Speaking at Google Partners Livestream event last week, Lucinda Barlow, Head of Marketing for Google ANZ, said the thing that kept Google up at night was mobile.
So why is that ubiquitous device that, according to Google, more people own globally than a toothbrush causing them concern!
According to Barlow, “The shift to mobile and consumer behaviour is happening far quicker than anyone thought. Consumers are leading the way and businesses including Google are playing catch up.”
We know the usage on mobile across all our products is now 50% and growing. That means really creating a different type of product experience that makes the most of mobile – whether that’s personal, location, its a smaller screen. It’s mobile first.
So while they might be playing catch up, three key Google products that support mobile are:
- Google My Business – a free entry level product that helps business get visibility on the web across multiple devices via Google maps
- Google Google Ads – paid online advertising solutions that help business’s compete with larger business
- Google for Work – a suite of productivity tools – from word processing and spreadsheets tools to email programs
The highlight of the livestream was mobile.
All keynote speakers at the event, including Maile Carnegie – Google ANZ’s Managing Director & Kate Conroy – Google Asia Pacific Adwords Product specialist , reinforced the fact that mobile was where it was at.
According to Google’s Kate Conroy, globally mobile searches have surpassed desktop searches. In Australia, mobile will surpass desktop this Christmas and will permanently move into this state some time next year.
Our take on what this means for Australian businesses
Business need to start thinking about the mobile experience now. Some practical tips include:
- Design for mobile – keep it simple and make it easy to tap the screen
- Focus on the user and provide the best experience on mobile
- Consider your business objectives and align these with user experience and your customers needs
- Think beyond just the mobile device, think about mobile wearables like watches, glasses, projections onto walls, any screen that you touch
- Use responsive design – this is web design that adapts to multiple screens
- Ensure your site loads fast – mobile users are less forgiving on mobile than they are on the desktop
- Consider payment options that are complimentary to mobile
Key takeouts from the Livestream
- Search is the number 1 method of how people find a businesses phone number – the number 2 via finding a phone on their website. Storing a number on a phone is less likely.
- 40% of Australians said they would choose to view the location of a competitor if they couldn’t see a business on the map (IPSOS)
- Businesses that make use of the web expect to grow 40% faster than those that don’t (Boston Consulting Group: The Connected World)
- Tracking and measurement is critical – particularly in a multi device world
- Ensuring you forge a connection with the customer and understand their journey online
Key innovations within Google Ads
- Ad Extensions – there are 11 types and can help boost your CTR by 20%
- Phone call tracking
- Ad customizers – which insert relevant text into your ad so you can show ads which enable you to display things like countdowns if you are having a sale
- Remarketing & Dynamic Remarketing – which helps you connect with people who previously visited your website but didn’t convert
- Ad formats for mobile apps
Why consider hiring a badged Google Partner agency?
- Do you have the time and resources to dedicate to managing an AdWords campaign?
- With over 1000 changes made to AdWords in the last year alone, it’s a full time job to stay up to date with all the latest changes, trends and industry innovations
- Do you monitor and report on performance regularly?
- Think about what is going to be the best use of your time – is it focusing on what you do best or learning how to manage a campaign and implementing best practices?
What are the benefits of working with a Google Partner?
- Help implementing some of the advanced innovations in Google Ads
- They have demonstrated ability to implement best practices
- Proven customer satisfaction
- Qualified experience in managing Google Ads campaigns
- Demonstrated that accounts are monitored and managed on a regular basis
- Ability to pick seasonal trends and changes in consumer behaviour
- Receive regular in person and online training from Google and have passed annual Google Ads exams so you can be assured they are up to date with best practices and innovations
What a badged Google Partner agency can offer you?
- Specialist expertise in AdWords
- Experience and insights that you can tap into
- A third party option – we all become blind to some extent so tapping into the knowledge and experience of someone outside helps provide a different view
How to work with a Digital Marketing Agency?
- View them as an extension of your team
- Share business objectives & information up front
- Agree on how often they will report up front
Want an experienced opinion on your Google Ads Campaigns?
Why not contact us? We are Google Ads Partners, and have helped many businesses improve their campaigns.