My spin to the Google Keyword Tool

I would like to share a few of my discoveries with the keywords and volumes used and reported by the Google Keyword Tool. I used to conduct part of my keyword research for internet marketing and didn’t use this tool correctly. I hope after reading this article you may have learned something about the tools within Adwords and Adsense.

*In addition, you must read carefully Google’s guidelines to understand their terms as the literary definition of terms are bent to fit Google and their Search Partners. I will explain in detail later on in this article.

At a first glance, the Google Keyword Tool once searched, presents a list of keywords with many fields such as, Advertiser Competition, Search Volumes, Average Cost Per click and the month that had the highest search volumes. I will mainly discuss the search volumes in this article and how they can be misinterpreted and twisted by Google.

To better understand the numbers, we must first discuss Match Types:
According to Google there are 4 match types:

Broad match: keyword (no punctuation)
Allows your ad to show for searches on similar phrases and relevant variations
This means that a search count will be made for a term related to the search term. For example – a search for – “car lockout los angeles” may count for a search in broad match for “locksmith los angeles” or maybe even “safes” (This i will have to check to be sure 100%. I will update the post later on). This is a tricky type. This is also the default type for Adwords and for the keyword tool. [If you are a lockout locksmith and do not sell safes, why would you want to pay for a click.(please also below negative match option)]

Phrase match: “keyword”
Allows your ad to show for searches that match the exact phrase
A phrase match could be “seattle restaurants” & “restaurants in seattle”

Exact match: [keyword]
Allows your ad to show for searches that match the exact phrase exclusively
Will count only the exact term that you searched for. I like this match phrase the best, although it shows much lower volumes and at other times broad and phrase are useful.

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

Try and play around with the match types and you will see extreme volume differences in many cases.

What do these numbers tell us

I believe that many people mistakingly use the keyword research tool by assuming the large volumes of searches on Google. The exact numbers may differ tremendously when not using broad match. So for a term that you rank on Google, which has, let’s say 1,000,000 searches/month, the exact match may contain a small portion of the searches and I have seen less than 5,000/month (this also includes 2-3 word keywords). Please don’t quote me as some keywords may still give high volumes. I am just letting you know some of the extremes as all work must be researched.

My point of this article is for you to realize how to use the given tools and get as correct data as possible.

*Please note that Google numbers are estimates and not excact and that they probably keep some information to themselves.

* Please note that if a keyword says “x” amount of searches, you will not likely get that number to visit your site, even if you are ranked number #1 for that term as users click on ads, #2, #3, sometimes don’t click, click on related searches, local, images, and so on. You may get 1-4+-% of the clicks if ranked number #1 depending on many aspects.

Google Adwords

The next section discuses Google Adwords. Adwords is an ad network which Google uses to make most of its money. Users and business’ use Adwords to promote there business and drive traffic from Google sites, search partners and content partners to their sites. A large number of searches is conducted by search partners and that’s what makes google the size that they are.

Google Adwords has two main sections:
1. Search network – This is *usually* when a user goes to a search box and types in a search. Once the user goes to the search result page, both organic and paid ads are shows. The ads are from within Google adwords. The search network is made up out of Google site searches, and *partner site searches. Partners are divided up into:
a. small sites use Google adwords – most people can register and put ads on there website or blog. Revenue share is non-negotiable and many restrictions apply.
b. large sites use adwords premium – 5 million searches/month or 20 million minimum. Many restrictions are removed as well as negotiable revenue share. Some of these sites are AOL, Shopping.com, and Kijiji.

Important!

Large Search Partners may place ads on there pages which will appear in the Google keyword Tool as typed in searches by users(aka the search network) although there were never typed in. The count and search terms will inflate results and numbers.

* Here’s what they say search network is:
Your ads may appear alongside or above search results,

I was researching some new ideas on the keyword Tool and found extraordinary volumes on keywords that made little sense and that humans would probably almost never search for. After that I created a site, ranked high on that specific keyword that had a large volume and saw that under 20 people a day had clicked on my site instead of tens of thousands.

Summary

I would just like to educate you as a user, Adwords advertiser and Adsense monetizer. You should know what you are getting into, know the facts, how the

search engines work, and know your tools.

I would like to mention this:

If I can help others with my research, I would be delighted, as so many have helped me with their own time and knowledge, online and offline. Thanks to all

that share information on the web, by email, forums, blogs, etc. Knowledge is a key to our evolution but please don’t forget our inner feelings and more than

our 5 known/researched senses.

Also, Google although a few things I do not like, I must say that overall they have brought amazing advances to us and I would like to say THANKS from my heart!!!