Most internet marketers start developing a list of keywords by thinking. They think about their business, think about the products or services they are offering, and then think about how ordinary consumers might search to find these items. This is a good starting point but it is certainly not a method of scientific research.
Rather than going about the process using hit or miss methodology, consider taking a more focused approach by using some of the many keyword research tools available. After all, you don’t want to waste your time with SEO or marketing dollars on a PPC campaign that is using ineffective keywords.
Keyword Research Tools
There are many keyword research tools available on the internet, both free and paid. Perhaps the largest and most popular is Google Adwords keyword tool. This is a great free tool that anyone can use – even without starting an actual paid Google Adwords campaign. This is a great place to start.
But true research means that you can’t rely on one tool alone. Consider taking your Google results and comparing them to what you will find using WordTracker, Keyword Discovery, Overture, or SEO Book – all free online programs.
If you doubt the quality of the keywords you find with these free tools, you can also plunk down some of your marketing dollars and opt for a paid program such as Market Samurai (which is one of the best keyword research tools available in my opinion) or a subscription to the above mentioned free sites.
Other Places To Research Keywords
Take a look at your competitors’ websites and advertisements. It should be fairly easy to see what keywords they are using, by reading their banner ad headlines and/or the H1 text on their pages, meta tags, etc.
Take a look at your website statistics. The program should list the search terms used by regular everyday users to find your pages. Examine it closely and list those keywords that actually got a visitor to a page they were interested in, as evidenced by the exit page and time spent on the site.
Best Practices
No matter what methods you use to perform keyword research, do consider making a spreadsheet where you can list all your findings and sort them according to traffic statistics. This allows you to make a more informed decision about which keywords are best to use in your PPC campaign, in your content, and for your social media and blog posts.
Perform split testing. Use the top five or so keyword phrases simultaneously with the same ad or copy and see which gets the most amount of qualified traffic. Don’t rely on number of visitors alone; determine which keywords resulted in the highest number of click-throughs to your buy page or a completion of your call to action.
Don’t forget long tail keywords, too. Often the most popular search terms are out of reach of your marketing budget but long tail keywords may be very affordable – and gain traffic from very specific market segments related to your business niche and under-served by your competitors.
The importance of using keyword research tools and finding the right keywords cannot be overstated. Your website, pay per click campaign, internet marketing efforts, distributed content – the effectiveness of all these factors relies directly on using the best keywords to drive qualified traffic.
About Sean Rasmussen
Hi Sean,
Coming up with good keywords is defiantly not easy so having the right tools to find out if it might work is a must.
Rita
I use MS and it is brilliant. I have found combining tools as you suggest is the best way to go.
A quick search in the Adwords tool uncovers for me a list of possible candidates in which I do in depth analysis in MS. MS holds all the information together so it is very easy to manage
Agree with you here Gee. While I use as many tools as possible, I do enjoy MS the most. There are some things that I would like to see changed in the tool to make it more user friendly, but I enjoy the all encompassing features that it provides.
Hello Sean,
Great Article on Keyword Research tool and Best Practices. I use Google Adwords Keyword Tool, probably not as much as I really should be. I have yet to use Market Samurai. Both David and I know about Market Samurai so we really should be using all the tools that the internet offers for our website
Cheers
Lisa
Thinking about your keywords is vital for your success and must be done at early stages of the business. And cannot agree more that using long tail keywords reduces your competition dramatically and is worth pursuing.
Lena & Dima
My favourite tool definitely is Market Samurai, as I have several tools combined in one and the results are all stored in one place. But I think it pays to check out other tools as well as they might come up with other ideas that work even better.
Hi Renee
I too have Market Samurai and also using other tools but I am a little slow coming up with unique keywords its not easy.
Thumbs Up for MS. Definitely worth the investment.
Rita
Are you concentrating on the amount of searches? As you get into more detailed posts you can drop the searches down.
I use some keywords as low as 10 searches but use related words with them. I even use kws from other posts as related kws
Hi Gee,
that’s very clever, well done. I just came across another tip – use the same or related keyword for 1 month or so in your posts, so you have not only one but a handful of posts all concentrating on the same area. Seems to impress Google – and you don’t have to come up with that many new keywords
I have just put a post on my totaltravelexperience.com without doing any keyword research a Easter last year a friend of mine lost her son in a boating accident so I have used the keyword Easter Safety, I wrote the article then pressed publish before I even thought about keywords. I know it was done all wrong but I just did not think
Rita
Hi Sean,
I am finding when I read your articles, I keep thinking – ‘of course! – why didn’t I think of that?’
I’m learning how much I am distracting myself with the second half of the thought, and now letting myself just learn from a master!
I struggle with keyword research but these tools make it much easier. This post will help when I’m working on it again. I invested in Market Samurai and it’s a great tool. I also use Google Adwords Keyword tool. The best practice ideas of using a spreadsheet is a great idea.
This is why I like to work with Market Samurai as Keyword Research Tool. It stores all the data and figures and I can go back and see what I have already checked and dig deeper on favourite keywords.
Market Samurai is certainly a great tool for keyword research Renee. It does cost a few dollars, but is well worth it for those people who are serious about online marketing and organic results.
There is definitely a place for each of the major tools. My first preference is Market Samurai. But it is as if the Market is a big mansion with many windows. Each tool gives you access to different windows with different points of view and different rooms. Some give you access to multiple windows. But the more different windows you look through the more certain you are of what is inside.
I’ve held off from getting MS long enough now… I’ve made it my next priority. Is it easy to use? It does look bit scary at first.
Like anything, it will take a little time to work out how to use it to your full advantage Lina. MS have plenty of tutorials available to get you underway fairly quickly.
Go for it, Lina. You are so clever, Lina, I predict you will soon be telling everyone else how to use MS.
Hi Sean,
I use Market Samurai predominantly for all my keyword research. I only use the free tools when I’m having difficulty coming up with the right keyword. Am I relying too heavily on one tool? Should I be using the others more regularly?
I don’t think you will go too far wrong using MS, it is a quality tool that delivers quality information.
Hi Sean
Good keywords are definitely king, right in there alongside content.
I would use Market Samurai for my keyword research. I am not so good at it yet but I just keep looking at the training videos and I know it will all start to kick in eventually.
One of my leading goals is to be fantastic at keyword research.
Nice article. It’s always nice to pick others brains in regards to keyword research strategies. Personally, I use Adwords as a step one and gather those words, but I then open SEMRUSH.com, search the clients competitors, export spreadsheet, sort by volume and analyze. It is an efficient strategy.
I have never used MS but I am about to give it a shot! Has anyone used or heard of Raventools.com? It looks useful but I want some opinions before signing up