How to Conduct PPC Keyword Research
PPC keyword research is the first step in using pay-per-click advertising programs like Google Adwords to drive targeted traffic to your company’s website.
For most organizations, PPC research is an important resource for online lead generation. The catch is that it requires a certain level of expertise to ensure that your paid digital advertising program is targeting words and phrases that connect with desired audiences and market segments.
Considerations in PPC Keyword Research
Effective pay-per-click marketing isn’t as simple as randomly selecting and bidding on generic keywords. To optimize ad spend and conversion rates, there are several things you’ll need to consider when performing PPC keyword research on the front-end of a PPC marketing campaign:
- Keyword Terms: There are several types of keyword terms that should be addressed in PPC research. In addition to branded terms (e.g. your brand name and product names), you will need to consider non-branded terms that describe your products or services. Just as importantly, your research should uncover terms that are indirectly related to your products or services-keywords and key phrases that prospective customers typically search for online. Finally, be sure to include the brand names of your competitors and their products in your PPC keyword research.
- Long-Tail Keywords: In PPC marketing, there is a high level of competition for broad search terms. For example, competition for the search term “shoes” is exceptionally high, resulting in higher costs-per-click and reduced ROI on ad spend. Instead of focusing on broad keywords, a better approach is to look for long-tail keywords-key words and phrases that are more specific. For an online shoe retailer, this might mean avoiding keywords like “shoes” and focusing on key phrases like “red shoes” or better yet, “red Nike sneakers.” Specificity increase the likelihood that you can cost-efficiently attract the right audiences to your site using PPC ads.
- Negative Keywords: It’s not enough to generate a list of the keywords you want to target with PPC ads. You also need to create a list of negative keywords, or keywords that you don’t want your ads to appear for. An accurate list of keywords is important because it keeps ads relevant. Negative keywords also help your organization make the best use of PPC ad spend by filtering out opportunities for ads to show up for search terms that are unrelated or even offensive-terms that have the potential to rack up costs without producing leads or conversions.
Getting Started with PPC Keyword Research
It’s possible to perform PPC keyword research and manage PPC campaigns in-house, but it’s usually not the most efficient or effective approach. Experienced, professional PPC services more than pay for themselves in optimized ad spend, increased lead gen and higher conversion rates.
Walker Sands is an experienced digital services firm with an unparalleled track record in PPC marketing. Our PPC research and management methodologies are designed to deliver exceptional results, while systematically lowering the costs of our clients’ PPC campaigns.
For more information or to talk to a Walker Sands PPC marketing expert, fill out the form or give us a call at 312-267-0066.