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When doing keyword research, I mostly use the Google AdWords Keyword Tool as a starting point to build my keyword list and then I extend my list using some more advanced techniques.

Enter a general term in the tool to get a list of keywords containing that word. If you leave "Use synonyms" checked you will also get a list of similar keywords. Make note of words included in the keyword list that should be used as negative keywords. For example, you may not want to display your ad if the word free exists in the keyword.

Competitor's Keywords

You can also use the Google AdWords tool to find keywords that are used on your competition's web sites. Choose the "Site-Related Keywords" tab and enter the URL of the site that you would like to retrieve a keyword list from.

Misspelled Words

Don't miss out on misspellings of the main words in your ad campaign. A potential customer could have accidentally mistyped their keyword while doing a search and if you don't have the misspelling in your keyword group you may miss out on that potential sale. Use this free tool to find misspellings of common keywords.

Hyphens & Spaces In Keywords

Plenty of words are used as one word, two words or hyphenated. For example the word website. It is often written or typed as web site or web-site. Be sure to account for this possibility when creating your keyword list. Some PPC engines will automatically include variances like that.

Acronyms & Abbreviations

You may also benefit from taking the time to include acronyms and abbreviations in your keyword list. Use CD and Compact Disc for example. You can find what the most common acronyms and abbreviations stand for using this free tool.

Domain Name As Keywords

People even type in domain names into search engines to find what they are looking for. Do not overlook domain names as keywords for your keyword list. Even try using a made up domain name and variations of it containing your main keyword.

Plural & Singular

Even when it doesn't make sense grammatically people often pluralize words or keep them singular. Consider this when creating your keyword list.

Replacement Keywords

You can also use words that are similar in meaning in place of your main keyword. For example, if you generate a huge list of keywords containing the main keyword bad credit and the offer that you are promoting also caters to those with no credit then replace every instance of bad credit with no credit to instantly double your keyword list.

PPC on Speed...or SpeedPPC

An awesome tool that I just started using to help build ad groups and create automatic pairings of keywords, as well as a bunch of instances of domain name variations blazingly fast is SpeedPPC. It creates import files with your campaigns, ad groups, keywords and ads for most of the PPC engines. Perhaps you heard of it, but if you haven't yet bought it, I highly recommend spending your first earnings on it if you plan to get serious about PPC Marketing. In essence, it gives you way more reach in way less time.

In conclusion...

Remember that just because a word cannot be found in a keyword tool doesn't mean that it has never been searched or never will be searched. Try using your best guess as to what someone would type into a search engine to come up with keywords. Also, ask friends and family what they would type in to find what you plan to promote.

I won't get into specifics in this post but try to organize your keyword list by common keyword and make several smaller lists that can be used as ad groups. Match your ad and landing page to that ad group to help keep things relevant and keep your click costs down.

Related posts:

1. Keyword Misspellings (Typos) and Keeping Things Relevant for Google
2. What Keyword Are You Targeting? Want Some Help?
3. Keyword Niche Markets, Subsets Of The Subset
4. Meta Search Engine Offering 2 Months Of Free Online Advertising
5. Free Keyword Pairing Script

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