The most important aspect of a successful PPC campaign is choosing keywords that are likely to result in clicks and conversions.

PPC Keyword research is about using the right tools and understanding your customers to predict what they’re searching for. The goal is to ensure your ads show at the perfect time when they’re looking for the products or services you offer.

In this guide, you’ll learn 5 tips to help you conduct PPC keyword research more effectively.

Define Your Goal for Paid Search

Before investing in PPC, it’s essential to understand users’ search intent.

More aware users

Some users are specifically searching with the intent to buy. These users may be searching for keywords that are directly related to your business and are more likely to result in conversions. They are probably more aware of your product and more ready to take action.  These users are at the end of the consumer journey.

Less aware users

The other option is to target brand awareness to users searching for related terms. These users are at the beginning of the consumer journey and hence, not as ready to take action.

There are different reasons as to why a business would decide to target less aware users. For starters, competing for keywords targeting users that are more ready to take action will be more competitive and hence, more expensive. Or there may not be enough search volume from”most aware” users so it’s necessary to branch out and create a new customer pipeline.

The approach you choose to take will ultimately depend on your business and budget. But it’s important to have a clear goal before deciding on keywords.

Brainstorm Keywords using your Landing Page

A great place to start your PPC Keyword research is the landing page that your ads will link to. 

Start by selecting the main keywords already present on the page. If your website has relevant and well-written articles, you already have the material for a list of keywords relating to your products or services. 

Remember you can make sure your landing page is optimized and ready to get conversions by using landing page optimization tools.

Use Keyword Research Tools

Another way to get a list of keywords that will work for your business is using Keyword research tools. 

Google keyword planner is a great free option and it’s widely used in the field. It can help you discover new keywords, and relevant keywords and even show estimated bidding costs and competition for them.

Check Keyword Metrics

To get a better idea of how relevant each keyword from your list is, you might want to look at their monthly search volume and cost per click (CPC). These should give you insight into which keyword will be most effective for ads.

• Monthly volume: The monthly search volume for keywords. Keywords with high searches give your ads more exposure but also more competition.

• CPC: Cost Per Click, or how much you will be charged when someone clicks on an ad using that keyword. The higher the CPC for a certain keyword, generally the better they work in most searches, but it does make them cost more. 

When you pick your keywords, you will want to find the right balance between volume and CPC, taking your budget into account.

Look into your competitor’s Keywords

Studying your direct competitors and the keywords they are bidding on can be helpful. It’s a great way to know what you should do next and may also help you save time.

To do this, use keywords that relate directly to your business and study the first search results that they generate. You can achieve this through Google Ads by directly typing your competitor’s name on the search bar.

After you’ve come up with a list of keywords your competitors used, check their metrics and decide if they’re also relevant for your business strategy.