Google AdWords for Testing Organic Keywords

Organic search results rock – showing up on page 1 on Google or Yahoo for key terms is a great way to build traffic and business. Once the work is done to get there, the cost may be next to nothing to stay there.

But, getting nice organic search results and cashing checks may not be the same thing. There are lots of specific search phrases that may sound good to you and, through some research, may show that they get lots of searches. However, for reasons only known in subconscious of your prospect, good search results don’t always yield good conversion – sales, downloads, subscriptions.

I have found that a great way to quickly test keyword phrases is to run Google AdWords campaigns and use Google Analytics to track actual conversions for the phrases you are testing. I’ve found more than once that a more popular phrase can actually produce lower conversion than a less popular phrase. And, you can have results in a week instead of a couple months.

Armed with this kind of data you can make better decisions about keyword phrases you should focus your organic optimization efforts on. The good news is that the better phrase in the long run may not be as competitive.