.png)
What are PPC Keywords?
When individuals search on Google for products or services your business offers, they actively seek you out. Therefore, this presents a prime opportunity for you to highlight what you have to offer by showing them a relevant ad that addresses their need.
If your ad provides a compelling response to their query, they will click through to your website. If your website or landing page effectively communicates why they should choose you over your competitors, they provide you with their contact information, granting you permission to engage.
In other words, they become a lead.
But not all leads are equally motivated to sell quickly for cash. The reality is that some keywords are more likely to attract high-quality leads, and some others may generate sellers from outside of your area, wholesalers, retail, or otherwise less-quality leads.
Motivation, or intent, is crucial in determining the likelihood of the lead converting into a closed deal.
In the past, keywords were straightforward matches to the exact search terms typed into Google's search bar, particularly for so-called exact match keywords. This meant that if you, as an advertiser, chose to target the keyword "sell my house fast," your ad would only be shown to users who entered that exact phrase into Google.
Phrase match keywords allowed for some variation as long as the words were in the exact order. For example, targeting the same keyword in the phrase match could result in your ad appearing for searches like "sell my house fast in Detroit", "sell my house fast for cash", or "sell my house fast as is", etc.
However, this is no longer the case.
The Loss of Control in Google Ads PPC
To explain how the rules of the game have changed, let's clarify the difference between keywords and search terms.
A "search term" refers to the exact words or phrases entered into Google by a user. On the other hand, a "keyword" is the term used by advertisers to target their ads to users. The effectiveness of keywords lies in their ability to trigger the display of ads to users who type into Google those search terms that are representative of high motivation.
However, this control has become increasingly difficult to maintain. In the name of simplification, Google has made match types redundant, by and large, meaning that now your ads can be displayed for any query that Google considers relevant to your keyword.
This may not be an issue if your keyword is, for example, "cash house buyers," and it triggers your ad for the search term "companies that buy houses for cash." But if your ad is shown for search terms like "first-time buyers" or "homebuyer grants," and clicks from these irrelevant terms cost you $50 each, it becomes a problem.
While larger accounts often benefit from automation—Google gets it right more often than not—smaller accounts with less than 30 conversions per month may experience decreased performance unless proper measures are put in place to provide Google with accurate data that train its algorithm.
The Evolved Purpose of Keywords in PPC
The worst scenario that can happen to your PPC account is not to get only a few leads here and there, but to regularly receive a lot of low-quality leads.
In the first case, Google AI is “aware” that it is not doing well. In the second case, it “thinks” it's doing great even though it's not making you any money. This is a problem as it creates a self-reinforcing cycle of bad leads leading to more bad leads.
The key point is that the opposite is also true: Once the account starts consistently delivering high-quality leads from motivated sellers, its AI is trained to identify users with the characteristics of your ideal prospects, setting you up for ongoing, and future success.
In other words, the keyword as a targeting signal has now two jobs in Google Ads.
The primary job is to target users that will become leads and sell their houses to you right now.
The secondary role of the keyword is to teach Google AI about who your best-motivated leads are—usually, people who need to sell their house quickly for financial, inheritance or other reasons—so think about your keywords carefully.
You don’t want any leads. You want leads that are genuinely open to selling for a discounted value. And you want to ensure ongoing, and long-term success by training Google AI to find more prospects fitting the criteria of your ideal seller.
Now, let’s jump on how to get there.
The New Roadmap for Successful Keywords Targeting
Track every conversion. This is essential.
Don't waste time pruning your keyword lists if you don't accurately track your conversions. You won't be able to improve what you do not measure.
Remember, the goal of your PPC campaigns is to acquire high-quality leads that result in closed deals. To make it happen, you need to know which ad clicks generated website leads and phone call leads. Then you need to know what clicks resulted in high-quality leads that reached specific milestones (as defined by the workflows in your CRM), and brought in actual revenue.
The three-step process for better data and performance
- Set up enhanced conversion tracking to improve the accuracy of your website leads data from Google Ads.
- Track leads from calls with a third-party tool. This is especially important if phone calls leads constitute more than 20% of your total leads.
- Blend the quality of the leads data from your CRM with advertising metrics:
- source/medium
- campaign
- keyword
- advertising click ID — this is crucial because it enables you to connect leads to revenue. This way, you can see which keywords generate leads that are dead on arrival and which ones led to booked appointments, accepted offers and closed deals.
By connecting lead status changes in your CRM with Google Ads through Zapier (or a free alternative), you can automatically import milestones as offline conversions and set these conversions as the goal for your campaigns. This tells Google to optimise ad spend towards individuals similar to those who have previously meaningfully engaged with you — rather than chase any lead, regardless of the quality and motivation.
Our previous blog post provides helpful information on how to get started.
Focus on Keywords with High Motivation
After setting up an accurate tracking system, you can start looking at keywords. After a few months, you will notice the pattern that reveals which search terms and keywords indicate a genuinely motivated seller intent.
If your analysis is similar to the findings we've gathered from multiple accounts across various states and regions over the last twelve years, you'll discover that keywords with the following intents are most likely to generate high-quality leads from motivated sellers.
.png)
"Cash"
When people search for "sell my house for cash" or "get a cash offer on a house," they are expressing a desire to receive the money from the sale as soon as possible, without having to go through a traditional, time-consuming sales process. This type of search query indicates that the individual is willing to accept a lower market value in exchange for quick cash, making them an ideal client for a real estate investor.
"Urgency"
Urgency keywords, such as "quick house sale" or "sell my home fast," reveal a strong intent to sell a house in a short time frame. These keywords indicate that the individual is motivated by the speed of the sale process and wants to conclude the transaction as soon as possible. By targeting these keywords, real estate investors can increase their chances of connecting with motivated sellers who are eager to sell their property and move on to the next chapter in their lives.
"Sell house as is"
These keywords include phrases like "sell my house as is", or "as is home sale". They indicate that the individual is looking to sell their house in its current condition, without making any repairs or renovations.
The underlying motivation for these keywords is often to save time and money on fixing up the property, as well as to avoid the hassle of dealing with inspections and negotiations. For real estate investors, these keywords are good indicators of motivated sellers who may be willing to sell their property quickly and at a discounted price. This presents an opportunity to buy houses that may need some work but can be purchased and rehabilitated for a profit.
"We Buy Houses"
Keywords such as "we buy houses", or "we buy homes" indicate that the individual is looking for a quick and easy way to sell their property. These phrases suggest that the motivation behind the search is the need for a hassle-free, streamlined process to sell their home.
"Buyers" and "Investors"
Keywords like "home buyers" and "real estate investors" indicate the individual's search for a solution to sell their house, without having to go through the traditional route of listing with an agent or having to do extensive repairs. These keywords are ideal for real estate investors as they signal the individual's willingness to consider alternative selling options.
"Companies"
"Companies that buy houses" keywords are commonly used by individuals looking to sell their homes quickly and easily. These keywords indicate a motivation for a quick, hassle-free sale, without the need for extensive repairs, renovations, or real estate agents. These individuals are motivated by a desire to avoid the time and expense of traditional selling methods and are in search of a reliable and trustworthy company that can offer a fair and straightforward fix to their housing needs.
Competitors' brand terms
Competitor terms refer to keywords that include the names of other real estate investors or home buying companies. These keywords may include phrases like "competitor X house buying services" or "sell my house to competitor Y". Individuals searching for these terms are often looking for alternatives to their current options and may already have some knowledge of the industry. This indicates a level of motivation to sell their house and a willingness to engage with real estate investors.
Keywords with the local intent
Keywords like "sell my house fast for cash in Jacksonville" are a great choice for real estate investors as they show a strong location intent. These keywords indicate that the individual is looking to sell their house quickly and for cash in the specific area. For smaller, family-owned businesses, positioning themselves as trusted and friendly local experts can increase their chances of closing the deal. By emphasising their knowledge and expertise of the local area, they can establish themselves as a reliable and trustworthy option for motivated sellers who are looking to sell their property quickly.
Eliminate budget wasters
Google has made matching search terms to keywords less stringent—that is, it can and often serves ads to irrelevant queries that you are not keen on targeting. The idea is that it will eventually learn by itself which search terms are not relevant to your business, but it takes time and money.
Negative keywords, however, can speed up the process. They let you specify which search terms your ads won't appear for. Prune your keywords list and eliminate those that are not generating high-quality leads. Remember, having many low-quality leads is worse than not to have any leads at all. When budgets are tight, negative keywords are your best friend.
"Buying a house"
Misplaced ads and wasted ad spend often result from search terms that indicate a desire to buy a house rather than sell it. Unfortunately, Google quite often mistakenly targets these searches. Examples include "buy a house," "buy a house without a realtor," "should I buy a house now," or "buying a house in California."
By adding these terms as negative keywords to your PPC account, you stop Google from displaying your ad to people who have no intention of selling their house. This helps you save money, as you don't need to pay Google to learn what you already know — that individuals looking to buy a house are not your ideal target audience.
"Valuation"
Beware of search terms, such as "home value estimator", "value of my house", or "what is my house worth".
They are a huge drain on your time and resources, generating low-quality leads that are unlikely to convert into closed deals. The lead-to-close conversion rate for these keywords is ten to twenty times lower than for keywords that indicate high motivation. These individuals are just curious about the value of their house without any intention of accepting an offer for a reduced price.
Valuation-based intent search terms have the potential to completely distort your bidding algorithm by training Google to focus on low-quality leads. Negate them immediately.
"How to" keywords
Just like "valuation" keywords, "how-to" search terms suggest that people are searching for information, not that they have a strong desire to sell their home quickly for a lower price.
Individuals who search for phrases like "how to sell a house on your own", "tips for selling a house", or "selling my home myself" do not plan to sell their house to a real estate investor. They're just learning how to sell the house themselves.
To prevent these types of leads, add related "how-to" terms as negative keywords.
