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There are many free tools that you can utilize to track, optimize, and analyze your online presence and performance. WordStream, a company based in Boston, is one such tool. It offers online marketing and advertising solutions software to simplify every aspect of digital marketing for small businesses.
We have outlined some of the major takeaways of WordStream’s services below.
What is WordStream?
WordStream is an online software solution for ad campaigns and digital marketing management.
With this software, you can manage your Facebook Ads, Bing Ads, and Google AdWords all from one dashboard. It’s the only software of its type to offer PPC (pay-per-click) and paid social management.
The goal of WordStream is to simplify every aspect of online advertising, from ad creation to ongoing campaign monitoring.
A unique feature of WordStream advisor is the 20-Minute Work Week, which allows advertisers to make changes to their PPC and paid social campaigns based on intelligence gathered from each user’s account data.
In sum, this feature allows users to save time and energy by sifting through piles of data themselves and optimizing easily, yielding immediate gains.
You can simply review the offered recommendations by the 20-Minute Work Week, implement the changes, and keep on running your business with ease. Do note that this service comes at an extra charge.
Other interesting features offered by WordStream include dynamic keyword research and implementation, geo-targeting, conversion tracking, call tracking, landing pages, and performance reporting.
The app offers Adwords Performance Grader, a free tool that provides users with insight into the performance of their account in comparison with competing advertisers. They also provide PPC keyword list building, Bing Ads Grader, and Landing Page Grader.
What is PPC?
PPC stands for pay-per-click, a digital advertising model where the advertiser pays a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. You pay for targeted visits to your website, landing page, or app.
When PPC campaigns are handled efficiently, the amount you pay per click is minor because that click is worth more in the long run. For example, if you pay $3 per click but result in a sale of $300, you have made a significant profit.
PPC can be in the form of text, images, videos, or a combination. They most commonly appear on search engines, websites, blogs, and social media platforms.
One of the most popular forms of PPC is Search Engine Advertising, also known as paid search marketing, search ads, or search engine marketing. This allows users to bid for ad placement in search engines sponsored links results when someone performs a search related to their business offering.
For example, if you bid the keyword “Google Ads audit,” the ad for “Google Ads Performance Grader” will pop up on the search engine results page or a related search. Google Ads is a prevalent space where PPC lives.
What free tools are included with WordStream?
Google Ads Performance Grader
With WordStream’s Google Ads Performance Grader, their experts have identified 17 key stats that reveal how your account is performing through Google Ads.
This free assessment offers deep insights, actionable steps, and an overall “grade” or quality score to help small-business owners and employees understand what currently works for their business and what is in need of a little boost.
This service can improve your Google Ads account management, massively improving your marketing services.Their Website Grader is a free tool that can be used to ensure that your website is optimized to rank highly in relevant search results and attract more visitors.
These factors are based on critical website and SEO performance metrics such as:
- Page titles and content
- Click-through rate
- Image optimization
- Mobile-friendliness
- Site speed and security
- Broken links
- More Google ranking factors
Facebook Ads Performance Grader
With WordStream’s Facebook Ads Performance Grader, you can unlock valuable insights about your Facebook Ads without paying a cent.
This Facebook management software is designed specifically for small businesses and agencies. The Grader tool will reveal where there are more opportunities to reach more people, capture more leads, and drive more conversions for your small business, specifically with Facebook Ads.
The results of your in-depth analysis from the Performance Grader will report on the following:
- Expert-identified and tested Facebook Fundamentals.
- The specific audience that your ad set should target.
- Placements and platforms that you should be using.
- Potential mismatched campaign objectives and account goals.
- Account usage frequency.
- Best and worst-performing ads in your account.
- How your ad account faces up to competitors in the same industry.
Their website has a FAQ blog to answer the most common questions for more information on this tool. It’s a great way to dig in and start improving your social outreach.
Free Keyword Tool
WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool utilizes the latest Google search data to deliver the most accurate and targeted advertising ideas.
This tool specifically allows you to:
- Find new keywords by entering a keyword or website URL to get hundreds of relevant keyword results tailored to your specific industry and location.
- Research and prioritize accurate keyword volume, negative keywords, and cost-per-click data to help you find the right keywords to target and maximize your marketing and advertising budget.
- Put your keywords to work by downloading your complete keyword list to use in your SEO content and advertising campaigns.
The features in this tool make it fast and easy to find keywords that fit your business needs to increase traffic through organic and paid searches.
This keyword tool provides competitor information to gain contextual keyword suggestions and ideas to drive your competitive side against similar small businesses.
Google My Business Grader
With WordStream’s Google My Business Grader, you will show up, stand out, and attract more customers on Google.
This tool ensures that you leverage the latest and greatest ways to appear in more customer searches, get more actions taken on your profile, and rank higher than competitors.
You can also get a current assessment of how your existing website performs on Google. The results report includes sections on presence, reputation, outreach, and communication — all with detailed analysis and next steps.
Smart Ads Creator
WordStream’s Smart Ads Creator allows small-business owners to build practical and attractive ads without hiring a personal designer. What’s more, it is fast and easy to use.
You will enter your business’s URL or landing page to get started. Then you will input your advertising objective by choosing between increasing leads or conversions, driving ecommerce or sales, or raising your brand awareness.
The Smart Ads Creator will scan your website for the most effective visual and text inserts.
Then the tool will quickly build aesthetically pleasing HTML5 banner ads explicitly designed to fit your business goals. Lastly, you can download your new ads and move along with your advertising campaigns for free.
You can easily tweak your ads with the editor, which will change your copy, call to action, and design. This tool also includes a variety of themes that your target audience might find especially appealing.
Other tools.
Wordstream contains many tools aside from the free tools listed above. They also have their own PPC management courses called PPC University.
PPC University is a resource handcrafted by WordStream’s very own experts and aims to guide business owners and users to learn more about raising their brand awareness and online presence.
They also have guides in the form of blogs that aim to provide current information on the latest trends and changes made to digital marketing platforms such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads.
And lastly, they provide data and benchmark analysis findings to better their company’s performance and keep its users up to date.
Is WordStream worth it?
When you’re running your own business, any software that takes a pile off of your to-do list is worth it. Having extra bandwidth can give you time to focus on other areas of your business, such as long-term goals and KPIs.
WordStream has overwhelmingly positive reviews on popular rating platforms like Trustpilot and Trustradius. Its platform is praised for its easy-to-use interface, attentive campaign consultants, and effective strategies.
However, many users only see the full extent of these benefits once they sign up for WordStream’s paid marketing services, which are carried out by LOCALiQ. The free services are great starting points for any small business, but unless your company has the budget to invest in WordStream’s paid services, you may not see quite the results you’re looking for.
The bottom line.
WordStream’s online platform for digital marketing and advertising management aims to make advertising more accessible and cohesive for busy small business owners.
The platform can massively help beginners with a small budget who want to utilize free tools and learn more about growing their business organically through WordStream’s blogs and guides.
By setting aside a reasonable amount of time to read and practice using WordStream’s tools, you may find that your business grows in leads, conversions, sales, clicks, and visitors. If you want to grow your business and brand awareness, we can help you at Entrepreneur.com.