Having Problems? It Might Be Your Keywords.

Recently, we have been working with a lot of advertisers who have had concerns about their quality of traffic or lack of conversions. I have looked at some of these accounts and campaigns, and the solution may be simpler than one would expect: keyword selection.

For example, I worked with an advertiser who was promoting a website showing how becoming a truck driver can help you “retire more quickly.” He was bidding on terms like “trucking” and “trucking school.” I looked at his site, and I realized that he should consider keywords such as “own your own business,” or “business opportunity.” Considering what his service could provide, he may have selected keywords that were not attracting the right target audience. If the product allows you to build your business, or create opportunity for yourself, then the keywords should try to pull searches from visitors looking for that exact offer. These types of keywords also perform well on 7Search (high volume of traffic, history of conversion), and can help this advertiser to increase his activity.

Another example is a person who was promoting a site that allows you to search for and download documents and files for free. Keywords in the campaign included “document,” “untitled document,” and “the document.” These types of keywords are extremely broad in nature. The types of searches these have received included “prequalification document definition,” “original document brezhnev doctrine,” and “how to save image from document.” These are most likely not helpful to this advertiser. I suggested that these keywords be deleted altogether, and suggested adding keywords that are related to specific documents that can be found on the site, like e-books or magazines. This can help attract more targeted searches that are more likely to convert on this site.

I receive calls for help from advertisers every day, and they are wondering why they have low quality clicks and blame our network. I then take a closer look at the campaigns themselves, and more often than not, it is due to the choices made in the campaign structure. What appears to be bad traffic may simply be traffic that is not meant for your site. A keyword may attract a lot of clicks, but have you looked at the searches themselves in the keyword report under your Reports tab? If a campaign isn’t converting, is it because the traffic is faulty, or is it the lack of clicks received or clicks that are irrelevant to your content?

One main concept you might consider when selecting keywords is “Who am I trying to reach, and how can I target them as specifically as possible?” You wouldn’t try to sell furniture for your store without saying you have loveseats, dinner tables, recliner chairs, etc. Your keywords should reach customers who are shopping around and give them another option to consider. Obviously, every product is different and might require special consideration, but keyword research (either through our Keyword suggestion tool, or another option Like Google AdWord’s keyword tool) can help you to think about other options. I even used an online thesaurus to find other variances of a particular word just to spark my imagination.

I’ve written before that there is no silver bullet for 7Search traffic. As you’re aware, it takes an investment of time and money. However, you don’t have to spend more money on another site that provides keyword research. You can find several sources online for ideas on keyword strategy. Some great options include SEOmoz (http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo/keyword-research), Wordtracker, which includes a free PDF research guide (http://www.wordtracker.com/academy/keyword-research-guide), and SEO Book, which has tutorial videos for guidance (http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/).

You can then take this information and use it to inform your choices. Some of the concepts discussed are geared toward Google advertising and may not function the same way on 7Search. However, these do help you to approach the concept differently, and to keep focus on your audience and what they may be thinking.

Luckily, we are also around to provide suggestions. You can contact us for suggestions for your campaign, and we will do our best to provide options. However, you know your product better than we do. You know the advantages and benefits of choosing your product, and the variances of terms that can be connected to your niche. We can provide ideas based upon what we see on your site, but you work and live in your niche, and have a deeper knowledge of your product.

So when your activity seems to be performing in an unexpected way, check your searched phrases in the keyword report under the reports tab to determine the relevancy of your clicks. If your ad seems to have lost traffic, check your bids and your competition. Some issues that may seem major may actually be solved quite easily. Keywords are a large part of the equation, and determine whether or not your campaign will be successful.