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Keywords Targeting Basics

We’ll start by explaining the basic guidelines to using this feature correctly, and then we’ll offer some advanced tips that will take your targeting to the next level.First, you need to set the targeting type of your campaign to ‘Keyword Targeted’, as such:

Scroll down and you will see the boxes in which you can add your campaign’s keywords:

In the ‘Active Keywords’ box, you set all the keywords that will be targeted for your campaign. These are their guidelines:

1. A Keyword can consist of one or more words.
2. All words in one line are treated as a Phrase (AND). For example, if you use the words “rent” and “car” in one line, the system will target placements that contextually fit the combination of “rent” and “car”, not necessarily in that order.
3. Words in different lines are treated as separate Keywords (Broad Match).
4. When using quotation marks ( “ ) for a term with more than one word, it will be treated as an Exact Match. For example: “rent a car” will NOT target placements that contextually fit the word “car” nor the phrase “car a rent”, but ONLY “rent a car”.
5. Each word is treated as one segment, and not as part of, or containing a segment. For example, the Keyword “light” will NOT be matched with the Keyword “lighthouse”, and the Keyword “lighthouse” will NOT be matched with the Keyword “light”. The Keyword “example” will be matched with the domain “example.com”, but will NOT be matched with the domain “coolexample.com”.
6. You can target by Keywords and/or domains. In other words, Keywords can be provided by the Publisher’s website, or be derived from the Publisher’s url.
7. Special characters should not be used, except for when using the Keywords to target a domain. In this case, it’s only allowed to use “.” as part of a valid domain, as in “amazon.com”. “-” and “_” are also valid special characters and should be used when targeting a domain. The character ” “ ” can be used when targeting an Exact Match (see above).
8. Keywords are NOT case-sensitive. For example, you don’t need to enter “rent a car” and “Rent a Car” as Keywords— “rent a car” will cover both cases.
9. When targeting domains, it’s not possible to target sub-domains, only Native domains.
10. “http://” and “http://www.” are ignored so you don’t need to use them.

Guidelines For Blocked Keywords:

• Use only one word per line.
• The same rules for special characters of the Active Keywords apply here.

Advanced Optimization Tips:

1. Target broader – First, you need to know what your audience is looking for. The key to success is knowing where your biggest traffic and revenue lie. Then remember: The more Keywords or targets you add to a campaign, the more volume it is likely to get. Your initial goal should be to come up with at least 50 of the most popular keywords that are relevant to your offer.
2. Bid competitively – Sounds obvious, but it’s not. Placing a high bid on a Keyword will expose your campaign to traffic from more expensive targets.  In addition, there are some very competitive Keywords for which you will have to bid high in the first place, in order to win traffic.
3. Go for short tail – When using Keywords on SelfAdvertiser.com, remember that short tail Keywords target a broader match than longer words or phrases, which makes them more likely to get impressions.
4. Tokens – Track your campaign’s performance by using dynamic URL tags. Insert the @@CAMPAIGN-KEYWORD@@ token after your URL, and learn which Keywords are being matched by your targeting.
5. The RON method – Learn which Keyword you should target or blacklist. Set up a non-Keyword targeted campaign (Run of Network) and insert the @@KEYWORD@@ token after your URL. The system will send you the Keywords that are being used by the users and publishers.

Now you are on your way to becoming an expert in keyword targeting. Start here>>For more information visit our Support Center.