When it comes to running effective paid Search campaigns in Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising, keyword research and planning are the first and most crucial steps in the process. Choosing the correct keywords is the foundation for reaching your target audience, spending your budget efficiently, and driving the results that your business needs. Google and Microsoft Ads offer plenty of great keyword research tools to help push you in the direction of success.
There are several advantages to using these tools that directly intertwine with your Google and Microsoft Ads account, including the simplicity of the interface, the efficiency of finding new keywords, and the cost tools to help advertisers plan their campaign budgets. In this post, I will share my four favorite tools for keyword research and planning that help the clients I work with see success and will help you reach your paid Search advertising goals.
1. Google Keyword Planner
The first and most important tool that I use is the Google Ads Keyword Planner. It is the starting point for most advertisers and can be used on a brand-new account or an existing account.
For a brand new Google Ads account, you can use the Keyword Planner to discover new keywords to help mold your account into ad groups and campaigns that you will use to carry out your digital marketing efforts. When looking for new keywords, you can enter any word or phrase that relates to your business and find related potential keywords that you want to add to your account. You can also enter your website URL, and Google will generate potential keywords for you. I use both of these methods when creating a new keyword set from scratch.
If it is an existing Google Ads account with keywords already existing, the Planner will show you what keywords you already have in your account and show you new ones that you can add to expand your marketing efforts. The Keyword Planner also shows search volume and forecasts estimated on monthly search volume, competition level, and bid ranges for the potential keywords that advertisers are adding.
A unique feature that the Keyword Planner offers is filtering to help narrow your research by location, language, and network.
The Keyword Planner is the foundation for all keyword research, but not the only tool that Google and Microsoft have to offer. The next tool that we are going to cover is the Search Terms Report tool.
2. Search Term Reports
If you have an existing Google or Microsoft Ads account with campaigns, or you just launched campaigns and have let them run for a month or more, you can now utilize the Search Terms Report. The Search Terms Report shows you the exact queries potential customers typed into Google or Bing that triggered your ads. Advertisers can scan through this report daily, weekly, or monthly to add new keywords based on click traffic or conversions (as well as add negative keywords to prevent wasted spend). This will help to continue to expand your keyword set on relevant terms that your potential customers will be searching. The next tool that Google and Microsoft have to offer that we recommend using is the Recommendations Tab.
3. Recommendations Tab
The Google or Microsoft Recommendations Tab is another keyword research tool that advertisers use, but with a grain of salt. The Recommendations Tab shows automated suggestions based on your campaign’s performance and industry trends. This will give you a fresh set of potential keywords to review weekly or monthly to add to your existing keyword set. Not all recommended keywords will align with your campaigns and goals, so thoroughly analyze these before adding them to your existing build. The final way to find new keywords is to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience.
4. Auto Complete in the Google or Bing Search Bar
Finally, advertisers will flip the script and put themselves in the shoes of their potential customers by using Google and Bing autocomplete features to discover new keywords. Advertisers can plug in different variations of existing keywords or long-tail keyword variations to try and find new ways that their business can be seen. They can also uncover niche variations and common questions that their potential customers are searching for.
Planning
Once all of your keywords are accumulated, we recommend planning campaigns and organizing keywords into ad groups in a Google spreadsheet or an Excel spreadsheet. This allows seamless collaboration within your team and with your clients to analyze the keywords that are being suggested to see if they align with your goals.
The tools within the Google and Microsoft Ads platforms offer everything you need to conduct effective keyword research and plan high-performing campaigns. By understanding and using these tools regularly, you can stay competitive, make smarter decisions, and reach your business goals quicker without ever leaving the platform’s interface.
