Paid search is a digital marketing tactic, where search engines enable advertisers to show ads on their search engine results page (SERPSs). Popular search engines include Google, Bing, and Yahoo. According to research done by the Statisa Research Department, In 2021, search advertising spending increased by 38.5 percent year-on-year, from 8.4 to 11.6 billion British pounds. This proves its effectiveness as a platform, that businesses are keen to continue to invest in.
Understanding paid search
Paid search operates on a pay-per-click model. This means that you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. You start by setting the maximum amount of money you would like to spend per click, known as ‘your bid’ as well as the amount for the entire campaign, known as ‘your budget.’ These campaigns can offer wide range of benefits to businesses of all sizes:
- Appear at the top of the search engine results page. This is the biggest benefit to running a paid search ad. It helps to drive traffic to your website and can help you appear above competitors.
- Target a specific audience. Many search engines platform that run your paid ads allow you to target specific audiences with options on when you want people to see your ads.
- Increase traffic. By ensuring your ads are shown at the right time, paid search ads are an effective way to generate new leads as well as prospects who might convert.
- Efficient. Setting up a paid ad can be done in under an hour, meaning it’s fast and allows you to reach your target audience immediately.
- Measurable. With paid search ads, you can track conversions and monitor performance. You can make changes to your campaign as you gather data on the users to ensure money is not being wasted.
Keyword research
Paid search ads include a headline, display URL and descriptive text.
When setting up your paid ad, you will usually be asked to select your keywords. Google has a free keyword planner which allows you to search for the most popular words being used to find products, services, and events.
Strategies for choosing keywords
When it comes to choosing keywords, it’s important to ensure that your content answers a keyword’s search intent so that you are more likely to rank for that keyword and drive conversions rather than just traffic. Keyword intent, also known as user or search intent, is what searchers want to achieve after they conduct a specific search. The intent is usually the action, i.e. to make a purchase or to find out more about a particular topic. Therefore, it’s important to identify keyword intent before you write your copy.
You can also conduct a competitor keyword analysis to find the keywords that will help boost traffic to your website. This is a method used to find keywords that your competitors use in on their websites using SEO tools such as the keyword gap tool or similar web. These tools normally help you find keywords that will give you competitive advantage. You can also do this manually, by taking your top keywords and searching them on a search engine to see which businesses appear at the top of the page.
Consider the below to include in your content:
- Buy now keywords for users looking to make a purchase. These are also known as high-intent keywords. They are purchase/action oriented and can be used in paid ads to drive conversion. You can use these by bidding on these keywords to increase visibility in front of buyers.
- Product keywords for users searching for products, these could focus on brand, product names, event names or services. Examples of these are armchairs, sofas, lamps, etc. These are shorter keywords and will generally be more difficult to bid on for your business as they attract more website visitors.
- Information keywords tend to be for users who want to know more about a particular subject or topic. They include words like, how to, top tips on, best ways to, etc.
- Long tail keywords. These are specific keywords with lower search volumes. If you have a smaller budget, these are effective to use as there’s generally less competition to rank in search results and a lower cost per click. They can also lead to greater click through rates because the customer will be specific about what they are looking for. Examples include: Size 9 running shoes for men, gluten free restaurants near me, and blue outdoor jacket for kids.
- Negative keywords. These are search terms that are excluded from your ad so that it is only shown to relevant audiences. For example, if you own a shoe company and you don’t sell sandals, you may want to exclude the search term ‘sandals.’
We recommend that you use a variety of long-term keywords and phrases in your search ads, as well as negative keywords to make your content as relevant as possible.
Alignment of ad copy & landing pages
It’s important that your ad copy and landing pages for paid ads are aligned. This will help to build trust with your visitors and push them further along the sales funnel and will improve chances of conversion. Your visitors will have specific reasons for clicking on your ad, therefore, they are looking for relevance, solutions and value. If your landing page doesn’t reflect the content of your ad, they will most likely leave your website and go to a competitor’s website instead. You can do this by ensuring the messaging is consistent across your ad and landing page and that the call to actions is matched. For example, if your ad promotes a free trip, then the landing page should prominently feature the free trip advert too.
One example of a strong paid ad campaign which aligns with their website is Upwork, an American platform used by companies to hire freelancers.
The ad is relevant, builds trust with a relevant stat, and addresses the search’s desire (3 average days to hire).
Conclusion
Selecting the right keywords in your content is key to ensuring your ads appear in relevant search results. It’s important that your keywords are chosen for the right intent and followed through on your website to ensure you are building trust with your customers. By following our tips below, we can help you to increase the chances of attracting qualified leads.
