Name: Back9 Creative Studio
Price range: $$
Rating: 5

Google Shopping Ads: How do they work?

Posted on April 4, 2023April 6, 2023 by Phil

Google Shopping ads are a really effective way that online retailers can connect with potential customers and generate more sales. In fact if done well, they will yield exponential returns. But what exactly are Google shopping ads, and how do they work? In this article, we’ll discuss what Google shopping ads are. And how you can use them to promote your products or services.

What Are Google Shopping Ads?

Much like Google Ads – the search version, Google shopping ads are a form of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. PPC ads allow retailers to promote their products or services through a variety of channels. These ads appear when users search for keywords related to the product or service being advertised. When someone clicks on the ad, they are taken directly to the merchant’s website where they can purchase the item.

It’s a great way for businesses to get their products in front of potential customers quickly and efficiently.

How Do Google Shopping Ads Work?

Google shopping ads work by allowing e-commerce businesses (or merchants) to ‘bid; on certain keywords related to their products or services. Whenever someone searches for these keywords, the merchant’s ad will be displayed alongside other results from similar businesses. There are a range of ways to get your ads to show over another’s. But generally the higher an advertiser’s bid is, the more likely it is that their ad will appear at the top of search results pages. Advertisers also have the option of targeting specific demographics or locations. This then helps make sure their ad reaches those who are most likely to buy their product or service.

The Benefits of Using Shopping Ads

Google shopping ads offer many advantages for businesses looking to increase their sales and reach new customers. These include increased visibility for your brand, improved click rates due to targeted campaigns, and a lower cost per click than traditional PPC campaigns. Additionally, as more people search for items using voice assistants like Alexa or Siri, these types of ads become even more valuable as they allow merchants to tap into this growing market segment easily and quickly.

Do These Ads Really Work?

The short answer is hell yeah they do… Of course, you need to be advertising or selling a product that people want. And at a price, consumers are prepared to pay. That means you do need to be competitive to see success with Google shopping ads. This is because your product will show alongside your competitors, so if you’re selling a pair of socks for 6.90 and your competitor has the exact same pair for 5.40, then chances are, it will be their ad that will get clicked over yours. We have clients running google shopping ads as you read this who are returning anywhere from 600-800% return on their ad spend each month! Yes, you read that right – 600 – 800% R.O.A.S. That means if you spend $3000 on ads, it will result in $18,000 – $24,000 in sales each month.

How do you get started?

Google Shopping ads can essentially be set up by anyone with a bit of tech nouse. However, we highly recommend getting a certified Google ads Expert to help with this, We have seen several clients over the years falter in the setup, and it can end up being quite costly. The better the set up the faster we can get the account optimised and running smoothly. And that (generally) in turn means faster (and better) results. If you’re keen to have a chat about the options please feel free to give us a call or email or book a time to meet.

Google shopping ads offer so many benefits for businesses looking to increase their online visibility and boots sales numbers quickly and easily. With targeted campaigns and competitive bids, using all the google channels for ads, (Search, Display, Shopping, and Remarketing) you will get your products seen by potential customers quickly. And all while potentially keeping costs low. Well as low as possible… You will still have to outlay some decent cash. But you need to understand Google Ads are an investment. And not a cost like radio or newspaper advertising, This is because they are highly measurable. So if you’re looking for an effective way to reach more customers online, consider giving us a call, and let’s give Google shopping ads a try!

Finding the best Queenstown SEO Company

Posted on April 3, 2023April 3, 2023 by Phil

As we discuss in our article, who is the best SEO agency in NZ, narrowing down the best business in any industry can be tricky. This is especially hard when it comes to all things digital. SEO or Search Engine Optimisation in itself is complicated enough as it is!

So when it comes to SEO in Queenstown, how do you find the best fit for your business? How much does SEO cost? Will I even see results from SEO? The questions go on… The most important factor for one person may not matter to another, and vice versa. Understanding what is SEO all about, is important, but you need to understand, there are so many things to factor in. Also, you need to understand the difference between organic SEO and paid search! One aspect can stand out among the rest for you and something else for your neighbour. So how do we define who is the best SEO agency for you?

Who are the best-ranking SEO providers in Queenstown?

Which company will be the best for you depends on your needs and circumstances. What’s your criteria for partnering with an SEO agency or freelancer? What do you want them to do for you? What results do you hope to achieve?

One of the most important parts of teaming up with a company is working with people who believe what you believe! You can usually feel that in your gut. And from my experience, I would say trust your instinct! The reality is if you’re providing SEO services, then you should be able to get your own website ranking pretty well on Google. However, it’s easy in an online world to bend the truth or manipulate Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (or SERP). But the good news is, it’s getting increasingly harder to do. Consumers want trust from their providers, whether that be from their mechanic, their power company, or their website design team.

At the time of writing this, (bearing in mind staying at the top of the search results or SERP, is tough at the best of times) here are six of the highest-ranking SEO agencies for the search phrase: best SEO in Queenstown?

BWG

BWG is a full-service digital agency based in Takapuna, Auckland. They are Google certified and their mission is to grow New Zealand SME’s and create jobs. They believe the primary difference between them and other agencies is the ratio of production staff to sales staff. Their sales staff are also competent in production. This is why they believe their campaigns deliver higher than average results.

They use Photoshop, HTML, and WordPress CMS for all design and development work. BWG also offer a full digital marketing suite, including Google Ads, Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media, and more.

The search term best SEO Southland, returns a decent ranking for BWG, albeit for a landing page for Napier. If you’re not opposed to dealing with someone outside of Southland, then these guys are possibly at least worth having a discussion with.

Lakeside Digital

Lakeside Digital ranks well for the search term, Best Queenstown SEO agency. Run by Conor Doyle, Lakeside Digital is a boutique SEO agency based out of Wanaka, NZ.

He has been working in the digital marketing & SEO industry for over 5 years in Australia and recently migrated to the beautiful Otago region. With him, he believes he has brought a seasoned and proven approach to SEO that has seen hundreds of small businesses and larger companies succeed in their respective markets.

Over the years he’s seen the flaws of the traditional SEO agency up close. Usually, the process begins and ends in the sales pitch. The person who sold you their ‘big idea’ was just another rung on the agency ladder and your actual strategy is handed down to a junior SEO with no idea about your business.

Sky Media

According to their website, Sky Media is one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing digital marketing agencies, due to owner and director Corey Reid’s forward-thinking leadership.

Sky Media’s Digital Marketing Team’s constantly up-skilling to achieve the highest industry standards in the ever-changing world of digital strategy. HQ’d in Timaru, they have representatives in a few locations around New Zealand and Australia. These locations include Auckland, Christchurch, and even Sydney. And they appear to have their marketing manager based in Queenstown. Their Website has a friendly down-to-earth tone and a lot of decent content. And they rank fairly well on google for the best Queenstown SEO agency, so they are worth contacting to discuss your options for sure.

Firebrand

Firebrand has recently snuck onto the first page of google for the search “Best SEO Queenstown”. Dunedin-based Firebrand is a Digital transformation Agency.

They refer to themselves as: Masters of the Digital Universe

They are a full-service marketing and digital transformation agency, based at our awesome premises in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Our capabilities include business plans and strategies, branding, and complete digital marketing solutions tailored to agreed outcomes. We offer brand positioning, website design, UI/UX design, custom website development, web app development, ecommerce, social media marketing, SEO, copywriting, video, and photography.

Fabric Digital

Fabric Digital at first glance appear to want you to believe they are based in Queenstown NZ. Unfortunately, that is a fabrication. Fabric is an Auckland-based Digital Agency. They say “Queenstown businesses of all sizes in all industries can benefit from SEO”. And that’s true. they continue “whether you are an adventure tourism provider on the shores of Lake Wakatipu or the owner-operator of a Queenstown real estate agency. Through building an SEO strategy you can see an increase the number of visitors to your website.” <- Also true.

That’s where they come in with the guidance of one of their Fabric Digital SEO experts, they can help develop and manage custom Queenstown SEO strategies to promote your business both in Queenstown, surrounding Otago towns, and other regions.

They do this by increasing your position on a range of key searches related to your industry. This increased visibility for organic searches leads to more website traffic, more enquiries, and more sales.

They are not wrong. . Everything except the pretence of being based in Queenstown 😉

Do Good Things

Well, Do Good Things is actually based in Queenstown, so when it comes to Queenstown SEO agencies, they get a point for honesty already. They are dedicated to driving measurable growth for our partners. They want to stand out from conventional digital marketing agencies that prioritise soft marketing metrics like leads and clicks by measuring our work across full-funnel marketing ROI. Do Good Things has some great content and if you’re searching for a Queenstown SEO company, whose actually based there, then get in touch with the.

Back9 Creative

Well, what can we say? I guess the fact that you’re on our website and you more than likely found us in a Google Search, then reiterates it. But full disclosure we’re not based in Queenstown either… And like some other SEO and Digital Marketing companies we’re not going to pretend we have an office coming soon. But hey, never say never… We’re only a couple of hours down the road anyway in Invercargill.

We don’t usually add ourselves to these posts because we don’t like to toot our own horn when the results speak for themselves, but yes, we do believe we are one of the best Queenstown SEO companies – or NZ SEO companies to be fair… Much like the other companies on this list, we offer the same laundry list of services. So what makes us different? Well, Nothing specific really. We’re all good at SEO, or our websites wouldn’t be ranking on Google, right? So you’ll choose to talk to us if you think we can deliver value (pssst… We can by the way…) And we’d love to have a chat and see if we can work together…

So, who is the best Queenstown SEO agency for you and your business?

So which Queenstown SEO company is the best for you and your business? Well… That still depends on what you’re looking for. Are the above companies still at the top of the results? SEO is a complicated field – actually it’s a minefield. And to stay at the top of Google you (or the agency you partner with) need to work bloody hard!

All of the above businesses claim to be the Best SEO company in Southland. Best these days is subjective, and is more about what it best for you and your business! What are you trying to achieve and who aligns with your values the best?

If you’re looking to partner with an SEO Agency or Freelancer, or wondering How to choose the right marketing agency for your business you must take the time to research. We’ve had several clients over the years who feel they have not seen results paying for SEO. And the reality is, there are a lot of people out there saying they are the best. SEO is also a long-term investment How Long it takes for SEO to show results will vary. This will depend on a number of factors… These include (but are not limited to) how good your website design is. And then how well developed or built it is too.

Do some Google searches

When you’re deciding who to contact, do some google searches to see how well their website ranks. Look over their website. If their site seems easy to use, and it answers most of your questions, chances are they could be a good fit. One tip is to check right at the bottom of their website and looks for the “Copyright ©” info. If it says 2014, chances are they may be a bit out of touch. Read up on their services, and testimonials. Ultimately if their style and tone match what you want for your own business, they may be worth talking to. Taking time to find that right fit and work with credible, reliable businesses can save time and trouble later on. So it’s worth the effort!

Ironically, though, if you’re reading this article, you found at the top of the Google Search results. Well… You may have found the best SEO company in Southland already 😉

9 ways to improve your website ranking

Posted on April 3, 2023January 21, 2024 by Phil

9 SEO Best Practices to Boost Your Organic Website Ranking in 2023

Do you want to increase your website ranking and in turn the organic traffic to your website? Then, you need to make sure that your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) game is strong. With the right SEO best practices, you can outrank your competitors and drive more people to your website.

Here’s 9 simple tips that will help you do just that.

1. Develop Content Based on Target Keyword Research

If you’re looking to increase website ranking and organic traffic, one of the most important things that you can do is target keyword research. When creating content, figure out which keywords are used most often by people who are looking for what you offer. Then, optimise your content with those words and phrases so that it appears when they search for them. This will help draw more visitors to your page and improve your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).

2. Use Compelling Titles and Headings

The titles and headings on your website should be engaging and attention-grabbing. They should also contain some of the keywords from your target keyword research. These will be the keywords you want your website ranking for. Doing this will help potential customers find what they’re looking for more quickly and easily, as well as make them more likely to click through from SERPs.

3. Write Strong Meta Descriptions

Your meta descriptions should be short but informative—they should tell potential customers why they should click through from SERPs rather than someone else’s page. Make sure that meta descriptions contain relevant keywords from your target keyword research as well as a call-to-action if possible. This will encourage users to visit your site instead of a competitor’s page.

4. Optimize All Images

Unlike us humans, Search engine crawlers can’t see images as we can, so all the images on your website must be optimised with descriptive alt text tags and captions whenever possible. This will help search engines understand what each image is about when they crawl your website. This means they can accordingly affect your website ranking in SERPs. And that could mean more organic traffic for you!

5. Include Several Internal Links

Internal links to relevant pages/content are essential for both users on your website and for search engines.

When linking, it’s important to choose anchor text that includes the primary keyword you’re linking to. This means that instead of using phrases such as “Read More” include the keyword for that page like: “Website Ranking”. This is so that search engines can better understand where the link is headed.

There’s no strict limit on how many internal or external links should be included on a webpage or in an article, but as a guideline, aim to include several internal links throughout the body of your content. In particular near the beginning when introducing new concepts or ideas. Make sure all your internal links are relevant to ensure a good user experience and ensure you don’t distract readers with too many links. Focus on creating meaningful connections between articles and provide value to your readers by linking to relevant content.

6. User-friendly design (on desktop and mobile)

With template website solutions these days, Design is often overlooked. This can be detrimental when optimising for search engines. But design plays a big role in helping users find what they’re looking for.

So make sure your website is easy to navigate, scroll and click on any device – from laptop to mobile. Use content management systems like Silverstripe and WordPress to ensure the user experience is consistent across all platforms with responsive design.

Don’t forget to put yourself in the shoes of your prospects and consider how they’ll be engaging with your content. One surefire way to increase the design element of your website and improve user experience is to use the services of a professional designer. A good website designer will help you get a great-looking website, which is on-brand but also easy to navigate.

7. Optimise Page Speed for better website ranking

Page speed is a key factor in Website performance. And therefore for improving website ranking and organic traffic. If a user has an poor experience with slow loading times or frequent errors, they won’t stick around long enough for their visit to count as “organic” in analytics reports!

To ensure an optimal user experience for visitors, use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights or Pingdom Website Speed Test to identify any issues with page speed. Then you take appropriate action, based on the results. Things that usually come up and need addressing, are: optimizing images or minifying code files.

Additionally, using caching techniques like server-side caching or client-side caching. These are things you may need help with from your web developer. If you have a website maintenance plan these may also be included in it, depending on the agreement. These things can greatly improve loading times by reducing unnecessary data requests every time a user visits a page!

8. Make Use of Navigation & Sitemaps

Navigation menus are essential elements of any website; they provide users with an easy way to explore different sections without having to type anything into a search bar or scroll through endless pages of content. Additionally, sitemaps provide crawlers with a comprehensive overview of all available webpages on a given domain name which makes indexing them easier (and faster!) than ever before!

9. Get Amongst Semantic HTML

Last but not least is semantic HTML. It’s a bit geeky, and maybe for the people who are into Pure SEO, but it’s important. Semantic HTML provides additional context around certain pieces of content such as headings (…) or paragraphs () which makes it easier for crawlers (and users!) To understand what text is saying without needing any special instructions from developers/designers etc… Plus, implementing semantic HTML also ensures that certain pieces of content look consistent across different devices/browsers etc – something which is increasingly important these days due to its wide range of viewing options available today!

SEO is critical to Website Ranking

Much like love and marriage… They go together like a horse and carriage. And this I tell ya, brother, you can’t have one without the other. Yep, Search engine optimisation best practices are essential if you want better website ranking and increased traffic.

From developing content based on target keyword research and writing strong meta descriptions to optimising all images and making use of navigation & sitemaps. These tips will help you get ahead of the competition. But make no mistake. It may sound simple, but it’s not easy! It takes hours of hard work and dedication – And you really have to be ‘in’ to it. If you half-ass it and your website sucks, it won’t convert. And if you try to take shortcuts, Google will find you and punish your website ranking for it. I suggest you look for an SEO agency. If you’re serious about SEO, then you will want to find the best SEO agency in NZ. And if you want to find out How to find the best SEO agency start with a google search, If they’re any good at SEO – then their own website ranking should be pretty good!

Ultimately though if you’ve been asking why is my website not ranking on google, then its time to change something! So don’t wait any longer – start implementing these SEO best practices today or find an SEO expert to help, so that you can start seeing results sooner rather than later!

Get Ready to Grow Your Electrical Business

Posted on April 1, 2023 by Phil

Create a Digital Marketing Roadmap to Success

Identify Your Marketing and Growth Goals

If you’re asking how to grow your electrical business, the first step to achieving success is to identify your goals. You need to ask yourself questions like: How much growth do I want or need? What is my capacity for clients? Who are my ideal clients? By getting clear on your goals you’ll be able to tailor your marketing strategy to ensure you hit them.

Identify Your Ideal Client

To grow your electrical business you’ll need to also identify your ideal client. In marketing, this is often referred to as your buyer personas. Ask yourself questions such as who is most likely to buy your services, what do they need? And what are their pain points? Where do they hang out? Knowing this information will help you craft the right messaging and create content that is helpful and relevant to them. This also helps nurture them along their buyer’s journey to becoming a customer, One thing to keep in mind is that Marketing is not about you, it is about your customers, so try to avoid talking about yourself too much.

Craft Your Messaging

Messaging is a huge part of creating a good brand. Your messaging is what you say and how you say it – visually or written. It’s often the first interaction a prospect will have with your business, so tone and messaging are really important. So once you know who your ideal customer is, it’s time to craft your messaging. Consider the words you use and make sure they are in line with your ideal customer’s needs and goals. This will help create a connection between you and your target audience, leading to more sales and more customers.

Media Channels to grow your electrical business

The next step is to select your media channels.

So understanding the difference between messaging and channels is really important. Think about where your ideal customer probably spends time and what platforms they use. You’ll want to focus on those and create content tailored to each one. Often media channels such as Facebook and other social media are categorised as ‘marketing’ in people’s minds. In actual fact, these are media channels to distribute your marketing message. Other channels could include a website, blog, google ads network, radio, television, print etc.

Implement Your Plan

Finally, the most important step is to implement your plan. This involves creating actions from the plan and getting them done.

Sounds easy right? Well yes and no. Marketing a business is a massive task – and it’s a full-time job itself. As is starting and running an electrical business. (or any business for that matter) You need to decide if you need to hire a marketing person or whether you should hire a marketing agency to help you. There are pros and cons to both of course. with this and ensure that your plan is accurately executed. They can also help you measure your success and identify potential areas of improvement.

How much does Marketing cost?

Posted on March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 by Phil

A lot of people want to know and always ask us “how much does marketing cost?”

Well, a lot of experts out there say 7-10% of your revenue should be spent on marketing and advertising. And whilst that’s a good but very rough guide, I don’t believe the answer is that easy. And that’s especially the case if you are a mid-sized business. It is easy for massive companies to throw millions if not billions at ad campaigns known as ‘branding’ to reinforce their brand. It’s easy because they have the revenue coming in so they, therefore, have the budget to spend.

This of course is a form of traditional ‘outbound’ marketing. Often it is ego driven and because we have grown up seeing this type of advertising and/or marketing from these big companies like Coca-Cola, Nike, Mcdonalds, and more, we think this is what we have to do to get our name ‘out there’.

But the traditional outbound – or scattergun approach is not sustainable for small and medium businesses – not even in the short term. So if you’re still advertising on the radio or in the newspaper, STOP!

There’s a better way. You need to stop throwing your hard-earned money away on marketing and/or advertising that is nothing more than an expense… Small and medium businesses need to adopt an Inbound marketing philosophy.

How much does Inbound Marketing Cost?

At the end of the day, it depends on a variety of factors… It depends somewhat on the size of your business, your customers (target market), and your goals.

But most importantly – how can you measure the returns or ROI? And even more so what do the returns look like? If you could buy a $100 note for $20 – how many would you buy? As many as you could afford right? So if your marketing and advertising can return 5x what it costs – is it still a cost? NO! it’s an investment. So the question should be how much should you invest in marketing!

How much should you spend on Marketing?

It is easy to for me to sit here and say (well write) that you should spend X amount and marketing cost should be $1000 or $5000 per month… But it is too subjective to give a definitive figure. Much like the analogy above where you could buy $100 for $20 it depends on what you have to spend, upfront and ongoing. What you need to also weigh up is whether can you afford to pay an expert and sustain the investment until it starts to pay off. In general terms, it’s best to start the investment smaller and grow it once you can get the right data to see what actually works best – and what doesn’t.

Without a purpose, or strategy thought you’re essentially driving along with a blindfold. So the first place to start is with a plan. A Roadmap. At back9 we offer a simple digital marketing roadmap, that helps clients define their audience and their goals. A roadmap helps you see the destination, which gives you direction. Then all you need is the drive to get there.

Our digital marketing roadmap is 1495 + GST and is eligible for up to 50% government funding in NZ.

Good Marketing Costs you nothing!

Whilst of course nothing in business is guaranteed, If you have a good product or a good business model, then there’s no real reason why marketing and/or advertising should be a cost. Good marketing is and should be measurable, and therefore it should also pay for itself. And if it pays for itself, it is an investment. Knowing what to measure and how to do that is a little more complicated, and may require working with a marketing expert if you want to reach your full potential. How do you choose the right marketing agency for your business? Well good old-fashioned research, Choose someone you connect with and share values with. Someone with proven results too.

SharpSpring vs Infusionsoft (by Keap) Which is best for you?

Posted on March 29, 2023April 3, 2023 by Phil

When it comes to marketing automation software, there are a lot of options out there. But two of the top contenders are SharpSpring and Infusionsoft (by Keap). Both offer powerful features that can help businesses streamline their marketing efforts. But which one is right for your business?

Let’s take a wee look at both SharpSpring and Infusionsoft (by Keap) to compare pricing and features.

Pricing Plans

SharpSpring offers four different plans, ranging from the Basic plan at $450/month to the Enterprise plan at $1,500/month. The Basic plan includes up to 5,000 contacts while the Enterprise plan includes up to 500,000 contacts. All plans include unlimited users, email campaigns, landing pages, forms, automation rules, tracking pixels, and more.

Infusionsoft also offers four plans ranging from the Growth plan at $99/month to the Max Classic plan at $379/month. The Growth plan includes up to 500 contacts while the Max Classic plan includes up to 25,000 contacts. All plans include unlimited users and access to email campaigns, custom forms and landing pages as well as basic automation rules.

SharpSpring vs Infusionsoft Features

SharpSpring offers a wide range of features including email campaigns, lead scoring & grading tools as well as social media monitoring & listening tools. It also offers an in-depth analytics suite that allows you to track leads by source or campaign and even monitor customer engagement with emails or other content pieces. Additionally, it has dynamic content capabilities that allow you to create personalised messages for each recipient based on their interests or past interactions with your brand.

Infusionsoft (by Keap) also provides many powerful features such as lead capture forms and automated workflows for sales follow-up sequences or other marketing activities. It also has advanced reporting capabilities so you can track leads by source or campaign as well as measure ROI on various marketing activities. Additionally, it offers e-commerce integrations so you can track purchases made directly through your website or other online stores like Shopify or Amazon Webstore.

When it comes down to choosing between SharpSpring vs Infusionsoft (by Keap), it really depends on your business needs and budget constraints. Both offer powerful features but SharpSpring may be better suited for larger businesses due its higher contact limits per plan tier while Infusionsoft (by Keap) may be better for smaller businesses due its lower pricing options per tier contact limit. Ultimately though, only you know what will work best for your business so do some research before making any decisions!