I’ve just spent the day at the International Search Summit at the British Library in the heart of London.
Delegates from all over the world were attending to get a better understanding of how to market globally using search engine marketing. Marketing in multiple languages can be fraught with pitfalls if you’re not careful, so most were there to pick up a few tips.
I may be biased, but my favourite presentation was from our own Tor Crockatt. Tor is our Editorial Operations Manager here in Europe and is a whizz when it comes to ad copy, linguistics and how to think about which keywords are the best to select when building a campaign.
During her session she made some very helpful points:
- You have to make the keyword relevant to connect your audience with your products in the most effective way and this challenge multiplies when you expand into multiple languages.
- Think of keywords as questions being asked by a user. You’re engaging the user by drawing them in to your site. Be honest – do you have the answer to their question? Remember the quality of their experience can affect your brand positively.....and negatively!
- Think about what you are actually selling and don’t expand your keywords so much that they don’t relate to your content. For instance if you sell bath tubs, don’t be tempted to bid on keywords for shower equipment just because they do the same thing.
Follow these keyword research steps:
Think of your keywords as a pot of coins. It’s not how many coins you have in the pot that’s important; it’s their value to your campaign; this value is dictated the type and volume of users they connect you to:
Do your keywords bring you….
- The right volume of Customers?
- Customers looking for your products?
- Customers ready to buy?
- Customers your competitors haven’t tapped?
- The opportunity to present your Unique Selling points directly against competitors?
Analysis around user intent on generic keywords is key to understanding the users’ request. Some keywords have multiple options as to precisely what the user is asking:
When translating and localizing campaigns, keyword analysis becomes more complex and user intent will vary per market. Using qualified local search marketers is the best option, but if you are using translation tools start simple! Translate basic concepts or nouns first and then use keyword research tools to expand and find variations. If translating nouns, try using the plural as you are most likely to get the meaning which corresponds most closely to the search user’s usage.
Another structure that may be useful is trying to spot elements of meaning in the keywords that you are using, for example your keyword phrases may include: quality elements (compare, best), price adjectives, product adjectives, product names/types, manufacturer/brand names, words that indicates intended use (for him, back to school), intended action (buy, book) or a location/place name. If you can see the typical structure of meaning in your keywords, it becomes easier to think up more variations. This may also give you a framework with which to localise.
If you bear these concepts in mind when setting out on your pay-per-click journey you’ll create a much better experience for the user, put your ad in front of customers actually looking for your products and services more often, which will enhance your brand. You’ll also save money because eradicating those wasted impressions and clicks will result in higher click-through rates for your keyword/ad combinations and better ROI.