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John Danenbarger
Effective keyword research will ensure that your PPC ads appear on the top slot in the sponsored links of any search engine results page. While having 10 or 20 well-chosen keywords may bring most of the traffic, it does not cover all possible niches.
- Use free keyword research tools. There are special tools on the web that help you find great keywords. Some of the free keyword research tools that work well are Google Keyword Tool, Wordtracker, Metacrawler, Keyword Discovery, Yahoo Search Marketing and SEO Book Keyword Research Tool.
- See who is competing for the best keywords. Go to a search engine like Google and do a search for the keywords in your niche. See which other businesses are already dominating that space. If you realize that a search term is far too competitive and may drain your entire PPC ad budget, expand your search term into a long-tail keyword. Keep in mind relevance and the relationship of the word to your business.
- Search engine keyword phrases. Combine the best keywords and create search terms. Use different combinations, and use plurals as well as singulars. Make sure the terms are closely related, so you’ll get the desired results. Group top level keywords with other related search terms.
- Refine your list. From your shortlist remove any keywords that are not relevant to your website or keywords that you don't have enough content to support. Remember it is always possible to go back and add content and keywords later as well.
- Use compound, separated, hyphenated, and merged keywords. Users often search trying multiple variations of words and spellings looking for the right fit. To be sure you are not missing out on any terms or phrases research compound, separated, hyphenated, and merged keywords. Example, ‘lifesize’, ‘life-size’ and ‘life size’.
- You can even bid on your own / your company name. Enter a business / brand name into a search engine window. You’ll be surprised at how many organizations other than the one you searched for will show up with PPC ads! Your brand name should be your space on the Internet, so don’t let a competitor get in there by bidding a few cents on a keyword.
Make sure your PPC campaign stays as effective and efficient as possible by tracking keyword and keyphrase successes (and losses); which ads bring in the most traffic (and which don’t) and conversion rates. Contact us to manage your PPC advertising so you use your budget wisely and get the best results (traffic and conversion).
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