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Keyword Research For PPC

Written by: Omaro Ailoch

Article Overview: Both SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and PPC (Pay Per Click) require keyword research as part of the preparation stage. While some of the methods are similar, there are major differences when conducting keyword research for PPC when compared to research for SEO purposes. You will typically need to use different tools and certainly need to ascertain different information

Keyword Research For PPC

Both SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and PPC (Pay Per Click) require keyword research as part of the preparation stage. While some of the methods are similar, there are major differences when conducting keyword research for PPC when compared to research for SEO purposes. You will typically need to use different tools and certainly need to ascertain different information. A good SEO keyword may not be a good PPC keyword and vice versa; these two marketing styles should be treated separately in every aspect of the campaigns.

Individual Campaigns

Not only should you treat each page of your website as a separate campaign, you will need to differentiate between each keyword or key phrase you use on each page. This helps when it comes to optimization of your campaign because you can concentrate on the profitable keywords and avoid those that lose you money. Every website is different – it targets a separate set of demographics, offers different products, and uses unique content. Therefore, every site will have its own unique PPC campaigns to gain the greatest success and the best possible ROI.

Categories And Top Level Keywords

Before you begin using any software or keyword research tools you will have to do some manual brainstorming. Consider the different categories and top level keywords that are relevant to the page you are looking at. For example, if you sell trainers, then relevant keywords might include shoes, trainers, footwear, sports shoes, and so on. Keyword research tools will only work with the information you enter and so a thorough analysis can only be done with all the possible category connotations.

Locale

The Internet is a global marketplace, but your business may not be. If you only offer your services or products to a local catchment area, or to a specific country, make note of these areas too. By narrowing your keyword possibilities down to a region it is possible to greatly reduce the amount of competition that is vying for advertising positions. This, in turn, will reduce costs and potentially improve profits.

Generic Keywords

You should have an idea of the kind of keyword or phrase that your customers would use when looking for your type of business. Think of as many generic keywords as possible, at this stage. Later in the keyword research process, especially when using the appropriate tool, you will greatly narrow these generic keywords down to much more specific ones. For now, though, keep them general.

Tools And Software

When you have several lists of keywords and phrases, you will ideally need to use keyword research tools. Tools can provide information regarding the number of searches conducted on a monthly basis, while most of the PPC networks provide tools in order to see how competitive and, therefore, costly a keyword proves.

Streamlining Your Keyword List

Now, you need to choose targeted and relevant keywords that are likely to convert into clicks. You also need to ensure that those clicks won't prove too expensive when compared to the average value a customer spends. Once finished you should be left with a list of your most profitable keywords for your PPC campaign.

Ongoing Campaign Optimization

Like any advertising, PPC needs to be an ongoing process. Bid prices change and so too do customer and market trends, especially search trends. Keep an eye on all of the relevant figures to make sure that your ROI does not drop in any of your individual campaigns, and if any are seriously underperforming then pause or remove them.

PPC Keywords

Keywords are a vital part to a PPC campaign. Every page of your site will usually require several campaigns, each with separate keywords, in order to get the greatest results. Even once you've found the best balance between cost and revenue, it is imperative that you analyze and continually look to improve your PPC results.

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  Understanding Article Marketing Research
  The Basics of Article Marketing Research
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  Keyword Research is the Pulse of all Online Marketing
  How many keywords per Ad Group?

Article Tags: campaigns, catchment area, connotations, demographics, different products, footwear, global marketplace, keyword research tools, marketing, money, phrase, possibilities, preparation stage, relevant keywords, search engine optimization, seo search engine optimization, sports shoes



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Re: What I'm reading this weekend - Feb 18, 2011 - Hi Evan, Thank you for a great list as usual, I haven't had the chance until now to read them as I spent all yesterday helping my father to re-build half of his house (or it seemed that way,LOL) I will make a start reading them today and I particularly like the look of Keyword Research in Google Webmaster Tools, thanks again, Mal.
Most Useful SEO Tools For Webmasters - Hi, My name is Jeff, I work for WebBizIdeas.com and we are developing an article called "50 Most Useful SEO Tools for Webmasters." We have ranked & listed our top 30 SEO Tools but want to get your opinion on what SEO Tools are most useful to you; as Internet Business Owners. Google Webmaster Tools Google Analytics Google Alerts Yahoo Site Explorer SEOBook.com Keyword Research SEOBOOK.com SEO For Firefox Tool SEOBOOK.com Search Engine Rank Checker SEOBOOK.com Back Link Analyzer SEOChat.com Keyword Difficulty Compete.com Quantcast.com Alexa.com Archive.org Stompernet Site Seer Technorati.com PRWEB.com ADDTHIS.com SHARETHIS.com EzineArticles.com Scribd.com Squidoo.com YouTube.com StumbleUpon.com Reddit.com Digg.com Del.icio.us Wikipedia.org Flickr.com NewsVine.com Yahoo Answers NOTE: When you list your answers please include a description on what the site is, why it is important to you, and your experience please....we may include it in our article. Jeff
Re: Keyword Selection - Hi All, Very interesting topic of discussion! Website success mainly depends upon the target keywords so the keywords should be relevant to website theme. Long tail keywords often rank easily in SERP. You can also use Ad word Keyword tool for keyword selection. Keyword having less competition and high monthly search volume are easy to rank.
Re: Best Internet Marketing Strategies - I'd disagree with the first point. Keyword research is important, but it should not be the complete focus when doing niche research. A niche is typically made up of thousands of keywords, and researching them all is very difficult, because the keyword tools won't tell you what most of them are. Plus a niche is not a bunch of keywords, it is a demographic interested in a particular topic. You need to learn about the people in this demographic. Keyword research tells you their search habits and gives clues to competitiveness and potential profit, but you are looking at through a very narrow window of a much bigger picture.
Re: New SEO Tool from WordStream - Looks like a new one. Need to explore for its intuitiveness. I use IBP and Keyword elite. Thanks Robert


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