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the fact is that single keywords bring more traffic but very often have an elevated number of competitor pages.
While the keyword phrases bring less (or very less)traffic ,but often have a few competitor pages.
We have to keep in mind this consideration when we are going to optimize our web site for the SEs,since if we start directly with the single keywords to obtain more traffic,due to the high number of competitors we 'll have a lot of difficulties to be well-ranked and we'll spend a lot of time and work (and maybe money)before to see the first results.
On the contrary with the "keyphrases" we obtain relatively soon our niche.
Moreover ,often single keywords brings more spam traffic than keyword phrases due to their generic nature:
For example,if I type "car",what I'm really looking for? A car seller? A garage? A spare parts store? A magazine?
While if I type "car rental" I point to a specific target.
Now I understood. You would know between the Exact Match Search (quoted keyword phrase)and the Generic Match Search (non quoted keyword phrase)wich one is more effective ,that's right?
Well,
I think you have to clear some concepts about that:
With the Exact Match criteria,your ad appears ONLY when someone types EXACTLY your keyword phrase,as it is quoted.Of course.
With the Generic Match criteria instead,your ad appears when someone types the terms you've choosen,it doesn't matter in wich order,BUT appears ALSO TO ANYONE TYPES A SEARCH STRING THAT CONTAINS TERMS THAT ARE IN SOME WAY RELATED WITH EACH TERM OF YOUR SEARCH PHRASE!
Let's make an example:
If I choose as keyword phrase "used cars" for Generic Match Search, my ad will appear to the ones that types "used cars" but ALSO to the ones that types any RELATED search string such as "used shoes" or "used books" or "car rental" or "italian car",so, to people that are completely disinterested to the used cars, do you understand?
It's perfectly normal that in this case your impression ratings increase greatly.But this value is nothing if we don't consider the parameters in the overall.
It doesn't make sense to talk only about "impressions" "clicks" or "conversions".
What does it mean 6000 impressions 12000 impressions 500000 impression? absolutely nothing!
Like the Clicks(visits):What does it mean 50 ,500 or 5000 clicks(visits) for a day? How many visitors have performed a required action such as to buy something on your web site?
In order to esthabilish the effectiveness of a campaign(or an ad)is needed to know the Click/Impression rate for example: How is the yours? Have you a lot of impressions but a few of clicks?
And your conversion rate? How many clicks become productive for you? A lot of them? A few of them?
If you want to know if Exact Match is more effective than Generic Search, than compares the parameters of the two.
Probably you'll discover that altough it brings to you less traffic the more effective solution is the Exact Match search.
Thanks for your continuing support but I don't think you understand my question still, and your ideas about Google Adwords are not quite right.
Ads related to terms like used cars do not show for people searching for used hats but do show for people search for used rental cars or cheap used cars or even cars used in sports - both words need to be in the query in some order, or it would indeed be ridiculous.
My question is not about impressions. It is about search terms. I only use the impressions as evidence to support the idea that maybe SEO for specific terms is an error.
Let's consider it another way. You want to sell used cars, so you make a site with loads of cars etc, and you want the home page to come up in searches, so you heavily load it with the term used cars - lets be extreme and say you more or less just repeat this phrase 100 times, and you get away with it, and get to be number 1 under used cars
Forgetting the obvious point that your site looks idiotic, and noone will use it for more than 2 seconds, the big question is will you get more users than if you just wrote normal text about the product you are offering, even if that meant you didn't come up first under used cars (assuming you pop up in some places under some terms that you hadn't really considered now that you have more general text including various terms like old, second hand, refurbished, bargains etc etc
Ads related to terms like used cars do not show for people searching for used hats but do show for people search for used rental cars or cheap used cars or even cars used in sports - both words need to be in the query in some order, or it would indeed be ridiculous.
That's right! :Re-reading my previous post I've realized the mistake.Excuse me.
the big question is will you get more users than if you just wrote normal text about the product you are offering, even if that meant you didn't come up first under used cars (assuming you pop up in some places under some terms that you hadn't really considered now that you have more general text including various terms like old, second hand, refurbished, bargains etc etc
Writing "normal text" would result in a disappointing ranking that will not brings enough traffic to your web site.Differences of only a few of "ranking points" can determinate the life or the dead of a web site as you know :The traffic on the third page of a SE can be -90% comparison to the first!
A good SEO work provides for one or two "drawing" keyword or keyword phrases to ensure the right ranking, that integrate a "normal text" as you call it,reach of related terms,and fondamentally written for the users, not for the SEs.
In this way, as I've tried to say to you previously,you can reach both the aims;you can get a high ranking for a largely used keyword or keyword phrase but you come up also for a lot of related terms.
I hope to have been almost a few useful for you ScottD.
Hasta la proxima!
In response to your original post...
It seems to me that quite possibly if you add up all the phrases that aren't in the top searches, that don't appear to be important, you'll find in fact that they not only outweigh the phrase "used widgets" but also "widgets" just by itself. But I don't know. Would anyone like to throw in their opinion? Another way of arguing this is that its best just to write good content and watch user numbers, rather than really caring where you appear to be in the SERPs.
Try reading Search Engine Theme Pyramids [searchengineworld.com] I think you'll see it addresses what you're starting to see on your own.
You say: we get more sales from very specific search terms than those "crucial search terms"
Can you clarify this with an example? To draw on all this car talk, do you mean you get more sales from terms like "used ford focus" than "used cars"? Am I understanding you correctly?
I really appreciate your input - these small issues can make a big difference to a small player like us.
Thanks! Scott
Can you clarify this with an example? To draw on all this car talk, do you mean you get more sales from terms like "used ford focus" than "used cars"? Am I understanding you correctly?
Just so you know, ScottD. When giving KW examples, we're supposed to stick to "widgets" instead of specific keywords.
So for example, you want to optimize for Used Widget, Discount Widget, Brandnames Widgets, Used Brandname Widgets, Make Name Widget, Discount Make Name Widget, Model Number, see where this is going? : )
Scott
