One of the hardest things to get over to Google AdWords search advertisers is that the search terms they’re targeting are just the “location” of the advertisements. They’re not the message themselves. Narrow them down too tightly, and you could be missing out. After all, if you could have your ad showing against every search made on Google all day long, for no extra cost, you would.
Now, I’m not saying that’s something you should aim for, but you need to be open-minded. Think about what else your prospects might be searching for online. Sure, you sell blue widgets. And that’s what you’ll have in your advert. But maybe many prospects just search for “widgets”. If you advertise there, it’s true that your advert will also be seen by people who want red or yellow widgets. They won’t click on your ad though, so it won’t cost you anything. Why not try it?
Perhaps for every blue widget, people need to buy a matching thingumajig. Why not advertise there? Maybe there’s a British Standard relating to blue widgets. Your prospects will be hanging out there too. You get the idea.
Now, I’m well aware that if your AdWords advertisement doesn’t directly relate to the search being made, the cost per click goes up. But the “related search” might be a low cost one in the first place. And the specific search on your product (“blue widgets”) might be a very expensive one. The next stage in the evolution of your search advertising campaign could be to think more broadly, not ever more narrowly.