What Should You Do If You’re Unsure About a Search Term?

Short Answer: If you’re uncertain about a search term, the best approach is to enter the exact phrase into a search engine to examine the results. If the results don’t align with your business or objectives, you should consider adding that phrase as a negative keyword to prevent irrelevant traffic.

Full Explanation

When working with search terms, it’s common to encounter phrases that you might be unsure about in terms of relevance or suitability for your business. To determine if such a search term is appropriate, you first need to explore what kind of content or results it generates when entered into a search engine. This exploration helps you understand whether the term is connected to your products, services, or target audience.

If after reviewing the search results, you find that the term does not represent your business or attract your desired customers, you can add it as a negative keyword. Doing so helps you exclude these irrelevant terms from your campaigns, ensuring that your marketing efforts focus on attracting the right audience and improving overall performance.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Identify the search term you are unsure about.
Copy the exact phrase of the search term.
Paste and search for the phrase in a search engine.
Analyze the search results to see if they relate to your business.
If the results are irrelevant or unrelated, add that term as a negative keyword.

Real Examples

Imagine you have a business focused on selling luxury watches, and you’re unsure about the phrase “cheap watches online.” If you enter this phrase into a search engine and see results focused on discount or budget watches, which is not relevant for your luxury products, it would be wise to include “cheap watches online” as a negative keyword.

Common Mistakes

Not verifying search terms before using them can lead to wasted budget on irrelevant traffic.
Failing to use negative keywords allows unrelated search terms to trigger your ads, reducing their effectiveness.
Assuming a search term is relevant without checking can reduce conversion rates and impact campaign success.

FAQs

Q: Why is it important to check search terms before using them?
Because not all search terms will attract the right audience. Verifying ensures your campaigns reach potential customers who are interested in your business.

Q: What happens if I don’t add irrelevant terms as negative keywords?
You risk spending budget on clicks from users who are unlikely to convert, decreasing your campaign effectiveness.

Key Takeaways

Always test uncertain search terms by searching them in a search engine.
Analyze the relevance of the search results to your business before use.
Use negative keywords to filter out irrelevant traffic and improve campaign focus.