How to Use Facebook Ads Keyword Targeting

One of the most helpful digital marketing strategies for achieving your goals, whether personal or related to your business, is using Facebook ads. Utilizing relevant keyword data can not only make the process of creating a Facebook ad campaign more efficient. However, it can also help to accelerate your progress toward your goals. In this article, we will delve into how to effectively use keywords in your Facebook ads to reach your intended audience.

How do I Use Keyword Targeting for Facebook Ads?

In order to increase the number of visitors to your website, implement a Google Ads campaign that utilizes carefully researched and chosen keywords. Additionally, utilize the Facebook Pixel to create custom and lookalike audiences for your Facebook Ads campaigns. This allows you to target your advertising efforts and reach your desired audience through both Google Ads and Facebook Ads.

Although you can use data from website visitors to target your Facebook Ads, using Google Ads may provide a more accurate and efficient method. One of the benefits of using Google Ads is the speed at which you can create keyword-based audiences. This allows for greater flexibility in your digital marketing strategies.

To effectively use keyword targeting in Facebook Ads, there are a few things you will need to have in place before proceeding. Implementing a Google Ads campaign can be a quick and precise way to target your audience through keyword-based advertising on both Google and Facebook. Also, learn more about how to create Facebook ads for the future.

What Are the Requirements for Using Keyword Targeting in Facebook Ads?

First of all, let’s take a look at what a Facebook(META) pixel is.

Facebook (META) Pixel

Facebook (META) Pixel

One of the most valuable tools for tracking the effectiveness of your Facebook ad campaigns and building targeted audiences is the Facebook pixel. This is a code snippet that you can add to your website to gather data on the actions taken by users while they are on your site. With this information, you can optimize your ads and better understand how well they are performing. Essentially, the Facebook pixel acts as an analytics tool that helps you measure and improve the impact of your advertising efforts.

Before attempting to use the methods described, it is important to ensure that the Facebook Pixel is installed on your website. Without the Facebook Pixel, the technique will not function properly.

In addition to installing the Facebook Pixel on your website, it is also important to have Google Analytics set up. While not strictly required, it is highly recommended to set up Google Analytics Goals and conversions in Facebook Ads using a tool such as the Events Manager. This will allow you to track and measure the performance of your ad campaigns. Check the Facebook advertising strategies for the long run.

Utilizing Google Ads to Accomplish Keyword Targeting in Facebook Ads

Before we begin, it is essential to set up a Google Ads campaign. 

We will not go into detail on how to create a campaign. But you can refer to a comprehensive Google Ads guide for assistance. In summary, the steps to create a campaign are as follows:

  • Establish your advertising campaign
  • Choose your bidding options and any other necessary settings
  • Choose the location for your campaign (it is essential to select only one country for this technique)
  • Determine the keywords you wish to target in your Facebook Ads campaign
  • Design and publish your ads

Once you have completed these steps, you will have the necessary data to implement keyword targeting in your Facebook Ads campaigns.

The next step is to consider where you want to direct traffic carefully. 

The page that you choose to send your traffic to will be the page that you will use to gather data for your Facebook Ads campaigns. It is best if this landing page is already optimized with relevant keywords to get the most out of your Google Ads campaign. You can also use this landing page as the landing page for your Facebook Ads.

As your campaign is running, make sure to track everything with the Facebook Pixel. Once you have received at least 100 clicks from your Google Ads campaign, preferably 500 or more (as confirmed by Google Analytics), you can use this data to create a keyword-based audience for Facebook Ads. The more clicks you have at this stage, the more detailed user behavior data you will have. This will result in a more accurate and lookalike audience for your Facebook Ads. In the long run, this will benefit your advertising efforts.

Establishing the Audience for Keyword Targeting in Facebook Ads

After collecting sufficient data to convert into targeted custom and lookalike audiences for your Facebook Ads, it is time to put that data to good use. To do this, you will need to access the Audiences section in your Facebook Ad Manager or Facebook Business Manager. From here, you can follow the steps to properly create your custom and lookalike audiences using the data collected from your Google Ads campaign.

Constructing a keyword-based custom audience

To effectively use keyword targeting in your Facebook Ads, first set up a Google Ads campaign and collect data on your target audience. After receiving at least 100 clicks, preferably 500 or more, you can use this data to create custom and lookalike audiences for your Facebook Ads.

To create a keyword-based custom audience;

  • Go to the Audiences section in your Facebook Ad Manager or Facebook Business Manager and select the appropriate Facebook Pixel. Choose “People who visited specific web pages” as the audience type. Input the number of days you ran your Google Ads campaign in the “In the past X days” field.
  • Then, select the landing page to which you directed traffic from your Google Ads campaign in the URL section. Finally, give your audience a descriptive name, such as “Keyword – Audience – Landing Page – Purpose.”
  • By following these steps, you can effectively use keyword targeting to reach your desired audience through your Facebook Ads campaigns.

Following the steps outlined earlier, you have successfully created a custom audience based on your selected keywords. This custom audience, which can be used for retargeting purposes, consists of people who visited your Google Ads landing page with a specific keyword in mind.

Constructing a keyword-based lookalike audience

The keyword lookalike audience allows us to go beyond simple retargeting and access additional benefits. Without it, our ads would only offer the benefits of retargeting.

To create a keyword lookalike audience on Facebook Ads;

Constructing a keyword-based lookalike audience
  • First, select the custom audience that you want to use as the source.
  • Then, choose the exact location that you used in your Google Ads campaign. You can specify the audience size, with 1% being the closest match to the original keyword audience and 10% being the furthest match.
  • After selecting the size, you can create the audience and use it in your next keyword-targeted campaign on Facebook Ads.
  • As a bonus tip, you can create multiple lookalike audiences from the same source by using different sizes between 1-10%. You can then test it in future campaigns.

Evaluating the effectiveness of your keyword audiences on Facebook Ads

It is important to ensure that your keyword audiences bring results when you use them in your ads. While this method does not guarantee better results, it can provide a new perspective for diversifying your campaigns.

To evaluate the effectiveness of your keyword-based campaigns, define your goals and measure the results against them. Create multiple ad sets within a Facebook Ads campaign that use different lookalike audience sizes. For instance, you might try testing audiences at 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10%. It is also helpful to compare the performance of these keyword-based campaigns to interest-based campaigns and lookalike audiences created from your email list.

Additionally, remember to compare the results to those from Google Ads, as this method often utilizes those results. The goal is to find your business’s most profitable online marketing strategy, not just to satisfy curiosity.

The cost-free approach for targeting keywords in Facebook Ads

The free method for targeting keywords in Facebook Ads involves using organic landing pages and analytics to create custom and lookalike audiences. You can use this rather than Google Ads to drive keyword-based traffic to a specific landing page.

To do this;

targeting keywords in Facebook ads
  • Examine your analytics to identify the URLs of landing pages that received organic traffic.
  • Create a spreadsheet of these URLs and the keywords that impacted them.
  • Then, create the audiences using the same method as before. However, this free method has some drawbacks. It may be harder to determine which keyword triggered a specific landing page in these audiences. It is because the organic landing pages may have multiple traffic sources.

Additionally, it may take longer for a new page to gain organic traffic for this method to be effective. And it may be more challenging to create lookalike audiences if the traffic comes from various locations. It is important to remember that in order to create lookalike audiences on Facebook. You must first have at least 100 actions from users within a specific country or region.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we hope that this article has helped you understand how to use Facebook Ads keyword targeting. By utilizing the custom and lookalike audiences available through Facebook Ads, you can target specific keywords and improve the effectiveness of your campaigns. You can use the paid method with Google Ads or the free method with organic landing pages. Testing different audience sizes and comparing the results can help you identify the most profitable strategy for your business. We hope that the information about how to use Facebook ads keywords targeting provided in this article has been helpful. Good luck to you in utilizing keyword targeting in your Facebook Ads campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions About

On the social media platform Facebook, there are three main categories of targeting options that advertisers can utilize to reach specific groups of users. These options include Core Audiences, Custom Audiences, and Lookalike Audiences. Each of these options allows advertisers to target their campaigns to particular groups of users based on various factors.

Keyword targeting is a method of targeting ads based on publisher data. To use keyword targeting, a few ads can be assigned to placement, and tags can be exported. The publisher can then be asked to add a specific keyword to the tag that will be placed on the main page. To ensure that the desired ad is displayed on the main page, the properties of the ad can be adjusted accordingly.

You can take several steps to optimize your Facebook Ads for maximum effectiveness. Firstly, you can work on perfecting your account structure and setting up the Meta Pixel with Google Tag Manager. You can also consolidate conversions and choose the right bidding strategy for your goals. It’s also important to optimize for your specific objective and consider using the fast takeoff method. Additionally, targeting parallel interests and influencers’ audiences can be an effective strategy for reaching your desired audience.

One effective method for conducting keyword research for Facebook ads is to use the “Suggestions” feature in the interests section of the Facebook Ad Audience area. Simply enter a keyword or job title and view the additional options to find your ad campaign’s most relevant and effective keywords.

To create engaging ads on Facebook, it is important first to take the time to research your target demographics. With over 3 billion daily active users, Facebook offers a wide range of potential audiences. So it is crucial to identify the specific group you are trying to reach. The copy of your ad is also important, as it is the first thing users will see. Remarketing, or targeting users who have previously shown interest in your product or service, can also be an effective strategy. It is also essential to monitor your ad performance continuously and be mindful of your budget to ensure the best possible results.

Ayşenur Tekin
Ayşenur Tekin

Posts: 194

After graduating from Istanbul Aydin University, English Translation, and Interpreting department, Ayşenur Tekin is interested in writing and editing articles. She started her master's degree in New Media (at IAU) and started to gain knowledge in the fields of digital marketing and SEO. She is cur... Read More
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