SEO: Search Engine Optimization Bible

(Barré) #1
keyword and will cost you a lot. “Facial tissue” is less general, but it’s still going to be in high demand
and thus expensive. Unless it’s essential that your brand be associated with one of these high-demand
keywords, it’s better to avoid them and not pay a lot for keywords that won’t increase your number of
qualified clicks all that much.

High-demand keywords are also very expensive. The more popular a keyword is, the more you’ll
pay for it. And with many high-demand keywords, the resulting traffic may not be as well targeted
as it could be. This means a reduced number of conversions, resulting in a lower ROI. It’s far better
to choose keywords and phrases that are not in as much demand but are more targeted. You’ll pay
less for these keywords and will likely end up with much more qualified traffic from them, which
will translate into more conversions and a better ROI.

Match typescan also help you control your PPC budget. A match type is the condition under which
you prefer that your PPC ad is shown. So, if you’ve selected a keyword or phrase — let’s say “SEO
consultant” — for your PPC advertisement, you can specify if you would like to have that ad shown
only under certain condition.

When you set up your PPC campaign, most PPC providers offer the option to choose a match type,
though it might not be immediately obvious. By default, your match type will be the broadest match
possible (because that means more money for the search engine). But there are several general match
types that you could use:

 Broad Match:A broad match occurs when your ad is shown to the broadest possible seg-
ment of searchers. What that means is that anytime someone searches for “SEO consultant”
your ad will be shown, no matter whether those two words appear together or if there are
other words included with the term.
 Phrase Match:A phrase match occurs when your ad is shown for searches that contain the
key phrase you’ve selected, in the correct word order, but also including other words. So
instead of showing your ad only for searches containing “SEO consultant,” your ad might
also be shown for searches like “free SEO consultant,” or “SEO web-design consultant.”
 Exact Match: An exact match takes place when your PPC ad is shown only for searches
that contain the exact words that you’ve selected, in the exact order in which you’ve selected
them, with no other words included in the phrase. In other words, if you choose an exact
match for “SEO consultant,” the only time the ad will be shown is when a user searches for
“SEO consultant.”

Match types offer an excellent method for reducing the cost of your ads while increasing the effec-
tiveness of the ads. You should use caution when narrowing your match types too much, however,
because you could miss possible clicks from people who aren’t exactly sure what they’re looking for.

One more method for decreasing your PPC budget is to modify your PPC strategy. This, actually,
should be an ongoing strategy for any PPC campaign, even if you’re not trying to reduce your
budget. Monitor and review the amount of PPC spending versus the number of conversions you
achieve. Then use this information to make changes to your keywords and ad copy to increase
the effectiveness of your PPC campaigns.

144


Part II SEO Strategies


75002c09_6.qxd 11/7/07 9:39 AM Page 144

Free download pdf