Go to Google and type in “automatic matching” and you will find hundreds of articles and blog postings. Ever since Google announced they were adding a new type of keyword matching to select clients’ campaigns, the industry has been abuzz with feedback…. Mostly of the negative variety.

An example used in many articles says that automatic matching would allow for a sneaker company’s ad to show up for a somewhat related word, such as ‘slipper.’ Is this quality traffic?

After a rough start to 2008, it’s easy to see why this would be a benefit to Google. This new match type will almost certainly increase revenue from ad spend.

So this leaves one question, why would anyone want to use this type of keyword matching? Well, it actually could be a good thing for some companies that bid on very competitive terms and find it hard to compete. This could be a good opportunity for them to get more exposure or attract a new audience. In the end, only time will tell how this all pans out for Google, marketing agencies, companies and searchers.

When it comes to Search Engine Marketing it is critical to ensure you are utilizing the most effective and targeted keywords to get the best return on your investment. Your keywords are the foundation to any cost per click campaign and should be chosen wisely. They should be updated and tweaked often and ultimately be paired with compelling ad copy and the most relevant destination URL.

So how do you know if your keywords are “up to par”? It is sometimes difficult to choose the best keywords when you are so close to the subject. In other words, you may think you know what searchers are typing into the search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc) to find your site, however you might be surprised to find that what you may think is being searched upon is not at all the case. This is where an analytics tool comes into the mix. It is imperative to have a tool which affords you the ability to determine the specific keywords that are driving your sales, conversions or the desired action item (such as a whitepaper download, catalog request, online form, etc.) to occur. Your keywords should never be chosen by intuition, but rather, you should rely on your analytics program to guide you to the most educated choices.

One word phrases tend to be costly and generic; research shows that the savvier the searcher, the longer the keyword phrase or tail will be. In fact, a recent article stated that the average searcher is now utilizing 4 words to run a query. This approach not only keeps keyword cost down, but also provides for a more targeted and qualified visitor. For example, someone searching for the one word phrase dentist is a lot less qualified that someone searching for Dentist in Santa Monica.

Improving the keywords in your campaigns will boost your traffic quality and as a result your sales and ROI.

I can no longer even count how many times a new client has asked me why they should pay to be in the sponsored listings on a keyword that they show up for organically. They are even harder to budget when it comes to bidding on their own brand names!

The truth is in the numbers. A recent study by Enquiro supports what I have been telling companies since the start; it pays to be present in both Organic and Paid search results. The study shows that this deadly combination results in lifts in brand affinity, brand recall, and most importantly, intent to purchase! Clients and prospects have come to the point where they almost expect you to show up in both sections of search results. Another thing that is important to keep in mind is that, whether you like it or not, your competition is out their bidding on your name as well.

One of my clients has a branding campaign that managed to pull in a 500% Gross Return last month alone. We use keywords, including their company name, trademarked products, common misspellings, and their full domain. So when you are building or optimizing your next search engine marketing campaign, don’t steer clear of these obvious choices. The reinforcement that you are providing to your potential customer can result in quite a pay day for you!