• PPC Hero , Thursday, September 11, 2008 3:30 PM

Microsoft may be late to the game with its Ad Intelligence keyword research tool, but according to Joe Kerschbaum, it may have been worth the wait. "I know there [are] a number of keyword tools out there but MSN adCenter Ad Intelligence is quickly becoming my favorite because of the quality of the results; the breadth of data for each keyword; and it's [sic] relatively easy-to-use interface within Excel (2003 & 2007)," he says.

His review focuses on the keyword generation portion of the tool (called Keyword Wizard), which lets you build an extensive list from a seed of just a few keywords. Ad Intelligence can then suggest alternatives based on advertiser bidding behavior, terms that fit in the same category, or phrases that actually contain the chosen word within them. You can also tweak the relevance of the ensuing suggestions (straying as far from your original choice or exploring wider targets as you see fit).

Where Ad Intelligence really excels is in the details, as the tool provides insights on the suggested keywords' possible monthly traffic and monetization (in terms of projected CPCs, CTRs and impressions). "The adCenter folks have done a good job pulling together a useful keyword tool that is quite robust," he says.

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