The Pekoe Group – Theatrical Marketing & Advertising

The Key To Keywords: Unlocking SEO and Google AdWords Success

If you want your website to reach your target audience, you’ve got to speak their language. That means finding those exact phrases and words that help users key into your brand. We’re talking about keywords.

What exactly is a keyword? We’re glad you asked.

In the simplest terms, a keyword is the word or phrase that a user types into a search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) to find what they are looking for.

Photo via MyCityByNight

But really, they are so much more.

Think of a keyword as the link between the content you want your audience to see and the content your audience is searching for. As we all know, when your audience wants exactly what you’re offering: that’s where the magic happens.

To find the best keywords, think like your target market. What words would they use to find you? Then, be relevant and stay true to your brand.

There are two types of keywords: broad keywords and long-tail keywords. Here is how HubSpot breaks it down:

Long-tail keywords often convert better, as they are likely to find your specific audience at just the right moment. Think about it: someone searching “gold Poppin pens” is likely further down the sales funnel than someone simply searching “pens.”

Now that you know what a keyword is, here’s what you do with them:

>>Make Your SEO Dreams Come True

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a method of using strategy and techniques to increase website traffic and obtain a higher-ranking placement in the results of an online search.

Long ago, when the internet was rapidly expanding into the never-ending world wide web we know and love today, search engines were created to index websites and make it easier for users to find what they were looking for. Essentially, search engines scan the text of your website and compare it to the content entered into the search box, acting as the perfect matchmaker for websites and internet users.

That’s where keywords come into play.

Your keywords help search engines match you to users. It’s best to use the keywords multiple times throughout the copy on your web page: just remember to incorporate them in a natural, human sounding way.

>>Start A Google AdWords Campaign

With Google AdWords, you create an ad and place bids on keywords used to increase your search ranking. The bids assign a cost per keyword that you will pay only if the ad is clicked. High-ranking ads will appear in the top and on the sides of the search results, building awareness and site traffic.

Look familiar?

Photo via InFront

It’s important to bid high on branded keywords, so competitors don’t outbid (and out-place) you for your own brand.

Check out their super helpful tool, Google AdWords Keyword Planner, for advice on keywords and suggestions for competitive bids. Or try one of these other tools.

SEO and Google AdWords have many differences. For example, SEO takes a little more time than AdWords to show its results, and AdWords costs per click, while SEO could be done yourself (although, many hire an SEO firm at a monthly fee for the best results).

But if you really want to use keywords to unlock search engine success, we recommend using them both.