If you were to rank marketing tasks in order of glamour, keyword research would be far from the top spot. But the reality is that effective keyword targeting is the backbone of a successful PPC campaign: it’s the basis on which everything else depends, and as a result, it’s important to do it right.
Or to put it another way: using the right keywords leads to increased engagement, better conversion rate, and higher ROI; winging it with your keywords leads to the opposite.
In this article, we’ll show you how to do keyword research the right way. That is the way that leads to engagement, conversions, and profit.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
PPC keyword research matters because it lets you connect with the right audience. PPC ads are served based on the keywords in the user’s search query, and both ad copy and the subsequent conversion pathway follow from this search query.
For this reason, having a clear understanding of the terms and phrases your prospective customers are searching for determines whether or not the starting point for the whole PPC journey is the right one.
In a B2B context, PPC campaign objectives are to attract customers to your product or service. To do this you need to demonstrate that your product or service is relevant to a user’s needs and that it will address their pain points satisfactorily: an effective list of keywords will be aligned with the searches prospects are making to understand and solve these pain points.
PPC keyword research also matters for the following reasons:
To achieve the most effective keyword targeting, you need to understand the different types of keywords and their implications. In this section, we’ll look at head keywords vs. long-tail keywords, branded vs. non-branded keywords, and INCT keywords.
Head keywords, also sometimes called short-tail keywords, are short keyword terms. Usually, they have a higher volume and a more generic search intent. An example of a head keyword might be “dresses”.
Long-tail keywords are those used by users to communicate a more nuanced search intent. They’re three or more words long and are associated with lower search volume and higher conversion rates. A long-tail example related to the example above might be “mother of the bride dresses” - the person searching for this clearly has a more specific need, and may be closer to making a purchase.
A screenshot of Semrush’s keyword info: note that the head term has 110,000 volume vs. 60,500 for the long-tail term
Each type of keyword lends itself better to certain use cases:
Branded keywords are simply those that contain the name of a brand. A user looking for “HubSpot migration services”, for example.
Non-branded keywords do not mention a brand: for example, “CMS migration”.
The distinction here is whether or not the person searching already has a brand in mind as part of their search intent. Someone searching for your brand may be more likely to engage and convert, but the converse is that redirecting search intent away from a competing brand may be very difficult.
Here are the use cases for each type:
INCT stands for informational, navigational, commercial and transactional keywords, and each refers to a different type of overarching search intent.
Here are examples of each:
Another Semrush screenshot, this time showing which of I, N, C and T a keyword term targets
It is likely that a B2B PPC campaign will target prospective customers at various stages of their buyer journey, and running ads to target each type of INCT keyword is a way to achieve visibility at each step.
Engaging with prospects at each stage lets you provide them with the information, resources, or solutions they need, maximising the likelihood of interaction and conversion.
A better understanding of the different types of keywords and what they signify in a prospective customer’s journey is helpful in identifying terms with high intent. And when we talk about intent, this is in the context of converting: whether the conversion be making a purchase or something earlier in the journey like making a comparison or signing up for a trial.
Here are some ways to identify high-intent terms:
And here are some reasons why high-intent keyword terms are important:
Identifying high-intent terms can be time-consuming, but the potential rewards are more than worthwhile.
Now that we've seen the importance of keyword research, the types of keywords available, and the potential benefits of finding high-intent terms, let’s look at some of the tools you can use to find PPC keywords.
You can also download our free keyword research checklist here.
This tool lets you search for words or phrases related to your business and will make intelligent recommendations for related terms along with giving top-level traffic data.
Because this tool is linked directly with Google’s search engine, you can be assured that the traffic data and other insights are accurate. However bear in mind that traffic is given in quite broad brackets, which can make it hard to draw definitive conclusions.
An example showing keywords related to the terms we provided along with some useful metrics
You can find the Google Keyword Planner tool here.
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This is a powerful digital marketing research platform with lots of tools, but we’re most interested in the Keyword Research section.
Here you’ll find a bunch of tools to help you identify relevant, traffic-driven keywords for your PPC campaigns. You can also build keyword lists and tap into collated metrics that will give insights into your broader campaigns.
Semrush’s analysis of the same keywords above: note the more precise search volume
Check out Semrush here.
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Ahrefs is similar conceptually to Semrush: an extensive marketing research platform with lots of tools, a selection of which are related to keywords. The capabilities are similar, and it’s a matter of personal (and budgetary) preference which you go for.
Check out Ahrefs here.
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This tool looks a little different, but the intent is the same: revealing search insights to help you refine the keywords you target. When you enter a term the site generates a report showing all sorts of searches around the term, including associated questions, prepositions, comparisons and more. The idea is to broaden the types of terms and search intent you’re taking into account when building your lists.
Questions related to the term PPC’ - as you can see, some are more relevant than others
Check out Answer the Public here.
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The goal of AlsoAsked is to expand your level of insight into prospective search intent around your campaign keywords. Similar to the Answer the Public, related searches are displayed visually, giving you a suite of ideas for expanding your keyword lists.
Questions related to ‘keyword research’
Check out AlsoAsked here.
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To get the most value from keyword research tools there are certain metrics you need to understand. Let’s take a look at some of the ones you’ll come across:
With the knowledge and tools we’ve explored so far, you should have what you need to begin putting together solid keyword lists full of data-driven terms. Here are some methods for further expanding these lists to maximise their efficacy:
Example related search terms for ‘PPC’
Sometimes the focus is on removing keywords from your lists rather than expanding them. Identifying and isolating negative keywords is a good example of this: these are keyword terms or phrases used to filter out irrelevant searches, reducing the likelihood of you paying for clicks from users with little to no interest in your brand. Utilising negative keywords effectively is linked to increased CTR, lower CPC, and better overall ROI.
Going back to the ‘dresses’ example previously. A boutique shop selling bespoke, handmade dresses may add terms like 'cheap' or 'budget' to their negative keyword lists, on the assumption that people searching for a 'cheap dress' are unlikely to have budgets that align with their product range.
If they do not sell wedding dresses, they may also use more advanced negative keywords to filter out wedding-related searches. Let’s take a look at the types of negative keywords and some examples.
There are three types of negative keywords:
You can learn about how to add negative keywords to your PPC campaigns here.
The final thing to consider when creating keyword lists to target the right audience is keyword localisation. This is especially important for businesses operating in multiple geographical regions, as it helps to ensure that your business can be found by users in each. Localised keyword strategies improve ad relevance to each user and are associated with improved CTR and conversion rate.
Here are some simple and effective ways to leverage local variations in search when compiling keyword lists:
Effective keyword targeting is the backbone of a successful PPC campaign. After reading this guide you should have the information you need to build targeted keyword lists that will perform.
Building lists with the relevant terms that people are actually searching for is the best way to achieve success in PPC campaigns. Using tools to research and refine potential keywords paves the way for greater performance, as they make it possible to find terms that are driven by data rather than guesswork.
Then, using the right metrics to track your PPC campaigns helps you to ensure ongoing performance. Collecting and analysing campaign data lets you make refinements to keyword lists and bidding strategies, gradually shifting the balance towards the terms and phrases that perform best.
Still looking for more information about PPC Services? We’ve got you covered. Find out more through one of the article below:
Or, why not check out our Definitive Guide to PPC Services.