Understanding what people are searching for is essential for the success of any Google Ads campaign, especially during the process of developing an effective campaign strategy and creating highly relevant ads.
But how do you find what people are searching for, and what should you do once you know? Read on to find out with our guide.
“Keyword research is vital for an effective Google Ads search campaign as it allows you to discover what keywords people are searching for, how often they are being searched and how much you could be (and your competitors might be) paying for each keyword.”
1. How to find what people are searching for online
There are a variety of ways you can discover which keywords people are using to search online when it comes to developing a campaign for your business, including using the Google Keyword Planner tool and Google Trends.
- Keyword Planner Tool: Google Keyword Planner, a free-to-use tool within Google Ads, provides extremely important insights into online behavior. It shows what people are searching for online and the amount of times, per month, a specific keyword or phrase has been searched. With this data, you are able to tailor your campaigns to ensure your online ads will be relevant to your potential customers and be able to find them with the right keywords, especially as you can also search by geographical location. This will also help improve your chances of appearing at the top of the search engines for specific terms you are bidding on as part of your overall online marketing strategy.
To further understand the various features of Keyword Planner tool, read our guide on using Google Keyword Planner to see how you might consider implementing detailed keyword research into your next ad campaign.
- Google Trends – Google Trends shows search interest of a particular topic or search term over a period of time, across various regions of the world and in a variety of different languages. This trend data can be filtered with either real time searches from the last seven days or non-real time. A dataset that can go back to a set period of time from 2004 up to 36 hours ago, depending on the amount of and type of data you want to look at.
2. Why is keyword research important for your campaign?
Keyword research is vital for an effective Google Ads search campaign as it allows you to discover what keywords people are searching for, how often they are being searched and how much you could be (and your competitors might be) paying for each keyword.
Keyword tools and research helps you to:
- Discover what search terms and keywords people are using to find your website.
- Address potential customer’s search terms with effective content that’s both able to reach customers and relevant.
- Identify potential areas where content might be missing along with opportunities to drive traffic to your website.
- Determine your ad spend based on how many clicks you can expect to get per keyword for your budget.
- Find variations of keywords that could increase ROI – you will be able to see if there are related search terms and potential alternatives that you hadn’t previously considered.
3. How to select the right keywords for your campaign
There are a multitude of factors to consider when it comes to doing keyword research effectively and choosing the right keywords for your campaign. Using Google Keyword Planner alongside Google Trends will help you better understand user intent and discover the keywords that will make the most for your money. Utilise these Google Ads tools during the research phase of your campaign to maximize your chances of appearing on first page of the results pages with highly relevant ad campaigns.
To find the right keywords, consider the following in Keyword Planner:
- Brand terms – Keywords containing your brand name.
- Generic terms – General keywords with a wider scope.
- Related terms – Keywords that don’t directly relate to your product or service but are queries that may relate to your business.
When it comes to defining your keyword lists, keep these four factors in mind and you’ll be on your way to creating winning online ads that reach your potential customers in the right places, at the right time.
4. What to do once you know what people are searching for?
With your keyword research lists defined, the next step is to incorporate your research within your campaign strategy to create compelling ads that lead to sales and conversions.
When creating your Google ads, think about user intent and people’s needs, and make sure your campaign is engaging and able to reach users with relevant keywords. Relating your online ads to your potential customers will ensure your ads achieve maximum reach, whilst effective messaging will help you succeed in your industry and create a Google ad that stands out on the search results pages.
Well-selected keywords are the foundation of a Google Ads campaign and as much as your customers are already looking for you, you need to help them find you at exactly the right stage. This is why keyword research using the keyword Planner tool is vital to understanding what people are searching for online, whether you’re setting up a new ad campaign or optimizing an existing one.
What is Google Ads?
Google Ads is an advertising service by Google for businesses that want to display ads on Google search results and its advertising network.