Keyword Expansion Best Practices

A keyword is the term a user types into the search box when they make a query on a search engine. A keyword may be one word or multiple words. In fact, because user sophistication has increased, more than 75% of all keywords now consist of two or more actual words. An important step in developing a good SEM campaign is to choose keywords that are relevant to the product or service you’re selling.

For instance, if you sell printer ink, you would want to choose keywords that a person who is looking for printer ink would be likely to use in a search query. In this case, you might choose keywords such as “printer ink,” “printer ink cartridge,” etc. When a search engine user types in one of your keywords, they have a chance to see your sponsored listing, and you may have just found yourself a new customer. Once you’ve developed a core list of keywords that are pertinent to your business, you’ll want to expand that list to include as many relevant variations as possible, so your ads have the greatest chance of appearing with a user’s search results. There are many techniques for expanding your keywords, including:

Plurals
Geographical targeting
Modifiers
Category keywords
Business name keywords
Misspellings
Brand keywords
Seasonality keywords
Jargon keywords, nicknames, and acronyms
Question keywords

Plurals

In Google, you can easily double your core list of keywords just by adding an “s.” That’s because the Google algorithm treats the singular and plural forms of a given word as two different words. For example, running searches on the keywords “lifeboat” and lifeboats” both turned up the same No. 1 result, but the rest of the 10 highest-ranking results were completely different. Take advantage of this variance by being sure to include both singular and plural forms of your keywords in your Google account.

However, the Yahoo! system treats singulars and plurals as the same word, so there’s no point in doubling up there. Geographical Targeting If your business is in any way location-specific, you’ll want to take advantage of geographical targeting in expanding your keyword list. Take your core keywords and combine them with your state, your county, your city, your neighborhood – whatever makes the most sense for you. An apartment complex in the Los Angeles area, for example, should not only use the word keyword “apartment,” but also “Los Angeles apartment.” Furthermore, because people often seek apartments in specific areas or neighborhoods, even more targeted geographical keywords such as “Santa Monica apartments” or “Third Street Promenade apartments” could yield excellent SEM results.

Modifiers

The more specific you can be with your keywords, the more relevant your sponsored listings will appear to the users who choose those keywords, and the more likely they’ll be to click on your ad. This is where the use of modifiers comes in. Many people search on generic keywords like “apartment,” of course. But a large number of those users are looking for a specific kind of apartment – cheap, luxury, spacious, oceanfront, etc. What are the specific adjectives that apply to your product or service? Add those modifiers to your core keywords, and your list of search keywords could increase exponentially.

Category Keywords

Be sure to include keywords that reflect your industry – what some marketers refer to as a “vertical.” If your company processes mortgage loans, for example, you’ll want to include keywords pertaining to the financial industry.

If you currently are running SEM campaigns, talk to your Account Manager at the search engine or search marketing company you’re using. Many offer “category specialists” who concentrate on specific industries, and may have access to a comprehensive list of keywords that apply to your business category.

Business Name Keywords

It may seem obvious, but it’s surprising how many businesses forget to include their company name in their keyword lists. Just think, someone could be looking for your business by name, but if you haven’t included that name as one of your keywords, you won’t show up in the search results. Be sure to include the domain name of your web site as a keyword as well, along with any alternate spellings or common misspellings of your business name.

Misspellings

Don’t forget misspellings and alternate forms. Accounting for words that are commonly misspelled can increase the number of visitors to your site and cast your marketing net a little wider. An easy way to do this is to analyze your site’s internal search logs looking for misspelled searches, including the "not found" list. Misspellings can also be incorporated into the content of pages. Many searches often use a common misspelling. In some instances, a misspelled word may be more popular than the correctly spelled word.

Brand Keywords

Brand keywords reference the brand itself (Coca Cola, for instance), as well as misspellings or other variations (Coca Cola beverages, Coke, Coke vs. Pepsi). Brand term searches are often very profitable. They consistently outperform nonbranded or generic keywords and have a high rate of ROI. Brands are potent keywords because the searcher looking for information or details about a brand already has that brand in mind.

Seasonality

Seasonality refers to using keywords that are more popular during certain times of the year. Keywords that are tied to Christmas, Halloween, or St. Patrick’s Day may produce greater results around the time of those holidays. To make the most of seasonal campaigns, it is best to plan early. Analyzing seasonal consumer behavior patterns of your customers can help you target your ads with the keywords that will return the most on your investment. Your product line and industry environment can determine when is the best time to be active in a seasonal campaign. That’s why it’s best to know your historical campaign data, so you can craft campaigns that capitalize on peak consumer activity and purchases.

Question Keywords

More and more keyword searches are conducted using questions, such as “how do I fix my transmission?” If your company sells auto parts or provides transmission services, you’ll want to include keyword questions like the one above. To capture the widest audience, however, it’s beneficial to include all six question keywords: who, what, where, when, why, and how. For example, for “who should I see to fix my…”, “when should I fix my…?” “where should I…?” etc.

Jargon Keywords and Nicknames

Each industry has its own language, and targeting keywords that are specific to your business can increase your ranking significantly. Think of keywords such as “upper eastside,” “hubby,” or “SEM.” Jargon keywords, nicknames, and buzzwords can all be included in your keywords and the additional keywords that are tied to them. To optimize your site, it’s important to understand how people in your specific industry use search and the keywords they use.

Message Keywords

Keywords that associate your product with an event or brand are called message keywords. If you are advertising during the Super Bowl, you’ll want to want to include your product or service plus “super bowl” or “super bowl ads.” The goal of message keywords is to draw as much traffic as the actual event or brand is attracting with your product attached.

Conclusion

Keyword expansion is an important part of building your Internet presence and increasing your online business. A good SEM campaign incorporates keywords that are relevant to your product or service, and includes plurals, modifiers, and business name keywords, in addition to the others mentioned above. Although this article contains many tried-and-true best practices, there are other keyword expansion strategies not mentioned here. For more information, please contact The Search Agency at (310) 582-5716.