There is a lot more to Google than you might think...exploring Google Adwords, Analytics and SEO

This blog discusses how products and services can be advertised through Google and how organisations can keep track of their online advertising success.

I use Google just about every day to search for anything and everything however I have not researched its abilities and resources it offers for advertisers. After attending a lecture on Google Adwords, Analytics and SEO I found that there is more to Google than it being a basic search engine. Even though I was aware of online advertising, I have never looked into how organisations can utilise Google to its maximum advertising potential.

Google Analytics

Google analytics is a sophisticated tracking tool for organisations. It is a great tool for organisations to use as it gives them insights into their “website traffic and marketing objectives”. This can help closely target consumers with advertisements when they are searching or “google-ing”; a term we have all become familiar with. In specifying key search terms and linking them to an advertising message, organisations can create better-targeted advertisements and strengthen their marketing plans.

Google Adwords

Advantages of Google Adwords is that an organisation can test and measure changes in real time. Here an advertiser can measure how changes to their campaign impacted on their product’s or service’s performance. The use of Google Adwords also provides better ways to improve advertisers ROI (return on investment)

Organisations can have an “Adwords” advertisement which consumers can click in the right-hand column on their Google search page. How to make Adwords work for organisations can be done in five ways:

1)      Target

Need to understand which potential consumers would be interested in your product or service you want to advertise.

 Locations you target are important as online advertising means your product can be delivered around the country or even abroad.

2)      Budget

The amount an organisation wants to pay for an advertisement is up to them. There are 3 ways in which they can manage their advertising budget:

a) Daily budget

 b) Cost per clicks (CPC) you can raise how much you want to pay for different keywords which will rank you higher on the page; this could be a product which is most popular.

 c) AD quality –Here an organisation needs to choose the maximum amount they are prepared to pay when someone clicks on their advertisement. Google Adwords is also known as a traffic estimator which can help an organisation decide how much to bid (CPC).  Google looks out for organisations who decide to manage their online advertising budget manually and will stop showing their advertisement when it is reached.

AD quality is an important aspect when it comes to Google Adwords as it affects which position your advertising will appear on the page. Your advertisements, keywords and landing page need to be relevant to what your customer is looking for. You can improve your quality by tweaking your keywords in your advertisements to make them more relevant and provide efficiency for those searching for your product; this can be time consuming and will require in-depth research.

3)      Focus

Organisations must focus on one product at a time and make sure their advertisement is very specific. This will help reduce the risk of confusion of a brand and give the consumer a clear sense as to how the product or service will benefit them if they were to invest in it.

4)      Advertisements

Need to be engaging and specific to the product you are advertising. It is vital to create awareness of any USP (Unique Selling point)that will make an advertisement stand out from its competitors. Potential consumers need to be convinces that they will find exactly what they are looking for.

5)      Keywords

These can trigger your advertisement. Short phrases so consumers can look for specific aspects of products which suit their needs and wants. In return, this creates a mutually beneficial exchange process for both the consumer and the organisation.

The effectiveness of using Google Adwords and implications

Google Adwords are effective as internet users are immediately targeted to advertisements which are specific to their search therefore linking searchers and sellers together.

Organisations who use Google Adwords can keep track of how effective their online advertising is and the aspects which are good about it such as their keywords used. Another advantage of using Google Adwords which I found interesting in the lecture was the point that organisations using this technique should put themselves in the minds of consumers who may not have heard about their product or service. Such implications need to be considered and thought about when considering what they might search for online.

On the other hand, a disadvantage of Google Adwords is that consumers may not have the motivation to buy something online however they may still receive advertisements which are irrelevant to their search. This could result in negative associations with a brand as people may view it as intrusive. Such advertisements may also be a distraction from work so could also be effective depending on the consumer’s interests and likeability of the advertisement.

SEO  = Seach Engine Optimisation.

After reading Google’s online starter guide of search engine optimisation I found that SEO is about making small modifications to your website to optimise the users experience and seeing what is best for the visitors of your site. This is important today as consumers interests and motivations change on an on-going basis and advertisers need to keep up with them.