Article Submission Review

Understanding Google Keyword Search Data

• Share

0

We talk all the time about how keyword research is so critical to any online business no matter what the niche or product – it always starts with keyword research. But, where do you go? What do you believe? And more importantly, how do you do it?

First of all, what I’m going to talk to you about is the basics. But, to move on to advanced keyword research techniques you must first master the basics. Think of a pro basketball player for a minute. The difference between the amateurs and the pros is that the pros have absolutely perfected the basics so that they can move on to more advanced techniques. You’ve got to walk before you can run, so let’s get started.

We’ll be talking about using Google’s External Keyword Research tool. This is by far the industry standard of free keyword research. Now, personally, we use more advanced tools – Micro Niche Finder and Market Samurai – but everything we’re going to discuss here applies to all three. The biggest mistake most people make when performing keyword research is that they are looking at the wrong numbers. Google provides you with various types of search numbers and, unfortunately, the default is the least useful. The default search numbers will be “Broad Match” results and while we do look at those numbers, if we could only use one, we would only use “Exact Match” search numbers. Let’s talk about that a bit…

We are not fans of the broad match search numbers because we find them to be very inflated and inaccurate. Exact Match numbers and not perfect either, but we have found them to be much more accurate. The first fact that you have to acknowledge is that none of these numbers are accurate. They are all accurate to only some plus or minus 20% threshold – if that good. So for all of you Type A personalities out there, you can’t take the numbers at face value. Instead you need to step back a bit and look at them relatively – comparing one to another with the same set will give you fairly predictable results. However, looking at a number and trying to predict exactly how much traffic you will get by that number is a futile endeavor. Furthermore, the lower the traffic value get, the more distorted the data. We have had many sites whose primary converting keywords show up as “no data” in the Google search tool. Don’t believe that.

But what is the real difference between exact match and broad match? It’s easier to show with an example than to explain. An exact match will match only the exact keywords, without synonym expansion or any phrase matching, whereas a broad match will match that keyword anywhere within the phrase or even synonyms of that keyword. There is also a third match type called phrase match which will match the keyword as a portion of a larger phrase.

Let’s say your keyword is “car insurance”. Exact Match would only return results if a user typed that exact keyword phrase – “car insurance”. Phrase match would match any keyword phrase where “car insurance” was found. For example, “car insurance Omaha” or “Nebraska car insurance”. Broad Match is even more broad than that and will also use synonyms, term expansion and other Google proprietary information to return results.

How Broad is Broad Match?

The bottom line is that no one really knows the exact formula for broad match results and for that very reason it is the least reliable. Furthermore, Google changes that formula from time to time and the search results data will change as well. Awhile back, many people witnessed a phenomenon where long established and successful PPC campaigns just went to hell in a hand basket. What happened was that Google redefined what constituted a match in the broad match algorithm and suddenly people started seeing their highly tuned PPC campaigns producing crappy results over night. Google “loosened” its match criteria in order to bolster ad sale revenue (the more matches meant more potential clicks and Adsense income). This was so widely reported that most accomplished PPC advertisers nowadays don’t even use Broad Match in their advertising strategies.

Our Recommendation

What we do is do all of our primary analysis with Exact Match results. SERPs rankings are always at the exact match keyword level anyway, so it just doesn’t seem to make sense from our standpoint to see these big “glory” numbers. We call them that because it makes people feel good to chase a big number but the reality is that it’s not about the amount of traffic but the nature of that traffic. It’s no good to get 1000 unique users a day to your site if they are not targeted users and you’re not getting solid conversions. We’ve seen many 5 figure a month sites that get less than 10% of that traffic, yet the traffic they do get is extremely targeted and high converting traffic.

Exact match values will be lower, but they will paint a more realistic picture for you. Sometimes the picture can be radically different when comparing Exact Match and Broad Match results. Keyword A may have 3 times the traffic as keyword B when you look at Broad Match results, but when you switch to Exact Match results you might actually see the numbers reverse. Again, this is all because of the MMM Google Broad Match Formula (MMM = mystical magical math – LOL) – no one knows.

Where to Go Next

From here you start to analyze and compare keywords relative to one another based on their estimated traffic values, their commercial intent and your inherent knowledge and educated guess of consumer intent. All of that begins to define the more advanced stages of keyword analysis.

Our process is bottom up, wide to narrow. We start with long tail keyword research and work up – the exact same way we approach SEO. Start by dominating the long tails in your niche and work up from there.

A lot of guides out there will give you certain numeric values and say to not target traffic less than 3000 local exact or 1000 local exact, etc… We really don’t believe that it is that simple and we’re not going to BS you and tell you that it is. The traffic volume of the keywords that you should go after is all just part of a complex analysis of your site, your niche, your existing and desired authority within the niche as well as substantial competitive analysis. I wish there were some simple formula, but I’m here to tell you that there isn’t. And if you purchase some eBook telling you an exact formula, etc… I can guarantee you that it is worthless. The facts are, they write that crap to sell eBooks because it’s what people want to hear. They want an “easy formula”. But the real world doesn’t work that way. Think of it like this: if you could summarize keyword research into a mathematical formula then the entire process could simply be automated. But it’s not and it isn’t. So you’re much better off learning the intricacies of doing it right yourself.

 

Tags: google keyword research, keyword research, understanding broad versus exact match