How to use the Google Adwords Key Tool to assess what tech PR buyers are looking for

Google's Adword Keyword Tool is a very useful aid for determining how much you can expect to pay for a key word or phrase associated with a Google ad. It also tells you the level of competition for a particular keyword or phrase as well as search volumes over time – helpful for detecting trends in searches.

On a whim, I had a look at the prices and trends for a host of relevant tech PR terms - ones that potential purchasers of tech PR sevices might use eg :

high tech pr
technology pr
tech pr

It produced some interesting results. The figures refer to the expected average Cost Per Click (CPC) of a term to gain a placing from 1 - 3 in the right hand ad section:

tech pr firm    £8.00   
high tech pr agencies    £7.58   
tech pr agencies    £7.22   
technology pr agencies    £6.28   
high tech pr firm    £6.13   
technology pr agency    £6.10   
high tech pr firms    £6.07   
high tech pr    £6.01   
tech pr agency    £5.59   
technology pr    £5.26   
technology pr firms    £4.89   
tech pr    £4.34   
consumer tech pr    £0.04   
consumer technology pr    £0.04   
high tech pr agency    £0.04   
maps pr tech    £0.04   
tech pr blog    £0.04   
technology pr companies    £0.04   
technology pr firm    £0.04   
technology pr london    £0.04   

At £8.00 per click through, the phrase “tech pr firm” commands a hefty premium. Yet, according to the Keyword Tool, there is very little competition for the phrase. And the average search volume for this term is low compared with others. Generally, the trends for various terms seems to rise and fall like the Persian Empire. In other words, potential buyers of tech PR services (who you would have thought might be the most likely people to use such search terms), seem to vary the way in which they seek out information. One month they are looking for a high tech PR firm, next month a technology PR agency.

Also interesting that a term like “consumer tech pr” has low search volumes – and very low CPC at 4p. Which could mean buyers aren’t searching for consumer tech PR – and why  consumer tech agencies aren’t using Google ads – or paying a low price for doing so.

However, its this kind of data that gives a brief glimpse of how analytics can be used for business development in tech PR. And how the same principles could be applied in the context of developing PR programmes.

Comments

[Stephen Waddington]

Agencies have done what we did: bid up prices for common keywords such as "tech PR agency" and then jumped out when it got too expensive. But Google has held its prices - presumably because people are willing to pay.

BTW "Rainier PR" costs £0.72. There's at least 3 or 4 agencies using it as a keyword, which I take as a huge complement :-)

[Andrew Smith]

;-)

BTW - does seem that a lot of the larger tech agencies don't command high CPCs on their names eg Brands2life is only £0.04. Bizarrely, if you try checking out Hotwire PR, it doesn't seem to return anything - however, it does suggest as an alternative term, Cheap PR - ;-)

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