Understand Intention to Build a Profitable Keyword List

When someone types in a keyword or keyword phrase in a search query they’re asking a question – and unless you can figure out what the REAL question is your keyword list will miss the mark and won’t be a source of viable leads. Since dialing 1-900-PSYCHIC isn’t a realistic option (for most of us anyway ) figuring out what question is being asked and, perhaps more importantly, which question(s) are being asked by people looking for what you’re selling requires some thought and analysis.

Start with a keyword or keyword phrase that’s relevant to the category you’re investigating. We’re in the throes of the play-offs as I write this, so let’s look at the keyword “baseball.”

Using your web browser (Firefox and Chrome work well for this) start typing in a search for “baseball.” The browser will throw up a list of suggestions before you type in the entire word. Let’s take a look at that list:

Think about the mindset of the person typing in each of these baseball-related terms. Someone typing in “baseball” is fishing; they don’t really know what question to ask so they’re looking for ideas. On the other hand, someone investigating “baseball card values” is probably looking to buy or sell a card – or maybe they’re thinking about starting a collection and want to know if it’s something they can afford or if it would be a profitable endeavor.

Even within a long-tail keyword like “baseball card values” there are a variety of questions that are important to understand, particularly if you buy or sell sports memorabilia. Is this person looking to buy or sell a card or are they simply researching in order to write a school paper about the declining value of baseball cards? If I sell baseball cards for a living I’m probably NOT looking to attract the person writing a research paper, right?

This is where negative keywords can play a valuable role. Let’s search again for “baseball card values:”

If I don’t buy or sell “Topps” brand baseball cards, I should probably include “topps” as a negative keyword. “Database” seems a bit too research oriented, so I’d probably include it on my negative list as well.

Think strategically and understand these three things to begin building an effective keyword strategy:

Know what questions are being asked.

Decide which questions are relevant to your business.

Decide which questions are irrelevant to your business.

Include keywords or negative keywords based on these results and you’re well on your way to creating a profitable keyword list.

Bye for now!

~ Deborah