Advanced Keyword Research & Targeting – Why the Long

Tail Still Matters

Larry Kim

Wordstream

Agenda

• The Long Tail of Search– History and Definition

– What is it, why should you care?

• How to Leverage the Long Tail for PPC– Practical tips and strategies

– Common Long Tail Pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Q&A

The History of the Long Tail

• Popularized by Chris Anderson in a 2004 “Wired” magazine article that has led to a series of books

• Long Tail Theory: “Long tail products that are in low demand (low sales volume) collectively make up a market share that exceeds the bestsellers.”

The Long Tail and Search

• Real phenomenon that permeates many aspects of search marketing

• Popular Examples of the Long Tail: – Keyword (Search Query) Reports– Popular Content Reports

• Why should you care about the long tail for PPC?– “20-25% of all Google search queries are unique” (Google)– “56% of buyers who search use queries of three or more words,

while only 7 percent use one word or an acronym” (Google)– “Searchers are using longer queries” (Hitwise)

• Has many implications for managing PPC Campaigns

The Long Tail for PPC in Theory

• Broader (more general) search queries are indicative of early in the buying cycle

• They’re also relatively more expensive due to increased advertiser competition

• More specific the query, the closer the searcher is to a decision (conversion)

• Also relatively cheaper due to decreased advertiser competition

Consider these Google queries:

1. “Running Shoes”• +10 pages of sponsored results

2. “Nike Air Terra”• ~2 sponsored listings

Searcher Intent = vs. vs. vs. vs.

Searcher Intent =

So in Theory, Long Tail for PPC:

Less Competition

(Lower CPC)

Better Ad Positioning

More Searcher

Intent

(Higher Conversion

Rates)

Better ROI!

Dude, Where’s My Long Tail!

• In Google AdWords, the long tail often doesn’t exist!– “300 keywords generate +90% of my clicks”– Therefore “the long tail is dead!”

• Yet Web analytics keyword reports show 10’s of thousands of unique search queries!

• What’s happening here?!

Search Queries vs. Keywords

• Search Queries: What the user actually typed into the search box that triggered your ads.

• Keywords: The words in your Google AdWords account that Google attributes an impression/click/conversion to.

• Use of aggressive keyword match types kills your long tail for in Google AdWords– Can fundamentally distort cause and effect– Operating PPC in “Low Resolution” (Thanks Craig!)

Keyword Match Types & Search Queries

Keyword Match Type Keyword Possible Valid Search Query

Broad Match Adidas Shoes Nike Slippers

Phrase Match “Adidas Shoes” Adidas Shoes for basketball

Exact Match [Adidas Shoes] Adidas Shoes

Long Tail for PPC Implementation Strategies

Wow. This is a lot of theory and sounds pretty hard. How do you actually implement this??

PPC Strategy for Long Tail

• Need greater visibility into the search queries that are actually driving traffic & conversions and leverage that information to correct for Google’s built-in tendency to distort reality– Continuous Long Tail Keyword Discovery & Expansion: Self

Explanatory

– Bidding: By bidding lower on “Head” terms versus mid and long-tail terms.

– Negative Keywords: Restrict ads from showing if you have more specific ads that you’d rather show.

– Match Types: Application of more or less restrictive match types

• No prescriptive way to manage the long tail for PPC, rather, you need :

– Better resolution into the actual search query data and outcomes in order to understand and react to it

– Effective keyword organization strategy

Long Tail Keyword List Generation

• Generate an initial list of ideas (brainstorming/talking to clients)• Leverage a variety of tools

– WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool– Google’s Tools

• Insights for Search– AdCenter Keyword Tools (http://adlab.microsoft.com/)

• Search Funnel Tool– Competitive Tools

• SEM Rush

• Use common modifiers:– SEO Book has a nice list at: tools.seobook.com/keyword-worksheets/keyword-

worksheet.xls

Negative Keyword Generation

• Keyword Research is Also NEGATIVE Keyword Research– Be on the Lookout for Negatives as you research – Tools give you suggestions:

the suggestion could be right or wrong (a positive or negative keyword!)

• Consult lists of negatives– http://www.komarketingassociates.com/blog/200-plus-negative-keywords-to-cons

ider-for-b2b-ppc/– http://www.engineready.com/sem-resources/sem-newsletter/a-free-resource-to-n

egative-nirvana.php

• Constantly mine your own traffic!– See how people are coming to your site (historically and dynamically) and

ruthlessly weed out bad keywords!• Search query report is OK for this, but incomplete• Better is a log file/javascript analytics tool with negative keyword

functionality, like WordStream’s negative keyword tool

What’s Next? Keyword Organization!

• Select specific keywords & negative keywords

• Group together closely related keywords

• Write relevant text ads and destination pages to speak to the intent of the searcher!

Awful: Too Broad!

OK: Somewhat Related Better: Reflects Intent

Pay Attention to Modifiers!

• Modifiers reveal intent: specifically if the person is looking for information, making a comparison, or is ready to purchase

• Be aware of modifiers and where they sit in the buying cycle (tools.seobook.com/keyword-worksheets/keyword-worksheet.xls)

• Map messaging/content to visitor type:

• Informational – Softer offers (white paper, trial)

• Review – Show comparison charts, user reviews, testimonials

• Buy – Just give them the product/form!

Is Organization Really Part of Keyword Research?

• Yes! Keyword research should never end, and organization is a single Point of Leverage Affecting your Entire PPC Account!

• Reporting

• Relevancy of Keywords to Ad Group, Text Ad, Landing Page

• Click Through Rate

• Quality Score

• Conversion Rates

Keyword Organization

ROI

Don’t Stop with Suggestions!

• Your BEST Keyword Opportunities comes from Your Own Website!

• Mine analytics to continuously aggregate keyword research data (clicks and conversions) from your own website and store that data in your own Private Keyword Database!

Ongoing Keyword Research Workflow

Re-factor new keyword opportunities into your existing keyword research, continuously expand and optimize!

Long Tail for PPC: What’s the Point?

• Long Tail for PPC awareness & strong campaign organization to better understand and react to how people are really interacting with your PPC campaigns

• To make your Long Tail of Keywords (in AdWords) look more like your Long Tail of Search Queries in Web Analytics

• Why?– It means you’re more precisely matching keyword searches with their

intended ads and landing pages

– Will (on average) yield Quality Scores, better exposure, lower CPC’s, higher conversion rates.

• More work, but …– Meaningful impact on CPCs

– Great infrastructure for conversion friendly landing pages

Common Long Tail Keyword Mistakes:

– Ignoring/Denying the Long Tail of Search– Mistaking Quantity and Quality

• Fake keyword generators (permutations or combinations of lists of keywords)

• Over-trusting keyword suggestion tools

• Negative Keywords

– Avoid Keyword Injection: Need {Keyword}? • Shortcuts hurt performance

• Write targeted ads and landing pages

– Simplistic bidding rules can torpedo the Long Tail for PPC– Trying to do everything at once

• Take an iterative approach

Ways to Effectively Manage Long Tail Keywords

1. Tight Keyword Grouping & Organization• Properly organize your long tail keywords for the best results

2. Use negatives• Negative keywords improve your relevance without requiring you to comb

through the list individually

3. Prioritize tasks• Once you have gathered long tail keywords, continue to optimize the

campaigns as you do with other keyword groups

4. Act on insights• Turn insight into action! Dedicate time and effort towards crafting relevant ad

groups and content pages

5. Distribute the work• Break up work into smaller tasks, enlist the support of a team

6. Use Software• Leverage keyword research and management software