Doing keyword research is kinda like fishing!
Think about it.
There are those who ‘like to fish and will bait their hook and throw their line in the water and relax.
Then there are those whom are fanatics about fishing, that will bait their hook, throw their line in the water….then every couple of minutes pull it up to see if the bait is still there, change the bait, cast in a different direction, or even change locations.
Which style works the best…who knows?
They both catch fish!
OK…back to internet marketing.
Keyword fanatics will research continuously to insure they have the most current, and the most productive keywords on their sites, blogs, and ads. These folks can tell you exactly what the CTR is for each of their keywords, the seasonal impact to sales, and show you a long list of keywords they’re currently analyzing.
Non-keyword fanatics (most of us) will have done their initial keyword research when they built their site, and maybe every now and then will have added another one or two to the list. They agree that keyword selection is important, but it’s just not a big part of their overall strategy (we don’t like to do it).
Which style works the best……who knows?
They both sell products!
Let’s talk…
If you fall within the fanatical side of keyword research then I would suggest that you step up to one of the high-end services that will analyze keyword data from literally millions of searches across the web. Keyword Discovery is one of the best. It’s not cheap, its professional grade, but for some projects nothing else should be used.
The majority of online entrepreneurs fall within the non-fanatical group because they don’t know how to do keyword research, don’t have the budget resources for the ‘professional grade’ tools, or just don’t feel it’s that important to their business.
Trust me, it IS that important to your business…and I’m going to pass along some useful techniques and tools that will help you improve your businesses.
First of all realize that without quality keywords on your site, blog, newsletters, ads, PPC, etc. your content is missing a ton of views.
Every internet shopper, browser; potential customer, each has a few words in their mind that are related to the information for which they’re searching. These are the words they type into their search engine when they want to get additional info or make a purchase.
Let’s say you’re in the custom furniture building business.
If the ‘best’ keywords (determined by Google Keyword Tool as the words being typed into Search Engines the most frequently by those looking for custom furniture) for this niche are: furniture, custom furniture, and design furniture. Then these are words that you want inserted all over your site, ads, blog, content, etc. If not, those searching the web using these ‘best’, most popular, most used words will never find you when they search > No Sales.
Non-keyword fanatics will find research tools like Wordtracker or Wordze to be very helpful.
TIP:
Once you’ve reduced your keyword search to your chosen ‘best’, it’s time to take it one small step further.
Let’s go back to our custom furniture niche example:
You’ve been in the business for several years, following the trends in the market and have a steady customer flow; but you’re receiving fewer and fewer inquiries each month.
Problem: You’re marketing, i.e. keywords are focused towards Early American style furniture and the market is changing to more Queen Anne or Colonial styles.
Who would have known? You should have!
That’s why you must mark your calendar and at least every 90 days re-evaluate your keywords. Yes, that means doing the research AGAIN, making a new list, and inserting them into your site, blog, newsletters, content, etc.
That’s called marketing your product.
TIP:
Use tools like Google Trends. It’s a free tool that has a ton of information. Looks a little overwhelming at first but don’t be scared off; spend some time with it and get to know all the info it offers. Great investment in your business.
Here’s 5 more:
TIP:
The social networking world is literally changing our vocabulary every day. It’s a great place to discover how word meanings are changing in conversation. What’s being talked about, new interests, fads, styles, etc.
Just type in your niche, and/or keywords and see what comes up. Start with Twitter, Google+, and Facebook. If you don’t have accounts…get one open. Put one on your work PC, one on your laptop, and one on your smartphone. When you have a couple of minutes…just browse!
Twitter has one of the best search tools available….again,free!
Twitter has dashboard tools like HootSuite and Tweetdeck that will give you pages of valuable keyword information.
Facebook: A little more difficult to maneuver but use the search box at the top of the page (click the magnifying glass for a short cut), then click the Public Posts and review the conversations about your niche.
Have you tried Kurrently, or 48ers?
You see, there are many, many sources for you to find valuable keywords.
Don’t get overwhelmed (my problem too!).
Sample a few of the choices and have fun with them. Every few months try another one to keep your site updated and your business running smoothly.
You’ll find your favorites and the ones that connect the best with your niche.
Good luck
Talk soon,
-Jonathan Right