The #1 FREE Internet Marketing Tool Just Got a Whole Lot Better

The free Google AdWords Keyword Tool has been our favorite keyword research tool for some time now. It's easy to use, it uses actual Google data, and, as noted, it's free!

Google recently started making the beta version of its new keyword research tool more available to the general public -- and it now offers an even greater wealth of information you can use to:

• Identify profitable business ideas
• Optimize your site for the search engines
• Run highly targeted PPC campaigns
• Connect with your audience online

Today we're going to take a closer look at some of the great new features offered in the beta tool so you can ramp up your keyword research and start taking advantage of all this great new information right away.

Brand-New Interface

This is what the current keyword tool looks like:

And this is what your results look like:

Now here's what the new beta version looks like:

And here are the results:

So far, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of difference, except for the fact that the new tool displays the website search-based function more prominently in the interface (great for seeing what keywords your competitors are using), and it offers search trends in the default results.

But when you look over at the sidebar on the left of the search results, what do you see? Something new -- and very interesting.

Refine Your Search by Category

Google now shows you a list of categories and identifies the categories that it associates with the keyword results it has given you. For example, for the keyword "gardening tips" the following categories have been highlighted by Google:

All of the highlighted ones are blue: Food, Gifts & Occasions, Home & Garden, Media & Events, and Sports & Leisure. By unchecking the boxes of the categories that don't interest you, you can refine your search query and make sure you only get the most relevant results.

More Lateral Keywords

When you take a closer look at your keyword results, you'll soon discover another major difference -- Google's new keyword tool provides far more lateral keywords in the search results. By "lateral," we mean keywords that are closely associated to the one you searched but don't include the exact words in the phrase.

For example, if you search the term, "gardening tips," you'll get keywords such as...

• flower gardening tips
• organic gardening tips
• vegetable gardening tips
• roses gardening tips

But you'll also get keywords such as...

• gardeners tips
• square foot gardening
• gardening advice

This is a HUGE improvement! Instead of having to brainstorm those lateral keywords all at once, you get them all in one giant list so you can see how they compare at a glance.

But just in case you want to split up those categories into separate lists, not to worry. Google now makes it easy for you to do that, too! Under the categories box in the left sidebar you'll find another box which shows all the main keyword silos (as identified by Google) as well as how many are in each silo:

If you want to drill down and explore the keywords in a particular silo (such as organic gardening) simply uncheck the other boxes and run another search.

12 Months of Search Results by Country

Google has always let you define the region you want to see search results for. All you have to do is specify the country and language in the Advanced Options menu, which you'll find beneath the main search bar at the top of the page.

This is handy when you want to see how different keywords perform in different countries. For example, if you live in the US and are trying to target the UK with some of your marketing efforts, you may discover that the keyword that generates the best results in your home country is NOT the best one for the campaigns you run abroad.

What's new here is that you're now seeing "local" results based on the last 12 months of data, rather than just the last month.
 

Now Includes Mobile Search Data

Another significant new addition to the tool is the inclusion of mobile search data. When you go to run a search, click on the Advanced Options link and then check the box beside "mobile search."

This will show you how many searches are being done on those keywords via mobile phone. This is great information if you're trying to target mobile phone users with any of your marketing campaigns.
 

Direct Link to Google Insight for More Info

Google now includes a "Google Insights" link next to each keyword in the search results.

This allows you to easily access more valuable data on how that keyword has performed over time, and whether its popularity is growing or declining.

The Bad News...

Unfortunately, the news isn't all great. After making its already amazing tool that much more useful, Google has decided to allow only registered Google AdWords members the opportunity to use it.

In the past, you could just go straight to the Google AdWords Keyword Tool website and start using the tool right away. Now you have to be logged into a Google AdWords account, which is kind of a hassle.

The good news is, it's free to sign up for an AdWords account and you don't have to be running any actual AdWords campaigns in order to use the tool. But it's annoying to see Google make such an obvious effort to force people into signing up for their programs. It makes you wonder what they'll do next to make us more completely dependent on them.

That said, the new Google AdWords Keyword Tool is probably the most valuable free Internet marketing tool available. If you're not using it to improve your PPC campaigns, enhance your search optimization efforts, and search for new product ideas and revenue streams, then the time to get started is today.

Have You Tried the New Beta Version Yet?

If so, let us know what you think of it.