In the world of digital marketing, it goes without saying that the field of search engine marketing is as complicated and competitive as they come.
With more and more business owners realizing the power of going online and taking their promotional efforts with a digital approach in mind, it’s no secret that search engines are a crucial tool for any competitor. As search volumes across all terms continue to grow exponentially every year, it’s clear that search engines are outlined with underlying lucrative opportunities.
Now, while it may be easy to see that tools like Google provide a wide range of opportunities that can be enjoyed by anyone smart enough to capitalize on them, making sure that your efforts come to fruition is another story— especially when it comes to avoiding mistakes. Fortunately, avoiding common fumbled with your search engine marketing efforts can be easily done by simply being aware of which mistakes you need to avoid in the first place.
Common search engine marketing mistakes you should avoid
If you’re looking to build a bulletproof online marketing strategy with your best foot forward, here are a few common SEM mistakes you should avoid at all times:
Your ad doesn’t match the landing page
For any kind of SEM strategy, a golden rule that can never be broken is that a landing page needs to be up-to-spec with the ad it links to— which means that you need to meet expectations with proper output. Aside from directing your target market or audience straight to your website, you’ll also need to make sure that your landing page matches up to what you promise in the ad itself!
Your landing page isn’t mobile-friendly
Speaking of landing pages, another all-too-common mistake that many business owners make when fine-tuning their SEM strategies is that they overlook the importance of mobile-friendliness.
As the number of smartphone users on the web continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, it’s clear that more and more search queries are made on mobile platforms. While a surge in searches is never a bad thing, not having a website that’s prepared to adapt and provide the best experience possible will definitely yield negative results and bad PR. Before you go all-out and release your next ad set, it’s important to ensure that your landing page adopts a responsive design which helps avoid mobile-unfriendliness at all costs!
You’re overlooking the power of automation
One common misconception that many newbie digital marketers and business owners have when it comes to SEM is that manual work is the way to go— when the truth is that automated rules achieve much better results over time.
If you’ve been avoiding your automated rules because of this notion, then it’s safe to say that you’re missing out on algorithm-driven automatic changes that will save you time and money while getting the best results. For an easier time during your next campaign, make sure to give automated rules a try.
You fail to use important negative keywords
While it may not necessarily be clandestine in today’s world of digital marketing, negative keywords are still very much neglected more than they should be.
Don’t let the name fool you: negative keywords help make sure that your targeted ads are even more precise by adding extra parameters that will attract and keep the right customers over time. By taking the time to fill up your negative keywords, you can make sure that your ads don’t pop up in queries and keywords that you don’t want to target— leading to even better results!
Conclusion
Although it may seem a bit complicated at first, getting a hang of your search engine marketing strategy and seeing all the right results is a surprisingly-straightforward task— especially when it comes to avoiding common mistakes. By taking note of the four mistakes mentioned above, you won’t need to worry about wasting your time and valuable resources on the wrong results. (or a lack thereof!)
We’re a digital marketing agency that specializes in ads and Google marketing based in Buffalo, NY. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help your business flourish!