Choose The Right Keywords For Your Affiliate Marketing Campaign

So you're ready to start marketing your affiliate program?

You've:

• Chosen your niche
• Selected the program you want to promote, via Clickbank, Commission Junction or Linkshare
• Built a squeeze page
• & now you're ready to tell the world wide web you're in business!

But before you go live you have to select relevant keywords that will drive traffic to your website and lead to sales.

I mentioned above 'relevant keywords'. This is crucial if you want your marketing campaign to be successful. I mean, what would be the point in selecting keywords that do not relate to your product? If you place wrong keywords for your marketing campaign, web searchers will not find your website. This mistake will cost you dearly, and all your efforts, time and money spent will be wasted.

There are three different types of keywords that have different functions. They are keywords used for browsing, comparing or buying.

Keywords used for browsing It is said that people who use keywords for browsing are merely searching for information and are unlikely to make a purchase. An example of a keyword browser would be some who is looking for a specific item, for instance, an iPod, and probably wants information on the latest model and its features. You will also find that keywords for browsing attract very high search volumes due to its generic nature, and if you want to get a top 10 ranking, think again, because you'll have a very long wait. High ranking for keywords used for browsing is extremely difficult to attain. So for your affiliate marketing purposes avoid using keywords for browsing.

Keywords used for comparing are used by people who are seeking a solution to a problem. These people are also ready to buy if they find a product or service that resolves their issues. Keywords for comparing are also the best words to use for search engine optimization. Unlike keywords for browsing these keywords have a lower search volume, but have the advantage of leading to more sales. It is also far easier to attain a top 10 search engine ranking. Obviously, this type of keyword is most appropriate to your affiliate marketing campaign.

When people are searching the Internet they usually type in 2 or 4 words, these are referred to as long tail keywords. This type of keyword does much better than a single keyword, which you should avoid, as a single keyword cannot be promoted effectively, mainly because they are not specifically targeted.

It may be tempting to use a single keyword because you will receive a high volume of searches. But you will be wasting your time and money because it will be deliver any sales. Let me break it down and show you by way of example what I mean.

The keyword 'wedding' for the month of December 09 attracted a search volume of 101,000,00 and a great deal of competition. It may look impressive but the single word 'wedding' will bring up all searches relating to weddings. Further, it is not known why the searcher is browsing 'wedding'. It could be she is looking for a photographer or wants to buy flowers. The keyword 'Wedding' is too generic to be used effectively.

However, the keyword 'outdoor wedding venues' attracted a search volume of 22,200 for the same month, and had less competition. This long tail keyword is a much better keywords and shows that the searcher is looking for something specific, an outdoor venue for her wedding. So if you supply outdoor wedding venues it will be in your best interest to use such a keyword in your marketing campaign.

Keywords used for buying are used by browsers who are looking for a specific service or product and want to purchase the best offer that they can find. But be warned, these keywords will not assist your campaign if you offer competing products.

As I have already said, do not use single keywords in your marketing campaign. Long tail keywords are preferred by the search engines.

When you have finalised your website, go through it and make a list of the keywords, around 10 to 30 keywords should be sufficient. Go the the Google keyword tool and type in your keywords. Google will reveal how many searches are made and the level of competition from other advertisers. From this analysis you will be able to decide whether or not you have a keyword that will bring in searchers who are ready to buy.

Another keyword tool you can use to analyze your keyword list is Wordtracker which tells you the popularity of the keyword phrase you are going to use, and also recommends other keyword phrases.

If you intend to use PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising there are a couple of do's and dont's. When you choose your keywords ensure that you choose results for all countries and territories. This will give the results for your country and the web as a whole.

Another point is, when you choose your keywords, please have them listed as a phrase. You see Google has four different match types, Broad, Phrase, Exact and Negative.

• Broad match: keyword
  Allows your ad to show on similar phrases and relevant variations
  This is the default option. So, if you ad group contained the keyword 'wedding photographer' then every time there was a query for either 'wedding' or photographer your ad would be show. This is not very effective as your ad could be shown for just photographer or wedding and therefore not really targeting a 'wedding photographer'

• Phrase match: "keyword"
  Allows your ad to show for searches that match the exact phrase. When you enter your keyword as a phrase match it will be displayed within quotation marks, as in "wedding photographer". When a searcher types in 'wedding photographer' in that order your ad will appear. It can also appear for searches that contain other terms as long as it includes the exact phrase you've specified. This is a better choice of keyword as it is specific and will not attract keywords that are not relevent to your campaign.

• Exact match:
  Allows your ad to show for searches that match the exact phrase exclusively. I think this one speaks for itself.

• Negative match: -keyword
  Ensures your ad doesn't show for any search that includes that term.

I do hope you have found the aforementioned useful and implement some of the suggestions before you carry out your marketing campaign. Just remember to analyze your website, compile a keyword list, test and evaluate the keywords performance.

To Your Success
DeAnna Dubois