When performing market niche and keyword research, Google is a great resource but don’t forget about other methods and sources for online research and information. In fact, it is always beneficial to use tools other than Google in order to get a very comprehensive, unbiased list of keywords, affiliate marketing programs, and possible niches.
If you are serious about performing detailed online research, then you will certainly want to use these additional sources.
Yahoo For Online Research
Often overlooked as ‘only’ the second largest global search engine, Yahoo still has a lot to offer the internet marketer. Yahoo Shopping, easily accessed from the search engine’s home page is a good place for online research. Search for your keywords, then drill down according to the department, store, or group. Next to each listing in these categories is the number of websites associated with the keywords.
The Yahoo Buzz Index provides a list of web pages and articles pertaining to the hottest topics on the web. You can scroll through the information according to the most popular subjects, category, or country.
Wordtracker For Online Research
This powerful keyword tool does more than just suggest keywords for your e-commerce business; it provides a lot of ideas regarding a niche market. Start with a single word such as “price”, “buy”, or even something like “eBook” and it instantly returns a list of the most popular searches containing those words. This is a great way to decide on a niche. For instance, if you put in the word “price” and find that most internet users are looking for cheap action adventure DVDs, then you’ve got some new ideas of what products have the best potential for profitability.
But more than just supplying a list of keywords, Wordtracker also provides data regarding how “commercial” and competitive the phrases are using the advanced search feature. The results can be easily exported, allowing for further sorting.
Social Media For Online Research
Also referred to as “crowd-sourcing”, asking a question of followers and friends on a social media site such as LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook is a great way to quickly receive relevant information about a particular topic. Perhaps you want to find out whether two or more affiliate marketing programs offer the right type of products to monetise your site. Why not ask your friends and followers? Give them a choice and ask them to vote.
The same type of procedure could be used for split testing keyword effectiveness or product popularity to determine the best market niche. These are the people you will be selling to so why not get their opinion before you make an e-marketing decision?
Google is a great online research tool but do remember that other resources abound on the internet. Yahoo, Bing, and even local search engines will help you. Above are three ideas of broader venues which provide different information than you will get from using Google alone.
