Keyword Research using Google Adwords Keyword Tool

Keyword research is of massive importance in order to build your Search Engine Optimisation strategy, one of the most useful tools you can use to develop a list of keywords is Google Adwords Keyword Tool. The Google Adwords Keyword tool is designed to help individuals create a more accurate Pay Per Click campaign by showing users the search volume of a particular keyword, the competition for rankings and the average cost per click (CPC).

Quick Tip:

Did you know Google will return more keyword ideas if you are logged into a Google account? if you are not, Google will only return 100 keyword ideas based around you chosen keywords.

Did You Know:

Google has reported that almost 25% of the searches received in any one month are queries the Search Engine has not seen before.

Lets Begin…

To start you need to visit Google Adwords Keyword Tool website, once you are there you will see the below interface. The usability of the website as a whole is fairly self explanatory.

(Click to enlarge)

The Word or phrase is were you input your keywords, for example purposes we will use “Dog Food”. You can also adjust the country origin of the keyword along with the language.

Understanding the different keywords:

If you look down the left tool bar you will see an option which looks like this:

This gives you the option in regards to the keyword search phrases each option means:

• Broad Match: This option allows similar phrases and relevant variations to be displayed for instance if you used the keyword “Dog Food” the system will class the variations as a search for that key terms i.e “Dog Foods”
• Phrase Match- This is for keywords which relates to a phrase, it will show search results for that particular phrase in the Search Engine.
• Exact Match- Returns a search figure for that exact phrase exclusively.

Additional Features:

Google Adwords Keyword tool is packed with additional features, these include;

• Generate keyword list from a website – This function allows Google to crawl a particular web page and make an attempt to report on any keywords which is suitable to that page. Google Adwords Keyword tool does make some errors in generating this list, in most cases it is much easier to input the keywords yourself.
• Change Search Device – This function allows a user to change the search device i.e see searches made on a mobile device, laptop or desktop.
• Filter Options – This allows a user to define returned results based on filter segments such as competition, monthly searches and global searches. This segment is ideal for brainstorming or finding a niche. (See image Below)

Please Note: If you are looking to make a large commitment towards research found in Google Adwords Keyword Tool please review your findings on a monthly basis as Google Adwords Keyword Tool is notorious for fluctuating/bloating search figures.