You’ve finally decided to forge ahead with a PPC campaign. Congratulations! While you know there’s a learning curve, you hope to make the most of this strategy from the start.

There may be many questions to answer, but none are as important as this one: which keywords will you use to (hopefully) drive traffic to your website?

Every campaign – regardless of company, budget, or goals – begins with keyword selection. Make the right choices and you’re on the right path from the start. But choose the wrong keywords and you could find yourself scrambling and wondering what went wrong.

There is no exact science for choosing PPC keywords, so it’s critical to experiment with a variety of approaches until you find what generates the best results.

Here are three tips to point you in the right direction as you get started:

1. Conduct as Much Research as Possible

You should never assume you’ll pull keywords out of thin air that allow you to reach your PPC goals. Instead, it takes plenty of research to find the right keywords.  

Fortunately, you aren’t on your own in regards to research. In addition to a variety of tools, you can also spy on your competitors to get a better idea of their approach.

Here are some points to consider when choosing PPC keywords:

•    Cost per click
•    Competition
•    Seasonality
•    Search for keywords used by active buyers

There is no such thing as spending too much time on research, so don’t shy away from this part of the process. It doesn’t cost you anything.

2. Consider the Device

Go back in time 10 or 15 years and the majority of people were searching via a traditional computer. While these searchers are still out there, more people than ever are using mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

Your keyword selection must reflect your audience. For example, if you’re targeting local consumers, there’s a greater chance these people are using a smartphone to search. This calls for a different set of keywords when compared to someone searching on a computer.

3. The Work Never Stops

Consumers change. Search algorithms change. Industries change. With all this in mind, the keywords you use to drive traffic today may not do much for your business next month.

Keep a close eye on what is and isn’t working, how your audience is changing, and the best way to keep up as to outdo the competition.

Do you follow these tips when choosing PPC keywords? Would you add any other points to this list?