If PPC and SEO were relatives, PPC would be that wise older brother that ends up having to bail out his wayward younger brother SEO when it comes to keyword data. Why? SEO keyword data is really limited in Google Analytics now that Google is blocking such a high percentage of search queries (which show up as “not listed” in reports). The puny data that remains for organic search queries doesn’t show the whole picture and really can’t be trusted for decision-making purposes. PPC keyword data, on the other hand, still remains incredibly helpful and informative even after the announcement that Google will now be protecting some search queries on the paid search side as well.
Here are some ways you can use that rich keyword and search query data from PPC to improve your SEO efforts:
Assign Industry Value
SEO keyword tools (both provided by Google and also provided by other parties) may be able to suggest keywords but any attempt to rank their importance or assign a perceived value for competitors and searchers is tenuous at best. PPC data lets you see an actual dollar amount for each individual keyword that reflects how many of your competitors think that keyword is important and also how many potential customers are looking for it.
Focus Your Efforts
SEO keyword data in Google Analytics supposedly shows accurate information regarding visits, pageviews, ecommerce transactions and more, but that data tends to be unreliable and often is dependent on you being able to set up reporting, goals and sales funnels properly. PPC data is a lot less glitchy and can provide more conversion detail. This means that PPC keyword and search query data can help you to focus your SEO efforts by allowing you to hone in on the keywords actually convert rather than just the keywords that bring traffic to the site. Since SEO requires a real commitment to your keywords, you want to make sure you’re always using the best keywords.
Get Region-Specific
Location data in PPC is easier to segment and analyze, which means that if you are considering launching additional websites for different regions or creating location-specific promotions you can use this data to craft your message in different markets. This is important because different areas can have different terminology and different ways of seeking out and connecting with products or companies.
Find Variations
Google has said that natural variations of keywords are treated the same from an SEO perspective, which means if you have data for a keyword like “wedding florist texas”,” you don’t necessarily know if that’s for people searching for “wedding florist in texas” or “texas wedding florist” or “florists texas wedding” or “wedding flowers texas,” but the differences between these terms can have a real influence on what you use and focus on with your SEO. With PPC keyword data, you can bid on all of these variations separately and find out which ones have better search volume and which are less competitive.
Hopefully you have a better sense now of how your PPC data can aid your SEO efforts and improve your overall marketing success. If you know of any other tricks, we want to hear them!
By Kate Pierce. Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Consulting for small businesses, Copywriting and Local Online Marketing. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and enjoys cooking, watching sports and spending time outdoors. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about marketing theory and SEM trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
Here are some ways you can use that rich keyword and search query data from PPC to improve your SEO efforts:
Assign Industry Value
SEO keyword tools (both provided by Google and also provided by other parties) may be able to suggest keywords but any attempt to rank their importance or assign a perceived value for competitors and searchers is tenuous at best. PPC data lets you see an actual dollar amount for each individual keyword that reflects how many of your competitors think that keyword is important and also how many potential customers are looking for it.
Focus Your Efforts
SEO keyword data in Google Analytics supposedly shows accurate information regarding visits, pageviews, ecommerce transactions and more, but that data tends to be unreliable and often is dependent on you being able to set up reporting, goals and sales funnels properly. PPC data is a lot less glitchy and can provide more conversion detail. This means that PPC keyword and search query data can help you to focus your SEO efforts by allowing you to hone in on the keywords actually convert rather than just the keywords that bring traffic to the site. Since SEO requires a real commitment to your keywords, you want to make sure you’re always using the best keywords.
Get Region-Specific
Location data in PPC is easier to segment and analyze, which means that if you are considering launching additional websites for different regions or creating location-specific promotions you can use this data to craft your message in different markets. This is important because different areas can have different terminology and different ways of seeking out and connecting with products or companies.
Find Variations
Google has said that natural variations of keywords are treated the same from an SEO perspective, which means if you have data for a keyword like “wedding florist texas”,” you don’t necessarily know if that’s for people searching for “wedding florist in texas” or “texas wedding florist” or “florists texas wedding” or “wedding flowers texas,” but the differences between these terms can have a real influence on what you use and focus on with your SEO. With PPC keyword data, you can bid on all of these variations separately and find out which ones have better search volume and which are less competitive.
Hopefully you have a better sense now of how your PPC data can aid your SEO efforts and improve your overall marketing success. If you know of any other tricks, we want to hear them!
By Kate Pierce. Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Consulting for small businesses, Copywriting and Local Online Marketing. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and enjoys cooking, watching sports and spending time outdoors. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about marketing theory and SEM trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
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