Keywords

A keyword is one or more words that are specified in an editorial group to describe an advertiser’s product or service. It is used to trigger an ad when a potential customer searches for the word(s) in the keyword on an ad network’s search engine. In Geneva, a keyword can be the combination of a geo-modifier and a root keyword or just the root keyword itself. As such, there are several components to keywords that determine which keywords get submitted to the ad networks:

• Geo-modifiers: A geo-modifier is a geographic area, usually based on a geo-target, that is combined with a root keyword to make one keyword. This one keyword then reflects both the advertiser’s location and the subject matter of their product or service offering. For example, if an editorial group has the state of California as a geo-target, then some of its geo-modifiers could be CA and California. If a root keyword for the campaign were family dentistry, then the ad could be displayed when a potential customer searches for the keywords CA family dentistry or California family dentistry.

• Root keywords: A root keyword is one or more words that describe the product or service an advertiser offers. It is used on its own or combined with a geo-modifier to create a keyword used on ad networks. In cases where the root keyword is not combined with a geo-modifier, the keyword that gets submitted to the ad networks is the same as the root keyword. In the previous example discussed with geo-modifiers, family dentistry is the root keyword. But family dentistry would also be the keyword if you submitted it without a geo-modifier. Certain businesses that focus on location (such as hotel, real estate, and travel businesses) might need to use a root keyword strategy for national campaigns for which they specify a location as part of the root keyword. For example, a travel agency selling a trip to a Hawaiian resort would use a root keyword of Hawaii resort for certain campaigns.

• Negative keywords: A negative keyword is one or more words that you specify to not trigger an ad no matter how similar it might be to other keywords in the editorial group. For example, a law firm might have an editorial group with attorney as a root keyword. However, the firm might not practice real estate law. They therefore could specify real estate attorney as a negative keyword so that their ad is not displayed when a person searches for a real estate attorney. Negative keywords do not use geo-modifiers the way root keywords do.