The first and most important thing for any search engine marketing or search engine optimization strategy is to have proper keyword research in place.
Keyword research is the starting point of what drives a lot of marketing decisions for search programs.
If you don’t fully understand the keywords you need to target, you won’t be able to create the required content to get ranked for those keywords. And if you are running pay per click ads for your business, you need to use the right keywords to actually be successful with your campaign too. Bidding on the wrong keywords will drive up your ad spend without driving more sales for you.
Keyword research is tricky, but it can be DIY’d. Here are 3 tips we recommend to clients to keep in mind when performing their own keyword research.
1. Exact, Phrase & Broad Keywords
For PPC research, you’ll need to be mindful of keyword match types. Starting at the highest level, broad match, these keywords will capture a wide, wide variety of searches.
For example, setting up an ad group with broad match keywords for something like bookkeeping services can match to either bookkeeping or services. This means you could start to show for any other searches with the word “services” in it. This also means you’ll start showing ads more often than you would really like.
Try to set up your campaigns with exact-match and phrase-match keyword variants first. Measure the traffic you’re getting, then expand into broad match keywords if needed. Exact and phrase keywords will be best for your budget and will connect you with the right audience.
2. Consider Long-Tail Keywords
A broad keyword will always carry more search volume. People are more likely to search for “skin care” instead of “all natural skin oil product“. However, the more specific searches carry a much higher conversion rate. When developing content to align with your keyword strategy, try to use different variations of long-tail keywords. Not only can this work well with PPC campaigns, but you’ll also see highly-specific traffic from organic searches.
3.Consider Location Modifiers
Similar to considering long-tail keywords in your strategy, you’ll also want to use location modifiers to discover more specific keywords. For example, instead of targeting a highly-competitive keyword like “real estate” for an agent located in Florida, it will be more beneficial to target something like “best Longboat Key real estate agent“.
This type of location modifier can also help Google associate your preferred keywords with a Google My Business profile. As Google connects more keywords to your local business profile, you’ll begin showing more in the local 3-pack of searches.
Trying to perform your own keyword research can quickly become an overbearing task. However, these are the three most important things to keep in mind; 1) thoroughly understand the difference between broad, phrase and exact-match keywords; 2) don’t forget about long-tail keywords and 3) use location modifiers to help with localized searches.
If you are running into obstacles with your doing keyword research on your own, we would be happy to review your research and advise on where you can make improvements. Please use the form on our contact us page to reach.
