How To Collect Keywords For Contextual Advertising And Get Maximum Outreach
Andrey Belousov
Growth Hacker at Serpstat
Gathering high-quality keywords for PPC ads is exactly the stage that saves your advertising budget. The fewer irrelevant keywords your list has, the less likely you are to get irrelevant traffic and clicks.
Of course, advertisers understand what ads they want to display and what keywords they should use to reach their target audience. However, it is not that predictable. You can't really go without some specialized tools and a few tricks, so that's what we're going to talk about.
Of course, advertisers understand what ads they want to display and what keywords they should use to reach their target audience. However, it is not that predictable. You can't really go without some specialized tools and a few tricks, so that's what we're going to talk about.
Contents
1. Two opposing goals to achieve when collecting semantics
1.1 What is broad and exact matching of keywords
2. How to collect the main keywords
3. How to collect extra keywords
3.1 How to collect keywords via Serpstat
3.2. How to collect keywords using Serpstat API Console
4. What are automatic keywords
1.1 What is broad and exact matching of keywords
2. How to collect the main keywords
3. How to collect extra keywords
3.1 How to collect keywords via Serpstat
3.2. How to collect keywords using Serpstat API Console
4. What are automatic keywords
Two Opposing Goals To Achieve During Keyword Research
Collecting keywords is the first and most crucial step in contextual advertising. There are two key points: filtering out irrelevant impressions and saving as much reach as possible.
Unfortunately, both of these goals cannot be achieved at once, and you have to compromise. Therefore, there are two different ways of collecting keyword:
Unfortunately, both of these goals cannot be achieved at once, and you have to compromise. Therefore, there are two different ways of collecting keyword:
1
Keep some irrelevant keywords, but get maximum reach. You should use Google Ads broad match and add many negative keywords.
2
Sacrifice reach by filtering out all irrelevant keywords. For this, you should use Google Ads exact match.
What Is Broad And Exact Matching Of Keywords
Broad match
By default, systems have a broad match of keywords. The ad appears for queries containing various word forms (except negative keywords). For instance, if you set the keyword “buy a house, users will see your ad on requests to buy a house, buy air conditioning for a house, etc.
The rule All that is not prohibited is allowed works in this case. Additional keywords in the queries don't prevent the ad from showing if these words are not in the list of negative keywords.
The rule All that is not prohibited is allowed works in this case. Additional keywords in the queries don't prevent the ad from showing if these words are not in the list of negative keywords.
Exact match
If you choose an exact match in Google Ads, users will see your ads by keyword only if there are no other words in the search request. For instance, if you specify the phrase “buy a house” your ad will not show for “buy an air conditioner for a house”, and so on.
What Type To Choose
Most advertisers tend to underestimate reach. However, it allows you to save costs and get the same result cheaper. Let's take a look:
We have 100 clicks per day, daily cost = $100. CPC = $1.
We doubled our reach and now have 200 clicks per day for $1.
Reduce bids, for example, by half and get 100 clicks, but at $0.5. As a result, the expense halves from $100 to $50.
It's easy to change bids, so it's better to imagine the effectiveness of advertising not as a point but as a curve. You need to adjust the rates as you move from one point of the curve to another.
From the very beginning, we were on a blue curve. After doubling the reach, the performance curve grew vertically. The graph shows that the blue curve is higher (you can buy more clicks for the same CPC), and to the left: you can buy the same number of clicks cheaper.
Therefore, reach is important because it significantly affects performance. Almost always, double coverage allows you to get the same result, for at least half the price.
Using an exact match reduces the reach by about a half:
From the very beginning, we were on a blue curve. After doubling the reach, the performance curve grew vertically. The graph shows that the blue curve is higher (you can buy more clicks for the same CPC), and to the left: you can buy the same number of clicks cheaper.
Therefore, reach is important because it significantly affects performance. Almost always, double coverage allows you to get the same result, for at least half the price.
Using an exact match reduces the reach by about a half:
The share of new queries on Google is about 15% −25%. In other words, almost a quarter of the traffic comes from ultra-low-frequency queries (less than 1 per year).
Another quarter comes from queries with a frequency of less than one value per month.
Thus, using an exact match costs you at least half the reach.
At the same time, the balance of irrelevant keywords is not more than a few percent (if you work with negative keywords.) Therefore, using negative keywords is much better than the exact match.
Compromise
However, there is a compromise — to use both exact and broad match, but with lower bids. This option is best for Google Ads, as Google's support says that you can increase your Quality Score and, therefore, your ad's position.
Advertising position depends on the Quality Score. It may decrease if the keywords match too many queries.
However, it is not that simple. Many factors influence the Quality Score and the predicted CTR, but this is a topic for another article.
You can try to add keywords in the exact match if they have a better quality score. Almost certainly, this method will not reduce the effectiveness of advertising.
Advertising position depends on the Quality Score. It may decrease if the keywords match too many queries.
However, it is not that simple. Many factors influence the Quality Score and the predicted CTR, but this is a topic for another article.
You can try to add keywords in the exact match if they have a better quality score. Almost certainly, this method will not reduce the effectiveness of advertising.
How To Collect The Main Keywords
The main keywords will be those that increase the reach with a broad match. The remaining keywords (subqueries of other keywords in the ad) will be extra.
For example, you have only one keyword in your ad group called "semantics":
For example, you have only one keyword in your ad group called "semantics":
if you add "keyword selection for Direct" and it doesn't increase coverage, it means it is extra;
if you add "collect semantics" it will increase the reach, which means it's main.
First of all, you need to select the main keywords. The distribution of campaigns, ad groups, negative keywords, and texts depends on them. At this stage, it is vital to get maximum reach as the effectiveness of your advertising depends on it.
1
To collect synonyms, we use the Serpstat report Keyword Research → SEO Research → Keyword Selection:
2
Collect related keywords. The Serpstat report Keyword Research → SEO Research → Related Keywords will help with this.
3
Check what keywords your competitors drive in advertising campaigns. Use the Keyword Research report → PPC Research → Competitors. You will see all competitors in paid results (they differ from competitors in the organic results).
Take a look at our competitors' keywords to launch ads and take note of their experience.
4
Find out keywords your competitors rank for in the organic search.
To do this, we find competitors in organic search: Domain Analysis → SEO Research → Competitors:
To do this, we find competitors in organic search: Domain Analysis → SEO Research → Competitors:
Click on competitors from the list and check their keywords:
Negative keywords
Make sure to work with negative keywords. Enter each word in Serpstat, Keyword Planner, etc., and remove all useless keywords. More often than not they take almost half of the keyword list. For instance, if you enter the keyword "buy conditioner" most of your shows will be for people looking for conditioner for hair or linen.
Consequently, it's essential to work with negative keywords. Google Ads doesn't understand the morphology of useless keywords, so be sure to add them in all possible word forms.
You can also collect negative keywords using the Serpstat API Console.
How To Launch A Successful Advertising Campaign: 10 Lifehacks of API Console
Consequently, it's essential to work with negative keywords. Google Ads doesn't understand the morphology of useless keywords, so be sure to add them in all possible word forms.
You can also collect negative keywords using the Serpstat API Console.
How To Launch A Successful Advertising Campaign: 10 Lifehacks of API Console
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How To Collect Extra Keywords
You should add extra keywords or clarifications to existing keywords in the following cases:
You use Exact Match. In this case, you will increase your reach.
You are using an ad template. The longer the keyword, the bolder the text will appear in the ad, and the higher the CTR.
You are trying to improve Google Ads Quality Score as described above.
You want to place bids more accurately and add keywords containing "buy" or other similar words.
Extra keywords can be collected using the Google Ads keyword planner, Serpstat, or Serpstat API Console.
How to collect keywords via Serpstat
To collect extra keywords using Serpstat, go to the service's homepage and enter your keyword in the search bar. You will get a list of keywords in organic and paid search.
To get the report as a list, export the data, open the file in MS Excel or Google Sheets, select the corresponding column, and copy.
How to collect keywords using Serpstat API Console
You can check all the necessary keywords through the console. But there are also some points here:
This utility is on the Alpha development version and is an example of using the Serpstat API. Each user can create a similar script for their individual needs.
To use the console, you have to be a paid Serpstat user.
If you are on the Lite plan, set the limit to 1 request per second.
To collect keywords through the API Console, go to your Serpstat profile and copy the API token there.
1
Go to the API console and enter token.
2
Select the database.
3
Choose Keywords method.
4
Enter a list of keywords in the Queries field.
5
Load data.
To see how many lines will be spent, set the line limit to 1, click Get Data and look at the Total field after loading:
6
If you want a keyword list with the finished report, select after Download — TextArea and choose the keyword column.
There is an option for post-filtering keywords for relevant and negative, and the most frequent keywords list is displayed on the right.
After clicking on Apply Filters, you will remove negative keywords from the summary table. You can quickly select negative keywords and copy the final list into Google Ads.
What are automatic keywords?
The contextual advertising system has a built-in ad display of similar keywords. There are two types:
1
Disabled. In Google Ads, it is disabled by adding a plus in front of each word of the word in a broad match: + key + word.
2
Non-disabled (synonyms, typos). Usually, they are more appropriate. You can remove them only with negative keywords. But for this, you need to know which negative keywords to add. That's why you should drive the ad first and then check keywords.
Automation allows expanding the semantics of ads. Follow these steps for the perfect option:
From the the beginning, don't disable automatic keywords.
Wait for a few days and check the report with search queries.
Add useless keywords to the negative keywords set. You need this step to be safe and not lose much money if there are too many unrelated ad shows.
Wait for a couple of weeks. Check the search query report: add irrelevant keywords to the negative keywords set; if the synonym is relevant, then add the appropriate keyword.
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