Google AdWords™ For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Getting in the Game: Real Keyword Research

So far we've shown you how to “spy” on searches in complete safety, using free tools that are publicly available. Now it's time to conduct research that is much more reliable, relevant, and actionable. It's time to get in the game.

In the movie Maverick, Bret Maverick arrives in town and tries to talk his way into a poker game. One of the players refuses until Maverick makes an offer he can't refuse: that Maverick will lose for a full hour. During this hour, he bets, calls, raises, asks for cards, and ultimately folds or loses every hand. While he's doing this, he's discovering the “tells” of his opponents. One licks his lips when he's got a good hand. Another twists her hair when she's bluffing. At the end of the hour, Maverick puts his “education” to use, and he cleans up.

Think of your initial foray into AdWords as Maverick's first hour. You're going to make bids and offers, and you'll discover how your market responds. You don't expect to make any money at this point. Instead, you're finding out how good your competition is, how many searches there really are (remember that Google is stingy with data about its actual inventory), and what messages resonate with your market.

If you have a working website, you'll see whether your visitors respond positively to your offers. But you can still get in the game even if you haven't set up a website yet, so please don't skip this part.

If you haven't yet done so, create and fill your keyword ...