Mastering Keyword Research for Google Ads with the Keyword Planner - 2024 Update
by Emma White
If you are looking to drive targeted traffic to yours or your client's website through Google Ads, keyword research is a crucial first step. The Google Ads Keyword Planner is a powerful tool that can help you uncover the most relevant and profitable keywords for your campaigns and is one that any good PPC agency will be using.
In this blog post, we'll walk you through the process of conducting comprehensive keyword research using the Keyword Planner, and how to go about organising your keyword research to help you efficiently build your campaign.
Step 1: Define Your Services and Target Audience
Before starting, you need to have a clear understanding of the services you want to promote and the stage of the marketing funnel your target audience is in. Are you offering a specific product or service? Are you targeting users who are just starting their research or those who are ready to make a purchase? Answering these questions will help you identify the most appropriate keywords.
Step 2: Organise Your Research
Start by setting up a spreadsheet document to organise your keyword research. This will help you keep track of your ideas, search volumes, and other relevant metrics. I like to use Google Docs, but any spreadsheet document is fine.
Step 3: Gather Initial Keyword Ideas
Begin by brainstorming keyword ideas based on your website or landing page content. Look for words and phrases that accurately describe your products or services. Additionally, consider the language your target audience might use when searching in Google.
Step 4: Utilise the Keyword Planner
Once you have a list of initial keyword ideas, it's time to get into the Google Ads Keyword Planner. Start with "Discover new keywords", enter your initial keywords, and it will suggest additional related keywords. This process can be repeated multiple times, using the suggested keywords to uncover even more relevant terms. Make sure to note any new ones down in a new column in your sheet.
Step 5: Analyse Search Volumes
The Keyword Planner provides valuable insights into the search volume and forecasts for each keyword. Enter your final list of keywords into "Get search volume and forecasts", then you can use this data to gauge the potential reach and competition for each term. Additionally, you can input more specific location settings to get more accurate data for your target market.
Step 6: Export and Organise Data
Export the historical metrics from the Keyword Planner and import them into your spreadsheet. Sort the list by search volume, high to low, as this will allow you to easily analyse and compare the data for each keyword.
Step 7: Select Your Target Keywords
Based on the search volume, relevance to your services, and your overall marketing goals, decide which keywords you want to target in your Google Ads campaigns. Remember, it's better to focus on a smaller set of highly relevant keywords than to cast a wide net with less targeted terms.
Step 8: Organise Keywords into Ad Groups
Finally, organise your selected keywords into ad groups in your sheet. Consider grouping keywords based on their intent, product or service offerings, or any other logical categorisation that makes sense for your business. Doing so will ensure that your ads and landing pages are highly relevant to the users search query. Once done you can move on to creating your campaign in Google Ads!
By following this process, you'll be able to conduct effective keyword research for your Google Ads campaigns. Remember, keyword research is an ongoing process and it's essential to regularly review and refine your keyword lists to ensure they remain relevant and effective.
