Understanding & Using Negative Keywords To Improve PPC Ads
As an eCommerce business owner, you know how important having a robust digital marketing strategy is. You invest time and money into pay-per-click ads to drive traffic to your online store and increase sales. But are you using negative keywords to optimize your campaigns?
Negative keywords are vital in any eCommerce business owner’s arsenal to improve PPC ads. We’ll explain negative keywords, how to find them, and how to use them to improve your PPC campaigns and boost your revenue.
What Are Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords are words or phrases you exclude from your PPC campaign, meaning your ad won’t appear in searches containing those words or phrases. These keywords allow you to refine your targeting, so ads are only shown to people more likely to click and make a purchase.
For example, if you sell faux-leather designer handbags, you don’t want your ad to appear when someone searches for “leather handbags.” Adding “leather” as a negative keyword ensures your ad won’t appear in searches containing that word. By doing this, you avoid wasting ad spend on irrelevant clicks and impressions, which can improve your campaign’s ROI. An eCommerce digital marketing agency specializing in eCommerce SEO services can help you determine which keywords and phrases help your target audience find your online store.
How To Find Negative Keywords?
To find negative keywords, analyze search terms reports in your PPC account. This shows search terms shoppers used to trigger your ads. Next, identify irrelevant and low-intent keywords that resulted in clicks but didn’t convert into sales. These words are potential negative keywords you can add to campaigns.
You can also use Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to find negative keywords. These tools help you discover words and search terms you may not have considered. They also provide insights into how people search and what words they use, helping to refine your negative keyword list.
Using Negative Keywords To Improve PPC Ads
Using negative keywords in PPC campaigns can improve your ad’s targeting and, ultimately, your ROI. Here are some ways to use negative keywords to optimize your campaigns:
- Filter Out Irrelevant Traffic: Adding negative keywords filters out irrelevant traffic less likely to convert into sales. This saves money and improves your ROI.
- Refine Your Targeting: Negative keywords let you refine your targeting to reach the right audience. By excluding shoppers unlikely to buy from you, you focus ad spend on those most likely to convert.
- Improve Ad Relevance: You improve ad relevance and quality score by excluding irrelevant keywords. This can improve ad placement and reduce cost per click.
- Increase Conversion Rates: By focusing ad spend on the correct audience and improving the ad’s relevance, you can increase conversion rates. This means more sales and revenue.
Best Practices for Using Negative Keywords
Here are some best practices for using negative keywords in PPC campaigns:
- Regularly review search terms reports to identify irrelevant or low-intent keywords that resulted in clicks but didn’t convince shoppers to buy.
- Use various tools to find negative keywords and regularly add them to campaigns.
- Be specific when adding negative keywords to your campaigns. Use exact or phrase match to exclude only the relevant keywords.
- Don’t overuse negative keywords. Ensure you’re not excluding too many relevant keywords that could lead to missed opportunities.
- Test and refine your negative keyword list regularly. This will help you identify new negative keywords and remove irrelevant ones.
Negative keywords are a powerful tool every eCommerce business owner should use in PPC campaigns. By excluding irrelevant keywords and focusing on your target shopper, you can improve ad relevance, increase conversion rates, and increase earnings. So, identify and add negative keywords to campaigns and watch your PPC ads deliver better results.
