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SEO is Great but do you REALLY Know what Keywords Matter?

At a glance...

PPC-ROI-table.jpg


Note: Web Skillz (aka demos) = Web Knowledge (aka demographics)
This column is an attempt to lable the google user's web skill level.

Wow,
This table is still valid 2.5 years later, except, SEO is nearly dead and this applies best to PPC now. How the times have changed.

Example of Short tail growing to long tail....
Ford
Ford Dealer
Ford Dealer Portland
Ford Focus Dealer Portland
Best Price on Ford Focus Portland
Ford Focus for sale with Navigation
 
Alex Jefferson is curious about which keywords help sell cars online. He's heard that short keywords like "Honda Dallas" are popular, but longer ones like "2009 Honda Accord Dallas" might actually be what buyers use. Alex wonders if that's really true and is asking what everyone else thinks. He wants to know which keywords you're using and if tools like Google's keyword tool or your own website stats help you figure out the best ones. Alex is looking for tips on which keywords really work to make sales.
 

✨ AI Highlights

The thread debates which keywords actually drive dealership sales, with participants disagreeing over whether short-tail keywords (e.g., "Honda dealer") or long-tail keywords (e.g., "2008 Ford Escape XLT Kansas City") matter most. The emerging consensus is that while short-tail searches generate more traffic, conversion tracking and actual sales data—rather than search volume statistics—should determine which keywords dealers actually invest in optimizing. Several contributors advocate for tracking keyword performance through goal conversions and PPC data to identify true "money keywords" that lead to sales.

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