Should I pay more for a broader, more searched topic or pay less for a narrower less searched topic?

Clients often ask us at Front Page about this. Is it better to go after a broader, more searched topic or narrower search terms that are cheaper, but looked for less often?

You probably won’t be surprised to learn there are no easy answers to this one, and it’s not always a particularly easy balance to strike. Learn more about what Pay Per Click (PPC) is?

Not just about the clicks…

What we see quite often is brands prizing numbers of page impressions or Google clicks above all else. That can lead to some advertisers chasing number one positions and using keywords which are too broad to be effective.

A broad match may create more impressions, but could be less exact, since it will also show up in terms that aren’t a precise fit for what you offer.

On the other hand, while being more exact can yield a greater number of conversions, you may not reach as many people as you need to.

With Google Ads, you should be more concerned with getting relevant clicks. So if you think about keywords, consider who might be searching using them. If the keyword doesn’t align them directly with what you offer, you’ll need a more specific search term.

But don’t be too specific

Being overly specific is clearly the other side of the coin. Especially if you’re advertising in a relatively small geographical area, with a comparatively small potential audience, you need to be top of mind when they’re looking for something in your field. If you sell exclusively online, or you’re part of a bigger franchise, however, this guidance may be less applicable.

Potential solutions

One of the best scenarios is to tweak your matches constantly so that you learn what works best for your particular business. You can always start with quite exact matches and then expand so they become broader as necessary. Alternatively, if you’re not getting the results you want with a broad match, scale back to be more specific.

Or you could try using a combination of broad and specific search times, plus a phrase match keyword, in which your ads will show up when searchers look for that term in that exact word order. If this all sounds too complicated then why not check out our PPC service.

It really is a matter of trial and error and tweaking, and much will depend on your own business and what you are trying to achieve. This is where an agency such as Front Page can really come into its own.

Give us a call today and we’ll gladly talk through some options with you.