver rapid results by customizing your digital marketing strategy.

 

Contact us today for a free consultation.

7 Ways AI is Revolutionizing Digital Marketing

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We’ve all been hearing about how artificial intelligence and machine-learning have been rapidly expanding in the past couple of years. AI opens the door to so many options, taking on the cognitive functioning capabilities at the speed and scale that humans can’t achieve on their own. With all the data available to you, it’s important to make use of everything, and you can’t do that without AI. Now more than ever, AI is no longer an optional part of digital marketing – it’s essential. Whether you’re a B2B or a B2C company, here are plenty of ways AI can be used in your digital marketing program.
In this post we’ll cover a few examples of how you can start harnessing the power of AI for your business

AI In Action

Below we’ll covers seven examples of how you can start taking advantage of AI for your business to improve customer engagement and boost sales:

  1. Content Generation and Curation – There are a variety of online tools that use machine-learning to help marketers generate new content based on science and data. For instance, HubSpot’s content strategy tool suggests topic clusters to investigate further so that you know your content is compelling, relevant, and engaging for your customers. You can also perform competitive research that lets you see how certain topics are performing for other brands so you can find your niche.
  2. Email Marketing – Gone are the days of the one-size-fits-all emails to customers. Instead, consumers want their emails to be personalized. They respond better to emails that include their name and content that specifically relates to them. For instance, if someone was looking on your site for a new Ram truck, you’d want to make sure that you’re sending that person information about the models they’re looking at. Offer them incentives to buy, give them more information, show them comparisons to other dealerships, make them want to buy from you. AI gives you the power to personalize messages on a large scale, drastically improving engagement.
  3. Social Media Marketing – A major use of AI in social media marketing is social listening. Rather than simply monitoring the conversations around a topic, social listening involves tracking phrases, words, or brands. Then, this information is used to generate content that appeals to your target market. Another important way AI is changing social media marketing is by using machine learning to optimize your budget. AI lets you know which posts are most engaging and what to boost based on content, timing, competition, and audience and then it can make the appropriate changes to your budgets to maximize performance.
  4. Paid Search AdsGoogle Ads uses AI to inform you of any suggestions for your current campaigns based on all the data available. When you’re creating the targeting options for your search ads, AI allows you to target consumers based on their interests and past behaviors, so you can home in on your target market. In addition, natural language processing helps you better understand your ad performance by analyzing key words and phrases. Of course, AI also saves you time, as you can automate ad headlines and copy to increase efficiency.
  5. Display Ads – Something that makes Skyrush Marketing stand out is our premier partnership with Sizmek, giving us direct access to the most advanced AI digital ad platform. For your display campaign, we can target consumers who are most likely to purchase your target product lines with pinpoint accuracy and follow them across their desktop and mobile devices on tier one websites to reach them at the right time.
  6. Chatbots – Chatbots are rapidly being implemented on websites to enhance the user experience. AI-powered chatbots allow your customers to interact with your brand at any time. They’ll get real-time feedback based on sets of responses you create so that all their questions are answered right when they ask them.
  7. Predictive Analytics – Predictive analytics uses data, statistical algorithms, and AI to predict future outcomes. You can predict customer behavior based on their data from past customer journeys so you know when they will decide to make a purchase. This allows you to always be on top of the latest trends and optimize your marketing program by cutting waste and increasing efficiency.
    Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list of all the ways AI can be used to improve your marketing program, but it’s a good start if you are starting out and trying to stay on top of the latest trends.

Skyrush Marketing Harnesses the Power of AI

At Skryrush Marketing, we’re always up-to-date on the latest uses for AI in marketing. While we provided this list as a starting point, it’s important to know that if you really want to make a big impact, you need to dive deeper into each of the items on this list (and more). We developed proven techniques for implementing AI for our clients to drive sales and we stand by our results. All of our plans are customized to ensure that you reach your target customer through search engines, creative advertisements, social media, mobile apps, blog content, video content and more.

Contact us today to set up a free marketing analysis