Getting Started with PPC Keyword Research
Take a look as we explore all there is to know about PPC keyword research. By the end of our guide you will know:
- – What is PPC Keyword Research?
- – Are PPC and SEO Keyword Research the Same?
- – Why Is PPC Keyword Research Important?
- – What PPC Keywords You Should Consider
- – The Reality of PPC Keyword Research
- – How Different Gravy Digital Can Help
Building and maintaining a strong performance on your campaigns takes time, money and expertise. But without conducting keyword research both at the beginning of your campaign and regularly throughout, you will never receive the best possible return on investment for your efforts.
Paid Advertising has become one of the most effective marketing methods to drive targeted traffic to a website. Keyword research is one of the vital first steps that businesses must take to discover words and phrases that will deliver the relevant traffic to their landing page. Keyword research sounds like a taxing job. What’s the point of researching keywords anyway? Shouldn’t we just use our common sense to tell us which keywords are relevant to your business? Definitely not – that could be a massive mistake!
Ready to Get Started?
Looking for a reputable business to conduct your keyword research and get your campaign up and running, then contact Different Gravy Digital today for a free, no obligation consultation:
Book a meeting: michaelgoldman.co.uk/
Telephone: 0161 706 0004
Email: contact@differentgravydigital.co.uk
Keyword research is how you keep your businesses’ ears to the ground. Can you really afford to completely misunderstand your audience?
What is PPC Keyword Research?
Keyword research is a core paid advertising task that involves finding words and phrases your target audience enter into search engines. Its about selecting the best keywords to bid on that are most likely to result in clicks and conversions.
It’s about understanding your target audience and utilising the research to predict which terms they will be typing into the search box. For a PPC campaign to generate conversions and return on investment, advertisers need to ensure their ads are showing up at the right time, in the right place and to the right people.
Are PPC and SEO Keyword Research the Same?
First, there’s a major difference in intent. Organic keywords, that you use to optimise web pages, attract leads in the top – middle funnel. Organic keywords are typically more informational, and the consumer isn’t necessarily ready to convert.
PPC keywords can be completely different because they are transactional, they are used by the consumer because they’re looking to complete an enquiry / purchase. Advertisers usually bid on keywords that will generate them conversions so they can cover the costs of running their campaigns.
With PPC, you pay for every click you generate, so you can run ads on keywords that will deliver a ROI. SEO clicks are free, which means you don’t need to think much about the profitability of your keywords. A clever SEO keyword strategy should also aim to generate conversions and leads but the traffic is still free.
While it’s not always the case, it can be challenging for businesses to convert traffic from informational keywords in paid advertising because the consumers aren’t ready yet. The consumers need nurturing before they can convert, which can be a long process.
PPC keyword research and SEO keyword research can join, but they are never the same. For PPC campaigns, the keywords are usually used to drive traffic to a landing page where the aim is to get users to convert, and for SEO the user is directed to a page with more information about a product / service.
Why Is PPC Keyword Research Important?
Keyword research sounds like a taxing job. What’s the point of research keywords anyway? Shouldn’t we just use our common sense to tell us which keywords are relevant to your business? Well, not exactly.
Without conducting in-depth research and analysis to find quality keywords, you run the risk of your paid campaigns being completely misguided.
Occasionally, you might see an ad on search results and scratch your head because you just can’t understand why the ad has appeared. Usually when ad results aren’t delivering the correct content to searchers, it’s because the advertiser hasn’t thought properly about the keywords they’re going to target.
Targeting the correct keywords will help you to connect with your target audience and when used properly, show them relevant ads that match their intent.
What PPC Keywords You Should Consider
PPC keyword research isn’t as straightforward as selecting terms from thin air and bidding on them. To optimise your ad spend and to achieve the greatest conversion rates, there are several different styles of keywords advertisers should consider before going live.
1. Branded Terms
Consider bidding on your brand name and phrases.
If you know that your brand is well-known and that consumers regularly enter them into search boxes, then you can add your branded keywords into your campaign.
2. Service / Product Based Keywords
Sometimes consumers don’t care about the brand and are much more interested in finding a specific product / service. Have a list of your products / services and specific features and go from there.
You could go for generic terms or get more specific. For example, a business selling kitchen appliances could target “hot water tap” as a generic term and “Quooker tap” to be more specific.
Bear in mind that the more specific the search is, the more high-intent the user may be. If someone searches for a Quooker tap, for example, then the specific-nature of their search term suggests they know exactly what they want. But searching “hot water tap” indicates they’re open to options.
3. High Intent Keywords
We just mentioned high-intent in the point above, but high-intent keywords can take several different forms.
Basically, they’re keywords that indicate users are far along in the marketing funnel and are ready to convert quickly. If you’re able to find these users, who are actively looking to complete an action, then your ad should be present to match their current needs.
They can be specific, think “Quooker tap”, but they can also be:
- – Hot water tap discount
- – Hot water taps free delivery
- – Hot water tap delivered tomorrow
- – Hot water taps free installation
The above examples are not product or brand specific, but they suggest the user is looking for businesses that will match their exact needs (delivery, discount, free installation).
4. Long-tail Keywords
In the competitive world of PPC, there are a lot of search results for broad search terms. For example, the competition for a term as simple as “tap” is extremely high, which causes higher costs-per-click and less ROI on ad spend.
For a kitchen appliances business, this will mean avoiding terms like “tap” and focusing on key phrases like “hot water tap” and “silver cold-water tap” to avoid spending money on clicks that are less likely to convert.
By being more specific with your keywords, you’re much more likely to generate traffic from your specific target audience who are most likely to convert.
5. Negative Keywords
It’s not enough for advertisers to only compile a list of keywords that they want to target in their paid advertising campaign. Negative keywords allow you to filter who sees your ad based on what they type in the search engine.
You can use them to ensure that your ad does not appear for a specific keyword. By preventing your ad from appearing in irrelevant searches, you’ll be saving money, pointless clicks and time.
The Reality of PPC Keyword Research
Proper PPC keyword research takes time, expertise and the skills to utilise the research into an effective campaign.
There’s a lot of monitoring and managing involved, but the time needs to be taken to get it right. If you’re looking for help, get in touch!
It is feasible for businesses to perform their own PPC keyword research and to manage their campaigns in-house, but it isn’t usually the most effective and profitable strategy.
Getting Started with PPC Keyword Research
Seeking the help of experienced, savvy PPC Agency will help you to boost your traffic and achieve you a high return on investment?
Different Gravy Digital have an excellent track record of delivering incredible results to clients from a range of different industries.
For more information, you can contact us for a chat:
Book a meeting: michaelgoldman.co.uk/
Telephone: 0161 706 0004