When managing your Google Ads account, choosing the wrong keywords can result in poor performance and wasted budget, while selecting the right keywords can turn your campaigns into a profitable venture. Here is a streamlined process for effective keyword research to help you optimize your Google Ads campaigns for a real estate business:
1. Define Your Goals and Budget
Start by identifying your primary objectives and setting a realistic budget. For instance:
- Goal: Increase the number of leads for property sales and rentals.
- Budget: $2,000 per month.
2. Understand Keyword Intent
Understanding the intent behind keywords helps you target the right audience:
- Informational: Keywords like “how to buy a house” or “real estate market trends.”
- Navigational: Keywords like “Zillow login” or “Realtor.com.”
- Commercial: Keywords like “best real estate agents” or “top neighborhoods in [city].”
- Transactional: Keywords like “buy house in [city]” or “rent apartment in [city].”
3. Start with Seed Terms
Identify core keywords related to your product or service. For a real estate business, some seed terms could be “buy house,” “rent apartment,” “real estate agents.”
4. Use Keyword Research Tools
Leverage various tools to expand your keyword list:
- Google Search: Type in your seed terms and look at related searches and autocomplete suggestions.
- Google Ads Account Data: Check your existing campaigns for high-performing search terms.
- Google Search Console: Review search queries that bring organic traffic to your site.
- Google Keyword Planner: Enter your seed terms to get keyword ideas, search volume, and competition.
- ChatGPT or Bard: Generate additional keyword ideas based on your seed terms.
- Spyfu: Analyze what keywords your competitors are targeting (optional, paid tool).
5. Filter and Refine Keywords
Refine your list to focus on high-intent and relevant keywords:
- Eliminate Low Volume: Remove keywords with fewer than 30 searches per month.
- Remove Irrelevant Terms: Exclude keywords that don’t match your intent (e.g., informational keywords at the start).
- Add Negative Keywords: Identify and add negative keywords such as “free real estate listings” if you’re not offering free listings.
6. Segment Keywords into Ad Groups
Organize keywords into themed ad groups for more targeted ads:
- Buy Real Estate: Keywords like “buy house in [city],” “houses for sale.”
- Rent Real Estate: Keywords like “rent apartment in [city],” “apartments for rent.”
- Real Estate Agents: Keywords like “best real estate agents in [city],” “real estate agency.”
7. Analyze Keyword Metrics
Use tools to evaluate the potential of your keywords:
- Google Keyword Planner: Check the average monthly searches, competition, and suggested bid estimates.
- Forecast Tool: Estimate potential traffic, costs, and conversions based on your selected keywords.
8. Implement and Monitor
Add the selected keywords to your campaigns and monitor their performance:
- Add Keywords to Campaigns: Create campaigns and ad groups with your selected keywords.
- Monitor Performance: Regularly check the performance of your campaigns in terms of clicks, conversions, and cost.
9. Optimize Over Time
Continuously refine your campaigns for better results:
- Dynamic Search Ads: Set up Dynamic Search Ads targeting your real estate pages to uncover new keyword opportunities.
- Match Types: Start with exact and phrase match keywords, and gradually test long-tail broad keywords if your budget allows.
- Update Negative Keywords: Continuously add negative keywords to filter out irrelevant traffic.
- Adjust Bids and Ads: Optimize your bids and ad copy based on performance data to improve ROI.
Example Breakdown
Seed Keyword: “buy house”
Step-by-Step Process:
- Google Search: Type “buy house” into Google. Note related searches like “buy house in New York,” “how to buy a house,” “best places to buy a house.”
- Google Keyword Planner:
- Enter “buy house.”
- Get keyword ideas like “buy house in [city],” “buy new house,” “buy house near me.”
- Check search volumes: “buy house in New York” (2,900 searches/month), “buy house near me” (1,600 searches/month).
- Filter Keywords:
- Remove low search volume terms.
- Exclude informational terms like “how to buy a house.”
- Segment into Ad Groups:
- Buy House in New York: “buy house in New York,” “houses for sale in New York.”
- Buy New House: “buy new house,” “new houses for sale.”
- Buy House Near Me: “buy house near me,” “houses for sale near me.”
- Analyze Metrics:
- Review average CPCs and competition.
- Use the forecast tool to estimate potential clicks, costs, and conversions.
- Implement Keywords:
- Add keywords to respective ad groups.
- Create relevant ad copy for each ad group.
- Monitor and Optimize:
- Track performance metrics.
- Add negative keywords like “how to buy a house.”
- Adjust bids based on keyword performance.
- Test Dynamic Search Ads for additional keyword ideas.
Negative Keywords for Real Estate Google Ads Campaign
Using negative keywords is crucial for refining your Google Ads campaigns and ensuring your budget is spent on high-intent searches that are likely to convert. Here is a list of negative keywords that can help filter out irrelevant traffic for a real estate business:
General Negative Keywords:
- Free
- Cheap
- DIY
- Guide
- Tutorial
- Tips
- Jobs
- Careers
- Salary
- Training
- Certification
- Courses
- Classes
- How to
- Login
- Login page
- Credit card
- Financing
- Mortgage calculator
- Insurance
Specific Negative Keywords for Real Estate:
- Free real estate listings
- Cheap houses
- How to buy a house
- How to rent an apartment
- Real estate agent training
- Real estate jobs
- Real estate careers
- Real estate salary
- Real estate courses
- Real estate classes
- Real estate guide
- Real estate tutorial
- Real estate tips
- Zillow login
- Realtor.com login
- Property tax calculator
- Mortgage rates
- Real estate investing
- Real estate market trends
- Real estate news
- Real estate blogs
- Real estate forum
- FSBO (For Sale By Owner)
- Sell my house
- House flipping
- Home improvement
- Home renovation
- Home decor
- Interior design
- Property management software
- Property management jobs
- Vacation rentals
- Airbnb
- Commercial real estate
- Office space
- Retail space
- Industrial property
Location-Specific Negative Keywords:
- [Other cities/states/countries you don’t serve]
- Apartments in [Other cities/states/countries you don’t serve]
- Houses for sale in [Other cities/states/countries you don’t serve]
Broad Negative Keywords:
- Pictures
- Images
- Photos
- Videos
- Reviews
- Opinions
- Comparisons
- Samples
- Examples
Adding these negative keywords to your campaigns can help ensure that your ads are not displayed for irrelevant searches, saving your budget for high-intent keywords that are more likely to convert. Regularly review and update your negative keyword list based on the search terms report in your Google Ads account to continuously optimize your campaign performance.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can effectively conduct keyword research for your real estate business, ensuring you target high-intent keywords that drive leads and conversions. Continuous monitoring and optimization will help you refine your campaigns and maximize your return on investment.
