Google’s New Keyword Search Tool

 had occasion to visit Google (Nasdaq: GOOG)’s new offices here in downtown Austin yesterday. I was getting debriefed on some very interesting search research conducted by Google in partnership with TechTarget.

Nobody told me there was such a thing as a Google office in Austin. Rumors had abounded for months, but I believed they were just that. But, I was there yesterday, and it does exist. And if it’s not really a Google office, it sure looks like one. I might as well have been in a remote wing of Google Mountain View or New York City. However, there was no cafeteria or buffet line in sight.

Speaking of delicious buffets at Google, they introduced a new “search-based keyword tool” recently that is intended to help advertisers find missed opportunities in their keyword spectrum. I thought I would stop by and give it a whirl. I entered “www.ibm.com” and searched to see what other words it might suggest against the primary keyword phrase “turbo.” It was an interesting selection.

For those keywords “related to ibm.com” there was the suggestion “ibm turbo memory.” Suggested bid price: $0.84. Cool, I could use some new memory. I got too much going on and not enough RAM to keep it all together.

Keywords “related to” my search words and phrases brought forth some other interesting suggestions, including “turbo pizza” ($0.37), “turbo subs” ($0.39… Man, anybody getting hungry?), and my personal favorite, “power rangers turbo” (only $0.21 suggested bid price!). That’s cool, so long as I get to play Divatox in the next sequel. Argh!

Anyhow, it’s a fascinating tool, and as much as I’d like to wish it so, I don’t think there’s any amount of new keywords that could save the pulp edition of PC Magazine. PaidContent.org is reporting this morning that Ziff Davis has announced the last print edition of PC Magazine will be dated January 2009. Now that, my friends, will be the end of an era.

At its peak, PC Mag was upwards of 400 and 500 pages — I know, because I used to consume the thing voraciously, ads and all. I can still smell all that color ink fresh off the press.

Out of curiosity, I made a quick pitstop to see what renowned PC Mag columnist John C. Dvorak (dvorak dot org slash blog, for you TWIT fans) had to say about the closing on his blog, and he seemingly hadn’t posted yet about the news.

Or had he? Dvorak’s second lead post on the site at the moment I happened to check in… and I swear on my new Acer Inspire netbook, I couldn’t make this one up: “Dog, Hit at 70mph, Gets Embedded in Grill and Lives.”

Perhaps there’s hope for the print edition of PC Mag yet!