Which is better for me? If you desire a high volume of untargeted traffic; and not as concerned about the quality of the traffic, then use broad matched keyword phrases representing more generalized terms. This does cut down on the number of keywords you employ. On the other hand, if you desire your traffic to convert into customers or sign up for what you are offering, it is better to use keywords and keyword phrases that are specific and an exact match. The tradeoff is that you will receive less traffic, with narrowly defined keywords; however, your conversion rates will be statistically higher. From an investment standpoint, you want to earn the best return on your investment you can. So, for the best ROI, choose narrowly defined keywords.

With narrowly defined keywords you will need to use more of them to maximize your campaign’s target reach. It is certainly easier to go the broad match route. However, over the long term, like so many other things in life, you get back what you put in. If you take shortcuts when you sow your advertising seeds, you will reap shortcomings on your returns.

So, the question to ask your potential SEO specialist is whether they think you should use broad matched or narrow matched keywords. You may also want to ask them why they give you the answer they do, so that you have a better understanding of where they are coming from.

This is Part Two in a Series on Selecting an SEO Company or SEO Specialist. Read Part One