Keywords

Hello! Today, I will be discussing  Chapter 5 from the Introduction to Search Engine Marketing and Adwords book. Here are a few key takeaways about keywords.

Keywords are essentially phrases that trigger an AdWords ad, when searched on Google. A important equation to remember in order to avoid confusion is "search term= search query= search phase= keyword". Basically, these all meaning the same thing and have one purpose: trigger an ad. There are also two general types of occasions that define how Keywords are used. The first is in situations where the searchers know about a specific product, brand, or organization. The second is in which searchers are interested in a non-specific product or service. For instance, examples of the first type are "Apple AirPods" or simply "Apple", and examples of the second situation are "wireless earphones" or "latest phone gear".

Sometimes it is hard to think of all relevant keywords in one sitting. Keywords Planner is an AdWords tool that helps you get ideas. Simply input general information like product or service and the relevant categories. Basically, the goal is to come up with keywords that will garner clicks on the ad. By using a certain clicks goal, a company will establish a conversion goal. For example, "for with 500 clicks on our ad, we aim for 75 product purchases". This is an example of what the Keyword Planner looks like:

Introduction to Adwords: Effective Keywords

Hello everyone! This week I will be introducing Adwords and providing some tips to building effective keywords. To begin, Adwords is the tool Google uses to monetize its search engine capabilities. It essentially allows its search result pages to host paid ads. Through Adwords, companies can create custom ads that appear by specific search inputs. The ad's cost is dependent on how many people click on it; this is called CPC or Cost Per Click.

Keywords, according to chapter one of Introduction to Social Media Marketing and Adwords, are "guesses of what people might search for when they are looking for information on Google". Keywords are simply words or phrases. Companies can write a list of potential search inputs or keywords people may make. For example, a local French Bakery may choose keywords like "Bakery in Naperville" or "Macaroons near Lisle". Previously, all keywords had fixed prices but now bidding can take place. Competitors may often vie for the same keywords,  Dollar Tree and Dollar General may both vie for the "Dollar Store" keyword, for instance. However, only the highest bidding company can claim the keyword. It is also very important to carefully choose keywords. This will allow for higher quality keyword scores. A high score means that the content on the web page matches the keyword given. It is also important to have good keywords with these high scores so that the ad can appear higher and closer to the first page of search results. Naturally, this will lead to more clicks and thus more site traffic. This process is apart of Search Engine Optimization or SEO.

Some Tips for an Effective Keywords List:

According to this Adwords Help article, it is very important to approach this task through the lens of the customer. What would your typical customer search for? Using what terms?

• Break down the company into different aspects and start building from there. Creating ad groups that are based on products or services allows customers to see different ads based on their specific searches.
• Use natural language instead of word bites. i.e "custom made cakes" instead of "fresh butter cream fondant cake"
• General keywords: In order to reach as many people as possible choose broader words. This requires alot of testing because general terms are more competitive and often require higher bids.
• Use word clusters: These are sites that review an article and find reoccurring words (ie Wordle or Tag Crowd). Using these reoccurring words is a good start to finding high scoring keywords.
• Look at competitor keywords by viewing their source code and searching "keywords". This will allow you to get effective keyword ideas.

Sources: 

-Introduction to Search Engine Marketing and AdWords: A Guide for Absolute Beginners 1st ed. Edition by Todd Kelsey

-https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/2453981?hl=en

-https://hub.wiley.com/community/exchanges/discover/blog/2017/06/07/how-to-choose-effective-keywords-for-your-article

-https://www.weidert.com/whole_brain_marketing_blog/bid/112478/seo-5-simple-steps-for-choosing-effective-keywords