Scoping Out Your Keywords

Your keyword list should range from general to specific

Editor’s Note: This is another in a series of posts we’re calling “The Best of the YSM Blog.” These are posts containing timeless advice and best practices that never go out of style. Even if you read it the first time, it’s not a bad idea to review this information periodically to help get maximum performance from your advertising.

Originally posted April 28, 2009

When you were a kid, did your mom ever send you to the store with a list of things to buy? You may not have known it at the time, but that could have been your first introduction to the concept of scope (no, not the mouthwash—even if it was on your list).

Mom’s list may have confused you if she wasn’t specific enough about what she wrote down. Simply writing “tea” was fine, if the store sold only one kind of tea. On the other hand, if they offered caffeinated, decaffeinated, green and a hundred different flavored teas, that would leave a young errand runner mighty confused.

How “scope” applies to search advertising
This same concept can apply to the keywords in your account. Some of your keywords may be narrow in scope (like “green tea”) while others may be broad (like just plain “tea”). Both types of keywords are potentially valuable, as some customers know exactly what they’re looking for, while others may only have a general idea of what they want.

Skip the narrow keywords, and you risk turning off users who already know what they need. Leave out the broad keywords, and you’ll lose the shoppers who haven’t quite decided what they want just yet.

The solution? Have a healthy number of both broad and narrow keywords in your account, to make your ads appeal to whichever kind of consumer happens to be searching for them.

Finding the perfect mix
Finding broad keywords is usually pretty simple, since they just describe what you sell. For example, a Toyota dealer’s broad keywords would be “toyota,” “new toyota,” “toyota car,” etc.

Narrow keywords get a little more specific. They don’t describe what, so much as which, meaning which types of things you sell. That same Toyota dealer’s narrow keywords might be things like “toyota camry,” “toyota prius,” “toyota corolla,” etc. These are the keywords used by people who already know what they’re looking for—so use them to make sure they’ll find you.

On the whole, you’re probably going to use a lot more narrow keywords than broad keywords, because there are just so many more possibilities for narrow keywords. From specific brand names and model numbers to slang or industry terms used to refer to your products, the list of potential narrow keywords is usually long and plentiful. By including as many as you feel are viable, you’re increasing your chances of attracting users who are searching on those keywords.

At the same time your broad keywords will display your ads to those who are still at the start of their buying journey, and with a little luck, that journey will end at your site.

So when you’re selecting your keywords, be sure to keep scope in mind. A good mixture of broad and narrow helps you cast the widest possible net, to appeal to biggest possible audience. And even if all they have is a list from mom, if you’ve mastered scope—you’ll be more than ready.

— Colin Kingston, Listing Editor