There are many different stages to implementing a successful Google Ads campaign. You have to decide which demographics to target, create excellent ad copy and ensure that your website is as simple to convert on as possible.

However, all great campaigns start with keyword research. These keywords are the triggers that will make Google serve your ad to prospective customers.

The good news is that it is easy to find high-quality keywords for your PPC campaign. Here are some of our top tips.

1. Think like your customer

Sometimes the best place to start is to grab a pad of paper, pour yourself a big cup of coffee and brainstorm as many potential keywords as possible. When you do this, it’s essential to have your target audience in mind. What will they type to find the product or service you sell?

For example, you may sell sneakers online. However, your customer may search for your product using different terms, including ‘tennis shoes,’ ‘trainers’, or ‘plimsolls.’ Try and consider as many alternatives as you can.

2. Opt for long-tail keywords

Let’s go back to our sneakers store. It may be tempting to put ‘sneakers’ as a keyword in your campaign. However, as there is a lot of competition for this keyword, you risk spending a lot of money in the hope that Google will show your ad.

Bear in mind that not everyone who types in ‘sneakers’ will be looking to buy from you. Some people might be looking for how to clean sneakers or how to tie sneaker shoelaces. They may even be looking for the 1992 movie!

This is where long-tail keywords can help. Long-tail keywords help narrow in on customer intent, making the people who search more likely to buy your product or service.

As an example:

·       ‘Sneakers’ has 3,420,000,000 results in Google

·       ‘Men’s sneakers’ has 2,050,000,000 results

·       ‘Men’s sneakers black’ has 140,000,000 results

·       ‘Men’s sneakers black size 11’ has 118,00,000 results

So if in doubt, always go with longer keywords!

3. Use research tools

Thinking of keywords can be hard. Thinking of good keywords can be harder! If you’re struggling to find good keywords, there are lots of free and paid-for tools that can help.

Some of our favorite tools include SEMrush, Ahrefs, Majestic and Moz. Although you have to pay to unlock the full functionality, they offer free tools or even a seven-day trial.

Think of them as a return on investment – if these tools help you land lots of sales, then they are well worth the money!

There are also many free tools including Keyword Tool, Keywords Everywhere, Answer the Public and Ubersuggest.

If you already have a Google Ads account, you can take advantage of its Keyword Planner, which will not only suggest keywords but estimate how much they will cost.

The final suggestion we have... experiment! Sometimes the most valuable keyword for your campaign will be the one you initially thought would not work. Check your account regularly and see which keywords are performing, and which you need to go back to the drawing board on.