Keywords are the first focus of your PPC strategy. Think about keywords from the consumer’s perspective. If you need a water damage restoration business, which keywords would you likely enter? Write all those words down. Writing down keywords may seem simplistic, but it’s an excellent place to start. Think through appropriate keywords for every service you provide. You will likely have an exhaustive list at the end of the exercise, but this simple step is well worth your time. When you’re considering appropriate keywords, start with the obvious. You are looking for a list of keywords that work for your business. Think about words you know people will use. Start with broad terms and work toward making them more specific. Don’t forget to target a specific place. If you live in Brownsville, you would certainly want to include water restoration Brownsville as a keyword. Including surrounding areas wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.
Short, one-word keywords are acceptable, but that’s not all you should include on your list. People usually type more than one word in a search. If the house has flooded, instead of water restoration, a customer might be more likely to type water flooded house, or pipes burst water cleanup. These phrases are called long-tail words. They are critical to your list overall. Taking the time to think these details through will save you time later. As you begin to formulate your keyword list, don’t forget about negative keywords. These are the words that you don’t want to show up when people search for you. One way to think about this is what you wouldn’t want customers to assume about your business. Another critical point to remember is that your keyword list is not set in stone. You should be refining, retooling, and rethinking your keywords frequently.