Tips on Creating a Search Engine Marketing Campaign

• Published in: GreenIndustryPros.com
• Main Author: Meeneghan, Kelly
• Format: Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Fort Atkinson SouthComm Business Media LLC 10.10.2013
• Subjects: Advertising campaigns; Audiences; Keywords; Landscaping; Marketing; Popularity; Search engine optimization; Service introduction; Small business; Websites

Many Green Industry businesses have come to understand the importance of not only a nice company website and professional online presence, but also their representation on the major search engines of Google, Yahoo and Bing. Through Search Engine Optimization (SEO), business owners have been able to gain visibility on organic search results by enhancing their website content with photos, tips, blogs and videos. But once these changes to your website have been made, what's next? SEM allows businesses to prominently position their business details and URL in a "sponsored" location on search engine results. Accounting for nearly 75% of all search traffic in February 2013 (Experian), Google has proven to be the channel to receive the biggest SEM benefit. Therefore, understanding the process of creating a Google AdWords campaign is of great benefit for all small- to medium-sized businesses. Keywords, or terms and phrases specific to your business, should be strategically decided upon. Think about what your customers search in Google to find a business like yours. If it is a service, your location, or a specialty, be sure to incorporate these terms into the ad text. Though more industry jargon may seem to be more relevant in searches to you, your target audience may not be as well educated in the landscaping field. Therefore, they are more apt to use simpler terminology when searching. Your website's statistic reports can also help you identify which terms people are using to find your business. Once the keyword search terms are established, you will need to "bid" for their use. Some keywords have a high demand which may require you to make a greater investment. Luckily, smaller businesses are not highly subject to this so landscaping professionals should expect to spend between $0.80 and $1.25 for a keyword depending on its popularity. While you may appear as a "sponsored" result multiple times, you will only be charged the amount you bid when someone clicks on the link used in the ad.