Are you aware that your business has a 50% higher chance of generating sales from PPC visitors than from organic visitors? This is why advertisers are spending billions of dollars annually on PPC ads to give their products that added advantage.
Whether hiring a marketing company or going it alone, the thought of engaging in your first PPC campaign can be a little intimidating. Often, especially for small businesses, concerns revolve around costs and how to make the campaign effective.
If executed well, a PPC campaign offers great value for money. However, this depends on the keywords you use.
Don’t know which keywords are suitable for your campaign? Don’t worry. In this article, you will find insight into how seasoned marketers research and find the right keywords for a PPC campaign.
What Are the Three Levers of PPC?
Before you jump right into PPC advertising, it is crucial to know about all of its three levers as they considerably affect the campaign’s success.
- Your copy – This is the content used for the ad, which may be the words and visuals. Getting the right phrases is critical, as a small difference can significantly impact the ad’s success.
- The keywords – Essential to make your ads visible to your target audience.
- The landing page – Once users click on your ads, the landing page must offer a great user experience so that they can go further through your sales funnel.
Only when these three levers are aligned will your PPC campaign generate the desired results.
Read: Why Professional Copywriting is a Must for Your Website
Choosing the Right Key Words for Your PPC Campaign
Selecting keywords for your campaign should begin with a brainstorming session whereby you put yourself in your customers’ shoes. If you were to search for your products online, which search queries would you use?
As you brainstorm, consider the following categories:
- Branded terms– These are keywords with any trademarked term or your brand name.
- Generic terms– Terms that are directly related to your products and services
- Related terms– These are keywords with no direct relation to your products, but your ideal customers may also be searching for.
- Competitor terms– These are your competitors’ branded terms.
Begin With General Keywords and Work Your Way to More Specific Ones
This is where a great understanding of your ideal customers pays off. Suppose you deal with men’s clothing and want to market your polo shirt collection. Your keyword search can transition from broad to specific as follows:
Shirts – Men’s shirts – Men’s short-sleeve shirts – Men’s short-sleeve polo shirts – Men’s blue short-sleeve polo shirts
Create Variations of the Keyword
Once you have identified suitable keywords, create variations of the same to increase your reach. From the previous example, the variations could be:
- Men’s short-sleeve polo shirts
- Men’s short-sleeve shirts
- Men’s short-sleeve polo
- Men’s short-sleeve t-shirts
- Men’s short-sleeve tees
- Short-sleeve polo shirts
Go for High-Volume, Low-Competition PPC Keywords
High-volume, low-competition keywords are those that few businesses have paid for, but consumers search for them. Though they’re not common, you will get greater value if you can find them. There are online tools that you can use to find keywords and these will show you how much they have been used and whether consumers are searching for them.
Track Ad Spending and Measure ROI
ROI is crucial for any marketing campaign. It indicates what value you receive from your spending and whether it’s worthwhile. To get this data, set up tracking on your website to gauge the performance of keywords. This will allow you to scale on campaigns that are performing well and adjust those that are not.
Read: 5 Keys to Skyrocket Your Conversion Rate
PPC Is a Game of Patience
It takes time before a PPC campaign starts generating maximum ROI. Take your time and try out different keywords until you find those that work best. While you are at it, remember to pay attention to the other levers of PPC as they are also crucial.
Andy Bush is President of Bush Marketing. Contact him today at 416-214-4298 or andy@bushmarketing.ca for a discussion about how Bush Marketing can help your website do more for your business.
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