How to Get There

I was researching an article on using ‘long tail’ keywords and came across a suprising bit of data. There is not correlation between the search volume and the Cost Per Click (CPC) of Google Adwords.

One of the keyword phrases I was targeting was ‘internet marketing’. Plugging that into the Google Keyword Tool and you get a list of the top 150 related search terms. You also have the option of turning on the data for ‘Average Est. CPC’ as reported by Google Adwords. Turn that on and things get confusing.

The most popular search term, not surprisingly as ‘internet marketing’. The search volume for December was 1,830,000 and the CPC was $6.50 – which should put you in one of the top three positions.

However, that term was not the most expensive. That distinction goes to ‘internet marketing and advertising company’ for $14.10. Infact, according to Google, the five most expensive terms related to ‘internet marketing’ all has less than 10,000 in search volume.

The expensive and highly targeted keyword phrases such as ‘internet marketing and advertising company’ are relying on the query string to filter the potential clients to a few thousand. However, a better strategy may be to build a target ad and get a larger exposure at a lower price.

My only advice is to do your homework before you launch your Adwords campaign. Look for value opportunities. (For searches related to ‘internet marketing’ the best terms cost less than $7.00.) And, of course test and measure.