Category: Marketing

You need to look at your keywords and optimize your SEM strategy to achieve higher search engine rankings. Keep reading to learn how and start today.

Proper marketing is the foundation of any successful business. In 2022, companies spent approximately 8.7% of their gross revenue on marketing. One of the most important strategies to budget for is search engine marketing (SEM).

This can help you stand out from your competition and maximize your sales. We’ve put together a brief guide on how to optimize your SEM strategy. Let’s dive in.

Research Your Target Keywords

Your keyword research will serve as the foundation for your entire SEM strategy. This is a staple component of search engine optimization (SEO) you may already be familiar with.

Without the right keywords, you won’t get your content in front of your audience. To get started, make a large list of keywords and phrases your audience is likely to search for.

These could pertain to issues they need to resolve. Keywords and phrases could also be related to product features a customer looks for.

In the beginning, keep your keyword list broad and simple. Once you’ve gotten a better feel of your customers’ needs, you can figure out long-tail keywords. These are multi-word phrases that can keep your traffic more relevant.

For example, a broad keyword could be “financial advising.” A long-tail keyword for the same topic might be “best financial advisors in Los Angeles.”

You can assess your previous content to get a feel for the keywords you should target. Look at your highest-performing pages and consider what keywords you used.

Frequently Assess Your Quality Score

Your quality score plays a large role in your online ad performance. There are three primary factors to consider. Let’s explore them in detail below.

Ad Relevance

How relevant is your ad to your target keywords? The closer this relevancy, the better. For example, let’s assume your keywords are focused on men’s shaving products. You wouldn’t want your ads to be misconstrued as marketing something else.

Landing Page Experience

This term refers to the user experience after people reach your landing page. Did they find what they expected? The copy on your landing page should be crafted to fit your audience’s specific needs.

Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Your CTR will depend on how many people click on your ad. The higher the number, the more relevant Google assumes your advertisement is. A good CTR means nothing without a solid landing page, though.

Once people click on your ad, the page they reach should compel them to take action. Essentially, your quality score is based on your ads’ overall relevance.

Make Your Ads Compelling

Creating compelling ads is more complicated than it seems. You have limited time (and visual space) to get your audience’s attention.

A great practice is to keep your call to action (CTA) brief and clear. You should also align your message with your users’ intent.

For instance, if people are looking to purchase a product, your ad should make that product enticing. Ads are also a great opportunity to convey promotions you run.

Even a small discount goes a long way toward boosting sales. Ensure that your copy is interesting, as well. No matter what you offer, people won’t take action if your ads are bland.

Utilize A/B Testing

Also known as split testing, A/B Testing is an amazing opportunity to refine your marketing strategy. It functions by creating similar ads with minor differences. These could be alternative headlines, banner images, or CTAs.

You can then analyze which ads performed best. If you notice one type of ad did substantially better, you can discard strategies that didn’t work.

Make frequent use of split testing so you can maximize your CTR and quality score. Be patient, though. It can take months to come up with the best strategies with this method.

Use Sitelink Extensions

These allow you to include links under your ad to specific pages on your site. They can give your ads a greater presence and make them more effective. It’s worth noting it doesn’t cost extra to use sitelinks.

They’re a highly efficient way to improve your CTR without stretching your budget. Great pages to link to include FAQs, case studies, pricing info, and promotions.

Make Use of Bid Adjustments

Bid adjustments give advertisers the chance to reduce or raise bid amounts based on certain details. These include target demographic, device, location, and time of day. Your cost per click (CPC) for ads with high relevancy will be higher than those that aren’t as relevant.

It’s best to wait a few months before using bid adjustments. This will give you enough data to make the right decision. Once you’ve refined your bid adjustment strategy, you can use automation to optimize it.

Work With a Professional

Handling search engine marketing on your own isn’t recommended. It will cost more time and resources than it should. Instead, consider outsourcing to a professional.

They have the knowledge and skills to provide outstanding results. When looking for a firm, explore its past reputation.

See what other people have to say about their experiences. Were they satisfied with the results they got? Did they feel the firm remained professional throughout the process?

Details like these will help you make the best decision. Check their industry experience, as well.

It’s best to hire someone who’s handled a large number of clients like you. Look into their pricing before making your choice. They should be fully transparent about what you’ll pay.

If they attempt to deflect questions about their pricing structure, continue your search elsewhere. With enough due diligence, you’ll find the best option for your situation.

Handling SEM Is Easier Than It Seems

Some entrepreneurs find it difficult at first to manage their SEM strategy. With the right help, you can streamline this obligation and hit the ground running. From here, you’ll reach metrics like never before.

At Red Stone Studio, we believe that digital marketing should be effective without stretching your budget. We’ve designed our strategies to be as cost-efficient as possible while exceeding our clients’ needs. Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help.

Tracking your content marketing is essential for its success. Learn more about monitoring your marketing campaigns in this guide.

In 2022, the average business spent approximately 8.7% of its total revenue on marketing. This included expenses like research, promotional items, and digital ads.

Digital marketing is an essential component of an effective marketing strategy. The right content can get your brand in front of thousands of potential customers.

Tracking the performance of your content marketing strategy doesn’t have to be difficult, either. We’ve put together a brief guide that outlines the key information you should know about content marketing analysis. Let’s dive in.

Impressions

No matter how much value your brand provides, it won’t mean much if nobody sees it online. This metric is the total number of people who see your content.

Many entrepreneurs mistakenly believe that more is always better. However, you should also consider the major demographic that views your content.

For example, let’s assume that a page on your website got 2 million impressions. However, your marketing campaign wasn’t properly configured and you targeted the wrong audience. The majority of these people would be unlikely to convert.

Instead, focus on quality impressions. If you can get your content in front of a large number of people in your target demographic, you can maximize your digital marketing strategy.

Traffic Sources

Determining your traffic sources will help you optimize your marketing. It’s not uncommon to be surprised when you check where your traffic is coming from.

For instance, you might assume that most of your traffic comes from Google’s search results. Upon investigation, you may learn that the majority of people who reach your site come from a separate blog. Once you know how people find out about your brand, you can leverage these opportunities.

Bounce Rates

A bounce rate is a metric that Google uses to determine site quality. It changes in value when people leave a website shortly after arriving.

This tells Google that the site is irrelevant, low quality, or both. It’s in your best interest to minimize the bounce rate for all of your pages. You can do this by making your content more engaging and improving your site’s usability.

Page load speed goes a long way toward creating a positive user experience. The same is true for a site’s intuitiveness.

People should be able to find the information they’re looking for in the place they expect to find it. For example, someone looking for a search bar would likely navigate to the top of the page.

Email Opt-in Rates

Email marketing is one of the most effective strategies you can use. It establishes a direct line of communication between you and your audience.

When people opt into your emails, it means they’re interested in learning more about your brand. Checking your email opt-in rates illuminates the most effective content on your site.

You might learn that a particular type of blog post is most effective at maximizing opt-in rates. From here, you can use more of this content to improve your email marketing strategy.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

A website’s CTR conveys how many people take action when they see your content. Using the aforementioned example, let’s assume that you got 2 million impressions on a web page. If hardly any people took action after seeing your content, this is a red flag you can’t ignore.

It could mean you’re targeting the wrong demographic. It could also mean that your content doesn’t provide anything of value.

A high click-through rate means that people feel compelled to take action, leading to more conversions. If your content is particularly effective, you can have a high click-through rate even if you have a low number of impressions.

Keyword Rankings

To get your content in front of your customers, you’ll need to understand what they search for online. This doesn’t always mean that you can rank for the keywords you want, though.

Some keywords are competitive, and Google prioritizes sites with higher authority. If your website is brand new, you likely can’t compete with a site that’s been around for decades and has thousands of high-traffic pages.

Consumer interests also change over time. Periodically assess your keywords and determine their performance. Consider the way people search for content.

Manual search and voice search are highly different methods. For instance, someone might type the phrase “Best Mexican restaurants LA.” When using voice search, they might say “Where are the best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles?”

Keep these factors in mind when moving forward.

Shares and Backlinks

Good content is always good enough to share. You’ll know you have stellar content if many people online are sharing it with their followers. This tells Google that your page is informative and valuable.

By extension, this substantially improves your search ranking. Backlinks are also important to consider. When authoritative websites link to yours, it can boost that page’s ranking and establish a steady stream of visitors.

Work With a Professional

It’s possible to handle content marketing analysis on your own. However, it will cost more time and resources than it should.

Hiring a professional is a great alternative that allows you to focus on other areas of your company. When looking for someone to hire, explore their past reputation. What have other clients had to say about their experiences?

It’s best to prioritize a firm with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Look into their pricing structure before making your choice.

You often get what you pay for, and it’s not recommended to choose the cheapest opportunities. Do they seem interested in your project?

If they aren’t enthusiastic about working with your business, they could fall short of your goals. Keep searching until you find a firm that’s ready to go the extra mile.

Vigilantly Track Your Content Marketing

A content marketing strategy is only effective if you consult your analytics. You can use this insight to rework areas that need improvement and emphasize your strengths.

At Red Stone Studio, we pride ourselves on helping each of our clients achieve their goals through personalized strategies. Our digital marketing services are designed to be cost-effective without sacrificing quality. Reach out to us today to get started on your next project.

Approximately three out of four consumers use the internet at least once a month to find local businesses, according to data collected by BrightLocal in its 2018 Local Consumer Review Survey. Additionally, 27% of the respondents reported conducting this type of search every single day, though this number increases to 54% for searchers in the ages 18 to 34 range.

The question is: when these potential customers — the people who are actively searching for your products and services — visit your website, is the content it contains compelling them to make a purchase, or is it doing the opposite and driving them away?

Answering this requires taking a close-up, honest look at your current site to consider whether it is effectively attracting and converting your leads. But what is it that you’re looking for?

While a number of factors can ultimately impact your ability to draw visitors in and create a positive user experience, a good place to start is with these eight issues, all of which can ultimately hurt your business.

1. It contains spelling or other word-related errors
   If your website isn’t up to par with simple spelling and grammar, it can cause visitors to lose respect for your brand. Because these types of errors are so easy to correct, not doing so makes your company look sloppy or lazy. It’s also a sign that you don’t take your business seriously enough to make sure the content is correct.

A simple fix for eliminating spelling and word-related errors is to hire an editor to go over your content word for word. Alternatively, ask a few members of your management team to comb through all your pages, looking for any issues that jump out to them.

2. It’s too SEO-focused
   Another common error that businesses make is creating website content that is more focused on search engine optimization (SEO), rather than content that makes sense for customers or provides any real value.

An example of this is starting your page with “If you’re looking for an Orange County auto mechanic who can service your Orange County vehicle, contact Orange County’s premier auto repair shop located on 123 Main St. in Orange County.”

Is this sentence loaded with some great SEO keywords and phrases? Absolutely. But if you were a customer visiting this site and this was the first thing you read, it doesn’t quite entice you to want to read any further.

3. It doesn’t have enough SEO
   Just as you don’t want to have too much of a focus on SEO, you don’t want to underdo it, either. Therefore, if you’ve never looked at whether you use enough keywords (or the right keywords) on your site, now is a good time to do just that.

Not sure what phrases people use to find you? One way to figure that out is to go to a search page and start typing in your search. Look at all of the options that automatically populate the search bar. This gives you an idea of the wording that others have used when doing that type of search.

4. It takes too much brain power to read
   Have you ever gone to a website, only to have it use so many words you didn’t know that you left the page more confused than when you arrived? Though sometimes difficult-to-use words are necessary — such as when explaining a product’s specs — if it takes too much brain power for the average person to read, you run the risk that your visitor will click away.

Yale University reports that, when it comes to reading on-screen text, it is ideal to keep the reading level as low as possible for your particular audience. This improves comprehension for all of your consumers, including those who may have cognitive impairments or those who may not read, write or understand English all that well.

5. It doesn’t show your personality
   Your website content may also be hurting your business if it doesn’t reflect your brand’s personality. If your site’s visitors feel like they’re reading a textbook or content that is otherwise considered fairly flat, there is likely no appeal to want to do business with you.

The three keys to marketing success require getting your customer base to know, like and trust you. Showing your company’s personality is one way to achieve all of these goals. So treat this like you would any other relationship that you want to nurture and strengthen, and use your content to let them in.

6. Focusing more on yourself than the consumer
   Some businesses make the mistake of using their website solely to convince their visitors why they as a company are so great. Although some level of pride and boasting about your products or services is okay, your content needs to immediately answer the one question all consumers have: What’s in it for me?
7. Not thinking and speaking toward your target audience
   When creating content for your website, it also benefits you to put yourself in the shoes of your target market. What types of questions are they likely to have about your products and services? Additionally, what type of wording would they use?

The more you can think and speak like your target market, the greater your ability to create content that really connects with them. The better you’re able to connect with them, the easier it will be for them to buy from you.

8. Linking to unreputable sources
   Linking content within your site to other websites can help improve your search engine rank. This practice is most common in blogs, especially if you’re pointing to research studies that back up what you say or publications that have mentioned your brand — but make sure the sites you\\’re linking to are credible, reputable sources and companies. Otherwise, you run the risk of driving customers away.

Having a website is a must in today’s digital day, but it’s even more important to have a website that helps your brand versus hurting it. You simply work too hard to have your content work against you, so follow these tips to make sure it doesn’t.

They say the world is now in our hands and the information is at our fingertips. There are no second thoughts to that. The world of the internet is fantastic. It continues to transform the way we connect with people, share information, and live a quality life.

A lot of people spend most of their time on the internet. This could be for buying a product, using a service, reading a blog, entertaining themselves, or for various other reasons.

Considering the amount of time people spend on the internet, businesses too have moved online. Having a website for business owners of any size and a presence on social media has become crucial. If you are into a business and do not own a website, you might be losing a lot of potential customers online. Knowing the importance of a website is key to grow your business many folds.

Listed below are 12 reasons proving the importance of website:

24/7 Online Presence

One of the major advantages of having a website is that it is accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Even during non-business hours, customers can access your website and avail your services or get the information they need, which is one of the key elements in the importance of a website in business. The website is always at work to ensure that customers who come in are always served in the comfort of their homes.

24/7 Customer Support

Providing customer support is a tough job for any business. However, providing customer support online is easier and more cost-efficient than hiring personnel to provide support. This is where the importance of having a website becomes clear as customer support through a website can be provided in various ways:

1. FAQs – This is the most commonly used medium. All the frequent customer queries are answered on the website, saving your time and resources, while also providing precise and relevant information to customers.
2. Chatbots – Chatbots on websites also do the job of addressing frequent customer queries through template answers. Chatbots can also provide users with many other important pieces of information like signing-up procedures, information about services/products, and so on.

Information Exchange

Over 50% of the customers expect any brand or business to have an online presence where they can access their services. One of the most captivating aspects of a website is how easy it makes information accessible to customers. At its core, a website is nothing but a medium to communicate with customers and to provide them with information and resources. Here are a few ways in which websites help in exchanging information:

1. Advertisements that update customers about the latest offers on products and services
2. Newsletters that update customers about any upcoming events and news
3. Contact forms that invite enquiries or requests from customers

Establish Credibility and Build Trust

Just like in the old days, when customers expected businesses to have contact numbers and addresses mentioned in their information brochure, customers nowadays expect businesses to have a website or online presence. This is a crucial first step in establishing trust. From this perspective, for a business, a website is highly important. To take it a bit further, if a business’s website is superlative in its features and navigation, customers are more inclined to trust the business and avail of their services. Websites are an essential tool for businesses to establish their credibility and build trust with their customers. This can then be further boosted by local SEO services to attract a local demographic for businesses who might be new in the market.

Professional Web Design

Website visitors have no reason to stay on any Web page unless they’re tempted to. Visitors can get bored very easily and expect something unique to capture their interest whenever they’re visiting any website. Hence, it is crucial that businesses build their websites with immaculate design and architecture so that customers are offered exceptional features and convenient navigation. This will encourage more visitors to take a peek at your website, and potentially buy from your business.

Sales 

The accessibility of your business grows exponentially with a website, as it can be accessed from any corner of the world. Hence, websites help businesses break geographical barriers and significantly increase their sales.

Revenue

There is no limit to the revenue that could be generated by your website. If the reach of your website can cross the borders, the revenue can reach sky high. All you need to do is optimize your site and make sure that your audience find you when they are looking for you. Besides that, you can also give some of your digital space on your website for display ads. Let’s say your site is about reviewing or selling mobile phones. You can give some of your digital space on your website to display ads relevant to these phones. This is just an additional way with which you can generate more revenue.

Cost-Effective

A physical store requires a massive investment for owning or renting a commercial space. Besides that, furniture, interiors, and employees are also some additional expenses that cannot be ignored. On the other hand, creating a website is very easy and cost-effective. With CMS like WordPress, Shopify, or Wix, one can easily create a website with little or no help. Only if you are setting up a complex website like E-commerce or one with thousands of pages, or complex filters and facets, then you might need the help of experts. However, the cost can still be minimal in comparison with setting up the physical store.

Visibility

Websites can become your online store, office, or showroom at a very minimal cost. A physical store will have visibility within a particular radius of its location, depending on its type. However, when it comes to a business with an online presence, the visibility or the reach has no bound. Users from any part of the world can access the website.

Marketing

Marketing plays a crucial role in the expansion of any business. Having a website makes it pretty easy to spread a word about your business when people are searching for them. Let us say your offline business is doing well, and now you want to expand it online If you have a website, you can make it appear on a Search Engine whenever people search using a keyword. There are two types of marketing method that makes this possible. One is Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and the second is Search Engine Marketing (SEM). The SEM is sometimes also referred to as Pay Click (PPC). Besides SEO and PPC, you can also market your website using social media, display Ads, and other techniques. You can set up a target audience of your choice and use demographics like age, gender, location, and more for the same. You can go as broad as you want or as niche as you wish.

A digital marketing agency with proven success records helps you create and execute a marketing plan for your business that would drive relevant users to your website.

Portfolio

Do not limit your website for just selling products or services. Create a portfolio that shows how well you are doing in the business. Let us say your business is into travel and tourism. You can create a video portfolio of a family that shows their overall experience from booking tickets to taking trip pictures all the fun. You can ask them to share their feedback in a video format and add it to the portfolio video. Such portfolios help build the trust of people into your business.

Having a website has become crucial in this digital age. A business with no website loses multiple opportunities that can come online. Apart from these essential benefits, a website has to offer, it also helps in numerous other ways. For example, a website can provide a map or directions to their business locations or offices. If someone wants to know about a business at their convenient hour, a website can help them with the same since it is accessible at any time. A well designed and engaging website can strengthen the brand image. To become a successful business person, you must have a professional website.

Growth Opportunity

A website can act as a company’s portfolio or resume. This can prove to be beneficial for businesses as the website can act as a reference for potential investors in which they can be acquainted with your services, what you have achieved so far, and what your plans for the future are as a business.