Blog Post

Are there alternatives to Google Keyword Planner

  • by Steve Taylor
  • 26 Nov, 2017

At the heart of an effective Pay Per Click campaign is the right choice of keywords.

Google Keyword Planner undoubtedly remains one of the best choices for providing solid information on competition and traffic rates.

But it is worth checking out the alternatives for a fully informed PPC campaign – they offer some additional features and food for thought that can be difficult to ignore.

Ubersuggest is a long-established keyword planner – and with good reason!

It’s a very powerful tool and completely free to use. Unlike many of the free ‘lite’ versions of other keyword tools, Ubersuggest doesn’t limit its functionality – you get all the bells and whistles.

This includes real and reliable data pulled directly from Google suggest and other services. Ubersuggest scrapes the internet for the keywords and phrases users are actually typing into Google and other search engines.

Comprehensive results that are easy to access

You literally get hundreds of results every time you search. Ubersuggest will add a letter to the beginning or end of your entered word to find as many alternatives as possible. Pretty nifty!

Ideal for beginners through to seasoned experts - enter what you’re looking for and you get a list of results. No filters or settings to worry about and play around with.

Having said that, sometimes you do need advanced information for a reliably informed PPC campaign, so our second alternative to Google’s Keyword Planner is Moz’s Keyword Explorer.

Known for their SEO wizardry, Moz introduced their Keyword Explorer back in 2016 with the aim of a more ‘holistic’ keyword research tool that gives valuable and actionable data.

On a simple level, a specific search term will bring you over 1000 results that can be sorted according to relevance, or search volume. You can also opt to filter the search to cast the net widely or be as accurate as possible – great for finding new keywords and those less likely to be considered.

SERP results are highly detailed for an informed PPC campaign

Although this tool is aimed at organic SEO rather than PPC – there are some advantages of their ‘Search Engine Results Page’ information.

These include:

·        monthly searches on Google

·        keyword difficulty – how hard to rank for that word or phrase

·        opportunity – a low score means there’s hefty competition

·        potential – this combines all the metrics to create the ‘sweet spot’ you’re looking for

A particularly useful feature of Moz’s Keyword Explorer is the breakdown of ‘page 1 search results’. You can see at a glance how many AdWords ads appear on the page, what’s already ranking well, page authority, domain authority and volume of Facebook shares – a particularly interesting metric highlighting the importance of social media to SEO.

Unfortunately, these advanced features do come at a price, but for this level of information presented in a clear and easy to use format, we think it’s worth it.

Google Keyword Planner and Ubersuggest are both great tools that are free to use and easy to gain crucial information from, but when advanced metrics are crucial to a winning PPC campaign, Moz’s Keyword Explorer comes out miles ahead.

by Steve Taylor 21 Dec, 2018

Amazon has taken the world by storm with its range of products, drone deliveries and streaming services, but one aspect you might not have considered before is its pay per click marketing, otherwise known as “sponsored products”.

If you sell products, then advertising through Amazon is an effective way of reaching a bigger audience and increasing your revenue. But how do you get started with one of the world’s largest retailers?

Sponsored product ads appear in both Amazon’s search results and product listing pages

Although you will find that the PPC ads on Amazon are discreetly marked as ‘sponsored’, they do fit in seamlessly within the rest of the search results, dare I say it far better than on Google where it’s obvious to many that the advertisement has been paid for.

It’s also easy to get started with Amazon’s PPC system.

Any seller with a professional selling plan can place ads, although not all of Amazon’s categories are currently available to advertise under. You can quickly get started and find the answers to your questions under Amazon’s helpful service pages , and as always, their customer service is easily accessible for support.

Just like Google Ads, Amazon’s PPC works as an auction style system where you place bids for where you want your advert to appear, and the highest bidder wins the first position.

There are several key reasons why you should be considering Amazon for your PPC advertising

Amazon is fantastic at running seasonal promotions. Like many people, around those all important dates of the year – Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, Mother’s and Father’s Day and Valentines, you probably head straight to Amazon to either buy gifts or garner some inspiration.

Amazon advertising can be found everywhere, from billboards to television ads, so you know that your PPC campaign can tap into some of that marketing magic too, something that Google still struggles somewhat to achieve.

It’s also perfect for boosting a single product you might be struggling to shift from your warehouse. Where Google is best for landing page campaigns and sales funnels, when you just have a product to clear or a new line to introduce to the market, Amazon is perfect for giving an instant boost exactly where you need it.

Don’t forget about the “accidental effects” to your organic SEO either .

The more your products are viewed online, along with visits to your website, positive reviews and that crucial “social proof” is in place, you will find that your organic SEO is given a boost and the effects of an Amazon PPC campaign will be found elsewhere in your digital marketing.

We think that giving Amazon sponsored products advertising a try in 2019 is certainly worth a try if you’re an e-commerce or drop shipping business owner looking for a new marketing tactic. As always, for advice and support with all things pay per click marketing, get in touch with us here at Bargainarena Limited, and we’ll be delighted to help.

 

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