Are you planning on switching up your online advertising? Nervous about making the transition? Whether you’re switching to a whole new advertiser or just setting a new advertising goal, taking the next step involves a lot of uncertainty. However, with the right tools and mindset, you’ll be able to confidently change directions and put your small business in the ultimate position for success.

In this post, you’ll discover how to make sure your next step is the right one—no matter which direction you’re headed.
Let’s get started.

What Kind of Transition Will It Be?

First things first: Decide what kind of transition you’re going to make.
For example:

• Do you want to transition away from a trackable microsite and build your own, high-level website?
• Do you want to shift your focus toward a different kind of campaign, like paid advertising instead of organic?
• Do you want to change your advertising provider entirely?

Once you’ve set a specific goal, you’ll be on the right track.

If You Want a Higher-Level Website…

Small business owners often dream of having a dazzling, fully customized website to impress potential customers and blow the competition out of the water. Their budgets, on the other hand, often squash that dream. Most small business owners have to settle for a practical, streamlined website without the bells and whistles.
It’s not unreasonable for you to want a jaw-dropping website for your company. However, you must maintain realistic expectations. If you’re seriously considering upgrading your website and, subsequently, your SEO campaign, then you need to make sure you can afford to pay thousands of dollars per month for top-level web design and SEO.
We aren’t exaggerating. That kind of work costs a pretty penny. Make sure you know what you’re committing to before you make the jump.
In the end, you may be better off asking your current SEO provider if they can add some razzle-dazzle to your site for a smaller price. They just might have a cost-effective solution you aren’t aware of!

If You Want to Shift the Focus of Your Campaign…

Sometimes, it feels like organic advertising moves too slowly. You wish you could strap a jet pack to your campaign. Sadly, until Google launches its new jet pack feature, paid advertising is the closest you’ll get.
Paid advertising, usually in the form of PPC (pay-per-click), generates leads much faster than SEO alone. That’s why it’s fairly common for small business owners to want to ditch SEO and go for PPC, instead.
However, did you know that you can’t just switch from SEO to plain PPC? You can add PPC to your campaign, but you can’t use it on its own. It won’t work. You need SEO along with PPC to boost your AdWords Quality Score; otherwise, you’ll be bidding too much on ads that won’t even display prominently.
If you want to shift to paid advertising, then the first thing you should do is see if your current provider offers a PPC package. This way, you won’t have to completely switch providers. Your current provider already knows all the ins and outs of your business’s online presence and history, so it’s wiser to stay with them if you can.
If your current provider does not offer PPC, then you’ll have to make an even bigger switch…

If You Want to Switch to a New Provider…

Do you feel like your current provider’s limitations are holding you back? Do you feel like you aren’t getting enough out of your campaign? It may be true that your provider can’t deliver the results your small business needs. However, it’s more likely that your feelings are due to a lack of communication, instead.
Before you make any decisions, have a candid conversation with your provider. Whether you aren’t satisfied with your service or you have new goals for your advertising, tell them. Talk about it. They might have the perfect solution for you in their tool kit.
So often, we see clients who are dissatisfied with the direction of their campaigns, only to discover they simply weren’t using the right packages for their needs.
But what happens when your current provider doesn’t have a solution for you?
Transitioning to a new advertiser can be a complicated process; however, it’s well worth it if you find the right advertiser to switch to. So, first things first: Vet your next advertiser thoroughly.
Once you’re ready to make the jump, notify your current advertiser and work with them to transition all of your backlinks. You should also have your web presence cleaned and tidied from top to bottom. Most advertisers offer cleanup services specifically for this purpose.
When you’re organized and forthcoming with your old and new advertisers, the transition process will be relatively pain free.

Brace Yourself for Change

Change is hard. Regardless of your new direction, make sure you’re mentally prepared to navigate unfamiliar terrain. Whether you’re working with a brand-new web designer or setting a click budget for the first time, be open to collaboration and discovery.
And if you do end up switching over to a whole new website and corresponding campaign, be aware that you’re going to see a slight dip in leads as a result. This is because it will take time for your new URL to gain traction with the search engines. Don’t worry, though: It’ll pick up again before you know it.
When you follow our advice, you’ll make a smart decision for the next phase of your small business’s advertising!