While the mobile revolution of the 21st century has changed the face of modern business in nearly every industry, the medical industry has been particularly affected by the rise of smartphones in the U.S. More than half of all smartphone owners have used their phones to look up a medical condition in the past year, and two out of three seeking immediate treatment (at an urgent care facility, emergency room, etc.) check their devices to find the locations closest to them. With mobile healthcare searches on the rise, providers may be wondering how they can connect with new patients and take advantage of this growing trend. Fortunately, the solution starts with two little words:

If you do any travel advertising, you know that the days of the white-gloved, bespoke traveler are far gone. It's long been true that travel is booked almost exclusively online — whether through branded travel apps such as Expedia, independently by going directly to hotel and airline websites, or even by travel agents (who, yes, still exist). For businesses that rely on tourism, this has created new opportunities to reach customers.

The Purchase Journey

Long before a trip is booked, consumers begin to research destinations. The purchase journey can run the gamut from daydreaming about what it would be like to stay in the Caribbean to actually investigating the cost of flights, hotel rooms and things to do in Antigua. It is along this path that marketers for hotels, chambers of commerce and travel destinations can reach customers, particularly through search engine marketing (SEM).

If your PPC budget is generating lots of traffic, but you're not seeing a return in sales, you're probably wasting money with the wrong keywords. If you want clicks that convert, you need to help the right customers find your ad. Think of it as prequalifying your leads. Here are four quick ways to zero in on profitable keywords and eliminate the excess.

You've Got This

When it comes to maximizing your PPC budget, the best tools you have are stored in your AdWords account already. Search Engine Land recommends that you concentrate on the past three to four months of data, noting that anything older introduces too many variables to be useful. Within each campaign, you can delve into the specific performance of keywords. From the keywords menu, click the "search terms" tab to see exactly what people are searching for when they click on your ad. Once you see what people are looking for, there will be obvious keywords to eliminate.

Phones may have changed dramatically over the years (just think about the transition from the rotary to the iPhone), but the value of phone calls as a selling tool has remained constant. Brands of all industries rely on phone call communication as a primary means of engagement with consumers, a tool for problem-solving and as a solution to the challenge of how to improve customer service.

The value of direct conversation hasn't diminished, but the way those conversations are powered has changed dramatically. Call tracking can record a range of data points that offer better insights into what people want. Meanwhile, call monitoring and recording can still be used to provide quality assurance on customer service experiences. Plus, these insights can also be paired with gleanings from call tracking analytics.

For brands looking to improve their phone call service, the path to improvement is wide-open.

In a world where almost anything can be bought on Amazon or eBay for a rock-bottom price, many business owners have been dismayed not only by decreased foot traffic, but also the practice of "showrooming," where consumers use brick-and-mortars merely as comparison shopping venues, to then purchase an item online, later. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have been fighting back in recent years, though, with some proven tactics that are helping to stem what can feel like an overwhelmingly negative tide.

Seeing a spike in online traffic might put a smile on your face, but unless you know how to get consumers past the click, this joy will prove fleeting. Here are some tips on increasing conversions.

Find Them on Facebook

With 1.13 billion active daily users, Facebook is not only an effective way to reach your potential customers, it's also an efficient way of driving conversions. With the data the company has access to, it's possible to target your reach to specific locations (e.g., ZIP codes or geo-fences) and purchase behaviors. Be sure to create a Facebook Pixel to place on your own website so you can retarget audiences.

Search engine marketing (SEM) may have taken a backseat to social media marketing in recent years, but this type of advertising is still one of the most cost-efficient ways for businesses to reach their target audiences — by leveraging the power of key phrases to deliver ads to a highly relevant audience. While you may know the basics of this marketing tool, there are some specific benefits of SEM you may have overlooked.

You Get More Bang for Your Buck

While there are plenty of moving parts to a holistic marketing campaign, search engine marketing produces a high conversion rate for relatively low investment. Though there are cost fluctuations depending on the type of business being promoted (Search Engine Watch has a great run-down of varying costs across different industries), on the whole, SEM is often more cost-effective than other forms of digital marketing.

When it comes to mobile search, trends indicate there seems to be no stopping the rush of traffic it delivers — and you can let this boom go to work for you. Mobile searches exceeded fixed internet access back in 2014, according to Search Engine Watch, changing the way businesses operate forever. Now, according to a recent Google study, 1.5 billion people visit destinations related to their searches each month. Small- to medium-sized local businesses are in a prime position to take advantage of this shift.

Election season is here, and while marketers may feel it's harder to cut through the noise of the various local, state and federal elections happening during this busy time, the 2016 election season is actually revealing a number of interesting insights about consumer behavior.

In fact, Google recently published a voter behavior report containing the following three insights:

Your SEM strategy is in place. Now, you're set to kick back and watch that traffic roll in and convert — but not so fast. If your calls-to-action (CTAs) are weak, your click-through rates (CTRs) will be, too. After studying our own paid search campaigns, CMG found that ads with a strong CTA produced CTRs that were about five times higher than ads with weaker CTAs. What makes a strong paid search CTA? Take a look at these three tips.

Talk to Your Audience Directly

Use phrases that address why the customer might be looking for you to begin with. Instead of using clichés like "Click Here" or "Buy Now," your text should showcase benefits you can offer the customer, and you should talk to your customer directly. CTAs that performed best in the CMG study include "Use discount code SURFSUP!", "Shows start at $17. On sale now!" and "Call now for a free estimate." Specificity gets your customers' attention, and it also works on search engines. CTAs that speak to your audience can be used for page titles, or within the meta description.