How to Do Proper Keyword Research and Analysis
Do You Struggle to Find Those Gold Nugget Keywords?
For now, taking on the task of proper keyword research to find relevant keywords, or more accurately, key phrases are the main focus of a successful search engine optimization campaign. Some day search engines may be able to index and rank pages based on concepts, but until they do, you need to make some specific choices.
Keeping in mind that search engine optimization is a long term undertaking, choosing the proper and relevant keyword phrases can give a nice boost to your blog’s traffic. Choose the wrong keywords and you can KISS your Efforts Goodbye!
Relevant Keyword Phrases and Quality Content – One Supports the Other!
You can have the most extensive keyword research done on the Planet, but poorly written content will not make up for it with a page full of keyword phrases, especially with the latest Google Panda Update.
The same can be spoken for the old adage, “Content is King!” The greatest content can be written, but will not be noticed without Effective Keyword Research and proper placement of those keyword phrases within your content!
A good site will require both… in the world of Search Engine Optimization; it is a balancing act between quality content and properly chosen keyword phrases. Search engines don’t rank your site as a whole, but the ranking is based on the individual pages creating the theme for your site.
Your first step before you take on the task of keyword research is to make sure that you have a Topic in mind for the article you intend to write about. You can then make appropriate keyword selections that will reflect and enhance the content in your article.
Two things to keep in mind before you take on the task of searching for those relevant keyword phrases.
1. – You must understand that you are not optimizing for keywords you like or think should be associated with your product or service.
2. – You are optimizing for keywords potential customers associate with your product or service.
For example: Let’s say you sell salad through the Internet. You have found an amazing way to keep vegetables crisp and prevent lettuce from wilting. You do some keyword research to find that nobody searches for salad; they search for “mixed greens”. You can insist on optimizing your article for salad, because that is what you sell. Or, you can optimize for mixed greens, get visitors to your site and then educate them as to why salad is better.
Do Not Optimize for a Single Word!
You should never optimize your article for a single word; you optimize for a keyword and the hundreds or thousands of permutations on that word. Let’s go back to the example of “mixed greens”… if you are targeting mixed greens, you should also be targeting buy mixed greens, mixed spring greens, mixed greens salads, etc.
These are called Long-Tailed Keyword Phrases – these are longer niche phrases that do not get as many searches, but they are more targeted towards what you offer on your site. All these key phrases from the words “mixed greens” have the potential to drive more traffic to your site than the one phrase mixed greens would have.
In a nutshell, by breaking down the one keyword phrase, you get the benefits of improved rankings for many more key phrases.
Finding the Right Keyword Research Tools!
Luckily you won’t have to do all the guessing on your own to find the right keywords, you can use some of the great online tools available to help you with your initial brainstorming.
There are several keyword research tools available that are designed for search engine optimization pros looking for the right targets… these services include:
- Wordze: http://www.wordze.com
- Keyword Discover: http://keyworddiscovery.com
- Wordtracker: http://www.wordtracker.com
These services cost a small monthly fee, but they are a good investment. They will provide at-a-glance reports showing keyword demand, competition and quality.
If you are like many and would like a Free tool to use, there is the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. Keep in mind that the Google Keyword tool was designed for Pay Per Click advertising, so to rely solely on it, you may miss some great niche phrases simply because they don’t get a lot of the bids in Google Adwords.
Whether you use the Google Adwords tool by itself or together with another Keyword Research Tool, be sure to use Google Insights to make sure your keyword phrases fit your industry, and Google Trendsto see if your keyword phrase is still a HOT key phrase or not.
You can use the other keyword tools I mentioned earlier to ensure that you get an accurate picture, OR IF YOU WANT THE BEST TOOL AVAILABLE, you can check out Rank Tracker which is the Versatile Keyword Research Tool I use for my clients… it has 20 different keyword research tools to find those profitable keywords… it will also cover misspellings, word mixer, word combination, keyword trends, etc.
A few of the Keyword Research and Analysis Tools that come with Rank Tracker are: Google Related Search, Bing Related Search, Yahoo! Search Assistant, Keyword Discovery, Wordtracker, Yandex Search Suggestions and Google Trends, and these are just 7 out of the 20 at your fingertips.
Rank Tracker also shows my Rankings and Placements for the keyword phrases I target, plus so much more!
Follow the link to watch a professional video that breaks down Rank Tracker and its abilities.
Closing Comments About Keyword Research VS Quality Content!
Even though this whole article is based around keyword research, and the importance of it… always keep in mind that you are writing for readers and not search engines, so don’t ever write your content based on a few keywords that you found. Doing this may lose the continuity at some point and your content will not flow like it should.
As I have always preached along the lines of keyword phrases… Make sure you place your keyword phrases in the beginning and end of your content, and make sure to sprinkle a few variations of your key phrase throughout your content where it looks natural and makes sense.
Another great article to check out for your Keyword Research and Analysis Campaign would be, Keyword Optimization – How to Optimize for Google! This article will give you a break down of the Keyword Processes, plus some basic On Page Optimizing once your keyword research is complete!
THE END!
