Keywords trigger your ads on the search engine. They ensure that your message reaches someone who likely has a high level of interest in your product. You can increase your ads' effectiveness by choosing keywords that are:
- Relevant to your Web site
- Specific to your product or service
- Popular with Internet searchers
- Within your budget
Relevant
You want to be able to solve the searcher's problem or answer his or her question. By bidding on keywords that closely match the content of your Web site, you'll ensure that searchers are looking for the things you offer when they see your ad.
Specific
The more specific your keywords, the less competition you have for them. That means your ad may be placed higher, and your costs may be lower.
Consider, for example, the word "hats". It returned 60.3 million results on Google. But "cowboy hats" returned a mere 1.5 million results. If you sell cowboy hats, you can stand out on the "cowboy hats" results page, but get lost under fedoras and baseball caps on the "hats" page.
Popular
Which words are people actually using to search for products like yours? A keyword is only good if many people use it. Fortunately, you can find the search volume on a particular keyword through the search engine Web sites. This is extremely helpful when deciding whether to bid on Web site or website, for example.
Fits Your Budget
Supply and demand drive the prices on keyword bids, so your budget may influence the words you choose. If your first choice keyword costs more than you'd like to spend, price your second and third-tier options as well.