Selecting keywords is one of the most important parts of creating a successful AdWords campaign. To pick the best keywords, use this five-step process
Step 1: Expand
First, come up with as many relevant keywords as possible. What does the business sell? What are the advertiser’s goals? If it’s to sell purebred puppies, some good keywords might be ‘purebred puppies’ and ‘purebred dogs.’ Even better are keywords focused on specific breeds like ‘poodle’. List all keywords that come to mind. It’s a good idea to avoid less specific keywords, like ‘dogs,’ which usually cost more and usually don’t relate to a user’s specific search.
AdWords also provides a Keyword Tool that generates keyword ideas. Access the Keyword Tool, enter keywords similar to the ones you want to find, and sort the results.
Step 2: Match
Google offers different keyword-match types to relate to a user’s search. They include broad match, phrase match, exact match, and negative match.
- Broad match means that all searches using that word (in any order or combination) will display the ad. For example, ‘purebred puppy’ will show an ad for all searches with the words ‘purebred’ and ‘puppy’. This could include searches for ‘buy purebred puppy’ and ‘puppy that is purebred’. This is the default setting for all keywords.
- Phrase match requires the words to appear in order. ‘Purebred puppy’ (entered with quotation marks) shows ads for searches with ‘purebred’ and ‘puppy’ in that order, as in ‘purebred puppy Chihuahua’. Ads won’t appear, however, for searches with any words between ‘purebred’ and ‘puppy’. This narrows the audience.
- Exact match shows ads when the exact phrase is used in the search – without any other words before, between, or after. So ‘[purebred puppy]’ (with brackets) shows an ad for searches with just the words ‘purebred puppy’, not ‘purebred puppy advice’ or ‘purebred puppy veterinarian’. This further narrows the audience.
- Negative match eliminates phrases for which an advertiser doesn’t want an ad to appear, such as ‘cheap’ or ‘free’. Negative matches are selected by entering negative keywords with a minus sign, such as ‘-free’. This option prevents an ad from showing to people searching for ‘free purebred puppy.’
Step 3: Scrub
AdWords is geared toward relevance. Keywords that maintain the same standard give strong results. Irrelevant keywords should be removed from the keyword list. Delete any words that don’t relate to the advertiser’s business. Two- to three- word phrases are usually best.
Step 4: Group
Keywords should be organised into similar themes, products, or types in separate ad groups. This way, each ad can be written specifically for similarly grouped keywords.
Step 5: Test and refine
Users are constantly searching for different things, so advertisers must regularly test and refine keywords. Build on keywords that work, and delete others that don’t.
By Stuart Small, industry leader for B2B marketing, Google
