For those of you participating in search engine marketing, specifically pay per click within Google Adwords, you understand the importance of doing it right to maximize ROI.

There are plenty of e-books, "definitive guides," seminars and tools to help support your efforts - but every once in a while you come across a (often simple) tool that becomes a permanent part of your marketing arsenal or process. Such is Microsoft's Commercial Intention tool.

 Why is this valuable? Fact is, most search marketers get overly focused on click through rates. The reality is good marketers are not as interested in click action as they are in conversion (i.e. download, register, buy) action. Microsoft's tool essentially enables you to run a search query on any keyword to determine the probability of a user's intent to pursue information or transactional activity beyond the first click.  

Having this kind of information in hand can sharpen your focus when it comes to ad spends dedicated to certain search terms or how budget should be shifted from one campaign to another.