Keyword Research Tools
Search Engine Optimization by nature is a finicky beast, and the parameters of SEO change rapidly, so constant experimentation and improvement are often necessary. You can collect data via search ads, and from relevant content that major search engines suggest on various sidebars. When you collect data via search ads, you access what the customer is actively searching for. This means you improve your searchability based upon hard numbers and customer preference.
By collecting data from sidebar content analysis, you can see the type of content your customers are searching for, and what search engines like Google are suggesting for them. This, in turn, can provide you with even more information from which to evaluate your client’s needs and tendencies.
Free Keyword Research Tools Online
There are many keyword research tools available to assist with keyword data analysis and other research. A couple of free ones include WordStream and Ubersuggest. Both offer ways to analyze keywords at zero cost to you.
WordStream utilizes Internet search providers, browser toolbars, and search engines to find keyword relate-ability. A search for “popcorn,” for example, elicits numbers for Google search volume, WS search volume, and bar graphs that depict the relative frequency of the appearance of the keyword and its variations.
With the same keyword, Ubersuggest offers “popcorn” plus every letter (and keyword phrase) associated with every letter of the alphabet (such as “popcorn names” and “popcorn netflix”) as well as “popcorn” plus number variations.
Paid Keyword Research Tools From Google
The ubiquitous search engine giant Google also has a few handy tools that are well worth the cost. You can collect data via search ads with Google AdWords, which provides customers with exact matches for your website and only requires payment if they actually click on your website. Google Insights allows you to track and compare trends, although it won’t help you estimate traffic.
Google Analytics is another behemoth tool that helps you see how users are accessing your content, whether via websites, social media, or mobile communication, and you can map out exact keyword phrases that your website visitors used to land on your site.
These tools are only as useful as your keywords are optimized, however, so remember that it is important to generate content that’s focused on providing your clients with what they want, not what you think they might want. In the end, focus on the customer versus the search engine spiders.
The old way to perform SEO was to stuff as many relevant keywords into your blog posts and web content – however, just intensifying the density of your keywords insults the intelligence of your customer, and may in the end lead to lower quality traffic on your site. The quality of your keywords, and the way you place them in the context of your products, is the more efficient way to perform SEO.
COMING SOON: PART 3 / DENSITY, OPTIMIZATION & LONG-TAIL FORMS
[Photo Via: ArchTools]
