Google has released an updated version of its keyword suggestion tool, this time within the AdWords interface and also way, way cooler.

To access the tool, look for the “Opportunities” tab in your Google AdWords account. From there, click on “Keyword Tool” underneath the “Tools” section, about halfway down the left side of the page. On the “Keyword Tool” page, look for “Check out the New Keyword Tool (beta),” and click. Voilà, you’re there. (more…)

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WordStream recently launched a beta version of its new keyword suggestion tool, appropriately named “The Free Keyword Tool.” The UI is clean and simple to figure out, which makes it a quick, user-friendly addition to the task of keyword generation.

The functionality is pretty user-friendly:

• Step 1: In the first box, I give it my list of preliminary keywords or phrases (I see no mention of a keyword limit, so the more the merrier).
• Step 2: Those keywords generate a list of related keywords in a second box that I may choose to add to my preliminary list in the first box.  For example, if I have “greyhound” in my preliminary list, I may decide to add “dog,” “pet,” “adoption,” and others to help narrow out keyphrases related to Greyhound buses.  Because box #1 is a simple text box, I can also type in or delete any keywords.
• Step 3: After I’m done with my preliminary list in box #1 and considering the related keywords in box #2, I can start browsing through the final suggestions (read: zillions).  I can also copy the first 100 results into a notepad or Word doc (w/ relative volume estimates), or, even better, I can email the keywords to myself, my boss, my client, or whomever.  Pretty handy.

So, the pros and cons …

Pros:

• Extensive keyword suggestions – could be helpful in coming up with valuable negative keywords.
• Email keywords feature is very nice – allows me to quickly save and share keywords from any computer without having to worry about losing my work.
• “Related keywords” feature helps narrow down my initial list and gives me more targeted keyphrases than those generated from my preliminary list alone.
• Simple, self-explanatory UI.

Cons:

• Extensive keyword suggestions (yes, this could go either way) – if you’re looking for very specific suggestions and don’t want to spend too much time browsing through keyword ideas, this may not be the tool for you.  Most ad campaigns don’t need thousands of keywords anyway.
• There is no way to edit the final suggested keyword list online without first downloading the list or emailing it to yourself.  Maybe that’s something WordStream can include later, seeing as how it’s a popular feature of other keyword tools.

Needless to say, there is no perfect keyword suggestion tool.  The best ad campaigns are initiated from content on your site, considerations from all your favorite keyword tools, and, most importantly, simple common sense.

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Last week, I had the chance to present at the Houston Technology Center’s educational series, Web Based Startup School, for startup entrepreneurs and companies that live on the internet. The topic was SEO mistakes that I think are absolutely inexcusable to make. I ended up talking about way more than five of course. I then reviewed a startup website owned by an entrepreneur in the audience. Overall, it was an interactive session with quite a few questions from the audience. The feedback I got was great. You can view my presentation hosted on Slideshare.net.

For a discussion on the topic, connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn or follow me on Twitter.

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