Top 7 PPC Keyword Tools to Boost Your Ad Campaigns

Choosing the right keywords for your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns is essential for improving ad targeting. The better your keywords, the higher your click-through rates and return on investment (ROI) will be.

But the real question is: how do you find those ideal keywords?

The answer lies in using a PPC keyword research tool.

These tools are invaluable for generating new keyword ideas, offering insights into key metrics such as cost per click (CPC), search volume, and competition level. With the right tools, you can refine your strategy and make smarter decisions for your campaigns.

In this article, we will highlight and explore the features of the seven best PPC keyword research tools currently available.

Top 7 PPC Keyword Tools

Before we dive into the details of our favorite PPC keyword re search tools, here’s a quick summary of what they all have to offer.

	Unique Selling Point	Pricing
Semrush PPC Keyword Tool	The “Cross-group negatives” feature automatically adds negative keywords to groups if there’s a potential for crossover. This ensures no two groups target the same query, leading to more cost-effective campaigns.	Pro: $129.95/month Guru: $249.95/month Business: $499.95/month
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: $129.95/month Guru: $249.95/month Business: $499.95/month
Semrush Keyword Overview	Your first stop for judging the estimated value and competition of a specific keyword	Free: $0.00/month Pro: $129.95/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

Semrush PPC Keyword Tool

Semrush’s PPC Keyword Tool is designed to help you plan, set up, and optimise your Google Ads campaigns in one place. With this tool, you can easily add new or existing keyword lists, organise them at the campaign and ad group levels, and export them directly to Google Ads. This streamlines the planning process, allowing you to create targeted ads that resonate more effectively with your audience.

Key Features of the PPC Keyword Tool

Here are some of the standout features of the PPC Keyword Tool:

Keyword Collection: You can manually add keywords, import keyword lists, or get fresh keyword ideas from Semrush’s reports to build your campaigns.
Irrelevant Keyword Filtering: The tool lets you filter out unwanted keywords by CPC, volume, difficulty, and more, ensuring that you target only the most relevant terms.
Clean Up Your Keyword List: The tool helps you remove duplicate keywords and unnecessary characters, keeping your list organised and precise.
Keyword Grouping: You can group your keywords with a drag-and-drop feature, making it easier to organise them into categories.
Conflicting Keywords Removal: The “Cross-group negatives” feature automatically removes any repeated keywords across different ad groups or campaigns, helping you avoid inefficiencies.
Google Ads Export: Once you’ve created your keyword list, you can easily export it to Google Ads for seamless campaign management.

How to Set Up the PPC Keyword Tool

To get started, enter your domain in the provided space and click “Set up.” For example, let’s use the travel gear retailer “nomatic.com.”

Next, you can choose your keyword source. You can enter keywords manually, pull them from a Semrush report, or upload them from an existing Google Ads campaign or file.

For this example, we’ll select “From Semrush” as our keyword source.

Generate Keyword Ideas with Semrush

After selecting the keyword source, choose which Semrush report you’d like to use to generate your list. You can input a seed keyword and specify how many keyword ideas you’d like the report to generate. You also have the option to create or select a new group, auto-group, or create single keyword groups.

Once you’re ready, click “Add” to generate the list of keywords.

In this example, we used “travel bag” as our seed keyword and generated 50 new keyword ideas.

Geotargeting and Customisation

Next, specify your geographic targeting preferences and click “Start PPC Keyword Tool.” This will take you to the PPC Keyword Tool interface where you can view the campaign keyword list. Each keyword will display key metrics such as search volume, CPC, and difficulty level.

At this stage, you can edit and refine your campaign, starting by grouping related keywords. This is crucial for creating more targeted ad copy that directly addresses users’ search intent, improving ad relevance and potentially reducing costs.

Creating and Managing Ad Groups

To create a new ad group, simply click “+ Group” on the left-hand side of the screen, enter a name for your group, and click the check mark. Then, select the checkboxes next to the keywords you want to add to the group, and click “Actions” > “Move to group.” Choose your desired group and click “Move to group.”

Your new ad group will now appear in the list on the left, and you can continue customising it as needed.

Adding Negative Keywords

Negative keywords are crucial for excluding irrelevant searches and preventing your ads from appearing for certain terms. For example, if you sell high-end timepieces, you may want to exclude keywords like “cheap” or “affordable.” To add negative keywords, click “Negatives” in the top-left corner, then click “+ Negatives” > “Manually.” Enter your negative keywords and click “Add.”

What We Like About the Tool

One of the most useful features of Semrush’s PPC Keyword Tool is the “Cross-group negatives” function. This automatically adds negative keywords to ad groups that could target the same search query.

For example, if you have one ad group targeting “high-end timepieces” and another targeting “luxury watches,” you may inadvertently trigger ads for the same user search term, such as “luxury timepieces,” causing your ads to compete against each other. This wastes budget and reduces campaign efficiency. The “Cross-group negatives” feature prevents this by removing duplicate keywords across groups.

Pricing for the PPC Keyword Tool

Semrush’s PPC Keyword Tool is included in all paid Semrush plans. However, the number of keywords you can export with CPC and search volume data varies depending on the plan. Here are the details:

Pro Plan: $129.95/month (includes up to 500 keywords with CPC and volume data)
Guru Plan: $249.95/month (includes up to 1,500 keywords with CPC and volume data)
Business Plan: $499.95/month (includes up to 6,000 keywords with CPC and volume data)

With these plans, you can export as many keywords as you want, making this tool a powerful addition to your PPC campaign strategy.

Semrush Keyword Magic Tool

The Semrush Keyword Magic Tool is a robust resource that can help you build comprehensive keyword lists for your PPC campaigns. By entering a single seed keyword, this tool generates a full list of related terms, organised into topic-specific subgroups. The data is sourced from Semrush’s extensive database, which contains over 25.5 billion keywords, ensuring that you have access to a vast array of relevant search terms.

To begin building your keyword list, simply enter your chosen seed keyword and click “Search.” For example, when we searched for “running shoes,” we were presented with a list of over 254,000 keyword suggestions.

Exploring Keyword Suggestions

The tool displays key metrics for each keyword, such as search intent, volume, keyword difficulty, and average CPC. These insights make it easy to assess which keywords are likely to perform best for your campaigns.

You can explore keyword suggestions further by toggling between different match types, including “Broad Match,” “Exact Match,” and “Related.” This allows you to tailor your keyword strategy and target a variety of search queries.

In addition to exploring these options, you can also browse through keyword groups and subgroups on the left-hand menu. This is particularly helpful when you’re looking for niche topics or new ideas for your PPC ad groups. You can sort these groups based on the number of keywords in each group or by their combined monthly search volume.

If a group doesn’t fit your needs, simply click the eye symbol next to it to exclude it from your list.

Filter and Add Keywords to Your List

For a more refined approach, the tool offers the ability to filter keyword results based on question-based keywords. By clicking the “Questions” button, you can narrow your search to terms that are more relevant to user queries.

To add a keyword to your list, simply tick the checkbox next to the keyword and click “Add to keyword list.” This makes it easy to build a targeted list of keywords that align with your PPC campaign goals.

What We Like

The Keyword Magic Tool is a fantastic option for conducting detailed keyword research for PPC campaigns. Its extensive database, user-friendly interface, and filtering capabilities make it ideal for uncovering niche topics and discovering relevant, high-performing keywords. Overall, it’s one of the best tools available for building a master keyword list for your ad campaigns.

Pricing

The Keyword Magic Tool is available across all Semrush plans, though the number of reports per day, results per report, and seed keywords per hour vary depending on the plan you choose. Here’s a breakdown of the pricing and limits for each plan:

Free: $0.00/month (10 reports per day, 10 results per report, 10 seed keywords per hour)
Pro: $129.95/month (3,000 reports per day, 10,000 results per report, 100 seed keywords per hour)
Guru: $249.95/month (5,000 reports per day, 30,000 results per report, 100 seed keywords per hour)
Business: $499.95/month (10,000 reports per day, 50,000 results per report, 100 seed keywords per hour)

Each plan offers different levels of access to the tool’s features, so you can choose the one that best suits your keyword research needs.

Semrush Keyword Overview

Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool provides a comprehensive summary of any keyword in its extensive database. This feature is useful for quickly assessing the potential of keywords in your PPC campaigns.

To begin, simply enter up to 100 keywords into the search bar and select your target location, then click “Search.” If you want more personalised results, adding your domain name will provide AI-powered keyword data tailored to your site’s performance.

Key Metrics Provided

The Keyword Overview report presents several important metrics for each keyword:

Volume: This indicates the average number of searches the keyword gets each month.
Keyword Difficulty: A measure of how challenging it is for an average website to rank for that keyword.
Personal Keyword Difficulty: This shows how easy or difficult it would be for your specific domain to rank for the keyword.
Intent: This reveals the motivation behind a user’s search.
CPC: The average cost of a paid ad click for the keyword.
Competitive Density: A gauge of how many advertisers are bidding on that keyword.
Ads: The number of PPC ads that appear for that term in Google’s search results.
Keyword Ideas: Suggestions for more keyword variations, related question keywords, and keyword clusters.

Analysing Paid Search Performance

To gain further insight into a keyword’s PPC value, scroll to the bottom of the report. Here, you’ll find the top “PLA Copies” (Product Listing Ads) and “Ad Copies” (Google Ads) that appear for the keyword in paid search results. Reviewing these ads can help you create your own ad copy and improve your PPC landing pages.

Additionally, the “Keyword Ad History” widget shows how actively advertisers have been bidding on the keyword over the past year. For more detailed data, you can click “View full report.”

What We Like

The Keyword Overview tool is perfect for obtaining a quick and concise summary of a keyword’s potential and competition level. Additionally, it provides easy access to further reports for in-depth keyword analysis, making it one of the most effective keyword research tools available.

Pricing

The Keyword Overview tool is available across all Semrush plans. Below are the pricing and limits for each plan:

Free: $0.00/month
Pro: $129.95/month
Guru: $249.95/month
Business: $499.95/month

Each plan offers different levels of access, with more detailed data available at higher subscription tiers.

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool provided by Google to help with keyword research and planning PPC campaigns. It’s an essential tool for advertisers looking to optimise their Google Ads efforts.

To begin using Keyword Planner, you’ll first need to create a Google Ads account. However, it’s not necessary to set up a full campaign to utilise the tool for keyword research. Simply sign into your Google Ads account by clicking “Start now.”

Setting Up Your Google Ads Account

Once you’ve signed in, you can skip the campaign creation by selecting “Skip campaign creation.” This allows you to access Keyword Planner without needing to launch an actual ad campaign. After confirming your account settings, click “Submit” to proceed.

At the confirmation page, click on “Explore your account” to access the tools. From there, click on “Tools” in the menu bar and select “Keyword Planner” under the “Planning” section.

Exploring Keyword Ideas

The next step is to click on “Discover new keywords.” You can either enter initial keywords or provide a web address to guide your keyword search. For example, choosing the “Start with keywords” option allows you to input your chosen terms.

Once you’ve entered your keywords, click “Get results.” A list of related keyword suggestions will appear, ordered by relevance.

Advanced Tips

A useful feature is the ability to enter your website’s URL to filter out irrelevant keywords and generate ideas that are more aligned with your business. Along with keyword suggestions, Google Keyword Planner provides valuable metrics, such as the average monthly searches and the historical benchmark costs for top-page bids.

What We Like

Google Keyword Planner is a straightforward tool, making it easy to find keywords directly relevant to your business. Additionally, it’s useful for competitor analysis. If you select the “Start with website” option, you can enter a competitor’s URL to uncover their keyword strategy and gain fresh insights.

Pricing

Google Keyword Planner is free to use with a Google Ads account. However, to see precise keyword search volume data, you must have an active Google Ads campaign running. This ensures more accurate and detailed keyword data for your PPC efforts.

SpyFu

SpyFu is a comprehensive marketing suite that offers valuable insights into both PPC and SEO campaigns. This tool is particularly useful for gaining competitive intelligence, as it allows you to view other websites’ PPC keywords and their ad spend history.

To begin, enter a domain into the search bar at the top of the SpyFu homepage and click “SEARCH.” This will give you access to a range of data on the domain’s PPC performance.

PPC Overview

The “PPC Overview” section presents a high-level summary of the domain’s PPC campaigns. Here, you can find important data such as the total number of unique paid keywords the domain is targeting, an estimate of the number of monthly PPC clicks, and the estimated monthly PPC spend.

Scrolling further, you can view a list of the domain’s best-performing paid keywords, which includes key metrics such as the average cost per click (CPC) for each keyword, the estimated monthly cost of targeting that keyword, and the percentage of clicks directed to paid results for that keyword.

Competitor Analysis

SpyFu also provides detailed information about a domain’s PPC competitors. In the “Competitors” section, you’ll see a list of the domain’s top competitors along with a graph showing keyword overlap between the domain and its competitors. This provides valuable insights into the competitive landscape.

What We Like

One of SpyFu’s standout features is its ability to identify keyword opportunities based on terms that your competitors are targeting but you are not. This is found under the “Kombat” section, where you can click on the “Consider Buying” option. This reveals a list of keywords that your competitors are bidding on, allowing you to see what you might want to target in your own PPC campaigns.

Pricing

SpyFu offers two subscription plans: Basic and Professional. The Basic plan allows for up to 10,000 rows of report data, while the Professional plan provides unlimited report access and includes 15 years of historical keyword data.

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

Microsoft Advertising Keyword Planner

Microsoft Advertising Keyword Planner is a useful tool for conducting keyword research and managing PPC campaigns on the Microsoft Search Network, which includes Bing.

Similar to Google Keyword Planner, this tool allows you to discover new keywords by entering a seed term or website URL. You can also search for new keywords by selecting a category that aligns with your product or service.

The keyword ideas provided come with valuable data, including search volume, estimated cost, competition level, and suggested minimum bid. This makes it easier to tailor your PPC strategy and budget accordingly.

Getting Started

To begin using the tool, log into your Microsoft Advertising account, or create one if you haven’t already. From the main menu, select “Tools” and then “Keywords.” Once there, click “Search for new keywords using a phrase or website.”

Fill out the form that appears and click “Get suggestions.” This will generate a comprehensive list of relevant keyword suggestions for your campaign.

What We Like

One of the key advantages of the Microsoft Advertising Keyword Planner is that it provides keyword data specific to the Microsoft Search Network. This allows you to create highly targeted PPC campaigns, potentially at a lower cost compared to campaigns on Google Ads.

Pricing

The Microsoft Advertising Keyword Planner is free to use as long as you have a Microsoft Advertising account, making it an accessible tool for advertisers.

Keywords Everywhere

Keywords Everywhere is a paid browser extension available for Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. This tool provides valuable keyword data directly within your search engine results pages (SERP).

When you search for a keyword, Keywords Everywhere displays essential metrics such as search volume, CPC (cost per click), and competition. This allows you to gain insights without leaving the SERP.

Additionally, the tool offers website traffic metrics for each search result. These include the estimated traffic a page receives and the number of keywords it ranks for. This feature helps you better understand the performance of competing pages.

Widgets and Trend Insights

Keywords Everywhere also displays multiple widgets on the right side of the SERPs. These widgets provide additional data such as a search volume trend chart for your query, dating back to 2004. This chart can help you gauge the popularity of specific search terms over time.

The tool also suggests related and trending keywords. You can discover long-tail keywords, as well as topical keywords relevant to your search. These features make it easy to find new opportunities for targeting in your PPC campaigns.

What We Like

The real-time keyword data offered by Keywords Everywhere is one of its standout features. It allows you to conduct on-the-fly keyword analysis directly within your browser, streamlining the process of research.

Pricing

Keywords Everywhere operates on a credit-based system, where one credit equals one keyword. There are four subscription plans, each with varying annual credit allowances:

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)

Each plan offers different levels of access, depending on the volume of keyword data you require.

Maximize ROI with the Best PPC Keyword Tools

Using the right PPC keyword tools can significantly enhance the success of your ad campaigns. These tools enable you to refine your strategy by identifying key opportunities, improving targeting, and ensuring that your campaigns are cost-effective.

By leveraging these tools, you can uncover new keyword opportunities, assess important keyword metrics, and gain insights into your competitors’ activities. This can provide you with the data needed to adjust and optimise your PPC strategy.

Now is the perfect time to make the most of powerful solutions such as the PPC Keyword Tool, Keyword Magic Tool, and Keyword Overview. These resources will help you optimise your campaigns, drive more qualified traffic, and ultimately make the most of your advertising budget.