Expert Industry Insights to Improve Your Marketing Strategies

Email Marketing: Your Guide to Success with HubSpot CRM

October 3, 2023

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a versatile tool that can work wonders for businesses across various industries. In this guide, we will explore email marketing and how HubSpot CRM can help you create successful email campaigns. From personalisation to automation, we'll explore strategies that can help you excel in email marketing, regardless of your industry.

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What is Email Personalisation

Email personalisation is the art of tailoring your email campaigns to resonate with each individual recipient. It goes beyond generic mass emails and transforms your messages into personalised experiences that engage, convert, and build lasting customer relationships.

Achieving email personalisation involves harnessing the power of data and technology to understand your audience on a deeper level. By leveraging insights from customer interactions, preferences, and behaviour, emails can feel like they were designed exclusively for each recipient.

The Art of Personalisation

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Personalisation is the heart and soul of effective email marketing. It transforms generic messages into personalised experiences that resonate with your audience. Let's dive deeper into how HubSpot CRM empowers you to create tailored email campaigns that drive engagement.

Why HubSpot CRM?

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HubSpot CRM is the cornerstone of your email marketing strategy. Here's why it's indispensable:

360-Degree Customer Insights: HubSpot CRM compiles data from various customer interactions, offering a comprehensive view of each contact. This rich data forms the foundation for effective personalisation.

Example: Imagine knowing not just a customer's name but also their purchase history, website interactions, and email engagement. HubSpot CRM provides this holistic view.
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Segmentation Mastery: Precise segmentation is the key to personalisation. HubSpot CRM allows you to segment your audience based on demographics, behaviour, engagement history, and more.

Example: You can create highly specific segments, such as "Frequent Shoppers" or "Newsletter Subscribers," to tailor content and offers accordingly.
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Seamless Integration: HubSpot CRM seamlessly integrates with your email marketing platform, ensuring a smooth flow of data. This integration enhances the power of personalisation.

Example: You can automate the process of sending personalised emails based on CRM data, ensuring timely and relevant communication.

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Advanced Email Marketing Strategies

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Now, let's explore advanced email marketing strategies to take your campaigns to the next level:

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1. Behavioural Trigger Emails

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Utilise data from HubSpot CRM to send behavioural trigger emails. These emails are triggered by specific actions or events, such as website visits, form submissions, or product views. They are highly personalised and timed to perfection, increasing the chances of conversion.

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HubSpot CRM can send an email if someone leaves a shopping cart. The email suggests a product and reminds them to finish buying it.

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2. A/B Testing for Optimisation

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Experiment with A/B testing to optimise your email campaigns. Test different elements, such as subject lines, email content, and CTAs, to determine what resonates best with your audience. HubSpot CRM provides robust A/B testing capabilities.

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For best practices, ensure to perform A/B tests regularly to refine your email marketing strategy. Test one variable at a time to isolate its impact on engagement and conversion.

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3. Dynamic Content

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Leverage HubSpot CRM's capabilities to create dynamic content that adapts to each recipient's preferences and behaviour. Personalised content enhances engagement and drives conversions.

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Use CRM data to suggest products or services based on a contact's previous purchases or browsing history for a personalised experience. Dynamic content ensures these recommendations are always up-to-date.

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Key Metrics to Measure Email Marketing Success

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To gauge the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts, track these key metrics:

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1. Open Rate %

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The open rate measures the percentage of recipients who open your email. A higher open rate indicates that your subject lines and sender information are compelling.

Establish a strategy on how to improve open rates. Experiment with different subject line styles, emojis, and sender names to boost open rates. A/B test subject lines to discover what resonates with your audience.

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2. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

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CTR measures the percentage of recipients who click on links or CTAs within your email. It reflects the relevance and engagement level of your content.

Personalised content and compelling CTAs can significantly increase CTR. Monitor which links perform best and refine your content strategy accordingly.

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According to research published in the Journal of Marketing, personalised emails yield a 29% higher open rate and a 41% higher click-through rate compared to non-personalised counterparts.

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3. Conversion Rate

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The conversion rate tracks the percentage of recipients who take the desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. It's the ultimate measure of email campaign success.

Optimise your conversion rates by analysing the entire customer journey, identifying friction points. Streamline the customer journey and conversion process to boost this critical metric. Even a marginal improvement can have outstanding results for a business's bottom line.

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4. Email List Growth Rate

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Monitor how fast your email list is growing. A healthy growth rate indicates that your strategies for acquiring new subscribers are effective.

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Use CRM data to identify your most engaged contacts. Then, reach out to them and ask for referrals. Specifically, ask them to recommend friends and colleagues to join your email list.

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5. Churn Rate

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Churn rate measures the rate at which subscribers opt out or unsubscribe from your emails. Minimising churn is crucial for maintaining a healthy email list.

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To reduce churn rate, businesses can implement a win-back email campaign for inactive subscribers. Provide them with valuable content and incentives to re-engage with your emails.

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Conclusion: Mastering Email Marketing with HubSpot CRM

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HubSpot CRM is your dynamic email marketing ally. By harnessing its capabilities and implementing advanced strategies, you can create personalised email campaigns that drive engagement, conversions, and customer loyalty.

No matter what industry you're in, personalised email marketing with HubSpot CRM can help you succeed.

As the digital world continues to grow more crowded, the ability to connect with individuals on a personal level will set you apart. In the end, it's not just about sending emails; it's about delivering value, empathy, and relevance in every click, open, and interaction.

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Influencing Multi-Channel Marketing Using the Customer Journey

September 8, 2023

Influencing Multi-Channel Marketing Using the Customer Journey

In the fast-changing digital marketplace, connecting with customers across different touchpoints to enable and deploy a multi-channel marketing strategy has become very challenging. Because of this, understanding the customer journey has become a very important part of marketing. This article looks at how businesses can employ a structured approach to multi-channel marketing by mapping the customer journey. Throughout this blog we’ll look at ways to boost engagement, build loyalty, and achieve higher conversion rates.

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Understanding why Customer Journeys are Important

Consumers connect with brands through a multitude of online and offline channels. Making these experiences fit together is important. This is exactly why businesses can benefit from customer journey mapping. It's a way to see how potential customers connect, decide, and feel at each step of their journey from online user to customer. By understanding these intricate details, valuable insights into user behaviour and preferences can emerge, better informing business wide decision making.

Research from Harvard Business Review shows that businesses prioritising customer journey optimisation have a 54% higher return on their marketing investment.

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Buyer Personas in the Customer Journey

Creating an effective customer journey begins with identifying your target audience's buyer personas, and the touchpoints they have with your business. Online touchpoints can range from brand discovery in a social post, customer re-engagement from an email marketing campaign, or first-time purchase on your ecommerce store. Offline touchpoints could include visiting a brick-and-mortar store, or experience after sales with a customer service representative.

How to Start Mapping the Customer Journey

Customer journeys comprise various stages, from knowing, to thinking, and finally, deciding. By mapping each step of the customer journey, businesses can ensure they are offering consistent and personalised experiences. And, at each step of the journey, adjusting the content and messaging to resonate where customers are in their journey, the platform they are using, and what their needs are at that point in their journey.

Designing a thoughtful customer journey relies on understanding customer personas. Knowledge of who your target audiences are and how they interact with different marketing channels helps facilitate the design of multi-channel marketing strategies. Whether through social media, paid search, SEO, or email marketing, the goal is to provide a consistent and seamless experience aligned with user expectations.

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Tailoring Experiences in the Customer Journey

Personalisation is extremely important in mapping the customer journey. Using data from online platforms such as CRM Software or Google Analytics you can begin to take a data-driven approach to customising the user experience. For example, segmenting audiences in a CRM database by a customer's product preference gives you the ability to personalise remarketing ads they see from your business.

Alternatively the same audience could be used to deploy a personalised email campaign, suggesting products based on their previous interests or purchases with your business. In an otherwise disconnected digital environment, having the ability to personalise content and messaging can make customers feel more connected with your business.

Gathering data from various touchpoints provides valuable information about customer behaviour, preferences, and where they face difficulties. According to research by McKinsey Digital, businesses that employ data-driven insights in their customer journey strategies see an average of 15% increased revenue and 20% increase in customer satisfaction.
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Brand Consistency Across All Channels

Today’s audiences seamlessly move between digital touchpoints. It’s important businesses maintain a consistent user experience during these shifts. Whether a user discovers your brand on social media and browses your website or mobile app before making a purchase, the journey should be coherent and seamless, maintaining your brand’s identity throughout each touchpoint.Enabling brand consistency reassures to users that regardless of where they interact with your business, they will be met with the same quality. This consistency breeds trust and reinforces brand credibility.
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Refining the Customer Journey‍

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An effective customer journey is a dynamic tool that influences decision making and evolves over time. We encourage businesses to regularly monitor customer feedback and performance metrics, specifically to identify parts of the journey that lead to inefficiencies. Businesses and marketers must be prepared to iterate and adapt to the journey as customers' needs and behaviours change over time.

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Final Thoughts

A well-structured and informed customer journey is key to deploying a successful multi-channel marketing strategy. Businesses must organise touch points, understand customer intent, and use data insights to nurture audiences towards meaningful interactions and brand loyalty. It’s evident that a customer journey is more than a series of events. It’s a narrative shaping perceptions, building relationships, and driving growth.

Similar to the exploration of multi-channel marketing, skillfully mapping your customer journey will enhance engagement and provide personalised experiences that today's consumers seek.

A businesses commitment to optimising the customer journey mirrors its dedication to understanding, serving, and fulfilling its audience’s needs.

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A Comprehensive Guide to Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

August 23, 2023

A Comprehensive Guide to Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

In today's digital environment, businesses are faced with the challenge of reaching their target audience across many platforms and touchpoints. This challenge has given rise to the concept of multi-channel marketing, a strategy that empowers businesses to connect with their customers seamlessly across different channels. This guide will uncover insights that will help you start to craft a powerful multi-channel marketing strategy.

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What is Multi-Channel Marketing?

At its core, multi-channel marketing refers to the strategic approach of using multiple communication channels to engage with customers. These channels can encompass both digital and traditional mediums, such as social media, online advertising, targeted email campaigns, SMS, print media, and more. The goal is to provide a consistent and cohesive brand experience to customers, regardless of the channel they choose to interact with.

The Benefits of Multi-Channel Marketing

Businesses seeking a competitive advantage can leverage multi-channel marketing's benefits including;

Enhanced Customer Experience: By engaging with potential customers on platforms they frequent, multi-channel marketing enhances the customer journey, contributing to a more personalised experience.
Increased Brand Visibility: Having brand presence across diverse channels enhances brand recognition and recall, reinforcing your brand's presence to your target audience.
Higher Engagement: Each marketing channel presents unique opportunities for engagement. Through cross-channel strategies, tailor your content to resonate effectively with your audience, translating into heightened engagement rates.
Improved Conversion Rates: The potential to reach customers across multiple touch points can result in improved conversion rates. According to a study by Omnisend, businesses utilising three or more channels in their marketing strategies experience a 287% higher purchase rate compared to single-channel efforts.

Source: Omnisend study.
Data-Driven Insights: The multi-channel approach allows for the collection of data from various sources, offering invaluable insights into customer behaviour and preferences.

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How to Create a Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

Know Your Audience: Understanding your target audience is pivotal. Investigate their preferences, behaviours, and communication habits across different channels to tailor your strategies.
Channel Selection: Not all channels hold equal relevance. Opt for channels aligned with both your audience's preferences and your brand's identity.
Consistent Messaging: Unify your brand message across all channels to maintain a seamless brand identity, preventing confusion for customers.
Personalisation: Customise your content for each channel's unique characteristics. What resonates on social media might not translate well in an email campaign, highlighting the importance of personalisation for enhanced customer engagement.
Timing is Key: Strategic timing plays a pivotal role in multi-channel marketing. Understand when your audience is most active on each channel to optimise your content distribution.
Measurement and Analysis: Incorporate attribution models to gauge the effectiveness of each channel. Regular data analysis will uncover trends and areas for improvement. According to Salesforce, companies that use data-driven marketing are six times more likely to be profitable year-over-year.

Source: 2023 Salesforce Blog

Insights from Industry Experts

“Understanding your audience in as much detail as possible is absolutely critical when running multi-channel campaigns. So conducting customer & market research should always be a start-point. You have to collate evidence to support your decision making when it comes to channel selection, and this should ideally be driven by 1st party data. If research & planning is done correctly, it should ultimately lead to less failed experiments and more successful campaign execution.” - Peter Graham from Bridge Interactive.

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Attribution Models in Multi-Channel Marketing

Understanding the contribution of each channel to customer engagement and conversions is important. This is where attribution models can help, providing insights into how various touch points work together to drive results. Let's look into the significance of attribution models and how they can provide insights into your multi-channel marketing strategy.

What are Attribution Models?

Attribution models are frameworks that assign credit to different touch points along the customer journey, helping you comprehend what role each channel plays in influencing customers. While various attribution models exist, three common ones are:

First-Touch Attribution: This model attributes the entire credit for a conversion to the first interaction a customer has with your brand. For instance, if a customer discovers your brand through a social media post and later makes a purchase after receiving an email, the credit would go to the social media.
Last-Touch Attribution: In contrast, last-touch attribution attributes the conversion to the final interaction before a conversion. In the same example, the email touchpoint would receive full credit for the conversion.
Multi-Touch Attribution: Recognising that multiple touchpoints contribute to a conversion, this model distributes credit across various interactions in the customer journey. Each touchpoint receives a portion of the credit based on its influence.

The Use Case for Attribution Models

In the world of multi-channel marketing, customers often engage with several touchpoints before making a decision. Attribution models provide clarity into the customer journey, enabling you to allocate resources more effectively. By understanding which channels contribute most to conversions, you can fine-tune strategies, optimise content, and enhance customer experiences.

How to Implement Attribution Models

Choose the Right Model: Select an attribution model that aligns with your goals and the complexity of your sales process.
Data Integration: Collect data from various channels and sources to gain a comprehensive view of customer interactions. Marketing automation tools such as HubSpot can assist in aggregating data for analysis.
Test and Refine: Regularly evaluate and adjust your chosen model to reflect changes in customer behaviour and marketing strategies.
Consider Cross-Channel Interactions: Multi-channel marketing often involves cross-channel interactions. Ensure your attribution model accounts for the synergies between channels.
Holistic Approach: Avoid solely relying on a single attribution model. Instead, consider using multiple models to gain a well-rounded perspective on your marketing efforts' impact. Google Analytics 4 has a model comparison tool which can be used to compare how different models impact the valuation of your marketing channels.

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Attribution Models in Action

Imagine you're marketing your brand. A potential customer discovers your brand through a Facebook ad, then later watches a YouTube tutorial showcasing your products, and finally makes a purchase after receiving a personalised email with a special offer. In this scenario:

First-Touch Attribution: Facebook receives full credit for the sale.
Last-Touch Attribution: Email marketing takes all the credit.
Multi-Touch Attribution: Facebook, YouTube, and Email each receive a portion of the credit, recognizing their combined influence in the customer's decision-making journey.

By implementing a suitable attribution model, you'd gain insights into the significance of each touchpoint, enabling you to allocate resources and refine your strategies accordingly.

Conclusion

Embracing multi-channel marketing reshapes how businesses connect with their audience. By offering a seamless experience across diverse channels, you amplify customer engagement and increase the likelihood of transforming potential leads into loyal customers. This approach, coupled with the implementation of attribution models, allows you to navigate the multi-channel landscape with precision.

Just as every touchpoint contributes to a customer's journey, every data point, illuminated by attribution models, contributes to refining your approach and enhancing the impact of your multi-channel strategy.

At Clear Click, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities that the multi-channel marketing presents. If you're considering deploying an effective marketing strategy, our expert team is here to help guide your journey. Feel free to contact us today to start your journey towards achieving excellence in multi-channel marketing.

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Prosperity Over Profit – Social Responsibility at Clear Click

February 2, 2023

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is something that many companies regard as a nice-to-have, a way to virtue signal, or a way to limit the harm their business causes in terms of things like emissions. This is not how we see social responsibility at Clear Click. Today, we’re taking a closer look at what the term means to us and what our goals are in terms of giving back.

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Why we invest in corporate social responsibility as an SME

The website Investopedia has this to say about corporate social responsibility:

“Companies that adopt CSR programs have often grown their business to the point where they can give back to society. Thus, CSR is typically a strategy that's implemented by large corporations. After all, the more visible and successful a corporation is, the more responsibility it has to set standards of ethical behaviour for its peers, competition, and industry.”

We don’t think this is enough. Social responsibility shouldn’t be regarded as something that companies have to do in order to appease stakeholders and appeal to the wider public. It’s also not something that should be left only to large corporations with similarly large budgets.

We all inhabit the same communities and the same planet, so caring for them is on all of us. Businesses of all sizes can find corporate social responsibility initiatives they can get involved in and excited about – and the benefits of this spread wider than you may think.

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The three Ps of social responsibility

The author and entrepreneur John Elkington came up with the term “triple bottom line” in 1994. It’s a framework often represented as a Venn diagram comprising of what are called the three Ps: people, planet and profit. Where these three meet is where you can find sustainability.

However, in 2019, he announced in the Harvard Business Review that he’d like to recall the term. Why?

The reason was certainly not that the need for corporate responsibility had diminished in any way. If anything, it’s needed now more than ever. Instead, Elkington argues that the true meaning of the so-called three Ps has been lost or misinterpreted.

The triple bottom line is often described as an accounting tool, but it was meant to be much more than that – it was meant to make us all think about the future of capitalism and bring forth innovation and disruption. Too often, the focus of the people and planet part of the equation focuses only on limiting harm, while pursuing profit – simple revenue – remains the most important part.

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People and planet

In terms of the triple bottom line model, “people” refers to:

Your employees
Their families
Customers
Community
Suppliers

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People-centric social responsibility schemes may involve different philanthropic projects such as employee wellness programmes and donations and volunteer days at things like cancer charities or food banks.

Meanwhile, “planet” encapsulates the impact the business has on the environment, including limiting its carbon footprint as well as its use of natural resources and toxic materials (limiting harm). It also entails proactive initiatives around things like the removal of waste, reforestation and other restoration projects (making progress).

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Profit vs prosperity

Profit is where many organisations fundamentally misinterpret the triple bottom line. Profit is too often reduced to simple financial profit when John Elkington meant the word in a much broader sense, including wider economic impact such as:

Creating employment
Generating innovation
Paying taxes
Creating wealth

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This definition of profit has much wider implications that can positively impact people and the planet. It has more focus on social than financial profit. For this reason, it might make more sense to think about this part of the triple bottom line equation as prosperity rather than profit. This word is closer to the kind of economic impact originally implicated in the framework.

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Clear Click’s CSR commitments

We subscribe to the idea that corporate social responsibility should entail not just limiting harm, but actively making progress in terms of people and the planet. We also believe that doing good business means much more than simple financial profit. For this reason, we want to put our money where our mouth is.

This means creating an organisation that’s not only a great place to work and do business with, but that also gives back – not as a way to simply reduce harm or as a PR trick, but as a way to make a genuine positive difference.

At present, Clear Click is signed up for Ecologi’s Climate Positive Workforce® initiative. Ecologi is a UK-based social enterprise aimed at offsetting business carbon emissions by investing in carbon avoidance projects and planting trees to help combat rising temperatures. The Climate Positive Workforce® initiative plants ten trees a month and reduces nine tonnes of carbon emissions annually for each employee.

We see this as only the beginning of Clear Click’s social responsibility journey. As we go forward, we want to identify and invest in worthy causes that support people and the planet. Have any ideas for where we could make a difference? Drop us an email and let us know!

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An Introduction to Google Tag Manager

December 17, 2022

In this introduction article about Google Tag Manager, you can expect to find out:

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After this introductory article about Google Tag Manager, you will have a general overview of the tool and its key features and understand how it can be used to improve tracking and marketing efforts on your website.

What is Google Tag Manager & How it works?

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Google Tag Manager is a free tool provided by Google that allows users to easily add, manage, and update tracking tags and code snippets on their websites. It allows marketers, analysts, and other web professionals to quickly and easily make changes to the tracking and marketing codes on their websites without having to involve a web developer. This makes it possible for marketers and other non-technical users to take control of their website tracking and marketing efforts and make changes to their tracking setup without having to wait for a developer to make the changes for them.

Key Benefits of Google Tag manager

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One of the key benefits of using Google Tag Manager is that it allows users to quickly and easily add new tracking and marketing tags to their website without having to update the website's code. This means that marketers and other non-technical users can add new tracking and marketing tags to their websites without having to wait for a developer to make the changes for them. This is especially useful for marketers who want to quickly test out new marketing campaigns or tracking setups without having to wait for a developer to make the changes for them.

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Google Tag Manager also makes it easy to manage and update the tracking and marketing tags on your website. With Google Tag Manager, you can easily see all of the tracking and marketing tags that are currently installed on your website, and you can quickly make changes to them without having to update the website's code. This means that you can make changes to your tracking and marketing tags on the fly, without having to wait for a developer to make the changes for you.

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Another key benefit of using Google Tag Manager is that it allows you to easily track events on your website. With Google Tag Manager, you can create custom event tags that will track specific actions that users take on your website. This can be anything from clicking on a specific button or link to scrolling to a certain point on the page. With this information, you can gain a better understanding of how users are interacting with your website, which can help you make more informed decisions about your marketing and tracking efforts.

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Google Tag Manager also makes it easy to set up and manage tags for Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a powerful tool that allows you to track the traffic and behaviour of visitors to your website. With Google Tag Manager, you can easily add the Google Analytics tracking code to your website and manage it without updating the website's code. This makes it easy to set up and manage Google Analytics tracking on your website, which can help you gain valuable insights into the performance of your website.

How Google Tag Manager can help your marketing efforts

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Overall, Google Tag Manager is a valuable tool for marketers, analysts, and other web professionals who want to easily add, manage and update tracking and marketing tags on their websites. It allows non-technical users to take control of their website tracking and marketing efforts and make changes to their tracking setup without having to involve a web developer. This makes it possible for marketers to quickly test out new marketing campaigns and tracking setups, and it makes it easy to track events and set up Google Analytics tracking on your website.

The key features of Google Tag Manager

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Google Tag Manager has several key features that make it a powerful and useful tool for managing and tracking the various tags and scripts on a website. Some key features include;

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Preview and testing

With Google Tag Manager, you can preview and test your tags before they are deployed on your website. This can help to ensure that your tags are working correctly and that they are not causing any problems on your website. You can also use Google Tag Manager to test different versions of your tags and compare their performance to see which ones are most effective.

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Tracking and debugging

Google Tag Manager allows you to track and debug your tags to identify and troubleshoot any issues that may arise. This can help to ensure that your tags are working correctly and that they are providing accurate and useful data.

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Tag management

One of the key features of Google Tag Manager is the ability to manage all of your website's tags from a single interface. This can save time and effort, and can help to ensure that your tags are always up-to-date and working correctly.

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Triggers and variables

Google Tag Manager allows you to create and manage tags using a variety of different triggers and variables. This means that you can control when and where your tags are fired, and customise them based on specific user actions or events.

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Overall, these and other key features of Google Tag Manager make it a powerful and useful tool for managing and tracking the various tags and scripts on a website. By using these features, you can improve the accuracy and effectiveness of your tracking and marketing efforts, and make it easier to manage the various tags on your website.

How to Get Started with Google Tag Manager?

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To get started with Google Tag Manager and use it to manage and optimise the tags on your website, you can follow these steps:

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Sign up for a Google Tag Manager account: Go to the Google Tag Manager website and sign up for a free account. You will need to provide some basic information, such as your name, email address, and website URL.
Install the Google Tag Manager code on your website: Once you have signed up for an account, you will need to install the Google Tag Manager code on your website. This code will allow Google Tag Manager to communicate with your website and manage the tags on it.
Create a new container: After installing the code on your website, you will need to create a new container in Google Tag Manager. This will be the place where you will manage and track the tags on your website.
Add tags to your container: Once you have created a container, you can begin adding tags to it. This can be done by clicking on the "Add a new tag" button and configuring the settings for your tag, such as the type of tag, the trigger for when it should be fired, and any other relevant settings.
Publish your container: After adding tags to your container, you will need to publish it in order for the tags to start working on your website. This can be done by clicking on the "Publish" button in the top-right corner of the Google Tag Manager interface.
Monitor and track your tags: Once your container is published, you can begin monitoring and tracking your tags to see how they are performing on your website. You can use Google Tag Manager to view the data that your tags are collecting, as well as track and debug any issues that may arise.

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Overall, getting started with Google Tag Manager is relatively simple and can be done in just a few steps. By following the steps outlined above, you can begin using Google Tag Manager to manage and optimise the tags on your website.

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But if you would prefer the peace of mind and have one of our experts at Clear Click set this up, feel free to contact us for a free consultation.

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The Ultimate Guide to On-page SEO for Ecommerce Websites

November 9, 2022

It’s no secret that ecommerce has grown massively in recent years. During the Covid-19 pandemic alone, ecommerce grew by a whopping 55%. All this growth is fantastic news for ecommerce websites, though it also means that competition has never been fiercer: while there are roughly 12-24 million ecommerce sites worldwide,, fewer than a million of them make sales over a thousand dollars annually.

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On-page SEO for ecommerce websites is nothing short of vital for any retail business who want to be one of those million sites. On-page SEO increases your ecommerce business’s visibility to people looking for your products online, helping you attract visitors to your website, and eventually convert as a sale.

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In this guide, we’ll go over all the different aspects of on-page SEO and how you can utilise them to make your ecommerce website stand out in the SERP.

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What is SEO for e-commerce?

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Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is the process of optimising your website in order to appear higher in search engine results.

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For example, if a potential customer is looking for your product online, typically, they start by searching for the product on search engines like Google to compare prices and features of similar products in the market, read reviews, and search for tips and advice. So, if you follow SEO best practices, your ecommerce site will appear high up in the searches when this person is looking for your product, and they are more likely to shop from your business.

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However, content-centric websites' SEO practices differ from those of ecommerce websites. This is because the goals an ecommerce website has for its website traffic are different from those of, say, a news website.

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While a news website is looking for people to spend a lot of time reading a page and interacting with it by reading linked articles, commenting, and sharing content on social media, an ecommerce website needs people to add items to cart and make purchases.

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Before we share some ways to help improve the on-page SEO for your ecommerce website, let’s first understand the difference between on-page and off-page SEO practices.

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What is on-page SEO?

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As the name suggests, on-page SEO for ecommerce websites means optimising various elements of your website to add more value for the customer - which in turn helps you to rank higher in search results. This includes, among other things, keyword optimisation, improving your website’s load time, and simplifying your website architecture.

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On the other hand, off-page SEO is the process of optimising elements outside your website, like increasing the number of backlinks pointing to your website and growing your social media reach. The purpose of these activities is to increase your site's domain authority, essentially telling Google you’re a reputable resource. This, too, will help you rank higher in the SERP.

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It’ worth noting that ecommerce websites are susceptible to ranking lower in search engines because many websites selling the same or similar products have similar product descriptions and product titles. So, as an ecommerce business owner, you need to work on your off-page SEO alongside your on-page SEO to set your business and products apart from the competition.

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How to improve on-page SEO for e-commerce websites

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Google’s whole mission is to provide its users with the most useful search results possible. For your site to be deemed ‘useful,’ you need to be implementing the key on-page SEO techniques outlined below.

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It’s good to remember that optimising your website takes time, effort, and patience before you see results; a time frame of 3 - 12 months is normal for SEO. The following techniques can help you get to the top of the SERP as fast as possible.

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1) Keyword research

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Keyword research and placement are essential to increase your online visibility. Keyword research involves finding out what terms your ideal customers are using to search for products like yours online, and then peppering them into various relevant places on your website so Google can tell that you’re a good resource on the topic.

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For ecommerce sites, you should keep search intent in mind when doing keyword research. Depending on what stage of the buyer’s journey your prospective customer is in, they’ll be looking for a solution to a problem, researching their options, or looking for the best deal on their chosen product.

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You can use keywords to target people in each of these stages, but for the purposes of today’s guide, we’ll focus on commercial and transactional search intent - essentially people who are getting ready to purchase.

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For example, a consumer looking for a laptop might search for “buy new laptop” or “best deals on Dell laptops,” so you might want to incorporate these keywords into your site’s content.

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Commercial keyword users clearly intend to buy a particular product and are likely to purchase it if they visit your site. So, using these commercial keywords on your site will help you attract an audience that is more likely to shop with you.

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Some other things to keep in mind while incorporating keywords into your content are:

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Incorporate keywords that have a high search volume. The larger the search volume, the more people there are searching for that specific keyword.

Identify keywords that have low competition. While it makes sense to go for keywords with thehighest search volume, this isn’t always the most realistic goal, as a keyword like “buy new laptop” will have fierce competition. Going for lower competition keywords will give you a better chance of ranking in the first page of search results.

Go for long-tail keywords. One of the best ways to find low-competition keywords is to narrow things down with long-tail keywords. So instead of “buy new laptop”, you might target “best PC laptops for students”.

Avoid keyword stuffing. Too much of a good thing can spoil your efforts. Google can tell when you’re artificially inserting a keyword in every spot possible. Write for humans, not search engines, and Google will reward you with higher rankings.

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You can find out more about doing keyword research here. Once you have found some relevant keywords, it’s time to put your research to use.

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2) Keyword Placement

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Once you have identified the right keywords to use on your page, it’s vital to place them strategically to maximise traffic. Appropriate keyword placement allows search engines to index your site for those keywords, resulting in a higher ranking on the SERP.

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You should focus on the following elements to master your keyword placement:

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Headings – optimise your headings, such as title tags (H1), with relevant keywords so that each page on your website is optimised around a unique keyword. This makes it likelier to be found by the right audience. Of course, depending on your content, you might have various subheadings (H2, H3, H4, and so on). Apart from improving SEO, subheadings also improve your page’s user experience as your content becomes more structured and visitors can quickly refer to the headings they’re specifically looking for. Use subheaders as signposts for your content and to target secondary keywords.

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In the first 100 words – mentioning your primary keyword in the first 100 words of content helps search engines understand what your page is all about. The first few sentences should give an overview of the contents of the entire page. You should also naturally scatter your keywords every few sentences. The general rule is to mention your primary keyword every 100-150 words.

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Optimise images – this involves working on the image’s file name and alt text to include keywords so as to make it more SEO-friendly. These pieces of text link the product and image together and are crucial to your ecommerce website’s SEO.In addition, when uploading the image to your ecommerce site, avoid using default file names. Instead, keep the image file name the same as your product listing name so it’s easier for Google to process the context behind your images. Lastly, make sure you use high-quality images. This helps with SEO, as well as with social media engagement. Follow the image dimensions specified by your website host to have the optimal image sizes.

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URL slug – URLs are an important component of SEO. So instead of automatically generating a URL using a CMS, you should manually create one. Make sure the URL you use contains the target keyword and keep it short – the keyword itself is usually enough for SEO purposes.

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Title tags – this is the hyperlink that appears on the search results page, which visitors click to open your page. Title tags allow users to understand what your site is about, leading to a better user experience, and as you know, UX is crucial for your website’s SEO. Title tags are short, usually less than 60 characters. Make sure to mention your target keyword in the title tag.

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Meta description – this is the tiny summary of your page that appears under the title tag on the SERP. It gives visitors an overview of the page insight into your page, when they’re deciding which links to open on the SERP. This is why it is critical to optimise your meta description – it indicates to the potential visitors if your page will answer their queries. Meta descriptions are extremely short, typically under 160 characters. Ensure you mention the target keyword and other related keywords depending on the context. Finally, use meta descriptions that are actionable and clearly communicate what your site has to offer the audience.

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Anchor text – anchor text is a word or phrase that is used to add links to other internal or external sources. Your anchor text should contain the keyword it is targeting or be closely related to the page/website you’re linking to. Linking through inappropriate or random anchor texts makes it difficult for search engines to index your content.

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Product descriptions – these are essential not only for SEO but also for helping the customer make an informed choice while purchasing your product. Ensure your product descriptions use the relevant keywords for that product, and make key features of your product stand out.

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They should include information such as return or exchange policy, reviews, shipping time and charges, and suggestions for other similar products. This way, prospective customers will find it easier to shop with your business because they have all that they need to make an informed purchase. This will help convert your organic leads into paying customers. You should also make sure your product descriptions are unique to your business - more on this below.

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3) Avoid duplicate content

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As an ecommerce website, there are two key aspects to remember when creating content for your product pages:

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1. Your product descriptions and on-site content should be original and not plagiarised from another website, such as your manufacturer.

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2. Your content shouldn’t be copied from another page on your own site, either. For example, you shouldn’t use the same description for a blue t-shirt and a red t-shirt that are on two different product pages.

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Unfortunately, not following these two suggestions will significantly lower your search ranking because Google looks for unique content and fresh perspectives.

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The solution for this is simple: draft unique content for each product on your site and ensure it’s entirely original. Of course, this can be labour-intensive if you sell hundreds of products.

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One solution for this is to group variations of a product and display them on the same product page. This way, you can use the same description for product variations without duplicating your content. This also makes your e-commerce site more user-friendly because customers can easily find product variations without leaving the product page.

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4) Improve page load time

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Page load time measures how fast an internet user can open your website page. Essentially, your page load speed depends on how much time it takes to download all the elements on your website, like images, content, and stylesheets.

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Most ecommerce sites take around 6 seconds to load, while other websites take around 2-3 seconds.

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Your website loading speed is an important ranking factor, and if you’re not sure what your load time currently is, you can find out using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool.

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If your site takes a long time to load, people will often leave your website quickly. This increases the bounce rate and reduces the average time people spend on your website. Unfortunately, Google’s algorithm sees this as an indication that your site is not helpful and ranks your site lower in the search results. Therefore, good site speed is essential for SEO.

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A good page load time is essential for conversion, and the highest ecommerce conversion rates occur on pages with load times between 0 and 2 seconds.

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If your site is currently slow, some common issues could be because:

There is too much content on your site for your server to handle.
There are too many images and scripts, and they are slowing the page loading.
There’s a problem with your web host.

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If you want to speed up your site’s speed, you can try:

Having fewer images
Compressing files
Optimising images
Using fewer widgets
Having concise content
Avoiding clutter on the page
Limiting redirects and HTTPS requests
Speeding up server response time
Deleting ghost pages or sections
Enabling browser caching
Opting for a better host service

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5) Make sure your site is user-friendly

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Audit your site to track and resolve issues affecting your ecommerce site's user experience.

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You can enhance your site's user experience by ensuring the design is intuitive and that the person visiting your site can quickly find what they are looking for. Good navigation tools, review features, and functional page designs give your site a better ‘feel’ and lead to a better user experience, improving its Google ranking.

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Here are some actionable guidelines to ensure your page provides a good user experience:

Have a functional and visually appealing page design
Make sure ads don’t interfere with any of your content or disrupt functionality repeatedly
See that your site loads quickly and is optimised for mobile use
Have some navigation tools on your site to make it easy for the user
Have clear categorisation of products on your site

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Website optimisation and consistent designs improve the user experience of your ecommerce site and boost your search engine ranking.

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6) Mobile-First Indexing

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Because so much of search traffic now comes from mobile phones, Google uses the mobile version of your ecommerce site when ranking of your website. This is called mobile-first indexing.

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So, ensure that your ecommerce site's mobile version is optimised to be as fast and user-friendly as possible. You can use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to assess how mobile-friendly your site currently is.

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Here are some quick tips to help your website be more mobile-friendly:

Eliminate all filler words and content.
Disable pop-ups and sidebar options for the mobile view because they don’t work well with smaller screens.
Add a shopping cart feature to your mobile site.
Your CTA button should be larger in size and thumb-friendly and should be highlighted.
Ensure your site content is well-indented and scroll friendly.
Speed up your website for mobile devices.

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According to Insider Intelligence, the US mcommerce (mobile commerce) will nearly double its share of total retail sales from $359.32 billion in 2021 to $728.28 billion in 2025. Given the massive surge in popularity of using smartphones for online shopping, optimising your online store’s mobile version is crucial.

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7) Blog content

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Having valuable blog content is a powerful tool to boost the on-page SEO for your ecommerce website. This is because blog content allows you to target valuable keywords and provide more value to your website visitors, making them more likely to purchase from you.. Writing blog posts also allows you to display expertise in your niche and attract a new audience interested in reading your posts.

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Here are some tips for creating informative, SEO-friendly blog posts for your ecommerce website:

Answer questions your customers typically ask you. For example, if you sell olive oil, some titles for your blog posts might include “what olive oil to choose for salad dressings” and “the health benefits of olive oil”.
Your posts can educate your readers about ways to make better purchases online, such as what to look for to buy quality products within your niche, or how to use their new purchase best.
Your blog posts should include good-quality images to break up the text and keep the reader engaged.
Your blog posts should link back to the products you are selling.
You should ensure that your content is adding value to your readers, free of grammatical errors, and not plagiarised.

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Regularly posting blog content on your ecommerce site will help you gain your audience’s trust and boost your website’s rankings.

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8) Reviews

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Customer reviews are crucial in showing new customers that you are a credible business. People tend to trust the word of their peers over someone who wants to sell them something. Online reviews serve as social proof that other people have shopped and had a good experience with your company.

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Customer reviews also do wonders for your SEO because the search engine algorithm views your business as more credible when you have many reviews. These product reviews can also pull into the SERP, grabbing attention and increasing click through rate (CTR).

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According to Reviews.io brands that display product reviews have a 18% higher conversion rate and a 11% higher average order value (AOV).

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Encourage your customers to leave reviews whenever they make a purchase, perhaps with a discount code for their next purchase, and ensure you respond appropriately to your customers’ reviews.

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9) Structured Data

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Structured data – also known as schema markup – allows you to feed the search engines information regarding your website in a language they can understand.

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As we all know, search engines use algorithms to evaluate your page. So, it’s essential to use language on your site that can be easily processed by search engines. Basically, you don’t have to depend on the search engine algorithm’s ability to correctly understand the content of your site alone; you can use structured data to directly feed this information to be displayed in the SERP.

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By using structured data, you can display crucial information such as reviews and ratings, price range, and product availability right on the SERP. This improves your click-through-rate as customers have more relevant information about your product before even visiting your site.

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10) Internal Linking

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Creating links between different pages on your website improves the organic ranking of your website. This is called internal linking.

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You should implement two strategies for internal linking: linking between pages to spread link equity and capitalising on anchor text. Internal linking allows you to build a strong interconnected network within your site, allowing search engine bots to efficiently crawl and index your site. It essentially creates a clear road map of your site for them. As with most elements related to SEO, it also improves UX by enabling easier navigation for customers.

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Depending on the size of your site, you may have numerous pages, including layers of categories and subcategories. As consumers make their way through your site, the pages can go from general to highly specific. So, strategic internal linking is an effective mechanism to tell search engines and visitors about the most important and relevant pages.

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How Clear Click can help with on-page SEO for your ecommerce website

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Ecommerce is a fiercely competitive landscape, and you need to invest in SEO to ensure your business stands out from the crowd. While you can start implementing the strategies we’ve outlined in this guide on your own, improving on-page SEO for ecommerce websites can be a lot of work and require lots of expert knowledge. This is where Clear Click comes in.

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Here at Clear Click, we help businesses like yours build and implement comprehensive strategies for their on-page and off-page SEO in order to reach a larger audience, stand out from the competitors, and ultimately drive more sales.

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If you’re interested to know more, book a free consultation call with Clear Click.

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SEO Services for Ecommerce - What’s Included & Why You Need Them

November 7, 2022

As an ecommerce store, your website is your shopfront - so you need to make sure people can easily find it. That’s where ecommerce SEO comes in. It’s essentially your way of getting your business on the map so that your potential customers can discover you.

In today’s guide, we’ll go over what’s included in SEO services for ecommerce and what value they offer to your business. This way, your ideal customers can find you and fall in love with your brand.

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Why you need SEO services for your ecommerce business

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Appearing on the first page of Google search results is not just a nice-to-have - it’s a necessity.

71-92% of Google searchers don’t go past the first page of search results. And while you can also drive traffic and purchases through things like social media, PPC advertising, and word of mouth, traffic from Google is vital for online store. Google is the most visited website in the world, and almost half of product searches begin on the search engine.

The bottom line is that there’s no value in having a great website if people can’t find it. And the way for people to find your website is through Google, the search engine that dominates over 90% of the market share.

The way to get to the first page in the SERP (search engine results page) is by utilising ecommerce SEO tactics like keyword optimisation and link building. Read on to discover the most important ecommerce SEO services.

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What’s included in ecommerce SEO services?

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Seeing results from your SEO efforts can take some time, often several months. However, those results provide value for a long time. This makes SEO one of the most cost-effective marketing tools in your arsenal Below are some of the strategies we use at Clear Click to improve our ecommerce clients’ SEO.

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1. SEO audit

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When working with an SEO agency, the first order of business should be to find out your current SEO standing. After all, if you don’t know where you are, how can you figure out where you’re going? An SEO audit for an ecommerce business will check that:

Your website is optimised for Google to crawl your website properly
That your website loads fast
Your website content is SEO-friendly
Backlinks to your website are functioning and from reputable sources

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The findings from this audit will help to build an SEO strategy that addresses areas for improvement. It’s also not a one-and-done activity - you should carry out an SEO audit of your website regularly in order to evaluate the success of your SEO strategy and to make further improvements.

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2. Technical SEO optimisation

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As we already alluded to, in order for people to find your website, Google’s bots have to be able to crawl and categorise it effectively first. Optimising your website for SEO from the technical point of view includes things like:

XML sitemap creation and submission
Optimising your robots.txt file
Schema markup optimisation

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If all of the above sounds like gibberish, don’t worry - that’s what SEO experts are for! If you’d like to learn a little more about these topics, check out our recent ecommerce SEO checklist.

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3. Keyword research and implementation

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The way to get discovered on Google is by using the right keywords that match the search queries your ideal customers use to find what they’re looking for. There are a variety of free and subscription-based tools out there that allow you to find keywords that are relevant to your business, how popular they are, and what kind of search intent is linked to them, among other things.

Once you’ve done some keyword research, you can apply your keywords to things like metadata and existing website content from product pages to blog posts.

SEO content writing is one of the most valuable keyword implementation strategies. It helps nurture Google searchers who’d like to do a bit more research on their options before purchasing, earn quality backlinks to your website, and gain a higher ranking in the SERP for keywords relevant to your business. Publishing helpful content around your niche on a regular basis also helps to establish your business as a thought leader within your industry.

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4. Product page optimisation

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Your product pages are arguably the most important part of your website, so making sure they’re optimised for search engines is vital. Each page should ideally have:

At least a few paragraphs of original, keyword-optimised content
Keyword-optimised URL, meta description, meta title, and image alt text
A page layout that is clear and reflects the way people shop online
Social proof, e.g. reviews
A clear, enticing call-to-action

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5. Link building

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On-page SEO is hugely important for ecommerce websites, but it’s not the only form of SEO to focus on. Link building is one of the most powerful off-page SEO activities. It relies on reputable websites linking back to your website in order to signal to Google that you, too, are a trustworthy resource.

Backlinks will naturally appear over time when you regularly publish quality content, but you can also build backlinks deliberately. This can be somewhat labour-intensive because you want to make sure each link is earned, relevant, from a reputable source, and links to high-quality content. However, the benefits of a healthy backlink profile make it worth the effort.

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Your website is the biggest advertisement for your business. Investing in SEO services for your ecommerce website helps to boost your brand as a whole, while PPC campaigns will only be able to highlight a few of your product pages at a time. Both can offer great value for your business. If you’d like to learn more about SEO services for ecommerce at Clear Click, book your free, no-commitment consultation with us today.

Ecommerce SEO Checklist for Small Businesses

October 20, 2022

SEO is one of the most cost-effective ways for ecommerce businesses to build brand awareness and generate more website visits. But how do you get started with SEO? And how do you know how well you’re doing and what you should improve? That’s exactly what this guide will teach you.

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In this article, we’ll go over things you should add to your ecommerce SEO checklist in order to develop a strong marketing strategy for your business. This should provide you with a brief but comprehensive list of things to get you started with improving SEO for your ecommerce website.

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Technical SEO

1. Can Google bots crawl and index your website?

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The number one thing you need to ensure is that Google can find and crawl your website correctly - otherwise, it won’t show up in search results. In order to crawl and index your website effectively, Google’s crawlers need a clear map. This is where your sitemap.xml and robots.txt files come in handy.

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An XML sitemap is a file that maps out your most important pages, telling the search engine to prioritise them, while not placing as much emphasis on things like old blog posts from several years ago.

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You’ll also want to make sure you have a robots.txt file in your root directory. It works hand in hand with your sitemap.xml file to ensure your website can be crawled effectively and that the information Google’s bots find is indexed accurately.

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Your robots.txt file is essentially a list of instructions for crawler bots. While you can also submit your XML sitemap directly to Google, it’s enough to have your robots.txt file point to it. Your robots.txt file can also include a list of pages you don’t want to be crawled and showing up in search results, such as your checkout page and WordPress admin page, which is very useful.

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2. Are your site architecture and linking up to par?

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Having a relatively flat structure to your website makes it easier for Google bots to crawl your website, but it also makes for a better user experience.

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You should link to all your most important pages from your homepage and they, in turn, should link to their most relevant subpages. In order to keep things as simple, you should be able to navigate between any two pages on your website in three clicks or less.

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Additionally, internally linking to other pages within your website helps Google crawlers understand the structure of your website and the links between different topics. Make sure you use keywords in hyperlinks and remove broken or outdated links periodically.

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3. Have you included structured data?

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Structured data is a way to organise the data on your website in a way that Google can understand. The “language” used to do this is called schema markup. It essentially tells the search engine what type of content lives on a page - is it a product page, a how-to-article, or maybe a review?

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Adding structured data to your website makes for a richer listing for your website in the SERP (search engine results page). This way, when people google something that brings your website up, the listing might include star ratings, extra navigational links to different pages on your website, example products, and more.

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All of this makes it more likely that the searcher will click to visit your website. Structured data can even help you land the coveted spot as the featured snippet at the top of search results. You can find out more about schema markup here.

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4. Is your website mobile-friendly?

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It’s hardly surprising to say that smartphones have changed the way we do almost everything - online shopping included. And Google has taken notice, which means that if your website isn’t optimised for mobile, it won’t appear in the SERP.

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Making sure your website is optimised for mobile means, among other things, that your website copy is readable on mobile, that images scale properly and that your links are large enough to click. Luckily, Google has a dedicated tool for testing your website’s mobile-friendliness.

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5. Is your website loading fast enough?

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Your website speed is another technical element that can have a large impact on both your user experience and the way Google ranks your website in the SERP. If a website takes longer than a second or two to load, many people will navigate away instantly. Your website’s loading time also plays a key part in making sure your website is mobile-friendly.

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Some ways to increase your website’s loading speed include:

Using a fast DNS system
Reducing redirects on your website
Reducing the size of image files

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Google’s PageSpeed Insights is a great SEO tool for optimising your website’s load time.

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SEO Content & On-Page SEO

6. Are you targeting the right keywords?

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In order to show up in the SERP, your website needs to provide answers to the questions your potential customers are asking also known as a search query. This is where keyword research comes in.

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Doing keyword research helps you provide the best possible user experience to your website visitors. It’s also essential for optimising not only your blog posts and product pages but also your home page, contact page, FAQ section, and metadata (more on this later).

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Your keyword research can help you recognise good opportunities for SEO writing in order for you to become a trusted authority on your chosen topic in Google’s eyes.

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For more information on finding and using keywords relevant to your business, check out our dedicated guide to doing keyword research.

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7. Do all of your pages have 250+ words of original content?

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In order for your website to rank high in the SERP, all of your web pages have to be populated with enough original content.

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For ecommerce sites with hundreds of product pages, this can be daunting. It can be tempting to simply copy product descriptions from your manufacturers, but Google recognises and penalises duplicate content. If you have a lot of duplicate content like this on your website, it’s a good idea to start with creating original content for the product descriptions of your top sellers and work from there.

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Things like category pages are often left pretty empty but these too need original content. 300 words is a good number to aim for, and this is only a few paragraphs that can live at the bottom of the page, underneath links to individual products.

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When it comes to product pages, your “body copy” should focus on the unique aspects of the product and the problems it solves for the buyer. Some things other things you might add include:

Details about fast delivery
Bundle deals and other discounts
An enticing call to action
Answering common questions

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On category pages, you can include more information about the products within the category. You can also make comparisons between different products to help your customer choose the right one. When it comes to the products featured on the category page, make sure their descriptions are coded as text rather than embedded as an image so that search engines can crawl these bits of copy.

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8. Have you optimised your metadata?

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Your metadata includes things like meta descriptions, page titles, and URLs. These should all be the optimal length and include relevant keywords. You can use a free SERP optimiser tool to make sure your site title and meta description display correctly in search results. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

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Each page should have one H1 (title) tag - this is the page title that appears in search results. It should include your primary keyword.
Your URL should also include your primary keyword and be on the shorter side, with hyphens separating words.
H2, H3 etc. tags are for your subheaders and sub-sub headers. These are great places to add your secondary keywords.
Make sure to add descriptive, keyword-optimised title tags to images, as Google can’t crawl these effectively. Keyword-optimising is important here because many people rely largely on image results when shopping online.

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9. Are you actively building backlinks?

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Having reputable, popular websites link back to pages on your website tells Google you’re a trustworthy authority within your niche. Links like this are called backlinks, and while it can be a lot of work to gain them, they’re highly valuable.

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By following other SEO best practices listed here, you make it more likely that you gain backlinks organically as people discover your website on Google. However, you can also work on building backlinks deliberately.

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There are lots of great strategies out there for getting more backlinks, but here are just a few:

Emailing websites with broken or outdated links and suggesting they link to your content instead.
Find mentions of your website online and ask the webmaster to link to your website if they haven’t done so already.
Emailing websites that have already linked to your content and telling them about another piece of content they might find helpful.

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The Bottom Line

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Hopefully today’s ecommerce SEO checklist has given you a good idea of where to start building your SEO strategy. If you’d like to learn more about search engine optimisation and why it’s important, you should also check out our dedicated guide to SEO for ecommerce businesses.

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If you’d like some help building your ecommerce SEO strategy, you’ve come to the right place. At Clear Click, our mission is to help small to medium-sized businesses secure their place in fiercely competitive fields like ecommerce. If you’d like to find out more about working with us, book your free, no-strings consultation call with us.

Google's September 2022 Core Update - What You Should Know

October 5, 2022

On September 26, Google finished the rollout of its latest core update. Today, we’ll take a look at what this update includes and how it may affect your website. Without further ado, here’s what you need to know about Google’s September 2022 core update.

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What is a core algorithm update?

Google updates small parts of its algorithm daily. These changes aren’t always widely publicised and rarely significantly impact your website’s rankings in the SERP (search engine results page).

Additionally, Google rolls out what they call a core update a few times a year - the September update is the latest one, and the second one in 2022. These core updates are more significant, and Google publishes more information about them.

Google’s overall mission is to provide the most useful content to its users, and core updates are meant to ensure just that.

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What changes were made?

This Google algorithm update is a global one, targeting all online content across all regions and languages.

The core update is all about Google improving the way it assesses websites’ overall relevance and value. It’s hard to find information on what changes this core update entails precisely. That being said, it’s safe to say that this update will follow Google’s overall mission to prioritise helpful content created with humans rather than search engines in mind. This means that content that offers a poor user experience or appears plagiarised or written by bots will take a hit.

It’s also worth mentioning that the core update finished on the same day as a product review update.

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How will this affect me?

The consensus seems to be that this core update packs less of a punch when compared to previous updates. This means you might not see much of a change, especially if you are keeping on top of your SEO. The update may shift some rankings at least temporarily but isn’t as all-encompassing as some other core updates have been.

On the other hand, your website traffic might drop significantly all of a sudden. If it does this, don’t panic - it’s definitely not something that can’t be salvaged.

If you notice changes that affect most pages on your website rather than individual ones, this shift is likely due to the core update. Changes in traffic to individual pages are likely not due to the core update.

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What should I do now?

Now is a good time to take a look through your website analytics to search for significant and sustained changes in your website traffic as a whole.

It’s also a good time to do a content audit of your website if you haven’t done one recently, especially after August’s helpful content update. This could entail content that is out of date or unhelpful to searchers, and updating content that is still relevant but could use a refresh. When refreshing existing content or writing up something new, make sure to follow SEO writing best practices.

That being said, you don’t necessarily need to do much. If your website traffic has taken a hit, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with your website - Google has said so themselves. This update is simply meant to improve the way Google assesses websites - and this means previously underperforming, yet useful and relevant websites may well be rewarded with higher SERP rankings.

You can read up on Google’s most recent algorithm updates here and find more useful resources on SEO on our blog. And if you’d like some support strengthening your website’s rankings, contact our SEO experts today.

6 Ways to Ensure Your PPC & SEO Are Working Together

September 28, 2022

PPC (pay-per-click advertising) and SEO (search engine optimisation) are often viewed as two distinctly separate digital marketing channels. Some might even see one as an alternative to the other and prefer to invest only in SEO or PPC. However, to make the most of these two digital marketing practices, you should ensure your PPC and SEO work together. This way, your SEO efforts can strengthen your PPC campaigns, and vice versa.

In this guide, we’ll go over six ways you can do just that. By following some of these best practices, you can strengthen your digital marketing strategy as a whole. Let’s get started.

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1. Drive traffic fast with PPC

SEO can drive incredible value for your business, but seeing results does take time. It usually takes several months for your efforts to bear fruit in the form of your website showing up at the top of the search engine results page (SERP).

In contrast, when you publish a PPC campaign, your ads will start showing up at the top of search engine results for your specified keywords almost immediately. Especially for newer businesses as well as new product launches, it’s good to get the ball rolling immediately with SEO, and while you wait for that to take root, boost your website traffic with PPC.

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2. Play the long game with your SEO strategy

SEO is a truly powerful digital marketing tool. When you pause a PPC campaign, the leads you get through that channel dry up immediately. Meanwhile, the SEO work you do today, such as writing quality content and optimising your website around keywords, can bear fruit for years to come.

This makes SEO a very cost-effective digital marketing channel. With PPC, you’ll pay for every click, whereas with SEO, you won’t necessarily have to pay for anything at all - hiring an SEO expert or purchasing SEO tools is optional.

You’ll likely be working with a limited budget for PPC, which is why it makes sense to spend that budget to drive traffic to pages that don’t see as much organic traffic. Pages that already do well from an SEO point of view don’t necessarily need the extra boost. And in case you ever have to pause PPC campaigns or reallocate some of the budget for them, SEO will continue to ensure your visibility in the SERP.

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3. Plug holes in your SEO performance with PPC ads

In a nutshell, putting effort into digital marketing is an investment. Spreading that investment across PPC and SEO is all about spreading the risk.

For example, an ecommerce website might be doing very well on the SEO front, bringing loads of traffic into a couple of their product pages, but not all. A number of things can happen to complicate things.

It might be that a competitor comes out with a great new product that takes up much of the market share. Or maybe the interest in the products whose pages get a lot of traffic is seasonal, or the trend passes. Or, it could be that SERP structure changes and suddenly your page doesn’t appear on the first page of results - after all, search engines are continuously updating their algorithm for the best possible user experience.

PPC can help to protect against these risks. You can use it to drive traffic to pages that don’t get as much organic traffic through SEO or give some extra visibility to pages that suddenly struggle to get organic traffic.

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4. Test the viability of new keywords with PPC ads

As we already mentioned, seeing the fruits of your labour with SEO takes some time. This means that testing your hypotheses and running experiments with SEO is difficult. This is where PPC can come to your rescue.

Running a PPC campaign around a keyword new to you can help you test its viability for your business. You can then decide based on campaign data whether it’s worth investing your time into focusing some of your SEO efforts around that keyword. You can also run A/B tests with PPC campaigns, testing, for example, PPC ad copy you can repurpose as a meta description.

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5. Follow SEO leads around with remarketing campaigns

One of the most powerful ways you can ensure your SEO and PPC are working together is with remarketing campaigns. Remarketing is when you serve an ad specifically to people who’ve already visited your website. All of us have likely experienced this first hand: you see a product online and suddenly ads for it follow you all around the internet.

It takes, on average, about eight touchpoints with your brand before a prospective customer is ready to purchase from you. A remarketing campaign gives your prospects more touch points with your brand, making them more likely to convert. And since the audience for a remarketing campaign is already familiar with your business, they’re likelier to convert and as a result, your cost per conversion will be lower.

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6. Gather and implement valuable data

Running both SEO and PPC campaigns gives you access to plenty of useful data you can use to strengthen them as well as other channels within our digital marketing strategy.

We already touched on how you can use your PPC campaign data to decide which keywords to focus on in your SEO strategy. With PPC, you can also target specific demographics. Based on how your ads do within these demographic groups, you can create SEO content that speaks to them.

You can also use your SEO data in your PPC campaigns. You can identify high-performing pages and learn about your website visitors’ behaviour this way, creating stronger PPC campaigns as a result.

The data you gather both from your SEO and PPC campaigns can also help you optimise your other digital marketing channels; it can help you find your target audience and serve them better through your sales processes and on social media.

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The bottom line

Sales funnels are complex. It may be that a prospect first discovers you through a Google ad, only to later come across your brand again when someone shares a blog post you wrote on social media. Another prospect may have found your website through organic search results, and later converts after being served a remarketing ad.

This complexity is why it’s so important to not have all your eggs in one basket when it comes to digital marketing - and investing in both PPC and SEO is a good way to address that complexity. However, that same complexity can also pose a challenge to SMEs with limited in-house resources. That’s where Clear Click comes in.

As PPC and SEO experts who specialise in working with small to medium sized businesses, we can help you build a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that makes the most of both SEO and PPC for the best possible results. If you’d like to find out more, don’t hesitate to book a free discovery call with us to learn about how we can help.

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The SME Guide to Conversion Rate Optimisation

September 20, 2022

In order to grow your business online, you need to know a thing or two about conversion rate optimisation, also known as CRO. In a nutshell, conversion rate optimisation helps you offer a better experience to your website visitors, making them more likely to become customers.

In this guide, we’ll give you a broad overview of all things conversion rate optimisation. We’ll go over what some of your conversion goals might be, how to calculate your conversion rate, and some ways to improve it. Without further ado, let’s get to learning.

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What is a conversion?

In order to get started with CRO, you first have to define the desired action you’ll count as a conversion. This will depend on your specific goals. You might, for example, want to track the number of people who contact you with questions about your product or who purchase from you. Some typical conversion goals include:

Add to carts

Completed purchases

Social shares

Leads generated

Newsletter signups

Page views

Leads closed

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As you can see, the range of what counts as a conversion is pretty broad. You’ll likely have several different conversions you can track throughout your website, and your niche will also have an impact on what the most relevant conversions to track are for you.

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What is the conversion rate?

Your conversion rate is the number of conversions divided by the total number of visitors. For example, if an e-commerce site receives 500 users per month and has 50 sales, the conversion rate would be 50 divided by 500, or 10%.

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Tracking conversion rates allows you to evaluate the performance of your business online. Having awareness of what percentage of users are completing the goals that have a positive impact on your business allows you to measure the success of your website and identify areas for improvement.

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What’s conversion rate optimisation?

Conversion rate optimisation refers to the actions you can take to improve your conversion rate. By optimising your website and improving the user experience it provides, you make your website visitors more likely to complete the conversion goal you’ve set.

Conversion rate optimisation helps bring in more business, but it also enables you to lower your cost per acquisition, driving more value from the website traffic you’re already getting.

Conversion rate optimisation involves putting yourself into the shoes of your website visitors in order to understand their needs and wants. Then, you’ll come up with hypotheses of ways to entice them to convert. Finally, you should run tests to prove or disprove your hypothesis in order to make changes to your website based on data.

You might want to start your conversion optimisation efforts by focusing on your highest-value web pages first. For an e-commerce website, these will likely be your product pages, while for a B2B company it might be your pricing page or your services pages which include a contact form. Your homepage is another great place to start, as it serves as the first impression of your company to a large number of potential customers.

Conversion rate optimisation is an ongoing effort - there are always things that can be improved. Your goal should be to always be thinking of ways to offer your leads and customers a better experience, leading to increased conversions.

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How to optimise your conversion rate

There are a number of things you can do to optimise your conversion rate, but it’s important to note that what’s worked for someone else may not work for you and your business. That’s why it’s important that you get to know your own audience in order to better serve them.

That being said, some of the tips below will help you get started with conversion rate optimisation for your website.

Make sure you have Google Analytics or something similar set up to analyse your website traffic.

Talk to your customers. Data is absolutely key. But hearing things directly from your customers offers insights that numbers simply can’t. Make sure to also keep up with your online reviews for valuable insights.

Run a customer survey. This is essentially the same point as above, but offering an anonymous survey, perhaps with an incentive like a gift card raffle, can help you get more (honest) feedback.

Add reviews and testimonials to your website for social proof.

Use a form analytics tool to easily analyse the data from your customer survey submissions and contact forms.

Test both call-to-action (CTA) buttons and text-based CTAs to see what works better for your website. A colourful CTA button can be eye-catching, but banner blindness is also a very real phenomenon.

Use a heat mapping tool like Hotjar to find out how your website visitors are interacting with your most valuable pages.

Implement marketing automation to help drive conversions. You might, for example, set up an automatic reminder email to go out to people who’ve added products to their cart but didn’t complete checkout.

Improve things like website load times and check your website for broken links and forms to make the user experience of your website as smooth as possible.

Consider adding chat software to your website to answer visitor questions. This can help convert people who are on the fence about your offering.

Revisit your website copy. Is it compelling and to the point? Are you using accurate headings and subheadings? Is your copy SEO-friendly?

Use a CRM software to track and target your website visitors. Read more about CRMs in our dedicated guide to Customer Relationship Management.

Set up retargeting PPC campaigns to bring website visitors back to convert them.

Run A/B tests (more on A/B testing below).

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Running A/B tests for CRO

A/B testing is one of the best digital marketing tools at your disposal for CRO, and something any and every business would benefit from. A/B testing essentially involves testing the performance of different variations of your website to see what works and what doesn’t.

It’s easy enough to assume you know what your audience wants to see. And that may be the case, but without hard data to back up your hypotheses, you’re ultimately just guessing.

For example, you might have a product landing page that you want to optimise. You have a theory that moving the “add to cart” button from the bottom of the product description to the top of the page, just under the product name, could improve conversions. So, you create a separate version of the product page where you’ve moved the “add to cart” button and show that version to people for a limited time in order to test its performance against your existing product page.

Running tests like this one by one helps you pinpoint what works and doesn’t work for your specific audience and make incremental changes to your website.

There are a number of great A/B testing tools out there, but you can get started for free with Google Analytics and Google Optimize.

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How Clear Click can help

Getting started with conversion rate optimisation can be intimidating for small business owners. It can be hard to decide where to start, what conversions to track, and what tools to use to gather and analyse data. This is especially true if you aren’t lucky enough to have a large in-house digital marketing team at your disposal. Luckily, there’s help.

At Clear Click, we specialise in helping small to medium-sized businesses grow with data-driven insights and strategic consulting. We’re experts in PPC, data analytics and SEO. We can help you hone in on where your website optimisation can be improved and make suggestions for changes based on robust data.

Want to learn more? Book a free consultation with us.

10 Benefits of Hubspot CRM for Small Businesses

September 11, 2022

CRM

Managing your relationships with your leads and customers can be tricky. In order to build stronger relationships and close more deals, you need to know your audience well. Enter data analytics and CRM systems.

Robust data is what will allow you to offer the best possible service to your leads and customers and assess the success of your marketing team's efforts. A CRM will help you gather and store this information and automate more menial tasks. Read on to discover how your small to medium size business could benefit from a CRM as well as why we always recommend the Hubspot CRM software to our clients.

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What is a CRM

A CRM, or a Customer Relationship Management system, is a central location that allows you to track and store data about your customers and prospects in order to streamline your sales and inbound marketing. It helps you keep all data about your customers and prospects in one place and automate the more menial tasks in your marketing and sales process.

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Benefits of a CRM system

There are a vast number of benefits associated with CRM for businesses of all sizes. Here are just a few:

1. It improves customer satisfaction

With CRM software, you’ll be able to see a customer’s full history with you, allowing you to easily personalise your service to them for the best possible experience.

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2. Keep the whole team on the same page

With all prospect or customer information at your fingertips, it’s also easy for everyone on your sales and marketing team to provide the same great level of service.

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3. Automate data entry

As a CRM automatically logs things like emails and calls, you save time recording these and can spend it on more valuable things.

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4. Be reminded when it’s time to follow up

Lead nurturing can be a long and complicated process. A CRM helps to automate this process, sending follow-up emails on your behalf, giving you an alert when it’s time for a call, and logging all interactions you have with your lead.

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5. Keep everything in one place

A CRM system means you can say goodbye to endless spreadsheets that you forget to update. Everything you need to know about your leads and customers will live in one easily searchable database.

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6. It grows with your business

When you’re just starting out and have a small team, it might feel easy enough to track and store data about your customers through a number of different apps and spreadsheets. However, a system like this isn’t scalable, and will soon start to limit you. A CRM will grow with your business and saves you a lot of time finding and importing your data to a CRM later down the line.

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Why choose Hubspot’s CRM Software

7. Free to use

Especially for small businesses, it can be hard to justify another subscription. Luckily, Hubspot CRM is free to use for an unlimited length of time.

Many CRM platforms offer free light versions of their products, but these are usually very limited in their capabilities. Not so with Hubspot. While Hubspot does offer a premium version of its CRM, the free version packs a hefty punch.

You can store up to a million contacts and have an unlimited number of users from your team linked to your account with the free version. Some of Hubspot’s more powerful sales automation tools are exclusive to the premium version. With the free version, you only get access to five email templates, five snippets, and five documents, as well as one meeting scheduling link.

However, the free version should be plenty for small businesses to start with.

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8. Easy and intuitive to use

Hubspot users consistently praise its CRM system for its ease of use. For one thing, it eliminates the need to search through a bunch of spreadsheets that are only accurate as long your team is vigilant about updating them. Everything you need to know about any single contact is on the same, searchable database.

Hubspot has also built its software to be as intuitive as possible, and many people will be able to feel like a pro navigating through the software on their first day.

The Hubspot Community can help answer any questions you might have, while the Hubspot Academy can also help you get to grips with more advanced features.

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9. Integrate it with other tools

You can integrate Hubspot CRM with a huge number of popular apps like Gmail, Outlook, WordPress, Zapier, Mailchimp and much, much more.

Hubspot itself offers a number of other great free tools to improve your sales and marketing. They offer email marketing, content management, and landing pages, just to mention a few things. You can also track metrics around your ads and link Hubspot with your company’s social media accounts in order to capture data on direct messages, followers, likes and shares.

Hubspot also has a great, beginner-friendly online academy for brushing up your sales and marketing skills, all for free.

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10. Access detailed analytics

Hubspot allows you to track many things about your leads and customers, including website visits and traffic sources. It even offers a free A/B testing kit.

Hubspot lets you get very granular with your audience segmentation. You can, for example, easily filter your contacts to find people who were ready to buy a while back but then went quiet. You can then send these contacts a targeted email with a special discount to encourage them to come back.

Hubspot contextualises your data and offers actionable insights for improving your sales and marketing strategies. You’ll be able to recognise patterns and cycles within our sales pipeline and find ways to balance things out.

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Google Algorithm Updates

Multiple times per year Google makes core updates to its algorithm that are aimed to strengthen the relevance of search results and serve content that is more helpful for everyone using their search engine.

These updates help to improve and shape the nature of the web, while not aimed at any specific site, these updates can have an effect both positively and negatively on how a site preforms and ranks organically in the SERPs (search engine result pages).

It’s important to keep up to date with all algorithm updates as they can cause some major implications for site performance. Although Google never discloses any specific details about their updates they do provide a general overview to point site owners in the right direction, should any potential impacts need amending.

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Hereunder we cover an overview of the latest Google Algorithm updates to keep you best informed.

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September 2022 - Google's September Core Update

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On 26.09.2022 Google finished the rollout of its latest core update. This Google algorithm update is a global one, targeting all online content across all regions and languages.

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August 2022 - Google’s Helpful Content Update

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On 25.08.2022 Google started rolling out its helpful content update which it had announced a week earlier. The goal of the update is to better identify content that has been created with the search engine rather than the end user in mind.

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Google’s Helpful Content Update - What You Need to Know

Google’s mission is to continuously improve its user experience, which is why the company continuously rolls out updates to its search algorithm. This way, users can find what they are looking for easily. The latest effort Google has made to this end is the helpful content update, aimed at rooting out content written for search engines rather than humans.

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In this article, we’ll go over the most important things you need to know about this new update. We’ll also share how you should apply the best practices Google laid out with its algorithm update announcement to your new and existing content.

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What is the Google helpful content update?

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What they mean by this is content that has been created for the primary purpose of appealing to the search algorithm to rank higher in the SERP (search engine results page). Content like this often reads as spammy and doesn’t provide a good user experience to the people who read it.

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This helpful content update is just one of the ways Google evaluates the quality of your website content. It’s based on machine learning and runs automatically. The roll-out should be all done by mid-September.

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The update judges the overall quality of your website content, which is why now’s a good time to do a content audit on your website to flag any content that could be considered unhelpful to readers. You can then choose to remove or rewrite this content to better serve your website visitors.

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Below, we’ve outlined some dos and don’ts based on the best practices Google outlined in its helpful content update announcement.

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Do focus on creating expert content for your niche

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The easiest way to provide genuinely helpful content to your website visitors is to write about a topic you’re an expert in.

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Even if your business operates in a very specific niche, with some careful content planning and keyword research, you’ll find plenty of topics to cover without straying too far from your main area of expertise. In fact, working in a niche where there’s not too much content out there can be incredibly fruitful, as you can establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche relatively fast.

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Remember the old adage: jack of many trades, master of none. Your efforts are always more fruitful if you focus on showing off your passion and expertise on a specific topic.

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Don’t write content simply because it’s trending or has a high search volume

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When you see a specific topic or keyword trending, it can be tempting to try to capitalise on this uptick in interest. However, if that topic has little relevance to your business, your efforts in creating this content are unlikely to be fruitful.

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First off, as we outlined above, you may well struggle to write something genuinely useful if you don’t know the subject well.

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Second of all, if the content you create stands alone, unrelated to anything else on your website, your existing audience is unlikely to find it helpful. And any people who find your new piece of content through Google are unlikely to stay on your website past reading it, making a conversion unlikely.

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Finally, Google itself will struggle to categorise your website accurately if it’s a hodge-podge of content on a large number of unrelated topics.

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Do make sure you add to the conversation

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When you’re thinking about potential content topics, think about whether you have something unique to add to the conversation. This way, you’ll give your website visitors something they can’t find anywhere else.

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We’ve said it before on this blog - SEO content writing doesn’t have to mean reinventing the wheel with every blog post you publish. However, it’s important to see what other websites have written around your chosen keyword and then try to improve on what they’ve put out. This might mean expanding on something others haven’t explained well, adding a new point of view to the subject, or giving a more up-to-date overview of the topic.

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This is why it’s important to write about a subject you have expertise in - otherwise, providing that unique point of view will be much harder.

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Don’t leave your readers wanting more

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One of the pieces of advice Google gave around its helpful content update was to provide a comprehensive answer to the reader’s search query. If, after reading your content, they have to go away and do more research, this tells Google your content is not as helpful as it could be.

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Of course, we all do more extensive research at times - we might for example want to read product reviews from multiple sources. However, you should always aim to give a solid overview of your chosen topic. Essentially, you need to meet the expectations you’ve set for yourself in your page title and meta description.

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Plenty of topics are so expansive it’s hard to do them justice in something like a single blog post. If that’s the case, make sure to manage your readers’ expectations by explaining you’ll be providing a brief overview of your topic or a closer look at a specific aspect of it. This gives you a good opportunity to create several pieces of content on a single topic and create some internal linking.

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Do keep SEO best practices in mind

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All of this is not to say that you shouldn’t pay attention to SEO when writing content. SEO remains a vitally important part of making sure your well-written, informative content finds its audience on Google.

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Instead, Google’s helpful content update simply reminds us that our primary focus in content creation should always be to provide a good experience to end users, not search engines.

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Think of it this way - even if you managed to get a piece of content that doesn’t follow the best practices outlined here to rank high on Google, would it lead to conversions? If someone comes to your website and has an unsatisfying experience, they’re unlikely to stay. At the end of the day, traffic without conversions will do little to grow your business.

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With that in mind, the best way to view Google’s helpful content update is as an ally to help you appeal to your target audience better. So go forth writing content with readers in mind, using SEO to make sure it finds the audience that will benefit from it the most.

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Organic Keywords - What Are They & How to Find Them

August 31, 2022

SEO, or search engine optimisation, is one of the best ways for you to raise your business’ profile online. And as we talked about in our previous blog post about SEO writing, keywords are essential to your SEO strategy, boosting organic traffic to your website. Today, we’ll take a closer look at keywords. You’ll find out what makes a good organic keyword, where to find them, and how to best use them. Let’s get started.

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What are organic keywords?

Organic keywords are strings of words you can use in your website copy to attract website visitors. For example, if you sell shoes, you might want to target a keyword like “running shoes” and add it to product descriptions, URLs and meta descriptions. This way, when people search for running shoes on a search engine, your website is more likely to appear on the first page of search results.

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Long-tail keywords

The internet is a crowded place, and it can be hard to stand out. Utilising long-tail keywords is one way to optimise your content. The keyword “running shoes” is very broad and highly competitive - lots of businesses will be fighting for the top spot for a keyword like this, including multinational companies with in-house SEO teams.

However, if you make your keyword more targeted and “niche”, you’ll have less competition and are likelier to appear at the top of search results. For example, you might want to target something like “eco-friendly running shoes” or “running shoes for wide feet”. There won’t be as many people searching for that specific keyword variation, but it’ll be much easier to get to the top and get the searchers’ attention. Longer keywords like this are known as long-tail keywords.

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Search intent

Something else you need to consider when building your organic keyword list is search intent. This means the reason someone searches for a specific keyword on Google. Are they looking for more information about a topic? Comparing options? Are they ready to buy? Being able to answer this question will help you create irresistible website copy.

Search intent is something you can find on many paid keyword research tools, but you can also use common sense to guess this. For example, someone searching for “how to start running” is likely still in the early stages of the buyer’s journey, while someone searching for “best running shoes” or better yet, a specific running shoe model, is closer to being ready to make a purchase.

Someone still researching a topic more broadly or comparing their options would benefit from educational content, such as “how-to” articles, while someone who’s ready to purchase likes to see solid product page copy, and perhaps even a discount code.

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How to find organic keywords

There are a couple of ways to use Google to find keywords. Landing Pages, which sits within Google Analytics, is a good place to start. You can find it by navigating to Reports > Behaviour > Site Content > Landing Pages. When you click on Organic Search, you’ll find a list of search queries your website visitors used to find you on Google.

This can be a good way to find out what you’re doing well and put more effort into keywords that are already bringing in organic search traffic to your site.

To find out gaps in your keywords list, you can use Google’s Keyword Planner. This tool is for building PPC campaigns on Google, but there’s nothing to say you can’t use it for organic keyword research. You can find keyword suggestions by typing in a phrase, website URL, or category. You can also save your new keywords to custom lists.

Paid keyword research tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush and Moz will help you find out the same thing alongside additional information like related keywords, top-ranking content for your keywords, suggested word counts, and more.

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How to use keywords to drive traffic to your website

One of the best ways to use your organic keywords is in SEO writing for blog posts. Since we covered this in our last article, we won’t go into depth about this topic here. Here are some additional tips for using organic keywords to boost your organic traffic.

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Optimise existing content

Creating new, keyword-optimised content is hugely beneficial. However, revisiting your existing content shouldn’t be overlooked, either.

If you’ve already created a number of blog posts that are well-written and informative but aren’t bringing in traffic, you could try optimising them around a keyword. Alternatively, you might find that one of your blog posts is doing incredibly well, so you write more blog posts on the subject and turn the original one into a pillar page.

Optimising your website for keywords should be something you do on an ongoing basis, updating content regularly to reflect search trends and your business as it grows and develops.

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Optimise metadata

Similarly, you should regularly inspect the copy on your product pages and check your meta descriptions and other metadata. You can add keywords to almost everything on your website - just make sure you use them naturally and in places where they accurately describe the content on that page.

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Avoid keyword stuffing

Make sure you avoid keyword stuffing. You should always use your keywords in a natural way. If you try to add it to every sentence, your copy will seem spammy and lower in quality. Keyword stuffing is penalised by Google, leading to lower rankings in the SERP (search engine results page). A good rule of thumb is not to use your primary keyword more than once or twice for every 100 words.

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Create original content

It can be tempting to reuse content from elsewhere on your website, such as product descriptions, in your new keyword-optimised content. You might even find some great copy on your manufacturer’s website. However, reusing copy from elsewhere on the internet is penalised by Google. So while it’s more work, in the long run, it’s worth it to invest your time into creating original content.

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Boost the readability of your content

Keeping your user experience in mind when writing your content will support your SEO efforts. Your content should be structured in a way that engages your website visitors and allows them to get the gist of it quickly. Some tips for writing effective and efficient copy include:

Writing informative, keyword-optimised subheadings
Opting for short paragraphs
Utilising varied sentence length
Using active voice
Adding relevant internal and external links
Using bullet points

Are you looking for more actionable advice on using SEO to boost organic traffic to your website? Visit our blog or get directly in touch with us.

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SEO Writing - The Beginner’s Guide

August 23, 2022

Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is a great way to boost your visibility online, but it can be hard to know where to start as a beginner. SEO writing is a solid option, as the basics are not too hard to grasp and it allows you to show off your expertise in your niche.

SEO writing is a very broad topic, including things like product pages, category pages and more on-page SEO tactics. However, for the purposes of this article, we’ll focus mostly on SEO writing in blog posts. That being said, these tips can be used for almost any type of SEO writing for your website! Read on to discover all you need to get started with SEO content writing.

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What is SEO writing?

Good content is a great way to bring in new clients. But if your potential clients can’t find your content, it’s essentially worthless. This is where SEO comes in.

Search engine optimisation is all about improving your website so that it ranks higher in search results in hopes of driving more visitors to your website.

SEO writing entails creating content with search engines in mind. This way, when people search for something related to your business, you have a better chance of being featured on the first page of search results, and a higher chance of that person visiting your website.

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How to write good blogs for SEO

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1. Keyword research

The point of SEO writing is to create content that answers questions your potential customers have. That’s why the very first thing you need to do is some keyword research. A keyword is essentially a typical search query that someone in your target audience might make that could lead them to your website.

In order to find organic keywords that are relevant to your business, a good place to start is by creating some basic categories. These could be your products as well as questions related to them. Think about what questions your customers typically have as well as the issues your business can solve for them - these could be a source of inspiration for some keywords!

There are many great tools to find out keywords related to your business, including the Google Keyword Planner, SEMRush, and Ahrefs. Google’s is the only free tool of the bunch, making it ideal for beginners. These tools let you find the number of monthly searches for your keywords as well as how much competition there is around you. They may also suggest some related keywords to target.

The goal of keyword research is to find topics to create your SEO content around. Once you’ve got your keywords, you can start thinking about blog post titles you could write about.

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2. Competitor research

In order to outrank your competitors in Google search results, you first need to know what kind of content they’re publishing. When it comes to SEO writing, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel with every blog post. You simply have to find out what other people are doing - and then do it better!

If you have access to a paid keyword research tool like the ones outlined above, you can easily find top-ranking content for whatever keyword you want to target. You’ll also find out the recommended word count for your chosen keyword this way. Otherwise, take a look at relevant content you can find on the websites of your biggest competitors as well as pages that come up when you google your chosen keyword.

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3. Writing your SEO blog post

Now it’s time to actually write your blog post. Hopefully, through keyword research and looking into competitor content, the blank page doesn’t seem quite as scary. It can be helpful to start off by coming up with your title and subheadings - or in SEO terms, your H1, H2 and H3 tags (and so on).

H1 is your article title. It should include your keyword and be an accurate depiction of the article content. You should only ever have one H1 tag per page. H2 tags are your subheadings. They are a good way to break down your article into sections and make it more easily scannable. They can also be used to add further emphasis to your keyword or emphasise some secondary keywords you’d also like to target. H3, H4 titles (and on and on) are subheadings under subheadings.

For the “body copy” of your SEO blog post, keep your paragraphs short (no more than five lines or so), and your sentences uncomplicated and not overly long. This makes your content a quick and easy read, strengthening the user experience.

Make sure to pepper in your main keyword as well as any secondary keywords you’d also like to rank in Google for. Do make sure you do this in a way that feels natural, though, and don’t overuse any single keyword. This is known as keyword stuffing and is penalised by Google. Your main keyword should appear in the first 150 words of content.

Internal linking to other pages on your website helps search engines crawl your website and understand its structure better. Meanwhile, external linking to trustworthy, well-known websites helps give your website more legitimacy in the eyes of search engines.

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4. Optimising your metadata

Once you’ve got the “meat” of your article ready to go, it’s time to address your metadata. This is the content in your blog post that is mostly visible to search engines only.

Your meta title (aka title tag) can be different from the visible name (H1 tag) you’ve given to your blog post. This gives you a chance for further keyword optimisation. Your title tag should be no more than sixty characters long so that it doesn’t cut off in Google search results.

Your URL slug is the string of words after your website address that point browsers to this particular piece of content after the slash symbol - as in, www.website.com/blog-post. Keep this slug short and add your target keyword to it.

The meta description of your blog post is what appears in search results under your title tag and URL. This should be a short, keyword-optimised summary of your blog post. You should aim to keep it under 160 characters so that it doesn’t cut off.

There are lots of free “SERP simulator” tools out there that you can use to test how your blog post will appear in search results and whether your meta description is short enough. Here’s just one.

Another thing you should keyword-optimise is the alt text of your images. Search engines can’t read images very effectively (yet!). The alt text is a short line of text that describes the image to the search engine and the visually impaired. This is another place you can add your keyword, as long as it makes sense in the context of the image.

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The bottom line

SEO can seem complicated to the beginner, but hopefully, by reading our guide, you have a good idea of where to get started with SEO writing.

If you’d like to learn more about SEO, visit our blog for more handy guides. Check out our guide to on-page SEO to start for some more tips for optimising your website content for SEO. And remember that you can always get in touch with us if you’d like some expert help to drive more organic traffic to your website.

Responsive Search Ads & How To Optimise Them

July 22, 2022

If you run extensive ad campaigns on Google, here’s something you ought to know. Starting June 30, 2022, Google has phased out its Expanded Text Ad (ETA) setup for a newer and more flexible Responsive Search Ad (RSA) format. While existing ETAs will continue to run parallel to the new format, advertisers will no longer be able to create or edit existing ETAs.

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The move is part of Google’s new strategy that aims to put automation and machine learning at the centre of their services. Performance Max campaigns were one of Google's first shifts and now RSA ads will eliminate the need for micromanaging pay-per-click campaigns and allow advertisers to focus on their creatives. But what exactly are RSAs? How can they help you run and manage your campaigns better? Let’s find out.

What are Responsive Search Ads?

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Simply put, Responsive Search Ads are an automation-focused improvement on Google’s Expanded Text Ads, which most advertisers are familiar with. RSAs are adaptive ads designed to come back with the most relevant ad message in response to a search engine queries.

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Instead of the three headline and two description options that ETAs offered, RSAs allow advertisers to create as many as 15 headlines and four different descriptions.

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Together, this wider set of headlines and descriptions can be arranged in over 40,000 different combinations. In terms of split testing with different ad variations, the possibilities that these combinations offer are virtually infinite.

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Google will use machine learning protocols to automatically test different headline-description combinations to figure out which ones perform the best. Google will return the best version of RSAs in response to a particular search engine query based on user profiles, keywords, past browsing behaviour, and other markers.

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Moreover, Google will optimise these ads over time to boost engagement and keep advertising messages fresh.

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Responsive Search Ads in Action - Clear Click

How do RSAs work?

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RSAs boost ad performance by exponentially increasing the opportunities to match ads with specific search queries. But how do they do this? RSAs allow you to create 5x the headlines a usual ETA allows you to make. The more headlines and descriptions you enter, the more your ads get matched with and are shown to customers in response to their search queries.

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Once advertisers enter all headlines and descriptions, Google arranges them into multiple ad combinations. Based on search queries, Google will learn which combinations are most relevant and effective over time. The best combinations will then be automatically prioritised to extract the most mileage for any ad campaign.

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Google’s machine learning systems are designed to grow smarter over time and organically boost the best performing ads. This way, the new format will get better progressively, delivering fresh, engaging, and more optimised ad content tailored to customer queries.

Benefits of switching to RSAs

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Although the transition to RSAs might be challenging to some, the wider, long-term benefits of this format outweigh any initial hurdles. Here are some of the benefits of switching to RSAs.

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Real Time Optimisation: Even as RSA campaigns are being created, Google will send you alert notifications based on selected settings. These notifications inform you of issues that may diminish campaign performance.

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Enhanced Performance: Advertisers are already reporting improvements in click-through rates in the short time that RSAs have been online. These rates are expected to increase substantially as the system optimises and the best versions of ads get automatically prioritised.

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Save time: Now that creating, testing, and editing campaigns is outsourced to Google’s own automation algorithms, you can save your valuable time and use it to build better, more engaging creatives for your audiences.

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Customised Flexibility: RSAs are adaptive to device widths, allowing for the creation of flexible ad messaging to target potential customers. Also, headlines and descriptions can be tailored to specific customer locations. For example, a customer from the UK will only be shown the products that are available for shipping in the UK.

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Increased Reach: Multiple headline and description options let advertisers reach more potential customers. This feature also allows ads to match more search queries.

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More Clicks and Conversions: RSAs compete in more auctions, delivering more clicks and visitor-to-customer conversions. They also boost the performance of ad groups in general.

Benefits of Switching To Responsive Search Ads - Clear Click

How to optimise RSAs

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Google’s latest ad innovation is led by a strong focus on automation and machine learning. It offers both small and large advertisers a wider playing field to display their creativity and craft ad campaigns that can be customised to match specific search queries, devices, and locations.

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The following are some important tips to keep in mind for an optimised RSA campaign.

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Headlines

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Users are quick to respond to ads that address their needs head-on, which is why headlines need to be compelling, smartly written, and attractive. All things considered, headlines make customers connect with ads, and eventually determine which ads Google prioritises.

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For an effective RSA campaign, first aim to write at least 10 different headlines so that there is enough room for Google to optimise and prioritise.

Every headline must be unique in order to avoid redundancy. Moreover, Google does not display headlines that are too similar to others.

Headlines can have up to 30 characters. Therefore, it is essential to have a combination of both shorter and longer headlines.

Use Google’s dynamic keyword insertion to place relevant keywords into your headlines. Make sure to include keywords in at least 5 headlines.

In order to increase successful headline-description combinations, write at least three headlines without specific keywords.

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Descriptions

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As a general advertising rule, and more specifically for RSAs, avoid generic language in descriptions. Instead, use specific calls to action.

Tie your description messaging to the most relevant campaign keywords. Users are more likely to engage with ads that are relevant to their search queries.

Like headlines, each description must be unique and make sense on its own. No description should be dependent on a particular headline, and vice versa.

Use the Ad Strength score feature to verify if you are delivering the best content to the prospective customer. This feature enables you to gauge how customers may react to a particular ad.

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Pinning Controls

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RSAs will automatically test different headlines and descriptions in different positions to come up with the best ad message for each user.

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Pins allow advertisers to pin headlines and descriptions to specific positions, so that repetition and redundancy can be avoided. However, this feature limits Google’s testing and learning capabilities by a substantial margin. Therefore, although pinning helps advertisers regain some degree of control that is lost in the RSA format, it is advisable to use this feature sparingly.

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Ad Extensions

Experts recommend at least four ad extensions per ad group. Ad extensions help you meet your advertising goals while at the same time making ads more engaging and useful to users. Google reports that advertisers can clock increases by up to 20% in click-through rates by using ad extensions.

Successfully executing RSAs

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There is a learning curve associated with successfully executing RSAs. However, when properly calibrated, this innovation can ensure that ads reach the right audience and lead to conversions.

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Google recommends having at least one ad per ad group with a ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ Ad Strength score. For this to happen, use the Google Ads Grader to zero in on your best-performing ETAs, and then use that content to craft effective headlines and descriptions for your RSA campaign.

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It is essential to continue learning and testing variations of your existing ETAs to successfully migrate to the new format. For starters, make sure there is at least one RSA for each active ad group.

However, if you don’t have time to invest in learning how to use RSAs, contact us today. All of our clients we work with today already run numerous successful responsive search campaigns.

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An Introduction to eCommerce SEO

July 18, 2022

By the end of 2022, the eCommerce market will grow to account for approximately 20.4% of global retail sales. This suggests that an increasing number of retailers are shifting from traditional retail methods to the internet to sell their products and services. As the eCommerce space becomes crowded, ranking high on the search engine results page (SERP) has become more important than ever. Getting noticed in a competitive environment can be a challenging task.

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Search engine optimisation (SEO) for eCommerce is one of the most cost-effective yet fruitful ways to improve your ranking on SERPs. According to data from Google, 49% of online shoppers say they use Google to discover or find products. Additionally, 59% of shoppers say they use Google to research a purchase they plan to make in-store or online.

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This signifies that a large amount of users do not arrive on your eCommerce web page directly. This is especially true for businesses that have very little brand awareness online. Unless you’re Amazon, chances are most of your consumers find you through Google.

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Visitors don’t bother looking beyond the top few results on the SERP. According to Search Engine Journal, the click-through rate of the top 5 links on Google is 70.4%. So, if your website is not ranked highly in the SERP, you’re most likely missing out on high amounts of organic traffic. This is precisely why SEO for your eCommerce website is non-negotiable.

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SEO is proven to have the highest ROI of any marketing campaign. However, many eCommerce businesses ignore SEO and tend to focus on social media campaigns or paid ads. While these may be great strategies, they require constant efforts and large budgets.

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No matter how creative and value adding your products and services are, even the best of them can get overshadowed if you do not optimise your eCommerce site. To ensure you’re receiving a constant stream of high-intent visitors, it’s imperative to follow the best eCommerce SEO tactics.

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This article is your guide to eCommerce search engine optimisation. We’ll discuss what it is, its various benefits, and most importantly, how to improve eCommerce SEO.

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What is eCommerce SEO?

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Like most SEO practices, eCommerce SEO is the practice of helping you rank higher on Google search results. Customers generally tend to search for products and services online. For example, if someone is looking for a vacuum cleaner, they’re more likely to Google “Buy a vacuum cleaner” than go directly to your website to look for one.

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This is why it is critical to understand how Google ranks websites. While there is no definitive guide on precisely which ranking factors are considered and in what capacity, SEO practices are an effective method to rank higher on Google and get more traffic.

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A eCommerce SEO checklist includes multiple SEO practices – basically anything that is beneficial for your retail website. It includes technical aspects (such as site structure and loading speed), as well as on-page and off-page SEO practices. Each product page should be optimised to draw maximum traffic from search results. Apart from product pages, you should also ensure that your home page, about us page, F.A.Q. page, blog articles, help centre answers, and contact page are optimised.

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Google ranks websites based on their relevance to the keyword terms that users search for. Google seeks to improve UX as much as possible – the main purpose of the algorithm is to find exactly what people want in their search. While different search engines may have different algorithms, it makes the most sense to focus on Google. As of May 2022, Google accounted for a whopping 92.48% of the search engine market share worldwide. On the other hand, Bing and Yahoo account for only 3.08% and 1.3% of the market share, respectively.

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Another way to gain more traction is to create content in the form of blog posts, videos, podcasts, expert opinions, and more. Having high-quality content helps with positioning yourself as an expert on topics related to your product and services. It also builds authority and consumers start to trust your brand more, leading to higher conversions and sales.

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Why eCommerce SEO is important

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Strategically applying eCommerce SEO practices unlocks numerous benefits for your business. Without SEO, your site will be buried under hundreds of other websites. The ultimate aim of any SEO practice is to increase the number of people that visit your site and convert them into customers. Here are some ways in which eCommerce SEO helps your business:

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Increasing brand awareness

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If you’re a new online retailer or have recently shifted your brand online, chances are most people won’t know about you. Brand awareness is a critical first step in generating sales. eCommerce SEO is one of the most cost effective ways to improve brand awareness. The higher your site appears on the SERP, the more likely it is that potential consumers will click on it and engage with it.

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You can also consider appearing in Google’s answer box, which is known as a featured snippet. Google’s main aim is to provide consumers with information as quickly and as accurately as possible. If your content or website can quickly answer one of Google’s most searched questions, your website will gain the top spot in the highly visible “answer box.” eCommerce sites can appear in the answer box, which is considered prime real estate.

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Generating a stream of customers

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A customer’s online purchase journey takes the form of a funnel. From visiting your website to the checkout process, consumers are lost at each stage. The traditional marketing funnel includes awareness, interest, desire, and action. It relies on a constant stream of new customers entering the funnel. SEO is one of the best ways to constantly drive low-cost top-of-funnel traffic at the awareness stage.

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In addition, customers start their journeys from interest (research) to action (making the purchase). Their keyword choices are likely to change as they move from the informational to the transactional phase. It’s crucial to target the correct intent at different points in the customer journey. It encourages customers to move to the next stage and increases the probability of conversion.

Increasing remarketing audiences

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Cookies are a powerful tool your paid search team can use to remarket your brand to audiences. When customers arrive on your site, either through organic or other channels, your team can place cookies for remarketing campaigns. This way, you can show ads to these customers even when they’re not on your website and have continued with their journey elsewhere.

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The higher the number of people visiting your site, the larger your remarketing audience is. Retargeting improves the ROI from SEO, as the same customers who visited your site due to good SEO practices will be reminded of your brand repeatedly as they continue their online journeys. They’re more likely to come back to your site if they’re reminded that you provided them with a good user experience.

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Better user experience (UX)

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To convert site visitors into customers, your site needs to have good usability. Because SEO keeps the needs of the consumer at heart (such as the keywords consumers are using or what they’re looking for), it helps with building a strong UX, which ultimately drives conversions. Better usability also leads to a higher ranking for your site.

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Keyword research also allows businesses to better understand what consumers are looking for. If you can fill that gap before the rest of the market, you’re more likely to make a sale. For example, if customers are searching for “affordable black denims,” it makes more sense to highlight the affordable options, which improves usability. Moreover, UX has multiple additional benefits, such as customer loyalty and brand differentiation.

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Lastly, a great UX is something Google takes seriously. When visitors arrive on your site in large numbers only to leave it quickly, Google marks this as bad UX. It demonstrates that your site isn’t relevant for that query or hasn’t been able to satisfy customer demands. This can hurt your rankings considerably. So, it’s crucial to ensure a strong UX.

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Lower paid search costs

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This is a cost-saving yet hidden benefit of eCommerce SEO. Companies spend billions of dollars on paid search costs. While these can be effective, SEO is a much cheaper alternative with a higher ROI. It helps you generate organic traffic without needing massive budgets.

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In the Search Advertising segment, the average ad spend per internet user is approximately US$286.60 in 2022. This is a massive number considering you need hundreds or thousands of users visiting your website. With the increased use of ad blockers, the ROI on your paid campaigns may be falling. In this case, SEO is an effective, low-cost alternative.

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Even if you’re considering paid search, SEO helps. Google’s quality score, which measures the relevance of the ads to the landing pages, is used to determine the cost per click. Optimised landing pages imply better quality scores, leading to lower cost per click, while also automatically ensuring higher performance in organic search.

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How to improve eCommerce SEO

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eCommerce SEO is not about any single variable. It involves working on multiple factors simultaneously to make your website optimised. Broadly, it can be divided into technical SEO and product page or on-page SEO.

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Technical eCommerce SEO

Technical SEO refers to website and server optimisation techniques. This includes factors such as site architecture, a secure and responsive design, or a faster loading time.

Website structure

Website structure is perhaps one of the most important factors in SEO – it directly impacts search engine rankings as well as user experience by making it easier for both users and search engines to find your website and products.

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Most eCommerce companies should include a homepage, category pages to outline the major type of products on their site, and product pages for individual products. One of the most important decisions in your website structure is how to categorise products. This requires research and a detailed understanding of how people search for products, making it context-specific for your website. For example, if you’re a fashion retailer, you may want to categorise products based on gender, type (formal, informal, trousers, and denims), season, or material. Whereas if you’re a book retailer, you might want to categorise based on genre or age. Make sure each category is populated with at least a few products (2-3 minimum).

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Next, make sure your site is well connected by focusing on how the areas of your site are internally linked. Global navigation should include links to key pages on the site, allowing customers to navigate to priority categories with ease. Make sure to not overdo this and link every category to the global navigation. This can result in a choice overload for customers, leading to bad UX. Additionally, this hinders search engines’ ability to verify the relative importance of pages – pages with higher links are seen as more important, making them more likely to be prioritised on the SERPs.

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You should also focus on the crawl depth of your website – how many links it takes from the homepage to reach any specific page on your site. Of course, the crawl rate depends on the purpose of your product. A key category should be linked directly to the global navigation (a crawl depth of 1), whereas niche products or informational pages can be much deeper within your site. Basically, ensure you match the importance of a product or any page with the crawl rate, which helps search engine bots get access to important information quicker.

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Lastly, make sure you keep your site lean. Given the intense competition out there, you don’t want to let search engines crawl on your pages unnecessarily. Help it find your products and pages quicker – search engines should crawl the pages you want to rank higher more frequently. This includes editing filters to prevent unnecessary URL creation, editing categories to link directly to product pages, and processing out of stock and discontinued products.

Improve your speed

The speed at which your site loads is critical in determining its ability to rank higher on the SERPs. Sites that load slowly lead to a bad user experience, causing customers to leave your site. This indicates to Google that your site provides a bad UX, which could lead to a potentially lower rank. Moreover, customers leaving your site also leads to lower conversion and sales.

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There are various methods to improve the speed of your site. Such as using a fast DNS (domain name system), making your image files as small as possible, compressing your webpages, and more. You can also use Google’s PageSpeed Insights Tool to discover some insights. By putting in your URL, Google will score your site on mobile and desktop from 1 to 100 and give you suggestions to minimise loading time.

Create a sitemap

An XML sitemap is a file that provides search engines information about your pages. It tells Google which pages are the most important ones, allowing it to prioritise certain pages and crawl your site more efficiently. Essentially, it acts as a roadmap for search engines. It also contains information such as when a page was last modified and how frequently it is updated.

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Optimising product pages

Optimising product pages involves using on-page SEO practices. As the name suggests, these are factors that are on your page, such as title tags and meta descriptions, which you can optimise to improve the visibility of your site.

Keywords

Keywords are critical on every aspect of your page – title tags, meta description, URLs, product name, and any other content you produce – as they increase the chances of your website showing up on the SERP if you include keywords and phrases that consumers are most likely to search for.

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The first step is to find keywords, this is done by conducting keyword research to gain a detailed understanding of what consumers are searching for. Owners of eCommerce sites are often looking to attract visitors with strong buying intent. For example, users searching for “buy black hair extensions” have a high likelihood of purchasing these products. You can either use a keyword research tool (like Ahrefs and Semrush) or use the Google and Amazon search bar to see what they suggest when you type something.

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Next, you must select the right target keywords. You should consider factors such as keyword search volume, search intent, keyword value, and difficulty before making a choice. Overall, the keywords you select should have high search volume but low competition, allowing you to fill that gap. Then, you must optimise the selected keywords by placing them strategically in your content. This can include inserting them in your title, URL, and other headings and subheadings. Keywords also help with developing product categories, as they convey what customers are looking for, which helps with structuring your website.

Title tags and meta descriptions

Title tags are the headlines that appear on the SERP, whereas meta description is a quick summary of your product or page that appears under the title on the search page. Naturally, both title tags and meta descriptions should have the relevant keywords as that determines if a customer will click on that page. If the keywords you mention are more likely to align with a customer’s search query, they’re more likely to open your page.

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According to Google guidelines, meta descriptions should be unique and be limited to 160 characters or less. Keywords in the description also allow Google to understand what your products are about and rank them on the SERP accordingly. Lastly, promotional modifiers like “X dollars off,” “free shipping,” or “xyz deal” boost your ranking. It piques customer interest, making them more likely to click on your webpage.

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Optimising URLs

Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) are nothing but online addresses for your website. Again, optimising URLs includes using the right keywords so that the search engine as well as users know what your page is about.

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There are numerous guidelines for creating the right URL. Some of them include: using short (less than 50 to 60 characters), easy-to-read and easy-to-interpret URLs because Google prioritises accessibility. Remember to use keywords in URLs as they show up in search results. However, excessive keywords are likely to impact your Google ranking. Every page on your site, such as the category page and product page, will have URLs – make sure you optimise each of those.

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How can Clear Click help?

The online retail sphere is growing, and with that comes intense competition. Whether you’re a new business or a company looking to shift some of their business online, it’s critical to ensure your website and pages are search engine optimised. Customers don’t look beyond the top few search results, making rankings one of the most important factors when it comes to making sales online. eCommerce SEO is the most cost-effective method to gain awareness and improve conversion rates.

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If your website needs SEO support book a consultation call with us. Our SEO team help optimise your eCommerce store to strengthen your organic search traffic.

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On-page SEO: A Basic Introduction

July 8, 2022

Google processes over 100,000 searches every second. Out of the billions of searches made every day, how many does your business rank for?

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It is no surprise that new content is generated by the second and consumers’ attention span is quite limited. The first five search results on Google account for 67.6% (slightly more than two-thirds) of all the clicks. The search results ranked 6 to 10 account for only 3.73%. This implies that most customers don’t bother looking beyond the initial few results. If your content doesn’t appear at the top, you will miss out on massive traffic and organic clicks.

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Organic clicks generate better ROI than any pay per click (PPC) campaign. While good quality and value adding content is the backbone of genuine customer engagement, even the best content can get lost in the massive sea of information online. Therefore, to ensure you’re getting traffic on your website and returns on your investment, it is vital to be strategic and ensure your content is optimised.

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In particular, on-page SEO (search engine optimisation) is a fairly simple yet effective method to ensure that your content is optimised. This article is your one-stop introduction to the fundamentals of on-page SEO. We’ll discuss what it is, why it is important, and how to improve your on-page SEO.

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What is on-page SEO?

On-page search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of optimising individual web pages to rank higher in search engine results and earn more organic traffic. As the name suggests, “on-page” implies optimising various elements and information which appear on your pages, such as title tags, internal links, HTML code, URL optimisation, on-page content, and images.

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The other alternative, off-page SEO, refers to optimising elements outside your website. This can include backlinks (other articles that link to your website or pages) or mentions on social media.

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Google, accounting for about 92.48% of the search engine market share worldwide and 4.3 billion users, is by far the most popular search engine. Hence, if you want your content to reach the maximum number of people possible, you have no choice but to ensure that it is optimised for Google.

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On-page SEO does exactly this. It helps Google understand what the individual pages of content on your website are about. If you design the elements of your webpage in a manner that makes them more recognisable to Google, your page is more likely to be listed higher in the search results. This means an increase in the number of organic clicks, leading to more conversions and revenue.

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On-page SEO Vs Off-page SEO

On-page SEO refers to optimizing parts of your website that are under your control. This could include optimizing your title tags, posting relevant content, finding keywords with a high search intent but low competition, and increasing your website speed.

Whereas off-page SEO is the art of ranking higher on Google through activities done outside of your website. This includes writing guest posts on other websites, social media marketing on websites such as LinkedIn and Facebook, and getting inbound links from other websites.

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Why on-page SEO is important?

As we have already discussed, grabbing customer attention is no easy feat. In fact, given the amount of content that is generated every day, ranking highly in search engine results is challenging. On-page SEO improves the chances of reaching your target audience in the first place.

Increases visibility and rankings

The most fundamental function of any SEO campaign is to improve your visibility and ranking. Visibility refers to your content reaching more people and ranking refers to how high your page is shown in search engine results.

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Visibility and ranking are directly related to each other – the higher you rank on the search result page (SERP), the more likely people are to see your content. Given that most people do not look beyond the top few results, it is of paramount importance to ensure that you do everything in your control to optimise your page.

Increase web traffic

Improving organic traffic is one of the most cost effective ways to ensure that your content is reaching the right target audience. If your visibility and ranking are sorted, web traffic will follow automatically. Moving even one spot higher on the SERP can improve the click through rate significantly.

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Higher traffic on your page also makes your content prime real estate. This implies you can generate revenue streams through advertising and other marketing campaigns. Hence, if you want to boost your web traffic, you should consider implementing the on-page SEO strategies discussed in the article.

Improve user experience (UX)

Of course, one of the best ways to improve UX is to ensure that your blog posts and web pages have value-adding content. However, apart from that, there are certain on-page SEO practices that can improve UX considerably.

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The key is to improve the usability of your site. Ensure that your layout and structure are mobile-friendly, as an increasing number of people are now using their phones to access the internet. Moreover, some technical aspects of on-page SEO include increasing the page load speed and making your site more responsive. This reduces the bounce rate by making it more convenient for customers to access your site. Given the amount of competing content, the longer your page takes to load, the more likely customers are to leave, leading to lower conversions.

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Better UX also implies visitors will spend more time on your page, check-out other content and articles you post, and generally associate your brand with a better UX.

Attract local customers

Local customers are one of the best ways to improve sales. If people engaging with your content are close to you geographically, they are more likely to make a purchase. You can use on-page SEO to improve your visibility to locals. Local SEO refers to the practice of refining your content to rank high for the online searches performed in specific locations.

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This is especially important if you also have a physical store. You can increase the foot traffic to your storefront by ensuring your website and online content is location optimised.

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Ultimately, the goal of all on-page SEO practices is to generate more sales or start a revenue stream. SEO content is more likely to attract consumers who need your product or service. Even if you’re not a retail business, you can monetise the high traffic on your page. In short, on-page SEO improves your ROI.

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How to improve on-page SEO

Improving on-page SEO is not about any single element. It is a practice that encompasses multiple factors that all need to be optimised simultaneously. All of them work together to ensure the visibility and ranking of your page increase.

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Using keywords

Any SEO practice starts with first understanding what search terms and search phrases your target audience is looking for online. This is known as keyword research. You can use various tools available online to conduct keyword research. Essential information that keyword research uncovers includes the volume of searches per month for these keywords and how competitive a specific keyword is.

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Once you know your target keywords or phrases, it is generally considered best practice to mention them as early in your content as possible. Ideally, within the first 100-150 words or in the first paragraph. For example, if your research finds that the keyword is “marketing analytics” include it as early as possible.

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Mentioning the keyword early also helps with developing a solid user experience (UX). Users want quick gratification – mentioning keywords early improves the chances that users will stick through the rest of your article.

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Essentially, mentioning your keyword early allows you to make your topic and purpose clear from the beginning, for the search engine and your audience. Search engines look for keywords in your articles, which allows them to understand the main purpose of your article and make sense of the information it contains.

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As you continue building your article, make sure you mention other related keywords (sub keywords), which further improves the search engine's ability to pick up on the context of the page. There is a thin line between keyword optimisation and keyword stuffing – inserting keywords too often and in irrelevant spaces can quickly reduce the quality of your content.

Title tags and meta descriptions

Title tags refer to the headline of your article or blog when it shows up on the result page. Every page has a title. On the other hand, a meta description is a short snippet of your page that appears under the title on the search page. While title tags are direct on-page SEO ranking factors, meta descriptions do not contribute to rankings.

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However, both title tags and meta descriptions serve a similar purpose – users look at the title and description to determine if their search query aligns with your webpage's content. Both help users and search engines understand the purpose of your page.

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A strong title tag and meta description imply that users are more likely to think your content is the answer to their search query. This encourages users to open your website, improving your CTR, which increases your web traffic.

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If your page is missing a meta description, Google will make one for you from the first piece of text available on the page. However, it is always good practice to write your own meta description. No one knows your target audience better than you. By writing a strong description which your audience are most likely to engage with, you improve the quality and quantity of your traffic.

Structure your content using H1 and H2 tags

Structure is an essential component of SEO writing, whether for better UX or SEO. A long paragraph or a long article without any subheadings is difficult to read. Having a coherent structure for your article helps with getting across your point more clearly.

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Google analyses your H1 to understand the structure of your page. Additionally, having a hierarchy in your content makes it easier for search algorithms to understand the structure of your text and its purpose. This implies that your content is more likely to get picked up and displayed on the SERP. Complex hierarchies, which include H1, H2, and H3, perform much better on search engines as compared to content with no headings or only H1.

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Apart from SEO, structured content and headings also lead to better UX. Subheadings give a broad overview of what to expect from your article. Visitors can easily skip to sections most relevant to them, which is difficult to do when it’s just a giant wall of text. Search engines such as Google also prioritise content with better UX. Lastly, structured content is more mobile-friendly.

Add internal links

Internal links refer to linking your article to other content on your website. The best way to use internal links is to select relevant and strong anchor text in your article and link it to other articles on your site with the necessary information. For example, if you use some data or statistics, it is important to link it to the original source for authenticity. Linking is also important when you simply want to mention an idea and not necessarily discuss it in detail. Consumers can still click on the hyperlinked text to explore the topic further.

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Linking internal articles allows Google to decipher your site architecture – how your site is organised and how the different content relates to one another. This allows Google to crawl your site more easily and improve the ranking of your content. Additionally, linking to internal articles improves the accessibility and overall engagement with your site as consumers can explore the content you have posted.

Optimise URL slugs

Again, the key is to let the search engine know what your page content is about. The more clearly you do this, the easier it becomes for the search engine to understand your content and rank it. A descriptive URL slug illustrate the underlying idea of your content, making it easier for search engines to pick up on.

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Typically, search engine optimised URL slugs are shorter and rich with keywords. Be strategic about your URL slug, use pieces of information that your text is talking about in a manner that is enticing to consumers – hook their attention so that they’re more likely to click on your page. Google takes into account multiple URL factors such as URL length, path, keywords, and string.

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Having an appropriate URL slug is also useful for visitors as it gives them a fair idea of what your article will cover. If their search needs match your URL, they’re more likely to engage with your page.

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Optimise images and alt-text

Like most SEO elements, images help with SEO as well as with UX. Google also allows for visual image searches, which can sometimes be more easily discoverable than the page itself. Adding an optimised alt-text to every page image, allows search engines to see that image as a valuable and relevant part of your content. You can further optimise images to ensuring they load quickly on the page by compressing the image file size.

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From the UX perspective, images make the content more enjoyable, engaging, and less monotonous. Pictorial representation of the underlying information or breaking giant walls of texts using images all add to a positive UX. Additionally, alt-texts increase the accessibility of your text as it allows visually impaired people to engage with your content more fully.

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SEO image optimisation checklist:

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Make sure they complement the content of your article.
Title the image.
Use caption text if relevant.
Name the image file descriptively.
Compress images for optimal page load speed.
Add images to your site’s XML sitemap.

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How can Clear Click help?

Ranking high on the search engine results page SERP is a challenging task. However, on-page SEO practices are simple, cost-effective, yet powerful ways to improve the rankings and listings of your page. They’re simple because all the factors discussed are under your control. In a world where consumers don’t look beyond the top few results, it is critical to ensure your content is optimised. After all, your business will only grow if users engage with your content. On-page SEO helps with improving visibility, click-through rates, web traffic, and user experience.

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While producing unique and value-adding content is the backbone of any customer engagement, it isn’t all that easy. It’s time-consuming and takes a lot of effort.

If you’re interested in discussing this further, book a call with our SEO team! We create bespoke strategies that are tailored to your business goals and the available resources at hand.

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Google’s Third-party Cookies Phaseout: What Marketers Can Do To Prepare

May 25, 2022

It is no secret that internet users are growing increasingly uneasy about how advertisers track their data on the web: 40% of UK respondents stated they were concerned about how companies use their data. In light of these growing concerns, tech giant Google recently announced a plan for a third-party cookie phase out on its browser, Google Chrome.

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The digital marketing industry thrives by delivering relevant target ads to web users. It does this with the help of a massive database of individual data gathered by thousands of companies, primarily through third-party cookies.

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Google Chrome accounts for 64.34% of the global market share (as of April 2022), making it the most widely used browser to use first and third-party cookies. According to Google’s current plan, it will have a third-party cookie phase out by 2023. This shift away from third-party cookies has caused major concern amongst marketers and raises questions about how the decision will impact the effectiveness of digital advertising.

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This article will cover the following topics:

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What are cookies?

Cookies are small files sent to your browser by a website you visit. The website uses these files to track personal information about your visit. This data includes the items you click on, the products in your online shopping cart, or even your username and password.

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Different kinds of cookies are used for different purposes. For example, session cookies are used when you navigate a website; these cookies disappear once you exit the website. On the other hand, tracking cookies create long-term records of multiple visits to the same site.

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While there are many types of cookies, here we’ll focus on first-party and third-party cookies.

First-party cookies

First-party cookies are created and stored directly by the website or domain. These cookies allow brands to deliver a better and more personalised user experience by collecting data such as language settings and login credentials. First-party cookies essentially store all user data from the user’s interaction with your website but can’t access data from other domains.

Third-party cookies

Third-party cookies are created by external domains, i.e., websites other than those you are visiting directly. These domains include advertising and tracking providers. Third-party cookies allow brands to track user behaviour and habits and help marketers make predictions based on this data. These cookies are also used for retargeting and cross-site tracking.

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First Party Cookies Vs Third Party Cookies

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Why is Google phasing out cookies?

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Google lists user privacy as the primary reason for third-party cookies to phase out. The firm believes that “People shouldn’t have to accept being tracked across the web in order to get the benefits of relevant advertising.“ With growing global concern on data privacy, Google faced public and regulatory pressure to enhance its commitment to protecting individuals’ data.

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In response to rumours about Google developing a new tracking system, Google stated they would not be building "alternate identifiers to track individuals as they browse across the web, nor will we use them in our products."

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While Google Chrome isn’t the first web browser to phase out third-party cookies, it is the largest. Apple blocked these cookies from Safari back in 2020, while Mozilla’s Firefox began to phase them out in 2019.

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How will this impact digital marketing?

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While eliminating third-party cookies will require marketers to rework parts of their advertising strategy, everything will not change. This section will highlight the areas that are likely to be unaffected by Google’s decision.

Conversion Tracking

Paid social conversion and search tags use only first-party cookies. Google will continue to use these first-party cookies, citing them as ‘vital’ in the new privacy-first world. As a result, you will not experience any disruption while tracking standard-click through conversions.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a popular tool to capture data about your website’s visitors: it is used by 55.6% of all websites. It uses first-party cookies set via a piece of JavaScript code that you must add to every page that you want to track. Google Analytics sets four cookies automatically and a fifth via opt-in, which relates to sharing data about your web traffic with Google. With Google Analytics, you can track and generate reports for the number of users, session duration, bounce rate, page views and more.

Retargeting

Retargeting using first-party cookies will continue undisrupted. Ads displayed on Google’s search engine results page are targeted using the individuals’ search queries, thus using a Google or first-party cookie.

Similarly, remarketing on Facebook and Instagram will be unaffected as it is based on user data tracked with Meta cookies and doesn’t involve third-party cookies.

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How can marketers prepare?

The death of the third-party cookie has generated a lot of nervousness in the marketing community: 41% of marketers feel that the biggest challenge will be tracking the right data.

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If your marketing and advertising strategies rely heavily on third-party cookies, you should consider alternative plans that capitalise on first-party data. Ingrid Burton, CMO of Quantcast, said, "Using solutions that utilise first-party data with AI and machine learning will help communicators reach the right person at the right moment.”

What strategies can be implemented?

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With every advancement or change in technology, there emerge new solutions. Marketers, advertisers, and data engineers have been actively searching for alternatives to third-party cookies. Google itself advocates its Privacy Sandbox as a replacement for ad targeting.

Google's Privacy Sandbox

Google will not create technology that tracks users at an individual level; however, it will still be investing in alternatives that focus on group behaviour. Its Privacy Sandbox aims to “create a thriving web ecosystem that is respectful of users and private by default.”

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The Privacy Sandbox technology works on interest-based advertising using Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC): the idea that groups of users with common interests could replace individual identifiers. This data has proven to be nearly as effective as that from third-party cookies. The FLoC approach hides individual data in the crowd and uses on-device processing to keep a user’s web history private on their browser.

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By combining functionality with privacy protection, the Privacy Sandbox will not hamper the user experience but instead, make users more confident that their browser is working to safeguard their privacy. At the same time, it will provide an effective solution for advertisers and marketers to generate leads and increase revenue.

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What tools can be used?

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Optimising your marketing strategy for the post-third-party cookie world can be challenging, but Clear Click is here to help. Clear Click offers a range of services to help your business maximise its interactions with prospective customers using multi-channel insights and strategic consultancy. Our Web Analysts interpret data to calculate the performance of marketing campaigns. This data can help your organic and paid search teams strengthen your advertising efforts.

In the evolving tech space, it’s essential to adapt your advertising strategies, and Clear Click makes this process stress-free! Book a free consultation today to learn more.

Link Building for SaaS Companies: 5 Strategies For Growth

May 18, 2022

Backlinks are considered one of the most important factors for ranking on Google. According to an Ahrefs study, there is a direct correlation between backlinks and the amount of organic traffic a website generates. According to the same study, only 25,588 websites without backlinks receive more than 5,000 organic hits per month.

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Simply put, a backlink is a link from one website to another. If many websites are linking to you, Google believes you are putting out quality content, and it ranks you higher in search results. So if you are looking to attract more visitors to your website, backlink building is a must.

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This article will break down the benefits of backlinks and tell you about five must-use strategies to acquire backlinks for your SaaS company.

Benefits of backlinks

Most of the benefits of backlinks are in the form of SEO results. Here are some of the benefits for your SaaS company:

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Benefits of backlinks for SaaS Companies

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Better domain and page authority

When websites with a high domain authority link back to your site, it increases your site's domain authority.

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Your content appears more credible

When your website has a high domain authority, it means that search engines trust your website and the credibility of your content. This helps you rank higher on search engines and, as a result, boosts the volume of traffic you are receiving.

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Increases your brand visibility to new audiences

The better your search ranking is, the higher you appear in Google searches. This makes your company visible to potential customers searching other keywords.

A backlink on another company’s blog will also lead to some readers clicking on the link and visiting your website.

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Gives your brand authority

If your customers find your website links on popular and reputed pages, they will consider your website an authoritative one. Customers will trust you if popular websites in your niche link back to you.

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Better conversion rate

Having quality content that other sites backlink to establishes you as an expert in your niche. This will lead to a higher number of paying customers.

Five best link building tactics for SaaS companies

Now that you’re aware of the importance of backlinks for the growth of your SaaS business, how should you get them? Here are the five best link-building tactics for SaaS companies.

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1. Backlinks from review sites

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Nine out of ten people read online reviews before making a purchase decision. This indicates the importance of having a strong online presence on review sites. However, positive reviews that include a backlink will lead to people clicking on the link as they browse reviews.

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Getting backlinks from popular review sites in your niche is an excellent link-building tactic because:

This method is relatively straightforward
Your past clients’ words about your business are more impactful than your own
New reviews will improve your search engine ranking
Backlinks in reviews are beneficial for both new customers as well as the company
Most review websites receive high search traffic and have a strong DA

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One of the best ways to get these backlinks is to ask your customers to leave a review or a testimonial for your business. If your customers agree to leave a review, you should request them to link back to your website in their review on popularly used platforms like Capterra, SaaS Genius, GetApp, and G2 Crowd.

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2. Backlinks from bloggers

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According to Business Insider’s latest report, 68% of companies with 100 or more employees will use influencer marketing. Influencer marketing enhances brand awareness and generates leads.

So if you can tie up with bloggers or content creators who regularly create content and have a strong website, this might be an amazing way for you to grow your SaaS business.

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For example, your company could give a blogger a paid subscription to your website for free in exchange for them linking to your company in one or more of their pieces. Many bloggers would also be interested in a backlink exchange if you have a strong domain authority.

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This link-building method involves reaching out to bloggers who talk about your niche. The trick is to make sure their audience consists of your target customers. This will lead to a strong target audience visiting your website, and you benefiting from the SEO boost because of additional backlinks.

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In short, a recommendation from someone with a large and loyal following could help you improve your sales fast.

3. Guest posts

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Writing guest posts involves contributing content to another website. You or someone from your company will write and post content on another company’s blog as a guest author.

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The company you write for, the readers, and your company benefit from this guest post. Your content will provide value to the publisher’s audience and drive some of their traffic back to your company.

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Guest posting on reputable websites in your niche can help you:

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Build awareness about your brand
Lead to good relations with other companies in your niche
Reach new audiences
Drive traffic to your website
Improve your SEO with a backlink

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Here is a step-by-step guide to help you get started with guest posting.

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Step 1

Find a site you want to guest post on: The first and most important step is to find websites where you want to guest post. For example, look at sites your audience likes to use.

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You should check the website’s domain authority using a tool like Moz, Ahrefs or SEMrush. This ensures you are identifying websites that Google already ranks as authoritative.

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Step 2

Qualify the site: Find out which sites are accepting guest posts and which sites post blogs related to your niche.

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Step 3

Find relevant topics: Find a few topics that you think the publisher’s audience would find helpful.

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Step 4

Pitch your offer to the publisher site: Find the right person to contact and be personal in your approach. It’s a good idea to lead with how this guest post could benefit them and their readers.

If you are unsure about who is the best person to contact in the firm, you can check their LinkedIn page to find the names of the marketers in the company. Then you can use a tool like Hunter.io to find their email addresses.

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Step 5

Write a post worth publishing: Be mindful of the website’s target audience while structuring your content. Focus on adding value to the readers and find a natural way to link back to your site in the blog post.

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Step 6

Maintain good relations with the publisher: Your work isn’t done when the post is published. Follow up on the post, promote it on social platforms, and regularly respond to comments on the post. Maintaining good relations with the publisher will open doors for future guest blogging opportunities.

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Step 7

Analyse: Keep track of how the guest post affected the traffic to your website. Use these insights to build a guest post plan for yourself.

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Guest posts are a great way to build backlinks for your SaaS company while also establishing your expertise in the niche.

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4. Find unlinked brand mentions

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When your content is unique or useful, you will often see other blogs and articles referencing your posts or repurposing your images. These websites may give your company credits or include your logo without including your website link.

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Finding these unlinked mentions of your brand on the internet and requesting them to link back to you is a great link-building tactic.

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You can set up a Google News alert to get notified when your brand name is mentioned, and then you can reach out to the website owner or a marketer at the firm and request them to add a link. You can use tools such as Buzzstream and Screaming Frog to track existing unlinked brand mentions.

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While reaching out, you need to inform the reader about how backlinking to your website for the brand mention will improve their SEO ranking as well.

5. Backlink Exchange

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Since backlinks are critical to a site’s SEO, many companies might be willing to provide you a backlink if you offer them one in exchange. A well-executed backlink exchange campaign can get you some highly relevant links from credible websites. Here are the five steps to a backlink exchange program:

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Step 1

Search for complementary articles from high authority websites. To find blogs that will be willing to backlinks to you, you should use keywords related to your article.

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Step 2

After you get a list of articles, you should identify the relevant ones. The first step is to filter the websites based on their domain authority. After this, you need to sort articles based on content. You need to check whether the articles have content where your piece can be referenced.

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Step 3

After you’ve made a final list of the websites where a backlink exchange will be mutually beneficial, you must contact the companies. The best way is via using tools such as hunter.io and snov.io to find and verify the emails of the person in charge of the website.

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Step 4

This step involves making the offer! You need to email the relevant person, offering them a backlink exchange.

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Step 5

If they accept, you need to find a contextually relevant post and agree on the anchor text.

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The other company will also link back to your website from theirs, completing the backlink exchange.

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What to avoid when executing backlink campaigns

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Reaching out to hundreds of people or drafting in-depth blog posts is often time-consuming and annoying. While most people start backlink campaigns with white hat SEO tactics, seeing no results for a long time leads to many people finding short-cuts. Here are some of those short-cuts which may lead to temporary results but are likely to affect your website’s authority over the long run:

Link stuffing: This is the use of irrelevant links that have nothing to do with the industry or topic. While approaching people during a backlink campaign, you must insist that they link to you on relevant anchor text and that the content on the post is contextually relevant. Google believes in quality over quantity, and getting high-quality backlinks from credible websites is more important than just hitting numbers.

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Poor quality content: Make sure your content is unique and well-written. It should add value to the readers. Additionally, most companies and websites want to link to credible and highly relevant material. If your content doesn’t meet that standard, your chances of getting backlinks are slim. Similarly, you should also try to link only to high-value posts and articles from companies with high domain authority, as that will increase the credibility of your blog or website.

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Paid links: Never pay for backlinks. While it might seem easy to pay for backlinks instead of working to build them organically, paid links are considered a black hat SEO tactic. Often, Google’s algorithms are smart enough to detect paid backlink campaigns, which will affect your search engine ranking.

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If you put out useful and engaging content, you will gradually start seeing other people link back to your content and website. However, this is likely to take months, if not years. So if you are keen to see the many benefits of backlinks sooner rather than later, contact us today. We’ve successfully executed several backlink campaign strategies and have a wealth of experience doing them the right way.

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Google Analytics 4: A Complete Introduction

May 8, 2022

In 2021, Google announced that it would replace Google Analytics 3, aka Universal Analytics, with a new iteration of its web analytics platform, Google Analytics 4. Google will stop processing new hits on July 1st, 2023, and will stop processing all hits on October 1st, 2023.

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Millions of large and small businesses rely on Google Analytics to understand their marketing progress and consumer preferences. Since Google Analytics 4 is the new, standard analytics software of Google, getting familiar with the key features can improve your digital marketing efforts.

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This article will provide a broad overview of Google Analytics 4 and the benefits that businesses can reap by using the software.

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Feel free to jump to any section of the article using the links below:

What is Google Analytics 4?

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Google Analytics 4 is a data computation software that allows businesses to measure traffic and engagement across their websites and applications. Launched on October 14th, 2020, the software is the latest version of Google’s analytics platform.

What is different with Google Analytics 4?

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Google Analytics 4 differs from its predecessor Google Analytics Universal in various key features. The new platform provides updated features such as deeper predictive insights, cross-device measurement, enhanced integration with Google Ads, codeless event tracking, and improved data controls.

What are the benefits of Google Analytics 4?

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Marketers and analysts are excited by many of GA4s features. Here under are 6 Benefits of Google Analytics 4 (GA4):

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Enhanced Measurement and Tracking: The new enhanced measurement feature allows users to track events and interactions automatically. This sort of tracking would have taken hours or days on Google’s previous analytics platforms. Using GA4, marketers can track scrolls, outbound link clicks, site searches, YouTube video engagement, and file downloads. This new approach will be instrumental in helping businesses understand the total impact of their marketing efforts across various platforms.

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Smarter Insights and Predictions: GA4 will also leverage AI to alert users of trends in their data. The software will help marketers anticipate their customers’ decisions, allowing businesses to predict churn and revenue from a particular customer segment.

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Improved User Interface: Google Universal Analytics provided users with a tremendous amount of information, albeit in an unintuitive and disorganised fashion. The new software improves the user interface by organising reports and information based on events, business cycles, and user data. Another big plus in Google Analytics 4’s user interface is that there will be a “Customise Report” tool. In addition, the core of Google Analytics 4 is based on machine learning, which means that the new software provides unparalleled automation in terms of user experience.

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Integration with BigQuery: Google Analytics 4 also offers a free integration with Google BigQuery, an advanced database solution, and Google Cloud Platform. The integration means that users can access raw data without purchasing Google Analytics 360. BigQuery lets users utilise advanced analysis of many raw and unsampled data sets from Google Analytics. Such a feature is particularly helpful for businesses with a lot of web traffic. In addition, a BigQuery integration also lets users export their data to visualisation platforms such as Tableau and Power BI.

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Effective Customer Engagement Measurement: Google Analytics 4 is designed to give a customer-centric measurement of how consumers interact with businesses. Instead of measuring customer engagement through a device, the new platform uses User IDs and unique Google Signals to picture a business-customer interaction accurately. For example, users can check if a customer first discovered their business through an ad or somewhere else with this new feature. Such information is critical to assessing the quality and progress of your business's current marketing efforts and tracking the customer journey.

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Long Term Growth: Another reason to use Google Analytics 4 is that the platform is suited to the future of the tech landscape. As the industry continues to evolve, outdated platforms might not be adaptable to rapid changes in the tech industry. However, Google Analytics 4 is different in that it can function without cookies as well. Therefore, businesses that use Google Analytics 4 are immune to significant industry-wide changes in the tech sector.

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Conclusion:

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Google has already started investing in the future development of Google Analytics 4, making the software a default choice for businesses seeking to operate long term. Familiarising yourself with the new software will help your business reap the benefits of further updates and Google’s latest innovations.

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Keeping your business updated with the latest technology standards can protect you from abrupt regulatory interventions. In fact, Google Analytics 4 was launched as a response to the recent development in the EU regarding cookies and data tracking. Therefore, by using Google Analytics 4, you will protect yourself from breaching any privacy laws in the future.

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If you are looking for a fantastic analytic tool to assess and direct your marketing efforts, we recommend that you start using Google Analytics now! Need support with GA4 book a call with one of our specialists.

Meet The NEW Google Performance Max Campaigns

April 13, 2022

Google Performance Max is an entirely new goal-orientated Google Ads campaign type allowing advertisers to leverage all of Google Ads inventory from a single campaign. The premise of the campaign is to complement keyword-based search campaigns helping advertisers to find more customers across all of Google’s channels like YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps.

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Performance Max helps advertisers increase performance based on their accounts conversion goals. In an effort to increase conversions and provide more value by optimising advertising performance in real-time across multiple channels using Google’s Smart Bidding.

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Performance Max uses Google’s automation technologies across bidding strategy, budget optimisation, audiences, creative assets, and attribution. All automation is powered towards increasing the frequency and amount of specific advertising goals set by the advertiser. For example, if you have a target CPA, the creative assets served, audience signaling, and budgeting will all be focused on achieving that target CPA.

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Benefits of Performance Max Campaigns

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Find more customers who are ready to convert

Customise the goals that matter the most to your business objectives.
Engage with customers across the entirety of Google’s channels from a singular campaign.
Unlock new customer segments that you may have not expected.

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Increased value

Google’s data-driven attribution is used across all channels, optimising for even the most incremental touchpoints that result in users becoming customers.
Machine learning is used to make more accurate predictions about which ads, audiences, and creative asset combinations will perform better to your chosen conversion goal. This can also be found in the rollout of Google's responsive search ads, as the industry begins to migrate away from more 'traditional' advertising methods.

Enhanced data and insights

Performance Max reporting helps businesses understand what performs the best, and how much impact it is having on campaign performance to drive ROI.
New insights such as search trends can help businesses understand changes in performance and influence broader business decisions.

5 Key Benefits of Google Performance Max Campaigns

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Unlock new audiences across Google’s channels and networks.
Drive better performance against goals.
Gain more transparent insights.
Drive automation with your campaign inputs.
Simplify your campaign management & easily optimize ads.

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5 Key Benefits of Google Performance Max Campaigns

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When Should You Use Performance Max Campaigns?

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Performance max campaigns are the chosen option to use when these statements are true

There is a specific conversion goal associated with advertising (e.g. increasing sales or lead generation).
You want to maximise performance of the campaign and you are not limited by which channel your ads should serve on.
You want to access all of Google’s advertising channels using a single campaign.
You want to expand reach and conversions beyond keyword-based search campaigns.

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Should You Run Performance Max Campaigns Instead of Other Campaign Types?

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Google's data suggests that Performance Max campaigns can increase conversions by up to 13% at the same or lower cost per conversion when activated in parallel to currently campaign types.

Performance Max should therefore be thought of as a marginal play and should be activated in addition to the advertisers current set of campaigns. There should be no reason to turn off any of your campaigns to begin with, until your Performance Max campaign has collected enough data to justify switching off other campaigns.

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Performance Max Conversion Best Practices

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Choose campaign level conversion goals.

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Not all campaigns will be aimed at producing the same outcome, so advertisers must match conversion goals to their respective campaigns. For example if lead forms, phone calls, and store visits all contribute to business sales, then make sure Performance Max campaigns are targeting and optimised towards these specific goals.

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Set conversion values. Using value-based bidding strategies enable Performance Max to determine the worth of conversions wherever, and wherever, they occur. This provides much more value than other bidding strategies, as Performance Max campaigns will optimise its bidding based on the true value of each conversion, rather than the average value of all conversions.

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Therefore, Performance Max users will aim to identify users who share the attributes of a high-value customer, and bid more aggressively. On the other hand users who do not share the attributes of a high-value customer will have lower bids placed on them.

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The diagram below illustrates that if your bidding strategy treats all users the same, businesses run the risk of over investing in lower value customers, while under investing in high value customers. When advertisers prioritse bidding based on value, businesses can maximise their return on ad spend.

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Cost-base Bidding (CPA) Vs Value-based Bidding (ROAS)

Import Offline Conversions

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Offline Google Ads conversion tracking allows advertisers to flow CRM data back to the Google Ads platform for up to 90 days after a user's first click. This data can be used to track actions that happen after an online conversion, such as the user being qualified for a deal, or a subscriber renewing their subscription with your business. Depending on the desired action, advertisers can track these as new conversions, or update the value of the initial conversion as new milestones are reached in the customer journey.

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For example, direct sales like a subscription renewal, businesses can simply flow the true value of each customer every time a subscription is renewed within the 90-day period. By doing this, Performance Max campaigns will have a better understanding of which customers have a higher lifetime value, and which customers are single time purchasers.

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On the contrary, if marketing objectives revolve around generating leads and have long sales cycles, it is recommended that advertisers set a new conversion action and define a value for each stage of the sales journey to help Performance Max campaigns optimise for each of the specific events and actions that drive sales.

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Have some further questions or queries about running or setting up Performance Max campaigns? Chat with one of our experts and book a call here.

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Google Shopping Ads: Everything You Need To Know

March 31, 2022

Google Shopping ads are an excellent tool for driving targeted traffic to your business website. While you are required to list your products and supply Google’s Merchant Center with all the metadata your ad needs, that’s where your work ends. Google then uses its state-of-the-art automation to show your ads to the right customers. This helps your ad generate traffic that actually converts, boosting your sales. But how exactly does Google do it?

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Being the most popular search engine worldwide, Google processes over 3.5 billion searches every day. All of this user search data is collected and analyzed by intelligent AI-powered algorithms in order to develop user insights.

These insights tell Google what a user might be more inclined towards based on their age, gender, geographical location, and other demographic parameters. Google uses this data to run highly personalized ads where users are shown product prompts based on their preferences. This helps your business find and reach its target customer base much quicker than manually collecting and analyzing user data.

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With Google Shopping ads, you can harvest the power of Google’s world-class big data algorithms to boost your sales. Here’s everything you need to know to get started.

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What are Google Shopping ads?

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Google Shopping ads are interactive (and responsive) ads displayed to potential customers when they search for a product or related keywords on Google. These appear as a carousel of floating cards at the top of the search page. Each ad consists of a product image and metadata about the product, including item price, product description, size, retailer name and product review score.

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Once clicked, Google Shopping ads redirect customers to the product’s landing page on your business’s e-commerce website. As Google says:

“Google Shopping ads have a different, more visual format. In contrast to a text ad, which displays text only, Shopping ads show users a photo of your product, plus a title, price, store name, and more. These ads give users a strong sense of the product you're selling before they click the ad, which gives you more qualified leads.”

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How do you create a Google Shopping ad?

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Creating your own intelligent ad campaign with Google requires you to have a:

Google Ads account
Google Merchant Center account
Google Analytics account

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To give you a better understanding, we have divided the entire process into two parts - Preparing and Launching.

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Preparing

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In this stage, we tell you everything you need to get in place before you can start your Google Ads campaign:

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1. Creating your Merchant Center Account

The first step is to create a Google Merchant Center account. Merchant Center helps you register your business with Google. You need to upload all of your product and retailer information (including metadata) that you want your ads to display.
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This includes:

Business information - Your website’s name, store’s name, business address, and a registered phone number for verification.
Checkout options - Your customers can be redirected to the product’s landing page on your website or can be allowed to make the purchase on Google’s own platform. You can also make listings about in-store inventory, which will be shown to customers from nearby locations. The customers can then choose to make a same day or later pickup.
Linking third-party platforms - You may want to use a third-party platform to promote, list, or sell your products on Google. You can link your account on a third-party platform with your merchant center account in order to

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2. Creating your shopping product feed

Now it's time to log in and create your shopping feed. This is essentially a comprehensive list of your catalog in an Excel spreadsheet that tells Google about the products to be shown in your campaigns.

How to create a Google Shopping feed — *Create a Google Shopping feed*

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3. Configure shipping settings

You need to give Google the different costs and speeds of shipping your product.

*Configure Google Shipping shipping settings*

Launching

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The next stage covers everything you need to do to set up your first Shopping Ads campaign.

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1. Creating a new campaign

Now that your products are approved, and you have configured your shipping settings, the next step is to create your first campaign inside Google Ads. All you need to do is click on the plus sign on the campaigns screen.

*Creating a new Google Shopping Campaign*

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Select standard vs. smart shopping campaign: Standard gives you full control but with limited reach, whereas smart allows you to run the campaign on autopilot with greater reach.
Finish setup: Give your campaign a name, a budget, bid strategy, and locations to run. Now you can publish the campaign!

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What are Google Performance Max campaigns?

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This is a new type of campaign that will replace Smart Shopping by September 2022. This new tool maximizes your conversion value by employing automated bidding and targeting across the search engine and other Google services. It goes beyond Smart Shopping by:

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Showing on Discover and Maps in addition to Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, and Gmail.
Impacting existing Search Ads Campaigns.

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What are Google Shopping ads best practices?

Setting up a Shopping campaign is one thing but doing it efficiently is an entirely different ball game. To ensure you are getting the most bang for your buck, you need to go beyond simply setting up the campaign. You need to find out the elements that work so that you can boost your budget in areas that are delivering the best results.

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Here are some of the best Google Shopping ads tips:

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Campaign structure

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The first thing you should do is to create new product groups that are differentiated based on product attributes. Some product attributes include brand, condition, product type, and channel.

You can then start managing your campaign based on sales volume and margins. This information can be added to your campaign using labels. You can use product attributes as inventory filters to set up Shopping campaigns for different products and brands.

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Next, you can start search query level bidding. This involves running a number of similar campaigns targeting specific search terms through your campaign.

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Negative keywords

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If you identify and mark out commonly searched keywords that low-intent users search for, you can boost your results. Eliminating negative keywords helps your increase clickthrough rates (CTR) and return on ad spend.

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The easiest way to find negative keywords is to go through your search terms report. This report shows you all the search queries your ads have been displayed for. You should look out for:

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Irrelevant terms: Search terms used by low-intent users or ones that aren’t relevant to your product
Competitor terms: Search terms that include your competitors' names
Products not sold: Search terms for products you are not selling yet
Very generic terms: Search terms like “pants” are very generic and likely have a very low conversion rate.

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Optimize product titles

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The product feed is the soul of your Google Shopping campaign. Any improvements that you make here, by adding more relevant information, will boost CTR and performance.

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For instance, you can increase your CTR by including the most popular product-related queries in your product titles.

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Optimize product pricing

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A campaign that performed badly could simply result from non-competitive product pricing. If you suspect this is the case, you should:

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Identify poorly performing products and check if pricing is the issue
Analyze the pricing of your competitors and see if the difference is large
Identify ways to bridge the gap with competitors
Find ways to lower your maximum CPC for the product

If this sounds complex and you continue to struggle with setting up Google Shopping ads, it might be worth considering hiring us. We have several years of experience setting up and optimizing Google Shopping ads to ensure our clients get the highest return on ad spend. If this sounds interesting and you’d like to learn more, book a free consultation today.

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PPC Keyword Analysis: Optimise Your Paid Search Campaigns

August 23, 2021

The foundation of any rewarding pay-per-click campaign is PPC keyword analysis. Selecting keywords to bid on that are most relevant to your audience, and most likely to provide your business with a return on ad spend (ROAS). Keyword research involves using the many PPC keyword research tools at your disposal and also understanding your customers and the search terms they will be using on search engines. This will ensure your ads serve at the right time and in the right place.

If you’re interested in finding out how you should be structuring your Google Ads campaigns, then get in touch with one of our account managers for a free keyword audit.

This guide will help improve your keyword research process and in turn, help you achieve more effective pay-per-click campaigns. We will cover the following topics:

Create Your PPC Keyword List

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Keyword research starts by analysing your website landing page(s) that your advertisements will drive users to. Start by looking at each page and gather all of the relevant keywords from the text. Supposing that your website has well-crafted page text, there should be enough content to begin putting together a thorough list of relevant keywords. At Clear Click, we start by organising our keywords into the following categories;

Branded - keywords containing your brand name.
Generic - keywords relating to your product or service offering.
Related - keywords that don’t have direct relation, but users who are interested in your product or service may be searching for.
Competitor - keywords containing brand names of your competitors.

Here is what this method of categorising keywords would look like in practice if we were to conduct keyword research on Mercedes cars.

It’s very important to note that if you decide to bid on competitor keywords, it is expensive and cannibalise modest PPC budgets quickly. So, think carefully about your goals and if the risk is worth the reward.

Put Yourself Into Your Customers’ Mindset

During the keyword brainstorming stage, you must put yourself into your target audiences shoes. What kind of search queries would they use when searching for your product or service?

For example, if your audience is searching for shoes they might use the following queries;
trainers, running shoes, blue trainers, men’s sneakers, women’s trainers. Search engines like Google can often make connections between related search terms and therefore they would treat “trainers” and “running shoes” in the same manner. However, search engines do not always find the connection between similar terms, so it is best to include them in your initial keyword research. Especially if you are using exact match keywords.

Consider Broad Match Keywords

Adding broad match keywords to your Google Ads campaigns will serve advertisements to users who might be researching topics around your product or service not wishing to convert at that specific time. This allows advertisers to capture a higher volume of website traffic at a lower cost than other keyword match types.

Explore Long-tail Keywords

Contrary to broad keywords, long-tail keywords are low in search volume but high in user intent. An example of a long-tail keyword would be a user who searches for “Levi men’s t-shirts size medium” rather than “men’s shirts”. These keywords may only have a dozen or so searches per month, but the user is much more likely to click the advertisement and purchase your product or service because it’s exactly what the user was searching for. Due to their low search volume, fewer advertisers bother to research and develop their long-tail keywords, this means that it’s a less competitive space and costs less to bid on them.

Understandably, long-tail keywords can be quite time consuming to pull together. That’s why we suggest using tools such as Merge Words or Founds PPC Concatenation Tool to concatenate your lists into long-tail keywords.

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Perfect Your Keyword List with PPC Keyword Research Tools

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Equipped with your initial keyword list, it would now be wise to refine and expand your keyword list using PPC keyword research tools. By doing so, you will find which keywords should be kept, and which should be discarded from your list. Keyword research tools provide advertisers with keyword research volumes, the level of competition, and the average cost per click for each of the keywords in your list. Our favourite keyword research tools are Google’s Keyword Planner and SEMrushes PPC Keyword Tool.

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Arranging Your PPC Keywords

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You must arrange and organise your keywords into groups that are closely related to one another. These groupings of keywords will resemble your ad group structure from within the Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising (formerly known as Bing Ads) platforms. For instance, let’s assume you are selling ground coffee on your website. A good PPC account structure would mimic the structure of your website. Therefore, your ad groups might look like this;

Generic | Ground Coffee
Generic | Peruvian Coffee

Generic | Columbian Coffee

The more tightly knit your keywords and ad groups are, the higher chance you have of measuring keyword performance, creating highly engaging and relevant advertisements, and achieving a higher quality score.

Quality scores are a crucial performance metric every PPC advertiser should aim to increase.

Google allocates a score to each of the advertisers keywords out of 10 and the score is based on the relevance of the ads, landing page experience, and expected click-through rates. The score given is out of 10, and having a higher score increases your ad ranking and reduces your cost per click.

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Add Negative Keywords

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Adding negative keywords to your PPC accounts are extremely important. Negative keywords are the terms that you don’t want your ads to appear for. A vital part of any PPC account, negative keywords help govern cost and keep your targeting highly relevant to the users search intent. For example, a merchandiser of luxury watches would add negative keywords like “cheap” to mitigate the risk of their ad showing for an irrelevant search.

Here are some suggestions for adding negative keywords to your PPC campaigns:

Monitor your search term reports in Google Ads and Microsoft Ads. This is an excellent way to determine what users were searching for when your ad was served to them. If you find keywords in user search terms that are irrelevant to your business, set them as negative keywords to ensure your ad spend is not wasted in the future.

Research keyword match types. Using broad match negative to disqualify obvious terms such as “free” is acceptable. However, be careful with broad match negative keywords as you can quickly rule out a large portion of traffic without knowing the quality of search traffic you will gain from serving your advertisements. Be cautious and collect data before ruling out too many keywords.

Make use of shared negative keyword lists. There are some keywords that you will want to apply globally across your account. To do this efficiently, use shared keywords lists.

How Clear Click Can Help

Our paid search team specialise in finding our clients the most profitable keywords and reducing wasted ad spend, positively affecting the bottom-line of our clients’ businesses. If you would like help identifying growth opportunities and implementing a structured strategy to your Google Ads campaigns, contact us.

Amalia Arredondo

Link Building for SEO: The Basics Explained

June 24, 2021

· What is link link building?

Link building is one of the main factors in off page SEO and one that is essential for your website’s ranking signals. In fact, links are one of the top criteria that Google’s algorithm uses to rank your website. However, this does not necessarily mean getting as many random websites to link your content as possible. When it comes to link building, quality is better than quantity. While it is a simple concept in theory, it requires persistent time and effort for it to be done correctly.

In this article we will dive deeper into:

· The importance of link building

· How to build a healthy link profile

What is link building?

There are three different types of links: inbound, outbound and internal.

Inbound links, also known as backlinks, are html hyperlinks that point from other websites to your website and vice versa in the case of outbound links. These work similarly to real-life reputation and word-of-mouth advertising but just in digital form. The more links pointing to your website the more trustworthy and respected your website will be. On the other hand, internal links are links that are connected to internal pages within your own website and these signal to Google that a certain page in your website is important.

In this blog we will be focusing mainly on inbound links as these are one of the most valuable links you can build and remain a strong factor in how search engines determine your websites position on the SERP (search engine results pages).

The Importance of Link building

Backlinks are essentially a way to gain a reputable website that ranks high in the SERP. They are essentially a currency of the internet; the more high-quality links you have the more valuable your domain. Notice the emphasis on quality, this is because, while having many backlinks should be the aim of your off page strategy, it is also crucial that these links come from healthy domains that will add value to your website. We will elaborate further on how to build a healthy link profile in later sections of this blog post.

Once you have created a healthy link profile with relevant and valuable links, this will help search engines understand that your site is trustworthy and authoritative. Ultimately having a positive impact not only on your organic website traffic but also on your SEO ranking and visibility.

How to build a healthy link profile

To ensure that link building is done correctly and delivers the best results, one must ensure that their link profile is healthy. This means building links in an honest and organic way, adding value to the pages that link to your website, gaining links from relevant sites to your business/topic, making sure the linking domain is trustworthy and authoritative.

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What makes a good link profile

Earning your links honestly

Given the power of links, many people have unfortunately begun manipulating them to their benefit by gaining links artificially or purchasing them. These tactics may seem like the easy way out however they can prove to be extremely damaging for your website as Google does not approve of this type of behaviour and can be quick to penalise it. For this reason, you should always aim for your links to be earned by producing high-quality content that adds value to users. Most of the time unique and interesting pieces of content require no specific action from you apart from building awareness about it.

Create high quality and unique content

Creating high-quality and unique content, that other websites are genuinely interested in sharing with their own audience, is the best way to naturally build and earn links. However, this doesn’t mean creating content and simply waiting for the links to come in, it is important that you actively market this content across different platforms in order to create awareness. Using social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn is a great way to promote content as well as making sure you are leveraging the best keywords and on-page SEO strategies.

Some aspects of high quality content include:

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· Sparking the emotion of the readers.

· Creating something new that adds value to the reader or that is at least communicated in a new way.

· Using quality images to engage users.

· It addresses a relevant need or interest.

Link to relevant websites

Generally, you want to gain links from websites that are relevant to your own content. The linking domains don’t have to exactly match your topic, however it is best to avoid pursuing links that are completely off-topic. For example, if your business sells baby products, a link from a parent community will have more relevance and authority than one from a sports website. It is also good to note that having links from sources that are completely irrelevant can send confusing signals to search engines about the topic of your page.

Ensure healthy linking domains with high authority

Many different linking domain attributes can have an effect on how valuable a link is for your website, thus it is important that you properly assess these attributes. There are various metrics you can keep an eye on when judging the value of potential links or before investing your resources into pursuing a certain link. Here are the two most important ones:

Domain Authority

This is one of the most important metrics to understand how authoritative a domain is overall. It ranges from 0-100, with 100 being the highest authority. Normally a domain authority between 40-50 is considered average, 50-60 is considered good and 60+ is considered excellent.

Page Authority

This is a similar metric to domain authority and it also uses a 100-point scale, however it measures the ranking strength of a single web page instead of an entire domain. In general, the higher the page authority of the page you gain a link from, the more beneficial it will be to your SEO efforts.

How Can Clear Click Help?

Link building is all about persistent and consistent efforts. While there are many different strategies you can employ to gain links, we recommend you earn them organically and build a healthy link profile. However, one must remember that this is a time consuming and difficult task which can not take place overnight.

Our SEO team has put together 5 link building strategies for growth if you want to apply to best practices.

We understand the process of link building can be overwhelming, thus at Clear Click, our SEO specialist provides you with the best expertise to build a successful and healthy link building strategy. If you are looking to kick off a backlink building strategy or improve your current one, contact us with your request or book a free consultation call.

How Does the Google Ads Auction Work? [Infographic]

June 8, 2021

The Google Ads Auction Process

As advertisers, we’re often faced with questions about how Google Ads works, and, more importantly, how PPC works. So, we thought that the best way to answer this frequently asked question would be to illustrate the Google Ads auction process.

Below, you will find our updated 2021 Google Ads auction infographic which helps illustrate how the auction process is formatted. Through this useful infographic, you’ll be able to find out;

How advertisers get entered into each auction
How Google determines which ads to show, and where they are shown
How much Google charges advertisers

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Looking for more resources on google Ads, take a look at our Basic Introduction to Google Ads. Or perhaps you need a specialist to help run your Google Ad campaign, you can contact us, we would be happy to help.

Off-page SEO: The Ultimate Guide

May 20, 2021

Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO (or sometimes referred to as off-site SEO) is one of the most important parts of any SEO strategy.

If you are looking to increase your website authority and visibility then off-page is a tactic you will want to make sure you’re adopting.

In this guide we will cover the following:

What is Off-page SEO
Importance of Off-page SEO
Benefits of Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO Checklist

Let’s jump right in and start with a basic understanding to get you up to speed.

What is Off-page SEO?

In short, Off-page SEO is essentially a tactical approach to SEO outside your website.

It is often thought that link building is the heart of off-page SEO, but this is not fully true. There are a range of other off-page tactics that you should also know about and consider adopting if you are not already. Such tactics include brand building, content creation, citation building and social media marketing, just to name a few.

To quickly summarise off-page SEO, it involves tactics of building strong signals about your business outside your actual website. Leveraging these off-page signals to promote and provide search engines with a strong authority of your business.

To make it really simple think of it like this:

Your website = On-page SEO

Other websites or platforms = Off-page SEO

In general, SEO will fall into 3 types; Off-page SEO, On-page SEO and Technical SEO. We won’t go into detail about On-Page & Technical SEO in this article, but if you would like to read more about them you can find more in our SEO fundamentals article.

Importance of Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO is vital to your website’s organic ranking and visibility to search engines, it helps tell others on the web that your website is of value. Each time your website is mentioned on another platform or website, Google sees this as someone vouching for you.

To put this into context, if you had two identical websites with the same exact content, but the only differentiating factor was that one of these websites had more links to it from another website. The website with links pointing to it will rank higher on search engines like Google because Google measures off-page SEO on the quality and amount of referring links.

A website with no off-page signals is essentially losing out on organic traffic and ranking high in the SERP.

Benefits of Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO is essential to get your website ranking and there are a number of benefits that come with it. At the core, it’s the only way to give search engines authority signals about your website and its content.

Once off-page SEO starts kicking in you will start to see three main benefits to this strategy.

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Three main benefits of Off-page SEO:

1.) Improve SERP position

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The more authority your website can gain through external references (links, brand building, citations) the higher it will be positioned in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page). The higher your position in the SERPs and the more visibility you will gain, turning into an increase in organic traffic to your website.

To put it really simply:

Increased SERP position = Increased organic traffic

2.) Increase your Page Ranking

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Page ranking is a numerical figure search engines like Google give to individual web pages, based on the number and quality of links they gain. Google provides a number from 0-10 that will deem the ranking that it is given. The higher the score the more authoritative the page and its content is seen to be. The page ranking score is also a contributing factor to your position in the SERPs.

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3.) Increase your website Exposure

The overall benefits of activating an off-page strategy is an increase in your overall website exposure. Increased exposure turns into more backlinks and brand awareness, thus having a direct correlation to your position in the SERPs and your page ranking.

Off-Page SEO Checklist

We have put together a checklist of 10 off-page SEO tactics you should be leveraging to ensure you have an edge against your competition.

Backlink building
Brand building
Content marketing
PR
Local SEO
Social Media Marketing
Influencer Marketing
Guest posts
Podcasts
Reviews

Let’s explain a little more about each of these tactics hereunder so you get an idea of the value they can deliver.

Backlinks (Link Building)

Backlinks and link building should be at the core of your off-page SEO strategy given the fact that Google’s algorithm values it so highly as a ranking factor.

It’s important to approach link building with a strategy in mind. You don’t want to be acquiring just any backlink. You want to be gaining authoritative backlinks, from reputable websites. Gaining backlinks from authoritative sites will act as a vote of confidence for Google.

It’s simply about quality over quantity, although it won’t be easy to acquire these authoritative backlinks it will be worth it in the long run.

Want to learn more about backlinks, take a look at Link Building for SEO: The Basics Explained.

Brand Building

Building a brand is no easy task but it pays off in the long run and we know it is one ranking signal Google looks for when it comes to off-page SEO. Brand building refers to how widely your brand name or domain is mentioned over the internet. The more it’s mentioned the stronger this signal becomes. It’s a tactic that should be at the core of your off-page SEO.

Content Marketing

When you think of content marketing, you probably think it’s an on-page tactic, but it’s also an off-page tactic too. Publishing content on your own website is just one placement, but in actual fact, this content can be published in other locations all over the web (off-page).

For example, here are some standard off-page content marketing formats and placements:

Guest posts
Infographics used by another author on the web
Surveys or research papers use by another author on the web
White-papers & e-books used by other authors on the web

Although you might have originally published your content on your website, it can easily be picked up and published by others on their website or referred to in other digital assets online.

Digital PR

Digital PR helps your off-page SEO in a number of different ways and is becoming a popular tactic for today's SEOs. Digital PR is a fantastic way to build brand awareness and backlinks at the same time. It also puts your brand right in front of your target audiences, driving relevant traffic to your website and position you as a thought leader in your industry.

Local SEO

While local SEO is a large part of your overall SEO strategy in itself, there are two important parts that fall into Off-page SEO. This is Google My Business and citations.

Google My Business is its own website and opportunity to display your listing. There are massive benefits for optimising your GMB listing as all activity here is essentially off-page SEO. But we won’t go into detail here, this is its own separate topic for discussion.

Citations on the other hand are relatively simple, it is the placement of your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) over industry related directories. This acts as a validation for google and a referring domain for your website.

Social Media Marketing

Social Media is a massive part of building a brand and getting in front of your target audience, the average person spends 145 minutes a day on social media.

Social media marketing provides an opportunity for your brand to get in front of your target audience organically. It’s also a place of contact if someone has a customer care question, providing a fast and easy way for people to get in touch with your brand.

If you think of social media platforms like a search engine, a place for people to discover your brand based on a search query. It can provide a powerful way to organically reach your target audience and provide a valuable touchpoint.

It’s important to keep your social media updated and maintain professional communication, treating social media marketing as a touchpoint in your sales funnel. It’s a channel for your target audience to get to know your brand on a regular basis.

It’s important to note that social shares are not a ranking factor for Google, a common misunderstanding.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a fantastic way to build brand awareness and gain traction for your brand online. It’s not necessarily about building backlinks, but see it as a way to amplify your brand to a wider audience.

Today Instagram, Youtube and Tiktok are the three kings of influencer marketing. It’s all about finding the right influencer to work within your niche and using their audience to leverage your brand. People trust recommendations from others and are more likely to take action from someone they trust and value.

Use influencer marketing in your Off-page SEO strategy to leverage your brand and build a strong relationship with your target audience through the trust of others.

It’s not all about gaining backlinks.

Guest posts

Guest posts are a fantastic way to gain backlinks, it involves writing a guest post on an industry-relevant website. When done right it’s a quick and easy way to gain backlinks while getting in front of your target audience.

As a guest, writing content for someone else’s website, you are essentially acting as an expert in your field and providing value with your content to an audience that is relevant to your brand.

Guest posting is one of the most powerful backlink strategies, if not the most powerful.

Podcasts

Podcasts are extremely popular and are growing in popularity. If you are not yet using podcasting in your digital mix then you should think about starting your own for your business or getting features as a guest on a relevant industry podcast to bring attention to your brand. Similar to influencer marketing you will want to choose the right podcaster with the right audience to get in front.

Reviews

Online reviews are so important in today's customer buying journey, in fact, 93% of people say online reviews impact their buying decision. Online reviews are an underestimated aspect of a businesses online presence and off-page SEO strategy.

A business should not ignore its online reputation and make it a main priority to keep it in a positive light because it will have a positive impact. The core essence of off-page SEO is about building brand ranking signals and trust, showing search engines like google that you deserve to be ranked highly. Gaining a positive image from reviews is a great way to build trust and will be rewarded with more web visitors and conversions.

How can Clear Click help?

We often find that clients are overwhelmed with the task of SEO, especially off-page SEO and there are so many amazing approaches to take. It’s important to remember SEO is a long term process and is not won overnight.

If you are interested in having our SEO specialist build out a strategy to help support your off-page SEO goals, contact us with your request or book a free consultation call. We ensure a bespoke strategy that is custom fit to your business and budget.

Google Ads: A Basic Introduction

April 29, 2021

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Google Ads

With over 267 million unique visitors and a worldwide market share of almost 86%, Google is the most powerful search engine in the world. Google Ads was rolled out two years after Google.com was founded. As an advertising platform, it has evolved from Google Adwords from its inception to a recent rebrand in 2018, renaming the platform to Google Ads.

Given Google’s enormous reach, the chances are that you have seen and probably clicked on a Google ad, and so have your potential customers. In this guide, you will discover how to use Google Ads and how to optimise your campaigns to achieve the best results. Let’s get started!

What are Google Ads?

Google Ads is a paid advertising platform that falls under the pay-per-click advertising model. Google Ads are a powerful way to send high-quality traffic to your website, prompting your advertisements to appear at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs) when the user searches for a product or service similar to the one you are offering. Google Ads helps boost your website traffic, get more phone calls, and increase your website conversions.

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Google Ads give you, the advertiser, the ability to create and serve well-targeted ads to users across multiple devices such as mobile, tablet, and desktop. Ads can be created in many different formats spanning across other channels including YouTube, Google Display Network, and Google Shopping Ads. This allows you to reach your target audience where it makes the most sense for them to come across your ad, at a time where they are most likely to engage with it.

Google Ads will also help you analyse your advertising campaigns to increase your performance metrics over time and ultimately aid your business in reaching its marketing goals. In addition to helping you analyse performance, Google is not budget restrictive and allows you to tailor your advertising to suit your budget. Google Ads lets you stay within your monthly budget, and you can stop your campaigns at any time.

How do Google Ads work?

Google Ads operates an auction based bidding system whereby advertisers tell Google the maximum amount they are willing to pay for a click. The amount they actually pay, however, will be just over the next highest bidder which is just how traditional auction bidding works.

To illustrate the auction system we have put together an example. Let's assume there are three ad placements, and four advertisers are competing for those placements. The table shows the maximum price each advertiser is willing to pay for a click, and what amount they pay for the click.

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If you want to learn exactly how the Google ads auction works take a look out our details Google ads auction process infographic.

How can Google Ad help you advance your business goals?

There are a number of reasons why Google ads can help advance your business goals. We’ve shortlisted the top 4 reasons for using Google Ads to support your business.

Massive reach

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As the world's most frequently used search engine, Google receives over 6 billion search queries per day, giving you direct access to a substantial amount of internet users across the world. Coupled with the fact that Google Ads has been developed for almost 20 years, you can be sure that the platform will serve you well in helping you reach your paid advertising goals.

Return on investment

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Google suggest that advertisers make $8 for every $1 they spend on Google Ads which translates to a 200% return on advertising spend. This is without a doubt the main reason why you should be considering Google advertising.

Stay competitive

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Another reason you should be advertising on Google is to keep your business competitive within its markets. More than 7 million advertisers use Google Ads to promote their business online, which means even if you are optimising your businesses SEO you still run the risk of losing out to your competitors as Google Ads are placed above organic search results.

Harness intent

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Advertising on Google Ads means your business will be reaching high intent audiences that are most likely to convert into customers. Unlike social media, whereby users are not actively searching for a product or service but still being advertised to, Google Ads are only shown to users actively searching for products and services related to yours.

How to Run Effective Google Ad Campaigns

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Running effective Google Ad campaigns requires knowledgeable and creative ideas. It’s not always a case of pushing £10,000 into Google Ads expecting to get a return on your ad spend. Rather, advertisers need to do their homework to set their campaigns up for success.

Understand your goals

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Before you begin to invest in any type of paid advertising, it’s important to identify what success looks like for your business. Google Ads can be highly targeted or as broad as you make them, so having a predefined goal will help you mitigate any wasted ad spend.

If you’re on a small budget and aren’t sure where to get started then start by tailoring your Google Ad campaigns around high intent keywords that you believe have the highest chance of generating a lead, or revenue, for your business.

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Build quality landing pages

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So many advertisers make the mistake of directing traffic to the home page of their website, with little or no thought into how to get the user to take the desired action, such as a newsletter sign up. If you want to increase your conversion rate, you must build highly targeted, user-friendly landing pages with a clearly defined action you want users to take.

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Adopt a test and learn approach

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You should never set up and forget your paid advertising campaigns. Once you start, that’s only the beginning. You’ll need to constantly make adjustments to your targeting, advertising copy, landing page designs, and keyword bidding based on the data you are collecting, and the objectives you are trying to meet.

Make sure that you are constantly testing something in your account. However small or large it may be, by using data and analytics you can make data-driven decisions and provide actionable insights to increase your business performance.

How Clear Click Can Help

Wondering if Clear Click might be the digital marketing partner your business needs? Our experienced paid search team integrates strong data-driven strategies that help our clients identify growth opportunities and reduce the risk of wasting ad spend. If you want to start reaching your ideal customers and position your brand in the top search results then contact us today!

Website Optimisation: A Beginners Guide

March 17, 2021

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Website optimisation is an area of digital marketing often overlooked and underestimated. In this guide we will go over the importance and best practices for website optimisation. This guide is designed as a beginners introduction to set the foundation for your website optimisation project or foundational learn objectives.

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What is Website Optimisation?

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Website optimisation is the process involving advanced strategies, industry tools and experimental testing to overall improve the performance of a website. The objective is to drive more traffic, increasing conversion rates and overall revenue.

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A large proportion of website optimisation involves Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). We recommend reading our SEO Basics blog if you are unsure of the fundamentals. In short, SEO provides your website and specific web pages to rank higher in SERPs (search engine results pages) allowing your target audience to find your website as easily as possible. But the other critical aspect is on-page optimisation, ensuring the on-page content is relevant to the user search intent and provides a positive user experience.

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By optimising your website you are tapping into a target market in the most efficient and effective way. Turning on the tap to more conversions and revenue. All of this without having to pay for advertisement.

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Although SEO is a large part of website optimisation, be sure not to get caught up on this alone. It’s important to ensure your website is designed and optimised with the target audience in mind.

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A holistic approach to website optimisation encompasses a variety of techniques. These include;

SEO
Copywriting
Analytics
UX Design (Frontend)
Web Development (Backend)
CRO/Landing page Optimisation

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All of the above should be working together in harmony to reach a websites full potential.

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Why Is Website Optimisation Important?

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In 2020 global eCommerce sales grew 27.6% compared to the previous year, this amounted to $4.280 trillion in sales [1].

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The internet today is a powerful place for users to make a buying decision and purchase products or services. In fact, there were 2.5 billion online shoppers in 2020 and this is expected to grow to 2.14 billion by the end of 2021 [2].

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Why Is Website Optimisation Important? — Online Shopping Growth Chart

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The internet has become the best destination to find information about local services providers, in fact, 46% of Google searches have local intent [3] and 78% of mobile searches convert to offline purchases[4].

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This said it won’t matter how many people search for keywords relevant to your business if you don’t optimise your website and on-page content, your website won’t get any traffic.

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By fine-tuning your SEO, you will guarantee high intent search traffic specific to your websites.

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But it’s not enough to just optimise for search. Growing the volume of traffic to your site doesn’t guarantee conversions, if your website content and user experience doesn’t appeal you will have a high bounce rate. To maximise your website traffic you must ensure your traffic converts.

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Mastering Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), will maximise the number of leads from both paid and organic sources into conversions. We will dive into some key CRO tactics a little later on.

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How Does Website Optimisation Work?

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The objective of website optimisation is to create a website that is appealing to both search engines and real people. But how should you get started?

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We always recommend undertaking a series of tests to identify the issues your site currently has. Running these tests to identify issues with SEO, Page Speed, Mobile Usability and more, is a great way to identify areas of your website that need optimisation and back any findings with data.

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There are a number of website optimisation tools that will help you with this process, but we always recommend getting an agency onboard like Clear Click to help as this can be a complicated process to implement improvements.

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Hereunder we have put together a list of key website optimisation areas, tools and benchmark standards to aim for.

website optimisation tools & benchmarks — Website Optimisation Tools

The results of the website optimisation testing will provide a roadmap of how you should start to improve the overall website optimisation process. The next step is to delegate and initiate tasks with your team.

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Content writers to improve website content, website developers to improve the site structure and on-page SEO issues and a user experience (UX) designer to improve the look and feel of the website. It sounds like quite a lot of work that’s why it’s often smarter to hire a digital marketing agency to create and execute the roadmap.

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Key Website Optimisation Strategies

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There are a number of ways to improve your website. A simple google search for “Website Optimisation Strategies” brings up 1.25 billion results. So where are you meant to get started?

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Website Optimisation Stratagies — Google Search for Website Optimisation Strategies

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Hereunder, we have put together 6 basic website optimisation strategies that are key for kicking off your website optimisation process.

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1. Optimise for Mobile Experience

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Since 2015, Google made mobile-friendliness a key ranking signal for websites [4]. It’s not enough to have just a great performing website on desktop, it must also be optimised for mobile.

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Today mobile accounts for approximately half of the web traffic worldwide and this growth is continuously increasing [5]. In Q4 of 2019, 61% of google searches took place on mobile [6]. As a result, Google has switched to mobile-first indexing.

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So the first thing you want to ensure is that your website is 100% mobile-friendly. Run the standard, “Mobile-Friendly Test” provided by Google and this will tell you immediately what your status is.

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Googles mobile friendly test — Google Mobile Friendly Test

Fix any issues this test reveals and ensure to test this on all your popular phone models. It’s so important to fix all issues as this will have a big impact on your domain ranking and user experience.

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Make sure of the following;

You don’t have any pop ups showing up on mobile.
The website loads quickly & correctly.
Text is easy to read.
All content is visible.
Any scaled-down images are still readable.
The site is easy to navigate.

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Covering the basic mobile-friendly test will give your website a favourable advantage when it comes to search engine ranking.

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2. Improved Page Speed

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How many times have you left a website because it’s just taking too long to load? People are not patient and don’t like to wait, so ensuring your website loads quickly is one of the best things you can do to minimise your website bounce rates.

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Google's research uncovered that there is a 32% chance of a bounce if your website takes 3 seconds to load and a 90% chance if it takes 5 seconds to load [7]. Having an ultra-quick website is a contributing factor to a great user experience.

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Website speed is also a Google ranking signal and will have a direct correlation and impact on your SEO.

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To check and identify page speed issues we recommend using three tools; Pingdom, GTmetrix, Page Speed Insights by Google.

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Use Page Speed Insights as the foundation tool and Pingdom & GTmetrics to provide two comparative sources of reliable insights to improve your overall score on Page Speed Insights. You need to aim for a score of 90 or more in Page Speed Insights, on both mobile and desktop.

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Page speed optimisation can be a time-consuming and expensive task, but it’s well worth the effort to have a website working at lightning speed, every millisecond counts.

3. Search Engine Optimisation

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Optimising your website for search is one of the most effective marketing strategies you can implement to increase organic search traffic to your website. In fact 70% of marketers prefer SEO over PPC to increase sales in the long term [8].

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SEO is not just an effective method to drive high intent traffic to your website but people also trust results that rank high on Google’s search engine results page (SERP’s). Google validates that you have relevant and high-quality content to answer the search query entered.

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The first thing you must ensure for SEO to start taking any effect at all is correctly indexing your website with Google. This essentially means your website can be crawled by search bots and pages can be found correctly.

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You will want to register your website with Google Search Console, run a check to take action on any issues detected with your site indexing.

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Once you have set up this basic foundation, you will want to use a 3rd party tool like SEMrush, Moz or Ahrefs to start tackling the more technical SEO issues and optimise your websites overall SEO.

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4. Tweak Website Copy to Drive Conversions

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The words on your website have a big influence on the messaging you are delivering to your visitors. Website design, images, usability and page speed are all contributing factors, but the words you use control the message.

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One case study showed how a simple text change in the Call To Action (CTA) had a 139% increase in a product demo conversion [9]. The power of words and messaging is something not to be underestimated.

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It’s important not to rush into our website text, have a thought out and methodical approach to your on-page text. Put yourself in your ideal customer position. Identify your target audience's problems, desires and doubts they might have. From there put together a user journey to guide them to the desired action you would like them to take action on.

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Analysing your website visitors journey with heatmaps will provide insight into your customer journey, and how you can optimise it. Another great tactic is to ask existing customers what made them convert.

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Once key areas of weakness are identified in your on-page text, you can then ideate and test different variations to work towards the best performing copy!

5. A/B Testing

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Identifying a problematic area of your website is one thing, but how do you fix it with the best solution? This is where A/B testing is introduced, it’s the best way to provide a solution backed by statistical data, an analytical method of decision making.

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Let’s say you have a landing page that is not getting a high conversion rate, you can test alternative text, headlines and CTA’s to determine the right combination that provides the best results. If one element you are testing like the headline text gets a statistically higher conversion than the original headline text, you know that this is the best headline to use.

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You should only A/B test one element (headline text, body text, CTA, design) at a time. You can still test multiple variations of that element known as “multivariate testing”. If you involve more than one test element at a time you won’t know what resulted in the change.

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A/B testing needs to be done methodically and can take multiple tests to find the best performing result. We recommend multivariate testing if possible to speed up the process and collect as much data as possible. The more data you have the better informed your decision will be. It’s also important to give your A/B tests enough time to populate sufficient data.

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You will often find that A/B testing results can be applied to multiple pages on your website, so it’s definitely a worthwhile process to optimise your websites overall.

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6. Optimise for User Experience (UX)

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Business owners often spend a lot of time focussing on SEO and CRO, but overlook one technique that influences both of these and that is the user experience of a website.

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In fact, research has shown that every $1 invested in UX brings $100 in return. That's a massive RIO of 9,900% [10].

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Creating a friendly, intuitive and smooth user experience will help retain visitors. They are more likely to come back to your website and naturally follow the flow of your conversion funnel. Not to mention SEO is also going to thank you too, decreasing the dwell time (the time Google Search bots spend on your website before returning).

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To improve your UX analyse your user session behaviour with heatmaps, session recordings and exit pages. These will help identify UX issues where solutions can be ideated into a roadmap of improvements. Once you have created a new website page, benchmark it against the original by A/B testing or doing a usability test with a group of test users. This will quickly highlight what UX is performing best, backed by statistical data.

How can Clear Click help?

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We often find that clients are motivated to drive traffic to their website to increase conversion. But often underestimate their websites ability to convert, as the website is going to be the main mechanism for conversion. If your website does not convert your traffic then what's the point in the traffic in the first place.

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We often find that before we initiate any inbound marketing it is essential ensure a website's performance is optimised. Our website optimisation team will run tests and provide an audit of your website to create a structured strategy moving forward into execution.

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If you are interested in having one of our specialists audit your website, book a free consultation with us to get a deep understanding of websites growth potential.

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Sources:

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[1] - eMarketer

[2] - Oberlo

[3] - Search Engine Table

[4] - Sistrix

[5] - Statista

[6] - Statista

[7] - Think With Google

[8] - Data Box

[9] - Go Card Less

[10] - Intechnic

What is Digital Marketing Analytics & Data?

Digital marketing analytics and data encompasses the procedures and technologies that enable businesses to determine the success of their marketing activities. This is achieved by measuring the performance of digital channels and their campaigns. If you are still a little unsure about the core basics of digital marketing we recommend reading our blog about what is digital marketing.

Data analytics in marketing uses decisive business metrics such as return-on-ad-spend (ROAS), cost per conversion, and conversion rate to discover how marketing channels are performing.

Digital marketing data is collected across all digital marketing channels and consolidated into a web analytics platform such as Google Analytics, allowing businesses to easily measure marketing results.

Understanding Digital Marketing Analytics

Marketing analytics allows businesses to measure, manage, and analyse marketing performance to maximise effectiveness and return on investment (ROI). Marketing analytics allows businesses and marketers alike to become more efficient and minimise the risk of wasting budgets.

The Importance of Data for Digital Marketing

Collecting digital marketing data may seem like a chore, but it helps you understand your customers better. By building a thorough understanding of your customers you can provide them with the best possible experience, leading to higher conversion rates and more revenue for your business.

Let’s put this into perspective. If you own a restaurant, providing information about your organic produce could be very useful. If you find out that your customers cared about organic produce, you could change your menu to highlight the organic produce your restaurant provides. If you find out that your customers are less concerned about organic produce, then your restaurant could buy non-organic ingredients and lower your operating costs.

So, marketing insights allow you to develop your products and services. But, it also helps you sell them. For example, by determining which online channels your customers frequently use you can decide where to focus your online marketing efforts, enabling you to spend your budgets more efficiently.

Personalisation is also an important part of digital marketing. The more data you can collect on each of your customers, the better equipped you are to provide a personalised experience. From using their name email communications to sending tailored discounts and vouchers, an in-depth understanding of your customers can make a real difference.

The Importance of Digital Marketing Analysis

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An analysis is more than just a buzzword. It’s one of the most effective tools to understand your customer journey and find out how well your marketing campaigns are performing. Analysing your digital marketing data is important to not only optimise your campaigns but also to help build your businesses overall marketing strategy by providing insights through data.

Digital Marketing Tools You Should Be Using

Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 is the best-in-class web analytics tool used by millions of websites across the globe. The tool allows you to track and understand customer behaviour, user experience, online content, device functionality, and more. Google Analytics provides you with the insight and data needed to better shape your digital strategies whilst discovering information about your customers which you probably never knew before. Google Analytics integrates with many other platforms, allowing data to be fed directly into this tool allow you to compare marketing channels and make informed decisions on how to better spend your budgets.

Google Search Console

Search Console will help you monitor website traffic and optimise the ranking of your website by making informed decisions about the appearance of your site’s search results. Search Console influences technical decisions for websites by providing insight into server errors, site load issues, and security issues. Within Search Console, you can analyse search query data reports which provide insight into what users are searching for when they see your website.

‍Google Ads

Google’s online advertising program allows businesses to create advertisements to reach audiences that have commercial intent in the products or services you offer. Google Ads runs on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis, so you pay every time a user clicks on your ad. Within the Google Ads platform, you can gain insight into customer demographics, location, and device usage.

‍Facebook Business Manager

Facebook Business Manager gives business the ability to create and publish advertisements across Facebook and Instagram using defined audience targeting. It’s an affordable way for businesses to have a large reach. Using the data collected from Facebook Ads, businesses can find out what audience characteristics are most likely to engage and convert into customers. This data can be used to optimise advertising campaigns so that they become more relevant to your target audiences, providing a more personalised user experience and increasing conversion rates.

‍LinkedIn Campaign Manager

‍LinkedIn Campaign Manager allows businesses to reach their ideal customers on the worlds largest professional network. By targeting unique audiences, LinkedIn Ads engage prospects and generate leads. The data collected from this ad platform provides organisations with unique insights into the type of businesses or professionals most likely to engage with their service or product so that in the future, audience targeting can be more defined and the chance of users converting into customers is increased.

Why Invest in a CRM for Data Analytics

Another tool you should consider adding to your arsenal is a CRM system. CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It tracks important data about your prospects and customers, allowing you to offer them a more personalised service.

A CRM helps you track leads and customers through the buyer’s journey and send them targeted communications to persuade them to convert. It can help you understand what kind of messaging speaks to your audience and detect patterns within your sales pipeline. Having access to all this detailed data will also help you make informed choices and strengthen your sales and marketing strategy with hard data.

There area number of good CRM systems out there, but our recommendation is the Hubspot CRM system. You can read more about the benefits of having a CRM system in place and why we recommend Hubspot in our blog post dedicated to CRM software.

3 Quick Steps to Analyse your Digital Marketing

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Conducting digital marketing analysis is an important part of establishing a robust digital marketing strategy. Following this 3-step guide, your business will be able to understand how digital channels are performing and find areas of new opportunity to reach and engage your target audience.

1. Analyse Your Digital Marketing Channels

Digital marketing analytics provide businesses with a well-rounded look at the relationships held between different marketing channels. It’s good to know how each of your marketing channels is performing individually, but it’s great to harness the power of understanding how marketing channels perform together.

For example, if your business is using email marketing then your marketing analytics will not only be able to tell you how many people clicked through to your website, it will also be able to tell you what the user did upon reaching your website and if they converted into a lead or customer.

Analysing marketing channels gives businesses the ability to compare the impact of each marketing channel collectively.

2. Identify Activities That Lead To Conversions

Digital marketing analytics enables businesses to track how individual users are interacting with their various marketing activities and channels over time. How did a user reach your website? Did they come from Google? Facebook? Did that user become a subscriber to your newsletter? Did they read the latest blog you posted on your website?

Digital marketing analytics can tell you all of this information, and more. This valuable insight into user behaviour can help inform and direct your future marketing activities and help you understand which marketing activities are valuable at different stages of the user’s journey.

For example, you might find that many of your customer’s last point of interaction before they converted was through an email you sent. Having this data makes it possible to implement a more effective lead management process, enabling your business to prioritise activities by identifying which marketing mediums contributed to conversions.

3. Pinpoint Where Your Revenue Comes From

One of the most useful aspects of marketing analytics is the ability to attribute specific marketing activities to sales revenue. Yes, your blog may be an effective tool for generating leads but are those leads turning into paying customers?

Marketing analytics help you determine whether your marketing activities are contributing to an increase bottom line and can provide insight into what marketing channels are critical for driving sales. For example, a blog may be the most effective channel for generating customers but you may find social media is only an engagement mechanism, not a key driver of sales.

By measuring the relationship between marketing activities and the revenue they drive for your business you can begin to set goals to support your bottom line.

How Clear Click Can Help

At Clear Click, our experienced teams integrate strong digital marketing strategies for businesses of all sizes. All of our strategies start with an in-depth analysis of our clients’ analytics accounts so that we can identify and build an optimised strategy focusing on sustainable growth.

If you are looking for a digital marketing agency to partner and scale with, then contact us today!

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How Much Does Digital Marketing Cost?

Digital marketing can be the ideal solution for a wide range of business problems. Whether your aim is to increase brand awareness or drive more online sales, investing in a digital marketing strategy can drastically increase your business performance. If you’re still not sure what is digital marketing then visit our basic

How Much Should A Business Spend On Digital Marketing?

Regardless of how large or small your business is, it’s very important to research into how much you should be spending on digital marketing. Digital marketing agencies vary in their pricing, but plenty claim to offer services at very cheap rates - and this is something your company needs to look out for.

In nearly all cases, you get what you pay for. Choosing a digital agency that is the cheapest today might mean having to swap over to another agency in 6 months time. Make sure to choose a digital marketing agency your business can scale with into the future.

With so many agencies out there, setting a reasonable budget will help you shortlist and choose the right one for your business. What is a reasonable budget, though?

Although several factors affect digital marketing budgets which we will explain later in this blog, the average digital marketing budget ranges from £20,000 to £100,000 for small-to-midsize businesses (SMB) per year. Do keep in mind that digital marketing is an ongoing process, so budgets may change as you scale up your business.

4 Key Factors Influencing Digital Marketing Costs

Marketing Budgets‍

It may seem like an obvious factor but businesses with conservative budgets are often limited. Low-cost digital marketing options include creating and building social media presence and blogging. Whilst services such as pay-per-click advertising often require larger marketing budgets. The larger your budgets are, the more time it will take for an agency to manage your campaigns, and this is often reflected in the price of the service.

It is very important to remember that one of the main goals of any digital marketing agency is to get results for your business. So, the money you invest into digital marketing should eventually return the business through online revenue, customer acquisitions, and brand awareness.‍

Business Size

‍The size of your business has a substantial influence on your digital marketing costs. If you are a SMB, the prices you pay will be much lower than that of an international corporation.

The size of your business often affects the type of digital marketing agency you partner with, too. To scale well with a digital agency you must find one offering the services you need, and be comfortable with their expertise in the services they are providing you with. In conclusion, if you’re a SMB you are unlikely to partner with a digital marketing agency that serves only the world’s biggest organisations.‍

Complexity of Strategy‍

The intricacy of your digital marketing strategy influences the budget you’re working with in most cases. If your strategies include aggressive pay-per-click campaigns, then you should expect to pay more than if there was a less aggressive strategy. This is because aggressive strategies often require more time, expertise and technical ability, so you can expect to pay more.

If your digital marketing strategy includes a number of digital services such as SEO, PPC, and Paid Social then you should expect to pay higher digital marketing prices due to the number of services you are using. The more complex your strategy, and the more channels you are using then the more money you should expect to pay.

‍Timelines‍

Some digital marketing services, like SEO, have less strict timelines than pay-per-click advertising. If you’re hiring a digital marketing agency and have clear goals with predefined timelines of when you need things done by, then you can expect to be charged not just for the services you are buying, but the speed at which the service must be delivered.

Clear Clicks 3 Tier Guide To Digital Marketing Costs

To gain a firm understanding of the costs associated with digital marketing we have broken down the service types into 3 tiers. Basic, intermediate, and advanced.

Basic Digital Marketing - Suitable for small businesses that don't have large digital marketing budgets. Low cost methods such as blog writing, social media management, and basic SEO are cost effective ways to increase your online presence. Agency fees for these services start from around £500 per month.

Intermediate Digital Marketing - Ideal for medium-sized companies with sizable budget and ambitions for growth. An increased budget allows medium sized businesses to broaden their online presence by using more sophisticated marketing platforms such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads. Agency fees for these services start from around £1,000 per month.

‍Advanced Digital Marketing - Optimal for large businesses with substantial target audiences requiring several marketing channels working in conjunction to achieve business goals. At the advanced digital marketing tier, expect to see all of the above mentioned services on a larger scale with new services introduced such as website optimisation and data analytics. The cost of outsourcing all of these services to an agency starts from around £5,000 per month.

How Clear Click Can Help

At Clear Click, our experienced teams integrate strong digital marketing strategies for businesses of all sizes. If you are looking for a digital marketing agency to partner and scale with, then contact us today!

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Paid Social Media Advertising: A Valuable Investment?

Paid Social

Paid social media advertising is a heavily invested digital marketing channel for many businesses. In 2020, an estimated £72 million was spent on social media advertising worldwide, a 9.1% increase from 2019. The average daily user time spent on social media in 2020 was 82 minutes, 7 minutes per day more than the previous year. With growing ad spend and the time users devote to social media channels rising, we can expect social media advertising to become a very important part of every businesses digital marketing strategy.

Social media channels provide value to businesses in many forms. Increased brand awareness by leveraging audience targeting and delivering advertisement to highly relevant audiences is one of them. If increasing brand awareness is a goal for your business then this short article will help you understand what paid social is, and how you can reach your business goals by using it.

Paid Social Media Advertising Explained

Paid social media advertising or paid social for short is a method of display advertising on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

If you're new to paid social media advertising you will want to understand the fundamental components that make it work. Read on to find out more about the different terminologies and start to feel more confident with paid social media advertising!

What Is Ad Spend?

Ad spend is like adding fuel to a car, the more fuel you have in your car the further you can go. Ad spend is much the same. Appointing a budget to your campaign influences how many users it will reach. Having a small budget will limit your campaign reach, whereas having a larger budget will increase your campaign reach.

What Is Audience Targeting?

A target audience is a group of users that have specific interests, behaviours, and demographics. Advertising platforms allow businesses to handpick their targeting choices, so businesses can place their ads in front of their target market.

This benefits business by allowing them to curate content for specific audience types and ensures users with very limited interest in the businesses service or product will NOT be shown the advertisement. This minimises the risk of wasting ad spend on irrelevant audiences.

Audience targeting is a popular feature of paid social media advertisement and the key reason to invest in paid social media advertisement. Precise targeting will increase your businesses chances to convert users into customers and provide a positive return on ad spend (ROAS).

What Is A Social Media Bidding Strategy?

The bidding strategy you choose will affect how much you spend on your campaigns. There are 4 main bidding strategies you can choose from when using social media advertising. But which one should you choose? Let’s take a look.

Cost Per Action (CPA)

CPA bidding is a bidding method that allows your business to tightly control ad spend. Rather than paying the ad platform every time a user clicks on one of your ads, CPA bidding requires you to pay every time a user action is completed.

For example, every time a user calls your business or a contact form is filled out, you will be charged. The “action” a user takes is a metric that you define when you set up the campaign, allowing you to align your campaign spend with your business goals.

Variable Cost Per Thousand Impressions (vCPM)

vCPM bid strategy measures how frequent an ad is viewed by your target audience, only charging per “mile” or one thousand impressions. Setting out the maximum cost you are willing to pay for every thousand impressions on your ad.

This bid strategy is the best option for a business that wishes to leverage brand awareness or get a message in front of a large number of people for a low cost. It’s the most cost-effective strategy to get brand awareness but not necessarily a high interaction of click.

Effective Cost Per Thousand Impressions (eCPM)

eCPM bid strategy provides business with a model to define the effectiveness of an ad. The eCPM is calculated by taking the revenue that an ad generates per thousand impressions. For example, if a winning bid costs £1 per click and you receive 10,000 clicks for every 100,000 impressions you will end up paying £10 with an eCPM bid strategy.

An eCPM bid strategy is best applied when several bid strategies are used at once to determine the most efficient strategy. It’s the best way for business to see where ad spend is most efficient and providing the best ROAS.

Cost Per Click (CPC)

CPC was the first bid strategy introduced for social media advertisement, it is often the most used bid strategy because it involves fewer variables. To calculate the CPC divide the total cost to run the ad by the number of clicks it received.

The reason why CPC bidding is a valuable choice for many businesses is that it's simple to set up and run. Once target audience parameters have been set, social media advertising platforms will drive the most relevant traffic to take action on your advertisement. It’s a valuable and recommended strategy to drive traffic to your website.

Social media bid strategies are a great way to ensure your business gets high quality leads at a low cost. With advertisement controllable at the bid strategy level and the audience targeting level, it provides business many opportunities to optimise performance to reach maximum ROAS.

3-Step Guide To Choosing The Right Social Media Channel

Now that we understand the basics of paid social media advertising, how can you choose the right platforms to advertise on? Our 3 steps guide will help you choose the right platform for your business.

Step 1 - Identify Where Your Target Audience Is

If you are a business selling gym clothes to young adults, then you would assume Facebook & Instagram to be the most relevant social channels to advertise on. However, if you are a SAAS business selling to professionals then you might find LinkedIn to be the most relevant channel to advertise on. Be realistic, and try to think about what social channels are relevant to your target audience.

Step 2 - Choose Targeting Parameters

‍After identifying your target audience, you will want to work out the best way to target them. Each platform has its own targeting parameters to choose from to help businesses target users relevant to the product or services. So, when choosing your social channels to advertise on, make sure to pick targeting choices that will give you the highest chance of reaching a relevant audience.

A good example of the different targeting parameters available is LinkedIn’s ability to target users based on their job title, company name, industry, and professional interests.

Step 3 - Define Your Ad Content Format

By defining the format (video, photo, text) that is most suited for your advertising campaign, it narrows down and identifies the social media platform best suited.

For example, short videos will work well for ads on Instagram, but for longer video ads over 30 seconds, they will be better suited to Youtube. So, think logically, the ad content format will dictate the channel it's most suited for.

The Best Social Media Ad Platforms In 2021

There are 4 main social media channels that your business should be leveraging right now. Let’s dive into what these channels are, and how they can help you reach your business goals.

Facebook

Facebook's advertising platform is powered by Facebook Business Manager. Its audience targeting is the most powerful feature of this platform, due to the amount of user data Facebook possesses. Facebook has 2.7 billion monthly users, making it the largest social media platform in the world.

Facebook ads can be created in all shapes and sizes. Having the ability to create ads in different formats gives your business the ability to test video and imagery to see what your audiences engage with the most.

Advertising on Facebook is affordable but not the cheapest option with the average cost per click (CPC) approximately £1.27. This is important to keep in mind when defining ad spend.

Instagram

Instagram is owned by Facebook and powered by Facebook Business Manager. Instagram ads focus heavily on visual content such as photos and short videos. With 1.15 billion monthly users and the main demographic using this platform under the age of 49, it’s again a valuable option for any business selling directly to consumers.

Because Instagram uses the same ads platform as Facebook (Facebook Business Manager) the audience targeting and placement are just as vast, allowing you to narrow down your audience and target those most relevant to your business.

The average cost per click (CPC) on Instagram is around £0.37 - £0.74, making it a very affordable advertising channel.

YouTube

YouTube ads are powered by Google’s ad platform known as Google Ads. YouTube has 2 billion monthly users, making it the second-largest social network to advertise on. YouTube focusses both long and short video content. YouTube is a versatile advertising platform suitable for businesses who sell directly to consumers, and those who sell to other businesses.

Audience targeting is another valuable aspect of the YouTube platform, using the Google Ads platform it allows businesses to target users based on their interests and online search history.

The average cost per view (CPV) on Youtube is £0.30, making it one of the most affordable advertising channels.

LinkedIn ads are powered by LinkedIn Campaign Manager. LinkedIn is a professional social network with 260 million monthly users, perfect for B2B advertising. Linkedin ads have come a long way since the main text ad placement when it first started, now supporting video and photo format, in a range of placements.

The average cost per click (CPC) on LinkedIn is around £5.00 - £8.00 making it one of the most expensive advertising methods. Keep this in mind when appointing ad spend to this specific advertisement channel.

The True Value Paid Social Provides

Paid social gives your business powerful audience-based targeting, allowing you to focus on users who are most likely to engage and convert with your ads.

Secondly, paid social generates results quicker than many other digital marketing channels. For example, SEO can take 4-12 months to start delivering results, while paid social can be deployed almost immediately.

Lastly, ad campaign results are easily scalable. By simply increasing the depth of the advertising campaign, this broadens the overall reach and impact.

How Can Clear Click Help

Our paid social specialists are here to help your business grow and leverage opportunities with paid social media advertisement. We optimise your advertising campaigns to ensure you're getting the most value for money. With experience advertising for a wide range of business sectors, we know how to get the most out of any social media platform.

Learning more about how paid social media advertising can benefit your business, by taking a look at our Paid Social media advertising service.

Want to leverage your brand using paid social but don't want to do the heavy lifting? Let us do it for you! Get in touch with one of our paid social specialists, we would be happy to give a free consultation and then prepare a customised strategy for your business.

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What Is Digital Marketing?

With digitalisation upon us, businesses are adapting their marketing presence online, digitally transforming to stay ahead of competitors and in front of customers.

Traditional marketing efforts alone are not enough, companies must focus their efforts online to reach their audience. But what is digital marketing? What are the benefits of digital marketing for any company? And how much do digital marketers charge? This will be explained, but first, it’s essential to understand the basics of digital marketing.

What Is The Digital Marketing Definition?

The digital marketing definition is essentially using the internet, search engines, and social media platforms to target, reach, and convert large audiences into new customers. Some digital marketing experts refer to digital marketing as a new era. Where a new skill set is needed to understand, reach and adapt to customer behaviour digitally.

In comparison to traditional marketing efforts like billboards or magazine advertisements, where communication is one-way and the audience interaction is unknown. Digital marketing allows for two-way communication between businesses and potential customers, allowing marketers to understand audience engagement. Data analytics in digital marketing provides actionable insights to improve the performance of audience engagement and increased revenues.

Different Ways To Conduct Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is an umbrella term for many different digital marketing channels, each with a unique approach to positioning a brand in front of potential customers. There is no one specific formula that works for all businesses, every business is different and will need to take a unique approach to its digital marketing strategy. Below are some of the most common methods of digital marketing;

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) - SEO organically increases the quality and quantity of website traffic from search engines such a Google or Bing. Read more about what is SEO the fundamentals explained.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) - PPC, pays for advertisements on common search engines (Google or Bing) to increase brand visibility. Businesses are only charged when someone clicks on their advertisement. Still unsure what Is PPC? Discover the Basics of PPC Marketing.

Paid Social - The use of paid advertisement on social media channels (Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn) to promote a product or service. Read more about Paid Social, to find out if Paid Social media is a valuable investment for you.

Email Marketing - Email marketing allows a business to send promotional emails to their customer database or prospective customers.

Content Marketing - Content marketing refers to the use of publication and distribution of text, video, photos and audio to an online audience. Blogs, Youtube videos and podcasts are commonly used by businesses to Increase their presence online.

Website optimisation - A process of providing a website experience that provides for optimal user experience and increased conversion. Want to know more about website optimisations then read here.

In summary there are many digital marketing channels and methods a business could use. Often multiple approaches are tested by businesses throughout their digital marketing strategy in order to find out what performs best.

What Are The Benefits Of Digital Marketing For Any Company?

The Benefits of Digital Marketing are untapped by most companies today, unknowing the potential reach and revenues gains with digital marketing. Digital marketing reaches potential customers on an everyday basis, when active on social media, reading an online article or watching a video. When a potential customer is exposed to marketing regularly and in a natural manner it has many business benefits;

Reach - Digital marketing is not constricted to a specific geographical area, the internet allows for a global reach. Business can easily reach potential customers on the opposite side of the globe.

Low Entry Cost - Unlike traditional marketing, the cost to launch a campaign and reach customers over the other side of the globe would be exceptionally high in comparison to digital marketing. For example, a small business can launch a website, manage social media accounts and publish blogs with a relatively small budget.

Measurable RIO - To get the most out of any marketing efforts, return on investment (ROI) must be evaluated. This is difficult and sometimes nearly impossible with traditional marketing. On the other hand, digital marketing allows businesses to see real-time insights on effective performance. Businesses can therefore make data-driven decisions to increase sales and revenues.

Targeting accuracy - With digital marketing, businesses can target potential customers with specific behaviour and interests. This provides business with better accuracy to reach and engage with potential customers.

Adaptability - Digital marketing is very flexible and provides businesses with the opportunity to adapt and adjust their marketing efforts in real-time if needed. This kind of adaptability is ideal for business in rapidly changing industries or volatile markets.

Immediate Connection - Today's customers will often do online research before making a purchase, evaluating a product/service and its reviews beforehand. Businesses can make immediate connections with these potential customers using SEO, SEM and PPC methods.

Relationship Building - With social media playing a big role in today's society, customers want to interact where they feel most comfortable. A business using social media marketing (SMM) as a method to engage with potential customers can build strong long-term and loyal relationships with potential customers.

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How Much Do Digital Marketers Charge?

The answer to how much dose digital marketers cost? Can not be answered by one cost first all scenario. Digital marketing has many different methods and strategies, so every business must have a bespoke strategy to fit businesses individually. A different digital marketing strategy would be needed for a small business as compared to a larger business.

To get a better understanding it’s best to break digital marketing down into levels of business, a larger company will spend a lot more than a smaller company. For example; ‍

Basic Digital Marketing - In general, small and startup businesses don't have an extensive budget for digital marketing. So lower cost methods are feasible, such as leveraging websites, blogs and social media management to increase sales and revenue. The cost for basic digital marketing services can start at several hundred dollars per month. ‍

Intermediate Digital Marketing - Medium-sized companies will have more concrete avenues of revenue and therefore be able to spend more on digital marketing services. More advanced services such as SEO, SEM and PPC will become common. Intermediate digital marketing services can cost several thousand dollars per month.

‍Advanced Digital Marketing - Large businesses or enterprises will execute digital marketing services on a global level. With a wide development strategy, they often use all digital marketing channels. These types of businesses will allocate larger budgets and resources to develop their digital marketing strategy. Advanced digital marketing services can be tens of thousands of dollars per month.

The cost of digital marketing services depends on business size and goals as seen above. Smaller businesses will start with basic digital marketing services and advance over time, there are limitless possibilities and strategies. Overall, digital marketing is ideal for all businesses, strategies customised to meet the needs of different goals and budgets.

If you are looking for digital marketing services for your business, our team of digital marketing experts are happy to help get you started. Contact us to set up an introduction call, where we are able to better understand your business needs.

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What Is PPC? Discover the Basics of PPC Marketing

If you have heard the term “PPC” and are curious to find out what it is, or if you have already identified that you want to use PPC in your business digital marketing toolkit, but aren’t sure how to start, then look no further! We will start by defining PPC, and then get up to speed with a basic understanding of how PPC advertising works. Let’s dive in!

What Is PPC?

PPC stands for pay-per-click, an advertising model in which advertisers pay a fee every time one of their ads is clicked. Basically, it’s a way of buying visits to a website, rather than relying on organic visits.

PPC marketing is a very popular form of search engine marketing. It allows advertisers to bid for an ad placement in the search results when a user searches for a keyword that is related to the business's product or service. For example, if a PPC marketer is bidding on the keyword “PPC blogs”, their ad will have the opportunity to trigger and be placed at the top spot of the search engine results page.

PPC Marketing, Google SERP for keyword PPC Marketing

Every time one of these ads is clicked it sends a visitor to a website and charges a small fee to the ad account. If your account is optimised the fee paid for a click is a small price in comparison to the potential revenue. For example, if you pay £3 for a click but the click results in a £300 sale, there has been a substantial return on your investment.

A lot goes into PPC campaigns. Researching keywords, organising keywords into tightly grouped buckets, structuring campaigns, creating ad groups, and setting up PPC landing pages optimised for converting users. These are all factors that contribute to the rewards given by search engines in the form of quality score. If your ad campaigns and landing pages are highly relevant to the users search query, then Google will charge you less for your ad clicks, making your cost per click even lower. This is why it is so important to learn how to conduct PPC marketing correctly.

What is 'Google Ads'?

Google Ads, formerly known as Google AdWords is the most popular PPC advertising platform in the world. The ad platform allows businesses to create advertisements that appear on Google’s search engine and other Google networks.

The Google Ad platform runs a pay-per-click model, whereby businesses can bid on keywords and pay on each click their advertisements generate. Each and every time someone queries the search engine, Google will enter advertisers into an auction and will choose winners whose ads will occupy the top search results. Google uses many factors to determine who wins the auctions. These factors include the relevancy of keywords and the amount the advertiser is bidding for that keyword.

The technical term for the group of factors contributing to the winners of these auctions is called “Ad Ranking”. It is a metric calculated by multiplying the keyword bid (the highest amount an advertiser is willing to pay for that keyword) and quality score (a value based on the expected click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience).

PPC marketing using Google Ads is extremely valuable because it's the most popular search engine and therefore has the highest amount of user traffic giving you the best opportunity to reach the right audiences. Google Ads can produce some remarkable results by focusing on these 3 areas:

Keyword Relevance - You MUST have relevant PPC keywords triggering your ads. It’s very important to keep the user journey as relevant as possible. So keep your keyword groups tight that trigger relevant ads crafted specifically for those keywords.

Landing Page Quality - Create dedicated landing pages for PPC optimised for converting visitors with a clear call-to-action (CTA).

Quality Score - This is a key performance indicator for any PPC account. Increasing your quality score by making your keywords, ads, and landing pages more relevant will allow your business to get more clicks, for less.

Conducting PPC Keyword Research

PPC keyword research is often overlooked as being too time-consuming. But, it is a very important stage of building PPC accounts correctly. As PPC marketing uses keyword targeting to trigger ads, Google Ad specialists should never stop growing and refining their PPC keyword list. If you set up your account and never research keywords again, you run the risk of missing out on valuable keywords that could be delivering highly relevant user traffic to your site.

Here’s our top tips for building PPC keyword lists:

Keep it relevant - Make sure you aren’t paying for unqualified web traffic that is searching for products and services that your website does not offer. Instead, find keywords that have some chance of converting. This will increase your expected click-through-rate and in time, improve your quality score meaning you will pay less per click.

Make your lists extensive - Don’t limit your account to keywords that you already know have a large chance of converting visitors. Keep testing things out by adding new keywords. For example, long-tail keywords are more specific search terms but are less common, however, they are less competitive and therefore more affordable.

Management of PPC Campaigns

After you have structured your ad account, you’ll need to manage them on a very regular basis to ensure they remain optimised and continue to produce the results you want. You should never stop analysing the performance data, and should always set goals for testing, learning, and optimising your campaigns.

Here are several factors you should consider when managing your PPC accounts:

Adding PPC keywords - Don’t limit the reach of your PPC campaigns. Test keywords and see how they perform. Just make sure that you are comfortable with the level of relevancy the keyword has when you decide to add it to avoid wasted ad spend.

Add Negative Keywords - Make sure you keep on top of the keywords you DO NOT want your ad to trigger for. By adding keywords to your negative lists, you essentially block out your ad from ever triggering on those irrelevant keywords, increasing your campaign relevancy and reducing wasted ad spend.

Keep Ad Groups Tightly Organised - To improve your quality score, it’s essential to split your ad groups and keywords into tightly bunched together buckets. This will help you create more targeted ad text and landing pages. Keep it all relevant, increase your quality score and watch the cost-per-click go down!

Optimise Landing Pages - Make sure your landing pages are optimised for the high quality traffic you are delivering through PPC marketing. Don’t send all traffic to the same landing page, try to create individual landing pages aligned with their respective search queries and advertisements.

How Clear Click Can Help

Wondering if Clear Click might be the digital marketing partner your business needs? Our experienced paid search team integrates strong data driven strategies that help our clients identify growth opportunities and reduce the risk of wasting ad spend. If you running any SEO campaigns we also recommend learn more about how PPC and SEO work together. If you want to start reaching your ideal customers and position your brand in the top search results then contact us today!

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What is SEO? The Fundamentals Explained

We will explain the fundamental areas behind this powerful digital marketing method. By taking out the technical jargon we will make SEO simple to understand. Helping you understand the different types of SEO, how important SEO is for your business and how much SEO marketing services can cost.

What does SEO stand for?

SEO is the acronym for Search Engine Optimisation. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) “is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or a web page from search engines”.

Let’s explain this in simple English, in our interpretation;

SEO is the process of optimising website content so search engines such as Google place it in the top search results when a user searches for a product or service that your business offers.

Why is SEO important?

With good SEO practices, your business can organically drive relevant and high-quality visitors to your website without having to pay for advertising. For example, if your website or webpage is on page one of a search engine result page (SERP) for a specific keyword it’s going to bring a lot more organic traffic than if it was on page 5.

Statistically, 75% of page clicks are given to sites ranking on the first page of results. 42% of those first page clicks go to the number one position. The click-through rate (CTR) significantly increases as page ranking increases, so the higher your website ranks the more traffic you will organically acquire.

Want to know why SEO for eCommerce is important? Read our introduction to eCommerce SEO article.

How SEO Works

Understanding how SEO works is rather simple, the answer is in the name “search engine optimisation”. The main goal for any search engine like Google or Bing is to serve up the most accurate and relevant content to any search query.

Simply put, the whole idea is to optimise your website or webpage so search engines see it as a relevant and reliable source to be served up for specific search queries. But now you are probably asking; how do you optimise your website? This is exactly where SEO marketing comes into play.

What is SEO Marketing

There are a number of popular SEO marketing methods that come into play. Among the different methods there are three types that are most important, Technical SEO, On-page SEO and Off-page SEO. These are the main three types of SEO you will hear about the most, let’s explain each one in a little more context.

Technical SEO

Technical SEO involves adjusting the technical parameters of your website that affect how search engines rank your website. The main objective of technical SEO is for search engine “crawlers” to “crawl” your website and index your website with ease! The more efficiently search engines can crawl your website, the healthier your website will look. Healthy crawlable websites are prioritised by search engines, effecting your website ranking significantly.

On-Page SEO?

On-page SEO refers to everything that happens on website pages. The goal is to make your page content more SEO friendly, with natural keywords relevant to your business and industry. It's Important to know that search engines look at your website as a whole but the ranking they do is on a page-level basis. This means each website page must be treated equally.

Dive deeper into on-page SEO with our On-page SEO: A Basic Introduction.

Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO is a slightly different approach, while Technical SEO and Onsite SEO concentrate on website infrastructure and content, off-page SEO focuses on techniques to promote your website online. The objective of off-page SEO is to give your website more visibility online and obtain a higher domain authority. Popular websites with high domain authority have an increased chance of ranking in the top search engines results, making off-page SEO a valuable strategy for your business.

Dive deeper into off-page SEO with our Off-Page SEO: The Ultimate Guide.

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Our SEO Checklist

SEO can be a big pill to swallow, so to help set the foundations for any successful SEO project we recommend following some basic best practice steps. Hereunder is our basic SEO checklist:

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How Much Does SEO Cost?

Many businesses struggle with not knowing how much to budget for SEO services, this is because there is no specific fixed cost. Every business requires a different level of service.

To put it in a nutshell, it comes down to a matter of positioning. How your website compares to competitors and how fast you want to make progress. These two variables are what will determine your SEO service cost.

Before determining a budget to spend on SEO, you must determine what you would like to achieve from any SEO strategy and plan how to measure it;

What is the desired outcome for my business?
How should my business measure success?

Only after determining these two points then should you think about a budget.

Building a Budget

After determining your SEO goals (desired outcome) and tactics needed for success, a distinct action plan and budget to support your efforts is needed.

According to Google SEO , “in most cases, SEOs need four months to a year to help your business first implement improvements and then see potential benefit.”

Time and volume of work needed are two factors that can affect cost. For example, if you want to get somewhere faster the volume of work needs to be increased to get there quicker, it's the same with SEO. So with this in mind your budget should reflect this.

The right budget is also one that you can afford for a minimum of four to twelve months. SEO is no overnight success, it takes time to implement and tweak. Therefore reinforcing that a lower budget will take a longer journey.

So What’s The Cost?

The cost to hiring a top-level SEO agency to carry out Local SEO campaigns will be upwards of £500+ per month. A national or international campaign will require a budget between £2,500 and £5,000 per month.

If your budget is not in the position to retain a top level SEO agency you still have a couple options. With a one-off fee a SEO audit is a good way to gain actionable insights and recommendations about your websites SEO. Another method would be to gain expert evaluation and recommendation about your website content and keyword analysis.

How Can Clear-Click Help?

If you're interested in learning more about how SEO can benefit your business, take a look at our SEO Services. Should you need an SEO expert but not sure where to start, contact us and our team of SEO experts would be happy to get to know you and your SEO needs.

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Choosing the Right CRM Software for Your Business

CRM

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is pivotal in enhancing efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction in today's fast-paced business world. Selecting the right CRM software can be a transformative decision for your business.

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This complete guide delves into the key factors you should consider when making this critical choice, exploring various aspects of CRM solutions, implementations, and features. We'll also touch on the selection process, customer data management, and how to streamline your sales process using CRM. So, without further ado, let's embark on this journey to help you make an informed choice that aligns seamlessly with your business objectives.

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What is CRM Software?

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CRM software is a technological solution meticulously crafted to streamline customer relationship management activities. It is a central hub for storing and managing customer data, interactions, and communication. CRM systems offer invaluable insights, empowering businesses to build stronger, more personalised customer relationships, driving growth and profitability.

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Why is CRM Software So Essential?

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CRM software equips businesses with the tools to understand their customers better, anticipate their needs, and provide tailored experiences. It enhances customer engagement, facilitates efficient sales and marketing, supports data-driven decision-making, improves customer service, and adapts seamlessly to your business's growth by handling increasing customer data and interactions.

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Industries Benefiting Most From CRM

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CRM software isn't a one-size-fits-all solution; it's a versatile tool that can significantly benefit various businesses. Here, we'll focus on the top four industries where CRM has a substantial impact on our clients' businesses:

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Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

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SMEs often operate with limited resources and need cost-effective solutions to manage customer relationships, track leads, and streamline sales processes. CRM software like HubSpot CRM offers an affordable and scalable option.

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Sales-Driven Organisations

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Certain businesses, such as housing developers, insurance firms, and retail companies, rely heavily on sales. They require efficient tools to manage leads and sales pipelines. CRM enables sales teams to collaborate more effectively.

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E-commerce Businesses

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E-commerce companies thrive on understanding customer behaviour and providing personalised experiences. CRM helps them manage customer data, create targeted marketing campaigns, and increase customer loyalty.

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Service-Based Industries

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Service-oriented businesses, such as Software as a Service (SaaS) providers, law firms, and healthcare providers, rely heavily on client relationships and appointments. CRM systems help manage client databases and improve communication.

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Key Factors for CRM Software Selection

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Selecting the right CRM software is a pivotal decision for your business, and it requires careful consideration of several crucial factors. Here, we will delve into these factors to guide you through the process effectively:

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1. Defining Your Objectives

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The first step in choosing the right CRM software is clearly defining your business objectives. What do you aim to achieve with CRM software? Are you looking to increase sales, enhance customer service, streamline marketing efforts, or accomplish these goals? A precise understanding of your objectives is the cornerstone of a successful CRM selection process.

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When defining your objectives, consider both short-term and long-term goals. This clarity will guide you towards a CRM solution that aligns seamlessly with your business strategy.

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2. User-Friendliness

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Opt for a user-friendly CRM system that your team can readily adopt. User adoption is critical to the success of any CRM implementation. Look for software that offers an intuitive interface and provides comprehensive training resources.

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HubSpot CRM is an excellent example of a user-friendly system. Its intuitive design and user-centric approach make it easy for your team to get on board swiftly. Additionally, HubSpot offers extensive training materials and support to ensure that your team is well-equipped to leverage the CRM effectively.

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3. Scalability

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Your business is not static; it's bound to grow and evolve. Therefore, choosing a CRM system that can scale alongside your business is imperative. As your business expands, so will your customer data, interactions, and demands. Ensure your selected CRM can handle this growth without compromising performance or data integrity.

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A scalable CRM, such as HubSpot CRM, is designed to grow with your business seamlessly. Whether you're a startup or an established enterprise, HubSpot CRM can adapt to your evolving needs, ensuring that your CRM remains a valuable asset, not a limitation.

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4. Integration Capabilities

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Modern businesses rely on many tools and software to manage their operations. To enhance workflow efficiency, your CRM must integrate seamlessly with your tech stack's other business tools and software. Integration capabilities are essential for ensuring that data flows seamlessly between systems and that your team doesn't have to perform redundant tasks.

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When evaluating CRM options, check whether they offer robust integration capabilities. A CRM like HubSpot CRM boasts many integrations with popular business tools, enabling you to connect your CRM with your email marketing software, customer support system, analytics tools, and more. This integration prowess ensures that your CRM becomes a central hub for customer-related activities.

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5. Customisation Options

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Every business has unique requirements and processes. Therefore, choosing a CRM software that allows customisation to adapt to your specific workflows is vital. The ability to tailor the CRM to match your business processes and industry nuances is paramount in ensuring that it enhances productivity rather than imposing rigid structures.

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HubSpot CRM and other leading CRM solutions offer customisation options that enable you to configure the software to meet your specific needs. This flexibility ensures that the CRM aligns with your unique business processes, making it a valuable tool rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.

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6. Automation and Reporting

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Efficient automation and robust reporting capabilities are pivotal features to look for in CRM software. Automation streamlines repetitive tasks, increases efficiency, and allows your team to focus on high-value activities.

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Many CRMs excel in this aspect, offering automation tools that help you automate lead nurturing, email marketing, and other critical processes. Additionally, they provide in-depth reporting capabilities that offer valuable insights for informed decision-making. These reports allow you to track key performance metrics, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to improve customer relationships and overall business strategy.

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7. Cost Considerations

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Budget constraints are a reality for businesses of all sizes. When selecting CRM software, evaluating the total cost of ownership is crucial. This includes licensing fees, training costs, and ongoing support expenses.

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HubSpot CRM stands out as an excellent choice in terms of cost-effectiveness. It offers a feature-rich free version perfect for startups and SMEs looking to start without a significant financial investment. As your business grows, HubSpot CRM's scalability ensures that you can upgrade to paid plans that align with your evolving needs, all while keeping costs under control.

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In conclusion, choosing the right CRM software is a strategic decision that should align with your business objectives, enhance user adoption, accommodate scalability, support integration with your tech stack, offer customisation options, automate tasks, provide robust reporting, and be cost-effective. Carefully considering these key factors will empower your business to thrive and excel in customer relationship management.

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CRM Implementations

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Implementing CRM software is essential for improving customer relationships and enhancing productivity. To ensure a successful CRM implementation, consider these key factors:

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Choose the Right CRM

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Select a CRM system that fits your needs, whether it's a flexible cloud-based solution or an on-premises system for more control.

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Explore Free Trials

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Use free trials to test the CRM's compatibility with your workflow and existing systems. Involve your team to gather valuable feedback.

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Embrace Mobility

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Ensure the CRM works seamlessly on mobile devices, offering mobile apps and responsive web interfaces for on-the-go accessibility.

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Effective Contact Management

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Opt for a CRM with robust contact management capabilities, allowing you to store detailed customer information and customise data fields to meet your needs.

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Streamline Sales Processes

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Look for features that simplify your sales processes, such as lead management, automation, analytics, and forecasting.

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Cloud-Based Advantages

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Consider a cloud-based CRM for its flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and easy data access. This enhances team collaboration and overall productivity.

Implementing CRM should enhance your business operations, improve customer interactions, and make your work more efficient without overwhelming your team with complexity.

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CRM Selection Process

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Selecting the right CRM software is crucial for your business. To make an informed choice that aligns with your needs, follow these steps:

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Define Your Requirements

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Begin with a clear understanding of your business needs:

Business Objectives: Determine if you want to boost sales, enhance customer service, streamline marketing, or combine.
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User Roles: Identify the roles and responsibilities of your team members.
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Data Needs: Assess the type of data you need to manage and how it integrates with your existing systems.
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Scalability: Ensure the CRM can grow with your business.

Creating a checklist of requirements will be your reference point.

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Research and Compare

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Research different CRM solutions:

Market Research: Identify CRM solutions suitable for your industry and business size.
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Feature Comparison: Compare features like contact management, automation, and integration capabilities.
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Pricing Evaluation: Understand the cost structure within your budget.
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Customer Reviews: Read customer feedback.

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Request Demos

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Many CRM vendors offer demos. Make the most of them:

Prepare Questions: Prepare questions relevant to your business.
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Live Interaction: Request live demos for real-time exploration.
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User Engagement: Involve key team members for their feedback.
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Customisation and Integration: Discuss customisation and integration options.
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Demos help you assess how well the CRM suits your needs.

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User Interface

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Consider the CRM's user interface (UI):

Intuitiveness: Ensure it's user-friendly and easy to navigate.
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Customisability: Check if you can tailor the UI to your team's preferences.
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Accessibility: Confirm its usability across various devices.
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Training and Support: Inquire about training resources and customer support.

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A well-designed UI enhances user adoption and integration into your business operations.

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By following these steps and evaluating CRM solutions based on your requirements, features, demos, and UI, you can confidently select CRM software that elevates customer relationship management.

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CRM Solutions and Vendors

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Selecting the right CRM software is a significant decision for your business, and it often involves considering various solutions and vendors. Let's take a closer look at some of the prominent CRM options available in the market:

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HubSpot CRM

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HubSpot CRM is a popular choice for businesses, especially startups and small businesses. Here's why it stands out:

Comprehensive Free Version: HubSpot CRM offers a feature-rich free version ideal for startups and small businesses looking to start without a substantial financial investment. This free version includes essential CRM functionality, making it accessible to companies with limited budgets.
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User-Friendly Interface: HubSpot CRM is known for its user-friendly interface. Its intuitive design ensures quick adoption across your team, reducing the learning curve associated with new software.
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Seamless Scalability: As your business grows, your CRM needs will evolve. HubSpot CRM is designed for seamless scalability, accommodating your changing needs without compromising performance. This means you can start with the free version and seamlessly transition to more advanced plans as your business expands.
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Integration Ecosystem: HubSpot offers many integrations, connecting seamlessly with popular business tools. Whether you use email marketing software, customer support systems, or analytics platforms, HubSpot CRM can integrate with these tools, creating a cohesive and efficient workflow.
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Automation Tools: Automation is a crucial feature of HubSpot CRM. It provides powerful automation tools that streamline your marketing, sales, and customer service processes. Automate repetitive tasks, such as email follow-ups and lead nurturing, to save time and increase efficiency.
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In-Depth Reporting: Informed decision-making is critical in business. HubSpot CRM offers in-depth reporting capabilities that provide valuable insights into your sales and marketing efforts. Monitor key performance metrics, track lead progress, and identify areas for improvement.

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HubSpot CRM's combination of a free version, user-friendly design, scalability, integration options, automation tools, and robust reporting makes it a compelling choice, particularly for startups and small businesses looking to enhance customer relationship management.

Salesforce CRM

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Salesforce CRM is a renowned solution for its extensive customisation options and scalability. Here's why it's a strong contender:

Robust Customisation: Salesforce is recognised for its extensive customisation capabilities. It allows you to adapt the CRM to your unique business requirements, processes, and industry nuances. This flexibility ensures that the CRM aligns seamlessly with your specific needs.
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Suitable for Businesses of All Sizes: Salesforce is versatile and suits businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. Salesforce can be tailored to your organisation's needs, whether you're just starting or managing a complex operation.
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Integration Powerhouse: Salesforce offers an extensive marketplace of integrations. This allows you to connect seamlessly with your existing tools and systems, ensuring data flows efficiently across your tech stack. Integration with popular platforms like Microsoft Office, Gmail, and Dropbox is readily available.

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Salesforce's strength lies in its adaptability and versatility. Its robust customisation options, scalability, and integration capabilities make it a valuable choice for businesses looking for a CRM solution that can grow with them.

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Zoho CRM

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Zoho CRM is a cost-effective solution with advanced automation capabilities and AI-driven insights. Here's why it's worth considering:

Affordability: Zoho CRM provides budget-friendly plans without sacrificing essential features. This affordability makes it an attractive option for businesses seeking a cost-effective CRM solution.
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Advanced Automation: Automation is a core feature of Zoho CRM. It offers advanced automation capabilities that can streamline your sales and marketing processes. Automate lead nurturing, email campaigns, and task assignments to improve efficiency.
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AI-Powered Insights: Zoho's AI assistant, Zia, provides valuable insights and predictions to guide decision-making. It can help you identify trends, forecast sales, and make data-driven decisions to enhance customer relationships.

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Zoho CRM's combination of affordability, advanced automation, and AI-driven insights makes it a competitive choice for businesses looking to enhance their CRM capabilities without exceeding their budget.

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Final Thoughts

Choosing the right CRM software is a strategic decision that can transform how you engage with customers, streamline operations, and drive growth. By understanding your business objectives, considering key factors, and exploring options like HubSpot CRM, you can make a well-informed choice that empowers your business to thrive.

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Maximising the Potential of Technical SEO Audits with a Consultant

October 13, 2023

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Understanding Technical SEO Audits

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1. Identifying Technical SEO Issues

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2. Improving Site Speed

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3. Enhancing Internal Linking

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4. Addressing Duplicate Content

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5. Leveraging Google Search Console

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Why Hire an SEO Audit Consultant?

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While you might be tempted to handle technical SEO audits in-house, there are several compelling reasons to consider hiring an SEO audit consultant or agency:

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1. Expertise in Technical SEO Services

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2. Customised Strategies

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3. Results-Oriented Approach

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4. Case Studies and Success Stories

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5. Specialised SEO Services

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Final Thoughts

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The Ultimate Guide to On-page SEO for Ecommerce Websites

November 9, 2022

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In this guide, we’ll go over all the different aspects of on-page SEO and how you can utilise them to make your ecommerce website stand out in the SERP.

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What is SEO for e-commerce?

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Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is the process of optimising your website in order to appear higher in search engine results.

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Before we share some ways to help improve the on-page SEO for your ecommerce website, let’s first understand the difference between on-page and off-page SEO practices.

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What is on-page SEO?

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How to improve on-page SEO for e-commerce websites

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1) Keyword research

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For example, a consumer looking for a laptop might search for “buy new laptop” or “best deals on Dell laptops,” so you might want to incorporate these keywords into your site’s content.

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Some other things to keep in mind while incorporating keywords into your content are:

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Incorporate keywords that have a high search volume. The larger the search volume, the more people there are searching for that specific keyword.

Identify keywords that have low competition. While it makes sense to go for keywords with thehighest search volume, this isn’t always the most realistic goal, as a keyword like “buy new laptop” will have fierce competition. Going for lower competition keywords will give you a better chance of ranking in the first page of search results.

Go for long-tail keywords. One of the best ways to find low-competition keywords is to narrow things down with long-tail keywords. So instead of “buy new laptop”, you might target “best PC laptops for students”.

Avoid keyword stuffing. Too much of a good thing can spoil your efforts. Google can tell when you’re artificially inserting a keyword in every spot possible. Write for humans, not search engines, and Google will reward you with higher rankings.

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You can find out more about doing keyword research here. Once you have found some relevant keywords, it’s time to put your research to use.

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2) Keyword Placement

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You should focus on the following elements to master your keyword placement:

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Headings – optimise your headings, such as title tags (H1), with relevant keywords so that each page on your website is optimised around a unique keyword. This makes it likelier to be found by the right audience. Of course, depending on your content, you might have various subheadings (H2, H3, H4, and so on). Apart from improving SEO, subheadings also improve your page’s user experience as your content becomes more structured and visitors can quickly refer to the headings they’re specifically looking for. Use subheaders as signposts for your content and to target secondary keywords.

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In the first 100 words – mentioning your primary keyword in the first 100 words of content helps search engines understand what your page is all about. The first few sentences should give an overview of the contents of the entire page. You should also naturally scatter your keywords every few sentences. The general rule is to mention your primary keyword every 100-150 words.

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Optimise images – this involves working on the image’s file name and alt text to include keywords so as to make it more SEO-friendly. These pieces of text link the product and image together and are crucial to your ecommerce website’s SEO.In addition, when uploading the image to your ecommerce site, avoid using default file names. Instead, keep the image file name the same as your product listing name so it’s easier for Google to process the context behind your images. Lastly, make sure you use high-quality images. This helps with SEO, as well as with social media engagement. Follow the image dimensions specified by your website host to have the optimal image sizes.

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URL slug – URLs are an important component of SEO. So instead of automatically generating a URL using a CMS, you should manually create one. Make sure the URL you use contains the target keyword and keep it short – the keyword itself is usually enough for SEO purposes.

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Title tags – this is the hyperlink that appears on the search results page, which visitors click to open your page. Title tags allow users to understand what your site is about, leading to a better user experience, and as you know, UX is crucial for your website’s SEO. Title tags are short, usually less than 60 characters. Make sure to mention your target keyword in the title tag.

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Meta description – this is the tiny summary of your page that appears under the title tag on the SERP. It gives visitors an overview of the page insight into your page, when they’re deciding which links to open on the SERP. This is why it is critical to optimise your meta description – it indicates to the potential visitors if your page will answer their queries. Meta descriptions are extremely short, typically under 160 characters. Ensure you mention the target keyword and other related keywords depending on the context. Finally, use meta descriptions that are actionable and clearly communicate what your site has to offer the audience.

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Anchor text – anchor text is a word or phrase that is used to add links to other internal or external sources. Your anchor text should contain the keyword it is targeting or be closely related to the page/website you’re linking to. Linking through inappropriate or random anchor texts makes it difficult for search engines to index your content.

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Product descriptions – these are essential not only for SEO but also for helping the customer make an informed choice while purchasing your product. Ensure your product descriptions use the relevant keywords for that product, and make key features of your product stand out.

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3) Avoid duplicate content

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As an ecommerce website, there are two key aspects to remember when creating content for your product pages:

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1. Your product descriptions and on-site content should be original and not plagiarised from another website, such as your manufacturer.

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Unfortunately, not following these two suggestions will significantly lower your search ranking because Google looks for unique content and fresh perspectives.

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The solution for this is simple: draft unique content for each product on your site and ensure it’s entirely original. Of course, this can be labour-intensive if you sell hundreds of products.

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4) Improve page load time

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Most ecommerce sites take around 6 seconds to load, while other websites take around 2-3 seconds.

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Your website loading speed is an important ranking factor, and if you’re not sure what your load time currently is, you can find out using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool.

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A good page load time is essential for conversion, and the highest ecommerce conversion rates occur on pages with load times between 0 and 2 seconds.

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If your site is currently slow, some common issues could be because:

There is too much content on your site for your server to handle.
There are too many images and scripts, and they are slowing the page loading.
There’s a problem with your web host.

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If you want to speed up your site’s speed, you can try:

Having fewer images
Compressing files
Optimising images
Using fewer widgets
Having concise content
Avoiding clutter on the page
Limiting redirects and HTTPS requests
Speeding up server response time
Deleting ghost pages or sections
Enabling browser caching
Opting for a better host service

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5) Make sure your site is user-friendly

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Audit your site to track and resolve issues affecting your ecommerce site's user experience.

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Here are some actionable guidelines to ensure your page provides a good user experience:

Have a functional and visually appealing page design
Make sure ads don’t interfere with any of your content or disrupt functionality repeatedly
See that your site loads quickly and is optimised for mobile use
Have some navigation tools on your site to make it easy for the user
Have clear categorisation of products on your site

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Website optimisation and consistent designs improve the user experience of your ecommerce site and boost your search engine ranking.

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6) Mobile-First Indexing

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Because so much of search traffic now comes from mobile phones, Google uses the mobile version of your ecommerce site when ranking of your website. This is called mobile-first indexing.

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Here are some quick tips to help your website be more mobile-friendly:

Eliminate all filler words and content.
Disable pop-ups and sidebar options for the mobile view because they don’t work well with smaller screens.
Add a shopping cart feature to your mobile site.
Your CTA button should be larger in size and thumb-friendly and should be highlighted.
Ensure your site content is well-indented and scroll friendly.
Speed up your website for mobile devices.

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7) Blog content

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Here are some tips for creating informative, SEO-friendly blog posts for your ecommerce website:

Answer questions your customers typically ask you. For example, if you sell olive oil, some titles for your blog posts might include “what olive oil to choose for salad dressings” and “the health benefits of olive oil”.
Your posts can educate your readers about ways to make better purchases online, such as what to look for to buy quality products within your niche, or how to use their new purchase best.
Your blog posts should include good-quality images to break up the text and keep the reader engaged.
Your blog posts should link back to the products you are selling.
You should ensure that your content is adding value to your readers, free of grammatical errors, and not plagiarised.

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Regularly posting blog content on your ecommerce site will help you gain your audience’s trust and boost your website’s rankings.

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8) Reviews

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According to Reviews.io brands that display product reviews have a 18% higher conversion rate and a 11% higher average order value (AOV).

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Encourage your customers to leave reviews whenever they make a purchase, perhaps with a discount code for their next purchase, and ensure you respond appropriately to your customers’ reviews.

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9) Structured Data

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Structured data – also known as schema markup – allows you to feed the search engines information regarding your website in a language they can understand.

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10) Internal Linking

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Creating links between different pages on your website improves the organic ranking of your website. This is called internal linking.

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How Clear Click can help with on-page SEO for your ecommerce website

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If you’re interested to know more, book a free consultation call with Clear Click.

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SEO Services for Ecommerce - What’s Included & Why You Need Them

November 7, 2022

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Why you need SEO services for your ecommerce business

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Appearing on the first page of Google search results is not just a nice-to-have - it’s a necessity.

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What’s included in ecommerce SEO services?

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1. SEO audit

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Your website is optimised for Google to crawl your website properly
That your website loads fast
Your website content is SEO-friendly
Backlinks to your website are functioning and from reputable sources

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2. Technical SEO optimisation

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XML sitemap creation and submission
Optimising your robots.txt file
Schema markup optimisation

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If all of the above sounds like gibberish, don’t worry - that’s what SEO experts are for! If you’d like to learn a little more about these topics, check out our recent ecommerce SEO checklist.

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3. Keyword research and implementation

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Once you’ve done some keyword research, you can apply your keywords to things like metadata and existing website content from product pages to blog posts.

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4. Product page optimisation

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Your product pages are arguably the most important part of your website, so making sure they’re optimised for search engines is vital. Each page should ideally have:

At least a few paragraphs of original, keyword-optimised content
Keyword-optimised URL, meta description, meta title, and image alt text
A page layout that is clear and reflects the way people shop online
Social proof, e.g. reviews
A clear, enticing call-to-action

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5. Link building

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Ecommerce SEO Checklist for Small Businesses

October 20, 2022

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Technical SEO

1. Can Google bots crawl and index your website?

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2. Are your site architecture and linking up to par?

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Having a relatively flat structure to your website makes it easier for Google bots to crawl your website, but it also makes for a better user experience.

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3. Have you included structured data?

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4. Is your website mobile-friendly?

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5. Is your website loading fast enough?

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Some ways to increase your website’s loading speed include:

Using a fast DNS system
Reducing redirects on your website
Reducing the size of image files

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Google’s PageSpeed Insights is a great SEO tool for optimising your website’s load time.

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SEO Content & On-Page SEO

6. Are you targeting the right keywords?

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In order to show up in the SERP, your website needs to provide answers to the questions your potential customers are asking also known as a search query. This is where keyword research comes in.

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Your keyword research can help you recognise good opportunities for SEO writing in order for you to become a trusted authority on your chosen topic in Google’s eyes.

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For more information on finding and using keywords relevant to your business, check out our dedicated guide to doing keyword research.

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7. Do all of your pages have 250+ words of original content?

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In order for your website to rank high in the SERP, all of your web pages have to be populated with enough original content.

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When it comes to product pages, your “body copy” should focus on the unique aspects of the product and the problems it solves for the buyer. Some things other things you might add include:

Details about fast delivery
Bundle deals and other discounts
An enticing call to action
Answering common questions

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8. Have you optimised your metadata?

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Each page should have one H1 (title) tag - this is the page title that appears in search results. It should include your primary keyword.
Your URL should also include your primary keyword and be on the shorter side, with hyphens separating words.
H2, H3 etc. tags are for your subheaders and sub-sub headers. These are great places to add your secondary keywords.
Make sure to add descriptive, keyword-optimised title tags to images, as Google can’t crawl these effectively. Keyword-optimising is important here because many people rely largely on image results when shopping online.

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9. Are you actively building backlinks?

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There are lots of great strategies out there for getting more backlinks, but here are just a few:

Emailing websites with broken or outdated links and suggesting they link to your content instead.
Find mentions of your website online and ask the webmaster to link to your website if they haven’t done so already.
Emailing websites that have already linked to your content and telling them about another piece of content they might find helpful.

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The Bottom Line

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Google's September 2022 Core Update - What You Should Know

October 5, 2022

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What is a core algorithm update?

Google updates small parts of its algorithm daily. These changes aren’t always widely publicised and rarely significantly impact your website’s rankings in the SERP (search engine results page).

Google’s overall mission is to provide the most useful content to its users, and core updates are meant to ensure just that.

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What changes were made?

This Google algorithm update is a global one, targeting all online content across all regions and languages.

It’s also worth mentioning that the core update finished on the same day as a product review update.

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How will this affect me?

On the other hand, your website traffic might drop significantly all of a sudden. If it does this, don’t panic - it’s definitely not something that can’t be salvaged.

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What should I do now?

Now is a good time to take a look through your website analytics to search for significant and sustained changes in your website traffic as a whole.

Google Algorithm Updates

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Hereunder we cover an overview of the latest Google Algorithm updates to keep you best informed.

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September 2022 - Google's September Core Update

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On 26.09.2022 Google finished the rollout of its latest core update. This Google algorithm update is a global one, targeting all online content across all regions and languages.

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August 2022 - Google’s Helpful Content Update

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Google’s Helpful Content Update - What You Need to Know

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What is the Google helpful content update?

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Below, we’ve outlined some dos and don’ts based on the best practices Google outlined in its helpful content update announcement.

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Do focus on creating expert content for your niche

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The easiest way to provide genuinely helpful content to your website visitors is to write about a topic you’re an expert in.

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Remember the old adage: jack of many trades, master of none. Your efforts are always more fruitful if you focus on showing off your passion and expertise on a specific topic.

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Don’t write content simply because it’s trending or has a high search volume

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First off, as we outlined above, you may well struggle to write something genuinely useful if you don’t know the subject well.

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Finally, Google itself will struggle to categorise your website accurately if it’s a hodge-podge of content on a large number of unrelated topics.

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Do make sure you add to the conversation

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This is why it’s important to write about a subject you have expertise in - otherwise, providing that unique point of view will be much harder.

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Don’t leave your readers wanting more

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Do keep SEO best practices in mind

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Instead, Google’s helpful content update simply reminds us that our primary focus in content creation should always be to provide a good experience to end users, not search engines.

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Organic Keywords - What Are They & How to Find Them

August 31, 2022

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What are organic keywords?

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Long-tail keywords

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Search intent

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How to find organic keywords

This can be a good way to find out what you’re doing well and put more effort into keywords that are already bringing in organic search traffic to your site.

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How to use keywords to drive traffic to your website

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Optimise existing content

Creating new, keyword-optimised content is hugely beneficial. However, revisiting your existing content shouldn’t be overlooked, either.

Optimising your website for keywords should be something you do on an ongoing basis, updating content regularly to reflect search trends and your business as it grows and develops.

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Optimise metadata

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Avoid keyword stuffing

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Create original content

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Boost the readability of your content

Writing informative, keyword-optimised subheadings
Opting for short paragraphs
Utilising varied sentence length
Using active voice
Adding relevant internal and external links
Using bullet points

Are you looking for more actionable advice on using SEO to boost organic traffic to your website? Visit our blog or get directly in touch with us.

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SEO Writing - The Beginner’s Guide

August 23, 2022

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What is SEO writing?

Good content is a great way to bring in new clients. But if your potential clients can’t find your content, it’s essentially worthless. This is where SEO comes in.

Search engine optimisation is all about improving your website so that it ranks higher in search results in hopes of driving more visitors to your website.

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How to write good blogs for SEO

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1. Keyword research

The goal of keyword research is to find topics to create your SEO content around. Once you’ve got your keywords, you can start thinking about blog post titles you could write about.

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2. Competitor research

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3. Writing your SEO blog post

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4. Optimising your metadata

Once you’ve got the “meat” of your article ready to go, it’s time to address your metadata. This is the content in your blog post that is mostly visible to search engines only.

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The bottom line

SEO can seem complicated to the beginner, but hopefully, by reading our guide, you have a good idea of where to get started with SEO writing.

An Introduction to eCommerce SEO

July 18, 2022

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This article is your guide to eCommerce search engine optimisation. We’ll discuss what it is, its various benefits, and most importantly, how to improve eCommerce SEO.

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What is eCommerce SEO?

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Why eCommerce SEO is important

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Increasing brand awareness

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Generating a stream of customers

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Increasing remarketing audiences

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Better user experience (UX)

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Lower paid search costs

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How to improve eCommerce SEO

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Technical eCommerce SEO

Technical SEO refers to website and server optimisation techniques. This includes factors such as site architecture, a secure and responsive design, or a faster loading time.

Website structure

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Improve your speed

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Create a sitemap

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Optimising product pages

Keywords

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Title tags and meta descriptions

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Optimising URLs

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How can Clear Click help?

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If your website needs SEO support book a consultation call with us. Our SEO team help optimise your eCommerce store to strengthen your organic search traffic.

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On-page SEO: A Basic Introduction

July 8, 2022

Google processes over 100,000 searches every second. Out of the billions of searches made every day, how many does your business rank for?

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What is on-page SEO?

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The other alternative, off-page SEO, refers to optimising elements outside your website. This can include backlinks (other articles that link to your website or pages) or mentions on social media.

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On-page SEO Vs Off-page SEO

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Why on-page SEO is important?

Increases visibility and rankings

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Increase web traffic

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Improve user experience (UX)

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Better UX also implies visitors will spend more time on your page, check-out other content and articles you post, and generally associate your brand with a better UX.

Attract local customers

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This is especially important if you also have a physical store. You can increase the foot traffic to your storefront by ensuring your website and online content is location optimised.

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How to improve on-page SEO

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Using keywords

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Title tags and meta descriptions

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Structure your content using H1 and H2 tags

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Add internal links

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Optimise URL slugs

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Optimise images and alt-text

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SEO image optimisation checklist:

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Make sure they complement the content of your article.
Title the image.
Use caption text if relevant.
Name the image file descriptively.
Compress images for optimal page load speed.
Add images to your site’s XML sitemap.

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How can Clear Click help?

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While producing unique and value-adding content is the backbone of any customer engagement, it isn’t all that easy. It’s time-consuming and takes a lot of effort.

If you’re interested in discussing this further, book a call with our SEO team! We create bespoke strategies that are tailored to your business goals and the available resources at hand.

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Link Building for SaaS Companies: 5 Strategies For Growth

May 18, 2022

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This article will break down the benefits of backlinks and tell you about five must-use strategies to acquire backlinks for your SaaS company.

Benefits of backlinks

Most of the benefits of backlinks are in the form of SEO results. Here are some of the benefits for your SaaS company:

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Better domain and page authority

When websites with a high domain authority link back to your site, it increases your site's domain authority.

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Your content appears more credible

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Increases your brand visibility to new audiences

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Gives your brand authority

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Better conversion rate

Having quality content that other sites backlink to establishes you as an expert in your niche. This will lead to a higher number of paying customers.

Five best link building tactics for SaaS companies

Now that you’re aware of the importance of backlinks for the growth of your SaaS business, how should you get them? Here are the five best link-building tactics for SaaS companies.

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1. Backlinks from review sites

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Getting backlinks from popular review sites in your niche is an excellent link-building tactic because:

This method is relatively straightforward
Your past clients’ words about your business are more impactful than your own
New reviews will improve your search engine ranking
Backlinks in reviews are beneficial for both new customers as well as the company
Most review websites receive high search traffic and have a strong DA

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2. Backlinks from bloggers

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In short, a recommendation from someone with a large and loyal following could help you improve your sales fast.

3. Guest posts

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Writing guest posts involves contributing content to another website. You or someone from your company will write and post content on another company’s blog as a guest author.

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Guest posting on reputable websites in your niche can help you:

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Build awareness about your brand
Lead to good relations with other companies in your niche
Reach new audiences
Drive traffic to your website
Improve your SEO with a backlink

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Here is a step-by-step guide to help you get started with guest posting.

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Step 1

Find a site you want to guest post on: The first and most important step is to find websites where you want to guest post. For example, look at sites your audience likes to use.

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You should check the website’s domain authority using a tool like Moz, Ahrefs or SEMrush. This ensures you are identifying websites that Google already ranks as authoritative.

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Step 2

Qualify the site: Find out which sites are accepting guest posts and which sites post blogs related to your niche.

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Step 3

Find relevant topics: Find a few topics that you think the publisher’s audience would find helpful.

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Step 4

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Step 5

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Step 6

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Step 7

Analyse: Keep track of how the guest post affected the traffic to your website. Use these insights to build a guest post plan for yourself.

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Guest posts are a great way to build backlinks for your SaaS company while also establishing your expertise in the niche.

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4. Find unlinked brand mentions

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Finding these unlinked mentions of your brand on the internet and requesting them to link back to you is a great link-building tactic.

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While reaching out, you need to inform the reader about how backlinking to your website for the brand mention will improve their SEO ranking as well.

5. Backlink Exchange

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Step 1

Search for complementary articles from high authority websites. To find blogs that will be willing to backlinks to you, you should use keywords related to your article.

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Step 2

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Step 3

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Step 4

This step involves making the offer! You need to email the relevant person, offering them a backlink exchange.

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Step 5

If they accept, you need to find a contextually relevant post and agree on the anchor text.

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The other company will also link back to your website from theirs, completing the backlink exchange.

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What to avoid when executing backlink campaigns

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Link stuffing: This is the use of irrelevant links that have nothing to do with the industry or topic. While approaching people during a backlink campaign, you must insist that they link to you on relevant anchor text and that the content on the post is contextually relevant. Google believes in quality over quantity, and getting high-quality backlinks from credible websites is more important than just hitting numbers.

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Poor quality content: Make sure your content is unique and well-written. It should add value to the readers. Additionally, most companies and websites want to link to credible and highly relevant material. If your content doesn’t meet that standard, your chances of getting backlinks are slim. Similarly, you should also try to link only to high-value posts and articles from companies with high domain authority, as that will increase the credibility of your blog or website.

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Paid links: Never pay for backlinks. While it might seem easy to pay for backlinks instead of working to build them organically, paid links are considered a black hat SEO tactic. Often, Google’s algorithms are smart enough to detect paid backlink campaigns, which will affect your search engine ranking.

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Amalia Arredondo

Link Building for SEO: The Basics Explained

June 24, 2021

· What is link link building?

In this article we will dive deeper into:

· The importance of link building

· How to build a healthy link profile

What is link building?

There are three different types of links: inbound, outbound and internal.

The Importance of Link building

How to build a healthy link profile

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What makes a good link profile

Earning your links honestly

Create high quality and unique content

Some aspects of high quality content include:

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· Sparking the emotion of the readers.

· Creating something new that adds value to the reader or that is at least communicated in a new way.

· Using quality images to engage users.

· It addresses a relevant need or interest.

Link to relevant websites

Ensure healthy linking domains with high authority

Domain Authority

Page Authority

How Can Clear Click Help?

Off-page SEO: The Ultimate Guide

May 20, 2021

Off-page SEO

What is Off-page SEO
Importance of Off-page SEO
Benefits of Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO Checklist

Let’s jump right in and start with a basic understanding to get you up to speed.

What is Off-page SEO?

In short, Off-page SEO is essentially a tactical approach to SEO outside your website.

To make it really simple think of it like this:

Your website = On-page SEO

Importance of Off-page SEO

A website with no off-page signals is essentially losing out on organic traffic and ranking high in the SERP.

Benefits of Off-page SEO

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Three main benefits of Off-page SEO:

1.) Improve SERP position

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To put it really simply:

Increased SERP position = Increased organic traffic

2.) Increase your Page Ranking

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3.) Increase your website Exposure

Off-Page SEO Checklist

We have put together a checklist of 10 off-page SEO tactics you should be leveraging to ensure you have an edge against your competition.

Backlink building
Brand building
Content marketing
PR
Local SEO
Social Media Marketing
Influencer Marketing
Guest posts
Podcasts
Reviews

Let’s explain a little more about each of these tactics hereunder so you get an idea of the value they can deliver.

Backlinks (Link Building)

Backlinks and link building should be at the core of your off-page SEO strategy given the fact that Google’s algorithm values it so highly as a ranking factor.

Want to learn more about backlinks, take a look at Link Building for SEO: The Basics Explained.

Brand Building

Content Marketing

Guest posts
Infographics used by another author on the web
Surveys or research papers use by another author on the web
White-papers & e-books used by other authors on the web

Although you might have originally published your content on your website, it can easily be picked up and published by others on their website or referred to in other digital assets online.

Digital PR

Local SEO

Social Media Marketing

It’s important to note that social shares are not a ranking factor for Google, a common misunderstanding.

Influencer Marketing

Use influencer marketing in your Off-page SEO strategy to leverage your brand and build a strong relationship with your target audience through the trust of others.

It’s not all about gaining backlinks.

Guest posts

As a guest, writing content for someone else’s website, you are essentially acting as an expert in your field and providing value with your content to an audience that is relevant to your brand.

Guest posting is one of the most powerful backlink strategies, if not the most powerful.

Podcasts

Reviews

How can Clear Click help?

What is SEO? The Fundamentals Explained

What does SEO stand for?

Let’s explain this in simple English, in our interpretation;

SEO is the process of optimising website content so search engines such as Google place it in the top search results when a user searches for a product or service that your business offers.

Why is SEO important?

How SEO Works

What is SEO Marketing

Technical SEO

On-Page SEO?

Off-Page SEO

Dive deeper into off-page SEO with our Off-Page SEO: The Ultimate Guide.

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Our SEO Checklist

SEO can be a big pill to swallow, so to help set the foundations for any successful SEO project we recommend following some basic best practice steps. Hereunder is our basic SEO checklist:

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How Much Does SEO Cost?

Many businesses struggle with not knowing how much to budget for SEO services, this is because there is no specific fixed cost. Every business requires a different level of service.

Before determining a budget to spend on SEO, you must determine what you would like to achieve from any SEO strategy and plan how to measure it;

What is the desired outcome for my business?
How should my business measure success?

Only after determining these two points then should you think about a budget.

Building a Budget

After determining your SEO goals (desired outcome) and tactics needed for success, a distinct action plan and budget to support your efforts is needed.

According to Google SEO , “in most cases, SEOs need four months to a year to help your business first implement improvements and then see potential benefit.”

So What’s The Cost?

How Can Clear-Click Help?

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Google Ads Image Extensions: Boost Your CTR

November 29, 2023

Google Ads Image Extensions: Boost Your CTR
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Welcome to our guide on Google Ads Image Extensions, a tool for increasing click-through rates and making paid search campaigns stand out. At Clear Click, we recognise the importance of appealing ads, particularly in the context of the rollout of Performance Max Campaigns and evolving consumer search trends.

With the rise of platforms like TikTok, there's a clear shift from text to images and videos in marketing campaigns. In this blog, we’ll explore how Google Ads Image Extensions can improve your campaigns and reduce your overall ads spend.

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What Are Google Ads Image Extensions?
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Google Ads Image Extensions allow advertisers to add images to their text-based paid ads. These images provide a more engaging experience, helping your ads stand out in busy result pages. When used effectively, image extensions can significantly boost your ad’s click-through rate, driving more traffic to your website from the search result pages.

Here is an example, although the two ads using image extensions rank second and third in the search results, they still achieve a better user experience than the ad in first place.
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How Do They Work?
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When you add an image extension to your Google Ads campaign, you can choose relevant images that complement your ad text. These images are displayed alongside your text ads in Google Search results, offering a snapshot of what you're offering and enticing users to click through to learn more.

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The Benefits of Using Image Extensions in Google Ads
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Enhanced Visibility: With eye-catching visuals, your ads become more noticeable, helping them stand out from text-only ads.
Increased Engagement: Visual elements can convey emotions and details faster than text, leading to higher engagement rates.
Better Click-Through Rates: A visually appealing ad is more likely to be clicked on, potentially boosting your CTR.
Improved Ad Relevance: By adding relevant images, you can make your ads more pertinent to the searcher's intent.

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Implementing Google Ads Image Extensions
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To start using image extensions in your advertising campaigns, follow these steps:
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Select High-Quality Images: Choose images that are clear, relevant, and appealing to your target audience.
Align Images with Ad Content: Ensure your images complement your ad copy and accurately represent your product or service.
Conduct image tests to determine which ones have the most impact on your audience.

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Best Practices for Google Ads Image Extensions
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Creating impactful images for your Google Ads Image Extensions involves more than just selecting attractive images. It requires a strategic approach to ensure that your visuals align with your brand identity and campaign objectives. Consider the following when selecting images:
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Consistency: Keep your images consistent with your brand's style and message.
Relevance: Use images that are directly related to your ad content.
Quality: High-resolution images are crucial for making a good first impression.

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Linking Image Extensions to Paid Search Strategy
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Integrating image extensions into your paid search advertising can achieve higher engagement rates and make your ads stand out to your audiences. By adding a visual component to your text ads without using display ads, you're providing a more complete story about your product or service. This integration can lead to a more compelling and effective paid search campaign.

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How Image Extensions Complement Paid Search
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Enhanced Ad Performance: Visuals can boost the overall performance of your paid search campaigns, generating more clicks on your ad.
Targeted Messaging: Tailor your images to match specific segments of your audience for more personalised advertising.
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Explore our Paid Search Services to see how we can integrate image extensions into your Google Ads campaigns, elevating your paid search efforts to new heights.
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Maximising Campaign Impact with Integrated Google Ads Features
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‍‍Integrating Google Ads Image Extensions with other features can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your campaigns. Advertising to local audiences can benefit from localised visuals, featuring local landmarks, which resonate more with the targeted audience. This approach can also be leveraged to include geo-specific offers in the images, creating more compelling calls to action for users.

In terms of audience targeting, image extensions can be tailored to specific demographic segments, reflecting their interests and lifestyles. This personalisation can be done using behavioural insights, such as selecting images based on products the user has previously shown interest in. This targeted approach ensures that the visual content is as engaging and relevant as possible to each audience segment.

Beyond targeting, integrating image extensions with automated bidding strategies can lead to more efficient budget allocation. This includes conducting A/B testing with different images to find out which visuals have the best performance under various bidding conditions. Additionally, pairing image extensions with Dynamic Search Ads can dynamically display relevant images based on the user's search query, ensuring both the visual and textual content of your ads are highly targeted and contextually relevant.

Using these integrated solutions, Google Ads Image Extensions become more than just an attention-grabbing tool; they provide personalised and contextually relevant user experience at the beginning of the user journey, maximising the engagement and impact your Google Ads campaigns have.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Image Extensions in Google Ads
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Setting up Image Extensions in Google Ads is a straightforward process that can significantly enhance your ad's appeal. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

Access Your Google Ads Account: Log into your Google Ads account and select the campaign you want to add image extensions to.
Navigate to Ads & Extensions: Go to the “Ads & Extensions” tab and select “Extensions” from the sub-menu.
Choose Image Extension: Click on the plus button (“+”) and select “Image Extension” from the dropdown menu.
Select Your Images: You can either upload images directly or choose from your Google My Business account. Ensure the images are high-quality and relevant to your ad content.
Adhere to Google’s Guidelines: Make sure your images comply with Google's advertising policies. Avoid logos or generic stock photos; instead, use images that accurately represent your products or services.
Optimise for Mobile: Since a significant portion of searches are on mobile devices, optimise your images for smaller screens. Check how they appear on different devices to ensure clarity and impact.
Submit for Review: Once you’ve added your images, submit them for Google's review. This process usually takes a day or two.
Monitor and Optimise: After approval, monitor the performance of your image extensions. Use the insights to optimise your images and ad copy for better results.

In Summary
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We’ve uncovered the role of visual content in Google Ad campaigns, and the shift towards images and videos, driven by platforms like TikTok and evolving consumer trends which underline the necessity of visually engaging ads.

Using Google Ads Image Extensions, advertisers can enhance their ad visibility, increase click-through rate, and stand out in the search engine results. This tactic transforms text-based ads into personalised and contextually engaging advertising.

At Clear Click, we stay at the forefront of these tools, ensuring that your Google Ads account not only captures attention but also resonates with and engages your target audience, leading to meaningful interactions and conversion rate.

6 Ways to Ensure Your PPC & SEO Are Working Together

September 28, 2022

In this guide, we’ll go over six ways you can do just that. By following some of these best practices, you can strengthen your digital marketing strategy as a whole. Let’s get started.

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1. Drive traffic fast with PPC

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2. Play the long game with your SEO strategy

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3. Plug holes in your SEO performance with PPC ads

In a nutshell, putting effort into digital marketing is an investment. Spreading that investment across PPC and SEO is all about spreading the risk.

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4. Test the viability of new keywords with PPC ads

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5. Follow SEO leads around with remarketing campaigns

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6. Gather and implement valuable data

Running both SEO and PPC campaigns gives you access to plenty of useful data you can use to strengthen them as well as other channels within our digital marketing strategy.

You can also use your SEO data in your PPC campaigns. You can identify high-performing pages and learn about your website visitors’ behaviour this way, creating stronger PPC campaigns as a result.

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The bottom line

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Responsive Search Ads & How To Optimise Them

July 22, 2022

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What are Responsive Search Ads?

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Instead of the three headline and two description options that ETAs offered, RSAs allow advertisers to create as many as 15 headlines and four different descriptions.

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Moreover, Google will optimise these ads over time to boost engagement and keep advertising messages fresh.

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How do RSAs work?

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Benefits of switching to RSAs

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Although the transition to RSAs might be challenging to some, the wider, long-term benefits of this format outweigh any initial hurdles. Here are some of the benefits of switching to RSAs.

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Real Time Optimisation: Even as RSA campaigns are being created, Google will send you alert notifications based on selected settings. These notifications inform you of issues that may diminish campaign performance.

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Enhanced Performance: Advertisers are already reporting improvements in click-through rates in the short time that RSAs have been online. These rates are expected to increase substantially as the system optimises and the best versions of ads get automatically prioritised.

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Save time: Now that creating, testing, and editing campaigns is outsourced to Google’s own automation algorithms, you can save your valuable time and use it to build better, more engaging creatives for your audiences.

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Customised Flexibility: RSAs are adaptive to device widths, allowing for the creation of flexible ad messaging to target potential customers. Also, headlines and descriptions can be tailored to specific customer locations. For example, a customer from the UK will only be shown the products that are available for shipping in the UK.

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Increased Reach: Multiple headline and description options let advertisers reach more potential customers. This feature also allows ads to match more search queries.

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More Clicks and Conversions: RSAs compete in more auctions, delivering more clicks and visitor-to-customer conversions. They also boost the performance of ad groups in general.

How to optimise RSAs

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The following are some important tips to keep in mind for an optimised RSA campaign.

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Headlines

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For an effective RSA campaign, first aim to write at least 10 different headlines so that there is enough room for Google to optimise and prioritise.

Every headline must be unique in order to avoid redundancy. Moreover, Google does not display headlines that are too similar to others.

Headlines can have up to 30 characters. Therefore, it is essential to have a combination of both shorter and longer headlines.

Use Google’s dynamic keyword insertion to place relevant keywords into your headlines. Make sure to include keywords in at least 5 headlines.

In order to increase successful headline-description combinations, write at least three headlines without specific keywords.

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Descriptions

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As a general advertising rule, and more specifically for RSAs, avoid generic language in descriptions. Instead, use specific calls to action.

Tie your description messaging to the most relevant campaign keywords. Users are more likely to engage with ads that are relevant to their search queries.

Like headlines, each description must be unique and make sense on its own. No description should be dependent on a particular headline, and vice versa.

Use the Ad Strength score feature to verify if you are delivering the best content to the prospective customer. This feature enables you to gauge how customers may react to a particular ad.

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Pinning Controls

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RSAs will automatically test different headlines and descriptions in different positions to come up with the best ad message for each user.

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Ad Extensions

Successfully executing RSAs

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There is a learning curve associated with successfully executing RSAs. However, when properly calibrated, this innovation can ensure that ads reach the right audience and lead to conversions.

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However, if you don’t have time to invest in learning how to use RSAs, contact us today. All of our clients we work with today already run numerous successful responsive search campaigns.

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Meet The NEW Google Performance Max Campaigns

April 13, 2022

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Benefits of Performance Max Campaigns

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Find more customers who are ready to convert

Customise the goals that matter the most to your business objectives.
Engage with customers across the entirety of Google’s channels from a singular campaign.
Unlock new customer segments that you may have not expected.

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Increased value

Google’s data-driven attribution is used across all channels, optimising for even the most incremental touchpoints that result in users becoming customers.
Machine learning is used to make more accurate predictions about which ads, audiences, and creative asset combinations will perform better to your chosen conversion goal. This can also be found in the rollout of Google's responsive search ads, as the industry begins to migrate away from more 'traditional' advertising methods.

Enhanced data and insights

Performance Max reporting helps businesses understand what performs the best, and how much impact it is having on campaign performance to drive ROI.
New insights such as search trends can help businesses understand changes in performance and influence broader business decisions.

5 Key Benefits of Google Performance Max Campaigns

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Unlock new audiences across Google’s channels and networks.
Drive better performance against goals.
Gain more transparent insights.
Drive automation with your campaign inputs.
Simplify your campaign management & easily optimize ads.

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When Should You Use Performance Max Campaigns?

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Performance max campaigns are the chosen option to use when these statements are true

There is a specific conversion goal associated with advertising (e.g. increasing sales or lead generation).
You want to maximise performance of the campaign and you are not limited by which channel your ads should serve on.
You want to access all of Google’s advertising channels using a single campaign.
You want to expand reach and conversions beyond keyword-based search campaigns.

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Should You Run Performance Max Campaigns Instead of Other Campaign Types?

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Performance Max Conversion Best Practices

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Choose campaign level conversion goals.

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Import Offline Conversions

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Have some further questions or queries about running or setting up Performance Max campaigns? Chat with one of our experts and book a call here.

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Google Shopping Ads: Everything You Need To Know

March 31, 2022

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With Google Shopping ads, you can harvest the power of Google’s world-class big data algorithms to boost your sales. Here’s everything you need to know to get started.

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What are Google Shopping ads?

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Once clicked, Google Shopping ads redirect customers to the product’s landing page on your business’s e-commerce website. As Google says:

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How do you create a Google Shopping ad?

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Creating your own intelligent ad campaign with Google requires you to have a:

Google Ads account
Google Merchant Center account
Google Analytics account

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To give you a better understanding, we have divided the entire process into two parts - Preparing and Launching.

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Preparing

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In this stage, we tell you everything you need to get in place before you can start your Google Ads campaign:

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1. Creating your Merchant Center Account

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This includes:

Business information - Your website’s name, store’s name, business address, and a registered phone number for verification.
Checkout options - Your customers can be redirected to the product’s landing page on your website or can be allowed to make the purchase on Google’s own platform. You can also make listings about in-store inventory, which will be shown to customers from nearby locations. The customers can then choose to make a same day or later pickup.
Linking third-party platforms - You may want to use a third-party platform to promote, list, or sell your products on Google. You can link your account on a third-party platform with your merchant center account in order to

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2. Creating your shopping product feed

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3. Configure shipping settings

You need to give Google the different costs and speeds of shipping your product.

Launching

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The next stage covers everything you need to do to set up your first Shopping Ads campaign.

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1. Creating a new campaign

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Select standard vs. smart shopping campaign: Standard gives you full control but with limited reach, whereas smart allows you to run the campaign on autopilot with greater reach.
Finish setup: Give your campaign a name, a budget, bid strategy, and locations to run. Now you can publish the campaign!

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What are Google Performance Max campaigns?

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Showing on Discover and Maps in addition to Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, and Gmail.
Impacting existing Search Ads Campaigns.

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What are Google Shopping ads best practices?

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Here are some of the best Google Shopping ads tips:

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Campaign structure

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Next, you can start search query level bidding. This involves running a number of similar campaigns targeting specific search terms through your campaign.

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Negative keywords

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The easiest way to find negative keywords is to go through your search terms report. This report shows you all the search queries your ads have been displayed for. You should look out for:

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Irrelevant terms: Search terms used by low-intent users or ones that aren’t relevant to your product
Competitor terms: Search terms that include your competitors' names
Products not sold: Search terms for products you are not selling yet
Very generic terms: Search terms like “pants” are very generic and likely have a very low conversion rate.

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Optimize product titles

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The product feed is the soul of your Google Shopping campaign. Any improvements that you make here, by adding more relevant information, will boost CTR and performance.

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For instance, you can increase your CTR by including the most popular product-related queries in your product titles.

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Optimize product pricing

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A campaign that performed badly could simply result from non-competitive product pricing. If you suspect this is the case, you should:

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Identify poorly performing products and check if pricing is the issue
Analyze the pricing of your competitors and see if the difference is large
Identify ways to bridge the gap with competitors
Find ways to lower your maximum CPC for the product

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PPC Keyword Analysis: Optimise Your Paid Search Campaigns

August 23, 2021

If you’re interested in finding out how you should be structuring your Google Ads campaigns, then get in touch with one of our account managers for a free keyword audit.

This guide will help improve your keyword research process and in turn, help you achieve more effective pay-per-click campaigns. We will cover the following topics:

Create Your PPC Keyword List

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Branded - keywords containing your brand name.
Generic - keywords relating to your product or service offering.
Related - keywords that don’t have direct relation, but users who are interested in your product or service may be searching for.
Competitor - keywords containing brand names of your competitors.

Here is what this method of categorising keywords would look like in practice if we were to conduct keyword research on Mercedes cars.

Put Yourself Into Your Customers’ Mindset

During the keyword brainstorming stage, you must put yourself into your target audiences shoes. What kind of search queries would they use when searching for your product or service?

Consider Broad Match Keywords

Explore Long-tail Keywords

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Perfect Your Keyword List with PPC Keyword Research Tools

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Arranging Your PPC Keywords

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Add Negative Keywords

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Here are some suggestions for adding negative keywords to your PPC campaigns:

Monitor your search term reports in Google Ads and Microsoft Ads. This is an excellent way to determine what users were searching for when your ad was served to them. If you find keywords in user search terms that are irrelevant to your business, set them as negative keywords to ensure your ad spend is not wasted in the future.

Research keyword match types. Using broad match negative to disqualify obvious terms such as “free” is acceptable. However, be careful with broad match negative keywords as you can quickly rule out a large portion of traffic without knowing the quality of search traffic you will gain from serving your advertisements. Be cautious and collect data before ruling out too many keywords.

Make use of shared negative keyword lists. There are some keywords that you will want to apply globally across your account. To do this efficiently, use shared keywords lists.

How Clear Click Can Help

How Does the Google Ads Auction Work? [Infographic]

June 8, 2021

The Google Ads Auction Process

How advertisers get entered into each auction
How Google determines which ads to show, and where they are shown
How much Google charges advertisers

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Google Ads: A Basic Introduction

April 29, 2021

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Google Ads

What are Google Ads?

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How do Google Ads work?

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If you want to learn exactly how the Google ads auction works take a look out our details Google ads auction process infographic.

How can Google Ad help you advance your business goals?

There are a number of reasons why Google ads can help advance your business goals. We’ve shortlisted the top 4 reasons for using Google Ads to support your business.

Massive reach

Return on investment

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Stay competitive

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Harness intent

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How to Run Effective Google Ad Campaigns

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Understand your goals

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Build quality landing pages

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Adopt a test and learn approach

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How Clear Click Can Help

What Is PPC? Discover the Basics of PPC Marketing

What Is PPC?

What is 'Google Ads'?

Landing Page Quality - Create dedicated landing pages for PPC optimised for converting visitors with a clear call-to-action (CTA).

Conducting PPC Keyword Research

Management of PPC Campaigns

Here are several factors you should consider when managing your PPC accounts:

How Clear Click Can Help

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Paid Social Media Advertising: A Valuable Investment?

Paid Social

Paid Social Media Advertising Explained

Paid social media advertising or paid social for short is a method of display advertising on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

What Is Ad Spend?

What Is Audience Targeting?

What Is A Social Media Bidding Strategy?

Cost Per Action (CPA)

Variable Cost Per Thousand Impressions (vCPM)

Effective Cost Per Thousand Impressions (eCPM)

Cost Per Click (CPC)

3-Step Guide To Choosing The Right Social Media Channel

Step 1 - Identify Where Your Target Audience Is

Step 2 - Choose Targeting Parameters

A good example of the different targeting parameters available is LinkedIn’s ability to target users based on their job title, company name, industry, and professional interests.

Step 3 - Define Your Ad Content Format

By defining the format (video, photo, text) that is most suited for your advertising campaign, it narrows down and identifies the social media platform best suited.

The Best Social Media Ad Platforms In 2021

There are 4 main social media channels that your business should be leveraging right now. Let’s dive into what these channels are, and how they can help you reach your business goals.

Facebook

Advertising on Facebook is affordable but not the cheapest option with the average cost per click (CPC) approximately £1.27. This is important to keep in mind when defining ad spend.

Instagram

The average cost per click (CPC) on Instagram is around £0.37 - £0.74, making it a very affordable advertising channel.

YouTube

Audience targeting is another valuable aspect of the YouTube platform, using the Google Ads platform it allows businesses to target users based on their interests and online search history.

The average cost per view (CPV) on Youtube is £0.30, making it one of the most affordable advertising channels.

The True Value Paid Social Provides

Paid social gives your business powerful audience-based targeting, allowing you to focus on users who are most likely to engage and convert with your ads.

Lastly, ad campaign results are easily scalable. By simply increasing the depth of the advertising campaign, this broadens the overall reach and impact.

How Can Clear Click Help

Learning more about how paid social media advertising can benefit your business, by taking a look at our Paid Social media advertising service.

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The SME Guide to Conversion Rate Optimisation

September 20, 2022

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What is a conversion?

Add to carts

Completed purchases

Social shares

Leads generated

Newsletter signups

Page views

Leads closed

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What is the conversion rate?

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What’s conversion rate optimisation?

Conversion rate optimisation helps bring in more business, but it also enables you to lower your cost per acquisition, driving more value from the website traffic you’re already getting.

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How to optimise your conversion rate

That being said, some of the tips below will help you get started with conversion rate optimisation for your website.

Make sure you have Google Analytics or something similar set up to analyse your website traffic.

Talk to your customers. Data is absolutely key. But hearing things directly from your customers offers insights that numbers simply can’t. Make sure to also keep up with your online reviews for valuable insights.

Run a customer survey. This is essentially the same point as above, but offering an anonymous survey, perhaps with an incentive like a gift card raffle, can help you get more (honest) feedback.

Add reviews and testimonials to your website for social proof.

Use a form analytics tool to easily analyse the data from your customer survey submissions and contact forms.

Test both call-to-action (CTA) buttons and text-based CTAs to see what works better for your website. A colourful CTA button can be eye-catching, but banner blindness is also a very real phenomenon.

Use a heat mapping tool like Hotjar to find out how your website visitors are interacting with your most valuable pages.

Implement marketing automation to help drive conversions. You might, for example, set up an automatic reminder email to go out to people who’ve added products to their cart but didn’t complete checkout.

Improve things like website load times and check your website for broken links and forms to make the user experience of your website as smooth as possible.

Consider adding chat software to your website to answer visitor questions. This can help convert people who are on the fence about your offering.

Revisit your website copy. Is it compelling and to the point? Are you using accurate headings and subheadings? Is your copy SEO-friendly?

Use a CRM software to track and target your website visitors. Read more about CRMs in our dedicated guide to Customer Relationship Management.

Set up retargeting PPC campaigns to bring website visitors back to convert them.

Run A/B tests (more on A/B testing below).

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Running A/B tests for CRO

It’s easy enough to assume you know what your audience wants to see. And that may be the case, but without hard data to back up your hypotheses, you’re ultimately just guessing.

Running tests like this one by one helps you pinpoint what works and doesn’t work for your specific audience and make incremental changes to your website.

There are a number of great A/B testing tools out there, but you can get started for free with Google Analytics and Google Optimize.

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How Clear Click can help

Want to learn more? Book a free consultation with us.

Website Optimisation: A Beginners Guide

March 17, 2021

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What is Website Optimisation?

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A holistic approach to website optimisation encompasses a variety of techniques. These include;

SEO
Copywriting
Analytics
UX Design (Frontend)
Web Development (Backend)
CRO/Landing page Optimisation

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All of the above should be working together in harmony to reach a websites full potential.

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Why Is Website Optimisation Important?

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In 2020 global eCommerce sales grew 27.6% compared to the previous year, this amounted to $4.280 trillion in sales [1].

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This said it won’t matter how many people search for keywords relevant to your business if you don’t optimise your website and on-page content, your website won’t get any traffic.

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By fine-tuning your SEO, you will guarantee high intent search traffic specific to your websites.

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Mastering Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), will maximise the number of leads from both paid and organic sources into conversions. We will dive into some key CRO tactics a little later on.

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How Does Website Optimisation Work?

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The objective of website optimisation is to create a website that is appealing to both search engines and real people. But how should you get started?

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Hereunder we have put together a list of key website optimisation areas, tools and benchmark standards to aim for.

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Key Website Optimisation Strategies

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There are a number of ways to improve your website. A simple google search for “Website Optimisation Strategies” brings up 1.25 billion results. So where are you meant to get started?

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Hereunder, we have put together 6 basic website optimisation strategies that are key for kicking off your website optimisation process.

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1. Optimise for Mobile Experience

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Since 2015, Google made mobile-friendliness a key ranking signal for websites [4]. It’s not enough to have just a great performing website on desktop, it must also be optimised for mobile.

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Make sure of the following;

You don’t have any pop ups showing up on mobile.
The website loads quickly & correctly.
Text is easy to read.
All content is visible.
Any scaled-down images are still readable.
The site is easy to navigate.

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Covering the basic mobile-friendly test will give your website a favourable advantage when it comes to search engine ranking.

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2. Improved Page Speed

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Website speed is also a Google ranking signal and will have a direct correlation and impact on your SEO.

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To check and identify page speed issues we recommend using three tools; Pingdom, GTmetrix, Page Speed Insights by Google.

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Page speed optimisation can be a time-consuming and expensive task, but it’s well worth the effort to have a website working at lightning speed, every millisecond counts.

3. Search Engine Optimisation

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You will want to register your website with Google Search Console, run a check to take action on any issues detected with your site indexing.

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Once you have set up this basic foundation, you will want to use a 3rd party tool like SEMrush, Moz or Ahrefs to start tackling the more technical SEO issues and optimise your websites overall SEO.

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4. Tweak Website Copy to Drive Conversions

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Once key areas of weakness are identified in your on-page text, you can then ideate and test different variations to work towards the best performing copy!

5. A/B Testing

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You will often find that A/B testing results can be applied to multiple pages on your website, so it’s definitely a worthwhile process to optimise your websites overall.

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6. Optimise for User Experience (UX)

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Business owners often spend a lot of time focussing on SEO and CRO, but overlook one technique that influences both of these and that is the user experience of a website.

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In fact, research has shown that every $1 invested in UX brings $100 in return. That's a massive RIO of 9,900% [10].

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How can Clear Click help?

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If you are interested in having one of our specialists audit your website, book a free consultation with us to get a deep understanding of websites growth potential.

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Sources:

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[1] - eMarketer

[2] - Oberlo

[3] - Search Engine Table

[4] - Sistrix

[5] - Statista

[6] - Statista

[7] - Think With Google

[8] - Data Box

[9] - Go Card Less

[10] - Intechnic

An Introduction to Google Tag Manager

December 17, 2022

In this introduction article about Google Tag Manager, you can expect to find out:

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What is Google Tag Manager & How it works?

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Key Benefits of Google Tag manager

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How Google Tag Manager can help your marketing efforts

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The key features of Google Tag Manager

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Google Tag Manager has several key features that make it a powerful and useful tool for managing and tracking the various tags and scripts on a website. Some key features include;

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Preview and testing

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Tracking and debugging

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Tag management

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Triggers and variables

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How to Get Started with Google Tag Manager?

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To get started with Google Tag Manager and use it to manage and optimise the tags on your website, you can follow these steps:

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Sign up for a Google Tag Manager account: Go to the Google Tag Manager website and sign up for a free account. You will need to provide some basic information, such as your name, email address, and website URL.
Install the Google Tag Manager code on your website: Once you have signed up for an account, you will need to install the Google Tag Manager code on your website. This code will allow Google Tag Manager to communicate with your website and manage the tags on it.
Create a new container: After installing the code on your website, you will need to create a new container in Google Tag Manager. This will be the place where you will manage and track the tags on your website.
Add tags to your container: Once you have created a container, you can begin adding tags to it. This can be done by clicking on the "Add a new tag" button and configuring the settings for your tag, such as the type of tag, the trigger for when it should be fired, and any other relevant settings.
Publish your container: After adding tags to your container, you will need to publish it in order for the tags to start working on your website. This can be done by clicking on the "Publish" button in the top-right corner of the Google Tag Manager interface.
Monitor and track your tags: Once your container is published, you can begin monitoring and tracking your tags to see how they are performing on your website. You can use Google Tag Manager to view the data that your tags are collecting, as well as track and debug any issues that may arise.

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But if you would prefer the peace of mind and have one of our experts at Clear Click set this up, feel free to contact us for a free consultation.

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Google’s Third-party Cookies Phaseout: What Marketers Can Do To Prepare

May 25, 2022

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This article will cover the following topics:

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What are cookies?

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While there are many types of cookies, here we’ll focus on first-party and third-party cookies.

First-party cookies

Third-party cookies

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Why is Google phasing out cookies?

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How will this impact digital marketing?

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Conversion Tracking

Google Analytics

Retargeting

Similarly, remarketing on Facebook and Instagram will be unaffected as it is based on user data tracked with Meta cookies and doesn’t involve third-party cookies.

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How can marketers prepare?

The death of the third-party cookie has generated a lot of nervousness in the marketing community: 41% of marketers feel that the biggest challenge will be tracking the right data.

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What strategies can be implemented?

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Google's Privacy Sandbox

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What tools can be used?

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In the evolving tech space, it’s essential to adapt your advertising strategies, and Clear Click makes this process stress-free! Book a free consultation today to learn more.

Google Analytics 4: A Complete Introduction

May 8, 2022

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This article will provide a broad overview of Google Analytics 4 and the benefits that businesses can reap by using the software.

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Feel free to jump to any section of the article using the links below:

What is Google Analytics 4?

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What is different with Google Analytics 4?

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What are the benefits of Google Analytics 4?

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Marketers and analysts are excited by many of GA4s features. Here under are 6 Benefits of Google Analytics 4 (GA4):

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Enhanced Measurement and Tracking: The new enhanced measurement feature allows users to track events and interactions automatically. This sort of tracking would have taken hours or days on Google’s previous analytics platforms. Using GA4, marketers can track scrolls, outbound link clicks, site searches, YouTube video engagement, and file downloads. This new approach will be instrumental in helping businesses understand the total impact of their marketing efforts across various platforms.

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Smarter Insights and Predictions: GA4 will also leverage AI to alert users of trends in their data. The software will help marketers anticipate their customers’ decisions, allowing businesses to predict churn and revenue from a particular customer segment.

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Improved User Interface: Google Universal Analytics provided users with a tremendous amount of information, albeit in an unintuitive and disorganised fashion. The new software improves the user interface by organising reports and information based on events, business cycles, and user data. Another big plus in Google Analytics 4’s user interface is that there will be a “Customise Report” tool. In addition, the core of Google Analytics 4 is based on machine learning, which means that the new software provides unparalleled automation in terms of user experience.

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Integration with BigQuery: Google Analytics 4 also offers a free integration with Google BigQuery, an advanced database solution, and Google Cloud Platform. The integration means that users can access raw data without purchasing Google Analytics 360. BigQuery lets users utilise advanced analysis of many raw and unsampled data sets from Google Analytics. Such a feature is particularly helpful for businesses with a lot of web traffic. In addition, a BigQuery integration also lets users export their data to visualisation platforms such as Tableau and Power BI.

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Effective Customer Engagement Measurement: Google Analytics 4 is designed to give a customer-centric measurement of how consumers interact with businesses. Instead of measuring customer engagement through a device, the new platform uses User IDs and unique Google Signals to picture a business-customer interaction accurately. For example, users can check if a customer first discovered their business through an ad or somewhere else with this new feature. Such information is critical to assessing the quality and progress of your business's current marketing efforts and tracking the customer journey.

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Long Term Growth: Another reason to use Google Analytics 4 is that the platform is suited to the future of the tech landscape. As the industry continues to evolve, outdated platforms might not be adaptable to rapid changes in the tech industry. However, Google Analytics 4 is different in that it can function without cookies as well. Therefore, businesses that use Google Analytics 4 are immune to significant industry-wide changes in the tech sector.

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Conclusion:

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What is Digital Marketing Analytics & Data?

Data analytics in marketing uses decisive business metrics such as return-on-ad-spend (ROAS), cost per conversion, and conversion rate to discover how marketing channels are performing.

Understanding Digital Marketing Analytics

The Importance of Data for Digital Marketing

The Importance of Digital Marketing Analysis

Digital Marketing Tools You Should Be Using

Google Analytics 4

Google Search Console

‍Google Ads

‍Facebook Business Manager

‍LinkedIn Campaign Manager

Why Invest in a CRM for Data Analytics

3 Quick Steps to Analyse your Digital Marketing

1. Analyse Your Digital Marketing Channels

Analysing marketing channels gives businesses the ability to compare the impact of each marketing channel collectively.

2. Identify Activities That Lead To Conversions

3. Pinpoint Where Your Revenue Comes From

How Clear Click Can Help

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Influencing Multi-Channel Marketing Using the Customer Journey

September 8, 2023

Influencing Multi-Channel Marketing Using the Customer Journey

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Understanding why Customer Journeys are Important

Research from Harvard Business Review shows that businesses prioritising customer journey optimisation have a 54% higher return on their marketing investment.

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Buyer Personas in the Customer Journey

How to Start Mapping the Customer Journey

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Tailoring Experiences in the Customer Journey

Brand Consistency Across All Channels

Refining the Customer Journey‍

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Final Thoughts

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A Comprehensive Guide to Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

August 23, 2023

A Comprehensive Guide to Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

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What is Multi-Channel Marketing?

The Benefits of Multi-Channel Marketing

Businesses seeking a competitive advantage can leverage multi-channel marketing's benefits including;

Enhanced Customer Experience: By engaging with potential customers on platforms they frequent, multi-channel marketing enhances the customer journey, contributing to a more personalised experience.
Increased Brand Visibility: Having brand presence across diverse channels enhances brand recognition and recall, reinforcing your brand's presence to your target audience.
Higher Engagement: Each marketing channel presents unique opportunities for engagement. Through cross-channel strategies, tailor your content to resonate effectively with your audience, translating into heightened engagement rates.
Improved Conversion Rates: The potential to reach customers across multiple touch points can result in improved conversion rates. According to a study by Omnisend, businesses utilising three or more channels in their marketing strategies experience a 287% higher purchase rate compared to single-channel efforts.

Source: Omnisend study.
Data-Driven Insights: The multi-channel approach allows for the collection of data from various sources, offering invaluable insights into customer behaviour and preferences.

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How to Create a Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

Know Your Audience: Understanding your target audience is pivotal. Investigate their preferences, behaviours, and communication habits across different channels to tailor your strategies.
Channel Selection: Not all channels hold equal relevance. Opt for channels aligned with both your audience's preferences and your brand's identity.
Consistent Messaging: Unify your brand message across all channels to maintain a seamless brand identity, preventing confusion for customers.
Personalisation: Customise your content for each channel's unique characteristics. What resonates on social media might not translate well in an email campaign, highlighting the importance of personalisation for enhanced customer engagement.
Timing is Key: Strategic timing plays a pivotal role in multi-channel marketing. Understand when your audience is most active on each channel to optimise your content distribution.
Measurement and Analysis: Incorporate attribution models to gauge the effectiveness of each channel. Regular data analysis will uncover trends and areas for improvement. According to Salesforce, companies that use data-driven marketing are six times more likely to be profitable year-over-year.

Source: 2023 Salesforce Blog

Insights from Industry Experts

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Attribution Models in Multi-Channel Marketing

What are Attribution Models?

First-Touch Attribution: This model attributes the entire credit for a conversion to the first interaction a customer has with your brand. For instance, if a customer discovers your brand through a social media post and later makes a purchase after receiving an email, the credit would go to the social media.
Last-Touch Attribution: In contrast, last-touch attribution attributes the conversion to the final interaction before a conversion. In the same example, the email touchpoint would receive full credit for the conversion.
Multi-Touch Attribution: Recognising that multiple touchpoints contribute to a conversion, this model distributes credit across various interactions in the customer journey. Each touchpoint receives a portion of the credit based on its influence.

The Use Case for Attribution Models

How to Implement Attribution Models

Choose the Right Model: Select an attribution model that aligns with your goals and the complexity of your sales process.
Data Integration: Collect data from various channels and sources to gain a comprehensive view of customer interactions. Marketing automation tools such as HubSpot can assist in aggregating data for analysis.
Test and Refine: Regularly evaluate and adjust your chosen model to reflect changes in customer behaviour and marketing strategies.
Consider Cross-Channel Interactions: Multi-channel marketing often involves cross-channel interactions. Ensure your attribution model accounts for the synergies between channels.
Holistic Approach: Avoid solely relying on a single attribution model. Instead, consider using multiple models to gain a well-rounded perspective on your marketing efforts' impact. Google Analytics 4 has a model comparison tool which can be used to compare how different models impact the valuation of your marketing channels.

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Attribution Models in Action

First-Touch Attribution: Facebook receives full credit for the sale.
Last-Touch Attribution: Email marketing takes all the credit.
Multi-Touch Attribution: Facebook, YouTube, and Email each receive a portion of the credit, recognizing their combined influence in the customer's decision-making journey.

By implementing a suitable attribution model, you'd gain insights into the significance of each touchpoint, enabling you to allocate resources and refine your strategies accordingly.

Conclusion

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Prosperity Over Profit – Social Responsibility at Clear Click

February 2, 2023

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Why we invest in corporate social responsibility as an SME

The website Investopedia has this to say about corporate social responsibility:

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The three Ps of social responsibility

However, in 2019, he announced in the Harvard Business Review that he’d like to recall the term. Why?

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People and planet

In terms of the triple bottom line model, “people” refers to:

Your employees
Their families
Customers
Community
Suppliers

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Profit vs prosperity

Creating employment
Generating innovation
Paying taxes
Creating wealth

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Clear Click’s CSR commitments

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How Much Does Digital Marketing Cost?

How Much Should A Business Spend On Digital Marketing?

4 Key Factors Influencing Digital Marketing Costs

Marketing Budgets‍

Business Size

Complexity of Strategy‍

‍Timelines‍

Clear Clicks 3 Tier Guide To Digital Marketing Costs

To gain a firm understanding of the costs associated with digital marketing we have broken down the service types into 3 tiers. Basic, intermediate, and advanced.

How Clear Click Can Help

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What Is Digital Marketing?