Investing in your Google search ads is an excellent place to start if you want to improve your return on ad spend and increase your conversions.
Search ads only appear once someone searches for a term relevant to your product or service. Because of this, they are much more likely to convert.
In this guide, we will review how to choose the right keywords.
Contents:
Types of search campaigns
AdScale creates three types of search campaigns:
Brand campaign
Search ads targeting keywords that contain your store, product, or service name.
Brand search ads have high conversion rates, targeting people who already know your brand.
These search ads are crucial for protecting your search placement against competitors. If one or more of your competitors is targeting your brand, their search result will appear above yours, which can lead to customers purchasing from them instead.
Non-brand campaign
Search ads targeting keywords that do not contain your store, product, or service name.
Even though non-brand search ads tend to have lower conversion rates, they are great for exposing your brand and prospecting for new customers.
Non-brand keywords should include anything a potential customer might search for.
For example, sneaker stores may target "sneaker store near me" or "men's blue sneakers".
They can also be used to target competing brands.
Dynamic search campaign
Search ads targeting search terms that are automatically generated based on your destination URL.
For example, if your search ad's destination URL leads to your sneakers collection page, search terms like "sneakers" will be automatically targeted.
Types of keywords
There are many types of keywords to choose from. Let's review the more important ones:
Long-tail keywords:
Longer and more specific keywords. While these aren't broadly searched for, they best fit the customer's need and are usually cheap to target.
For example, "best running shoes for young boys".
Short tail keywords:
Shorter and broader keywords. While they are searched for often, they tend to be more competitive and expensive. They fit a larger audience but aren't as effective in matching a specific customer's needs.
For example, "running shoes".
Locational keywords:
Keywords that include a location. These are great for location-based businesses.
They target a more relevant but smaller audience.
For example, "running shoes in New York" or "running shoes near me".
Competitor keywords:
Keywords that target a competing brand or product. Depending on how many other businesses target this brand, they can be expensive. However, they target relevant customers with the intent to purchase.
For example, "Joe's sneakers".
Customer-defining keywords:
Keywords that focus on your audience instead of your products.
You can include the customer's age, gender, occupation, and hobbies.
For example, "youth girl's soccer".
Negative keywords:
Keywords that you don't want your search ads to target.
They are especially useful if your brand sounds similar to a word that isn't related to the services you offer.
Combining all these keyword types is the best way to improve your search ad results.
Keyword match types
Every keyword you use in AdScale is automatically created as two different match types:
Phrase match - are marked as "keyword".
Keywords that use phrase match will target search terms that include your keyword and its meaning.
Exact match - are marked as [keyword].
Keywords that use exact match will target search terms that are identical to your keyword and its meaning.
Using phrase and exact keyword match types is a great way to target both specific and broad search terms.
Google keyword planner
Google offers a keyword planner tool, that helps you discover new keywords for your search ads.
Enter search terms that relate to your business, product, or service. Google will offer similar keywords that are frequently searched for and have low bids.
You can also enter your domain URL to discover additional keywords.
Identifying high-performance keywords
After you've added new keywords, it's important to keep track of their performance.
Important metrics to look out for are CPC (cost per click), CTR (click-through rate), and conversion rates.
You can find this information in your AdScale ad's dashboard, by navigating to Keywords using the top menu.
