Keyword Research : Go Deep or Going Wide First?

You know, a lot of you out there think if you have good keyword list then it’s just a matter of :

1. Setting up tightly targeted adgroups
2. Having effective Google ads that have the keyword in the headline, benefit in the description, & a strong call to action
3. A landing page that converts

then you’re set, and ready to make windfall profits in your niche.

Right?

Wrong!

There’s one very common mistake that stops a lot of affiliates dead in their tracks.

I’ve helped and coached a lot of affiliates and I’ve seen this mistake come up again and again, and chances are you’re probably doing it too. I know I made this very mistake all the time when I got started.

Before I explain exactly what this often fatal mistake is that so many newbie ppc affiliates make, let me lay the ground work…

I want you to think hard about this statement:

When you first launch your campaign, the breadth of your keyword list is MUCH more important than the depth.

What in the world do I mean by that?

A broad keyword list is one that has lots of related and lateral keywords, and not just variations of one root keyword.

Here’s a simple example of a list of keywords that has breadth :

delete adware
delete backdoor
delete browser hijacker
delete cookie
delete Dialer
delete keylogger
delete malware
delete spyware
delete toolbar
delete trojan
delete w32
delete worm
destroy adware
destroy backdoor
destroy browser hijacker
destroy cookie
destroy Dialer
destroy keylogger
destroy malware
destroy spyware
destroy toolbar
destroy trojan
destroy w32
destroy worm
find adware
find backdoor
find browser hijacker
find cookie
find Dialer
find keylogger
find malware
find spyware
find toolbar
find trojan
find w32
find worm
remove adware
remove backdoor
remove browser hijacker
remove cookie
remove Dialer
remove keylogger
remove malware
remove spyware
remove toolbar
remove trojan
remove w32
remove worm
Now you can see these (trojan, worm, w32, etc) are all different types of spyware.

Now here’s an example of another keyword list that has depth:

anti spyware
anti spyware free
anti spyware software
antivirus spyware
best free spyware remover
best spyware
download free spyware
download spyware blaster
free anti spyware
free kazaa spyware remover
free removal of spyware
free spyware download
free spyware downloads
free spyware protection
free spyware removal
free spyware removal programs
free spyware removal software
free spyware remover
free spyware scan
mcafee anti spyware
microsoft anti spyware
remove spyware
spyware blaster
spyware blocker
spyware cleaner
spyware detector
spyware doctor
spyware download
spyware programs
spyware protection
spyware removal
spyware remover
spyware scan
spyware software
spyware terminator
spyware virus protection
totally free spyware removal

You can see that the above terms are related to removing or detecting spyware. And all the above keywords have the root word ‘spyware’ in them. This is a keyword list with depth.

Now if you want a lot of depth you can dig up long tails, but I’ll get in a later post!

So what’s the fatal error that a lot of ppc affiliates are making, even if they have a excellent keyword list, that is one with both breadth and depth??

Most affiliate focus on going deep (deep means : launching one root keyword with lots of variations, such as the second spyware list) FIRST, before going wide ( wide means: launching broad keywords, ie the first keyword list).

Here’s problem with going deep first:

TOO NARROW A FOCUS ON THE MOST COMPETITIVE KEYWORDS

Most affiliates find every freaking variation and combination with spyware (or whatever the main keyword for that market is) in it until their blue in the face, setup their Google campaign, and launch.

Then they’re surprised when they hardly get any traffic bidding 0.20 (spyware is a high cost per click keyword), and their conversions suck since every affiliate is also bidding on spyware.

Frustrated they pause their campaign after a few weeks and move onto something else, without even attempting to try a bidding on : trojan, w32, etc, etc, or any of the other broader keywords.

They figure if spyware keywords don’t convert for them, it’s hopeless! Besides they lost $500 on the campaign, and don’t want to mess with it anymore.

Sound Familiar?

MISSING OUT ON THE MOST THE TRAFFIC & PROFITABLE NICHES

Even if you managed to get the spyware keywords to convert, with a sharp professional looking review site that compares every possible benefit and feature of 3 different spyware removers, you’re still may be missing out on the most profitable niches in the market.

What’s worse, in many markets a broad keyword list will deliver WAY more traffic than a deep one that focus on the main most competitive keyword.

This is why it’s so important to go wide FIRST before you go deep, it will assure that you get the maximum amount of traffic and allow you to identify the most profitable sub niches in the market you’re in.

Once you go wide and see which sub niche of keywords (malware, keylogger, worm ,etc) are producing the most traffic and conversions then focus in on those keywords and start going deep.

So if you find (just an example), that trojan keywords are getting a lot of traffic at a bid price where your Cost/Conv is low, then focus in and start going deep. That is, start finding as many variations and combinations of trojan keywords that you can find.

By doing this you’re now employing the 20/80 principle and focusing your energy where you’re getting the highest return.

So here’s EXACTLY what you need to do when launching your affiliate offer:

1. Go wide, as wide as you can to, spend some time identify every related and lateral keyword in your market.
2. Once you launch this broad set of keywords, your campaign will be getting traffic from all the major sub niches in your market. Tip: To get a good Google QS (Quality score) you may want to setup a separate page for each sub niche (ie a page for trojan, a page for w32, a page for browser hijacker etc)
3. Let your campaign run and identify the sub niches where you’re getting the majority of traffic and sales. Focus in on those top sub niches and go deep.

This is how you build a ppc affiliate campaign with a solid foundation that will bring in profits for months, even years to come!