By Jackie
If I had a pound for every time I saw a Google Adwords account stuffed full of broad match keywords, I would be lazing around on a tropical beach. Before entering into advertising on Google Adwords it is a must to understand the differences between the keyword match types as well as the amazing scope for serious money making long-tail keywords. Using the Google Adwords Keywords Tool and understanding keyword match types is very important from the outset. This system for finding the best Google Adwords keywords can be applied across all PPC advertising campaigns on other search engines. In fact the keywords you find for Google Adwords can be carried over into the SEO for your website.
The Google Keyword Tool
If you are setting up a new campaign or a brand new account start with your own website using the Google Keyword Tool. This tool is excellent as it scans the content of your website, picking up keywords and providing data on monthly searches, competition, suggested pay per click bid amount, and shows your ad and search share where appropriate. These will be keywords that are not already in your account so if you have an existing account it can highlight these ideas.
This tool can be found by clicking the link above – The Google Keyword Tool – you need to enter your website name if it is not already there and you need to be signed into your Google Adwords account to access the fullest information.
There are numerous keyword tools available but as this is free and as it scans your website it is a logical starting point. There is the option to save the draft keywords and export into a spreadsheet format. They can also be added directly into your Adwords account, however if doing it this way put them into a temporary ad group so that they can be split properly later.
Apart from associating with your website the Keyword Tool has a command which is found at the bottom of the page called “Or see top keywords across all categories”. Click on this blue writing and choose the box at the top of the page which says “Words or phrase”. Here it is best to start with a core competitive keyword such as “bingo” as then it will come back with a lot of information.
Drill further down into important keywords next by using the Google Insights for Search tool. This gives an expansion of whatever keyword you enter providing more keyword ideas but importantly you can see at the same time geographically where these keywords are most popular. Additionally this tool gives the historical trends of the keyword currently going back to 2004.
Google Trends
Click on the link above to access this tool. Just type your keywords into the box and away you go. You can add in more terms, make other comparisons and drill down in various ways.
Within the Web Search Option you can choose Web Search itself, or Image Search, News Search, Product Search or YouTube Search. Digressing from Adwords for a moment, if you are on the lookout for new content ideas for your site or blog, checking out the News Search can be very helpful. What has been featured around your industry keywords, what do you have to say that may be new or add value to these hot topics.
The Worldwide Option gives you a drop down with all the countries present, so you can play around with this depending on where your target market is located. Additionally you can run searches for different time frames, from the 2004 – Present Option.
The All Categories Option lets you choose various industries. The graph that is displayed during your research gives you a helpful visual look at the trends. You may notice spikes in activity during certain time periods.
Core Keywords & Long Tail Keywords
When you have exhausted the research using these tools, saving the information on a spreadsheet as you go, then the next step is to split the keywords into core competitive keywords and long-tail keywords. Core competitive keywords being the obvious ones that everyone bids on such as “car insurance” and the long-tail keywords being more specific versions of these such as “cheap car insurance london”. The reason for doing this is so that when it comes to allocating budget it is possible to ensure that it will be done more profitably.
Next you need to divide them up into related keywords that can be developed into the ad groups of one particular campaign. So an insurance company that does many types of insurance will have car insurance, motor insurance, commercial insurance all as separate campaigns. In retail it should be according to either brands or stock type, such as dresses, jeans, shirts etc.
Keyword Types
In the Google Adwords account ideally there should be a separate campaign for Exact Match keywords, another one for Phrase Match and another one for a period of time for Broad Match keywords and Broad Match Modifier keywords. The reason for doing this is again budget and performance management. The exact match keyword is the ideal situation as this word or phrase of words is all the potential customer has typed in, therefore the keyword and ad text can be 100% controlled to mirror the thought process of the potential customer.
When campaigns have been set up very well then budget can be allocated appropriately to long-tail Exact Match keywords and core competitive Exact Match keywords. The Phrase Match keywords means that someone has typed in something either before or after the keyword, which in some cases can be fully relevant to your products/services but in other cases not. By adding in negative keywords this can be controlled to some degree. In the case of Broad Match keywords these can sometimes be dangerous, as this match type is more of a loose association with the keyword or phrase you have entered. The Broad Match Modifier can be helpful in the early days of a campaign. Click on the link for Google’s own information on using the keyword types.
Finally make sure you develop more long-tail keywords by adding words such as “cheap” at the beginning and end of the keyword phrase, unless of course this is not appropriate. The same applies to “online”, “buy” and “sale” to name a few. Developing the best Google Adwords keywords this way will both save you a lot of money and increase profits.