Using the AdWords Keyword Suggestion Tool

As soon as you log on to Google AdWords, you will encounter a large number of very useful tools. Adwords tools enable you to proof your ads for errors, choose their placement, optimize your content, and generate an incredible number of useful reports. These reports enable you to assess how your ads are performing against other sites, or in their chosen demographics, and a whole lot more. But probably the most powerful tool you will find is the Google Adwords keyword suggestion tool, an indispensable aid that uses ad data to generate a list of powerful keywords along with their recent search data and cost.

The first thing you need to do, before you do anything with the Adwords keyword suggestion tool, is to come up with your own list of some keywords. Keep your list relatively short. Your list of no more than 10 to 15 words is all the data Adwords needs to generate new search terms and phrases for you. It’s always possible of course, find these keywords directly on your web pages, although Google can do that for you automatically. Sometimes the very best way to start, however, is to brainstorm you own list of terms you think your most profitable visitors would search for if they wanted the content your website provides. Brainstorming your own list will sometimes give you that one terrific keyword the data do not yet capture.

Either way, the next step is for you to take your list to the keyword suggestion tool. Start by entering your keywords one at a time. It is possible to enter multiple keywords all at once, but if you do this, it’s highly likely you will get back a list of hundreds of keywords that don’t really related to your site. It is far more effective just to start with one keyword at a time, letting the Adwords keyword suggestion tool generate related terms that you may be able to use.

Every time you input a word or phrase, the keyword suggestion tool will come back with other keywords or phrases that match websites with similar content, or from Adwords campaigns that bid on the some of the same words you chose. The suggestion tool also provides you with an estimate of traffic per month, an estimate of how much competition there is for the word or term, and current prices for placement at various levels of the page.

The Google Adwords keyword suggestion tool gives you several dozen more options that will give you even more useful information about your keywords. The tool allows you to generate monthly traffic charts. These inform you how the popularity of your keywords rises and falls throughout the year. You can also get an estimate of the position of your ad on the page at various bid prices, and you can retrieve an estimate of the number of clicks you can buy based on last month’s search volume, average search volume, which month the search volume for that keyword is the highest, and your budget.

Every one of these bits of information is important as you choose your keywords, but it is still up to you to select search terms that you know match your content. Don’t throw your money away on a low competition, high volume, cheap keyword that won’t bring you any visitors who will appreciate your site and buy your products. But be assured that if you do diligent research and stay creative, every keyword you choose for your Adwords campaign will drive traffic to your site.

Justin Harrison is a leading Internet Marketing consultant responsible for the Internet Marketing strategies behind some of the biggest online brands including Amazon, BBC, MasterCard and many others.