Keyword Research and Audience Targeting for SEM
Search advertising may seem straightforward when you’re just looking at it. Pick a keyword, create an ad, set a budget and wait for the clicks. In practice, getting the right people to click, and making those clicks worthwhile, takes considerably more thought.
That’s a tough one for businesses competing in Los Angeles. The search behavior is different in different neighborhoods, depending on the customer need, competition and the type of service. A wide range of keywords can drive traffic to your site, but not necessarily your customers.
This is why the first two steps in a successful search engine marketing Los Angeles campaign are to know what people are searching for and to whom it is being done.
Start With Real Searches
Don’t start keyword research with a list of keywords that seem to relate to your business. First of all, consider what a prospective customer would actually type when they need your product or service.
A person looking for an advertising agency might still be exploring their advertising agency options. Anyone who has typed in “advertising agency Los Angeles” has already put in a location and could be just a step away from reaching out.
That difference matters.
The best keyword strategies take into account user intent, location and where people are in the decision-making journey, not just search volumes.
Separate Intent From Volume
Volume may be appealing in a campaign report, but doesn’t indicate if a keyword will generate valuable customers.
Reflect on the difference between informational and action-oriented searches. If you’re searching online for information on SEM, you’re at a very different point than someone who is trying to compare agencies or who is interested in finding a local provider.
If advertisers group their keywords with intent, they will construct campaigns around what people want to do.
Make Location Work Harder
Los Angeles is a major, multifaceted market, and customer behavior can vary significantly from one area to another. Depending on the type of business, you may want to reach customers in a specific neighborhood or city, or target people who are willing to travel to a particular location.
The location signals can become a valuable part of SEM. Geographic data, the relevance of search terms, ad messaging and landing pages can all be used to make campaigns more relevant to people you want to reach.
The intent isn’t to use the words “Los Angeles” for each keyword. Understand the importance of adding location context to a search and how that helps identify the appropriate audience.
Match Audiences With Keywords
The keywords give you an idea of what the other person is looking for. The information in the audience can reveal more about the individual who conducted that search.
Search intent and audience signals can be paired together to identify casual searchers from higher-value prospects. Information from previous website visits, customer interactions, geographic relevance and more can help to make better targeting decisions.
When these elements synergize, the campaigns are less reliant on keywords.
Keep Refining the Campaign
Do not think that keyword research is a one-and-done thing; it’s an ongoing process. Search behavior evolves, new queries emerge and certain keywords deliver better business performance than others.
Take a look at the actual keywords that are prompting your ads to show. Find irrelevant search terms, unanticipated product features and trends among converting users. After that, leverage the insights to improve keywords, audiences, ad copies and landing pages.
This builds up a much more precise picture over time of what searches are worth following up.
Keyword Research and Audience Targeting for SEM
Looking to improve your search strategy?
Good SEM does not involve targeting all searches. It’s understanding intent, discovering valuable audiences, and creating campaigns based on the searches with the most potential to result in meaningful business outcomes.
Brill Media assists companies in crafting data-driven search strategies that leverage keyword research, audience targeting and campaign optimization to make it easier to connect with more relevant prospects.
Keyword Research and Audience Targeting for SEM
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