How To Make the Best Use of Each Type of PPC Keyword (Tips)

When you work with a Chicago PPC agency, you learn a lot about what it takes to run an effective pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaign. One of those are the keywords experts use to ensure the right people — your target audience — find your PPC ads.

This guide looks at these keywords and what they do, including:

• A short discussion on why you need different types of  PPC keywords
• Seven best types of PPC keywords and how to use them effectively

There’s a lot to discuss, so get ready to take notes.

Let’s go!

If you want to learn how Digital Authority Partners can increase your PPC effectiveness, watch this video!

Why Do You Need More than One Type of PPC Keyword?

If this is your first time creating a PPC campaign, you might still think you only need one keyword. That normally works for website content in a one-to-one ratio with target keywords. Thanks to advancements in search, one is really all you need.

However, PPC ads are a different story. Whereas you want as many people as possible to find your content (particularly your target market), limiting unnecessary exposure is ideal for PPC. The difference is that viewing your content is free, but interactions with your ads cost money.

This is where PPC keywords come in. The better you accurately target your audience through keywords, the more cost-effective and profitable your ads are. You achieve that by finding the perfect combination that allows you to avoid costly clicks and pay only for leads.

7 Best PPC Keywords To Run a Successful Ad Campaign

Bidding is probably the most important step in PPC because it directly affects the dent running a campaign leaves in your budget. The kind, quantity, and quality of PPC keywords you decide to use are tied to that. Depending on that, your cost-per-click (PPC) might skyrocket.

That leads us to the importance of choosing only the best and most effective keywords in your PPC strategy. Each type serves a function and has a distinct way of eliminating unwanted clicks on your ads. For instance, keywords based on match types broaden or narrow your ad triggers.

In contrast, ones based on search intent, such as transactional keywords, directly target users depending on the goal behind their search. For example, "cost" signals the searcher is looking to buy. Here are seven PPC keywords and how best to use them in your campaigns.

     1. Set Up PPC With Basic Target Keywords

A target keyword is the most basic type used in PPC strategies. Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the keyword you want your content to rank for and, consequently, what search engines have to match with search terms. That makes it a good complement to SEO strategies.

You could get fantastic keyword ideas from your content to jumpstart your PPC research. Just remember to fine-tune it with other PPC keywords before running a campaign. Otherwise, you end up with a highly generic campaign that drains your budget with no returns to show.

     2. Enable Broad Match To Cast a Wide Net

This is the first of three match types that, while not strictly speaking a “type” of PPC keyword, still bears mentioning alongside them. As its name suggests, enabling this match type lets you cover a wide pool of keywords simultaneously. You ideally want to limit the pool’s size, though.

Broad match works best for e-commerce businesses that want as much exposure as possible and for which an upsurge in keyword triggers is not disastrous. If you plan on adding it to your PPC strategy, be mindful of its effects on your budget. Use other types to limit any harm.

     3. Use Phrase Match To Expand Your Scope

Similar to broad match, this match type expands the possible triggers for your PPC ad, allowing you to catch more potential clicks without straining yourself to think of target keywords. Though it is much more limited in this regard than broad match because of how it checks search terms.

The difference between broad match and phrase match is that the former includes anything and everything remotely similar to your target keyword. On the other hand, the latter restricts triggers to search terms that build on your target keyword, just as you wrote it, including the word order.

     4. Switch to Exact Match To Focus Your Ads

Unlike the two previous match types, exact match restricts triggers to variations of your target keyword. These include singular and plural forms, as well as abbreviations and misspellings. Using exact match is advantageous if you know which keywords help you most.

Although it works opposite to broad match and phrase match, the exact match has a similar issue. You need a list of target keywords to ensure your ads appear for all relevant searches. Apart from that, using match types is pretty straightforward, if not a little confusing at the beginning.

     5. Start Trending With Branded Keywords

A branded keyword is your business name turned into a keyword. If your business already has a sizable online following or is in a prime position to gain traction, you should also consider using branded keywords in your PPC campaign. It lets you control the results by dominating them.

For instance, if a Chicago PPC agency, such as Digital Authority Partners, were to run a PPC campaign, it should use both generic and branded keywords to maximize visibility. As stated, it is also good practice to deter bad actors from profiting from your business and its reputation.

     6. Add Negative Keywords To Limit Triggers

A negative keyword is the opposite of a target keyword in that it covers the search terms you do not want to trigger your ads. In that sense, a negative keyword, like other keywords, also works with match types to filter the pool of search terms that trigger your ad.

It works if you designate a word or phrase as a negative match; then any search terms containing that word or phrase stop triggering your ad automatically. This is an excellent tool to prevent qualifiers that do not match your ads or offerings from wasting your ad budget.

     7. Check Transactional Keywords for Leads

Last are search intent keywords, specifically transactional keywords, which signal intent or interest in buying. Bbuy,’ ‘cost,’ ‘price,’ ‘store,’ and ‘shop’ are all common examples that carry a buying intent. Of course, you do not need all these keywords, but they are worth considering.

As with every other suggestion on this list, test your keywords before going all in on a PPC campaign for the best results. Doing that gives you time to thoroughly evaluate which keywords and ad copies have the highest success rate at attracting leads and converting customers.

Summing Up

Finding effective PPC keywords is exceptionally challenging because of their implications on your ad campaign’s potential for success. If you do keyword research haphazardly, your picks will be hit or miss. Conversely, if you are too selective, you limit your ads.

Need help finding keywords for your PPC campaign? Contact us to learn how we can help.