In the world of internet marketing, we base a lot of what we do on keywords and keyword phrases. But if you’ve been around this industry for any length of time you also know that not all keywords and phrases are created equally.
I personally believe that it takes testing before you’ll know what a really good keyword phrase is. But you can shorten the time frame for that testing by using a few simple guidelines when it comes to choosing the keywords you are going to focus on. Basically, you need to recognize that there are different types of keywords. There are basically 3 of them: Browsing Keywords, Comparing Keywords, and Buying Keywords.
Browsing Keywords
We all go through a pattern when we are searching for something. We’ll start with a general search, and then as we become more educated about a product or service, we get more specific. So the first type of keyword or phrase is the Browsing Keyword. These are the keywords that someone types into the search engine when they are just looking for general information about something. You might consider it to be “window shopping.”
Here are some examples of Browsing Keywords:
- Camping
- Tents
- Cheap Computer
- etc.
Browsing keywords are very general, and that’s why they get the most traffic out of the 3 types.
Comparing Keywords
By the time someone starts to use Comparing Keywords, they have a better idea of what they are looking for. They are starting to compare different brands of products. They may use brands, price ranges, etc.
Here are some examples of Comparing Keywords:
- Coleman Tents
- Computers under $700
- Cheap Coleman Tents
- etc.
The person that is using Comparing Keywords is getting closer to making a purchase. They’ve seen the general options and are comparing their options.
Buying Keywords
The person that is in the part of the pattern where they are using a Buying Keyword really knows what they are looking for. These phrases usually include words that hint at their intent.
Here are some examples of the words you’ll see inside of a Buying Keyword Phrase:
- Buy _____
- Purchase _____
- Find _____
- Best price _____
- Model Numbers
- Specific Product Names
- etc.
What Should You Focus On?
As I mentioned at the beginning, not all keyword phrases are created equally. So which of these three should you focus on? Comparing Keywords and Buying Keywords.
The Browsing Keywords are just too general for us to worry about. They get the most traffic, yes. But they also have the most competition because those are the phrases that everyone tries to use. It’s also where a lot of the big companies are going to put their money. So we focus our time instead on the more specific Comparing and Buying Keywords.
So when you’re looking at your keyword list when you’re doing research, take note of what types of keyword phrases you’re coming up with. This will help you decide which ones you should focus on in the end.
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