3 Tips to Find Low Competition Keywords for PPC Success

Finding the right keywords for Google Ads can be tough. You have to find keywords that your customers will search for and still have enough traffic to make your campaign worthwhile. 

However, finding low-competition keywords that aren’t too expensive can be even tougher than finding new customers. 

This short guide will teach you how to find low-competition and low-cost keywords so you can get more ROI from your PPC campaigns and, hopefully, spend less money on each customer acquisition.

Define Your Audience

If you’re launching a new PPC campaign, it’s important to know your target audience. Because if you don’t define them ahead of time, you could end up spending lots of money trying to reach an audience that may not exist (or is too small) to get a good return on investment. 

To ensure the success of your campaign from day one, start by defining your target audience and where they can be found online. 

Several tools are available to help with keyword research, but keep in mind that some search engines use different criteria than others to determine relevancy, so do your research before using any keyword tools. 

Once you have a list of keywords that meet your criteria, prioritize which ones are most relevant and most likely to convert into sales or leads for your business. Determining the intent behind the keywords will help you determine how much money to put behind a set of terms and where to position them.

It’s also important to note that certain industries require more specific targeting. For example, if you sell shoes online, focusing on footwear rather than clothing-related terms makes sense. The same goes for car insurance companies; while car insurance might seem like a high-volume term, auto insurance quotes will lead directly to what people are looking for—and how much they need to spend.

Brainstorm All the Words

As you start thinking about terms that might be relevant and potentially profitable, don’t hesitate to write them all down. While seeing a long list of words or phrases can be overwhelming, it can also be beneficial. The more opportunities you consider up front, even if they are on-the-fence ideas or already overcrowded with competition, will ensure that you don’t miss any opportunities when finalizing your keyword strategy later on. Brainstorming at least 10 keywords per ad group is a good rule of thumb.

Google Ads

Perform a search in Google Ads Keyword Planner: This lets you see how many people search for keywords related to your business monthly. It helps narrow down which keywords you should focus on and rule out those where the competition is too high.

Research Tools

Use a keyword research tool like Ubersuggest or Long Tail Pro too. These tools are great for finding long-tail keywords you might not have thought otherwise. The benefit of using these tools is that they’ll also give you an idea of how many people search for those terms each month, what topics they’re interested in, and how difficult it will be to rank in Google’s top 10 results. 

Determine the ROI on Each Keyword

You’ll need to dig into keyword analytics to determine the ROI on a specific word or term. According to Google Analytics, start by identifying which keyword terms are bringing in conversions and returning relevant traffic. 

You can use Google Ads to see how much each keyword costs you per click (CPC) and determine whether or not that cost is worth it based on conversion rates (CVR). If you have an account manager at your digital marketing agency, ask them for help with these metrics. They will know what they look like and should be able to provide guidance. Once you know where your keywords fall, you can make adjustments accordingly.

Of course, you’ll need some analytics history in place and a well-structured data set to ensure that your numbers are correct. Always take the time to test and measure your efforts, no matter how small your changes are. 

Low Competition Keywords Cost Less

One of the benefits of using Google Ads—or any other search engine—to advertise your business is that you can compete with any size business. The rules are the same across the board, but the results go to those who put in the effort to dig deeper into the data. 

If you’re trying to find low-competition keywords, consider phrases of four or more words and those with specific intent. There’s no point in throwing money at a particular word or phrase that’s highly competitive – there’s always going to be a bigger dog with deeper pockets to drum you out of the ad auction. 

Once you’ve gotten this right and you’re certain that your landing pages have a great quality score, you’ll be on the road to success. 

We encourage you to consider our platform if you’re interested in enhancing the performance of your PPC team.