If you are an entrepreneur, then you have probably read many articles recommending that you do X, and then your digital marketing will perform better. While many of those articles are filled with great advice, there are some secrets that you need to know about the way that Google operates. Knowing these secrets may help you realize a higher return on your investment in digital marketing.
How Google Ads Works
Google Ads, formerly Google Adwords, places your pay-per-click advertising on their search engine result pages and their extensive network of sites. When determining where to place your ad, they consider at least six factors. The most important one is the amount of money that you are willing to spend for that keyword. They also use an algorithm to judge the quality of your ad and your landing page.
They also look to see how well other keywords containing synonyms are doing, and they may choose to show those ads instead. For example, if you are an equestrian trainer, they may look at horse trainer ads. Google also considers what the person who may click on the ad will likely find most relevant. In other words, a horse trainer’s ad in Texas is more likely to be shown to a Texas audience than a horse trainer’s ad from London. To help them make this determination, Google considers your phone number on the ad and your geographical location, if listed, to choose relevant ads.
Your Website
According to Path Interactive, Google employs people to judge the quality of websites. Then, they use AI to combine the data and arrive at an algorithm that allows them to judge any website based on their robotic crawlers. They look at the quality of the materials that you present on your website. If you are quoting statistics or numbers, then you need to be linking out to top authorities in your niche market to prove what you are saying is true.
They also look at how important you are within your industry. One way to make sure they find this is to post an About Me page filled with your qualifications. They also look to see if you are trustworthy. Customer reviews play a significant role in this, but they also look to make sure that your name, address, and phone number are on your site and consistent across the web.
How Reviews Factor In
According to Podium, Google uses reviews to help determine your rank in their search engine results. After all, you do not want to send your best friend somewhere that you do not trust to do business, and the same thing is true of Google. They will rank a page higher if the company is getting great online reviews. In order to get your page to rank higher, create a Google My Business account. Then, ask your customers at the moment that they are likely the happiest with your product and service to review your business. You will also want to claim your other review sites. Interacting with all reviewers makes you look more professional; always maintain your composure when speaking with a customer online.
Appearances Matter
Primarily if you operate in a market that relies largely on seeing products, your images can help or hurt how you rank with Google. Start by choosing clear pictures, and that helps to make your point. Google judges the relevancy of the photo to the content around it. You will not get hit by a duplicate content warning if your images are found on different pages. Google seems to prefer images that appear many times and on various websites when they create their image carousels. Then, compress the image so that it quickly loads because Google will judge your mobile site first.
Label the file with an image file name containing keywords where appropriate. Commonplaces suggests adding ALT attributes to make sure that everyone has access to the photo’s content if it does not load properly or if a disabled user is using a special device that cannot read photos. Below each image, add an image caption, which can be a great place to stick in your keyword again if needed.
Links
Google may also take a look at your link profile. You need to be linking out to relevant material, written by experts, that connects with your target audience. You also need to be linking within your website so that essential pages on your site are easy to get to in one or two clicks as Google needs to find these pages when they crawl your website. Most importantly, you need to have inbound links from other websites that are currently ranking higher than you are ranking. Each time you can earn one of these links, which is usually through creating great content, according to Orbit Media Studios, Google passes a little of its authority in the industry on to you.
Clearly, Google has made significant strides when it comes to advertising. They are consistently updating their methods and so it’s important to be informed about what the best advertising practices are. Keeping these five secrets in mind when doing your digital advertising can help bring you better results from Google.
As always, if you need any assistance with your digital marketing, our MGR Team will be happy to chat with you one-on-one. Use this link to contact us and set up your free consultation.
Thank you for reading. Until next time, this is Manuel Gil del Real (MGR).
