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Amol Ghemud Published: February 8, 2019
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Introduction
More than 20 years before, people would not have imagined seeing promotion ads across the internet. Initially, search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing etc offered advertisers their services. Google’s stronghold in the search engine ads opened the door for other platforms to enter in the Ads world.
This decade is dominated by social media. From Facebook to Pinterest, lesser or bigger, social media platforms have acquired the scent of advertisement on their platform.
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Started as a platform to ask questions and share knowledge & information, Quora has around 300 million users as of 2019. With such a huge intent audience, Quora too allowed advertisers to promote their product & services on their platform since 2016.
Quora Ads
Everyday people visit Quora to ask questions as well as to read informative answers. Thus, it opens doors to reach the users who are looking for the questions that relate to your business.
Quora users create a profile with their real identities. Thus, maximizing the reach to the quality audience. Also, Quora’s brand protection policies allow Ads to be shown up along with high-quality content.
Users on Quora have high intent with respect to the content they read. Therefore, Quora allows various targeting options to reach the right audience with the right message at the right time.
Quora offers following different targeting options-
Ad shows to only the members of the audience previously created
4. Interest targeting
Ad appears to the users who behaviorally show interest to specific topic across Quora
5. Broad targeting
Ad is shown to the broadest possible audience
6. Keyword targeting
Newest addition, Ad appears in the questions that match with specific keywords we target
What is Keyword Targeting in Quora Ads?
One of the most valuable aspects of Quora Ads platform is the ability to reach high intent users for your product or service. Till now, we had question, topic, interest, audience & broad targeting on Quora Ads to reach users. But on 30 Jan 2018 Quora announced Keyword targeting, which allows advertisers to target questions that contain specific keywords.
This means you can now target the users based on the stage of their intent.
For example, ‘business loan providers’ keyword will target only those users who need a business loan and not those who are seeking information about a business loan.
With keyword targeting, your ads would appear in the question pages depending on the word or phrase you specify.
If you are familiar with using search engine ads, you may consider testing your existing & high performing keywords in Quora Ads.
Keyword Match Types in Quora Ads
For now, Quora offers 2 types of keyword matching: Broad match & Phrase match. Additionally, ‘Exclude’ option allows you to specify negative keywords or phrases when you do not want to display your ads. These match types are no different than their Search Engine Ads counterpart.
Broad Match
When you wish to reach as many users as possible without spending too much time on choosing a list of concentrated keywords, go with broad match. For example, if you are interested in targeting questions that are about ‘business loan’, broad match helps you target a wider audience by showing your ad on question pages with close variations of business loan.
Image: Quora broad match
Phrase Match
Phrase match allows narrower targeting than broad match by displaying ad only where a question contains a phrase of keywords. For example, if you used “business loan” with phrase match, your ad would only show up on question pages where the question contains the phrase “business loan”. As an exact match to the phrase is needed, with phrase match you can reach customers who have expressed a specific intent that matches your product or service. To make a keyword phrase match, close that keyword between “_” e.g. “financial planning”.
Image: Quora phrase match
Exclude
Similar to Search engine ads platform, Exclude allows you to select negative words or phrases. Thus, you may restrict your ads from displaying on questions not related to your business offerings. Remember, adding too many exclusions can reduce your reach.
Image: Exclude function
How to create campaigns based on Keyword targeting?
1. Create an Ad Manager account
Displaying Ads on Quora requires you to create an Ad Manager account. You need to provide Email Id & your business information such as business name, address, tax id, website and billing information. If you have not created an account, create from here.
Image: Creating ad manager account on Quora
2. Create your campaign
Once you set up an Ad Manager account, it’s time to launch your first campaign. Quora offers 4 types of different objectives to choose from. They are:
Image: Creating Quora campaign
i) Conversions
Send users to your website or to a landing page where you would like them to complete an action.
ii) App installs
Send users to the download page for your mobile application.
iii) Traffic
Send users to the download page for your mobile application.
iv) Awareness
Get more users to see and engage with an answer on Quora.
3. Set a budget and schedule
Specify the amount you wish to spend in a single ad. That will be your daily budget. Additionally, you may assign a lifetime budget to limit your ad spend. Now, you need to schedule your ads. You may start your ads immediately after launching the campaign or assign a start and end date.
Image: Setting budget
4. Create an Ad set
a. Ad set option
Quora makes your experience easy by providing an option to import your previously created ad sets. Otherwise, you can start with a new ad set.
Image: Creating ad set
b. Primary targeting
Here you will find keyword targeting among other targeting options. Based on your requirement, go with broad or phrase match. Moreover, you can add negative keywords by excluding the words or phrase.
Image: Primary targeting
c. Location, Device & Email targeting
Enter locations of users you seek to target. You may choose from city to country. Similarly, you have an option to exclude location(s) that do not serve your intentions.
Image: Location targeting
With device targeting, you may either display your ads to desktop or mobile only. Quora also offers you to show ads on both the devices.
If you select Email targeting, you Ads will appear in mobile & desktop digest emails sent to registered Quora users.
d. Additional exclusion
It is quite possible that you find certain questions to be irrelevant to your business offerings. Similarly, you may need to exclude audiences that you may have used earlier or that do not fit into the funnel you are targeting. To your relief, you can exclude specific questions or audiences.
Image: Adding exclusion
5. Set Bid & launch campaign
Finally, you have to decide the cost you want to pay for a click or impressions depending on which Ad delivery option you select. Quora allows advertisers to select one of the following Ad delivery per Ad set, based on advertiser’s goal.
Image: Setting a bid
a. Optimize for clicks
Optimize your ad delivery for traffic to your website or landing page. The bid will be CPC i.e. you will be charged only when users click on your ad.
b. Impressions
Optimize your ad delivery to show your ad to as many people as possible. You will be charged once your ad is shown 1000 times. The bid type for impressions is CPM.
c. Optimize for ‘Generate Lead’ conversions
Optimize your ad delivery to show your ads to those users who are likely to convert on your page. Remember, only conversion or app install campaigns support this ad delivery. Additionally, you need to install ‘Quora Pixel’ on your website to optimize for conversions. Don’t know how to set up Quora Pixel? Learn from here.
Why should you care?
Initially, many advertisers did not trust Quora for promoting their product or service. This was mainly due to the lack of targeting the right audience. You may have seen ads that do not correlate with the question. But the arrival of keyword targeting will surely fill this gap. With keyword targeting, it is now a great opportunity for advertisers to reach a wide & right audience. Resembling search ads, you can group similar keywords together in an Ad set and set up the customer funnel. And like search campaigns, you can insert keywords in Ad creatives to increase their relevance.
What future looks like!
Till 2016, Google & Facebook had duopoly as an advertising platform. Google is an intent-based platform while Facebook is interest based. But Facebook’s data breach controversy and Google Ads’ increasing CPC has made users shift to other platforms.
Many companies have shifted around 40-50% of their advertising budget to Amazon since last year. Other 3rd party platforms like AdChoice, Taboola, InMobi have observed huge growth in last one year.
And now we have another player with 300 million monthly users. Keyword targeting has opened the door for many advertisers who have not tested this platform yet.
As Quora recently added ‘Auction Insight’ report, we can now observe performance metrics like impression share, absolute impression share & impression share lost. When used effectively, you can optimize your Quora Ads campaigns for greater ROI.
In the near future, we should expect more keyword match types like exact & BMM. We might be able to measure the quality of the targeted keyword. Conversion oriented bid strategies like Maximize conversions, Target cost per acquisition & Return on Ad spend will play a major role for small businesses that focus majorly on conversions.
For Curious Minds
The primary distinction of Quora Ads is its ability to connect you with an audience that is actively seeking solutions, not just browsing content. Because users visit the platform with specific questions in mind, your ads are presented at the precise moment of consideration, creating a powerful opportunity for conversion. This context-driven environment is supported by several key factors that differentiate it from platforms like Facebook.
Real Identities: Users typically create profiles with their real names, which contributes to a higher quality audience and more meaningful engagement.
Active Information Seeking: Quora's audience actively pulls information to solve a problem, signaling a much stronger purchase intent than users passively scrolling through a feed.
High-Quality Context: Brand protection policies ensure your ads appear alongside credible, well-written answers, preserving your brand’s reputation.
The platform's structure allows you to intercept a customer's journey exactly when they are evaluating options. Discover how to fully harness this intent by exploring the different targeting methods available.
Keyword Targeting on Quora enables you to display ads on question pages that contain specific words or phrases you define. This feature, introduced on January 30, 2018, was a major enhancement because it allows for a much more granular approach to reaching users based on the precise language they use to describe their problems. It helps you move beyond broad topics to target the actual stage of a user's intent. For example, instead of targeting the general topic of 'business finance,' you can target the specific keyword 'business loan providers' to reach users who are ready to take action. This capability is especially powerful for advertisers familiar with search engine marketing, as it mirrors the keyword-based strategies used on platforms like Google. It provides a direct way to find users expressing commercial intent, making your ad spend more efficient. To maximize its effectiveness, it is vital to understand the different match types offered.
Your choice between Broad Match and Phrase Match on Quora depends entirely on your campaign goals for reach versus precision. Broad Match is designed for discovery and audience expansion by showing your ad on questions with close variations of your keyword, while Phrase Match offers greater control by targeting only questions containing your exact keyword phrase. Consider these factors:
Broad Match: Use this for top-of-funnel awareness campaigns or when you are exploring which keywords perform best. It helps you reach the widest possible audience without needing an exhaustive keyword list.
Phrase Match: Opt for this when you need to target users with clearer, more specific intent. This is better for lead generation or conversion-focused campaigns where relevance is the highest priority.
A common strategy involves starting with Broad Match to gather data on performing search queries, then refining your campaigns with Phrase Match and adding negative keywords to filter out irrelevant traffic. Understanding how to balance these two approaches is key to building an optimal Quora Ads strategy.
A financial services firm can strategically use Quora Keyword Targeting to connect with users at every stage of the funnel. The key is to map different keywords to varying levels of user intent, from initial research to final decision. This method allows for highly relevant messaging that meets the user where they are. Here is a possible approach:
Awareness Stage: Target broad match keywords like 'small business financing' or 'startup funding' to reach users who are just beginning to explore their options. The ad copy here could link to informative content.
Consideration Stage: Use phrase match keywords such as “business loan requirements” or “compare business loan rates” to engage users who are actively evaluating different solutions.
Decision Stage: Target highly specific phrase match keywords like “apply for business loan” or the names of competitors to capture users who are ready to convert.
By segmenting keywords this way, you can tailor your ad creative and landing pages to match the user's mindset, significantly improving campaign performance. A deeper look into this strategy can reveal more ways to refine your targeting.
You can successfully repurpose your proven search engine keyword lists for Quora Ads because both platforms connect with users based on expressed intent. The keyword match types on Quora, Broad Match and Phrase Match, are direct counterparts to those on search engines, making the transition straightforward. Start by exporting your top-performing keywords from your Google Ads campaigns, particularly those with high conversion rates. Then, upload them into a new Quora ad set using Phrase Match to maintain a high level of relevance. Since user behavior on Quora is about asking questions, consider framing some keywords as questions or focusing on problem-oriented phrases. For example, a keyword like 'CRM software' can be effective, but 'best CRM for small business' might perform even better on Quora. Monitor performance closely and use Quora's reporting to identify new question-based variations to add to your campaigns. Explore the full article for more tips on bridging your search and social advertising efforts.
A B2B tech company can launch an effective lead generation campaign on Quora by focusing on precision and user intent. This structured approach ensures your budget is spent on reaching professionals actively seeking solutions like yours. Follow this stepwise plan for your first campaign:
Identify Problem-Aware Keywords: Brainstorm keywords your ideal customers would use when researching problems your software solves. Think in terms of questions, such as “how to improve team productivity” or “best project management tools.”
Create a Targeted Ad Set: In your Quora Ads account, create a new campaign and select Keyword Targeting. Start with Phrase Match to ensure high relevance.
Develop Contextual Ad Copy: Write ads that directly address the user's question or problem. Your headline and body text should offer a clear solution and a compelling call-to-action, like downloading a whitepaper or booking a demo.
Build a High-Value Landing Page: Direct traffic to a dedicated landing page that delivers on the ad's promise and makes it easy for users to convert.
Monitor your campaign's performance closely and use the 'Exclude' option to add negative keywords. This methodical process helps you find and convert your target audience efficiently.
A frequent mistake advertisers make with Broad Match on Quora is failing to implement negative keywords, leading to significant wasted ad spend on irrelevant impressions and clicks. Because Broad Match targets close variations of your keywords, your ads can easily appear on question pages that are only tangentially related to your business or attract an unintended audience. The solution is the proactive use of the 'Exclude' option. This feature lets you specify negative keywords and phrases, preventing your ad from showing on any question containing them. For instance, if you sell premium business software, you might exclude terms like 'free,' 'cheap,' or 'internship' to filter out users who are not qualified buyers. Regularly reviewing your placement reports to identify irrelevant questions and adding new negative keywords is a critical maintenance task. This simple practice refines your targeting, improves your return on investment, and ensures you reach the most relevant segment of Quora's audience. Learn more about advanced targeting techniques in the full guide.
Quora's journey from a Q&A forum to an ad platform with features like Keyword Targeting highlights a key trend: the monetization of high-intent, niche communities. Unlike massive platforms such as Facebook, specialized sites like Quora attract users with very specific goals, creating highly valuable advertising opportunities built on context and relevance. This shift indicates that the future of digital advertising lies in meeting customers in specialized environments where they are actively seeking information. Marketers should adapt by diversifying their ad spend beyond major platforms and identifying niche communities where their target audience gathers. The success of Quora Ads, which followed its establishment as a trusted information source, proves that building value for a community first is a powerful precursor to successful monetization. As you plan for the future, consider which emerging platforms align with your customers' specific interests and intent. A deeper analysis reveals how to spot these opportunities early.
Audience Targeting on Quora is a powerful tool for re-engagement, allowing you to show ads specifically to users who have previously interacted with your brand. This method is essential for moving prospects down the sales funnel, as it focuses your budget on a warm audience that has already demonstrated interest. It works by creating a custom audience, typically based on your website visitors (via a tracking pixel) or a list of customer contacts. You can then serve targeted ads to these individuals when they visit Quora. This strategy is highly effective for several reasons:
Increased Conversion Rates: Re-engaging warm leads who are familiar with your brand often results in higher conversion rates than targeting cold audiences.
Nurturing Leads: You can use Audience Targeting to nurture leads with tailored messaging based on the actions they took on your site.
Building Lookalike Audiences: You can also use your custom audience as a seed to find other Quora users with similar characteristics.
While keyword and topic targeting are excellent for discovery, Audience Targeting is your go-to for remarketing and maximizing lifetime customer value.
The decision between Question Targeting and Keyword Targeting on Quora depends on whether your strategy requires surgical precision or scalable reach. Each method offers distinct advantages, and the right choice is tied to your campaign's specific goals and the nature of your product. Question Targeting provides maximum control. You hand-pick the exact question pages where your ad will appear, making it ideal for targeting high-stakes, popular questions with guaranteed relevance. This is perfect for niche products or when you have identified a few specific questions that consistently drive high-quality traffic. In contrast, Keyword Targeting offers greater scale and efficiency. Instead of selecting individual questions, you target a keyword, and your ad appears on any question page containing it. This is better for reaching a broader audience, discovering new relevant questions, and for campaigns where manually selecting every placement would be too time-consuming. A balanced approach often works best; you can use Question Targeting for your most important placements and Keyword Targeting to expand your reach.
The main risk for advertisers on any user-generated content platform, including Quora, is having their ads appear next to low-quality, inaccurate, or brand-unsuitable content. Quora directly addresses this with brand protection policies designed to ensure ads are only shown alongside high-quality content, maintaining a safe environment for your brand. These policies function by programmatically evaluating the context of a page before an ad is served. Your ads are prevented from appearing on pages that contain sensitive or controversial topics, and the platform's moderation team works to uphold content quality standards across the site. This focus on quality means that your brand is associated with credible, informative discussions, rather than risky or irrelevant ones. This commitment to brand safety is a key differentiator, allowing you to reach Quora's 300 million users with confidence that your brand reputation will be protected. Understanding these policies is a crucial first step before launching your campaigns.
A powerful strategy for a direct-to-consumer brand on Quora is to use Interest Targeting and Keyword Targeting in tandem to manage the entire customer funnel. This layered approach allows you to build awareness and capture high-intent users simultaneously. Here is how you can structure it:
Use Interest Targeting for Awareness: Create a campaign targeting users who have shown behavioral interest in topics related to your product category. This helps you reach a broad, relevant audience at the top of the funnel who may not be actively searching yet but are likely receptive to your message.
Use Keyword Targeting for Conversion: Launch a separate campaign that targets specific, long-tail keywords related to product comparisons, reviews, or 'best of' queries. This captures users who are in the final stages of their research and are close to making a purchase.
By running these two campaign types concurrently, you create a complete marketing engine on Quora. The interest-based campaign fills your funnel with new prospects, while the keyword-based campaign converts them. Explore the guide for more on creating multi-layered targeting strategies.
Amol has helped catalyse business growth with his strategic & data-driven methodologies. With a decade of experience in the field of marketing, he has donned multiple hats, from channel optimization, data analytics and creative brand positioning to growth engineering and sales.
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