I just used the Keyword Playground tool over at Webconfs.com and I gotta say that I like it. Basically, you type in a main keyword, say health insurance, and the Keyword Playground tool will get related words and search volume from the Overture database (which you normally have to be a Yahoo customer to use.)
As we tell many affiliates, lists like this and the keyword lists generated by services like Wordtracker are great to use a starting point for your PPC keyword list.
What I mean by starting point is that all of the keywords on these free services are being targeted in PPC campaigns by hundreds of marketers. While they tend to have high lead volume, these large words tend to be expensive from a PPC standpoint.
So what should you do to leverage off of these expensive terms?
Just take the words from these lists and add some variation. Add terms like "buy," "find," and "internet" to the terms in those lists. Add state names before and after the words. Look at the list and think of different ways to say the same thing.
I am always amazed when I see reports showing a sample of what people type into search engines. While a majority of people looking for something like health insurance are going to type "health insurance" into the search engine, there are still millions of people who will type in longer, multi-word queries. This kind of traffic is sometimes referred to as the "long-tail," and let me tell you, there is a lot of opportunity for affiliates in the "long-tail."
So take some time, get creative, and think of all of the keyword variations you can. Have your spouse, friends, and kids help you even. If you can think of it, there is a good chance that someone may type it in.
To demonstrate this, here are some examples of actual queries typed in to search engines that include the words "health insurance":
"health insurance- should companies be required to provide it as an employee benefit"
"how many people in the united states does not have health insurance?"
"i am 18 years old and i am looking the cheapest health insurance in Michigan"
"in:anywhere where to buy the major medical plan health insurance in state of n.j"
"help me find a damn health insurance even though i don't work!!"
Alright, you get the picture, people type in some pretty ambitious stuff.
So, if you have been putting off PPC because it is too expensive, you might want to start thinking about the long-tail. While it does take some work to create a large keyword list, it can really payoff for you in the long run.
Happy keyword generating!
