Four Kinds of Keywords that Convert

This is a guest post written by Elisa Gabbert of Wordstream, Inc.

Elisa is the Senior Content Development Manager at WordStream, a provider of Internet marketing software, which includes an advanced keyword research tool for conducting keyword research and organization.

Different types of keywords accomplish different goals. Some keywords are great for driving traffic, others for establishing authority. But if you’re trying to sell a product or service, keywords that convert at a high rate are an enormously valuable marketing asset.

Unfortunately, there are no keyword tools that specifically deliver high-converting keywords. The only way to find those magic keywords that convert for your business is to do your research, test keyword opportunities in your web content, and analyze the results to see what works.

As you track conversions—both sales and other worthwhile goals—you’ll  begin to see patterns, and you’ll be able to predict the type of keywords that will likely drive conversions in the future. Below are four kinds of keywords that convert well for WordStream and might work for you too.

How-To Keywords

If your company’s offering helps people do something (be it managing leads, making iced coffee, or cleaning a pool) how-to keywords could be a big winner for you. For example, WordStream sells keyword management software that helps search engine marketers find, organize and manage keywords for organic search and pay-per-click advertising campaigns; accordingly, some of our highest converting keywords come from people who are searching for something to help them accomplish those tasks. One keyword that resulted in a sale, for example, was “how to create keyword groups.”

How-to keywords are valuable because they reveal a high level of intent—specifically, they indicate that the searcher is looking for information or solutions. You can address this need in a number of different ways, depending on the type of business you run:

A keyword like “how to make iced coffee” will convert at a higher rate than “iced coffee” alone or even “buy iced coffee”  because it prequalifies visitors, ruling out people who are looking for brick-and-mortar coffee shops.

Long-Tail Keywords

How-to keywords are just one subset of the vast world of long-tail keywords that may trigger conversions. All long-tail keywords reveal more intent than so-called head terms, and as such, we can often find pockets of long-tail keywords that are more often used by people that are late in the buying cycle. Notice how the longer this keyword gets, the more we know about the searcher and what they want:

tea —> herbal tea  —> caffeine-free herbal tea —> buy caffeine-free herbal tea —> where to buy exotic caffeine-free herbal tea

Of course, not all long-tail keywords are necessarily going to work for you. A good way to find viable long-tail keywords is by using the broad match option in your PPC campaigns—just be sure to use negative keywords as well so you don’t waste a lot of money on irrelevant queries.

“Best” Keywords

We’d all like to believe that we’re the best at what we do, right? Believe me, your customers would like to believe that too. No one wants to feel like they paid good money for the third best product on the market, at least not at that price point.

A lot of people search for “the best” version of whatever product or service they are looking for. For example, one WordStream customer searched for “best free keyword organizer” – perhaps dispelling the myth that “free” keywords never lead to sales?

Consider working “best” keywords into your website copy and bidding on “best” keywords in your PPC campaigns. “Best” versions of the above examples might include “best way to learn AdWords,” “best CRM software,” “best hotel deals,” or “best cold-brew coffee makers.”

Brand Keywords

Maybe it’s stating the obvious, but your own branded keywords do convert—especially for organic search, but occasionally through paid search as well. When someone searches on your brand, they have obviously already learned about you, either through previous visits to your site, via your social media efforts, or via links, reviews, or testimonials on third-party sites. Whatever the reason, the searcher has decided they are ready to buy and want to go directly to your site to do so.

To turn brand searches into conversions, make sure you own the real estate at the top of the SERP for those queries. This is important, because searches for a particular brand can sometimes lead to conversions on a competitor’s site! You’ll also want to make sure that once a visitor arrives at your site from a brand search, there is a clear path to follow the desired course of action.

We would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below or send a message to @ioninteractive and @wordstream!