Google Ads matches – what is it?

When using Google Ads, sooner or later we always come across the term “keyword matching”. What is under this name? Well, each keyword in Google Ads can be added in three match types: exact, broad, and phrase match. Which option we choose depends on how widely the system will search for recipients to whom our ad should be displayed. Thus, Google Ads matching determines, in short, how exactly the password entered by the user in the search engine should match the one we added as a keyword. Depending on the selected match, the system may display the ad only to recipients who entered the same phrase, or also to recipients who specified their password with additional terms or entered a password only loosely related to the keyword. What meaning ranges do the individual matches cover?

Match types

Exact match – This is the most precise match of Google Ads. It reaches the narrowest group of recipients, but it allows you to maintain the greatest control over who our ad will be displayed to. By using this type of match, we only get to users who entered the exact same keyword or phrase with the same meaning (or differently – with the same search intention). When entering an exact match keyword, put it in square brackets, eg [men’s pajamas]. Then the advertisement will be displayed for this slogan and very similar slogans, such as pajamas for men, pajamas for men, etc.

Phrase match takes into account all searches as exact match, and also allows you to show your ad on terms where the keyword has been specified by the user. We’ll still show your ads only for searches that include our product or service, but it doesn’t have to be an exact repeat of the keyword. So this is a slightly more casual match type, but still allows you to keep a relatively large amount of control over how your budget is spent. We mark phrase match by placing the keyword in quotation marks. If we enter, for example, the word “women’s boots”, the ad will also be visible on more specific inquiries, e.g. black women’s ankle boots, comfortable high-heeled women’s boots, etc.

Broad match allows your ad to appear also on queries that are very loosely related to the selected keyword. Thanks to this, on the one hand, we reach a very wide audience, and on the other hand, we have little control over the contexts in which the system shows our advertisements. Broad match doesn’t have any special characters, so when you type just a keyword into the system, no additional characters, it defaults to that type of match. If you enter, for example, low-sugar diet as a keyword, your ad may also show results such as: low-carbohydrate recipes or low-sugar books.

How to use broad match wisely?

Does this mean that by using broad match, we are wasting resources on users who will not buy our product anyway? Not necessarily. Showing your ads to audiences who are not yet ready to buy is part of guiding them through the buying funnel. So, if your ad is shown to users who are not yet looking for our product, but are interested in a given topic, it may later lead to conversion.

However, to make sure your budget is used optimally, it’s a good idea to use Smart Bidding for each Google Ads match type – and broad match in particular. Thanks to this solution, the system will decide what chance for conversion is given by a specific recipient, and thus how high the rate should be determined in a given case. Considering how much he knows about the users, one can be sure that his forecasts regarding the effectiveness of activities will most often be characterized by high accuracy. What does Google Ads take into account when searching for audiences? Among other things, it may be influenced by the user’s last searches, the content of the page to which the ad leads, or other keywords from a given ad group.

Additionally, in each match type, we can narrow down the search context by introducing the so-called negative keywords. Excluding certain words will result in the ad not being displayed if the user includes these words in the keyword entered into the search engine. This feature allows us to gain a bit more control over the ad and prevent it from showing in contexts that we deem unprofitable.

Which type of approximation is best to use?

There is no clear answer to this question. Exact matching allows you to keep a lot of control over your expenses, but on the other hand, it narrows the field of activity and may deprive you of valuable recipients. Phrase match gives you more freedom and broadens the audience, but still ads are displayed only on terms strongly related to a given product or service. Broad match, in turn, carries a potentially high risk of reaching uninterested recipients. On the other hand, we can reach completely new groups of recipients and learn new keywords that are highly effective for our brand. So let’s just use keywords tailored to the specific goal that we want to achieve thanks to a given campaign.

Do you need a website?

Some owners of “analog”, traditional and local businesses still remain technology-resistant and do not run their own websites. The reasons they mention? “I don’t know anything about it”, “why do I need this?”, “I don’t have time to play it”, “it won’t change anything” and the like. If a given company has good opinions and information about it is transferred to the so-called through word of mouth, it actually gets the impression that it does not need additional promotion. But is it really? After all, you can always have more customers, and in the event of too many orders, expand your business, raise prices or otherwise increase your profits.

What does the website give? About ¾ of consumers admit that they make purchasing decisions based on information found on the Internet. The public has become accustomed to thinking that this is where all the information is. This is why your business for many customers simply does not exist if it does not function in any way in virtual space. It may even arouse suspicion, as the website is the first step in verifying the company and its integrity. Some may argue that since no specific data can be found about business, it is unreliable. In addition, when searching for specific phrases related to your business, they will go to the competition and probably never use your services again.

Theoretically, a website is not required, especially if you manage to reach customers in a different way. Experts agree, however, that it is worth having it to build a professional image and win new orders.

Advantages of a corporate website

Need a stronger motivation? There are many advantages to having a corporate website, and the reasons why you should start one. You will find them below!

Reliable information
This is something we already mentioned above. Your own website is the best way to present information about the company – the most reliable, because it comes directly from the owner. You can present the values you follow when running a business. What is even more important, however, you can present your full offer with their detailed description, photos or other important information that interests potential customers. If you frequently answer the same questions, the website is a great place to post a comprehensive explanation.

Visibility
As we have already explained, nowadays customers mainly look for information online. So if you want to be found, you must appear in it! Your own website is the best way. You can take care of its optimization in terms of the requirements of the search engine, i.e. Google. Skillful activities in this area (preferably hire a specialist) will help you appear in high positions in the search results of specific terms related to the company’s operations.

Advertisement
Your own website is simply advertising. In addition, the best because it is effective and gives great opportunities. You can control the message that appears on your website, and by using additional marketing tools (e.g. paid Google promotion) you can reach a large number of potential customers with it. It is also worth remembering that the company’s website on the Internet, although it can be considered a form of advertising, is not intrusive or irritating like spots on TV and radio, billboards or leaflets handed out on the street. Thanks to this, you drastically reduce the risk that customers will become discouraged by your company due to intensively conducted promotional activities. It is also worth remembering that most effective ads should lead to your website. Customers are used to it and you can then perfectly measure the effectiveness of your advertising.

Credibility
We have mentioned this before. Nowadays, the inability to find company data is just suspicious. It has already been accepted that every decent company has its own website and cares about its image, which plays a very important role. Customers want to consciously make purchasing decisions, so they compare offers on the Internet and seek opinions on given entrepreneurs before they trust them. Not having a website usually puts you out of the race for a customer on the run, and it certainly doesn’t help you prove your credibility.

Global reach
This point may not be relevant for everyone, but for some companies it can be of great importance. The Internet knows no geographic restrictions, so with your own website you can go much further than in the “analog” world. Even if you run a local business, you may be able to expand it with customer service from other regions or even countries. At present, the world is getting smaller in this respect. New outlets, on the other hand, can prove extremely helpful in difficult times and help to become a bit more resistant to economic fluctuations.

Contact with the customer
If you meet clients on a daily basis, you may feel that you don’t need an additional communication channel. However, this is a mistake, because on the Internet you can confront many more opinions, questions and doubts. Perhaps you can find out why some people are reluctant to accept your offer and help them change their mind. Therefore, contact details should always be displayed on the website – preferably there should be several channels, so that everyone can choose any form of communication. For large companies, it is a good idea to provide separate contact details for each department so that questions and opinions go where they should be. If you run a stationary business, do not forget to include a map with the location of your headquarters so that you can easily find it.

Availability 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
What hours does your company work, when can you visit it, call it or get an e-mail response? Most businesses operate from a few to several hours a day, which may make it difficult for some potential clients to familiarize themselves with their offer or use it. Meanwhile, the website is available all the time. The offer can be checked at any time as well as other important information. If you adapt it to do so, the site can also collect orders and inquiries continuously. It is a convenience for the customer and more profit for you!

Task automation
The website allows you to perform some repetitive tasks much more conveniently thanks to automation. Collect orders or registrations via e-shop, form or other similar solutions, make important documents available for general use, and answer frequently asked questions in the FAQ section. These are procedures that the agency that runs the website can successfully deal with, thus relieving your team.

Save time
The above point is also related to the next one. A well-structured website is a great help for an entrepreneur. You can include everything that customers usually ask for, present all products and services in detail and explain any inaccuracies related to, for example, their implementation. Thanks to this, you and your employees can save a lot of time usually devoted to this type of activity. As a result, it is possible to use it much more efficiently – in accordance with the company’s needs.

Competitiveness
Let’s face it – your competition probably already has its own website. If you don’t want to be left behind, there’s only one solution – you should join her. Many customers are looking for information on specific products or services on the web. If he does not find you there, he will definitely take advantage of the competition’s offer.

Analytics
Accurate knowledge of your company’s customer profile, their needs, preferences and habits allows you to conduct much more effective sales. Online tools make it extremely easy to obtain information about your target group, which makes it easier to reach them. Thanks to, for example, Google Analytics, check who, when, from where and how comes to your website. You can also use your own surveys, ratings and comments as well as other systems to check the quality of the offer and its adaptation to the needs of customers. Thanks to this, you will be able to improve it and thus increase your profits.

Low cost of customer acquisition
As we mentioned at the beginning, some skeptics say they cannot afford the website. In fact, it is a very cheap solution, especially since creating a website is a one-time expense. Yes, in the case of complex websites it can be quite a lot, but most small businesses need a very simple business card website that can be built at a low cost. Thanks to CMS systems, it is possible even for free and without specialist programming knowledge (just working with a computer and the Internet). In addition, you only need to pay a small annual fee for the domain and hosting. Of course, you can allocate additional funds to run, update, optimize or promote it, but it is not necessary. The website is available all the time and constantly works on your reputation and attracts new customers. It is the cheapest form of promotion, which becomes more and more profitable with time.

Maybe social media is enough?

Social media is often used as an alternative to websites. Some small businesses decide only to run a website on the most popular Facebook page in our country, thus communicating with customers. At first glance, it seems to be a beneficial solution – Facebook costs nothing (although it offers the possibility of paid promotion), it is easy to use and you can manage the website yourself. In practice, however, it turns out to have many disadvantages. Firstly, most customers, when looking for a specific product or service, enter a given phrase in Google or in marketplaces. Thus, it receives results mainly consisting of well-positioned websites or sponsored links. It is impossible to carry out extensive SEO and SEM activities for a Facebook page. Moreover, it does not look particularly professional and does not necessarily inspire confidence.

In addition, Facebook is primarily suitable for ongoing communication. However, it is difficult to put all important information on it in such a way that the customer has free access to it. Moreover, despite the huge popularity of the website, not everyone uses it, which narrows the group of recipients of the published content.

It is also worth mentioning that when using Facebook, you have to adapt to its requirements, and the published content does not really belong to you. Sometimes the website may be blocked, and then customers will be deprived of the only source of information about the company and its offer. Therefore, a page on the portal should be treated only as a complement to the activity on the Internet – a place to interact with users and provide current information. However, it definitely should not replace a website.

Company website – it doesn’t have to be difficult

As you can see, a website for a company is not an obligation, but a highly recommended tool that brings many benefits. Remember, however, that creating and running it doesn’t have to be difficult! In many cases, a simple business card with basic information and data is enough. Then you don’t have to worry about high costs. Certainly, an investment in a website is a much better idea than the one aimed at other types of advertising (leaflets, announcements, posters, billboards, etc.).

Permission Marketing – What Is It?

Both newsletters and PUSH notifications are forms of the so-called consent marketing. What is this? Associate requests for permission to send notifications that are displayed to you on various websites? Until you confirm that you want the information … the website cannot send it to you. The same applies to the newsletter – to receive it, you must enter your e-mail address and confirm that you are interested in receiving messages from a given brand.

This “consent” factor ensures the sender is confident that it is reaching initially interested audiences. They may be at different stages of the marketing funnel, but contact with each of them is valuable and may sooner or later bring benefits.

There is one more important advantage, the psychological one. Since the recipient himself agreed to receive the message – he performed some action. Consequently, he is to some extent involved in the communication process. Such a peculiar “foot in the door” also increases the probability that the established relationship will result in a purchase.

However, it should be remembered that consent marketing also brings challenges: first of all, it requires building a database of people who have decided to subscribe to messages on their own. Nevertheless, the results are worth the effort, and skillfully planned and targeted campaigns bring good results. Therefore, it is definitely worth going in this direction.

PUSH newsletter and notifications: how do they work?

Before we answer the question about the advantages of individual consent marketing tools, it is worth taking a closer look at exactly what each form of communication looks like.

PUSH notifications

PUSH notifications are short pieces of information that appear on the screen of the user’s device with his prior consent. They can be generated, among others through applications installed on the phone, however, the most important role is played by sms and web-PUSH messages, i.e. those displayed by web browsers.

These notifications:
– are small – contain literally 1-2 sentences of text and small graphics,
– they appear spontaneously at the moment selected by the advertiser,
– are enriched with a CTA element, which most often refers to a website with more information.

Newsletter

A newsletter is a form of communication via e-mail. It is about sending new messages to the interested group – be it with information about new products and current promotions in the store, or with interesting entries on the company’s blog.

Newsletter:
– it can take various graphic and text forms – it can be very simple and minimalist, and it can contain a long message,
– also most often includes CTAs pointing to a website.

What are the similarities between these tools?

Apart from the similarity discussed earlier, in which in both cases messages are sent after receiving consent from the recipient, other similarities can also be indicated.

Both forms of communication:
– they can be used at every stage of the marketing funnel – to build brand visibility, arouse interest in products or the desire to buy immediately,
– they must be attractive for the recipient to be willing to interact,
– can be used in conjunction with marketing automation tools, which in turn improves the entire communication process and reduces service costs in this area.

The cost of sending both types of messages may also be similar, especially when you calculate the cost per click.

Newsletter vs PUSH notifications: the most important differences

Despite significant similarities between the discussed forms of communication, there are also many differences. Here are the most important ones.

A. The time it takes to plan your campaign
PUSH notifications work a bit like Google ads – they contain little content with a very high CTA saturation. As they are displayed by the browser, there is no need to design their graphic layout or make other tedious preparations. All you need to get started is a catchy, short text that will encourage action and small graphics.

In the case of a newsletter, you may need a much broader strategy – think about the layout, content, communication pattern and much more. Therefore, the preparation of an email campaign may be more time consuming.

B. Shipping time
Even automated mail sending to a large subscriber base can take a long time, with gusts of up to several hours. Such delays can cause the mail to be delivered to the inbox late and… ignored. PUSH notifications are displayed in real time.

C. Ease of Delivery to Addressee
PUSH messages in the browser are not blocked neither by AdBlock nor by other systems. The only limitation is whether the given user has the browser enabled when the message is sent.

In the case of a newsletter, it is not always so rosy – overly sensitive spam filters can intercept such an email. It can also get stuck in the less visited “offers” tab or remain invisible among dozens of other e-mails.

D. The speed of growth of the recipient base
In the case of PUSH notifications, 2 clicks are enough to start receiving messages. What’s more, the recipient does not have to provide any personal data or register anywhere. Subscribing to the newsletter requires at least an e-mail address and confirmation of willingness to receive the message by clicking on the activation link received.

These features translate into the effectiveness of acquiring new customers. As you can guess, the number of PUSH notifications subscribers arrives much faster than those subscribed to the newsletter.

E. Read / convert probability
PUSH messages usually assume an immediate response and require quick action. It could be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the user, for example, if he is overwhelmed with too many such messages, can reject them without looking. On the other hand, it may click instinctively, e.g. if it finds out that a quick sale in the store ends in 30 minutes.

E-mails are most often viewed at most a few times a day, but if the recipient decides to look at the newsletter message, they usually look at it more closely than quick notification. Something for something.

Does this mean that the newsletter should be replaced with PUSH messages? Not necessarily. The newsletter is part of any good inbound marketing strategy, and the effects of its conduct can bring long-term effects. Web-PUSH works more in the short term. So these tools are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary – they can complement each other.