Keywords: The Key to Your Successful Google Search Ads Campaign

Have you ever wondered how Google can find exactly what you’re looking for when you type it into their search engine?

Yes, the key to Google searches and the modern convenience we have virtually all become accustomed to is not only the key but a word.

We’re talkin’ keywords folks, words, terms, and phrases that search engines use to identify and locate our various searches every day.

But with so many web pages available and digital advertising continuing to rise, competition is ramping up their efforts, and search engines are continuously evolving to organize credible, valuable information for users.

The issue for companies looking to get their message across to customers then becomes how do you ensure that your content reaches those you desire when searches occur.

There is a lot that goes into this increasingly complex topic, including a lot of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), but it all starts with effectively utilizing keywords for your content.

Furthermore, for our purposes, instead of divulging into an extensive discussion of every sub-topic involving keywords, we’ve curated this article to specifically focus on Google Ads.

Keyword usage can be tricky, but with the right tools, a lot of time, and a solid content marketing strategy, your brand can effectively put its solutions in the front of searching customers.

The Various Types of Keywords for Google Ads

If you’d like to see a chart of this, please feel free to visit the source, the gurus, the Mecca, and click here as the syntax can be a bit confusing to convey through written text.

When you create a Search advertisement on Google Ads, you must tell Google which words you want to use to trigger the ad you are sending into the digital advertising landscape.

There are a handful of different types of keywords to be aware of:

Broad Match – The vaguest of keywords. Input the words you wish and leave it at that. Very broad (duh), and generic. Great for reaching a wider audience, but it can attract unwanted visitors.

Broad Match Modifier – Indicated by a + symbol before the keyword, this type of keyword allows for keywords or their close variation to match so-long as they have the same meaning. This match type typically filters out some unwanted traffic.

Phrase Match – A phrase match is noted as follows: “keyword(s).” Additional words are again welcomed, and so are close variations, but this modification allows for a more specific set of traffic and looks to narrow things even further for advertisers.

Exact Match – Keywords that are presented as follows: [keyword(s)]. Brackets are used to tell the search engine that the words entered between them must be searched exactly in to trigger your ad. Highly exclusive and overuse may result in ads not showing due to the low search volume of the chosen terms.

These keywords also have an additional counterpart, which helps the search engine weed out unwanted traffic for your ads known as Negative Keywords. Negative Keywords can be presented in the previous Match types but tell Google to not trigger your ad for that search query.

For example, if you are an industrial air conditioner supplier and repair shop, you may have the keyword “industrial air conditioner repair” as a Phrase Match keyword to activate your ad. To avoid unwanted traffic from people searching “car air conditioner repair”, you would simply put car in the Negative Keyword section to help Google decipher which traffic is desired and what traffic is not.

Research and Planning Is Important

A large part of setting up your Google Ads for success is taking the time to research and plan your Google Ads campaign.

Google has plenty of tools such as their Keyword Planner or Performance Planner, which help advertises see realistic projections of how well your keywords will perform, how much they will cost, the bidding strategy you should choose (more on that later), and more! There are even additional tools available throughout the Internet.

Google allows advertisers to research and see past performances through a variety of date ranges to determine the keyword search volume that is taking place for the desired keywords and even the devices that are being used to search for them.

Having your ads selected by Google depends on a variety of complex factors, with one of them being the bids that are in place when it is time to select ads from your brand and its competitors.

Since businesses can compete for the same keywords, Google can provide your marketing strategy with an opportunity on almost any budget by allowing manual or automatic bids that keep you in control of your budget and costs.

Headlines, Landing Pages, and Keywords

Your ad is comprised of many different parts, but one of the easiest to recognize is its Headlines.

Your Headlines are the predominant part of your ad and the first part in which a searcher will view/read upon seeing your ad.

Your Landing Page is the page that users will land on once they have clicked your advertisement and are navigated to their intended destination as chosen by you, the advertiser.

The connection here is going to be a variety of things, as is the theme when creating ads; however, one of the main components that help tie everything together is your ad’s Headlines and Landing Page.

These components must work together and have terms that match and also match what the user is expecting by clicking on your ad.

The correlation between them and the effectiveness of your keywords will even affect the price you pay when bidding, and the number of times your ad shows up during searches.

A practice to avoid here is what’s known as “keyword stuffing,” and it’s a big no-no. Don’t blindly push your keywords on users uncomfortably because Google will know, and it will not show your ads to your audience.

Instead, develop Headlines and Landing pages that work with your keywords and deliver a positive User Experience for those who click your ad and land on your web page.

Under the keyword section of your ads, there is even a measurable column that will show you the overall quality of your keywords and User Experience in connection with how people interact with your Landing Page.

The higher the score, the better your chances are at winning a bid and being shown to more potential customers.

[idea]Pro Tip: Be Observant, Be Patient, Be Curious

Changes in Google aren’t always in real-time, and collecting data can take a bit of patience, but be sure of one thing, nothing in this landscape is constant.

Updates, search volumes, the competitions, consumer behavior, etc., they all change with the times.

Try different things, A/B test, and find the keywords that your target market is searching for that leads to your desired conversions.[/idea]

Keyword Specialists of Houston

There is a lot more that goes into keywords, such as monitoring your competition, knowing the right strategies to utilize to gain meaningful conversions and general housekeeping that is necessary for maintaining a Google Ads campaign.

Luckily, you’re not alone!

If you’re looking to enter the arena of Google Ads or want to simply improve the campaign you have already started, contact the experts that have been helping clients grow more visible on through digital marketing for over 9 years.

Visibly Connected has the experience and tools to help your business reach customers and gain leads through customized strategies for your Google Ads campaign.

An overwhelming majority of searches online happen within the Google network of search engines, are you being found?

Contact us and be seen by the right customers today!