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Paid search for accountants: A way to find new business

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5th Sep 2017
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Taking care of your marketing strategy and your online presence is key to finding new business. In its last webinar, PracticeWEB shared how a well set up and optimised paid search campaign can work alongside your organic search strategy and boost your lead generation.

According to research by Search Engine Watch, last year organic visits fell 7% as listings faced increased competition from paid search adverts, particularly on mobile searches. Even more surprisingly, around 50% of UK internet users surveyed by Ofcom failed to recognise paid for adverts in the search engine results.

Firms are using this to their advantage by creating search ad campaigns to target their audience. For instance, two years ago, this Any Answers thread saw AccountingWEB members recommend Google AdWords to get new accounting and tax clients.

In short, paid search or pay-per-click adverts are a way to target customers looking for a specific service or product. The best know paid search advert product is the one contained within the already mentioned Google AdWords platform, which shows paid-for search results above the rest, causing many users to focus on them instead of the organic results further down.

AdWords allows advertisers to target keywords so their websites appear first when users look for them. Google will show your advert to people looking for the keywords you chose and within your chosen location range and you will only pay when someone clicks on your advert.

However, the more traffic the keyword generates, the more expensive your advert will be when someone clicks on it. You can, however, specify a maximum amount so that the campaign doesn’t exceed your budget.

The benefits of paid search

Google Ads provides full control about your ad display and it is quick to set up and set off for lead generation. Additionally, unlike other forms of advertisement such as print advertising, it is highly measurable. For instance, you can see data about the users who have seen your advert and use the information about the best performing keywords to retarget users in future campaigns.

“A paid search campaign shows the results immediately so you can get it up and running in a matter of hours,” said Harry Ward, PracticeWEB’s search specialist. In contrast, “SEO (Search engine optimisation) takes a bit of time to build up in the background and it involves a lot more work to gain momentum.”

Paid search v organic search

According to Ward, the relationship between paid search and organic search shouldn’t be a battle. If a firm decides to start using paid search, it is also important not to forget about the importance of looking after the content of its website. And although both types of search should work together, paid search is quicker and gives more control to the advertiser.

As Ward explained, organic search, in contrast, is a more trusted source for researching a purchase and it is more cost effective in the long run. It is also more effective in the consideration and research phase of your clients’ buying process. Ultimately, prioritising one type of search over the other depends on each firm’s business needs. However, “when used together they can be very powerful,” said Ward.

Optimising a campaign

Although getting started with paid search is relatively simple, using it to its full potential can be difficult. When it comes to analysing the results, it is important to make sure that you have goals set up and that your AdWords account is linked to Google Analytics.

If the results are not what you expected or you would like to achieve better outcomes, Ward highlighted the importance of considering the following:

  • Conversion rate: If your target audience is visiting your website but are not converting into paying customers, you should rethink your campaign.
  • Returns: If your keywords are driving lots of traffic but no returns, there might be an issue with the keywords you used or your landing page. For example, there might be a discrepancy between what users expect to find when they click on the advert and what your landing page actually offers.
  • Location settings: Consider whether you are targeting the right users and using your location settings correctly. If you are targeting a location different to the place where you are based, the target audience might prefer to choose a local alternative.
  • Budget: If it is being spent too quickly and with poor results, you can optimise your account settings to specify the pace at which you want Google to use your budget every day.
  • Ad extensions: If you would like to give your advert more prominence on the search results page, it is possible to add other features such as extra links, phone numbers or reviews. The extensions increase visibility by occupying more space than the competitors’ adverts.

When used correctly, AdWords can have beneficial results for your firm, as AccountingWEB member marks mentioned on this Any Answers thread.

However, as Ward says, ultimately whether paid search is for you will depend on the characteristics of your service, audience and website

 

PracticeWEB will be covering this topic at the Practice Excellence Conference in London on 19 October. Find out more from the Practice Excellence Week website.

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