PPC And The Power Of Offline Conversions - PPC Blogs

PPC And The Power Of Offline Conversions

by Paid SearchPaid Social
What Are Offline Conversions?

Google’s powerful Smart Bidding algorithm is designed to find as many conversions as possible within the market at your budget. The benefits of this approach are numerous, from optimising bidding strategies, maximising ROI, to generally saving time, however, there is one noticeable limitation; Google sees all leads as equally viable and therefore bids for them equally, even if they are spam or unsuccessful. 

The solution to this is to utilise offline conversions. These allow for the alignment of Google conversions with real business KPIs and goals rather than surface level metrics like number of leads, and its implementation informs Google what happened to such leads as they progress and refines what a conversion is to your business. Furthermore, you can report the revenue earned from each lead, thus helping Google find more high-value leads. 

An important thing to remember is that Google campaigns want at least 30 conversions a month to get the most out of Smart Bidding, so it is important to choose an offline event that occurs often enough to ensure there is enough data. If you only make one or two big deals a month, that is not enough information for Google to work with, so make sure to choose a stage further up the lead funnel, such as a qualified lead, to better calibrate your conversions. 

Another consideration is the lead to sale time, as if the lifetime of a lead is longer than 90 days after the click occurs, this will be unreportable to Google, so also be aware of this when choosing the offline event to target for offline conversions. 

(Source)
What are the benefits of Offline Conversions? 

The main benefits of Offline Conversions are accurate revenue tracking, reduced wasted ad spend, the gaining of insights into which keywords and campaigns are driving real business value, reduced spam leads, and the driving of higher quality leads. 

 

If you need any other PPC tips, check out our blog page here and have a read! 

[blog]_[Cedarwood Wins SIX UK Search Awards]_[Blog Picture]

Cedarwood Wins SIX UK Search Awards

by Cedarwood Digital NewsDigital PR & Outreach tipsPaid SearchPaid SocialSEOUncategorised

We are over the moon to announce that we won SIX UK Search Awards at the event last Wednesday – a great way to finish off a record year in 2024! 🎉

On the night we took home:

🏆 Best Small PPC Agency
🏆 Best Small Integrated Agency
🏆 Best SEO Agency (Silver)
🏆 Best Use Of Search (Healthcare) – Patient Claim Line
🏆 Best Low Budget PPC Campaign – Salt Of The Earth
🏆 Best Use Of Search B2C (PPC) – Salt Of The Earth

2024 has been a great year for us as we continue to grow from strength to strength, improving partnerships with our existing clients while growing each of our departments in turn so it’s great to have been recognised in particular for the agency awards which are testament to this.

It was a great evening all round and we are already looking forward to 2025!

[blog]_[Director Amanda On The Main Stage At Brighton SEO]_[Blog Picture]

Director Amanda On The Main Stage At Brighton SEO

by Cedarwood Digital NewsDigital PR & Outreach tipsLink BuildingPaid SearchPaid SocialSEO

Having attended Brighton SEO for over a decade now, I can safely say that it’s one of the best, if not the best SEO conference in the world, so I was absolutely delighted when asked to speak on the main stage this year covering the topic “SEO For YMYL Websites”

For those of you that don’t know what YMYL is, it stands for “Your Money Your Life” and it’s a term that was coined by Google to cover websites that can have an impact on someone’s money or life. At Cedarwood, we specialise in working with companies like this and with years of experience building links in particularly tricky industries i.e. gaming, vaping, medical, legal so it was great to be able to share some knowledge about this with the community.

So what were some of the key takeaways from the talk?

  • User intent is key – matching user intent plays a huge role in the YMYL space and it’s really important that we are keeping this in mind. This ties in really well with the idea of creating a “satisfying amount of content” – that is the right amount of content for a user, not a certain number of words, to answer the questions/queries they might have and allow them to make an informed decision
  • Reputation is important –  in particular your external reputation. Google yourself – see what people are saying about you and make sure that you work to build your reputation with effective Digital PR – this will go a long way to helping what people have to say about you and also what Google are seeing being said about you
  • Showcase your trust signals – whether it’s through industry accreditations or simply by telling people why they should trust you, showcasing this on your website and on external websites plays an important role on building those all important E-E-A-T signals
  • And on the topic of E-E-A-T, making sure that it shines through in everything that you do. Google have openly stated that for YMYL websites they place a heavier weight on E-E-A-T signals so it’s important that those are showcased at every opportunity
  • Finally, making sure that the look and feel of your content matches the expertise of it – there’s no point having great content only for it to look “amateurish” – take time to consider the way content is displayed and that it matches the expertise you are showcasing.

I had a great time in Brighton, got to meet some fantastic people and hear from some thought leaders across the industry.

You can find a link to my full slide deck here: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/amanda-walls-brighton-seo-seo-for-ymyl-websites-9pptx/267570020

Until October!

[case studies[ [northern digital awards 2024] [case study templates]

Cedarwood Digital Nominated For 6 Northern Digital Awards

by Cedarwood Digital NewsDigital PR & Outreach tipsPaid SearchSEO

We are so happy to share that we have been nominated for six Northern Digital Awards 2024 nominations. As we approach the end of our best year yet at Cedarwood, it is so great to see our hard work recognised.

We have been nominated for:


⭐ Best Digital Marketing Campaign – Finance
⭐ Best Digital Marketing Campaign – B2C
⭐ Best SEO Campaign
⭐ Search Agency Of The Year
⭐ Integrated Search Agency Of The Year
⭐ Best Small Digital Agency Of The Year

In 2022 we were awarded Silver for Best Small Digital Agency Of The Year and look forward to hopefully taking home another award in 2024! 🏆

Congratulations to the other nominees and a huge well done to our team at Cedarwood Digital. 👏

We look forward to seeing everyone at the ceremony on the 25th of January. You can see the full shortlist here: https://northerndigitalawards.com/2024-shortlist/

[blog]_[[blog]_[Director Amanda On The Main Stage At Brighton SEO]_[Blog Picture]]_[Blog Picture]

PPC Landing Page Best Practices: Tips for Better Conversion Rates

by Paid Search

With PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, every click carries a cost. It is imperative to convert those hard-earned visitors into customers to maximise the return on investment (ROI) of your ad spend. In this blog post, we will explore essential strategies for conversion rate optimisation (CRO) in the context of PPC advertising. We will cover overall optimisation techniques, desktop-specific tactics, and mobile-specific approaches. By implementing these recommendations, you can enhance user experience, increase trust, and amplify the impact of your PPC campaigns.

 

Overall Optimisation:

💡Ease of Navigation: Simplify your website’s navigation structure and ensure that visitors can easily find what they’re looking for without having to click through to different pages and get lost in the website.

 

💡Streamlined Conversion Funnel: Optimise the conversion process by reducing friction and eliminating unnecessary steps. Make it easy for visitors to convert by simplifying forms, minimising data entry requirements, and providing clear instructions.

 

💡Trust Signals from Third-Party Reviewers: Incorporate testimonials, ratings, and reviews from reputable third-party sources. Positive feedback and social proof enhance trust in your brand, ultimately influencing purchase decisions.

 

💡Unique Selling Propositions (USPs): Clearly communicate your company’s unique value propositions to visitors. Highlight what sets your business apart from the competition and why customers should choose your products or services.

 

💡Address Pain Points: Identify common pain points or challenges faced by your target audience and emphasise how your offerings provide effective solutions. Focus on addressing customer needs to increase the likelihood of conversion.

 

💡Landing Page Relevance: Ensure your landing pages directly related to the keywords and messaging used in your PPC ads. Consistency between your ad and landing page creates a seamless user experience, increasing the likelihood of conversion. Users should find what they expect to see, fostering trust and minimising bounce rates. 

 

💡Speed and Performance: Mobile users expect fast-loading pages. Optimise your mobile landing pages to load quickly, keeping visitors engaged and reducing the chances of abandonment.

 

Desktop Optimisation:

💻Design-Driven Content: Desktop users often desire more comprehensive information before making a purchasing decision. Create visually appealing landing pages that incorporate detailed content, including product features, benefits, and customer testimonials.

 

💻Clear CTAs: Use visually appealing, attention-grabbing Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons that stand out from the surrounding content. Ensure that they are strategically placed to drive conversions and guide users towards desired actions.

 

💻A/B Testing: Continuously test different elements, such as headlines, images, colours, and CTAs, on your desktop landing pages. This iterative approach helps identify the most effective combinations that yield the highest conversion rates.

 

Mobile Optimisation:

📱Responsive Design: Ensure your landing pages are fully optimised for mobile devices, providing a seamless browsing experience. Responsive design guarantees that your PPC ads drive mobile users to mobile-friendly landing pages, reducing friction and improving conversion rates.

 

📱Thumb-Friendly CTAs: Optimise mobile CTAs by aligning them with users’ natural thumb placement. Placing important buttons within easy reach improves user experience and encourages conversions.

 

📱Visible Contact Information: Make sure that essential information like phone numbers and contact details are clearly visible on mobile devices. This enables users to quickly reach out and establishes trust and accessibility.

 

📱Minimise Scrolling and Text: Mobile users have limited screen space and attention spans. Reduce the amount of scrolling required and keep the text concise, ensuring key information and CTAs are visible without excessive scrolling.

 

📱Prominent CTAs: Place CTAs near the top of the mobile screen to capture users’ attention without the need for excessive scrolling. Make them highly visible and intuitive for quick and effortless conversions.

 

Conclusion:

PPC advertising requires a strategic approach to ensure that your investment translates into tangible business results. Conversion rate optimisation is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring, testing, and refinement. By implementing these conversion rate optimisation strategies, you can increase the effectiveness of your PPC campaigns, boost user engagement, and ultimately improve ROI. Remember to tailor your optimisations to both desktop and mobile users, leveraging the unique advantages and challenges each platform presents. Stay proactive, continuously monitor performance, and refine your campaigns based on user behaviour to unlock the full potential of your PPC advertising efforts.

[blog]_[ Challenging Digital KPI Metrics in PPC Advertising: Moving Beyond Vanity Metrics]_[Blog Pictures]

Challenging Digital KPI Metrics in PPC Advertising: Moving Beyond Vanity Metrics

by Paid Search

In PPC, it’s easy to get swept up in the numbers that look good in a dashboard but don’t actually mean much for the business. You might see a jump in leads or form fills, but when you check in with the sales team, nothing’s really changed. That’s because some KPIs sound impressive on the surface but don’t link to revenue in a meaningful way.

Here are a couple of the usual suspects, and how I talk about them with clients.

Where Vanity Metrics Fall Short

More Doesn’t Always Mean Better

A high number of leads might look positive, but if most of those people were never likely to buy, it’s just noise. Sales teams end up wasting time chasing poor-fit prospects, and marketing spend is spread thin with little to show for it. Quality matters far more than volume.

Not All Interest Is Equal

Not every form completion carries the same weight. Someone downloading a free guide isn’t in the same position as someone booking a demo or requesting a quote. Treating them as equal “leads” only gives you misleading data and skews your campaigns.

How To Approach This With Clients

Be Clear About the Limitations

When working with clients, it is crucial to educate them about the limitations of vanity metrics and the importance of focusing on metrics that align with the business’s bottom line. Explain that not all leads are created equal and emphasise the need to assess the quality and conversion potential of leads to drive actual revenue. 

Focus on Sales-Qualified Leads

Instead of fixating on increasing the overall number of leads, shift the emphasis to identifying and nurturing sales-qualified leads (SQLs). An SQL is a lead that has been vetted and determined to have a higher likelihood of converting into a paying customer/client. By focusing on increasing the percentage of SQLs within the lead pool, businesses can drive more effective marketing campaigns and maximise their return on investment (ROI).

Think Cost-Effectiveness, Not Just Volume

Highlight the cost-effectiveness of focusing on increasing the percentage of SQLs instead of simply aiming for higher lead numbers. Share examples to demonstrate how an increase in SQLs from, say, 20% to 40%, can result in a higher conversion rate and a more significant impact on the bottom line. This approach ensures that marketing efforts are optimised to generate revenue, rather than being diluted by a high volume of unqualified leads which can overload the internal teams. This becomes even more important when growing an account – as costs increase you want to ensure that the budget is being spent as effectively as possible to drive the best ROI. 

Why This Benefits Both Client & Agency

  • Agencies stand out by focusing on results that actually matter.

  • Clients value the honesty and know you’re not just padding out reports.

  • Conversations are more productive when both sides are looking at the same goals.

  • Stronger results naturally lead to longer-term working relationships.

Metrics like total leads and form completions aren’t completely irrelevant, but on their own they don’t tell you very much. The real test of PPC is whether those leads are qualified and likely to become customers. That’s what drives growth, and that’s where marketing proves its value.

At the end of the day, it isn’t about how many leads you can show in a spreadsheet. It’s about whether those leads are actually helping the business grow.

Remember, in digital marketing, true success lies not in the number of leads generated but in the quality of leads and their conversion potential.

[blog]_[Maximising ROI: Importing Phone Call Vetted Leads into Google Ads]_[Blog Picture]

Maximising ROI: Importing Phone Call Vetted Leads into Google Ads

by Paid Search

In the digital age, businesses rely on various online marketing channels to generate leads and drive conversions. However, for certain industries, phone calls remain a vital source of qualified leads. To ensure a holistic view of lead generation and optimise marketing efforts, it’s crucial to import your qualified phone call leads back into Google Ads to enable you to track truly valuable leads. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of this approach and outline the steps to successfully import phone call vetted leads into Google Ads.

Benefits of Importing Phone Call Vetted Leads:

⚡Comprehensive Lead Tracking: Importing phone calls of leads that turned out to be qualified back into Google Ads allows you to consolidate your lead tracking efforts. By capturing and analysing both online and offline conversions, you gain a more comprehensive view of your marketing campaign’s effectiveness.

⚡Enhanced Conversion Attribution: Phone call conversions often represent high-value engagements. Importing these leads into Google Ads helps attribute conversions accurately, giving you insights into the true impact of your ad spend and optimising your return on investment (ROI).

⚡Refining Targeting and Optimisation: Incorporating phone call data enables you to identify patterns and trends related to high-converting leads. You can leverage this information to refine your audience targeting, ad messaging, and bidding strategies, leading to more effective campaigns.

⚡Closed-Loop Reporting: You can bridge the gap between offline and online activities, enabling closed-loop reporting. This allows you to assess the entire customer journey, from the initial ad impression to the phone call conversion, gaining valuable insights into your marketing funnel.

Steps to Import Phone Call Vetted Leads into Google Ads:

➡️Step 1: Set Up Conversion Tracking:

Ensure that you have conversion tracking set up in your Google Ads account. Create a conversion action specifically for phone call leads.

➡️Step 2: Track Phone Call Conversions:

Use call tracking software or a call analytics platform to track and record phone call conversions. Assign a unique phone number to each marketing campaign or channel to accurately attribute leads as well as record the GCLID.

➡️Step 3: Define Conversion Parameters:

Identify the parameters that determine a qualified phone call lead for your business. This could include call duration, intention to proceed or other relevant criteria.

➡️Step 4: Export Call Data:

Export the call data from your call tracking software or call analytics platform in a compatible format, such as a CSV file.

➡️Step 5: Prepare Import File:

Format the exported call data into a CSV file that aligns with Google Ads’ import requirements. Make sure to include required fields such as the GCLID and the date and time of the phone call, to allow Google to map this back to specific campaigns.

➡️Step 6: Import Call Data into Google Ads:

Access the Google Ads interface and navigate to Goals in the side bar menu. Under Conversions > Summary, click on the “Create conversion action” button to create a new conversion. Under your selected conversion category, click on “Add conversion actions” and select “Calls via uploads”.  Now navigate to Conversions > Uploads, click the “+” button and upload the CSV file containing your call data.

➡️Step 7: Map Data Fields:

Map the fields in your CSV file to the appropriate conversion tracking fields in Google Ads. Ensure accurate data mapping to facilitate seamless integration and reporting.

➡️Step 8: Verify and Save:

Review the imported call data to ensure accuracy. Save the settings, and Google Ads will begin attributing imported phone call leads to your campaigns.

Conclusion 

Importing phone call vetted leads into the Google Ads interface provides invaluable insights into the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. By consolidating online and offline conversions, you gain a comprehensive view of lead generation and can optimise your advertising efforts accordingly. Follow the outlined steps to seamlessly import phone call leads into Google Ads, enabling more accurate conversion tracking, refined targeting, and closed-loop reporting. Embrace this holistic approach to maximise your ROI and make data-driven decisions that drive business growth.

[blog]_[ Best Practices To Improve Your PPC Landing Page ]_[Blog Pictures]

Best Practices To Improve Your PPC Landing Page

by Paid Search

When you’re running PPC campaigns, the landing page can make or break your results. You can have the best ads in the world, but if the page people land on doesn’t feel trustworthy, doesn’t load properly, or doesn’t give them a clear next step, they’ll drop off.

Here are some straightforward ways to make your landing pages work harder for you.

Build Trust with Social Proof

People want to know they can trust your business before they hand over their details or money. Simple things like customer testimonials, client logos, industry accreditations, or even security badges all help reassure them.

Third-party reviews can be particularly powerful, sites like Trustpilot carry weight because they’re independent. Make a habit of asking customers to leave reviews and showcase them clearly on your site.

Match Your Ads and Your Landing Page

If someone clicks on an ad, they should land on a page that feels like a natural continuation of what they just saw. The message, the offer, even the design should line up. If it doesn’t, people second-guess whether they’re in the right place, and that’s when bounce rates creep up.

Get the Headline Right

Most visitors won’t read every line, they’ll skim. That’s why the headline matters so much. It needs to be clear, relevant to the ad they clicked, and instantly explain what you’re offering. A strong headline keeps people on the page long enough to consider your offer.

Keep Pages Quick and Light

Speed is everything. A slow page doesn’t just frustrate users, it drags down your quality score and pushes up your CPC. Compress images, clean up code, and test your load time regularly. Google reckons two seconds is the maximum acceptable for an e-commerce page, and that’s a good benchmark to aim for across the board.

Focus the Content

People clicking on PPC ads usually have higher intent, so you don’t need long-winded explanations. Keep the copy concise, focus on your key benefits, and use bullet points or visuals to make it easy to digest. Every word on the page should work towards conversion, if it doesn’t, cut it.

Make Your CTAs Clear

If you’re paying to get someone onto your site, don’t leave them guessing about what to do next. Use clear, direct calls to action like Shop Now, Request a Quote, or Sign Up Today. Make them stand out visually so they’re impossible to miss. And if you have more than one, make sure the priority action comes first.

Don’t Forget Mobile

A landing page that works on desktop might fall apart on mobile. Test across devices and screen sizes to make sure navigation is smooth. Keep CTAs easy to tap, avoid text-heavy layouts that require endless scrolling, and remember: on a small screen, space is limited. Strip things back and make speed the priority.

Test, Test, Test

Don’t assume you’ve nailed it first time. Run A/B tests on headlines, CTAs, layouts, and imagery to see what actually works. Use the data to refine your approach, and keep testing, even small changes can make a difference.

Track Your Conversions Properly

You can’t improve what you’re not measuring. Make sure your conversion tracking is set up correctly so you know which pages, ads, and campaigns are delivering. Track the key metrics, conversion rate, bounce rate, time on page, and use them to guide your next round of optimisation.

 

A well-optimised landing page is just as important as a well-built PPC campaign. By building trust, matching ad intent, keeping things fast and clear, and giving people a simple next step, you’ll get more value from every click. And don’t forget, optimisation isn’t a one-off job. Keep testing, keep measuring, and keep improving.

[blog]_[Targeting Shopping Ads Only with Performance Max Campaigns]_[Blog Picture]

Targeting Shopping Ads Only with Performance Max Campaigns

by Paid Search

Targeting Shopping Ads Only with Performance Max Campaigns

In the ever-evolving world of digital advertising, advertisers are often faced with the challenge of meeting the demands set by platforms like Google. With Google’s push to expand targeting options across various channels, advertisers are compelled to broaden their reach beyond traditional avenues. However, there is a workaround with Performance Max campaigns whereby advertisers can strategically focus their efforts solely on shopping ads while excluding other channels like Maps, YouTube, Discover & Display. In this blog post, we will explore how to set up Performance Max campaigns exclusively for shopping ads, highlighting the benefits and considerations of this approach.

 

Setting Up Performance Max Campaigns for Shopping Ads Only:

 

1️⃣ Campaign Creation: Start by creating a new Performance Max campaign within Google Ads.

2️⃣ Campaign Goals: Define your campaign goals, such as maximising sales or conversions, aligning with the specific objectives of your shopping ads.

3️⃣ Campaign Settings: Ensure that any “Automatically Created Assets” are unticked.

4️⃣ Bidding Strategy: Utilise a bidding strategy that aligns with your shopping goals and budget, ensuring it reflects your intention to serve ads exclusively on shopping platforms.

5️⃣ Asset Group: Ensure that all images, videos, logos headlines and descriptions are left empty. This is crucial as it makes sure that Google doesn’t have the correct assets to utilise on the other channels we want to exclude.

 

Benefits of Exclusively Targeting Shopping Ads with Performance Max Campaigns:

 

👍Precise Targeting: By setting up Performance Max campaigns solely for shopping ads, you can precisely target customers who are specifically interested in the products you offer. 

👍Simplified Campaign Management: Excluding other channels streamlines campaign management, allowing advertisers to focus their attention and efforts on optimising shopping ad performance.

👍Cost Efficiency: Since Performance Max campaigns are not serving on other channels, advertisers can allocate their budget more efficiently, ensuring maximum return on ad spend (ROAS) for shopping campaigns.

👍Increased Relevance: By exclusively targeting shopping platforms, your ads can be shown to users who are actively searching for or browsing products, thereby enhancing the relevance of your ads.

 

Considerations and Drawbacks:

 

👎Limited Reach: Excluding other channels narrows the reach of your ads, potentially reducing the overall impressions and exposure for your brand. This can be a drawback if you aim to maximise visibility beyond shopping platforms.

👎Reduced Inventory: By excluding non-shopping channels, you may miss out on potential conversions from users who may discover your products outside of dedicated shopping platforms.

👎Competitive Landscape: Since other advertisers may be utilising Performance Max campaigns for multiple channels, focusing exclusively on shopping ads may result in increased competition for limited shopping ad placements.

 

Conclusion:

 

The workaround for Performance Max campaigns offer advertisers the flexibility to focus their efforts exclusively on shopping ads, allowing for precise targeting and streamlined campaign management. By excluding non-shopping channels, advertisers can optimise their budget, increase ad relevance, and enhance conversions on dedicated shopping platforms. However, it’s essential to carefully consider the potential drawbacks, such as limited reach and increased competition within the shopping ad landscape. By weighing the benefits against the drawbacks and aligning them with your specific advertising goals, you can leverage Performance Max campaigns to effectively serve and optimise your shopping ads.