How to Build an Effective Mobile Marketing Strategy in Your Google Ads Campaigns

For business and particularly SEM and Google Ads advertisers it is imperative to have an effective mobile strategy in place.

Smartphones have become such a huge part of our daily lives and with this trend set to continue, businesses that make mobile a central part of their PPC strategy will benefit from the opportunity to engage the new constantly connected consumer.

Smartphones have changed the way consumers shop. 78% of mobile users have researched a product or service on their device. Additionally, research that starts on mobiles often leads to purchases across other channels including tablets, desktops, over the phone and in-store.

An effective mobile strategy is even more critical for local businesses. 90% of smartphone users look for local information on their smartphone. And 86% of smartphone users have taken action as a result of that local information, such as making a call or visiting a store.

Mobile Optimised Google Ads Campaigns

Mobile search queries have increased year-on-year and are expected to match desktop search queries very soon. Google understands this better than most and that’s why they’re starting to favour mobile optimised websites in their search rankings and it’s also why they’ve converted all Google campaigns to include mobile devices.

Three key components of an effective Ads mobile strategy include:

1. Call Extensions: If you have a mobile optimised website, set up Call Extensions so the customer has the choice to click on your ad and visit your website or click on the call button to call you directly. If you don’t have a mobile optimised site, then you can set up the call extension to make the ad a ’click-to-call’ ad. In this case, the customer will only have the option to call you and will not have the option to view your website.
2. Google Call Forwarding: If you choose to use a Google forwarding number with your call extension, a unique Google phone number is assigned to your ad. This toll-free phone number will show with your ad on tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. A clickable “Call” button will show with your ad on smartphone devices (such as iPhones and Android devices with full Internet browsers). Advanced reporting options apply to this setting, so you can track the performance of your calls, see which devices the calls are coming from, see details about each phone call and make changes to optimise conversions.
3. Mobile Bid Adjustments: You should track and fine-tune your mobile bid adjustment until your ad consistently appears in the top two positions. Because mobile devices have smaller screens, users searching on mobile tend click on the top 2 ads without bothering to scroll down as compared to desktops/tablets.

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