Many of our Search Engine Optimization and Pay-Per-Click customers encounter a problem when we do keyword research for them. We create long lists of actual keywords typed in by Google searchers, and no matter what the product or service, the word “cheap” invariably appears in the results. Very few webmasters and online store owners want to be associated with the word “cheap,” or even have the word on the website. However, when the word “cheap” is combined with the main search term, the conversion rate is almost always higher.
One of the first things to keep in mind with optimization is that our job is to match up your site with actual search demand for what you’re selling. The process of keyword research reveals user queries that are often significantly different than a retailer’s idea of what the audience is looking for.
Why do we push the word “cheap” when making keyword recommendations? Mostly this is because the people who are doing web searches are thinking “inexpensive” when they are searching. In the same way that rental car companies like Budget, Thrifty, Dollar and Payless are not selling an inferior service, the word “cheap” is not exclusive to low quality. Unless you’re selling high end merchandise and want to exclude a large segment of the buying public, then using words like “cheap” can be a tremendous advantage.
For the month of April 2009, here are some of the top “cheap” Google searches in the US:
Cheap Hotels – 11.1 million searches
Cheap Cars – 550,000 searches
Cheap Laptops – 266,000 searches
Cheap Hosting – 246,000 searches
Cheap Bedroom Sets – 135,000 searches
Integrating “cheap” into your content requires a bit of finesse, because there is the real concern that readers may be turned off if the product is not described properly. For example, you may offer high quality widgets at a low price, but you don’t want to get associated with inferior widgets. One approach would be to write copy that says “We sell high quality, inexpensive –but not cheap- widgets.” From a quality score and SEO standpoint, you have the keywords in the content. Other approaches, similar to this one, are used by our content writers to ensure that you get the high volume, high conversion traffic associated with words like “cheap” while keeping your product or service associated with inexpensive quality.
Finally, the strategic use of words like “cheap” in your content can give you a tremendous advantage over your competitors. If they have the same mindset involving what they perceive as a negative phrase, then they will not be using it on their website. Therefore, they are much less likely to show up in search results for that phrase. Given the high volume, and better conversion rate associated with this word, you can make a good deal of money in on the “cheap” side of the web.
