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Keywords to Target in Search Advertising |
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Contributed by Search Guru
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Jun 21, 2005 at 11:14 AM |
Would you like to target “digital camera” or “canon digital
camera” or “canon digital powershot camera a75” in your campaign?
I have already written a couple of times about targeting specific and
niche keywords, but the subject has become so critical in generating
profitable traffic that I decided to dedicated an exclusive article on
it.
I looked up the Overture keyword selector tool, and found the following numbers on the search queries for different set of keywords.
Search Frequency
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Search Keywords
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2405136
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Digital Camera
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| 384443 |
canon digital camera
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2804 |
a75 camera canon digital powershot |
Now, looking at these numbers, once again, would you target “camera
digital” or “a75 camera canon digital powershot”. The answer is the
later one and it may be counter intuitive too. Why would you leave popular
keywords and go for niche ones with less traffic.
I would give you two simple reasons for the same.
1. The bid price is lower
The more your query is specific, the less the bid price you will pay.
For example- the overture bid price for “digital camera” is $0.88 while
the bid price for “a75 camera canon digital powershot” is $0.55. so,
you pay more than 50% for generic keywords. But you may think
that you are losing on a whole lot of potential buyers. Wait and
read the 2 nd point.
2. The Leads are riper
Anybody who is searching on digital camera maybe interested in
anything ranging from buying parts and accessories to just researching
the industry or reading the reviews. Even those who intend to buy a
product start their search with generic keywords and keep narrowing
their search results by making their query more specific. Eventually
when the person is ready to buy, he or she is going to plug-in the
exact model name or number and then figure out who is the best seller.
So, don’t waste your money earlier in the process. Majority of
e-commerce transactions fit well with this recommendation.
Now the next question is how do you search for keywords that are niche
and lucrative to your business. I propose following best practices:
- Determine your target audience and their needs. This goes back to Marketing 101.
But the more you know about your customers' specific needs, the better you can anticipate niche
keywords.
- Use Overture keyword selector and bid tool to get a sense on the
frequency and price of these keywords. You may get some more ideas on
similar keywords to target.
- Use variations of ad copy specifically targeted for keywords in
search. Because that’s what people are looking for. If somebody is
looking for “cheap movers”, don’t present an ad with “reliable movers”
as title or vice versa.
- Work through multiple landing pages. Landing page is your second
pitch to the potential buyer or customer. Keep the same spin as in the
ad copy, to show how your product is still relevant to the person’s
query. For example- if the query is “cheap movers”, take the visitor to
a landing page that compares your prices with others. If the query is
“reliable movers”, take the visitor to a landing page that describes
the quality of your moving services. Of course, the visitor should be
able to find other pieces of information later, but you need to keep
the visitor engaged with the same pitch within landing page.
- Monitor and Measure- This bullet point is much more important in targeting specific and niche keywords.
- Use Automation, and consider Google automation or Dynamic keyword
inserter tools. But be aware I have seen many silly ads that are
automatically generated. So always have a quick manual review of ad
copies.
In conclusion, I also believe that searching is going to become more
and more sophisticated and the frequency and number of niche searches
is only going to expand. With the rate at which content on web is
exploding, searchers would find it almost impossible to obtain any
meaningful information by generic keywords. So, the learning will
kick-in with experience. As an advertiser, you will be prepared to tap
into ever growing niches in future if you understand this strategy.
See also: Improve your ads CTR
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Last Updated ( Jun 22, 2005 at 09:03 PM )
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Online Advertising