19 keyword mining tools and strategies for PPC campaign growth

Are you having trouble finding relevant keywords for your paid search campaigns? It’s time to move beyond only using the Google Keyword Planner and uncover fresh, relevant keywords.

Traditional keyword research tools frequently lack depth, offering only limited insights into the complexities of user search behavior. As a result, PPC managers often struggle to uncover new keyword opportunities.

This article explores 19 tools and strategies for keyword mining to help you discover new search terms and enhance your campaigns. 

By the end, you’ll have an arsenal of techniques to optimize your campaigns and gain a competitive edge in your growth strategy.

Finding new opportunities beyond Google’s Keyword Planner 

Although the Google Keyword Planner is valuable, exploring alternative research methods is crucial for discovering a wider array of relevant searches. 

Increasing the volume of relevant searches is an effective strategy to expand your campaigns and business. A higher volume of qualified and converting traffic can lead to more sales or leads.

Here are some effective tools and strategies you can use when looking to expand your campaigns.

1. Dynamic search ads (DSAs)

These ads leverage website content to automatically generate ads and the associated keywords.

By analyzing the search terms that trigger your DSAs, you can identify valuable keywords to incorporate into your standard search campaigns.

Fellow PPC expert Nils Rooijmans shared on LinkedIn that he likes using DSA campaigns, moving successful terms to revenue-generating campaigns. He also uses ChatGPT for new keyword ideas.

2. Google Search Console

GSC lets you see the search queries that led to clicks on your website. You can use these insights to identify new keywords and optimize your ads accordingly.

Dig deeper: Using search query reports to optimize PPC campaigns

3. Related searches on Google (People also search for)

When you enter a search term into Google, scroll down to the bottom of the page for a list of related searches. These can give you ideas for new keywords or variations of existing ones.

In the example above, I was searching for dance costumes for my daughter and came across some excellent search term suggestions. 

If I were managing a paid search account focused on costumes in these categories, these terms would be a fantastic addition to enhance the account’s effectiveness.

4. Competitor websites

Take inspiration from your competitors’ websites by analyzing their content and identifying relevant keywords they may be using in their paid search campaigns.

5. Google Autocomplete

Pay attention to the suggestions that appear as you type in search queries. These autocomplete options often reveal popular search terms and long-tail variations.

6. Microsoft Advertising

While Google Ads may be the dominant platform, Microsoft Ads search term reports can provide new keyword ideas.

Analyze the search terms that trigger your ads on this platform to discover additional keyword opportunities that can be added to your campaigns in Google Ads.

You can also add terms found in the Google Search Query Report and add them into your Microsoft campaigns.

PPC specialist Petya Yildizgoren validated this tactic on LinkedIn and introduced Amazon Ads as another source for new keywords.

7. Social monitoring tools

Monitor social media platforms to identify industry-specific trends, popular topics and commonly used phrases. 

These insights can help you uncover relevant keywords that align with your target audience’s interests. 

For example, while managing an account, I noticed in the comments that customers favored products made in the U.S.

I added related keywords to key terms, which helped drive additional non-brand traffic for the advertiser.

8. Customer conversations

Listen closely to the conversations your customers have with your support team or sales representatives.

Capture the keywords and phrases they use to describe your products or services.

For example, while working with a client offering a call center service, I discovered that leads used “answering service” instead of “call center” when monitoring their calls.

9. Website survey

Conduct surveys on your website to collect direct feedback from your customers. Focus on the open-ended responses to identify the terms used to describe respondents’ needs and goals.

Many survey tools allow users to analyze and generate reports based on the words in surveys at scale.

10. Social comments

Analyze the comments on your social media posts, as the language used by your audience can provide valuable insights into their search intent.

11. Broad match type

Develop campaigns using broad match type terms without negative keywords to find new keywords from search term reports. 

A valuable tip is to separate these campaigns to ensure your entire budget isn’t consumed by irrelevant keywords.

Dig deeper: Broad match keywords: When to test and when to avoid

12. Keyword research tools

Don’t limit yourself to one keyword research tool. 

Consider using a combination of tools, such as Semrush, Ahrefs or Moz Keyword Explorer, to uncover different perspectives and insights on potential keywords for your campaigns.

13. Google Trends

Use Google Trends to identify popular search terms and their search volume over time. 

This tool can also show related queries and geographic data, giving you a more comprehensive understanding of user behavior.

14. Analytics data

Dive into your website analytics data to see which organic keywords are driving traffic to your site. This can give you a good starting point for identifying relevant keywords for your paid search campaigns.

Don’t rely solely on Google Analytics. Explore other tools like Adobe Analytics, too.

15. Customer persona research

Create customer personas based on demographic, psychographic and behavioral factors.

Use these personas to guide your search for new keywords that align with their interests and behaviors.

16. Customer demographics analysis

Many customers will search in their native language and still make purchases from a website in the local language. In the U.S., for example, you’ll notice many searches in Spanish. 

Bilingual customers are often tolerant of conducting business across languages. Don’t let the absence of a fully translated website prevent you from bidding on keywords in your native language. 

I worked with a healthcare client who added Cantonese and Punjabi keywords and ads, which performed quite well despite the website being in English.

17. Customer reviews

Pay attention to the language used in customer reviews to identify commonly used keywords and phrases related to your products or services. 

This can provide additional insights into your customers’ search behavior and help you uncover new keyword opportunities.

18. Collaborate with your team

Don’t overlook the valuable input from your team members, whether it’s colleagues in different departments or external agencies. They may have unique perspectives and ideas for relevant keywords that you may not have considered.

Dig deeper: How to maximize PPC and SEO data with co-optimization audits

19. Stay up-to-date

Regularly review industry news, updates and  trends to stay current on any emerging topics or terms that could potentially be relevant for your campaigns. 

This can help you stay ahead of the competition and continue to refine your keyword strategy.

Dig deeper: Top 5 ways to stay up to date on paid search trends

Leveling up your PPC query mining strategy

There are many techniques and tools available to conduct keyword research and discover new opportunities for paid search campaigns. 

Additional strategies include:

• Semantic keyword research, which explores related terms and synonyms to expand your keyword list.
• Topic modeling, which uses advanced tools to identify underlying themes in your website content or customer feedback. 
• Seasonal keyword research, which allows you to adjust your strategy for trends like “Black Friday” or “Cyber Monday” and capture additional traffic during peak times.

Suggestions from the paid search community include using Performance Max search categories (as noted by Guillermo Pareja) and tools like Answer the Public for question-based queries (recommended by Neelam Shahzadi).

Many experts also suggest leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT to generate new keyword ideas by seeding prompts with well-performing terms.

Traditional keyword research methods are valuable, but they only scratch the surface of potential opportunities.

By combining these techniques with AI tools, you can uncover hidden gems and optimize your campaigns for maximum ROI.

Whether you’re looking to expand or refine your campaigns, these strategies will help you create a comprehensive keyword approach that goes beyond the limitations of traditional planners and drives business growth.