Your PPC campaign is all about driving traffic to your site, right? Well, yes and no. The truth is, Pay Per Click advertising is really all about driving more qualified traffic to your site.
The secret to maximizing the volume and quality of your traffic lies in your keywords. If you’re not getting the traffic, leads and conversions you want from your PPC campaign, you should take a look at your keyword list.
Google AdWords offers keyword matching options that prevent wasted PPC spending and help you target your market more precisely. There are five options:
1. Broad Match—allows your ad to display when similar or variant
search terms are entered
2. Modified Broad—allows your ad to display when search terms
are entered that have similar meaning to one or more words in
your keyphrase
3. Phrase Match—also allows your ad to display for the exact
keyphrase
4. Exact Match—only allows your ad to display when the exact
keyword is entered
5. Negative Match—does not allow your ad to display when your
designated negative keywords are entered
Understanding how to use these options will go a long way in managing your PPC campaign for best results. So how do you know which AdWords match types are right for your particular campaign? Here are some tips for using keyword match types effectively:
Look at the search query report. Your AdWords account gives you the ability to run something called a Search Query Report. Check this about once a week to see which keyword searches have triggered your ads to display. On this list, you’re likely to see a few keywords that don’t apply to you. Add these to your negative keyword list. Also look for any keywords that aren’t providing a good ROI and get rid of them.
Adjust your match types. Once you know which keywords are working, see if you can get more out of them. Many marketers start exclusively with broad match and refine their selections from there. Try running a keyword under a few different match types, or modify your broad match keywords by placing a + in front of one or more of the words in phrase. This captures people typing in words with similar meanings (ex. formal+dresses will match “evening dresses”, etc.)
Group your keyword phrases. After you identify your best keyphrases, group them together. Why? Much of your AdWords success depends upon having tight, relevant ad groups that match up to search queries. These groups typically bring the best results in terms of click-through rates and conversions.
Grouping also allows you to manage your PPC campaign more efficiently by helping you to focus on the most valuable keywords. Google AdWords offers a Keyword Grouper tool that makes it pretty easy to organize your groups.
Selecting the right AdWords match type for your PPC campaigns does not have to be complicated or time-consuming. Stay on top of your keywords, weed out underperformers and choose the match types that bring the best results for each keyword phrase. Follow these steps and you’ll always get the most out of your PPC efforts.
