We have a question for every Salt Lake City business that relies on PPC advertising to reach its audience online: are the most competitive keywords in your industry the best ones to choose? Before you answer, let us give you a little hint. It is a trick question.
It’s normal to assume that the most competitive keywords represent the best choices for PPC. But that’s not always true. In fact, it is rarely true from a pure dollars and cents perspective. So then how does an organization choose the best keywords?
Why Keywords Matter
Before we get into how to choose the best keywords, you need to know why keywords matter in PPC advertising. It is pretty simple. Keywords are still the main driver of internet search. They are also the main driver used to connect content with consumers.
In PPC, advertisers bid on keywords they believe will appeal to their customers. If they guess right, their ads will be displayed to the most coveted customers. If they get it wrong, they will not be targeting the people they should be. So yes, keyword choice is critical.
Knowing Your Audience
This ultimately leads to the most fundamental rule of all things SEO: know your audience. This is such a well-known principle that we will not spend a lot of time on it here. Suffice it to say that you cannot target an audience you don’t know. So put time in effort into researching demographics, customer behaviors and interests, and so forth.
Brainstorm Before You Search
Before you begin searching for the best keywords, spend some time brainstorming. Sit down and start creating a general list of terms related to your business, products, and services. Also, don’t overthink it. Try to think of keywords that your customers would use to find your company.
Once you have a general list, use something like Google Keyword Planner to expand it. Any good keyword research tool can come up with keywords you haven’t thought of.
Match Keywords With Intent
This next step is perhaps the hardest of all: matching keywords with intent. Understand that search engine algorithms are not human brains. They need to be programmed to accommodate the fact that people don’t always say (or type into a search bar) exactly what they mean.
If you understand user intent as it relates to how your customers search for your products or services, you can identify keywords that may look worthless on the surface but actually turn out to be pure gold. Some of the best keywords in any industry are terribly underutilized because organizations don’t give much thought to user intent.
Look at Less Competitive Keywords
Though it seems counterintuitive, do not obsess over the most competitive keywords in your industry or market. In fact, look at less competitive keywords. Why? Two reasons:
- They will cost less when it comes time to bid.
- You will not be competing with as many players to get your ads displayed.
Successfully choosing less competitive keywords takes some practice and a bit of intuition. But if you can master it, you can get a lot for your money in PPC advertising.
Consider Negative Keywords
Finally, consider coming up with some negative keywords. These are keywords you do not want search engines to consider when deciding whether to display your ads. Including negative keywords can filter out undesirable users while getting your ads in front of a larger number of qualified visitors.
As we close, remember that Webtek does PPC advertising. We are happy to help you make the most of your PPC program moving forward.
