How to maximise your PPC keyword strategy
What is a PPC keyword strategy?
We all know that the internet has a vast amount of people looking for all sorts of things, from their next hair appointment to their closest beauty salon. As a small business, it’s probably the case that not many people know who you are or what you offer at the moment. There is no doubt that there are potential customers just hoping to discover your salon business, but how are you going to get in front of them? By using the terms they are searching for in your digital marketing keyword strategy.
In short, a keyword strategy is all about finding the right terms or phrases that are going to get your business in front of the right people. Once you’ve done this, the next stage of the keyword strategy is to plan and organise how you are going to use these keywords. From PPC bidding to content creation and SEO. Keywords are a vital part of digital marketing and it’s important to do this early on to have the best chance of attracting customers.
Why do I need a keyword strategy?
Without a keyword strategy, you are just putting your services out there and hoping for the best. It would be very unlikely for someone to stumble across your website or book an appointment without a keyword strategy, as it’s very unlikely that a potential customer will be searching for your exact business name.
Keywords are especially important for small businesses as their brand name is relatively unknown. We all know that brand awareness is a huge part of successful marketing, and while many people will search for ‘Pret near me’, they probably aren’t specifically looking for your coffee shop. That’s why taking the time to research keywords for your business and planning on how to use them is the best way to get your business noticed by new customers.
How to research for keywords
The first thing you need to do when thinking about the keywords for your business is very simple. Get a pen and paper and write down everything that your business offers.
For example, if you’re a barber in London then you should be writing down all the services that you offer, from haircuts to grooming to shaves. Go into as much detail as you can and think about what makes your business unique. Write a list as long as you like, it will come in handy later.
It’s also a great idea to make a list of all the locations you serve. This should obviously be the area where your business is but also think about surrounding areas and don’t forget postcodes. Many searchers will enter a postcode if they aren’t in the area but thinking about something that they need in the future.
Keyword Research Tools
Now that you have a long list of keywords and phrases, you need to find out if anyone is actually searching for them. Here at Green Shoot Marketing, we use SEMRush. This platform gives the most up to date keyword information and insights that we can implement in our client’s strategies, but there are also free tools to help small businesses on a budget.
One that you’ve probably heard of is Google Keyword Planner. This platform will show you roughly how many searches are being made for your keywords and how much competition you have for them. Ideally, you want high search volumes with low competition.
Another free tool from Google is Google Trends. This tool shows you how popular searches are over time and it’s great for seasonal marketing. For example, ‘gyms’ may be very popular in January when everyone is starting a new health regime but less popular towards the end of the year.
Another incredibly helpful tool is Answer the public. While it doesn’t give you any indications on volume, it is very helpful to understand the questions your customers have around your area of business. Do hairdressers in my area make house calls? Hairdressers without appointments? You could then add keywords like hairdressing housecalls or hairdressers drop-ins to your list if those are included in your services.
How to use keywords
So, you now have a list of keywords that you know people are searching for and you definitely want to use to promote your business, but how are you going to use them? The short answer is…everywhere!
The main way to use your keyword is when bidding for search terms in Google Ads. It’s a good idea to split these among ad groups depending on what you’re bidding on. For example, you may want a group for services, one for location and one for promotions. That way, everything is clear and organised for your targeting.
It’s also very important to use your keywords in content creation, write blogs and articles about your services and promotions. Talk about industry trends and popular topics that your customer will be engaged with. Give advice and write about hints and tips that will help your customer. Using your keywords as much as possible (without word stuffing) throughout your content will help with your website rankings.
Finally, use your keywords in your SEO. Make sure that meta titles, description, headings and alt tags are all up to date using relevant keywords where possible so that search engines can index your website correctly.
Optimise your keyword strategy
Now you should have a strong list of keywords and a plan on how you’re going to use them. The most important thing to realise now is that your work isn’t done. Much like your business, a keyword strategy is something that is constantly evolving and so you need to keep visiting this area of digital marketing to make sure that you’re maximising your potential and shouting about what your business offers.
We recommend revisiting this strategy at least once a month and reviewing across all areas of your business to ensure you’re at the top of the list. That way, you will be able to keep your website optimised and up to date for your customers.
