An In-Depth Guide to Competitive PPC Keyword Research

Understanding Search Behavior Is Key

PPC keyword analysis is often more productive if you understand your audience’s search patterns well. Simply translating keywords or replicating strategies from other regions is not enough. After all, you cannot ignore custom intent audiences and custom segments.

How to Grow Your Revenue and Sales with Digital Marketing

Cultural Differences and Language Variations

While a majority of the people in North America speaks English, cultural differences and regional language variations can significantly impact search behavior. Slang, colloquialisms, and even spellings can vary based on particular ethnicities and areas.

For example, if a Canadian consumer types “runners,” he is likely referring to sports shoes, but in the U.S., the same keyword is an example of a sled. Understanding these subtle differences is crucial for selecting keywords that align with your target audience.

Regional Trends and Local Preferences

The global digital landscape is huge, to say the least, so different regional trends and preferences shape search behavior patterns. Not surprisingly, people’s surroundings, cultures, and lifestyles influence their search behavior.

For example, someone in sunny California might search for “beach towels” in the summer, while someone in snowy Quebec might look for “winter boots” at the same time of year. Understanding these regional differences helps you tailor your PPC keyword research strategy to capture relevant seasonal and local demand.

Mobile and Voice Search

With the emergence of smartphones and voice-controlled devices, how people look for information has changed. According to Statista, mobile traffic accounts for 62.5% of the world’s internet traffic. Voice search is also on the rise, particularly for local searches and people searching for information on the go.

Adapting and including mobile and voice in your competitive PPC keyword research is necessary to increase mobile conversion rates. Including more conversational, long-tail search-covered keywords tends to have the desired effect.

You also need to remember that mobile landing pages should be your primary concern because a large percentage of internet users use smartphones and tablets.

Illustrative Examples of Search Query Differences

Here are a few examples of how search queries can differ in North America compared to other regions.

• Truck vs. lorry. There is a general disagreement in terminology because the U.S. commonly calls it a truck, but in the UK and many other parts of the world, the common word is lorry.
• Soccer vs. football. Americans and Canadians refer to this sport as soccer, whereas most other countries, the U.K. included, call it football.
• College vs. university. In the U.S., both terms don’t have any significant difference in meaning, while in Canada, the term “university” is associated with institutions that award undergraduate and graduate degrees, while the word “college” is typically used for vocational and technical institutions.

These are but a few exceptions, and the list can be endless. By understanding these nuances and staying on top of regional trends, you can find the top PPC keywords to reach out to your target audience, no matter which market you wish to capture.

PPC Keyword Research Tools and Techniques

Keyword research for PPC is a mix of art and science. When done with the right PPC keyword tools and techniques, you can succeed in the PPC landscape easily. Here are some helpful tools and approaches for finding truly valuable keywords.

Google Keyword Planner

Google’s Keyword Planner, which is part of the Google Ads platform, is among the best starting points if you’re looking for an easy-to-use PPC keyword analyzer. It has several tools to perform various operations for finding new keyword ideas.

• Discover new keywords. When you enter a particular phrase or a website URL in the Keyword Planner, it provides different keyword suggestions closely related to the phrase alongside their average monthly search volumes and competition estimates.
• Analyze search volume and competition. You can find out how many people are searching for specific keywords and how many other websites are competing for the given keywords. This enables you to find keywords with high search volumes that don’t have too much competition, making it perfect for your campaigns.
• Filter and refine. You get to use a bulleted list while understanding your target market to help you assess non-strategic factors, such as geographical area, language, and type of device used.
• Organize into ad groups. The Keyword Planner suggests ad groups. Grouping relevant ads will help get better ad relevance and quality scores.
• Forecast performance. To simplify budgeting and bidding, you get to view expected clicks, impressions, and costs for each selected keyword.

Other Keyword Research Tools Beyond Google

While Google’s Keyword Planner is handy, you may turn to other PPC competitor keyword research tools for enhanced analysis and better ranking.

• Semrush. Semrush is a fantastic SEO and PPC system that allows you to carry out keyword research and competitive analysis, and it also lets you monitor backlinks. You may use it for your Google and/or Meta campaigns.
• Ahrefs. Best recognized for its extensive backlink database, Ahrefs also provides powerful features, including keyword difficulty scores and content gap analysis.
• Moz Keyword Explorer. A simple yet powerful web-based keyword tracking tool, Moz Keyword Explorer provides keyword suggestions, search volume, and competitor analysis, offering keywords with high key performance indicators (KPIs).

These PPC research tools come with some extra features, including keyword tracking, search engine results page (SERP) analysis, and content optimization options. As a result, you get a balanced overview of the metrics you want to track and the competition-based factors linked to your selected keywords.

Competitors’ PPC Keywords Analysis

Almost everyone wants to conduct market research, and researching competitors’ keywords and ads is something you should do. By identifying the keywords they use and the messages that accompany their ads, you can:

• Look for keyword gaps. Find keywords relevant to your campaign but not utilized according to their potential. These keyword gaps can generate new campaign ideas.
• Find ways to enhance your strategic approach. Detect competitive advantages that some of your rivals may have and try to change that.
• Develop more persuasive advertisements. Examine the ad copy and visuals of your competitors’ ads that have performed well to create even better ones.

This is what you need to do to achieve desired results.

• Use competitor analysis tools. Several keyword analytics tools let you analyze your competitors’ PPC keywords, revealing which particular ones your competitors are trying to rank well for or purchase.
• Check competitors’ online ads. Use Google to search for your relevant keywords and evaluate the advertisements listed. Check the conducting messages, the action messages, and the adverts’ add-ons.
• Keep up with competitors’ social media campaigns. Keep track of what your competition is doing and saying on different social media platforms to discover popular keywords and hashtags.

The Role of High-Value Keywords with Local Intent

Not all keywords have the same ranking potential, especially when targeting a specific audience. The difference is significant when designing a PPC or organic SEO campaign. If you are targeting local communities, it is essential to concentrate on high-value keywords with local intent to drive targeted traffic and maximize your campaign’s ROI. Here are some local keyword research strategies for your next PPC campaign.

Long-Tail Keywords Offer Specificity

Long-tail keywords are more effective because they are informal and exhaustive search queries containing many words, used by fewer people, but to purchase. These phrases usually complement specific user requirements or preferences and are, as such, very effective for PPC campaigns.

Consider the case of a pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York. While ranking for the term “pizza” will bring in a lot of competition, the audience will not be as qualified. Instead, specific long-tail keywords targeting a local audience, like “the best pizza in New York” or “gluten-free vegan pizza in Brooklyn,” enable the business to reach out to people who want pizzas either in specific locations or with specific requirements, and are most likely to place orders.

Local Search Terms Help Engage Your Neighborhood

If your business is physical or caters to a specific geographical location, you must integrate local keywords in your PPC plans. This helps ensure that search engines will show your ads to people looking for your products or services from your desired location.

Here are some suggestions on how to improve targeting by location on Google Ads and other PPC platforms.

• Include the names of cities, states, or regions in your keywords. These could come in the form of “plumber in Houston” or “digital marketing agency in London.”
• Rely on location targeting. Limit the geography for which your ads will serve to the most pertinent audience. This could be a suburb, village, town, city, county, state, or country.
• Build location-related landing pages. Make your landing pages location-centric and fill them with relevant offers to increase interaction.

Question Keywords Cater to Voice Searches

With voice searches on the rise, queries also come in the form of questions. The advantage of targeting question-based keywords is that you will grow with this trend and tailor your ads according to how people address their smart speakers/devices.

Consider an example where an individual asks Siri, “Where are the best hiking trails near me?” By focusing on this question keyword, it is possible to advertise an outdoor gear store or a hiking tour company to an audience that is looking for recommendations.

The Benefits of High-Value Keywords

Focusing on high-value PPC keywords with local intent offers great advantages for your advertising campaigns.

• Targeted ads. A more likely-to-convert audience will view your ads, leading to a higher impact on clicks and conversions.
• Lower competition. Too many extensions and regional keywords attract less competition, which lowers the cost per click (CPC) and makes ad spending more cost-effective.
• Higher ROI. Given that you are targeting users who are aiming to buy or participate, you stand to achieve higher conversion rates, resulting in better returns on your investment.

The Impact of Effective Keyword Research on PPC Campaigns

Competitive PPC keyword research is an evolving practice. It keeps stakeholders in PPC campaigns interested in how well their ads perform, which is where they need to invest considerably. If done correctly, you may look forward to well-targeted ads, low ad expenses, and a high ROI.

Targeted Ads Reach the Right Audience

Find keywords to connect your business and customers searching for your products or services. By choosing the most appropriate keywords related to your products or services and what potential customers intend to search for, you increase the possibility of displaying your ads to the most relevant audience.

This strategy reduces the funds used on advertisements with irrelevant clicks and increases the probability of reaching audiences in the second stage, those who are willing to learn more about your offering. Consequently, you will witness an improvement in CTRs and the ability to convert users, thereby increasing leads, sales volume, or intended actions.

Higher ROI With a Strategic Focus on Profit

Not all keywords are equal. Some can have a high search volume, but competition makes them more costly and, in principle, reduces the ROI. Proper planning lets you identify keywords with less competition and more significant conversion potential.

Concentrating on these keywords, your bids, and the ad copy can result in more favorable campaign results and, consequently, higher ROI than SEO campaigns in a shorter period.

A periodic review of your keywords’ performance history helps determine which work and enables further refinement in budget allocation for your PPC campaign, leading to better returns.

Lower Ad Spend Paves the Way for Efficiency Through Precision

While some keywords may appear too appealing with a massive search volume, the costs associated with promoting them are always hefty. Targeting less competitive long-tail keywords is a well-known trick to cut down on the overall cost of advertising.

These specific keywords may have a lower search volume, but they often attract a more qualified audience with a higher intent to convert. Shifting the focus to such keywords means spending less and attaining better performance. This translates to cost reduction and enhanced campaign effectiveness.

Conclusion

Competitive PPC keyword research is an effective tool that proves to be worth the effort in the long term. You develop effective, focused, and economical PPC campaigns by getting to know your audience and its pain points, targeting the most suitable keywords, and continually improving your campaigns.

Remember that it’s not about trying to catch as many fish as possible, but trying to catch the most valuable fish from the right place. Last but not least, getting some professional marketing help will vastly improve the odds of success. After all, while you specialize in your field, the PPC world is, in all likelihood, a completely different ball game for you.