The 6 Best PPC Keyword Tools to Elevate Your Ad Campaigns

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Selecting the right keywords for your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns enhances ad targeting, boosts click-through rates, and increases advertising ROI.

But how do you identify the most effective keywords?

By utilizing a PPC keyword research tool.

PPC keyword tools assist in generating fresh keyword ideas while offering insights into cost per click (CPC), search volume, and competition levels.

In this post, we’ll explore the key features of the seven best PPC keyword research tools currently available.

Top 6 PPC Keyword Tools

Before diving into the specifics of our top PPC keyword research tools, here’s a quick overview of what each one brings to the table.

Unique Selling Point	Pricing
Semrush Keyword Magic Tool Semrush’s most powerful keyword research tool. Get comprehensive keyword suggestions pulled from Semrush’s database of over 25.5 billion keywords	Free: $0.00/month Pro: $139.95/month Guru: $249.95/month Business: $499.95/month
Semrush Keyword Overview A first stop for judging the estimated value and competition of a specific keyword	Free: $0.00/month Pro: $139.95/month Guru: $249.95/month Business: $499.95/month
Google Keyword Planner Integration with Google Ads, providing accurate, up-to-date search volume and cost estimates directly from Google	Free
SpyFu Multiple competitor intelligence features, including the ability to see what keywords other sites are bidding on that you are not	Basic: $39/month Professional: $79/month
Microsoft Keyword Planner Access to unique keyword data specific to the Microsoft Search Network (including Bing)	Free
Keywords Everywhere Multiple keyword insights for any query displayed directly in the search results	Bronze: $2.25/month Silver: $6.00/month Gold: $25.00/month Platinum: $80.00/month

1. Semrush Keyword Magic Tool

The Keyword Magic Tool serves as a robust resource for creating extensive keyword lists tailored to your PPC campaigns.

Starting with a single seed keyword, the tool generates an exhaustive list of related terms, organized into topic-specific subgroups.

This data is sourced from Semrush’s expansive database, which contains over 25.5 billion keywords.

To begin building your keyword list, input a seed keyword and click “Search.”

Keyword Magic Tool Search: Running Shoes

For instance, searching for “running shoes” yields over 254,000 keyword suggestions.

The table displays key metrics such as search intent, volume, keyword difficulty, and average CPC for each keyword.

Keyword Magic Tool: Running Shoes

While exploring keyword suggestions, you can toggle between match types like “Broad Match,” “Exact Match,” and “Related.”

Keyword Magic Tool: Running Shoes Keyword Types

Exploring groups and subgroups in the left-hand menu helps uncover niche topics and ideas for PPC ad groups.

You can sort groups by the number of keywords or their combined monthly search volume.

Click the eye icon next to a group to exclude it from your list.

Keyword Magic Tool: Running Shoes Groups

Additionally, filter your list for question-based keywords by selecting the “Questions” button.

Keyword Magic Tool: Running Shoes Questions

To add a keyword to your list, simply check the box next to it and click “Send keywords.”

Keyword Magic Tool: Running Shoes Send Keyword

What We Like

The Keyword Magic Tool excels at conducting detailed keyword research for PPC campaigns.

Its vast database, user-friendly interface, and filtering capabilities make it perfect for discovering niche topics and high-performing keywords.

It stands out as one of the top tools for compiling a master keyword list for ad campaigns.

Pricing

The Keyword Magic Tool is available on all Semrush plans, but limits vary based on the plan:

Free: $0.00/month (10 reports/day, 10 results/report, 10 seed keywords/hour)
Pro: $139.95/month (3,000 reports/day, 10,000 results/report, 100 seed keywords/hour)
Guru: $249.95/month (5,000 reports/day, 30,000 results/report, 100 seed keywords/hour)
Business: $499.95/month (10,000 reports/day, 50,000 results/report, 100 seed keywords/hour)

2. Semrush Keyword Overview

Semrush’s Keyword Overview report provides a high-level summary of any keyword within its database.

Start by entering up to 100 keywords into the search bar, selecting your target location, and clicking “Search.”

Pro Tip: Add your domain name for personalized, AI-powered keyword insights.

Keyword Overview Search: Dog Bed

You’ll receive information such as:

Volume: Average monthly searches for the keyword
Keyword Difficulty: How challenging it is for the average website to rank for the keyword
Personal Keyword Difficulty: How easy or hard it is for your domain to rank for the keyword
Intent: The motivation behind the search
CPC: Average cost per click for paid ads
Competitive Density: Level of advertiser competition for the term
Ads: Number of PPC ads appearing for the term in Google’s search results
Keyword Ideas: Variations, related questions, and keyword clusters

Keyword Overview: Dog Bed

For deeper insights into the keyword’s PPC value, scroll to the bottom of the report.

You’ll find top “PLA Copies” (product listing copies) and “Ad Copies” (Google Ads) that appear in paid search results.

Analyze these ads and their landing pages to craft your own ad copy and PPC landing pages.

Keyword Overview: PLA Copies

The “Keyword Ad History” widget shows how actively advertisers have bid on the keyword over the past 12 months. Click “View full report” for more details.

Keyword Overview: Keyword Ad History

What We Like

The Keyword Overview tool is ideal for obtaining a quick, high-level summary of a specific keyword’s estimated value and competition level.

It also provides easy access to additional keyword reports for more in-depth analysis, making it one of the best keyword research tools available.

Pricing

The Keyword Overview tool is accessible on all Semrush plans:

Free: $0.00/month
Pro: $139.95/month
Guru: $249.95/month
Business: $499.95/month

3. Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool provided by Google to assist with keyword research and PPC campaign planning.

To use Keyword Planner, you’ll first need to create a free Google Ads account. However, running an active campaign isn’t necessary to access the tool for PPC keyword research.

Head to Google Ads and click “Start now” to sign in.

Google Ads Homepage

Next, confirm your account settings and click “Submit.”

Google Ads Account Settings

On the confirmation page, click “Explore your account.”

Once your Google Ads account is set up, click “Tools” in the menu bar. Under “Planning,” select “Keyword Planner.”

Google Ads Tools: Keyword Planner

Next, click “Discover new keywords.”

Google Keyword Planner: Discover New Keywords

From here, enter initial keywords or a web address.

In this example, we’ll use the “Start with keywords” option.

Once you’ve entered your starting keywords, hit “Get results.”

Keyword Planner Search: SEO Tools

Pro Tip: When starting with keywords, you can input your website’s URL to filter out irrelevant keyword ideas.

Keyword Planner will generate a list of terms related to your keyword, sorted by relevance.

You’ll also find metrics such as average monthly searches (range estimate) and historical benchmark costs for successful top-page bids for each keyword.

Keyword Planner: SEO Tools

What We Like

Keyword Planner is a user-friendly tool for discovering keywords directly tied to your business.

It’s also useful for competitor analysis.

Select “Start with website” during your keyword research, then enter a competitor’s URL and hit “Get results.”

GKP Discover: Start With Website Improve SEO

Pricing

Google Keyword Planner is free to use with a Google Ads account. However, precise keyword search volume data requires an active Google Ads campaign.

4. SpyFu

SpyFu is a marketing suite offering insights into PPC and SEO campaigns.

The tool includes a competitive intelligence feature that lets you view other sites’ PPC keywords and ad spend history.

Begin by entering a domain into the search bar at the top of the screen and clicking “SEARCH.”

Under the “PPC Overview” section, you’ll receive a high-level summary of the domain’s PPC campaigns.

SpyFu PPC Research

This report includes data like the domain’s total number of unique paid keywords, its estimated monthly PPC clicks, and an estimate of its monthly PPC spend.

Scroll down to see a list of the domain’s best-performing paid keywords.

You’ll find metrics such as the average CPC for that keyword, an estimate of the monthly cost of targeting it, and the percentage of clicks going to paid results for that keyword.

SpyFu PPC Research: Successful Paid Keywords

Under the “Competitors” section, you’ll see the domain’s top PPC competitors, with data plotted on a graph.

A graph will also show the level of keyword overlap between the domain you entered and its competitors.

SpyFu PPC Research: Top Ad Competitors

What We Like

One standout SpyFu feature is the ability to identify keyword opportunities based on terms your competitors are targeting but you’re not.

Under the “Kombat” section, click the “Consider Buying” option.

SpyFu PPC Research: Kombat

You’ll then see a list of all the keywords your competitors are buying that you should consider purchasing.

SpyFu PPC: Consider Buying

Pricing

SpyFu offers two paid subscription plans: Basic and Professional.

The Basic plan limits reports to 10,000 rows, while the Professional plan provides unlimited report data and access to 15 years of historical keyword data.

Basic: $39/month
Professional: $79/month

5. Microsoft Advertising Keyword Planner

Microsoft Advertising Keyword Planner is a tool designed for conducting keyword research and managing PPC campaigns on the Microsoft Search Network (including Bing).

Similar to Google Keyword Planner, this tool allows you to search for new keywords by entering a seed term or website URL. You can also explore keywords based on categories relevant to your product or service.

Keyword suggestions come with data such as search volume, estimated cost, competition level, and suggested minimum bid.

To get started, log into your Microsoft Advertising account (or create one if you haven’t already). Select “Tools” > “Keywords.”

Microsoft Ads: Browse Tools

Next, click “Search for new keywords using a phrase or website.”

Microsoft Ads Keyword Planner

Fill out the form that appears and click “Get suggestions.”

Microsoft Ads Keyword Planner: Find Keywords

This will generate a detailed list of keyword suggestions.

Microsoft Ads Keyword Planner: Keywords

What We Like

Microsoft Advertising Keyword Planner provides access to unique keyword data specific to the Microsoft Search Network.

This enables you to create highly targeted PPC campaigns that may be less expensive than Google Ads campaigns.

Pricing

Microsoft Advertising Keyword Planner is free to use with a Microsoft Advertising account.

6. Keywords Everywhere

Keywords Everywhere is a paid browser extension available for Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.
Keywords Everywhere Homepage

The tool displays search volume, CPC, and competition data directly on the search engine results page (SERP) whenever you search for a keyword.

Google SERP: Portable Speakers (Keywords Everywhere)

It also provides website traffic metrics for each search result, including estimated traffic and the number of keywords the site ranks for.

Portable Speakers: Keywords Everywhere Data

Additionally, Keywords Everywhere shows multiple widgets on the right side of the SERPs for every search you perform.

Here, you’ll find a search volume trend chart for your query dating back to 2004.

Keywords Everywhere: Trend Data for Portable Speakers

You’ll also see topical keywords related to your query.

Keywords Everywhere: Topical Keywords (People Also Search For)

And related keywords that have been trending over the past 30 days.

Keywords Everywhere: Trending Keywords

Plus, you’ll get a list of long-tail keywords.

Keywords Everywhere: Long-Tail Keywords

What We Like

Keywords Everywhere lets you view real-time keyword data directly in your browser.

This makes it an excellent solution for conducting on-the-fly keyword analysis.

Pricing

Keywords Everywhere operates on a credit system where one credit equals one keyword.

The tool offers four subscription plans, each with a different annual credit allowance:

Bronze: $2.25/month (100,000 credits/year)
Silver: $6.00/month (400,000 credits/year)
Gold: $25.00/month (2 million credits/year)
Platinum: $80.00/month (8 million credits/year)

Maximize ROI with the Best PPC Keyword Tools

Using the right PPC keyword tools significantly enhances your ability to create successful ad campaigns.

These tools empower you to develop a highly targeted and cost-efficient PPC strategy by enabling you to uncover new keyword opportunities, assess essential keyword metrics, and analyze competitor activities.

Now is the time to harness the capabilities of solutions like the PPC Keyword Tool, Keyword Magic Tool, and Keyword Overview. By doing so, you can optimize your campaigns, attract more qualified traffic, and maximize the return on your advertising budget.