A New Definition for Keywords - Conversations

You're spot-on when you say that what comes into the search engine as a keyword search or phrase search actually has a history, i.e. internal conversation, behind it in the mind of the searcher. This has dramatic implications for pay per click, because to be most effective, you need to be a mind reader of sorts.

It seems to me that the combination of 1) a deep understanding of what potential buyers are looking for and how your offering matches up, and 2) the ability to test that understanding to see where it might be enhanced or even reversed, is a recipe for dramatically high conversion rates.

Or so I hope.

Thanks for a great web site - what an eye-opener!

When it comes to PPC you have hit the nail right on the head David. Its all about history and the conversation the keyword is part of for the user. Just using the lists that the ad platform spits out at you based on your site and their data does nothing to apply the semantic judgments that are necessary to convert those who view your ad into customers.
There are two parts to this to consider in PPC marketing:

1. Exactly what you mention, and the knowledge of the customer to make a good judgment call.

2. The historical data on that keyword phrase and those similar to it.

Exploring the search history of the keyword, as well as the competition for that keyword, can help any size business take their PPC marketing to a higher level.
Be daring, stop tracking CTR and just optimize for Conversion rate. With knowledge of the conversation you are having with your prospects you will quickly notice the improvement in the ROI of your efforts.

While I agree overall with what you say, I would be careful with the statement,

"There is time, effort and thinking behind every search."

Initial searches are often done off the cuff. The searcher may not have thought through what they are looking for and so haven't refined their thinking.

Or, the searcher isn't familiar with search technology and so doesn't know how to structure their query.

In either case, the initial searches are vague. When one looks at the search pattern though, then the conversation that you refer to begins to unfold.

Yes, Keyword conversations was one of the things that really sparked off for me when we started to talk about tracking, testing, and then trying to improve conversions.
By tracking, I could see baseline in my keyword conversations, in other words, what words were bringing them to my landing pages.

I could gauge how motivated they were as a result of which words they were putting in.
From there, I was then able to look at my page to see how many were clicking, but not completing the sales process.

I was then able to look at the calls to action on my page to see if I was continuing the conversation, or in some case, umwittingly shutting it down.
In this way, I was able to make my pages that were converting at 1% go to 6%, and one that was converting at 5% go to 25%.

I am still tracking and testing based on keywords, and using the knowledge I gain for SEO and of course my PPC campaigns. I have managed to achieve consistently excellent Quality scores at google as a result as well.

So many thanks, David, and yes, we need to listen to them in customer service to when they email to ask us questions or tell us what they are interested in, and yes, as a result, we have developed product, and adapted our sales materials, due to these keyword conversations.

One other thing you say–they need to be confident that you are offering the solution to their problem, so yes, 'speaking the same language' and 'being on the same page' in your marketing messages, through these keyword conversations, is key to conversion.

At the end of the day, the internet is not pictures, videos, audio, but keywords.

@David

Matching the keyword conversation is key to the success on the internet it all starts with not only the words but the emotional drivers behind the words.

You make a good point. Getting inside their heads is one thing. Getting out of your head to get into theirs is something else.

@Randall

Thanks for the new language "semantic judgments" that is powerful thinking. Thank you for that.

@Mike

Point noted and well taken, "There is time, effort and thinking behind every search."

You are right every search is not a meaningful search. But every search holds the opportunity to meet them somewhere on the "looking to buy" to "buying now" scale. I tend to try to go closer to the "buying now" end of the spectrum.

Thanks for making that point clear. I am learning from the feedback. Keep it coming.

@Joan:

Hey there lady. How are ya? For those who don't know. Joan is one of my students. It is a joy to see your success and hear about what you are learning and continue to learn. And I see that it is continuing to increase. Most Excellent.

Your statment at the end really got me to thinking about how everything comes back to the words and understanding of keywords.

If I can coin another word - "Trigger Words". Words that get attention and move the visitor to action. That is what we are looking for.

Keep it going and thanks for the feedback.

I like the trigger words idea, David, which I think is closely related to the work you've been doing with Glen Livingston.

It might be a bit different from the keyword conversation, however.

In other words, I have a successful campaign running for a client on wedding favors.

But that term wedding favors in itself is not going to 'trigger' the visitor to come to you site at the PPC level, or SEO level.

All the words in the ad or on the page are going to be 'clues' that they are in the right place. (Think Google quality score here)

In the PPC ad for wedding favors, I might have words like unique items, wide choice, cheap, free delivery, discount, wholesale, designer, and so on, to assure them of good value at a good price.

PPC manuals advise you to use a verb in your ads, (trigger word) but it think it depends. For men this might be true, for women, they want more descriptive content. Some of our campaigns are running at up to 75% click through rate and about an 8% conversion rate.

Once you get them ON the page via the keyword conversation, then you need to have the trigger words to get them to sign up for the free ebook, or purchase the wedding favor.

What will trigger the keyword browser into becoming a 'buyer' for your newsletter are words like free ebook, register now, download in minutes.

If we are trying to make the sale, designer, special, unique, and to close the sale, fast delivery, free delivery, free personalization, great value, satisfaction guaranteed, best price, and so on, are all trigger words which are part of the overall keyword conversation.

So I think keyword conversations, and triggers, are two separate things, and your triggers need to further the keyword conversation/discussion and lead to the final 'agreement' on the part of the buyer that you have indeed persuaded them to do business with you because you have the product they are looking for/the solution they need.

Again, there are a lot of psychological aspects to any sale, particularly the sale of wedding favors (Bridezilla on the rampage, or a woman hoping to avoid 'social disaster' on her big day) but most of the time people are hoping to get an end result from their search, if only to know more before making a final decision.

Hence the ebook offer, (every site should have an email sign up) and you then signing them up for a newsletter which will hopefully further the keyword conversation, and eventually trigger them to take action, once they are convinced that you do have the solution they are looking for.

@Joan

Now that is PPC in a nutshell the rest is mechanics and knowing the system that you are working in.

You can teach a class on this. So "Trigger Words" is a keeper.

I am glad that you "see" the real story in the mind of the bride to be. That is the real story going on in the mind of the visitor. Tap that emotion, understand that inner conversation and the sale is that much closer.

Thanks Lady…

Well, I did learn from the best, David.

Hope you are getting all your information packs organized quickly for everyone to benefit from, because you are going to leave all the other marketing 'gurus' in the dust when you start launching your line of products.

Best of luck with them!

@David

I really think PPC is all about the judgement call and your knowledge of language, regionalisms, and your competitive environment for keywords that makes all the difference in a PPC campaign. I was recently training one of our media coordinators in how to sort the massive keyword lists that result from historical research and at some point she just looked at me and said, "so it's all really just subjective, huh?" It really made me stop and think, beyond just quickly comprehending the patterns and realizing what other industries (that aren't competition for customers but are competition for keyword relevance) are present it really does all come down to a judgement call.
Humans can understand the complex relationships and meanings of words better than any algorithm to date, so please don't think of semantic search engines when I say semantic judgments.

@Randall

I agree. All of those conversations are wrapped up in the search.

And yes. It is a judgement call. And to move it from judgement to factual requires tracking and testing.

We humans make this so complicated.

Truthfully, I find this almost too ethereal to fathom when we're talking about judging intent…especially with short-tail searches.

Perhaps someone can point me to an article or publication that more thoroughly discusses HOW to better gauge intent, as opposed to what we should be looking for, as this article does.

Good stuff, but there's something still missing, for me, at least. Thanks for getting this out there, David.

@Michael:

I'll do better than that. Here is a tool to determine

-> Online Commericial Intention Based On Keyword

http://adlab.msn.com/Online-Commercial-Intention/Default.aspx

Geez, David…if only my kids would respond as quickly:>))

Thank you very much.

Keep it coming…some of us one-man-bands out here really need solid insights and advice.

Much appreciated.

Blessings

Michael

@Michael

You are welcome. Glad to help.

David, Brilliant once again! You are spot on…Keyword Conversations. It's just like one big cocktail party. Small talk with strangers can develop into meaningful conversations with new friends.

Here is my challenge. I have a great understanding of what my buyer is looking for, and the perfect offering that matches up with that, (think micro-niche clothing here)but my buyer may not be searching at all. I love the phrase Trigger Words, that is exactly what I need to do.

Are my keywords to target their general interests and population, then draw them in through social media and ppc? I can start and carry the conversation, once I can find and engage them.

Your most loyal follower -wishing to one day be a student
Annemarie

Thank you Annemarie. Every market is not available immediately via PPC. You might have to stand next to the market to get them. In other words, a frontal obvious keyword set may not get the job done.

Or, you might find that you are creating your own conversation by blogging about your unique items in unique terms.

Create your own demand by educating people as to why a X is right for them, they really need an X and so on. Why an x is so great, enhances their life, etc.

Don't know what you are selling so sorry I can't be more specific. I can't quite conceptualize what article of clothing might be 'micro-niche', unless it is something like a whole line of clothes with cocker spaniels on them or something. (Just rescued another one so they are on my mind!)

Your keywords will be your marketing tool to stimulate search. Then if you have your pages set up for seo and your ppc set up, if they do a search, they can't fail to find you.

Thanks David and Joan

LOL. No cocker spaniels Joan. We are selling a line of clothing specifically marketed to gay women. Other women might buy as well, but they are the primary target. Hence, one doesn't search for gay pajamas, but a gay person who found them would probably buy them.

We are heading the direction you all mentioned. Trying some broader category kw's, and will start blogging and video towards that market with many items that interest. Feels weird not to have that "perfect" KW… but we know if we just hit the right community, we should convert just fine.

You are immediately going to have a lot of gay men wanting their own PJs ;0

So again, what differentiates the PJs to make them gay, as it were. Women's Pajamas, Gay women's pajamas.

Features and benefits in your ad copy will probably help tease this out.

And again, maybe coin a special name for them, or term for them to help convey how they are so unique, and this invented word would be your keyword.

You would then blog about them, write articles about them, and so forth, to encourage people to buy, even without the cocker spaniels! ;0

Hope this helps!

Joan… What can I say. I am going to have to turn this one over to you. You have obviously spent enough time that you know my line of though. This is a bit scary. LOL

Like I said, I learned from the best! ;0

Thank you, David!

Thank you Joan.

Joan, David, Thank you. There really is a method to my crazy plan! I think you'll be interested in watching it unfold. And yep, yep… David, you're still my hero, and neck and neck with Sherman as my favorite Stomper "faculty"

Joan, would you agree with the theory that a % of my info needs to be general info to that population to keep interest, and then a % directly about the hot, sexy new cocker spaniel jammies, soft as the silky fur of an Irish Setter, and guaranteed to make any dog howl??? I bet even David will want a pair! OR am I always about the unique sexy jammies?

Appreciate you guys, I always leave here as challenged as I am excited.

LOL!

Nothing like features and benefits!

But yes, seriously, focus on why your product is a unique solution to their 'problem'–of course, you also tell them that they HAVE a problem, lay it out, define it, and offer the solution.

David once said to me, people will only buy from you once they are convinced that you offer the solution they need.

So the unique challenges of your customer base/s, and how your product helps them deal with these challenges, then brings the features and benefits into play.

Best of luck with it, and glad you are so motivated and excited!

When I first set down today to write an article for my site, I realized I was having a small keyword conversation with myself (Oh GAWD, I'm hearing voices). And when I thought about it, I realized that while keywords are a large part of my business, (I do KW lists for Adword Clients) I learned that little KW conversation nugget from Mr. Bullock himself, so credit where credit is due.

Thanks for stirring up my imagination.

Tim:

Thank you for the feedback. And more importantly thank you for the credit. Every now and then, I might get an original idea.