exact match keywords

Image Source: thenextweb.com Bring out your Google notebook again; Google is making another major change and this time it is to Google AdWords. Just when we all start to get used to things, Google makes another a major game-changing announcement. This announcement is that the exact-match keywords you use are no longer going to rank for, well, exact-matches but for close variant keywords. Wait, what? What exactly does that mean? This blog is going to break everything down for you, to help you understand the changes that are happening as well as how these changes might impact your business. What Is An Exact-Match And Close Variant Keyword? First thing first, we need to define what these two phrases mean. Some of you might know, but a little refresher course never hurt anyone. An exact-match keyword is pretty straightforward. Its definition is simply that it is a keyword that someone searches for exactly and is given results that exactly match the keyword. For example, if you were searching for “bicycle repair tips” an exact-match keyword would bring up results with the exact keyword of “bicycle repair tips.” Simple, huh? A close variant keyword is a keyword that is close to the search query, but not exactly what the searcher looked for. This can be helpful if someone is searching for “bicycle repair tips” but searches for either “bike repair tips” or “bycycle repair tips.” Yep, that’s right. If someone misspells their search query, the result will come up with what they are looking for. This is handy for those who aren’t strong spellers and for those of us who rely on our smartphones, which like to make strange spelling suggestions constantly. Why Is Google Making A Change In Favor Of Close Variant Keywords? As we mentioned earlier, Google is making a change that favors close variant keywords instead of exact-match. Their main reasons are straightforward and easy to understand. The biggest reason they are changing to favor close variant keywords is because about 7 percent of search queries are misspelled; yes 7 percent. While that might not seem very substantial, that is 7 percent of people using Google, who might not come to your site. This could actually be quite detrimental for you, so this change is a good thing for many PPC advertisers. This change did take place awhile back, yet marketers were allowed to opt out, and many did. Now, you will not be able to opt out, it will just be part of the Google algorithm. Another reason Google is making this change is because exact-match keywords do not bring in as many clicks and views as a close variant keyword, which they know to be detrimental to you, your ranks, and revenue. Google AdWords wants to help you out by making this change, which is quite nice of them! You never know exactly how someone is going to search for “bicycle repair tips” no matter how straightforward it seems. All you have to do is go to Google Poetics to see the various, strange things people search for. People will come up with any variation of your specific keyword, which can actually keep them far away from your site, whereas a close variant keyword might just be what brings them to you. What Does This Mean For Your Content? According to Search Engine Watch, a great thing about this change is that your content isn’t going to see that drastic of an impact from this change. You will find that your content is hardly impacted, if at all. In fact, Google said that they believe only about 3 percent of advertisers on AdWords will see an impact, but even that will be small. Also, this has really been happening for a while now. Variants of your keywords should be appearing naturally all throughout your content. It’s pretty hard NOT to do that. The rule of thumb is to be sure that you (or your writers) are writing naturally—not for the SERPs, and not around a keyword—but for the reader. Are There Any Benefits For Close Variant Keywords? The main benefit researchers are seeing is that your advertisements are more likely to come up for searchers now than before. When you were focusing on exact-match keywords, you actually were missing a huge chunk of searchers simply because, as mentioned earlier, they misspelled a word or did not type the exact keyword you used. With a close variant keyword, you have the higher likelihood of getting more clicks and results. An example given in the article referenced above by Search Engine Watch shows just how this will positively impact your results. For instance, there could be about 10 million different matches for your chosen keyword. However, with the exact-match keyword, you were only able to reach about 1 million of those search terms, missing out on 9 million results. With a close variant keyword, you stand a higher chance of getting results for all 10 million variations. Now, not all keywords have that many variations, but you get the idea. Your chosen keyword will have a significant amount of possible variations, but with exact-match, you will always miss out. Basically, with a close variant keyword, you are able to expand who all you reach, potentially expanding your client base to a more diverse one. This is something that you will greatly enjoy as time progresses! Are There Any Cons With This Change? The most significant change people are expecting is that you will see more clicks on your site than before. While this is a great thing, you need to know that this could also mean higher costs for your PPC budget. You will need to rethink that PPC budget and take some time to learn just how much more you are going to need to spend. This change is going to be implemented in September, which does not give anyone much time to prepare for it. This is troublesome for a lot of small businesses because you … Read more