Why is keyword data important for creating commerce content? 

The best content is useless if it can’t be found and consumed. Especially if publishers want to monetize this content, good findability is worth its weight in gold. Keyword data helps you prepare content in a search engine-friendly way, opening up another important traffic source besides social media.

Keyword data provides information about the search intentions of users. The better creators understand these search intentions, the better they can respond with their content. In terms of intent, search queries can be divided into three categories:

• Transactional searches: The user has the intention to buy something. These searches do not always have to include the keyword “buy”. Entering a specific product name also indicates an intention to buy.
• Informational searches: The user has the intention to find certain information, such as the age of a prominent person, the national holidays of a specific country, or the weather forecast for the next few days. 
• Navigational searches: The user has the intention to get to a specific place on the Internet, such as a company website, an online store, or a forum.

What keyword data exists, and how can it be obtained?

Numerous tools on the market offer keyword analysis. For an initial analysis, free keyword tools like Google Trends or Ubersuggest are fine. Although they provide limited insight into keyword data, and often allow only a few queries per month, they give a good first impression and indicate which keywords are worth deeper research.

Such deeper research is possible with paid tools such as Google’s Keyword Planner, the Moz Keyword Explorer or Mangools’ Keyword Finder. Because they draw on a large “treasure trove” of data, they can provide detailed information on keywords and their use in search engines.

Depending on which keyword tool is used, various types of keyword data can be collected to help you create commerce content. These include:

• Search volume: The search volume indicates how often a specific keyword is searched for in the search engines. In the popular tools, this volume is usually shown per month. Most tools focus on Google searches and disregard other search engines.
• Competition: Data on competition provides information on how many other site operators want to position themselves in Google search with a particular keyword, and thus how difficult it is to achieve a high position with this search term.
• Trend: Trend data shows how the search volume changes over time. Seasonal search queries (e.g. “buy Christmas tree”) have a higher search volume at a specific time of year. Publication dates and other events also influence the development of search volume over time.
• CPC: The CPC (cost per click) indicates how much you would have to pay Google Ads and other providers to place an ad for this keyword. Usually, the higher the CPC, the higher the competition for good positions for this keyword.

Related search queries: Most keyword tools not only provide data on the keyword queried (e.g. “coffee machine”), but also on related search queries (e.g. “rent coffee machine”, “fully automatic coffee machine”, “coin-operated coffee machine”).

How can keywords be derived from existing texts?

A keyword analysis as described above primarily helps you create new content that is suitable for search engines. But what about existing content? Various tools are available, such as the free Google Search Console. This is a powerful tool for search engine optimization, and every site operator who wants a successful website should set it up. The Search Console shows, for example, which keywords users entered in order to reach a page. This helps you better understand the search intentions – and align the content accordingly.

How can commerce content be created based on keyword data?

At the end of keyword research, publishers have answered three important questions:

• Which of the relevant keywords are searched for most often?
• What is the intention behind this search?
• What other searches are closely related to the topic?

Knowledge of the search intent and related search queries tells you which content aspects a text should cover in order to satisfy the user’s needs. These aspects (keywords) form the content framework, so to speak. 

To make it easy for search engines like Google to capture the content of texts and assign it to the correct search queries, the identified keywords and their synonyms should be placed in a few essential places:

• Headlines and subheadings
• URL
• Body text, where suitable
• Image names and captions
• Meta data (title and description)

When placing keywords, it is important to think like a reader, and not simply cram all of the search terms in. Keywords should be used wisely so that the end result is an informative text that is easy to read for users and, at best, entertaining. It’s a good idea to use the main keyword in the headline and related keywords in the subheadings to structure the content of the text.

Are keywords only relevant for texts?

No! Keywords help boost the findability of many types of content. For example, they can be placed in video titles and descriptions, or in podcast show notes, so that these videos can be found more easily on YouTube and other platforms. In addition, keywords in the form of hashtags can also be used in posts on social networks.Performance publishers such as coupon and cashback portals or price comparison sites should also use a keyword strategy. The right placement of keywords, for example in headlines and meta data, can serve transactional search queries in particular – and thus increase traffic.

Long before Commerce Advertising became a trend, travel bloggers were among the first to successfully monetize their content. But why do travel and Commerce Advertising go so well together, and what opportunities does this present for advertisers and publishers?

Travel and Commerce Advertising: opportunities for publishers and advertisers 

Hardly anyone books a trip in just a few clicks without first comparing accommodations and researching the best flights. Vacationers often explore possible activities, culinary offerings, and rental car services ahead of time. Planning a trip therefore involves a high demand for information, which advertisers and publishers can tap into. Advertisers who work with many different publishers have the opportunity to reach users at multiple stages of the customer journey. 

Travel is an incredibly diverse topic with a very broad target audience. Publishers have the opportunity to address many different sub-topics, such as hotel recommendations, activities and experiences at various destinations, flight comparisons, and travel insurance offers. What’s more, travel is an emotional topic. People searching online for their next vacation destination are inspired by exciting stories, expressive photos, and thrilling videos. So publishers can use many different content formats to reach their target group, and everyone can find their niche. For advertisers in the travel sector, Commerce Advertising is the ideal way to reach their target group at an early point in the customer journey at comparatively low cost, namely when they are looking for possible travel destinations and researching all the important vacation aspects. Voucher and cashback sites are also ideal for covering topics in the travel environment. After all, smart shoppers are also smart travelers.

Top 5 affiliate programs for the travel sector

If you are active as a content creator on travel topics and want to monetize your content, you can choose from a variety of possible affiliate programs. Among the best known are the following:

Covid-19 and the travel sector: How publishers and advertisers should respond

Travel was one of the sectors hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic. From one day to the next, global tourism came to a standstill. Now, with most restrictions lifted, the desire to travel is on the rise again. Many people feel they have two years to catch up on. So it’s hardly surprising that estimates predict annual growth of over 8% through 2026, with up to 73% travel market revenue generated online by then. For advertisers and publishers, this is an important opportunity to make up for the lean pandemic period. However, they should keep in mind that the global pandemic has caused three profound changes in the travel sector:

Higher demand for advice

Anyone planning a trip today is not only looking for inexpensive accommodations and flights, but is also confronted with different rules and regulations regarding vaccination certificates, mask requirements, tests, and possible quarantine periods. The amount of research required has thus increased significantly. Content creators have the opportunity to stand out by serving this need for information.

Higher need for security

Even after the lifting of most restrictions, many travelers have concerns about whether their booked trip can actually take place. Advertisers should thus focus on offers that provide their target group with security, such as flexible rebooking or extended cancellation periods. A survey by eMarketer also shows that, in future, travelers will attach more importance to cleaning and disinfection, contactless payment, and spacious lounges. Advertisers should place relevant information at the forefront of their communications – and also pass this on to publishers – in order to address users’ concerns at the earliest possible point in the customer journey.

Vacationing closer to home

Since travel across national borders was almost impossible at the start of the pandemic, many vacationers focused on local tourism. In addition, many people have become aware of how much the travel sector suffered from the lockdown, and now want to support the local economy. Vacationing locally (or domestically) is a trend that advertisers and content creators should continue to focus on.

Workation: a growing trend in the travel sector

Thanks to advancing digitization, location-independent working has become a real trend in many industries. Not only the self-employed, but also many employees whose employers make it possible are discovering “workation”: a mode combining work and vacation. As a result, the classic travel seasons of summer vacations and winter sports are no longer the only communication occasions for advertisers and publishers in the travel market. Many content creators are now explicitly targeting digital nomads, i.e. people who work independently of location and thus combine work and travel. Travel providers are also increasingly discovering this target group for themselves. However, digital nomads and other people interested in “workation” have different information needs than private travelers. For example, factors such as Internet speed and co-working spaces are very relevant. Publishers and advertisers who want to attract digital nomads as a target group must meet this need for information.

What is Commerce Advertising? 

Commerce Advertising refers to useful advertising that reaches users during the purchase-relevant phases of the customer journey. The advertising formats are aimed at clearly measurable conversions such as purchases or newsletter subscriptions. The advertising formats are appropriate to the content in whose environment they appear, and offer added value to users. The term Commerce Content is also used in this context. This refers to content published by creators that revolves around services or products and contains monetized links to these offers. This content can range from editorial articles, to videos and podcasts, to coupons and deals.

Why should content creators rely on Commerce Advertising?

Content creators – such as bloggers, YouTubers and influencers on Instagram and TikTok – are very attractive to the advertising market for several key reasons:

• They have relevant reach.
• They serve a very precise target group.
• They address issues in a credible way.

In addition, they produce the content that is relevant for advertisers anyway. Monetizing this content is often the next logical step. But how can content creators get started in Commerce Advertising?

5 steps to a Commerce Advertising strategy for content creators

1. Make an inventory

As a first step, content creators should get a systematic overview of their own content, both created and planned. List the topics covered as well as the content formats. It is irrelevant whether creators only cover a very specific topic or are more broadly positioned. 

A range of insights can be derived from this inventory:

• Which topics and formats are particularly well-received by followers?
• Which topics have already been covered in detail (duplication can be avoided)?
• What aspects of a topic can be covered in more detail?

It’s also helpful for creators getting started in Commerce Advertising to have a solid idea of their followers. What are their interests? How do they interact with the content, the creator, and each other? Demographic data such as age and place of residence can also be interesting. In addition, content creators should consider whether there are other target groups they would like to reach with their content in the future.

2. Decide: Commerce Advertising or paid collaborations?

For influencers, paid collaborations and sponsorships are part of everyday life. Content creators are paid by companies to promote their products or services. The advantage for creators is that they usually do not have to take care of the establishment of such a cooperation themselves. Their reach, target group, and thematic focus make them interesting for advertisers, so that creators are approached by them (directly or via platforms) as cooperation partners. Under current law, however, such sponsorships must be clearly labeled as advertising. As a result, followers may perceive this content as less credible – and lose interest in it.

Commerce Advertising, on the other hand, is less obvious: Content creators talk about products that have convinced them personally, carry out product comparisons, for example, and then link to the purchase options at the appropriate point. However, content creators must take care to monetize these links themselves.

3. Identify tools and networks

But creators are not completely on their own when it comes to monetizing their commerce content. Platforms like mrge and their networks enable bloggers and influencers to find suitable partnerships. With little effort, creators can register with mrge and create monetized links with which they can then forward their followers to the site of the companies also represented in the network via their content. These links can be placed in blog texts, TikTok and Instagram bios, video descriptions, or podcast show notes, for example. These links can be used to track exactly which conversion came about via which creator, so that the creator then receives the corresponding commission.

Several tools also help make content creation and monetization as smooth as possible. These include URL shorteners for generating links to post on social networks. Some platforms also offer browser extensions that can be used to obtain important information, such as CPA rates, directly from the merchant’s site. This information then helps identify the right partners.

4. Produce content

This step should be the easiest for content creators, because they just need to create authentic and interesting content for their followers. It is not necessary to be effusively positive about the product of a company from the partner program. On the contrary, Commerce Advertising thrives on neutrality and credibility. The only difference from non-monetized content is the placement of affiliate links.

5. Analyze and optimize

If creators want to reach even more people with their content, and generate higher revenues, it makes sense to regularly analyze the content. The Commerce Advertising platforms also help with this. Creators can see exactly where which revenues come from, but also how people interact with the content, and how the users access their content. These insights help to uncover potential for optimization.

Win-win situation 

Commerce Advertising offers content creators the opportunity to generate additional revenue streams – using the content they’re creating anyway. With minimal additional effort, content can be monetized and a major financial impact achieved. The numerous advantages over traditional sponsorship are what make Commerce Advertising so effective: When content creators talk about products that have personally convinced them, and neutrally draw attention to purchase opportunities, the entire contribution is not labeled as advertising. Commerce Advertising is much more understated than sponsoring, but no less effective.

Many publishers who have implemented a search function on their portals overlook the great potential hidden within. The targeted display of product recommendations in transactional searches can generate attractive additional revenues. But what exactly are “transactional searches” – and how can they be monetized?

Search intent: What types of search queries are there?

Behind every query made on Google (or any other search engine) is a specific search intent. In other words, the user wants to achieve something with their query. Based on this intent, almost every search fits into one of three categories:

1. Navigational search: The user wants to get to a very clear destination – a specific website or subpage. They are not interested in the widest possible selection, but want to reach their goal with as few clicks as possible. Examples of this search query are: “Instagram”, “Federal Ministry of Transport”, or “Zalando Contact”.
2. Informational search: The user wants to acquire knowledge, find information, or have specific questions answered. Typical search queries begin with the 5 Ws, but may also look like “Mount Everest height”, “risotto recipe”, or “build my own bookshelf”.
3. Transactional search: The user has a clear intent to make a purchase or another type of conversion, such as a download. This takes place in a late phase of the customer journey and often contains keywords such as “buy” or “order”, but there is also usually a purchase intent behind specific product names or descriptions such as “coffee machine” or “iPhone 11”.

Search intent plays a central role in SEO: If you understand user intent, you can produce content that matches it. However, for publishers who have integrated a search function on their site (for example, from Google, Bing, or a proprietary tool), understanding the various search intentions also offers another important monetization opportunity.

Monetizing transactional searches

For site operators who offer advertising space for various formats, such as banner advertising, it is essential to enable ad playout that is as user-relevant as possible. The more closely an ad corresponds to the interests and intent of a site visitor, the higher the click rate. This means not only more revenue for the advertiser, but also more commissions for the publisher.

How are transactional searches monetized?

In order to generate revenue from transactional searches, they must first be recognized as such. This is best achieved by using a neural model that classifies the text of the search query. Machine learning is used to train this model to distinguish between transactional and non-transactional input in the search field. To do this, the model is fed two sets of data, for example from product databases or SEA data. Software solutions such as recomAD Transactional Search help with exactly this. As a result, publishers do not have to develop a neural model themselves or deal with machine learning.

This also helps to overcome the challenge of obtaining training data for non-transactional searches. Often, the context determines whether a specific keyword indicates an intent to buy. Why this is so critical can be illustrated with a simple example: Suppose a user is on a news portal, looking for current information about a knife attack that happened in his hometown. How macabre would it then be if advertisements for knife sets or similar products appeared in the search results because “knife” was identified as a keyword?

Once the model has been trained, it can be integrated into the site’s search function. If a search query is then recognized as transactional, suitable shopping ads are displayed via a widget.

Page operators who use such a model must make sure to train it regularly with fresh data in order to keep up with current developments. This is because the intent behind a specific search phrase can change over time. An example from Germany: Until early 2020, the search query “Selbsttest” (“self-test”) was mainly informational: Users were looking for self-diagnosis options, or wanted to take personality tests on entertainment websites. Today, the keyword “Selbsttest” is usually transactional: Users want to buy COVID-19 self-tests for home use.

Transactional searches: game-changer in Commerce Advertising

Publishers can increase their performance – and thus tap into new sources of revenue – by displaying product recommendations in a precisely tailored manner. The use of machine learning ensures that transactional searches are reliably recognized and users are only addressed with product recommendations if they already have an intent to purchase. Thanks to the higher relevance, products are displayed less frequently, but more precisely. Compared to a standard ad or widget without transactional logic, click-through rates are up to 140% higher and conversion rates are up to 65% higher : a clear benefit for publishers and advertisers.

Have you implemented a search engine on your portal and want to monetize the search queries? Learn more about how recomAD Transactional Search can support you.

What are audience insights?

Audience insights are any data that describes your target audience in more detail. This includes demographic data such as:

• Age
• Gender
• Income
• Occupation
• Place of residence
• Marital status

This data provides a first impression of your target group, but should be enriched with further insights to sharpen the picture. These insights include:

• Hobbies and interests
• Brand and media preferences
• Influencers they interact with
• Life circumstances (e.g. students, new parents, retirees)
• Times when they are online

Audience insights thus help publishers and advertisers understand what the target group needs and wants. They provide the framework for creating content that is tailored to the target audience and enables better interactions between the brand (or content creator) and the target audience.

Audience insights: Gathering data

A first port of call for obtaining data on your target group is always the analysis tools of your own web presences, such as Google Analytics, Piwik Pro, or the Meta Business Suite for Instagram and Facebook. In addition to demographic data, these tools also provide information about users’ interests. The analytics tools of the social networks, in particular, hold a wealth of insights. They show which content the target group interacts with, when they are online, and which other accounts they follow. Web analytics tools also tell you how users behave on a website – for example, how long they stay on a page, or which other pages on the site they click on – and which sources they used to reach a specific page (e-mail, social media, search...).

The next point of reference is market and consumer analyses, for example from YouGov or GfK. Their studies regularly deliver exciting insights on various topics. Publishers and advertisers can gain a number of answers, such as: What are the target group’s favorite brands? Where do they start their product research? What is particularly important to them when shopping online? Of course, site operators can also conduct surveys on their website themselves. There are a number of tools on the market that can be used to create such questionnaires with just a few clicks. Setting up, conducting, and evaluating your own user survey is more time-consuming than relying on third-party studies, but these surveys can be tailored much more precisely to your own target group and pain points.A third source of valuable audience insights are social listening tools such as HootSuite, Brandwatch, and Talkwalker. They let you find out how people talk about specific topics, influencers, companies, and brands on social networks. These tools not only capture the number of mentions as well as relevant hashtags, but also the tone in which certain topics are talked about online. In other words, they can capture whether a particular brand is mentioned in a positive or negative context.

Creating content strategy based on audience insights

All the data collected provides a very accurate picture of how your target group is structured. You can then use this picture to create content that’s relevant to the group.

Step 1: Narrow down the target group

First, the data obtained is used to check earlier assumptions about your target group. The more insights are available, the more sharply the target group can be defined, and the easier it is to develop personas. Personas are fictitious representatives of the target group who are described with concrete characteristics (name, place of residence, profession, hobbies, etc.). When creating content, it helps to have these personas in mind in order to meet the users’ needs.

Step 2: Form topic clusters

Based on the interests and wishes of the target group, topics can be identified that are particularly relevant to them. These topics must now be considered from all relevant angles so that any questions the target group may have are answered.

Step 3: Identify suitable brands

Thanks to target group analysis, publishers already have a sense of which brands interest the users, and which companies they interact with. Publishers can use this data to find suitable Commerce Advertising offers that monetize their content.

Step 4: Test and optimize

Even when working with audience insights, it is important to avoid “flying blind”. Publishers should measure the success of their content and regularly carry out A/B tests which, for example, compare different content formats, brand links, or publication times. The test results help to further refine the picture of your target group. This way, your future content production can be even more closely tailored to your users.

Audience insights: It’s not rocket science

A sound understanding of your target group is the basis for developing long-term content strategies and using commerce content efficiently. Audience insights open up numerous opportunities to address your users in a personalized way – and to establish a lasting connection.