Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising keyword research is a critical part of building successful, cost-effective campaigns. When conducting this research, it can help to try to think like your potential lead or client to gain personal insight into the process, but that’s just one aspect of building efficient and targeted keyword lists. More often than not, good marketers rely on third-party tools to do their best work.
There are dozens of useful, intuitive tools available to help you uncover root and long-tail keywords that drive the traffic most likely to convert on your website and dedicated landing pages. While the keyword planner tool in Google Ads is the obvious go-to for many PPC managers, here are some of our favorite alternative, supplemental tools and platforms for conducting winning keyword research.
SpyFu Gives PPC Professionals a Glimpse Into Their Competitors’ Campaigns
As the name suggests, SpyFu is a competitor research tool designed to help marketers improve their PPC results by understanding how their competitors are running their campaigns. Users can plug in root keywords into the “Keyword Research” tab to gain visibility into the key metrics for those terms. You can also review “Profitable keywords” related to the original root query.
To learn more about how your competitors are faring in paid search, paste their home page URL into the “Monthly Domain Overview.” Along with this high-level information, you can research top 50 keyword recommendations, negative keywords, and competitor-shared keywords.
RELATED ARTICLE: Case Study: Creating a PPC Strategy in a Competitive Market
Google Analytics Remains the Gold Standard
Every SEO expert and PPC analyst worth their salt must be proficient in the Google Analytics platform. Sure, Google Ads provides great insight into search queries, but Analytics empowers the marketer to drill down into the specifics of keyword traffic information.
Analytics breaks down organic and paid traffic information in an easy-to-read format that allows you to segment and filter your users based on dozens of data points. Through the Search Console, you can view search trends and data for organic search, which is a great way to learn how people are finding your website. Once you know those common search terms, you can use that list to create ad groups in Google Ads or build out more robust negative keyword lists to prevent erroneous, accidental, and expensive traffic to your site.
Soovle Consolidates Keyword Research for Different Search Engines
If you are building ad campaigns on multiple platforms and looking for one platform to consolidate your keyword research, Soovle is the tool you’ve been waiting for — just ignore the clumsy interface, and you’ll have a ton of keyword information for your campaigns. Simply plug in your root keyword to see hundreds of keyword suggestions populate by different search engines. To use this tool more efficiently, download the plugin to your browser. That way, not only will you see everything in one convenient location, but you’ll also find cost-per-click (CPC) projections as you hover over the keywords. The one drawback to Soolve is that you cannot search for keyword information by specific locations.
RELATED ARTICLE: Learn the Fundamentals of Google Paid Search Campaigns
Try Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest
Another great keyword research platform, Ubersuggest is the brainchild of marketing guru, Neil Patel. This tool is structured with an easy-to-read interface that provides granular insights into competitive data.
Keywords Heaven Is Especially Helpful With Long-Tail Keywords
I stumbled upon Keywords Heaven by chance, and now I use it whenever I build a new campaign for LaFleur or any of our clients. The site has a lot of useful bells and whistles, but my favorite is the “Long-Tail Keyword Finder” option, which provides lots of great data into cost-per-click, impressions, and competitor results — all of which help smart marketers build comprehensive keyword lists.
Check Out Your Competitors’ Source Code to Gain Actionable Insights
Obviously, this isn’t a third-party platform, but viewing your competitors’ landing page source code will reveal numerous keywords you can leverage in your own campaigns. It’s not a fool-proof approach, but it can serve as a great place to start when conducting competitive keyword research.
RELATED ARTICLE: LaFleur Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising Services
Contact LaFleur for Help With Your PPC Initiatives
The tools and platforms discussed above will definitely help you build a strong, efficient keyword list, but successful campaigns incorporate effective tactics throughout the PPC continuum. This means adhering to proven and accepted best practices while also innovating based on your target vertical and audience.
If you’re feeling a little out of your depth or are looking for a trusted partner to accelerate your existing efforts, please contact LaFleur by calling (888) 222-1512 or complete this brief form. We’re always eager to talk shop with businesses that understand the importance of digital marketing and provide our take on existing and potential campaigns. Even if you choose to stick with your existing marketing partner or keep things in-house, it never hurts to have that conversation, so please reach out today.