A thoroughly researched and implemented keyword strategy can turn a sputtering campaign into a lead generating juggernaut. You could have beautifully written ad copy, but it does not mean anything if your ads do not even show up for the right searches. In this article, we discuss the two major components of keywords and how to use them to take your marketing campaign to the next level.
Quality of Keyword Strategy
Google ads uses a feature called “Quality Score” to offer a numerical representation of your keyword’s effectiveness in searches. The Quality Score considers how relevant your ads, landing pages, and keywords are to what a user searches for.
A high Quality Score means the overall combination of your ads, landing pages, and keywords are relevant to what users are searching for. The more relevant, the higher your ad position on Google search results, and the lower the cost.
A low Quality Score indicates a breakdown in the relevance of some aspect of your campaign. You must determine where that breakdown occurs.
Check that your targeted keywords are relevant to your business and what users are searching for. You can research potential keywords by using the Keyword Planner that Google Ads provides. You can find it under Tools – Planning – Keyword Planner. Click on “Discover New Keywords” and then enter the products or services that your business offers.
Keyword Relevance
If your keywords accurately represent your business and what users are searching for, then check your landing page. The landing page is what users see when they click on your ad. Google indexes sites via crawlers that inspect the functionality and layout of your website, including the landing page. Check to ensure that your landing page pushes the same messaging as your advertisements and is easily navigable. For more information on what goes into a well developed website, check out this article on developing a websites SEO strategy.
Last, check that you are using the proper messaging in your advertisements. Compose your ad copy to make those bland keywords sound interesting. Do not misunderstand, the keywords need to be in there to increase relevance scores but spice them up to make customers engage. A low Quality Score can indicate that your ad copy does not line up with the keywords you are using, or that the ads do not clearly relate to the keywords you’re attempting to target.
Trial and Error
Determining the best combination of keywords, ads, and landing page messaging can be complicated. Raising your Quality Score can be a bit of a game of trial and error. Everyday, new search terms populate within your Google Ads dashboard showing what your ads show up for. Further, there is data that shows how well certain keywords are performing. If they are not bringing in conversions, save your budget by removing them from your campaign to keep from bidding on them. That said, if there are keywords that are performing specifically well, adapt your ad copy to fit that messaging.
Be sure to check to check up on this data often, as the data there can be invaluable when determining what direction to take your marketing strategy in.