There have been many changes going on with Google Ads in an attempt to give advertisers and SEOs more control over their paid search campaigns. But, still, it remains relatively difficult to generate solid results if you aren’t sure which keywords to attach to your campaigns for best results. Therefore, you should have a system in place to continually conduct keyword research.
The Importance of Keyword Research
Think about it. The industry is always changing, new competitors are always entering the market, and match-types are always being upgraded — such as Google’s recent decision to ignore word order and function words when deciding whether to trigger Exact Match for relevant queries. Sometimes, keywords that may have been successful in the past are no longer generating the results you expect. It may be hard to branch out with new keywords if you are unsure where to go next and what impact you could make.
For this reason, it’s important to consider effective methods of keyword research that will help you generate more conversions and grow your website. Effective methods are especially important amidst all the industry-specific changes that could potentially affect your business in a myriad of ways.
But, we have looked into the countless AdWords changes that are currently affecting businesses in both negative and positive ways. Results from the recent impact of the Exact Match changes have already shown a 3-5% drop in conversions for pure Exact Match in non-brand traffic when compared with other co-variants. And, yet, others have had a positive impact; just look at the recent changes to DSA, which have helped one of Japan’s top booking services, Hot Pepper Beauty, significantly expand their audience reach in 90% less time. So, you never really know exactly how a change will affect your business, which is why it is important to consistently monitor your campaign and track keyword results. SEOs should understand how to generate a constant string of relevant keywords in the case you are being negatively affected by a particular feature or trend that shakes the industry and you need a quick solution.
Streamline your Keyword Research Process
So, check out these tips here to strengthen your keyword research process and recover from losses to your ad revenue:
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Analyze your Campaign Data
Probably the most significant aspect of keyword research is analyzing your data. Your AdWords data tells you what ads and tactics are working — and also shares what aspects are not working.
For example, you can analyze your data to determine the type of ad-text, headlines, keywords, and source of queries that are currently generating the most conversions. From there, you can generate a new set of keywords that are similar to the best performing keywords (consider adding long-tail keywords) that would help increase CTR and conversion rates further.
AdWords features themselves, like the store-visits feature which tracks consumer journeys, can also help indicate how web browsers are interacting with your website, providing insights into what keywords will engage your target audiences. You can also query-mine with Dynamic Search Ads (DSA’s) to discern the types of queries which yielded the most conversions. Then, analyze the types of keywords your competitors are using with tools like our Top Ranked Website by Keyword.
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Third-party Tools to Help with Keyword Research
We cannot stress enough the importance of using third-party tools in the keyword research process. For one thing, tools like our Keyword Combinator Tool can help you identify a wide range of keyword combinations, including Exact Match and Phrase Match types, that could help you find and implement relevant keywords. This tool automates the process for you by easily creating an exhaustive list of keyword combinations.
But don’t feel compelled to just use paid search tools for keyword research. In fact, tools like our Weekly Keyword Rank Checker can not only help you identify relevant keywords, but also identify keywords that your competitors. Understanding your competitor’s keywords helps you better compete in your industry.
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Associating Keywords with Buyer Personas
Another significant factor in identifying relevant keywords is to understand your audience base. Analyze your customer data to learn who is more likely to convert, which channels their purchase journey starts and ends on, and more. Create buyer personas and create ads to target those individuals and others like them.
How can you do this? In a myriad of ways. You can pull your audience list from AdWords and assess the titles, ages, industries, and geographic locations of current audiences, and implement keywords based on this information. You can also assess your audience demographics in each of your social media channels to assess which users are interacting with your posts, through what engagements, and the types of content that resonates most with these users. The same piece of content may perform differently across channels. Whatever tactic you choose, make sure you can clearly discern how to identify your target audience so you are using relevant keywords pertinent to your success.
Don’t be discouraged if you see dips in your keyword performance. Conducting keyword research can help you pivot when necessary, understand which keywords to implement, and whom you should be targeting with your paid search campaigns.
