AdWords Trainer - Claire Jarrett

How to perform keyword research

clairejarrett — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:30:12 +0000

Ever wondered where to start with getting selling on Google? A good place is to identify if your target market searches for you online. The only way to do that is to find keywords that they might use, and then find out if there is enough searches per month to make the keyword worth going after. Before we start, I just need to advise you that a keyword may sometimes actually represent a keyword search phrase so may sometimes actually be 2 or more words long! I use the terms interchangeably but I mean the same thing.

The following tips are aimed at beginners and are a way to get started with Search Engine Optimisation.

Open the Google Keyword Tool
Research your keywords by starting off with something that describes you – such as “accountant Bristol”, “florist Clifton” etc. Districts are easier than towns but will have a lot less traffic. Enter the keyword in the box that is marked word or phrase, you don’t need to fill in any other fields at this stage, and click Search
Look through the list and select 3 to 10 which are closely related. If you wish you can download the list into Excel to work on by clicking Download then All. You WILL need the reverse of the keyword phrase as well as plurals and singular. This means “Bristol accountant” and “accountant Bristol” are NOT the same, as “Bristol accountant” and “Bristol accountants” are not the same either!

An example of a good, closely related keyword list is:

Accountant Bristol
Accountants Bristol
Accountants in Bristol
Bristol accountants
Chartered accountants Bristol
Bristol accountant

Top tip – to start just plan to use your homepage as it’s easier and faster to get ranked, for the purposes of this blog we will presume you use only your homepage. Later on you may wish to use other pages for other keyword phrases too

Look at the LOCAL monthly searches
Ignore the competition field as this is used to find AdWords competition
Search volumes of up to 500 are easier and faster to get on the front page for
Higher search volumes than 3,000 are competitive and mean it will take longer

Now you have your keyword list, you’re ready to move onto the next stage, competing the SEO Setup. More on this will follow next week in this SEO tutorial series!

If you have any questions or if you’re struggling, please do comment below. If you’d like to receive a quote for our SEO Services starting from £30 per month – please give us a call on 0800 3277327 or email us at sales@marketingbyweb.co.uk

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Help with Google Grants Applications for Charities

clairejarrett — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:51:51 +0000

Did you know that all registered charities can apply for Google Grants and receive FREE AdWords credits?

We want to work with more charities to help them make use of Google Grants, so we’d like to offer the following help:

Consult with you on what you could use AdWords for
Advise on what goals you need to be tracking (we need at least one web goal to track – this could be donations, finding fundraise
Help with Google Grants

rs, newsletter subscriptions etc)
Advise on setting up suitable pages to send traffic to
Set up a full AdWords Account to help you achieve your goals based on suitable keywords from our research
Apply to Google for you to help you get accepted for a Google Grant of up to $10,000 per month (please note that this process takes Google up to 5 months unfortunately!)

We will do ALL of this absolutely FREE of charge. When, and only when, you get accepted by Google we’ll then charge you a setup fee and take over management of your account to ensure you meet your advertising goals. This set up fee will be £600 (which includes managing it for the first month once it’s live) and each month from then on, we’ll then charge you £300 which will include us advising on your web strategy and having scheduled calls with your Account Manager to help you achieve your advertising goals.

To register your interest or get started – please call 0800 3277327 or email us at sales@marketingbyweb.co.uk today!

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Where can I find invoices in AdWords?

clairejarrett — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:04:09 +0000

I’m often asked how to find invoices in AdWords. The good news is there are printable invoices, you just need to be able to access them.

In order to do this log into AdWords and click onto the green tab marked Billing and then click Billing Summary.

Scroll down until you find the right month. Note you can ONLY print out an invoice for the current month when it ends. Now click the Invoice button:

The invoice will now turn into a printable screen – simply go to File – Print.

To access previous months, change the date selector and then click Go.

You should now be able to see the month you have selected – again simply click the Invoice link and you will be able to print out your invoice.

Questions? Do ask them here!

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How can you get Search Engines Working For You?

danielblinman — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:53:55 +0000

Search engines are constantly “crawling” the web through the millions of links that can be found within it. These crawlers are generally referred to as “spiders”. Once the spiders have gone through a link and visited a page (web page, music, image etc) it will add it to the search engine’s massive database. This is known as indexing, and is the first step towards appear in the Search Engine Result’s Pages (SERPs). It is imperative to be added to this database because that is how you will end up appearing on the search engine’s results. This could be as simple as sending out a tweet containing your website URL, as Google will follow the Tweet and examine the website.

Once you have grasped this concept, it becomes clear that in order to rank highly on the search engines, you will want your website and its various pages crawled by the spiders. In addition, the more links going to and from your website, the higher you will rank in the search engine.

However, it is actually a lot more complicated than just allowing the spiders to visit your website, and building links. Google and other search engines use a highly complex algorithm to calculate the relevancy and value of a website. SEO companies try and understand this confusing algorithm in order to signal to the search engines the relevancy of a certain website matched to a search term. One of the things calculated by search engine algorithm would be the strength of the various links that go to the website. The strength of the link might be judged based on the volume of traffic that visits it (Alexa Rank) or the Page Rank of the page. Basically, if you gain a link your website from a link that is not very highly ranked, then the link would be nowhere near as powerful as if it was linked to a more popular, higher ranked website.

Search engines are constantly changing and adapting their algorithms in order to create more relevant and useful information to its users. That basically means; if you wish to ensure you are appearing on the front page for your website, you will need to change and adapt with it. – no excuses folks!

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Top Tips For Improving Existing Adwords Accounts

danielblinman — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:46:13 +0000

Once you have created and setup the many necessary ad groups that make up your adwords account, you may be tempted to think you are now finished- you couldn’t be more wrong! Adwords accounts take consistent optimising and improvements in order to maximise the return on investment that you will receive.

The amount of work that your adwords account will require differs based on a number of things. Clearly, the larger the account, the more work that will be required to constantly update and ensure your ad groups are not being matched against irrelevant keywords, and that the account is converting effectively. Another way to judge the amount of work that your adwords account will require is to look at the number of broad and modified broad keywords in your ad groups. If you have a high number of broad keywords in your account, then those keywords are highly likely to be matched against many things that are irrelevant to what you are offering. This will mean you will need to constantly check to see what your ad groups are being matched against. If you discover a keyword that is not appropriate to what you are offering, then you will need to add it in as a negative to your adwords account.

In order to check all of the keywords that your adwords account is being matched against, you will need to examine your search query reports regularly and ideally schedule them to arrive weekly via email. This will allow you to find new ad groups or keywords to use in your adwords account.

For example, you are a company that sells large quantities of office equipment. The broad keyword: “printing paper” is matched against “wholesale printing paper”. You may wish to then create a separate ad group containing the exact and phrase match keywords of “wholesale printing paper”. This will then mean you can write a more relevant ad for this ad group, containing the exact words within the ad. A more relevant ad means a higher chance of it being clicked, which means a higher quality score resulting in lower costs for that keyword. Furthermore, using the search term report to find additional ad groups like this will allow you to discover different thought processes of your potential customers. This will allow your adwords account to reach a larger number of people and increase your return on investment.

To conclude, updating your adwords account using the search term report is highly important. If you do not have enough time to do this on a regular basis, then you are better off using fewer broad keywords when you first set up your adwords campaign. The reason for this is that broad keywords are going to result in more impressions, which means you have a higher chance of being matched against irrelevant search terms. Of course, if you don’t have time to manage your AdWords account on a continual basis, you’d be better of using a PPC Management company such as ourselves J

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Does Local Search Matter?

clairejarrett — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:32:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Recently, you may have heard people talking more and more about local search. For the uninitiated, local search refers to things such as SEO or PPC adverts tailored to a local audience or posibly making use of features such as Foursquare or Facebook ‘check in’ to promote local businesses. It is something that is fast gaining prominence, but is it actually worth it?

The short answer is yes, it can potentially help your business. The somewhat longer answer is as follows…

One of the main ways local search can benefit businesses is through search engine advertisements. For instance, imagine that a web user is searching for coffee shops in Manchester. They type their search into Google or another popular search engine and wait for their results. Wouldn’t it be great if it was your business advert that popped up? Of course, you would need to own a coffee shop in Manchester for this example to work, but it can be applied to all sorts of businesses in locations across the world.

It also helps you to tailor your pay-per-click campaigns more efficiently: after all, if you save your settings so that your advert only shows when someone types in ‘coffee shops in Manchester’ or a related phrase, you are more likely to get relevant clicks as a result – and the web user will benefit because they will get more exact search results. This is particularly useful for small businesses that are located in a specific geographical area and only have a limited amount to spend on online advertising; it means that, when done properly, local search can help them to maximise their useful returns and, with a bit of luck, turn that into business as a result.

Another way that local search can help businesses is through social media. As mentioned above, Facebook has a feature that allows users to ‘check in’ at local businesses. When they check in, it then shows up as a message in their news feed so that all their friends can see it. This can act as good advertising for businesses.

There is another potential benefit here, too: some businesses have started to offer special deals or discounts for those people that ‘check in’ to their location on social media. For instance, to use the above example, the coffee shop in Manchester could offer anyone who ‘checks in’ to the shop on Facebook a 10% discount on their next purchase, or even something free such as a free biscuit with a cup of coffee.

This helps not only to create brand awareness among a wider audience but it also helps to build customer loyalty: if customers feel as though they are getting something in return for helping promote your local business, they are much more likely to use your services again. Plus, offering a discount could persuade them to make a purchase where they might otherwise not have bothered, so you could even be generating new business for yourself (a 25% discount for first-time customers could be an option here).

Overall, then, local search does matter. It’s unlikely to ever replace other forms of marketing and you should never neglect other marketing, such as through blogs, websites and wider campaigns, but it can be very useful and bring good results, so it is definitely something worth considering.

Need some help with your local search marketing? Get in touch!

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Where does Google make the most money from Adwords?

clairejarrett — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:46:23 +0000

A great infographic showing the areas in which Google makes the most money. Not surprising to see insurance related keyphrases as the biggest revenue generator!

via

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5 Common Online Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

clairejarrett — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 09:21:54 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Online marketing is increasingly big business, especially with so many companies now competing for a share of an ever-more-crowded market. This means that it’s crucial you take the time to ensure your online marketing is completed to as high a standard as possible. To help get you on the right track, read on for five common online marketing mistakes you really must avoid.

Neglecting Websites and other Media
One big error is to set up a website and then ignore it or forget about it. The very best websites are dynamic; updated regularly and always full of fresh, relevant content. It’s important to do this for several reasons: one is that search engines like sites that have recent content; another is that web users like this, too. A website that’s glaringly out of date will put people off rather quickly.

Similarly, if you make use of other media such as social networking, it’s important that you keep on top of it and engage with your social media friends on a regular basis. It’s essentially an extension of traditional networking, so give it the attention it deserves.

Forgetting about the Competition
Another common online marketing mistake is to forget about the competition. Lack of research into relevant markets is one reason so many firms fail to have the impact they were hoping for online: make sure you know who you’re up against so you can find better ways of carving out your own, individual niche. You can also find inspiration from your competitors – if they’ve done something well, you could tailor it to your own online marketing and benefit as a result.

Not Proofreading Content before Publishing
One of the most common online marketing mistakes (actually, one of the most common marketing mistakes overall) is failing to proofread content before it’s published. From advertising banners with only a few words to an online magnum opus, you need to make sure that everything has been spell-checked, grammar-checked and generally been given a thorough going-over. Good quality content is useful for your SEO and it also helps to inspire confidence in the people who read what you write.

Forgetting the ‘Call to Action’
Some businesses spend ages on their marketing campaigns. They spend time on their SEO, they do their research, they write fantastic copy… but then they forget the call to action. It’s really important to get your message out there, but there also needs to be some sort of follow-up. If you’re promoting a service through blog posts, for instance, what do you want people to do? Most likely, you want them to click a link so they can find out more and (hopefully) make a purchase. Don’t forget that all important links so people know what to do next.

Not having a Clear Strategy
Finally, many companies fail to define a clear online marketing strategy. It’s amazing how much success you can achieve from even the smallest of marketing budgets, but without a plan, it’ll be hard to get anywhere. Think about it like you would any other aspect of your business: first define your aims, and then take the appropriate steps to achieve them.

We all make mistakes somewhere down the line – hopefully you’ll avoid these five now you’ve read this!

What mistakes have you made and learned from in online marketing?

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Who will see my Google+ post?

clairejarrett — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:23:37 +0000

There seems to be some confusion over who will see a post you put on Google+, whether it’s only seen by people who have added you, people you have added, or people you don’t even know.

This handy graphic (please let us know if it is yours so we can credit it!) explains a lot easier than we could, so we’re sharing it with you today!

(Click on the image to see the larger version).

Hope this makes more sense and allows you to see who will be seeing your Google Plus posts.

PS, you can connect with Claire on Google+ now too!

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Looking for a customer support telephone number for Google Adwords?

clairejarrett — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:16:39 +0000

Image by plenty.r. via Flickr

Until recently you could have been forgiven for thinking that Google was not the most social of animals. But the recent launch of Google+ may have made them have a bit of a rethink.

One of the questions we used to get asked a lot was ‘Where can I find a customer support number for Google Adwords?’, and to be honest, it was difficult to answer. Unless you were spending a fair amount, you didn’t get an account manager, and most queries were expected to be dealt with by email and support tickets.

However, their foray into the world of Social Media Marketing must have given them a great idea, because they’ve now opened up telephone support for Adwords customers in Europe.

Yes, you can now get hold of a real live person to help with your Adwords queries and problems!

Not only that, the lines are available in quite a few languages, which we think is great!

They do stress that these lines are only for current customers, so you’ll need to have your Google Adwords customer ID ready when you call.

Telephone numbers for Google Adwords Customer Support:

UK – 0845 600 0278

Ireland – 1890 907 106

Austria – 0810 1025 1509

Poland – (00)8004411830 (toll free)

Germany – 0180 111 1134

Spain – 901 010 016

Italy – 840 320 106

France – 0811 650 221

Switzerland – 0848 560 155

Netherlands – 0900 0400 898

Belgium – 0703 59 959

It’s nice to see an online company offering telephone support at last!

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AdWords Trainer - Claire Jarrett

How to perform keyword research

Help with Google Grants Applications for Charities

Where can I find invoices in AdWords?

How can you get Search Engines Working For You?

Top Tips For Improving Existing Adwords Accounts

Does Local Search Matter?

Where does Google make the most money from Adwords?

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5 Common Online Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Who will see my Google+ post?

Looking for a customer support telephone number for Google Adwords?

Telephone numbers for Google Adwords Customer Support: