In order to get the most out of the AdWords Select program, you simply must have a great keyword list. If your keyword list is not deep enough, you will be doomed to pay top dollar on only a few highly-trafficked phrases that garner top dollar bids. So, what are the steps to developing a great keyword list?
First things first: you need your core list of targeted keywords and search phrases. These are the terms that your customers will type in to find your goods and services. Let’s say you have an online store that sells handheld organizers like the Palm Pilot. Take a minute and think about how you would go about searching for a personal digital assistant (PDA) online. Would you search on the term ‘digital device’? How about ‘PDA’? Maybe ‘Palm Pilot’ or ‘Palm V’? Would you try ‘personal electronics’? My point is that there are many, many different and distinct search terms that will get you where you want to go.
So, how can you determine which search terms to use when advertising your goods and services? Follow these instructions:
1. Write down the top search terms that you can think of that describe your business or service. I suggest keeping this list on a spreadsheet if at all possible -- this will make it easier to organize and submit later.
2. Use the Overture ‘Search Suggestion Tool’ to get an idea of the popularity of each search term and enter this number under a ‘monthly impressions’ column in your spreadsheet. The tool is located here [2].
When I searched on our example keywords, I found that those search terms were recently searched as follows:
- Pda - 420,800
- palm pilot - 75,982
- palm V - 3,899
- digital device - 376
- personal electronics - 250
3. Use the Search Suggestion Tool to lengthen your list of search terms. Not only does the Search Suggestion Tool reveal the number of searches for any given search phrase, it also displays any closely related search terms.
The key to finding the right keywords is found at http://our.affiliatetracking.net/wordtracker/a/13140 . At $199 for an annual membership, this service will reveal which terms are the most searched on the Web, and also give suggestions for alternative search phrases. Typing ‘palm pilot’ into Word Tracker also shows a list of search terms (suggestions), and the number of times the associated terms were searched at Overture in the previous month:
- palm pilot software 6,960
- palm pilot game 5,486
- palm pilot free game 5,478
- palm pilot free ware 2,315
- palm pilot free software 2,203
- palm pilot downloads 1,995
- free palm pilot downloads 1,931
- palm pilot accessory 1,291
- palm pilot share ware 985
Add all the new relevant terms and monthly impressions to your spreadsheet list. Be creative! Type in any series of words that you think might lead someone to your product or service. Use a thesaurus and a dictionary to assist you.
4. Go back to your list - it should be pretty lengthy by now - and add modifying words that are relevant to your product or service, such as: cheap, discount, low cost, free, premium, authentic, etc. Check the Search Suggestion Tool to assess the number of searches conducted for those terms in the previous month. Enter the terms and data into your spreadsheet under ‘monthly impressions’.
In our example, if you use the keyword ‘Palm Pilot’, why not consider using ‘discount Palm Pilot’, ‘cheap Palm Pilot’, or ‘low cost Palm Pilot’ if they apply to your business? The purpose of these activities is to generate the longest possible list of relevant search terms possible. Why? Remember, you only pay when someone actually clicks on your message. You pay nothing extra to simply list more keywords. Additionally, the more keywords you have, and the more specific the search phrases are, the more likely that your visitor will be truly interested in your product or service. For example: ‘pda’ is a very general search term. Anyone interested in handheld organizers might search using this term. However, ‘Palm V’ is a more targeted search term. These customers are narrowed to a particular brand and model. The search phrase ‘discount Palm V’ is even more targeted, and will attract price conscious Palm V shoppers.
A longer list of relevant search phrases also increases the likelihood that you will attract visitors to your site at a lower cost. That is because it is often possible to bid less for a click if the search term is less popular. More search terms, bid at a lower cost, mean more traffic to your site for fewer advertising dollars.
5. At this point in the process, you should have a fairly comprehensive list of targeted search terms and phrases. I suggest you sort the terms on your spreadsheet by ‘monthly impressions’ to get a sense of which terms are most popular. These are the terms that can end up costing you the most advertising dollars if you choose to bid for a high ranking.
Congratulations! You have now generated a comprehensive keyword list that will get you ahead of your competitors. In the next installment, we’ll look at some rarely used techniques to ensure that your clickthrough rates are among the highest in your category.
In Part I of this series, we learned how to create a comprehensive and targeted keyword list specific to our business. In this installment, we’ll learn how to:
• Create copy that compels your prospects to click on your ad
• Land your prospects on a page that will maximize your investment
More on How to Maximize Google AdWords
Now that you’ve generated a comprehensive list of targeted keywords and phrases with which to attract your customers, you must create an advertisement which will entice them to visit your site. Google adheres to a strict advertising format: all listings are text only, with a title line of 25 characters and a product or service description with 2 lines of up to 35 characters each. Your URL is also limited to 35 characters.
The key to finding the right keywords is found at www.wordtracker.com . At $199 for an annual membership, this service will reveal which terms are the most searched on the Web, and also give suggestions for alternative search phrases.
It is critical that this message be effective, concise and descriptive, and that sales are driven for best results.
Title Lines
The title line is the first aspect of your Google ad that a potential visitor to your site will see. Google also has an affiliate network that displays their search results, and some of these distribution partners display only the title line of your advertisement. At these distribution sites, the only indication of your site’s value proposition will be the title description. But even when the full description accompanies your title line in a listing, it is the title line’s job to catch the attention and interest of a prospective customer -- and to fluidly transition them into reading your full description and clicking through to your site. No sweat, right? Oh waitÉyou have to accomplish this using only 25 characters in total!
My process for creation of a title line is fairly straightforward. I open a new document in Microsoft Word, pick the first (most popular) search phrase on my spreadsheet list, and then write a description that really sells my product or service relevant to that keyword or phrase. Initially, I don’t really worry about the exact length. I just try to get the most sales driven message I can. After constructing something I like, I highlight the phrase and use the ‘Word Count’ function under the ‘Tools’ menu in Word to ascertain its exact length. One caveat! Experience has proven one extremely powerful rule of a search phrase description: your description should contain the search phrase or a derivation of it if at all possible. This will increase the effectiveness of your title. Experience has also shown that if you are offering a compelling value proposition, listing a price will increase clicks. I also like to use capitalize letters in the title. Obviously the word ‘free’ increases clicks.
For example, if you are writing a title for the search term ‘Palm V’, your title should include the term ‘Palm V’. Here are two 25-character-or-less examples:
Lowest Cost Palm V - $100
Palm V’s From Just $99
One great thing about AdWords is that it’s pretty easy to change your message. I recommend testing several different approaches and finding the words and phrases that generate the most clicks. It’s also smart to review the titles of your competitors in each category. I will type in the keyword or phrase and scan the title line to get a feel for what the main points of competition are. Some categories are very price driven, while others are service focused. There are no hard and fast rules as to what will work best, so continuous testing and refinement should be employed for all important keywords.
Descriptions
Descriptions are the heart and soul of your sales pitch. You’ve managed to get the attention of your potential customer -- maybe for only a millisecond. Now, you’ve got to deliver on the promise of your title. Finally, you’ve got to convince your potential customer that if they click on your link, they will be rewarded with the all the benefits described in your message.
A great description gives as much relevant information as possible to the potential customer. This serves 2 purposes:
• It will encourage qualified prospects to continue on to your site in search of further information, or to purchase your offerings.
• It will discourage random clicks by unqualified prospects who are not firmly in your target demographic.
Your description should include any factors that clearly add value to the customer above and beyond your competition. Do you offer special products or services? A wider selection? Better credit terms? More flexible payment options? Hard to find inventory? These are the kinds of trigger points that can lead to higher clickthroughs.
Another Trick - Where to Direct Your Link
The final step in the customer’s journey is to successfully land on your site -- piece of cake, right? It is if you know that you need to land the customer on the portion of your site that is most relevant to the search term. Always link the customer to a page that contains the exact information, product or service that they were searching for. In our example, don’t just land the customer on your home page. Land them on the exact page within your site that describes and offers for sale the Palm V!
Never create a disconnection between the original search term and your landing page. Evaluate every keyword and search phrase to identify the best area of your site on which customers should be delivered. Use your spreadsheet to keep track of where you want each search phrase linked. Go to your site, find the correct page, then cut and paste the proper URL into your spreadsheet. This is absolutely necessary to maximize your conversion to sale.
One final note on landing pages and your links: Google will bill you for a click once a customer has clicked on your link. You will be billed for this charge regardless of whether or not your site is functioning properly, or if the customer abandons the process prematurely because your site takes too long to load. Make sure that your site loads quickly, and that the links you deliver are active. If your site goes down, remember to reduce your bids to the minimum amount to prevent spending money driving potential customers to a dead link.
Great! You now have titles and descriptions that stand out from the competition. You also know the power of a targeted landing environment. In the next installment, we’ll look at some often overlooked techniques to further narrow your target demographic, and reduce “junk” clicks.
The key to finding the right keywords is found at www.wordtracker.com . At $199 for an annual membership, this service will reveal which terms are the most searched on the Web, and also give suggestions for alternative search phrases.
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