In broad terms, when you utilize paid online advertising you ideally want people to click on your ads and links as much as possible. Therefore to achieve a good click-through rate on your ads, studies have shown what search terms and terminology is best to pursue and best to avoid.
Siegemeda recently published a study that examined some of the top search terms online and juxtaposed them to the number of clicks they received. This is a very useful study that both illustrates what industries and sectors populate the list and also what does not make the more common cut. This can be used to tweak and tailor your keywords (both paid and organic) and ad groups to assist with a better click-through rate.
A somewhat surprising result of the study was in relation to searches using the phrase “how to”. Using the data from the study, an average of 125k searches with this term resulted in a little over 50% of a click-through rate. This is surprising in the sense that those searching with this term are clearly in need of assistance from content on the internet “How to tie a strong knot?” or “How to do a handstand?”. Yet only a little over half of the search terms were arguably answered as per the corresponding 52.89% click-through rate.
This may reveal that while those who browse online think that the words “how to” are the correct phrase they need to search for to fulfill their need; half of the time the resulting SERP content does not appear (or appeal) to help them. You can learn from this by restructuring your “how to” target keywords. Instead of “How to get a website designed?”, why not target “Steps to getting a website designed” or “Process to getting a website designed”. These lesser used terms may also be more cost-efficient in terms of paid advertising cost as there may be less competition than for the “how to” keyword.
In this way, uncovering competitive keywords and phrases not only has a beneficial cost factor, but your business can also occupy space online that is not overcrowded or too competitive. In this instance (and undoubtedly in more instances to come), a little studying and research can go a long way in terms of adding tangible value and reach for your business online. If you can make this a routine task as part of your online marketing efforts, you can poise your website and your web presence to be a formidable threat to the competition online.
