PPC Keyword Research Techniques and Tools for Marketers

PPC keyword research is the backbone of any successful pay-per-click advertising campaign. It's what helps you find the right words and phrases that your target audience is searching for.

Using the right tools and techniques can make all the difference in your keyword research. For instance, Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that helps you find keywords and get an idea of their search volume and competition.

Ahrefs, another popular tool, offers more advanced features like keyword suggestions and competitor analysis. It's a great resource for marketers who want to take their keyword research to the next level.

By combining the right tools and techniques, you can create a solid keyword research foundation that drives real results for your campaigns.

PPC keyword research is the process of identifying the right keywords to target in your pay-per-click advertising campaigns.

Understanding search intent is crucial for PPC keyword research, as it helps you identify the purpose behind an online search.

You can't be successful in your keyword research for PPC without first understanding search intent.

Transactional and commercial intent keywords are usually the best bet for PPC goals, such as increasing sales.

If you're unsure of a keyword's intent, you can search for it to see what types of results come up, which can give you a better understanding of its purpose.

Breaking down the PPC keyword research process into manageable steps can make the process smoother and more effective. Conducting keyword research involves using your list of keywords to discover more keywords and conducting research.

To find new keyword ideas, head to the Keyword Magic Tool and type in a keyword, enter your domain name, and click "Search." The tool will return keyword suggestions based on your initial keyword.

When reviewing the list, consider factors such as search volume, personal keyword difficulty (PKD%), cost per click (CPC), competitive density, and search intent. Prioritize keywords with commercial or transactional intent, as they are more likely to lead to sales.

To organize your keywords, create a new list and add relevant keywords to it. You can also use the PPC Keyword Tool to expand your search by analyzing competitor keywords.

A good rule of thumb is to have less than 20 keywords per ad group, but the ideal number can change over time and depend on your account structure. Consider using the close variant indicators to see how many terms one keyword can cover.

To excel in PPC advertising, you need to use advanced tools and techniques. Advanced PPC keyword research techniques can help you uncover hidden opportunities.

Google Keyword Planner is a powerful tool for identifying relevant keywords and estimating search volume. You can also use it to get ideas for long-tail keywords.

Brainstorming sessions can be an effective way to come up with unique and specific keywords. By writing down as many ideas as possible, you can uncover hidden opportunities that your competitors may have missed.

Analyzing your competitors is a crucial step in keyword research. It can provide valuable insights and reveal gaps in your own strategy. You can use tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and SpyFu to see which keywords your competitors are bidding on and ranking for.

To get started, identify your main competitors, which could be businesses offering similar products or services in your market. Look at the keywords driving the most traffic to their sites, as well as their ad copy and landing pages.

You can also use the Advertising Research tool to analyze competitor keywords. This tool will give you a list of keywords where the competing website's ads appeared over a specific time period. Review the keywords to see what might work for your campaign and export them into a separate document or spreadsheet.

Here are some key metrics to analyze when evaluating competitor keywords:

By analyzing these metrics, you can determine the search volume, competition levels, and PPC expectations for each keyword. This will help you make informed decisions about which keywords to target and how to optimize your campaigns for better conversions and ROI.

Staying on top of trending keywords is crucial for a successful PPC campaign. You can use Google Trends to see the popularity of search terms over time.

Google Trends can help you identify seasonal peaks and trending topics. This tool is a game-changer for understanding what's currently popular in your industry.

Consider industry-specific calendars and seasonal events, such as back-to-school season or holiday shopping. These events can bring a surge of traffic to your website.

Targeting keywords like "Christmas dog treats" or "holiday pet gift ideas" during the holiday season can help you capture seasonal shoppers.

Using local SEO tools like Moz Local and BrightLocal can help you find popular local search terms. These tools can give you valuable insights into what people are searching for in your target area.

To get the most out of these tools, make sure to use them in conjunction with Google My Business insights. This will allow you to see how people are finding your client's business locally and adjust your campaigns accordingly.

Here are some tips for getting started with local keyword research:

To start your PPC keyword research, brainstorm seed keywords by thinking about the words and phrases your potential customers might use when searching for what you offer. Consider your products and services, and what words describe them. Think about common questions or problems your audience has.

You can use tools like Google Autocomplete to see suggested searches, which can help you come up with a list of keywords like life jackets, life vests, life preservers, and floatation jackets. Don't worry about identifying all possible modifiers at this stage.

Refine your keyword selection by considering keyword intent, relevancy, budget availability, and organizing your keywords into relevant groups based on the keyword theme. Ask yourself if the keyword intent is the same as another keyword in your list, and which keyword reads the most naturally.

Here are some key questions to ask when refining your keyword selection:

Defining SMART goals for your PPC is a common exercise when starting out your keyword research. This helps you understand the right keyword intent to shoot for and increase your chances of hitting your goals.

Your business's advertising goals can help you understand the right keyword intent to shoot for. For example, if your goal is to get people to sign up for your newsletter, you might want to lean in on keywords that translate to people looking for information.

Google Ads receives nearly 65% clicks on commercial keywords, indicating that the searcher is likely looking to make a purchase. Commercial intent keywords are more valuable for driving conversions, so it's essential to consider them in your keyword research.

To define your goals and target audience, ask yourself, "What do I want to achieve with my PPC campaigns?" Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, drive more traffic to your website, generate leads, or boost sales?

Here are some key questions to consider when defining your target audience:

By understanding your target audience and defining SMART goals, you can tailor your keywords and strategy to effectively reach and engage with your desired audience.

Brainstorming seed keywords is a crucial step in keyword research, and it's essential to start with a solid foundation. Consider your products and services, what words describe them, and think about common questions or problems your audience has.

To brainstorm seed keywords, use tools like Google Autocomplete to see suggested searches. This will give you an idea of what people are searching for related to your products or services. For instance, if you're selling women's ankle boots, you might see suggested searches like "women's ankle boots sale" or "best ankle boots for women".

Seed keywords are the starting point for your keyword research, and they should be basic terms related to your products, services, or industry. Think about the words and phrases your potential customers might use when searching for what you offer.

Here are some tips for brainstorming seed keywords:

Now that you have a list of seed keywords, it's time to refine them using PPC keyword research tools. This will help you identify long-tail keywords based on your core terms that you might not have thought of otherwise.

To refine your list, use the "Refine" button in Keyword Planner to remove different options from the keyword ideas. For example, you can remove all brand-related searches or different colors, styles, materials, and more from the keyword ideas.

Here's an example of how to refine your list:

By refining your list, you'll get a more targeted set of keyword ideas that are relevant to your products or services. This will help you create more effective ads and improve your PPC campaign's performance.

Voice Optimization is a crucial aspect of keyword research, especially with the rise of voice-activated devices. People are using voice search more and more, and it's changing the way we optimize for search engines.

Voice searches tend to be longer and more conversational than text searches. They often include questions, which can help us refine our keyword research.

To optimize for voice search, use natural language phrases that people would say out loud. This means incorporating phrases like "where can I buy organic dog food near me?" into your keyword research.

Incorporating question phrases like "how", "what", "where", "when", and "why" can also be helpful. This is because voice searches often include questions.

Many voice searches are local, so it's essential to combine voice-friendly keywords with location-based terms. This can help you target people searching for specific services or products in their area.

Continuous PPC keyword research is a must to ensure your campaigns stay on track. Your keyword research should never fully come to a stop, so start searching for new keyword ideas or ways to optimize your current keywords.

You can use tools like Google's Search Terms Report to identify top search queries that could be eligible keywords to try down the line. This report is as helpful for adding keywords as it is for negatives.

To optimize your PPC keywords, you can also use data and insight tools, such as WordStream's free Google Ads Grader tool, to get a true read on key metrics like Quality Score, impression share, and more.

Here are some key metrics to track:

Regularly monitoring your campaigns and updating your keyword lists will help you make informed decisions to refine your PPC strategy and improve campaign performance.

To do PPC keyword research effectively, focus on long-tail keywords, which can improve targeting and ad relevance and lower CPCs.

Use negative keywords to block irrelevant searches and guide Google to show specific ads. A good practice is to build themed negative keyword lists and apply these across multiple campaigns.

Review keywords regularly to check and update your list based on performance and upcoming trends. This helps to ensure your campaigns stay targeted and efficient.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid: overreliance on broad match, lack of negatives, not expanding after launch, and large ad groups with 15+ keywords.

To ensure your keyword research delivers the best results, steer clear of the following pitfalls.

Overreliance on broad match can lead to a lack of customization in your ads. This is because broad match terms don't let you tailor your ads as much as phrase and exact match terms do.

Lack of negatives can result in irrelevant searches being triggered, which can waste your budget and reduce ad performance. Negatives are essential for blocking irrelevant searches and guiding Google to show specific ads.

Not expanding after launch is a common mistake that can limit the potential of your keyword research. You should continue to find new keywords and add them to your campaigns to ensure you're targeting the right audience.

Large ad groups can be a sign of a loose theme or redundant keywords. If an ad group contains 15+ keywords, it's likely a good idea to break it down into smaller groups or remove unnecessary keywords.

Here are some common mistakes to watch out for in your keyword research:

Ignoring negative keywords can lead to your ads showing up for irrelevant searches, wasting your budget on clicks that are unlikely to convert. This can be a major problem for your PPC campaigns.

According to Example 4, negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches, saving your budget for more relevant clicks. Think about terms that might attract the wrong audience or searches that don’t align with your goals.

To avoid this, constantly review your search terms report to identify irrelevant searches that are triggering your ads. This is a crucial step in maintaining healthy PPC campaigns.

Regularly updating your negative keyword list for your PPC campaigns is also essential. This will help you stay on top of irrelevant searches and ensure your ads are only showing for relevant traffic.

Here are some tips for finding negative keywords, as outlined in Example 4:

For example, if your client doesn’t sell cheap dog food, you might add “cheap” and “budget” as negative keywords to avoid attracting bargain hunters.

To maximize your ad visibility, you should distribute your budget across different ad groups and keywords based on their importance and expected performance.

This means giving more budget to the keywords and ad groups that are most likely to drive conversions and sales. You can use bid adjustments to fine-tune your bids based on factors like device, location, and time of day.

By doing so, you'll be able to increase your ad visibility when it's most valuable and reach your target audience more effectively.

To implement ads, you need to start with search ads, which are the main use-case for PPC keywords. Search ads are a great way to reach people actively searching for what you offer.

You can use your chosen keywords in search campaigns to start advertising for relevant searches. For example, if you're a wedding planner, you might target the keyword "wedding planning" to show up in search results.

Display ads, on the other hand, show image-based ads to people as they browse the web. To get the most out of display ads, you need to target specific ad placements.

Display keywords can indicate to Google where you want your ad to show, such as on pages that contain or relate to your keywords. This helps ensure your ad is seen by people who are likely to be interested in what you offer.

Monitoring your campaigns is an ongoing process that requires regular attention to ensure you're getting the best possible results.

To start, you should be measuring your conversion rate, which is the percentage of clicks that lead to a conversion. This will help you understand which keywords are actually driving sales or other desired actions.

Regularly monitoring your cost-per-click (CPC) is also important, as an increasing CPC can indicate increased competition or changes in your bidding strategy.

It's also essential to check for wasted spend by identifying keywords that cost money but don't lead to conversions. You can do this by adding these keywords as negative keywords to reduce waste.

A high Quality Score, which is Google's rating of the quality and relevance of your keywords and ads, can also help lower your costs.

To monitor your campaigns effectively, you should regularly review the search terms that trigger your ads in Google Ads. This will help you see what actual queries bring up your ads.

Here are some key metrics to focus on:

By regularly monitoring these metrics and making adjustments as needed, you can refine your PPC strategy and improve campaign performance.

To excel in PPC advertising, you need to take keyword research up a notch to achieve better conversions and ROI. Advanced techniques can help you uncover hidden opportunities, outsmart your competitors, and stay ahead of industry trends.

Keyword research is the foundation of a successful PPC campaign, and it's essential to use advanced techniques to uncover relevant keywords. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs to find long-tail keywords and phrases that have a lower competition level.

Using long-tail keywords can help you target specific audiences and increase the relevance of your ads. For example, instead of targeting the keyword "running shoes", you can target "women's trail running shoes" to attract a more specific audience.

Advanced PPC keyword research techniques can also help you uncover hidden opportunities by identifying negative keywords that can save you money and improve your ad relevance. By including negative keywords in your campaigns, you can exclude irrelevant searches and prevent unnecessary ad spend.

By mastering advanced PPC keyword research techniques, you can stay ahead of industry trends and outsmart your competitors. This can lead to better conversions and a higher ROI for your PPC campaigns.

Keyword matching options are crucial for effective PPC keyword research. Google offers three main types of keyword matching: phrase match and exact match, which are similar, but used in different contexts.

Phrase match is ideal for seed keywords that are between one to three keywords long, as it allows Google to expand on this to relevant searches that mean the same. This means the user's search will contain a variation or synonym of the seed keyword.

Exact match is similar to phrase match, but is used in support of phrase match for longer-tail specific keywords. It matches user searches that share the same meaning as the seed keyword.

Here's a quick rundown of the two matching options:

Broad match is a keyword matching option that allows your ads to show up for searches related to the keyword, even if the search query doesn't contain the exact keyword.

These keywords will match to searches related to the keyword, but the user's search doesn’t necessarily have to contain the keyword.

You should use broad match sparingly as it has the most reach and it should always be used in conjunction with smart bidding.

My recommendation would be to introduce broad match as an experiment once your account has some data behind it.

Broad match is a good option to experiment with, especially when you have a solid foundation of data in your account.

Using broad match without smart bidding can lead to wasted budget and poor ad performance.

Phrase match is a keyword matching option that allows you to match searches with a variation or synonym of your seed keyword. This means that if you have a seed keyword like "garden furniture", Google will expand on it to relevant searches that mean the same.

Use phrase match for seed keywords that are between one to three keywords long. This is a good option for keywords that are short and sweet, like "garden furniture" or "home decor."

Google will then use these keywords to match searches that contain a variation or synonym of the seed keyword. For example, if your seed keyword is "garden furniture", Google will match searches that contain "outdoor furniture" or "patio furniture."

Here's a quick rundown of the benefits of phrase match:

Negative keywords are a must-have for any PPC campaign, and for good reason. They prevent your ads from showing up for irrelevant searches, saving you budget for more relevant clicks.

To find negative keywords, start by looking at your search terms report. This will give you an idea of what terms are triggering your ads and which ones are irrelevant.

You can also consider variations of your keywords that don't match your products. For example, if you're selling high-end dog food, you might add "cheap" and "budget" as negative keywords to avoid attracting bargain hunters.

Neglecting negative keywords can result in wasted ad spend on clicks that are unlikely to convert. This is a common mistake that can cost you money in the long run.

To avoid this, make it a habit to regularly review your search terms report and update your negative keyword list. This will help you stay on top of irrelevant searches and ensure your ads are only showing up for relevant terms.

Here are some key benefits of using negative keywords:

Ahrefs is a powerful SEO and keyword research tool that can boost your PPC campaigns by providing valuable insights, such as discovering new keyword ideas and competitive keywords.

Ahrefs helps you identify content opportunities and analyze top-ranking pages, giving you a competitive edge.

SEMRush offers similar functionality to Ahrefs in PPC keyword research, but with more organization and a specific PPC keyword tool for easy analysis and grouping.

SEMrush allows you to filter out duplicate keywords across lists, ensuring your ad groups remain clean and don't compete with each other to bid on the same keywords.

SEMrush also offers an AdClarity extension for an extra monthly spend, giving you a peek at competitors' ad spend and performance.

SEMrush is a comprehensive digital marketing tool that offers in-depth PPC keyword research capabilities, along with competitive analysis and SEO features.

SEMrush can generate extensive lists of keyword ideas, show competitive keywords, and analyze the history of your competitors' ads.