After seeing the 8.2 million TL fine announced by the Ministry of Trade, a lot of people selling products on Instagram started asking, “Am I going to get fined too?” Let me give you the clear answer right up front:

No, this news does not concern the vast majority of businesses selling boutique items, textiles, jewelry, cosmetics, or handmade products. But to understand why it doesn’t concern you, you need to know exactly what was actually being penalized.

Who exactly was fined?

In its inspections, the Ministry imposed a total of 8.2 million TL in administrative fines on 42 real estate businesses and 40 car dealerships found to have posted listings in violation of the rules, 100,000 TL each.

Pay attention here: there’s only one category that got fined, and that’s businesses selling real estate and used vehicles. Not a single boutique, not a cosmetics brand, not a furniture seller is on that list. Because it’s simply not possible.

The real issue isn’t “DM”! it’s EİDS

The phrase “price via DM” that stood out in the headlines isn’t actually the heart of the matter, just its visible surface. What the penalty is really based on is the Electronic Listing Verification System, known for short as EİDS.

EİDS is a system that verifies the identity of the person selling a property or a used motor vehicle through an online listing, along with their authorization to post that listing. The system started in 2023 with identity verification for real estate listings, added authorization verification in 2024, and was fully rolled out in early 2025 to the point where you can’t post a listing without authorization verification.

Here’s the critical point: EİDS’s scope is defined by legislation, and that scope covers only real estate and used motor vehicle listings. So by its very definition, the system will never cover a pair of shoes, a handbag model, or a necklace. That’s why a jewelry brand writing “price via DM” has no legal connection to this penalty whatsoever.

For real estate and vehicle sellers, it’s not just about price

For the businesses that do fall within scope, the issue isn’t only about hiding the price. There are three things the Ministry wants:

• The sale price must appear clearly and understandably in the listing,
• The post must include an EİDS-verified listing link,
• The image, description, price, and link must all be consistent with one another.

For example, using a photo of a luxury home to grab attention and then placing an unrelated listing link beneath it is also treated as a violation during inspections. The Ministry also stated that accounts making non-compliant posts may have their access blocked through Meta.

So what should you do?

If you don’t sell real estate or used vehicles, you can keep writing “price via DM.” This penalty has nothing to do with you for now. If you use giving out your product’s price via DM as a sales strategy on Instagram, that’s entirely your own choice.

But if you’re in the real estate or vehicle business, the picture is different. You now need to treat social media as an official listing space: write the price openly, add the EİDS-verified link, and make sure your image matches the listing. Otherwise, a 100,000 TL administrative fine is on the table.

Whether you’re covered by these regulations or not, the rules for selling on social media are changing every day, and these regulations are just the beginning.

If you want to structure your content so that it complies with current regulations and actually drives sales, feel free to reach out to me for social media consulting. With the right content strategy, you can both mitigate risks from the start and grow your account.

Sources:

https://ticaret.gov.tr/haberler/ticaret-bakanligi-sosyal-medyadaki-sahte-ilanlara-gecit-vermiyor-eids-kurallarina-aykiri-paylasimlara-karsi-yaptirimlar-kararlilikla-uygulaniyor 

https://www.altso.org.tr/duyurular/eids-sosyal-medya-paylasimlari/

The post What Is the “Price via DM” Penalty? Who Does It Actually Affect? appeared first on Nerec Yılmaz.

In this article, I’ll approach the topic not with a lawyer’s language, but from the perspective of someone who actually creates content in the field. I’ll explain the items that directly concern influencers in detail, paint a general picture of the entire regulation, and at the very end give you a practical checklist you can use before posting. Note: Some of the information circulating about this topic on social media is incomplete, and some is completely wrong; I’ll correct those one by one as well.

The 10 Key Changes in the Regulation

You’ll find the 10 main headings announced by the Ministry here. I’ve covered the ones that concern you most as a content creator in greater detail, and conveyed the others without skipping over why they matter.

1. Using “Advertisement” or “Promotion” Labels in Social Media Posts Is Now Mandatory

This is the most important item that directly concerns most content creators.

According to the new rule, in any post where you gain some benefit such as earnings, a free or discounted product/service, or participation in an even, you must clearly state that the content is an advertisement. To do this, you must use at least one of the terms “Advertisement” or “Promotion.”

Here’s the important detail: the visibility of the label is now also bound by rules. The advertising information must be in a place the follower can notice the moment they first encounter the post. That means it should be visible without clicking “See more,” without expanding the description, and without being hidden among dozens of hashtags. A “#ad” squeezed at the very bottom of the caption now poses a risk. In addition, if the content is spread across multiple stories, videos, or posts, the label must appear separately in each relevant post.

The core principle in a single sentence: your follower should be able to understand it’s an advertisement the moment they look at the content.

2. Even If You Don’t Get Paid, a “Benefit” Can Count as Advertising

The most common misconception among content creators: “I didn’t get paid, I just received a product, so this isn’t advertising.”

The new regulation is very clear on this. A benefit doesn’t just mean a cash payment. A product sent for free, a service received at a discount, a hotel stay covered by a brand, a meal you’re invited to, or participation in an event all count as benefits. If you make a promotion in return for these, you must clearly state the advertising relationship.

This is especially critical for content creators working with PR packages and barter collaborations. I recommend rereading my earlier article “How to Become a UGC Content Creator” about the product-in-exchange working model with this perspective in mind; because the transparency dimension of these collaborations is now much more decisive.

3. Transparency Requirement for AI-Generated Advertisements

We’re in a period where virtual influencers and AI-generated content are rapidly increasing, and the regulation addresses this directly.

If digital characters created with AI that are indistinguishable from a real human are used in advertisements, it has become mandatory to indicate this in a clear, understandable, and distinguishable way. In addition, it is now prohibited to portray a digital copy of a real person, created using AI, as if they are using or recommending a product they haven’t actually used or experienced.

In short, AI cannot be used as a cover to mislead consumers in advertising.

4. Illegal Games of Chance Added to the Advertising Ban

The ban on advertising services provided by fortune tellers, mediums, astrologers, and the like, as well as on illegal betting and gambling, has been expanded, and illegal games of chance have now been explicitly included in this scope.

The message here for content creators is this: when evaluating a collaboration offer, saying “let me just put an ad label on it and it’ll be fine” isn’t enough. The service you’re going to promote must itself comply with the regulations. Otherwise, labeling won’t free you from responsibility.

5. The Era of Fake Discounts in Sales Advertisements Is Ending

Although this item may seem to “only concern brands,” it actually closely concerns many content creators who share discounts/campaigns. Because there are a lot of accounts running fake discounts.

According to the new rule, when a discount is shown on a product, the amount that can be presented as the “old price” (with a line through it) must be the lowest price applied within the last 10 days before the discount began. In other words, artificially raising a price first and then presenting it as a “big discount” is now a clear rule violation. For perishable goods like fruits and vegetables and for services, the previous price is taken as the basis. Additionally, campaigns that make a discount or benefit conditional on a requirement are also subject to these rules.

If you’re sharing a brand’s “70% off” campaign, whether that figure is actually accurate now affects your credibility too.

6. Targeted Advertising Aimed at Children Is Prohibited

Making targeted advertising specific to children using profiling methods based on children’s personal data has been prohibited.

Although this may not seem directly related to the influencer label, it’s a regulation that must be followed carefully, especially by accounts producing children’s and family content and in brand collaborations aimed at this audience. It shows that the boundaries in marketing aimed at children are becoming clearer.

7. Transparency in Targeted Advertising

A new rule has been introduced for targeted advertisements shown by analyzing consumers’ online behavior and personal data. Now, the advertiser must explain, in a direct and easily accessible way, according to which criteria the advertisement is shown to the consumer and how these criteria can be changed.

This is more of a technical regulation concerning advertising platforms and large advertisers; but it shows that the digital advertising ecosystem is becoming more transparent overall.

8. New Criteria for Consumer Reviews

Consumer reviews obtained from channels where purchase verification cannot be made can no longer be published. In other words, building a reputation with reviews where it’s unclear “whether they actually made a purchase” is becoming harder. Additionally, if reviews are separated under different headings such as product, delivery, or seller, it has become mandatory to include all of them in the same area in a clear and easily accessible way.

As an addition, the period granted to sellers to exercise their right to respond before a complaint is published has been reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours; if no response comes within this period, the review is published directly.

9. Boundaries on Environmental Claims Have Become Clearer

Using general expressions like “eco-friendly” or “natural” without any explanation has been prohibited. If there’s an environmental claim on a product, it must be stated which stage of the product’s life cycle it relates to, and the certificates or approvals put forward must be provable with documents from authorized/independent institutions.

If you do sustainability-themed collaborations, questioning whether there’s a real document behind a brand’s claims should now be a protective reflex for you too.

10. Academic Titles and Dietary Supplement Advertisements

The last two headings generally concern health- and expertise-themed content. Using academic titles in a misleading and deceptive way in commercial advertisements has been prohibited; that is, an “expert/academic” appearance cannot be given in a way that exploits the consumer’s lack of knowledge. In addition, dietary supplements cannot be advertised in a way that creates the impression they replace foods consumed as part of a normal diet.

If you promote health, diet, or supplement products, these items are especially important for you.

Commonly Believed Myths

While the new regulation is being discussed, I noticed that some information on social media is wrong. Here are the ones I’ve come across most often:

“This regulation brought a tax on gift products” No. The advertising regulation is not a tax regulation. The tax dimension of gift and barter products is the subject of a separate tax legislation for social content creators, and it didn’t come with this regulation. Still, it’s useful to discuss the tax side of the in-kind products you receive in exchange for promotion with a certified public accountant; but you shouldn’t confuse this by saying “the new regulation brought a tax.”

“Fortune teller, medium, and astrologer advertisements were banned for the first time.” No. The advertising ban on these services already existed. The real novelty in this regulation is the explicit addition of illegal games of chance to the scope of the existing betting and gambling advertising ban.

“Now every piece of content using AI must have a label.” Not exactly. The regulation doesn’t require every AI tool used to be labeled. The requirement applies to digital characters indistinguishable from a real human and to misleading AI uses that could affect the consumer’s economic decision.

Pre-Publishing Checklist

Before sharing a collaboration content, quickly review this list. If you say “no” or “I’m not sure” to any of them, reconsider the post.

• Did I gain a benefit from this content? (Payment, free/discounted product, invitation, accommodation, event participation… All are benefits.) 
• Did I use the “Advertisement” or “Promotion” label? (“Collaboration” or “collab” alone is not enough.) 
• Is the label visible at first glance? (Without clicking “See more,” without being buried in a pile of hashtags.) 
• Is the brand name clear in the content? (For example: Advertisement | BrandName) If the content is spread across multiple stories/videos, is there a label in each one? 
• Does the service I’m promoting comply with the regulations? (Not illegal betting, games of chance, etc.) 
• If I used an AI character or digital copy, did I clearly state it? 
• Is the discount/campaign I’m sharing real? (Not an inflated “old price.”) 
• If I received an in-kind product, did I evaluate its tax side?

This list can protect you from a major risk within seconds. But keep this in mind too: in content that violates a rule, responsibility doesn’t belong solely to the content creator; the advertiser brand and the agency can also be held responsible. The Ministry can impose high administrative fines for deceptive advertisements, depending on the nature of the case.

Conclusion

The new regulation isn’t something to fear; it actually revolves around a single word: transparency. The real goal of the regulation is for users to be able to understand at first glance whether the content they see is a sincere recommendation or a commercial collaboration.

As content creation grew, it was inevitable that its rules would become clearer. This is actually a sign that the sector is maturing. Content creators who use the correct label, promote honestly, and build a trust-based relationship with their followers will come out of this period not harmed, but stronger. Because what makes the difference now isn’t just reach; it’s trust.

Source: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Trade- “Regulation Amending the Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices” (dated July 1, 2026, Official Gazette No. 33297; effective: August 1, 2026).

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What Is Anchor Text?

Anchor text is the visible text of a link. When the user clicks the link, they go to the page that this text points to. Technically, anchor text is written in HTML within the <a> tag.

Anchor text HTML example:

<a href=”https://site.com/seo-manager”>SEO manager</a>

Here, the “SEO manager” part is the anchor text.

What Are the Types of Anchor Text)?

Anchor text types produce different signals depending on the text structure of the link. The most common types are:

• Exact match (exact match):

Using the target keyword exactly.
Ex: “anchor text”

• Partial match (partial match):

Keyword + additional description.
Ex: “anchor text nasıl kullanılır”

• Branded:

Anchor given with the brand name.
Ex: “Nerec Yılmaz”

• Naked URL:

The link itself becomes the text.
Ex: “https://www.nerecyilmaz.com/”

• Generic:

Vague, non-descriptive anchor.
Ex: “click now”, “review”

• Image anchor (image link):

An image is linked; the signal is usually carried via alt text.

How Is Anchor Text Used?

Practical applications:

• Describe the topic of the page you link to clearly (avoid generic expressions).
• Do not link to the same page with the same anchor all the time; use variation.
• Place the anchor text naturally within the paragraph; do not stack it like spam.
• Choose clear texts of 2–6 words instead of very long anchors.
• In internal links (internal link), take the user to “the next logical step.”

The Importance of Anchor Text in SEO

In SEO, anchor text is a strong contextual signal that tells Google what the linked page is about. When used correctly:

• You build topic clusters more clearly with internal linking (topic cluster)
• You increase the authority of important pages
• You guide the user to the right page and increase time on site

When used incorrectly (especially excessive exact match), it can give spam signals and make your link profile look risky.

Anchor text strategy in off-site SEO

Anchor text strategy in off-site SEO is about managing which texts the sites you get backlinks from use to link to you. The goal here is not “one single type of keyword” but creating a natural distribution.

The healthiest approach:

• Branded anchors being dominant (brand trust)
• Partial match and descriptive anchors supporting
• Exact match anchors being limited and used naturally
• Naked URL and generic anchors also being present in the profile

Conclusion

Anchor text is a small but critical detail that affects both user experience and SEO signals. When you build the anchor text HTML structure correctly and do strategic linking with natural and descriptive texts in internal links, it contributes directly to organic visibility. If you want, we can create a site-specific internal link + anchor text plan and achieve faster growth on the organic side between your content clusters and service pages. Contact us for details.

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In short: When a user types something like “a durable suitcase under 3000 TL” during a conversation, if your product feed matches, it will appear in the results. If the Instant Checkout feature is enabled, the user can complete the payment via Stripe without leaving the chat window. This makes the purchasing process seamless within a single ecosystem.

ACP leaves order, return, and shipping processes entirely under the merchant’s control. In other words, the system only functions as a discovery and payment channel; customer relations remain fully in the hands of the brand. This structure revolutionizes e-commerce by uniting the “search → discovery → purchase” chain in a single place.

OpenAI and Stripe Partnership: A New Era in E-Commerce

OpenAI formed a strategic partnership with Stripe to transform the chat experience directly into commerce. While Stripe provides the secure payment infrastructure, OpenAI manages product discovery and the user experience.

With this partnership, the Instant Checkout feature was launched. Now, when users click “Buy,” Stripe’s secure payment system comes into play, and the order information is transmitted to the business. The brand processes the payment, ships the product, and manages returns according to its own policies.

By combining Stripe’s payment network, which covers millions of users in the US, with OpenAI’s access to over 100 million active ChatGPT users, a brand-new marketing and sales channel emerges for businesses. This turns chat-based AI tools from mere knowledge sources into the new storefront of e-commerce.

What is Instant Checkout?

Instant Checkout is a new payment experience that allows users to complete purchases securely with a single click, without leaving the chat window.

Normally, buying a product requires navigating through multiple pages, but with this feature, the product is selected, paid for through Stripe, and the order is automatically sent to the merchant.

Integration for Shopify and Etsy Sellers

Initially, direct selling was activated for Etsy stores. Etsy products are displayed in the recommendation feed for US-based users and can be purchased via Instant Checkout. Shopify integration is currently in testing and will be launched “soon.”

This means that more than 1 million Shopify merchants will be able to sell their products directly through chat. Businesses will be able to connect their existing product feeds without installing any additional software. Once a user sees and purchases the product within the chat, the payment is processed via Stripe, and the order appears in the Shopify dashboard.

For Türkiye specifically, neither Etsy nor Shopify integration is yet active. However, since the global launch started in the US and OpenAI announced plans for regional expansion by 2026, Turkish e-commerce brands preparing early will gain a significant advantage.

How Does the Sales Process Work?

Selling products within AI-powered chat isn’t very different from traditional e-commerce; the only distinction is that the entire process takes place within the conversation window.

1. Product Matching: A user searches for a product (e.g., “a durable suitcase under 3000 TL”). If your product feed matches, it appears in the suggestion list.
2. Instant Payment: When the user likes the product, they click “Buy,” completing the payment securely via Stripe.
3. Order Flow: Once payment is confirmed, the order information goes directly to the business. The product is prepared, shipped, and returns are handled within the brand’s own system.

The key point here is that chat-based commerce only serves as a discovery and payment facilitator; the entire customer experience remains with the brand.

Advantages and Considerations for Merchants

The biggest advantage of this new sales channel is that it shortens the customer journey. The user sees the product within the chat, purchases without being redirected, and this has the potential to increase conversion rates.

Advantages:

• New sales channel: AI-powered chat platforms help reach different user groups.
• Lower cart abandonment: Completing payments directly in chat reduces drop-offs.
• Open integration: With the ACP protocol, the technical process is transparent and standardized.

Points to consider:

• Competition: Multiple brands may be listed for the same product; price, quality, and stock will be decisive.
• Commissions: OpenAI and Stripe will charge a fee per transaction.
• Limited features: Currently, only single-product purchases are supported.

Therefore, businesses must consider both opportunities and potential limitations when shaping their strategies.

Is Selling on ChatGPT Possible in Türkiye?

Currently, direct sales are only active in the US. The first phase launched with Etsy, and Shopify will soon follow. OpenAI officially announced plans for regional expansion starting in 2026.

In Türkiye, there is no application process available yet. However, since Shopify and Etsy are already widely used in the country, Turkish businesses will be automatically included when the integration opens.

This means e-commerce companies in Türkiye should prepare now by:

• Structuring their product feeds correctly,
• Testing Stripe or alternative compatible payment systems,
• Developing SEO + AIO content strategies aligned with the algorithms.

Even though it’s not active yet, the brands that adapt first will gain a huge competitive edge once it arrives

From the US to Türkiye: Roadmap and Expectations

According to OpenAI, regional expansion is planned for 2026.

While there is no official date for Türkiye, the fact that Shopify and Etsy are already active here indicates that Turkish merchants will be included once the rollout expands. The most critical factor will be the payment infrastructure. Since Stripe is not officially available in Türkiye, alternative solutions may be considered when expansion happens.

Thus, the smartest strategy for Turkish brands is to produce early content, prepare product feeds, and adapt to global payment solutions in advance.

Conclusion: The Role of ChatGPT in the Future of E-Commerce

This new integration marks the beginning of a new era in e-commerce. Users can now search, discover, and purchase without leaving the platform. This innovation not only boosts conversion rates but also provides businesses with brand-new customer acquisition channels.

Although the system is not yet active in Türkiye, OpenAI’s roadmap shows that expansion in the coming years is inevitable. That’s why it’s crucial for Turkish brands to start creating content, building strategies, and preparing technically right now.

In short, chat-based AI is no longer just an information tool but is becoming the new storefront of digital commerce. For businesses that want to get ahead in e-commerce, this opportunity will be one of the most critical competitive advantages of the future.

For strategies that will take your brand step by step further in the increasingly competitive digital world, feel free to get in touch with me.

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1. Data Accuracy Is Essential

AI tools can sometimes create incredibly convincing sentences. However, that doesn’t mean they always provide accurate information. Especially in sensitive fields such as health, law, finance, and technology, content must absolutely be verified with independent sources.
Remember: AI systems are based on past data, and this data may not always be up to date. Expecting accurate statistics from a model that does not include developments after its production date is unrealistic. Therefore, treat every text as an idea or draft and always do a final check.

2. Don’t Overlook Ethical Use

In AI-generated content, ethical issues such as copyright, plagiarism, and transparency have become more important than ever. If a text or visual is completely produced by AI, stating this in the references section will build trust.
Also, imitating someone else’s style or original idea may harm your brand identity in the long run. In short: produce with AI, but don’t forget your responsibility.

3. The Human Touch Is Everything

AI tools can be incredibly productive, but content that touches emotions and builds connections still comes from human hands. Don’t hesitate to add your own experiences, tone of voice, and original thoughts to the texts you create with AI.
This not only means “originality” for SEO but also allows you to build a stronger bond with your reader. A warm greeting sentence, a small anecdote, or a personal perspective can set your content apart from your competitors.

See also: How to Write SEO-Friendly Content?

4. Choose the Right Tool for the Right Purpose

Not every AI tool suits every need. A tool used for blog writing doesn’t serve the same purpose as one that produces visuals. Analyse your target audience’s needs and determine which AI tool best aligns with your goals.
Also, remember that AI doesn’t think for you; it supports your thinking process. So instead of relying completely on a ready-made output, don’t forget to improve and transform it.

5. Don’t Ignore Privacy and Security Issues

Some AI tools may ask you to upload content, visuals, or similar data to their platform. Be cautious here. Storing your brand data, customer information, or confidential projects on a third-party platform can be risky. Read the terms of use carefully and, if possible, anonymise personal data before uploading.

5.1. How to Use ChatGPT?

AI-powered text generation tools like ChatGPT can be one of the strongest assistants for content creators when used correctly. But “just writing a prompt” is not enough. For effective use, you can follow these three steps:

1. Clearly express what you want: The more detailed and clear the direction, the better the result. Providing information like tone, target audience, and content type makes your job easier.
2. Reshape the response: The first content that comes out might not always be the final version. You can revise it through feedback. Use commands like “make this more friendly,” “simplify the title,” or “create a shorter version” to guide ChatGPT.
3. Always add your own perspective: AI provides ideas, but you must make the final touch. Adding real stories, personal comments, or experiences to your content ensures originality.
   In short, ChatGPT is not a writing wizard; it’s a helpful assistant that feeds your strategic thinking and speeds up your process.

6. Position AI as an Assistant, Don’t Lose Your Creativity

AI can increase productivity, but it can’t replace you. Treating AI as an “assistant editor” is the healthiest approach. Using it to generate initial ideas, summarise long texts, or create content suggestions saves time and helps you stay focused.

7. How Should Artificial Intelligence Be Positioned in Content Creation?

Where you place AI in your content production process directly affects the quality of your content. Positioning AI as a “production support tool” will help you get more reliable results.
So, what does this mean?

• It can be a source of inspiration: It can give you ideas when generating topics, introductions, or creative perspectives—especially helpful when you’re stuck.
• It helps with technical tasks: You can easily handle time-consuming tasks like keyword placement, summarising, and simplifying texts with AI.
• It functions as an editor: It can help check your content for meaning, consistency, and flow, and offer alternative sentence suggestions.

However, AI should not be seen as a “creative brain,” but rather as an “infrastructure tool” that facilitates the process. That is, the goal should not be to create content with AI but to enhance content production using it.
This way, not only does productivity increase, but your content also gains a unique spirit.

Conclusion: Those Who Use Technology Consciously Will Win

When used correctly, AI tools make content production remarkably easier. But using these tools consciously, ethically, and creatively is essential to make a difference in the digital world.
Don’t expect AI to think on your behalf; learn to think with it.

Feel free to contact me through the form if you’d like to collaborate on projects that increase brand awareness and digital visibility.

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This analysis helps you find your ideal customers and communicate effectively with them, just like a sailor plotting his course by looking at the stars.

If you want to make a place for your brand in the developing digital world, you should identify the right target audience and manage digital marketing processes accordingly. 

So what is the target audience?

The target audience is the people to whom a brand or business wants to market its product/service. In an infinitely wide and diverse market, it is very important to reach the ‘audience that will prefer your products’ to increase your brand sales.

In order to reach the right audience/persons, you need to analyze the target audience in the most accurate way and include it in marketing processes. 

What is Target Audience Analysis?

Target audience analysis is the process of identifying and understanding the people who will be most interested in your product or service. Learning who these people are, what they like/dislike, what kind of needs they have and what behaviors they exhibit will help you set up your marketing strategy correctly and get the best results.

You can liken audience analysis to solving a puzzle. You have pieces and you are trying to put them together to create a profile of your ideal customer. These pieces may include the following: 

• Demographic information: Age, gender, income level, education level, occupation, etc. 
• Geographical location: Where people live 
• Interests: Hobbies, passions, favorite things 
• Behaviors: How they use the internet, which platforms they are active on, what kind of content they are interested in 
• Needs: Problems they are trying to solve, products or services they are looking for.

With these pieces that enable segmenting the target audience, you can create the first profile of your own audience and better understand the people you want to address.

With the right target audience analysis;

• Brand awareness,
• Conversion rates,
• Sales
• You can increase your market network.

In today’s digital media, competitors increase every millisecond. It is of great importance to reach the right target audience to get out of the increasing competitive environment with the least damage and to be successful!

How to do target audience analysis to reach the right target audience? And examples of target audience analysis’ let’s examine them all together.

How to Target Audience Analysis?

Target audience analysis forms the basis of marketing strategy. Unless you identify the right target audience, it will be difficult to achieve target sales and conversions. For this, you need to select the potential target audience in the most accurate way and address them with the best marketing campaigns.

Let’s take a look at how to do the target audience analysis you need to direct your marketing efforts to the right target audience.

• Identify Your Targets

Before starting a target audience analysis, it is important to determine what/why you want to do this analysis! For example, are you considering a new product launch, do you want to increase the market share of an existing product, or do you want to improve overall customer conversion/satisfaction?

Identifying your objectives within your competitor market will help you analyze the audience you want to reach, their behaviors and interests. 

For example, you are a brand in the jewelry industry and you have introduced a new product called ‘stone clasp’. You want to attract people to this new product because it is different from accessories such as necklaces and bracelets. Since it is a new product, the target audience here will be a little different from others. For example, closed women may not need a clasp with stones.

• Define Your Target Audience

You can learn who your target audience is by using the data you collect from various sources. In the light of this information, you can see the demographic information, interests and behaviors of the target audience.

• Collect Existing Data

Knowing your current data is crucial if you want to achieve high conversions. Analyzing the current situation will help you determine the order of importance of the goals going forward.

You can get this data from sources such as website analytics, social media data, Instagram’s professional dashboard, customer surveys, and customer conversions.

While analyzing social media target audience; Instagram’s professional dashboard area allows you to collect a lot of data. This area, which provides information about the status of existing posts, interaction rates, successes and what you can do to gain more success, is an excellent guide for Instagram audience analysis.

• Analyze the Data

After collecting the existing data, you need to analyze the data that will allow you to reach the potential target audience. Analyzing the data of the marketing channels you use during the analysis phase will give you an idea about many issues. Among the methods you can use for analysis:

When doing Instagram audience analysis, you can analyze the ‘Followers’ area in the professional dashboard section to define your target audience 

From this field;

• Follower rate (following, removing, etc.)
• Main locations (city and country)
• Age range
• Gender
• And most importantly, you can create your own graph by seeing the ‘most active times’.

When you will do audience analysis for SEO: Manual SERP research, Google Analytics and Google Search Console analysis will be very useful for you.

For manual research, you can Google your own industry/niche and examine the top 10 websites that users prefer and visit the most. You can also use Google tools to measure how users interact with your website.

Google Search Console allows you to get clear information about what queries users are using and which pages they are accessing. Google Analytics, on the other hand, allows you to perform broader analysis, allowing you to see metrics such as users’ demographics, on-site behavior, and the channels through which they come to your website.

• Build the Buyer Audience

You have reached the stage of creating the buyer target audience in the light of the data you have collected from the panels of marketing channels. At this stage, you should bring together the information you gathered in the previous stages.

As an example of target audience analysis, let’s go from the top example:

You are a business in the jewelry industry and in the light of the data you have collected, let’s assume that your potential audience is between the ages of 18-35, living in Istanbul and female customers. 

You have introduced a new product called ‘buckle with stones’ and started marketing it. You will need to divide the target audience we have just created as a buyer audience. If your product appeals to the upper segment in terms of price, rather than university students; you can choose self-employed, working women as the target audience.

Creating the buyer audience will be of great benefit in terms of knowing the general situation of the customers you want to address and preparing content planning accordingly.

• Continuously Follow the Target Audience

After analyzing and determining the goals, target audience and available data, you can start marketing efforts to reach the created buyer audience.

However, the most important thing you should not forget here:

Target audience analysis is not a one-time study!

Yes, you did not hear wrong! Due to changing socio-economic conditions and user behavior, you need to analyze your target audience periodically and measure how they interact with your content.

If you want your marketing campaign to be successful, you should periodically analyze your target audience and examine their feedback about your product/service.

For this, you can use techniques such as surveys and interviews to analyze the feedback you receive from your current campaign and make some changes. 

Web and social media platforms are changing and improving every day. We want to get out of the marketing processes in the most successful way against the algorithm that gets smarter every second.

In order for your brand to be minimally affected by the changing conditions and to gain a solid place in the expanding market, you should make the best target audience analysis.

Why is Target Audience Analysis Important?

• Enables You to Reach the Right Audience 

The better you know your target audience, the better you can tailor your marketing messages and products to their needs and interests. This makes your marketing efforts more effective.

• More Efficient Use of Your Marketing Budget 

When you know the target audience, you can focus on showing your ads and other marketing activities to the right people. In this way, you can reduce unnecessary expenses and use your marketing budget more efficiently.

• Increases Customer Satisfaction

When you offer products/services that meet the needs and desires of your customers, customer satisfaction increases. This, in turn, increases loyal customer base and repeat purchase behavior.

• It Lets You Stay Ahead of the Competition

If you want to differentiate from your competitors and increase your market share, you need to understand the target audience better than others. You can get ahead of your competitors by offering innovative products/services that meet the needs of your target audience. 

• Helps You Improve Your Products and Services

By receiving and analyzing feedback from your target audience, you can gain valuable insights to improve your product/service. This will help you better meet your customers’ expectations and achieve your marketing goals. 

Audience analysis is important for businesses of all sizes. If you are a small entrepreneur or a small business, it is crucial to know your target audience well in order to make the best use of your marketing budget and time!

For a large company, it is important to constantly analyze your target audience to maintain your market share and expand into new markets.

Other articles that may be relevant:

• Instagram SEO: Increasing Engagement and Visibility

• How to Advertise on Instagram?

• Google Ads: How to Advertise on Google?
• How to Monetize Your Website with Google Adsense

The post Target Audience Analysis: What is it? appeared first on Nerec Yılmaz.

What is Google Adsense?

Google Adsense is one of Google’s tools that allows website owners (content, gaming, technology, etc.) to place Google Ads on their pages.

Depending on the content of your website and the visitor traffic it receives, you can earn a significant amount of money from Google Adsense ad impressions.

How Does Google Adsense Work?

After registering for Adsense, you add the code provided by Google to your site. Subsequently, Google begins to examine whether your site is suitable for displaying ads. Upon successfully passing this review, they start paying commissions for each ad click.

Google Ads vs Google Adsense

When looking at the fundamental differences between two Google advertising platforms, Google Ads vs Google Adsense:

• Purpose of Use:

Google Ads is an advertising platform used by advertisers to promote their own ‘products or services.’

Google Adsense is used by those who want to utilize the available space on websites.

You can use both advertising platforms with the same Gmail accounts, each having different panels.

While Google Ads is used for business or product-service promotion, Google Adsense is employed to ensure that the ads placed in Google Ads appear on YouTube, blogs, or shopping channels.

In summary, website owners using Google Adsense can earn money by displaying paid advertisements provided by Google Ads on their web pages.

• Payment Method:

Advertisers need to pay specific fees for the ads provided through the Google Ads panel.

Google Adsense, on the other hand, pays website owners for ‘advertisements they display.’

Earning Money with Google Adsense: How to Use It?

To earn money with Google Adsense ads, you need to follow the steps below.

Open a Google Adsense Account

After logging into Google Adsense, click on the ‘Get Started’ option.

After entering options such as website address and country, proceed by approving the agreement.

Enter Your Payment Information

After logging into the panel, go to the ‘Payments’ section on the left side of the screen. Before starting to display ads on your site, fill in the payment information that Google needs for payments.

Connect Your Website to Google Adsense

After filling in the payment information, go to the ‘Sites’ section on the left side of the panel to link your website to your Google Adsense account.

After adding your domain in the ‘Add site’ section, Google Adsense provides a unique code for linking to your website. Follow the instructions to place the code on the specific areas on your site where you want to display ads, such as between <head> tags or designated ad spaces.

Remember:

After adding the code to your site and establishing the connection, Google needs to check if your website is eligible for advertising. After successfully passing this review stage, you can proceed with the following steps.

Select Ad Placements

Up to this point, you’ve informed Google that you want to place ads on your website. Now, you need to determine where on your website the ads will appear.

Two options are available here:

• Automatic ads, allowing Google to find and mark suitable ad spaces on your website.
• Manual placement. You control ad placements by adding the code only to the areas where you want ads to appear.

To set up Google automation and determine the ads that will be displayed on your website, you can activate the ‘Automatic Ads’ button in the ‘Ads’ section.

Additionally, if there are pages on your site where you don’t want ads, you can add them to the ‘Excluded’ section.

Advantages of Using Google Adsense

Some advantages of using Google Adsense include:

• Website owners can generate passive income through the Adsense platform.
• Google Adsense membership and usage are free.
• With Adsense, the hassle of individually searching for advertisers is eliminated. You can find advertisers suitable for your website with just a few clicks.
• It allows placement of ads tailored for desktop and mobile screens.
• The ads displayed on your site have passed Google approval, so you don’t need to worry about the quality standards of the ads published on your web pages.
• The ads displayed on your site are compatible with the content and visitor profile, ensuring that your page layout remains user-friendly.
• You can customize ad designs to match your site.
• You can choose the type of ads to be placed on your site.
• One of the best aspects is that as your website traffic and visitors increase, your earnings will gradually increase.

Youtube Adsense Advertising

By linking your YouTube account to Google Adsense, you can earn money from videos. To do this:

• Activate monetization on your YouTube channel.
• Connect your YouTube account to your Google Adsense account.
• Compile videos for advertising.
• Choose the types of ads.

Then, sit back and start earning passive income from videos.

You may also find it useful to optimize your channel and videos to make your YouTube channel more advertisable. To optimize your Youtube channel:

Youtube SEO Guide: How to Optimize Youtube Videos?

Google Adsense and SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ensures that your website appears in relevant user queries, enhancing user experience and positively impacting website traffic.

When you connect a website that has undergone SEO optimization to Google Adsense, the performance of your website is likely to be higher.

To improve your website’s SEO performance:

Also see. How to do SEO?

Contact me to get an SEO consultant and boost your website performance. Let’s grow together!

The post Earn Money from Your Website: Google Adsense appeared first on Nerec Yılmaz.

What is Google Ads?

Google Ads is the Google advertising platform that allows businesses to create online ads. It aims to attract users to a website, product, or service, increasing traffic and sales. By using Google Ads, your business ads will be displayed on Google Search results, Google Maps, YouTube, and other Google platforms.

While the online advertising platform was initially called Google Adwords, it began to be referred to as Google Ads in 2018. With the Google Ads service, you can run advertising campaigns on Google and its partner platforms.

Why Should We Use Google Ads?

Google Ads is a powerful tool that helps you take your business goals one step further. Additionally, today’s users often use Google as their first choice when searching for a product or service.

Through Google Ads’ search network advertising model, you can appear when users perform a search that includes your business or service. This increases brand awareness and helps you reach your potential target audience. Other reasons to use Google Ads include:

• Targeted Ads: With Google Ads, you can target your ads to specific users and locations, increasing the relevance of your ads in search results and improving their success rate.
• Measurability: The interface allows you to measure the performance of your advertising campaigns, showing you which campaigns are more successful.
• Interaction: With Google Ads, you can promote your website and services, reaching potential customers.

Google Ads Terms

Before you launch your ads through the Google advertising panel, it’s useful to be familiar with the Google Ads terms you’ll encounter during the campaign process. These include:

• CPC (Cost Per Click): CPC represents the cost you, as an advertiser, pay for each click. It determines the cost paid to achieve the impact of the ad and reach potential customers.
• CPM (Cost Per Mille): CPM represents the cost paid for a thousand impressions of an ad. This metric is commonly used to evaluate the performance of visual and video ads.
• CTR (Click-Through Rate): CTR is the ratio showing how many times an ad was clicked when it was displayed. It is a metric used to evaluate the effectiveness of an ad.
• Quality Score: Google Ads’ score for evaluating ad quality. It considers factors such as keyword density, ad text quality, and click-through rate. Ads with a high-quality score can achieve lower costs and better positions.
• Impression: It denotes the display of an ad. Displayed ads have potentially reached users, and this count continues even if no clicks are received.
• Conversion: Conversion occurs when a user performs the expected action, such as filling out a form on the website. This metric is crucial in measuring the success of an ad.
• Ad Rank: Ad Rank indicates how well an ad performs compared to other ads on Google. It depends on factors like bid, quality score, and ad extensions.
• Bid: Bid represents the maximum ad spend that an advertiser is willing to pay for a specific keyword or target audience. Higher bids can help display your ad in better positions.
• Ad Extensions: Ad extensions are additional information added to ads to make them more comprehensive. Examples include location extensions, map, and contact information.
• Targeting: Through targeting, your ad is directed to a specific demographic, geographic, and behavioral audience. This allows for a more specific and effective ad campaign.

These are some of the general terms you might encounter when preparing an advertising campaign on the Google Ads platform. Now let’s discuss how the process of advertising on Google works.

How to Use Google Ads?

Before advertising on Google through Google Ads, there is a research phase you should consider. Being clear about your goals, target audience, and advertising budget in this phase will help you proceed confidently in the campaign process.

Setting Advertising Goals

Before activating your Google ads, you need to know why you want to advertise. When determining advertising goals, you can consider business objectives. For example, e-commerce sites usually aim to make money with their conversion goals. Content publishers, on the other hand, may want to increase views and interactions. Corporate businesses may seek to increase brand awareness and connect with the target market.

Defining Your Target Audience

Identifying your target market and what you will offer to your target audience is a crucial step. Some questions to ask yourself for your business goals include:

• Will you address a local or national market?
• Is your customer base composed of businesses or individual customers?
• What are the digital habits and usage patterns of your target market? How can you reach them?
• Are you addressing the needs of your customers?
• Have you examined your competitors? Which competitors are liked or disliked?
• What compelling factors are you using to motivate your target audience? Are your call-to-action (CTA) texts strong?

During this phase of self-examination, consider potential competitors. You can analyze the keywords they use, examine their websites, and compare them to your own website.

Determining the Advertising Budget

• When determining the advertising budget, you should consider the average competitiveness of the keywords you want to advertise and your goals. 
• On Google, you can advertise with any budget, and you also have the flexibility to increase or decrease budget figures.
• When deciding on your advertising budget, think about scenarios that align with the cost and click-through rates of your target keywords.

To reach a scenario that suits your advertising budget, let’s move on to the steps of advertising on Google. Let’s get started…

How to set up a Google Campaign?

By creating a Google Ads account, you can follow the steps below to publish your ads.

Create a Google Ads Account

To create a Google Ads account, go to https://ads.google.com/ and create your account using your Gmail or another email account you use.

Campaign Creation

After selecting “Create a new campaign” you’ll encounter the screen asking, “What is your campaign goal?” It’s recommended to choose based on your advertising goal. I selected the “potential customers” option, which could be suitable for everyone.

Next, determine the type of your advertising campaign. Choosing an ad type that aligns with your advertising goal will go hand in hand with your objectives. I opted for the widely preferred “search network” category.

After that, there’s a field where you specify how you want to reach your goal. Since I selected “website visits” I added my website address.

Once you’ve selected your potential customer goal, you can continue by naming your campaign.

Bidding

When you reach the bidding section, you need to choose one of the following focus goals:

• Conversions: Important metrics covering actions taking place on your website, app, and specified store.
• Conversion Value: A critical measure showing the value associated with actions occurring on your webpage, app, and store.
• Clicks: Represents actions taken to attract users to the ads and encourage them to click when their interest is piqued.
• Impression Share: A percentage reflecting the ratio of impressions ads receive to the total number of impressions they could potentially reach.

After selecting the focus goal as clicks, you can choose a maximum value for “cost per click” This way, you can prevent the ad from being displayed if it exceeds your pricing.

Campaign Settings

After determining the bid, you organize campaign settings to reach your target audience correctly.

Include Google Search Network Partners: If you want your ads to appear near Google search results and on other Google platforms when users search for keywords related to your ad, you can select this network.

Include Google Display Ad Network: If the budget allocated for the Google Search Network is not fully utilized, and you want your ads to appear on relevant websites, videos, and applications on Google (e.g., YouTube) and on the internet, you can choose this option.

Making the network selection can lead to your ads receiving more clicks or invalid clicks. Here, you can activate these options with targeting that fits your budget for your branding efforts.

After that, you proceed by selecting the desired location and choosing the most suitable one for your business from the user profiles in that location.

After selecting the location, you move to the language section to choose the language in which your ad will be displayed. If your target location is Turkey, you can continue in the Turkish language.

After selecting your language, we come to the area where you can segment the target audience that your ads will reach. We proceed step by step to create custom segments for your ad campaign.

We determine the chosen target audiences by moving them to the blank space on the right. The targeting settings for the campaign can remain as “Observation (recommended)” as seen below. This option does not restrict the reach of our created ad campaign. The other “Targeting” option will only rely on the audience segments we create. Marking this option may affect reaching the right users if we make a small mistake in our selections.

After setting up the audience segments, we move towards the final settings. Here, you need to make specific adjustments related to the ad campaign. These include:

Other Settings

Ad Rotation: The Ads system needs to optimize your ads. It is recommended by Google engineers for more clicks and conversions.

Start and End Dates: The area where you determine the broadcast duration of your ads. If you don’t enter an end date here, your ad will continue to be published until your budget is exhausted.

Ad Scheduling: Information about when your business actively provides customer support is important in this section. If you want conversions through phone calls, your call center area should be open during the times your ads are running, and knowledgeable experts should guide customers from the other end of the phone.

Campaign URL Options:

• Tracking Template: You can visit the link below for options related to the Google Ads campaign URL address.
• Final URL Suffix: It is the suffix added to the end of the final URL address. You can visit the link below for detailed information.
• Custom Parameters: Refers to URL parameters that you can define for your ads. Can be used in the final URL and tracking template.

After editing these sections, you can proceed by clicking ‘next.’

Keywords and Ads

Google Ads system allows you to examine target ads grouped under a common theme through ad groups. Don’t forget to associate ads and keywords with a single product or service to get the best results.

To benefit from the artificial intelligence-based features of the Google Ads advertising system and receive keyword suggestions, you just need to enter your website’s URL address in the specified field. Google Ads analyzes strategies that have been successful in similar product and service categories by scanning your website and can offer you unique keywords. I highly recommend this step!

While doing keyword research, you can visit the “Keyword Planner” page of the Google Ads system to discover new keywords. Through this page, you can see statistical information for the last 1 month, 1 year, or 2 years according to the time intervals you want. The matching types of the keywords you determine will help you control which searches your ads will affect.

Ads and Ad Text

When you reach the Ads section, it is crucial to fill in the fields below correctly. Information about the relevant fields you need to enter:

How to write SEO Friendly Ad Text?

Setting the Final URL:

This step is where you define the final URL address of your website. It is the URL address that users will reach after clicking on your ad. For example, my final URL address is in the form of https://nerecyilmaz.com. At this point, my recommendation is not to add your website address without https. If your site does not have an SSL certificate in 2024, I recommend obtaining one before advertising! Because when users enter your website, the ‘not secure’ label in the address bar will create a negative perception for your website and ads. Remember, the most important aspect of an ad is its reliability.

Visible Path:

This area is a part of the visible URL address and should be a maximum of 15 characters long. Google Ads combines your final URL domain and path text to create the visible path. This way, your customers will have clear ideas about the web page they will reach when they click on the ad.

Headlines:

You need to add at least 3 headlines to this section. The character limit is 30, including spaces. Your headlines are structured by Google Ads as they anticipate performance improvement.

Descriptions:

At least 2 headlines should be added, and the character limit is 90. The important thing here is the harmony between your headlines and description text. Non-duplicate unique headlines and descriptions ensure high performance for your ads.

Adding an Image:

The image addition section for your Google Ads is where you will add relevant images to define your existing ad. Image extensions are effective in creating user-focused campaigns with impressive product or service images that enhance the message in ad texts.

Adding Business Name and Logo:

You can automatically add these areas using your Google URL address. Or you can click on the ‘get access’ tab and follow the instructions. The information in this field is for your account verification. Google requests advertisers to verify their accounts to provide more transparency and controls worldwide

Site Links:

Adding a site link to your Google ad is one of the factors that increase ad performance compared to competitors. By providing additional links that take users to specific pages on your site, you can achieve conversions on your product pages.

Description Texts:

This is the area where you can add the most popular and unique features of your Google ads. For example, expressions such as ‘free shipping, 24/7 support, 5-year warranty support’ can attract customers to your business.

Budget Adjustment

Now we have reached the “Budget” section of Google Ads advertisements. As an advertiser, determine the average amount you want to spend monthly and then divide this amount by the number of days you plan to present your ads to users. For example, if your allocated advertising budget for your business is 10,000 $, and you plan to advertise for 20 days excluding weekends, the calculation is as follows: 10,000 / 20 = 500 $, which is the daily budget. You can enter this figure into the special budget settings and set it as 500 $.

In Google Ads advertisements, your monthly expenses will not increase beyond the product of your daily budget and the average number of days in a month. However, you have the flexibility to spend less than your daily budget on some days and up to twice your daily budget on other days. This variability can change depending on the interaction strategy of the Google Ads system with your potential customers, based on click density.

When you make adjustments for the amount you want to spend monthly in Google Ads, click the “Next” button in the bottom right corner of the information screen that appears, proceed to the next stage, and finish the system debugging. Now, the ad campaign you have created up to this stage is ready to be published. Click on the blue “Publish Campaign” button in the top right corner of the screen, and after Google completes its analyses, your ad will be published.

Google Ads Ad Types

Google Ads, being Google’s most comprehensive advertising network, offers multiple campaign alternatives to advertisers. Here are the types of Google Ads advertisements:

Search Network Ads

Search network ads consist of the first ads that users encounter when they search for a specific topic. These ads are an effective marketing strategy to reach users who are searching on Google and other search engines. With this ad type, businesses can promote their websites or products/services.

For example, if you own a car rental company, you can use search network ads to appear in queries about instant car rentals.

Display Ads

Display ads are visual advertisements that appear on Google and Google partner websites, applications, and other digital platforms. These ads usually include visuals, text, video, or animation. It is possible to increase brand awareness and website traffic with such ads.

For instance, by displaying our brand ads on popular newspaper websites, we can reach our potential target audience.

Shopping Ads

Shopping ads are a type of advertisement that ensures the display of your products or services on Google Shopping and other Google platforms. As shopping ads include elements such as visuals, titles, and prices, users can get basic information about your product without visiting your website.

Shopping ads are an impressive marketing tool with high conversion rates when reaching users interested in your product.

Video Ads

Video ads are displayed on Google partner Youtube and various social media platforms. By using video ads consisting of moving images and sounds, you can increase brand awareness and sales.

To optimize video ads, examine your ad performance and influencing factors. Make changes to the ad if necessary.

Google Discovery Ads

Google creates Discovery Ads based on information gathered from advertisers and users. These ads appear to users based on their interests and search habits.

App Ads

With Google Ads mobile advertising alternative, you can advertise your mobile application. By promoting your application on Google Play Store and other mobile stores, you can help users discover you.

Google Maps

If you have a physical business, you can advertise on Google Maps to appear in location-based searches. You can perform this through the Google Ads panel.

Just as you can appear at the top through Google Ads by advertising, you can also elevate your organic ranking through Local SEO audits.

Google Ads vs SEO

Google Ads and SEO are topics that should not be thought of separately but rather addressed together. Why? Search Engine Optimization aims to improve the performance of your website by designing it according to Google and other search engines, with the goal of increasing organic traffic and conversion rates.

With SEO Optimize, you can enhance your website’s performance, ensuring that visitors from Google Ads stay on the pages for a longer time. For SEO consultant and more, feel free to contact me. Let’s grow together

Google Ads vs Google AdSense

Google AdSense and Google Ads are both free online advertising platforms provided by Google. They are often confused with each other, but there are two key features that differentiate these platforms:

• Purpose:

Google Ads allows business owners to promote their products or services on Google and partner websites for a specified fee, as mentioned above. Google AdSense enables website owners to earn money by displaying ads on their sites.

• Payment Method:

Google Ads requires advertisers to pay specified fees through the panel based on metrics such as the type of ads and target audience. Google AdSense pays website owners for displaying ads on their sites.

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