One of the most effective digital marketing tools limo companies can utilize is per-per-click (PPC) advertising. This typically refers to Google and Bing (or other search engine-based) ad campaigns where you only pay when prospective clients physically click on your ad.

The key to running a successful limo service PPC ad campaign is setting effective keywords to ensure your ad shows up when people search for your services. A comprehensive list of negative keywords, however, is equally important to keep your ads from showing up on irrelevant searches. Negative keywords for limo companies is an often-missed step, but I’m here to tell you that setting it up is a surefire way to improve your return on ad spend.

Keep reading to learn the difference between keywords and negative keywords, how they work and how a well-crafted negative keyword list can save you tens of thousands of dollars in ad spending. 

Looking for expert limo marketing services? Learn more about our ad management and digital marketing services today, or request a free consultation. 

More of a “viewer” than a “reader”? You can also watch the video on Negative Keywords for Limo Companies:

What are Keywords for Limo Companies?

A “keyword” refers to a word or phrase that an internet searcher might type into a search bar. 

Search engines like Google or Bing analyze content on web pages and ads, returning the results that seem most relevant to an internet user’s search intent. By including keywords your clients are most likely to search for when seeking your services, you can help ensure your PPC ad shows up in their search results. 

When setting up a PPC ad campaign for your limo company, you can add a list of keywords that will prompt your ad to show up when a user queries a relevant search. Keywords for limo companies might include the following:

• “Limo services”
• “Rent a limo”
• “Hire a Limo”
• “Limo company”

Keywords are a powerful tool to help ensure your ads get seen by the right people.    

Limo Marketing: What are Negative Keywords?

Negative keywords are just as important as regular keywords, but they work much differently. A negative keyword refers to a word or phrase that will exclude your ad from showing up in search results. 

When you set a negative keyword for your ad campaign, you are essentially telling the search engine, “when someone searches this word or phrase, don’t show my ad.”

While this may seem counterintuitive, a negative keyword list can save you thousands of dollars on a PPC ad campaign by preventing irrelevant clicks that won’t lead to conversions for your limo company. 

How Many Negative Keywords Do You Need?

This is a common question we get, and we’ll say this up front: don’t let the answer scare you. It’s incredibly important to have as many negative keywords as possible. For the average account we build for a company in the limo service industry, we’ll start out with roughly 2-3k negative keywords. From there, it’s important to add more every week through a process of analysis. 

The Best Way to Find Negative Keywords

A great way to determine effective negative keywords you need to add to your list is to go to your account, click on “keywords” and then select the option to see search terms for the past week or month. At this point, you should be able to see hundreds of actual searches people queried that activated your ad. 

This is a great way of looking into the minds of your prospective clients and seeing what they are thinking when they search for your services. 

By examining a search term report in this way, you can gain valuable insights on instances when your ad was triggered by an irrelevant search, potentially costing you money. As an example, you may see that your ad was triggered to show up when someone searched “taxi from jfk to queens.” If your limo service runs from JFK to Queens, the phrase “limo from jfk to queens” may be one of your keywords, but since “jfk to queens” was part of the query for a taxi, it can prompt your ad to show up. 

To eliminate this possibility, you can simply add the word “taxi” as a negative keyword for your ad campaign. It’s also important to add variations of negative keywords, as in this instance the plural version, “taxis from jfk to queens” may still prompt your ad to show up. Thus, you’ll want to add both “taxi” and “taxis” to your negative keyword list.

Limo Company Negative Keywords 

Even with a well-crafted PPC ad campaign that includes all the right keywords, you still risk flushing 40-50% of your ad budget down the drain without a negative keyword list. 

When it comes to PPC marketing, 90% of your success comes from keyword selection, setting the appropriate keyword match type and building out a robust negative keyword list. If you can nail down those three elements, your limo company will already be way ahead of competitors.

There are three main areas to focus on when building a negative keyword list. Let’s investigate.

1. Airport Names and Codes 

Adding airport names and codes of locations you do NOT service to your negative keyword list can save you thousands of dollars on irrelevant clicks. It’s important to include variations on airport names, as some people will search for “san francisco airport” while others will simply search “SFO” — you’ll want both variations on your negative keyword list. Remember to keep the airports that you DO service on your regular keyword list. 

2. Locations You Don’t Service

It can be immensely helpful to add popular locations that you DON’T service to your negative keyword list. Since a lot of people travel internationally, adding the top 500-1000 cities in the world to your negative keyword list will cut out a big portion of unwanted online traffic.  

3. Competitor Names

While it may be tempting to have your ad show up when someone searches for one of your competitors, this isn’t always the best strategy. There is likely a reason why the searcher is looking for that specific company, such as confirming or changing a booking they’ve already made.   

It’s far more effective to put your ad in front of someone looking for your service who does not have a brand in mind. This is an instance where it’s important to weigh the cost of potentially converting one customer against the money you could lose in clicks. 

The most important question to ask when building a negative keyword list should not be whether the keyword could potentially be a good search. Instead, you should ask yourself whether it could lead to a bad or irrelevant search. If the answer is yes, add it as a negative keyword. 

Digital Marketing for Limo Companies

Digital marketing is a complicated art form, but with the right knowledge and tools, it can help scale your limo business to new heights. The great news? You don’t have to tackle it alone. 

If you need help with your limo marketing strategy, browse our services here or get in touch with any questions.  

Want to learn more about this topic? Next, read How to Use Negative Keywords.