Whether you are targeting organic search engine rankings or formulating your next PPC ad campaign keywords are at the center of all the action.  Everything depends on what keywords you choose and optimize your PC ad campaign for.

When you are researching keywords for your affiliate PPC campaign they tend to be slightly different from what you do when researching keywords for organic search engine optimization.  When you are running your PPC campaign you are paying for every click they send your way so you need to make sure you choose the right keywords.  On the other hand while working on organic search engine optimization you can try to target a wide array of keywords and different combinations because first, traffic never harms (especially these days when the cost of bandwidth is abysmally low) and second you are not paying for every click.

Listed below are some fundamental differences between SEO keyword research and PPC keyword research

In SEO keyword research you don’t have to worry about the volume: even if you are getting 1500-2500 clicks every month, you needn’t worry about anything.

In PPC keyword research volume matters: the more clicks you get the more you pay.  Instead of volume you need to focus on conversion: how many of those actually do business with you.

You can cover a wide range of keywords and combinations in SEO keyword research to attract every sort of traffic.

The selection is narrow in the case of PPC keyword research.  The search terms need to be highly specific so that only those people click your links who really want to purchase something or do business with you.

Keyword intent is not that important in SEO keyword research.  As long as they are coming to your website for the related keywords (although it can be counter-productive if you get loads of traffic but totally tangential search terms) it should be fine with you.

In PPC keyword research you have to focus on people who actually want to buy or purchase something instead of simply looking for free advice and information.

PPC keywords focus on the exact requirement

In PPC campaigns there is no ambiguity, as mentioned above, it will cost you lots of money if you end up targeting wrong keywords and key phrases.

So what sort of keywords you must research for in order to improve your conversion rate and make your PPC campaign more profitable?  Here are some tips you can follow in order to compile a highly effective list of keywords to target to your PPC campaign:

Keywords with commercial intent

You should avoid keywords that help people find free information or free stuff (if you’re not offering them) and instead focus on different combinations of “buy”, “purchase”, etc.  The focus should be on those people who would be interested in buying your products or services and paying for them. It doesn’t mean you have to altogether ditch other keywords.  The sole point is optimizing your keywords so that only those people click your PPC campaign who are really looking to purchase something.

You can eliminate erroneous clicks by including negative keywords.  These are the keywords that prevent your PPC campaign from showing up.  For instance, if you’re selling streaming audio-video content than you might want to avoid getting traffic from those looking for “torrents”, “cracks” and other solutions targeted towards those people who want to download illegal or free stuff.

Keywords with urgency

Some people are looking for an immediate solution rather than simply seeking advice.  They generally use terms like “fix”, “stop”, “repair”, “cure” and other such words.

For instance if you’re selling a toothache medicine you may like to target something like “fast toothache cure” or “toothache medicine”.

Opinion and review keywords

Some people prefer to read reviews before buying products and services. They want to educate themselves before investing money.  If someone wants to buy a digital camera of a particular brand he or she would be seeking some opinion on various websites and keywords with “this camera model review” and “this camera model opinions”.

PPC keywords that your competitors use

It is a good idea to study what strategy your competitors are following while targeting PPC keywords. You can conduct a general search and observe mostly what keywords and key phrases they are using but it is not easy to gauge their true effect. For that you need specialized tools something like this free SEO software tool called Traffic Travis [http://www.traffictravis.com/] that provides your invaluable information such as:

• Who is using specific phrases
• How many users are using particular keywords
• The most popular websites using specific keywords
• Which particular keywords advertisers are sticking with (perhaps the most relevant information this tools provides to you)

In the end, go slow.  Targeting profitable keywords through your PPC campaign is a process that slowly evolves because every business has a unique requirement whether you are promoting affiliates links or selling products and services directly.  Learning the ropes yourself is invaluable and will definitely help you in the long run.  Start with a few keywords and keep tinkering unless you feel you have optimized them. Then gradually start incorporating other keywords.