How Do I Choose Keywords?

You need the right people clicking on your advert for products and services. Keywords and phrases will help you achieve this.

Keywords and phrases are those most relevant to your business. They should relate directly to your advert copy, your website and landing page; when these words are typed into Google, the user is looking for a business just like yours. Consider your customers’ perspective – if they wanted a product or service like yours, what phrases would they be typing into Google?

The following points should help you focus on the right keywords for your business:

  1. Think about your target

Try not to generalise – choosing keywords that are not related to your ad, but which generate a great deal of traffic will only attract more disinterest in what you are offering. Single keywords are often not specific enough, think more about two or three-word phrases that will focus on what you have and how it is offered. For example, ‘men’s top hats delivery’ is a specific phrase. Using these keywords separately or in different combinations may be far less successful.

  1. Use different combinations

You don’t know how customers will word the product or service they are searching for, so it is important to list variations of your keywords. You might factor in informal terms or colloquialisms such as outlet, branch and shop. Product names, alternative spellings, use of singular and plural, even common misspellings can be integrated into the variety of keywords.

  1. Go to Google’s keyword tool

Always on hand, Google Keywords Tool gives you ideas on how to develop your keywords list by presenting relevant and high-ranking words from results associated with another keyword or URL that you submit. Re-enter your results to refine your best words and phrases, thereby generating more specific ideas.

Adwords Help Tool also helps you compile a list of relevant user queries that have come up on Google, based on your URL.

Top tip: Think like your customer

When choosing keywords, put yourself in your customers’ shoes. If it was you searching for a product or service like yours, which words and phrases would you type into Google? This one may seem obvious, but it is surprising how often it is overlooked.