Just Released: State of Audio - Trends Report

Search & You Will Find… How to Maximize Your Audio Campaign ROI with Search

By Nicole Ivan, Vice President of Digital Sales, Audacy

Audio is such an important part of the customer journey, successful for both brand awareness campaigns and converting listeners to act. So it’s critical to follow that customer through the funnel. Once they’re reminded of your business on the Radio, streaming app, or smart speaker, it’s vital to be ready for them with a winning strategy to optimize your presence in the search space. It’s not enough to persuade consumers to search – you have to show up in the right places.

Here are three things to ask yourself about your search strategy, to optimize the success of your Audio campaigns.

The truth is, we almost never go past the first page of search engine results. So it’s a no-brainer that you need to occupy as much real estate as possible on that first page of Google search results, whether it’s through organic search, the local map listing, or paid search results.

To determine your rank, you might be tempted to search for your business name, and you’d probably flood that first page with results – after all, your company name is unique to you. But despite your best branding and awareness advertising, consumers looking for your product or service probably aren’t searching just for your name. So while it’s a fun exercise, it’s not a fundamentally useful data point.

Instead, find out where your most important products and services rank against the competition in searches. If you’re an HVAC dealer and summer’s coming, where do you show up when someone searches for AC tune ups or A/C repairs? Notice the other offers in those text ads, how does yours compare to your competitive set? And check the results on a mobile device, where nearly two-thirds of searches are now being done. If you have not experienced your own website and used it as a consumer would on a mobile phone, I highly recommend it.

Are you optimized for search engines to find you?

When you’re doing Audio advertising for branding and awareness, you need to get the best return on that investment by owning the search experience. That’s where the art and science of SEO comes in.

SEO, or search engine optimization, involves the tactics – on and off your website – designed to increase your authority and ranking in search results. Be sure to improve your on-site content and word choices to keep you relevant and fresh in search queries, and your off-site backlinking strategy to position you as a leader in your field.

Done properly, SEO helps ensure that you show up organically in search results. However, if you’re still not getting the results you want, it might be time to consider investing in paid search as well, which allows you to bid on the search queries most important to your business. People who are in the buying phase of their purchase journey are much more likely to click on paid search listings, as they are often the most relevant results to what they’re looking for. 

Know that it’s usually a strategic integration of both SEO and paid search that best positions businesses to truly become the leaders in their category.

Does your Google My Business profile show your good side?

All businesses with a website should claim and populate their Google My Business profile. It’s free, and it includes all the basic details of your business, including name, address, website URL, telephone number, hours of operation. Google is going to create a profile for you anyway, so it’s crucial to claim your profile and update every field. That way, when a search captures your business in its results, your Google Maps presence will be fully accurate and fully informative.

Analyzing, optimizing, and managing your search results for business success is a complex undertaking. If you don’t have a partner who’s helping you develop a holistic marketing campaign, from a robust Audio strategy to a strong showing in relevant search results, today might be the day to start your own search for an expert who can help you rise through the ranks and maximize your return on investment.

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