Simple Tips That Can Significantly Improve Your Online Marketing

Tips for Great Search Advertising:
1. Know the Text Ad Format – All text ads aren’t created equal. Bing, Yahoo!, and Google all have slightly different text ad formats, so identify and follow the rules of each before running your search advertising campaign.
2. Optimize the URL in Your Search Ad – Text ads feature a URL along with the title of your ad, so make sure it’s relevant to the product or service you are promoting and that it doesn’t conflict with the publisher’s requirements.
3. Include Target Keywords in Your Ad – Use keywords in both your headline and text ad copy that match or are closely related to the keywords you bid in order to help your ad show up in search results for those terms.
4. Write a Strong Call to Action – Tell consumers who see your text ad what action you want them to take, like getting a free estimate or downloading a coupon, so they are more willing to click through to your site.
5. Use a Call Tracking Number – If you use a click-to-call extension in your ad, consider using a tracking number to identify the calls that come from your ads and to measure the results of your search advertising.
6. Don’t Include Your Business Name in the Ad’s Headline – Headlines have limited character space, so don’t waste it on your business name. You can include your business name in your optimized URL, and use your headline for more critical content.
7. Use Title Case – Capitalizing the first letter of major words is a text ad best practice. Just don’t go crazy with all caps. (NEVER go crazy with all caps.)
8. Include the Right Punctuation – Using correct punctuation in a text ad is mandatory at the end of your ad, but it can also be used within the rest of your ad to ask a question or make a point.
9. Don’t Use Trademarked Terms (Unless You Own Them) – This is just a no-no. You can bid on trademarked terms if they are relevant to your ad, but using terms you don’t own can go against the publisher’s requirements.
10. Don’t Use Unknown Abbreviations – Nobody will know that “WFWAM” means “We Fix Windows and More.” There are many ways to include your message in your text ad without using abbreviations that only you can decipher.
To see the full tips for search advertising, check out our search advertising 101 blog post.
Tips for a Better Business Website
11. Update Your Website – It’s 2014, so your business website shouldn’t look like it’s still stuck in the early 2000s. And it’s about more than just looks. Best practices and Web standards change often, so a refresh can help you make sure your website is at the top of its game.
12. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly – The 2014 Local Search Study from Neustar Localeze found that nearly 80% of local searches on a mobile phone ended in a purchase. If you’re website isn’t mobile-friendly, you are missing out on these local consumers.
13. Complete and Optimize Your Site’s Metadata – Metadata on your website (like title tags, descriptions, and alt text) is a critical component of your website’s SEO. Leaving it out can negatively impact how you show up in search results.
14. Create and Use a Business Blog – Blogging and your business should be best friends. Maintaining a business blog can help boost your site’s SEO; plus, it can set you apart from the competition and demonstrate your knowledge and expertise. It’s a win-win situation.
15. Optimize Your Website for Local Search – If your law practice only handles cases in Albuquerque, New Mexico, then it doesn’t do much good to get it seen by consumers searching for legal consultations in Crawford County, New Hampshire. Make sure your business website includes local information, like a phone number, address, and geo-targeted keywords so that local consumers call you.
Get the full scoop on website best practices in our blog post about the 5 most common website mistakes.
Tips for Effective Search Engine Optimization:
16. Regularly Post Quality Content – Creating and promoting fresh, original, and sharable content on a business blog can help increase your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) because these social shares signal to search engines that your site is knowledgeable and relevant in a particular topic.
17. Be Present on Maps – This is especially applicable to consumers searching for your business on the go using apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps. Make sure they not only find you by claiming your local listings and making sure information like your phone number and address are correct.
18. Claim Your Google+ Local Page – Claiming and optimizing a Google+ Local page is key to showing up in Google Maps and Google’s local search results. Plus, this page provides users with important information like your phone number, operating hours, and ratings and reviews that they use when deciding whether to use your business.
19. Engage Your Social Media Fans – Social media is a great way to build your brand and interact with potential and current customers. Post engaging content frequently to generate shares and connect with consumers, which can positively impact the number of those who see your content.
20. Use Local Keywords – Include geo-specific keywords in your website, blog, and even social media copy to drive visits and interest from consumers in your area.
21. Generate Backlinks – High-quality links, such as those from influencers, are great for building your authority. Plus, they tell search engines that your business is credible, therefore ranking your website or other sites higher in search engines.
22. Get Positive Reviews – What people say in reviews matters to consumers. In fact, one study determined that 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust a personal recommendation. And as these reviews are visible in search results, having positive reviews with high rankings can help persuade interested consumers to give your business a chance.
23. Set Up Google Authorship – In addition to building your business brand, building your personal brand can be a great way to get new consumers. Google Authorship can help you do this.
See more about what gets your business found in Google in our blog post about what Google loves.
24. Complete Your Business Information – Yelp is a great hub to host all kinds of information about your small business. From operating hours to business type to payment options to parking information, it’s a great way to help consumers find you and your business.
25. Post Realistic Images – Images speak volumes, and Yelp features them loud and clear. Post inviting and realistic photos of what consumers can expect when visiting your business.
26. Promote Positive Reviews – Since Yelp reviews are featured in local search results on all major search engines, generating great reviews is more important that ever. Plus, you can promote these reviews in other places, like your website and social media sites.
Read more about how your small business can get the most out of a Yelp Business Page in our blog post featuring these tips.
Tips for a Glowing Social Media Presence:
27. Think Before You Post – It’s becoming more impossible to take back what you say in social media (hello, screenshots). In order to keep yourself from putting your foot in your mouth, make sure to think before you speak, er, post.
28. Have a Social Media Policy – Social profiles for your business aren’t the end-all and be-all of your brand. Your employees also represent your brand, both in person and online. Having a social media policy today is important so employees know the rules and expectations for posting online as well.
29. Be Careful when Newsjacking – Staying in the know is a great idea for generating timely social content. However, if you jump in a conversation online without knowing the origin of the topic, you could risk looking like a social media newbie and potentially coming off as insensitive.
30. Stay Alert – Social media is the place where consumers voice their opinions about you, good and bad. Having alerts set up to notify you of mentions, comments, or messages can help you make sure you address situations before they get out of hand.
Find out more about how your small business can use social media to build and promote your brand and tips to prevent social media mistakes.
http://www.seohub.co.in

Top Online Marketing Strategies for Local Businesses

Improving your online sales and leads can seem like a labyrinth of possibilities. Below we discuss several ways to expose your business on the internet to increase your customer volume.

#1 - Identify and Target Your Buyer Personas

When it comes to generating sales, it’s all about focus. Rather than trying to please everyone, it helps if you target a select group of customers. We like like to refer to these targeted groups as buyer personas.

Buyer personas are fictitious profiles based on your ideal customers.

By focusing or your designated customer, you maximize your ability to attract quality leads. This also allows for you to spend your time concentrating on every possible concern that could be associated with just a few ideal customers, thus enabling you to become an expert in your field by deepening your skills and knowledge.

#2 - Optimize Your Product and Service Pages

We’ve all heard that less is more. Surprisingly, some SEO gurus recommend that the fewer goods or services you offer on your company’s web page, the better. This is especially for those customers who may suffer from indecisiveness when presented with a ton of product or service options.

These same visitors may even leave your website because you are offering too much at one time and they are simply overwhelmed.

Now, this mostly depends on your target audience; therefore providing the bare minimal as far as services go this might not work for your needs.

However, for those of you who offer a broad range of products, we suggest organizing your product pages by categories or emphasizing only your primary, most profitable products.

#3 - Be Accessible, Make Your Contact Information Visible

If people can’t get in touch with you, they can’t buy what you’re offering!

Most contact information is listed at the bottom of the page and can be anywhere from a mailing address to a phone number to an email address.

The important thing is to make it accessible and easy to find for users. The can be accomplished by (1) including a link that leads to your contact page in your top navigation; and (2) making sure your name, address, phone number and all links are up-to-date.

#4 - Utilize Data from Google Analytics

If you set up your Google Analytics correctly, you should be able to determine the source of your online traffic (Acquisition > All Traffic > Sources/Medium). By identifying your top traffic source(s), you can pinpoint the online channels which to focus all of your digital marketing, to better reach your audience.
Google Analytics also allows you to observe the behavior of your website visitors and learn about bounce rates and exit. If you notice that your bounce rates and exit are abnormally high for individual pages, we suggest can taking the necessary steps to improve these content on these pages, to increase your conversions.
#5 - Create Forms with Quantifying Questions

Creating a customized form that lists a series of quantifying questions helps engage your target audience, and gets you more involved with your base.

It can help you evaluate where you currently stand as a business and gives you ideas on what your customers are looking for and how you could improve.

Remember, to keep your forms simple, yet effective. You want to ask the right questions, but you don't want to ask too many questions.

#6 - Nurture Leads via Email

Lead nurturing is how a company establishes a relationship with an individual prospect that is still in the early stages of the buying process. This strategy focuses on creating a bond so that when the time comes to purchase, the lead turns to you instead of to another company.

An excellent way to build these types of client bonds is through email, which you can use to foster customer relationships continually and find the best-qualified leads from your generation efforts.

#7 - Adopt Engaging Social Media Strategies

There is no better way to capture customers and built a long-term relationship with them than by connecting on the diverse digital rainbow that is social media. From Twitter to Facebook to Instagram, these platforms offer a huge trough of opportunities just waiting to be mined.

Through social media marketing, you can directly speak to and engage with your customers to extend your leads far beyond your local area, and reach thousands of people within your local market.

#8 - Publish Customer Testimonials

Did you know, authentic customer testimonials create social proof?

They also build trust among your website visitors by showing you are credible. And best of all, testimonials and reviews aren’t "sales-sy" and remove any skepticism visitors may have upon discovering your business.
The easiest way to generate testimonials is to seek your customers for feedback. Once you receive their feedback ask if you can highlight a portionof  testimonial on your website, such as your homepage or landing pages. But remember, keep it real; you should never spin your clients' words.

 #9 - Encourage Your Current Customers to Leave Product/Service Reviews

From Yelp to Google My Business, online reviews not only increase your online sales, but they impact your local search ranking.

People trust reviews. They also play a significant role in the customer buying decision process. For this reason, we suggest you begin requesting reviews from your current clients or customers if you haven't already.

#10 - Improve Your Website Checkout Process

Are customers starting your checkout process, but exiting the process before completing a purchase? It could be due to friction in your checkout process. According to a recent survey, 84% of shoppers will abandon websites that have complicated online checkout processes.

Here are some tips for improving your checkout process:

If you are forcing visitors to log in before starting the checkout process, you should also include a guest checkout or social sign-up option.
Entice your website visitors by offering incentives (discounts, special offers or promotions) that will encourage them to complete a call-to-action.
Simplify your checkout process by eliminating unnecessary steps, pages or distractions and get straight to the point.
Offer a range of secure payment options.

#11 - Optimize Your Website for Mobile

Today, people are performing more online searches and making purchases via their mobile devices than desktops. Research has found that 67% of customers are more likely to buy a product or use a service from a company whose site is mobile-friendly; while 61% will abandon a site that is not mobile-optimized.

In addition to this, did you know Google penalizes websites that are not mobile-friendly?

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when creating a unique mobile experience for your customers: make sure your mobile site is fast, keep your content clean and straight-to-the-point, include a search box and large buttons, and add relevant calls-to-action.

#12 - Highlight Products or Services with Video Marketing

Did you know: 4 out of 5 customers would rather watch a product video than read about a product?

Video marketing is one of the most engaging online methods you can use to increase your sales. By incorporating video marketing to sell your products and services you not only educate customers but you give your potential customers a closer look at what you have to offer and any value it may bring to them.

#13 - Be Honest, It is The Best Policy

Do not exaggerate your sales copy in hopes that it will entice website visitors to make a purchase. By being dishonest, you not only bring harm to your reputation, but you lose any trust in your brand.

If you’re a small business, act like it, express it and let the world know. Today, more consumers are choosing small businesses over major chains, so there's no need to craft your website copy in a way that makes you appear as if you're a multi-national company.

We hope these thirteen strategies take you far in the online world.

http://www.seohub.co.in

Does Digital marketing help businesses that operate on a person-to-person basis?

In a word, the answer is yes, but this is something that many local business owners overlook.

Today, virtually everything consumers do orbits around the web. When a customer wants information, reviews, directions, or details on products, the likelihood that they’ll turn to Google is huge. If you don’t have an online presence, they may well choose to do business with one of your competitors instead.

Because of this, small and medium-sized brick-and-mortar companies are beginning to use digital marketing to boost local traffic and improve in-store performance.


Why Digital Marketing Matters For Local Businesses
While many small business owners assume that having a storefront and some physical marketing material is enough, this is not longer true in today’s world. According to Search Engine Watch, four out of every five consumers use mobile devices to search for information on local companies.

This is massively important because 50 percent of people who conduct a local search visit a physical store within 24 hours. What’s more, 18 percent of local searches lead to a sale.

With this in mind, it’s clear that companies who aren’t optimizing their digital marketing for local search are missing out on a tremendous potential for traffic and revenue in their businesses.

5 Steps To Drive Traffic To Local Businesses Using Internet Marketing
If you’re interested in using digital marketing to boost your local traffic, follow these five steps:

1. Build Your Engagement On Social Media Platforms
Too many local brands only have a dull, seldom-updated Facebook page. If you want to make the most of digital marketing, now is the time to update this. Use your social platforms to drive engagement with your brand.

If your Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest profile is a bit out of date, refresh it with a new profile picture, an overhauled bio that includes relevant long-tail keywords, and current name, address, and phone number information for your company.

Once you’ve done this, it’s time to start posting. While the best way to drive engagement on social media is to post original content, responding to comments on your page, interacting with similar brands, and getting involved in conversations in social media groups are all powerful forces for engagement as well.

2. Optimize Your Content For Local SEO
To fully take advantage of the prevalence of local searches, you’ll want to optimize all of your content for local SEO. This means targeting geographically-specific long-tail keywords, claiming your local business listings, keeping your name, address, and phone number (NAP) information current at all times, and adding your location to a map for simple navigation.

3. Ensure Your Web Presence Is Mobile-Friendly
Last year was the first year that mobile search eclipsed desktop search. It’s never been more important than now to optimize your web presence for mobile devices. Responsive website design is the best way to do this. You can evaluate your site with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test Tool to figure out what, if anything, you need to improve.

When your site functions well on mobile, it serves searchers better. This increases the likelihood that people who initiate local searches will convert fully and decide to make their way to your storefront.

4. Start A Blog & Publish To It Often
When it comes to building an online presence, content creation is the best and most reliable way to do it. Many small businesses assume they don’t need a blog to get noticed. However, publishing a company blog is a hugely effective method for providing your customers with information. This will make your business more relevant in the eyes of consumers.

In addition to the fact that companies that blog earn 67 percent more leads than their non-blogging counterparts, blogging is also a great way to develop your brand voice, showcase new products, goods, or services, and start a conversation with your customers. Plus, since every blog you publish is one more page that Google can index, blogging regularly helps you rank higher in the SERPs.

5. Start An Email Newsletter
One of the best things your local business can do for recognition and traffic is to start an email newsletter. By providing your customers with weekly updates, nicely laid-out content, and any relevant bits of information, you can boost your engagement and drive more people to your store.

For an example, look at this email newsletter from a small, brick-and-mortar home goods store:

Digital Marketing: The New Best Strategy For Your Business
While digital marketing is something many small businesses overlook, things like social media and email newsletters provide a massive boost when it comes to connecting with your customers and promoting quality interaction.

For assistance with any aspect of digital marketing, contact Thrive Internet Marketing.
http://www.seohub.co.in

Indian E-commerce is in full BOOM....

India is becoming a strong market with fast growing potential in the e-commerce space which has lured many western biggies like Amazon and eBay who want to cash in on the business that this promises. studies over the last few years by noted agencies show that online shopping is becoming the preferred mode of shopping.
According to an in depth study released by leading Indian venture capital firm Accel partners on the Indian e-commerce market Indian e-commerce will quadruple from a $ 2 billion industry in 2013 to nearly $ 8.5 billion by 2016 at a CAGR of 63% . There will also be an increase in the number of Indian shoppers online from 20 million to 40 million by year 2016. These numbers do not consider travel ticketing and online food ordering but only physical goods commerce. The associate Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) expects the size of the online retail industry to touch Rs. 7000 crore by 2015 up from Rs. 2000 crore now at an annual growth rate of 35 per cent. A study conducted by TNS Australia on behalf of Google India in November 2012 reported that online shopping in India saw 128% growth in interest for the consumers in the year 2011 to 2012 in comparison to only 40 % growth in 2010 to 2011. In terms of product categories consumer interest on Google search for apparel and accessories (30%) emerged as the second biggest product category after consumer electronics (34%). The figures continue to grow.
As mobile internet users grow in number mobile phones is also contributing to a boom in online shopping in India with Google witnessing two times growth in number of queries from mobile phone in the year 2011 to 2012. At present 30% of all shopping queries in India come from mobile phones. These trends were also validated with the help of an online research conducted by TNS Australia of the internet users in the age group 18 to 50 from Delhi. Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmadabad Hyderabad and Pune. Rajan Anandan VP and Managing Director of Google India said "With approximately 8 million Indians shopping online in 2012 online shopping industry in India is growing rapidly and will continue to see exponential growth. By looking at the trends in 2012 we expect 2013 to be a strong growth year for players who're focused on fast growing categories like apparels and accessories and niche product categories like baby products, home furnishings and health - nutrition. We expect the growth to come from outside of 8 top metros as was evident in our recently concluded "Great Online Shopping festival" which saw over 51% of traffic from non-metros.
Talking to one India's leading magazines in an article on changing patterns in internet shopping a senior executive of Flip kart noted that customer behavior was changing dramatically. Online shopping is no longer just for booking air tickets and movie tickets, but also to buy mobiles, laptops and other consumer electronics and home appliances. To tap this growing potential not just large brands, but even general retail chains are upgrading their sites for e-commerce making it more convenient for customers to place online purchase orders some of the biggest motivators for online shoppers are daily deals and discount offers with good delivery services. Factors like cash back offer and cash on delivery (COD) to attract shoppers.
The online shopping industry in India is fast catching on not just in the larger metros but also in the smaller towns. At present the market is estimated at Rs. 46000 crore and is growing at 100 per cent per year.
http://www.seohub.co.in

Difference between Bing Advertising & AdWords Advertising in search advertising?

What’s the difference between the two giants in search advertising? They both provide the same service yet there are several key differences between the two.
The Strengths of Google AdWords
When people think of search advertising, their mind automatically goes to Google AdWords. That’s a double-edge sword in many ways. While it means more revenue for Google, it means higher costs for advertisers. While the price is higher, you could argue there is more value to make up for the higher price.
Higher Search Volume
Search volume is higher on this platform than any other platform.
If your advertising campaign is limited to a small geographic area, Google AdWords may be the only platform where you’ll gain significant search volume, depending on your keywords and match types. Higher search volume means more potential customers for your business.

Ad Extensions & Additional Visibility
There are more advertising extensions on Google than Bing. Search advertisements are notoriously short. Trying to sell your business to potential customers in two 35-character lines is hard for copywriters. Using ad extensions, you can take up more space and sell your message more easily. There are a lot of neat features about ad extensions, like mobile-click-to-call and review extensions to show positive social proof.
Easier to Manage
Google AdWords is an easier platform to manage your search advertising on while at the same time offers much more for settings, targeting, and optimization. While search advertising isn’t the most intuitive activity, Google has done a decent job at incorporating a large number of features and making it relatively easy for users to understand.
sem-marketing-ad-extensions
The Strengths of Bing Ads
Bing Ads is often an overlooked platform and it shouldn’t be. There are a lot of positives that go with advertising on Bing.
Potentially Lower Cost
It’s at least half as expensive as Google AdWords. Bing Ads has fewer advertisers, which means there are fewer people driving up the price of keywords. That translates into saving businesses money on their advertising dollars. I’ve seen keywords on AdWords cost $17 a click, and those same keywords on Bing cost $5. That’s significant savings over the course of a year.
Bing/Yahoo Partners
Bing and Yahoo partner for their ad network. When you advertise on Bing, you are also advertising on Yahoo. While there is less search volume on the two platforms than Google, it’s still used enough to create significant search volume for many campaigns.
Great Customer Service
While we’re a Google Partner agency and their customer service is amazing, Bing does a good job as well.  Whenever we encounter a problem, the Bing representatives are extremely helpful in solving our issues. This is great for the average business that may not be familiar with the nuances of search advertising.

In The Battle of Google AdWords vs. Bing Ads, Who Wins?
Each platform has unique aspects, but usually it’s effective to use both.
If cost and high competition levels are major factors in your advertising budget, then Bing could be a better choice and result in lower cost-per-acquisitions. If you’re looking for a more user-friendly platform with high search volume, Google AdWords is often be a better choice.
Google AdWords is the favorite of many advertisers with a flexible platform and higher search volume.  Every business has its own specific needs, and depending on those, one platform may perform better or be a better choice than the other.

Difference between Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools

A. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is one of the most widely used web analytics applications. It will give you the following information.

1. Visitor Reports

The total number of visitors your website has. It also specifies what are the number of new visitors and  returning visitors

The time that your visitors spend on your site.

The amount of pages your visitors view.

The amount of visitors who landed on your site and left immediately.

Geographical location of your website visitors

The websites which referred visitors to your site.

2. Web traffic Reports

Total number of of people visiting your site on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. It also provides your traffic stats to previous years.

3. Details of Keywords

The keywords which brings traffic to your website.

The keywords which produces most sales.

The keywords which keeps your visitors on your site for longer durations.

4. Content

The web pages your visitors visit often.

The web pages that brings you more traffic.

The pages your visitors most often leave your site.

5. Conversions: The conversion rates for the goals you set on your site.


B. Google Webmaster Tools

Google Webmaster Tools reveals how Google looks your site online. Webmasters use this tool to fix problems with the site if any. It offers lot of tools for webmasters with which one can improve the visibility of the site and fix problems if any. It will give you the following information

1. Crawl Errors

Google webmaster tools give you information about the pages which Google is unable to crawl. This is a very important aspect because if Google cannot crawl your pages, your search engine visibility may go down.  With the help of the tool, one can find out issues if any and resolve it.

2. Search Queries

This is information on your pages Google has returned to searchers for specific queries. The following information is available using webmaster tools.

Total number of search queries which returned pages from your site.

Your top search queries which returned pages in Google.

The number of times your pages were viewed in Google’s search results.

The number of times your listings were clicked on for a particular search query.

The percentage of times your listing was clicked for a particular search query.

The average position of your website for a particular search query.

3. Links

The links linking into your site from other websites.

4. Blocked URLS

If your site has content you don't want Google or other search engines to access, use a robots.txt file to specify how search engines should crawl your site's content. You can use Google Webmaster Tools to find out if your robots.txt is working as expected.

5. Malware

Google Webmaster Tools inform you If Google detects any malware on the site.

6. HTML errors

Google Webmaster Tools inform you If Google detects any HTML errors on the site.
7. Fetch as Google

You can use Google Webmaster Tools to submit a page to Google. However Google doesn't guarantee that they will  index every URL we crawl.

For more information, you can visit Google Webmaster Tools website.

Summary
Google analytics is basically a website statistics tool focusing the website traffic.

Google Webmaster tool shows you how Google sees your site as a search engine

http://www.seohub.co.in

Automatic Bidding

I recently shared some tips for switching from automatic bidding to manual bidding. In this post, I’ll explain why you might want to do that. Some smaller advertisers with severely limited time might find comfort and see moderate results in the “set-it-and-forget-it” characteristics of Automatic Bidding. However, if you’re looking to optimize beyond the basics, there are five specific things to consider before choosing between Automatic vs. Manual Bidding:

#1: Impression Share

Just because you’re bidding on a particular keyword doesn’t mean you’re showing up every time it’s searched. In fact, it’s possible that your ads for keywords in your accounts could be shown less than 10% of the time!

The most common reason for lost Impression Share is low Ad Rank. While Quality Score plays a significant role in ad rank, the quickest way to improve your rank is often increasing your bid. With automatic bidding, you can’t selectively choose to increase the bids on terms that are core to your product or service. Thus you can’t influence or increase Impression Share on those terms, you will continue to lose impressions for your ads, and potential conversions will pass you by.

#2: Page Position

Search can grow your business from the ground up exponentially faster than many traditional channels, yet first people have to see your ad. If it’s buried in a low position on the SERP, searchers might be skimming over it in favor of other links on the page. Think about the last time you searched for a product. Did you even bother to glance beyond the top 3-4 positions?

To ensure you are truly receiving impressions for critical keywords in your account, you would want to bid higher on those specific keywords so that your ad places in the top of page or at least position 4-5, to reach those searchers who might be the most actionable to convert. With Automatic Bidding, you again can’t selectively choose to adjust the individual bids on those critical keywords, which leave your ads at the bottom of the page.

#3: Tiered / Stacked Bidding

Tiered or Stacked Bidding, a more advanced bidding strategy, pertains to the specific match types you’re using in PPC. More specific match types can drive higher CTR’s, increase Quality Score, and even prove cheaper than clicks on more general match types. Those same specific match types and terms can often drive conversions at a higher rate and lower cost than more general variations.

Since those keywords are more valuable and a higher priority, they are bid higher than Broad Matched variations. As you get more specific with your Match Type, you bid 10-15% higher for each: Broad < Modified Broad < Phrase < Exact. Your Exact Match keyword should have the highest bid since it is the most specific, while the other match types are tiered lower than the next more specific type.

While an advertiser would prefer to receive all clicks on the most specific match type to reap the benefit of higher CTR’s and lower cost, Google tends to be more concerned with your Max CPC (when bidding manually). If you had a higher Max CPC on a Broad Matched keyword, that term is likely to pull in Exact Matches as well, even if you have a specific Exact Match keyword in the account (Impression Share also plays a role in why this occurs). To prevent this from occurring, you would typically use this Bid Stacking strategy. However, with automatic bidding, since you can’t edit your bids, you can’t tier your match types, which leaves it up to Google to decide where to attribute your clicks.

#4: Exorbitant Bids

adwords automatic bidding

To be honest, this isn’t as much of an unavoidable concern as it is a great insight into how Google will manage your account when you hand over this control. Expensive bids can certainly be avoided with a realistic maximum CPC setting, however one keyword without one can serve as a great example as to why you should avoid giving away control over your bidding.

The keyword below is long-tail, a fairly selective Modified Broad match type, and uses Automatic Bidding. It’s from a competitive industry, but average CPC’s range from $10-$50. It received one click. That click cost $362.63. (Click the image to enlarge.)

never use automatic bidding

Again, this can be avoided by setting a lower maximum CPC bid limit, yet it seems to highlight the extremes that can occur with Automatic Bidding. Even in industries like Insurance or Law, clicks rarely go that high. While the Maximum CPC was set high to achieve a high Impression Share, most of the clicks remained around a $10 -$30 Average CPC as expected. More control over your individual bids would guarantee that such a circumstance wouldn’t occur. Google lacks your intuition and discretion for wasting spend, so don’t solely rely on their judgment to determine the value of your keywords.

#5: Manual Management of CPA

If you’re taking the initiative to read this post or educate yourself in PPC, it’s most likely you prefer to be in control of your account. For most in search, the goal of this control and education is to lower your CPA, or the cost incurred to get each conversion. Automatic Bidding can stand in stark opposition to that goal.

Consider keywords in your account that might convert at a higher rate than others. Ideally you would want to receive more impressions and invest more on the keywords that convert. That “attention” would be reflected in a higher bid price for converting keywords and a lower bid for lower converting (but still relevant) keywords. With Automatic Bidding, Google makes the decisions on how the budget and bids are prescribed for all keywords. This prevents you from making more specific preferences for your converting terms as well as lackluster keywords that just might be driving cost rather than value.