How do I use the Keyword Tool?

There are three ways to access the AdWords Keyword Tool: from within one of your ad groups; from your AdWords account's Tools menu and from an external URL. Using the Keyword Tool from within your ad group will give results based on your campaign settings and your account's performance history. You'll find instructions below for using this tool.

The Keyword Tool in your account's Tools menu and the external Keyword Tool do not consider either of these factors. You can find instructions for accessing these at the bottom of the page.

To access the Keyword Tool from within one of your ad groups:

1. Sign in to your AdWords account at https://adwords.google.co.uk.
2. Select the appropriate campaign and ad group.
3. Select the Keywords tab.
4. Click Keyword tool.
5. In the field labelled How would you like to generate keyword ideas?, use the options labelled Descriptive words or phrases, Website content or Existing keyword to create a keyword list. You can switch between options without losing your work. You'll find detailed instructions below for using each option.
6. Show or hide columns in the statistics table for each group with the Choose columns to display drop-down menu.
   • Select a column that you'd like to show or hide. Once the table is updated, you can select another column to show or hide and so on.
   • Select Show All to see all columns.
   • Select Show Defaults to restore the three columns that were showing originally: Advertiser Competition, Last Month's Search Volume and Avg Search Volume.
7. Build your keyword list in the shaded box.
   • Match Type: Use the drop-down menu in the Match Type column if you'd like to change the match type for all your keyword results. The keywords are a broad match by default.
   • Add: Click Add next to a particular keyword to move it to the keyword list in the shaded box. The keyword will be added as a broad match. If you'd like to add it as a phrase, exact or negative match, select your preferred match type from the drop-down menu next to Add. Keywords that are already in your ad group will be marked as In ad group and you won't be able to move them to your keyword list. (Important: Keywords that are in your account will not be marked if you access the Keyword Tool from the Tools menu or from the external URL. If you access the tool in one of these ways, be careful not to add keywords to an ad group where they already exist. If you do, you'll overwrite the keywords' Destination URLs and cost-per-click (CPC) bids.)
   • Add all: Click this link at the bottom of the table to add all keyword results to the shaded box. Remember that you only want to add targeted keywords to your ad group. If the Keyword Tool has given you a long list of keywords that do not all closely relate to your product or service, you most likely do not want to click Add all. Instead, add individual keywords per the instructions above.
   • Remove/Remove all: Click Remove next to each keyword in the shaded box that you no longer wish to include in your ad group. Alternatively, click Remove all to clear all the selected keywords from your ad group.
   • Click Add your own keywords to expand a field and add any more keywords that you think of. Click Add to List when you've finished.
8. Download keywords by clicking text, .csv (for Excel) or .csv. You'll need a spreadsheet programme to open a .csv file.
9. Click Save to a different ad group if you'd like to save your keywords to a different ad group from the one where you accessed the tool. Choose your preferred campaign and ad group from the drop-down menus.
10. Click Estimate Search Traffic to see traffic estimates for the keyword list that you've built.
    • Click delete next to any keywords that you no longer want.
    • Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page when you're satisfied with your keyword list.
    • Your new keywords will be lost if you click Cancel. We recommend that you do not click Estimate Search Traffic until you've finished building your keyword list.
11. If you didn't go to the Estimate Search Traffic page, save your keywords by clicking Save to Ad Group in the shaded box.

'Descriptive words or phrases' option

Choose this option to generate keyword ideas from terms that describe your product or service. This option will be selected for you by default.

1. In the field provided, enter terms describing your product or service. Make sure that you enter only one word or phrase per line. For example, if you sell tarts, you might enter the terms:
   home-made tarts
   apple tarts
   rhubarb tarts
2. Leave Use synonyms ticked to get the widest range of keyword results. If you clear the box, the Keyword Tool will only give results that contain at least one of the terms that you entered.
3. Click Filter my results to restrict the keyword ideas generated by the tool.
   • Don't show results that contain the following words or phrases: Enter any terms in this field that you would not want in your keywords. For instance, if you sell football jerseys but not basketball jerseys, you may want to enter the word 'basketball' in this field. Enter only one word or phrase per line.
   • Don't show keywords in my ad group: Select this box if you want the Keyword Tool to parse out keyword results that already exist in your ad group.
   • Don't give me suggestions. Only show data for the keywords that I entered: Tick this box if you'd only like to see information about the keywords that you entered and are not looking for new keywords.
4. Click Get Keyword Ideas. The results will be organised in order of relevance to the terms that you entered.
5. Follow steps 6 to 11 at the top of the page.

'Website content' option (limited language release)

Choose this option to generate keyword ideas based on the content of any web page.

1. Enter the full URL of a web page in the field provided (example: http://www.google.com/index.html). In most cases, we would recommend entering your ad group's Destination URL.
2. Tick Include other pages on my site linked from this URL if you'd like the Keyword Tool to evaluate other web pages with the same domain that are one link away from the URL. For instance, www.mysite.co.uk/apples has the same domain as www.mysite.co.uk/oranges.
3. Click Or enter your own text in the box below (optional) if you'd like to enter your own text rather than use a URL. A field will expand in which you will be able to input text that is relevant to your product or service. For instance, you could enter seasonal marketing or advertising print copy that may not be available on your website for the entire year.
4. Click Filter my results to restrict the keyword ideas generated by the tool.
   • Don't show results that contain the following words or phrases: Enter any terms in this field that you would not want in your keywords. For instance, if you sell football jerseys but not basketball jerseys, you may want to enter the word 'basketball' in this field. Enter only one word or phrase per line.
   • Don't show keywords in my ad group: Tick this box if you'd like the Keyword Tool to parse out keyword results that already exist in your ad group.
5. Click Get Keyword Ideas. The results will be organised into groups of related terms. The group that is the most relevant to the web page that you entered will appear first.
6. Follow steps 6 to 11 at the top of the page.

'Existing keyword' option

Choose this option to generate keyword ideas based on one of your existing keywords that has earned a high click-through rate (CTR).

1. Click Filter my results to restrict the keyword ideas generated by the tool.
   • Don't show results that contain the following words or phrases: Enter any terms in this field that you would not want in your keywords. For instance, if you sell football jerseys but not basketball jerseys, you may want to enter the word 'basketball' in this field. Enter only one word or phrase per line.
   • Don't show keywords in my ad group: Tick this box if you'd like the Keyword Tool to parse out keyword results that already exist in your ad group.
2. Click one of the keywords listed in the shaded area to get keyword ideas. The results will be organised in order of relevance to the keyword that you selected.
3. Follow steps 6 to 11 at the top of the page.

Note: This option is only available if you access the Keyword Tool from within one of your ad groups.

Other ways to access the Keyword Tool

The preceding instructions show how to access the Keyword Tool from within an ad group. If you use the tool this way, the resulting keyword ideas and statistics will be tailored to your existing campaign settings and your account's performance history. The following two alternatives have largely the same functionality as the in-ad group tool without considering your account settings and performance.

I. Standalone Keyword Tool: You can access this version of the Keyword Tool from within your account.

1. Sign in to your AdWords account at https://adwords.google.co.uk.
2. Click Tools.
3. Select Keyword Tool.
4. To generate a keyword list, follow the rest of the instructions above as if you were using the in-ad group tool. Here are a few differences to note:
   • There will not be an Existing keyword option.
   • Keywords that are already in your account won't be marked in the results. Be careful not to add keywords to an ad group where they already exist. If you do, you'll overwrite their assigned Destination URLs and cost-per-click (CPC) bids.
   • In the Filter my results section, you won't be able to select Don't show keywords in my ad group.
   • You'll have to select the ad group to which you'd like to add your keyword list. To do so, choose your preferred campaign and ad group from the drop-down menus labelled Save keywords to which appear in the shaded box. Note that the Save keywords to drop-down menu only appears if you have two or more active or paused ad groups.

II. External Keywords Tool: Use this version of the tool if you don't have an AdWords account or don't wish to sign in to your account.

1. Visit https://adwords.google.co.uk/select/KeywordToolExternal.
2. To generate a keyword list, follow the rest of the instructions above as if you were using the in-ad group tool. Here are a few differences to note:
   • There will not be an Existing keyword option.
   • Keywords that are already in your account won't be marked in the results. Be careful not to add keywords to an ad group where they already exist. If you do, you'll overwrite their assigned Destination URLs and cost-per-click (CPC) bids.
   • In the Filter my results section, you won't be able to select Don't show keywords in my ad group.
   • You can't add keywords directly to your ad group.
     • If you don't already have an AdWords account but would like to create one, click Sign up with these keywords. Follow the sign-up wizard to create an account.
     • If you already have an AdWords account and would like to add these keywords to one of your ad groups, export your keyword list by clicking text, .csv (for Excel) or .csv. Then copy your exported keywords (Ctrl+C) and paste them (Ctrl+V) into your preferred ad group. See full instructions.

What are some advanced tips for using the Keyword Tool?

The Keyword Tool is a great way to find new keywords for your ad campaigns. For example, if you run a budget hotel, the Keyword Tool can suggest helpful related keywords like "hotel discounts" or "motels". Adding these alternative terms to your ad group keyword lists can help you find new customers that you might otherwise have missed.

The Keyword Tool is especially helpful in three situations:

• When you first create a new ad group
• When your current keywords are performing poorly and you need to find better options
• When you have one keyword that really works well and want to find more like it

Remember that the Keyword Tool works best with short keywords of one or two words in length. "Budget hotel" will get better results than "inexpensive place for lodging while on a trip". That's because if your keyword includes many words, the Keyword Tool may have difficulty determining the most important words and delivering the appropriate alternatives.

Ready for some advanced tips? Try using the Keyword Tool to:

• Find keywords based on your site content. Instead of entering your own keywords, try using the Website Content option. It lets you enter the URL of your business website, or of any site related to your business. The AdWords system will then scan your page and then suggest relevant keywords. (This feature is available in some languages only.) Don't hesitate to enter the URLs of related sites, or even of your competitors' sites, to learn what keywords they might be advertising on themselves.
• Create new, separate ad groups with similar keywords. We recommend creating several ad groups in each campaign, each with a small, narrowly focused set of similar keywords. Use the Keyword Tool to discover relevant keywords, then divide them into lists of 5 to 20 similar terms. See examples of ad groups promoting a single product or service and multiple products or services.
• Identify negative keywords. The Keyword Tool can show you off-topic keywords that users may be thinking about. Suppose you sell cut flowers and you give the Keyword Tool the keyword "flowers". It may suggest the related term "gardens", and you may want to add that term to your ad group as a negative keyword. That will keep your ad from showing on searches for "flower gardens" or similar terms. This helps to ensure that only interested customers see your ads.
• Find synonyms - or not. The Use synonyms box in the Descriptive words or phrases option is always ticked by default. (This means that it might suggest "bed and breakfast" as a synonym for the keyword "hotel".) If you un-tick the box, the tool will only suggest keywords that contain at least one of the terms that you entered.
• Specify a language and location. If you're using the Keyword Tool while signed in to your account, you may see an option to tailor results to a particular location and language. If you happen to be targeting Spanish speakers who live in France, make sure that you set the Keyword Tool to that language and location.
• Start broad and then get specific. Try broad terms like "flowers" in the Keyword Tool first. Then try specific terms like "red roses" or "miniature cactus".

The Keyword Tool also makes it easy to add keywords to your ad group if you're already signed in to your account. Just click 'add' next to the appropriate results. If you're not signed in to your account and you're using the stand-alone Keyword Tool, you can just copy the keywords to a separate document, then paste them into your ad group once you're signed in.

Use the Keyword Tool now.

When was your paper written, I need to know if it is still relevant?

Well, it was originally written around May 2005. But the thing about mathematics is: once is true it’s always true - maths doesn’t change over time…

Google may change the amount that pagerank influences the final choice and ordering of results - but the algorithm called “pagerank”, and my analysis of it, won’t change ever.

If my website has no backlinks will my pagerank be 0 or very low and is there a risk of the website being de-indexed?

The lowest absolute pagerank a page can have is 0.15 due to the “(1 - d)” part of the equation. But this is likely to show up as 0 on the Google browser toolbar tool.

Your site is likely to be de-indexed if it has no links inbound though - I do remember reading that the Pagerank engine does do an optimisation before it calculates the PRs in that it removes pages from the database that have no links to them.

This is quite reasonable given the original motivation of pagerank:

PageRank can be thought of as a model of user behavior. We assume there is a “random surfer” who is given a web page at random and keeps clicking on links, never hitting “back” but eventually gets bored and starts on another random page.

If a site or page has no inbound links then the “random surfer” can never get there. (well, ok, unless the “random surfer” starts out inside your site of course…)

But it’s quite hard to have absolutely no inbound links. It only takes just one public link for your site to be “on” the web. DMOZ is a good place to put your one link if there’s absolutely no other avenue open to you (though this is very unlikely)

Can I reproduce your article on my website. I will of course give you 100% credit

No you cannot!

I’m very happy for people to produce translations of the paper, reproduce it in books, use it as an educational aid in a class or reproduce parts of it for comment - basically anything that adds value - as long as:

1. you give the full URL to my original as a reference - http://www.ianrogers.net/google-page-rank/
2. let me know so I can add a link to the translations page.

But, no, of course you can’t just copy it for your own site, don’t be so lazy!…