How to Choose Keywords for AdWords and Web Content

By Published On: September 20, 2017

In order to maximize your search engine optimization success, you need to know how to choose the best keywords. Your business will struggle to be seen online if you aren’t using the keywords that potential customers are searching for.

Let’s say you own a seafood restaurant. Of course, some people will search for the phrase “seafood restaurant,” and if you’ve used that key phrase in your website content or AdWords ads, your listing may show up in their search results. But other people may search for other terms, such as “dinner,” “lobster,” “food near me,” “fresh seafood,” or other words or phrases. Your job is to determine what those search terms are and find a way to incorporate them into your content.

Google’s Keyword Planner tool is an ideal place to start your keyword research, since Google is (of course) the industry leader in search and search advertising. This tool allows you to see how often certain keywords are being used in search and to discover new keywords that will help you improve your search results. If you’re running search ads on Google AdWords, it will also improve your ad performance.

The Keyword Planner also indicates how much competition there is for certain keywords – in other words, how many other advertisers are incorporating them in their ads. The higher the competition, the poorer are the chances of your ad with the same keywords of being seen.

Depending on your business and location, you might have a lot of keyword competition to contend with. You’re not the only one trying to grab customers, especially in your immediate area, so you need to identify unique keywords to differentiate your company from its competition while also generating positive search hits. If you have a seafood restaurant in Miami, guess what? You aren’t alone. The keyword phrase “Seafood Restaurant Miami” is not going to be unique. Think about other descriptors or identifiers to help you grab different searches that others may not have considered. For example, is your restaurant family-friendly? Do you have a bar? An ocean view? Wi-Fi? Do you do takeout or delivery? These are all things that people might be searching for in addition to the primary search phrase.

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Think about how and why they might be searching for your business or services. If you have a social media page that your customers interact with, pay attention to how they communicate, the words and phrases they choose, the questions they ask. By using these observations in your keyword research, you’re building a search strategy that meets the customer where they already are. Many customers will use their digital assistants, like Siri on the iPhone, to perform their searches in the form of a question, such as “Siri, where can I go to get my oil changed?” or “Siri, what should I do for dinner?”

Spend time looking at analytics for the keywords and phrases you’ve chosen to determine what is and isn’t performing well. Staying on top of your keywords will give you an edge over your competition and help your business rank higher in search results and ad performance.

The strategists at Dream Local Digital know exactly how to pick the right keywords for your business and budget. For more details and strategies for boosting your search ranking, contact us today for a free digital audit.

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