5 Ways to Get More Effective PPC Keywords

5 Ways to Get More Effective PPC Keywords

When it comes to pay per click search engine advertising — paying to have your links displayed under the paid results section when searchers type in certain words or phrases — getting the right keywords is one of the biggest factors that can determine your success or failure. Choosing the right ones both will bring in more leads and keep your pay per click costs proportionate to your additional income for a good return on investment (since in a PPC model, you pay only when your ad is actually clicked on). But how, exactly, do you choose the right keywords? It’s generally best to leave your PPC keyword research to a professional PPC agency, but that doesn’t mean you should be totally ignorant of the process. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

1. Think Like Your Target Market

   The basic goal in the early phases of PPC keyword research is to think like the consumer you’re hoping to reach. Say your business installs granite countertops. Your target consumers might be searching for granite countertops in particular, but they also might be searching for “kitchen remodeling tips,” “how to redo a kitchen,” or similar phrases.

2. Mix General and Specific Keywords

   Try to have a good range of both general and specific keywords. The more relevant your product or service is to a consumer, the more likely you are to actually close that lead, so there’s value in having a keyword like “black and white granite countertops.” But consumers who are a bit more uncertain will search some more general terms, too.

3. Don’t Waste Money on Vanity Keywords

   Be realistic about what you can try to bid on with your budget. Every small remodeling business would probably love to rank on the term “countertop,” but you’re likely to lose money chasing those keywords with extremely high search volumes.

4. Localize Your Keywords If Necessary

   This might be less of a concern for an e-commerce business, but if your countertop installation business is located in Portland, there’s not much sense in targeting consumers in Phoenix. Don’t overlook the power of geo-targeting keywords when it comes to bringing in more qualified leads.

5. Add Negative Keywords

   Negative keywords can be extremely powerful if used correctly, so you should make sure that whatever PPC experts you have running your campaign understand them. Essentially, negative keywords allow you to tell the search engine not to display your ad if certain keywords are present. For example, you could add “free” as a negative keyword so that the search “free granite countertops” wouldn’t trigger your ad being displayed even if you had bid on the keyword “granite countertops.” That’s important because otherwise people will click on your link (meaning you’ll end up paying for the click), but quickly leave your site as soon as they find out you’re not offering what they really want.

Do you have any recommendations on PPC keyword research tools to utilize, or any other tips on picking killer keywords? Share your thoughts in the comments.