Effective Keyword Research Tips – Target Lock to Targeted Traffic

What is Keyword Research?

An article about keyword research tips without the definition of the concept wouldn’t do much for a total internet marketing beginner, would it? Keyword research is an aspect of search engine marketing; it is actually the starting point of ALL search engine marketing campaigns. Keyword research is the process of finding specific search terms and phrases which people type inside search engine query boxes.

Why would you need Keyword Research?

Keyword research’s ultimate use is in search engine optimization. In the year 2008 alone, there was around 100,000,000,000 internet ‘searches’ – and all those zeroes weren’t typos. SEO professionals use keyword research to attain better search engine rankings in the desired keywords and niches. Better search engine rankings mean more targeted traffic.

Keyword research also allows the internet marketer to keep an eye on demand trends and curves. Using information derived from keyword tools, you can detect changes in the market. In the internet, demand would be indicated by the number of people actively looking for or asking about a product, service or event. With demand tracking, you can find out which goods are high in demand.

Effective Tips on Keyword Research Approach

Use search engine marketing tools specifically geared for keyword research. This includes word tracking tools that provide niche-related keywords, long tail keywords, competitor search engine ranking information and search engine traffic volumes. You can easily use tools free online, although Google’s SEM tools are the most widely used.

Mix guesswork with science. Most internet marketers fail in keyword research because they tend to focus too much on what they think is right, especially if they know a lot about a certain niche. However, internet marketing operates in a different plane and it would be best to integrate knowledge warehouse and the tools. Give more weight to what keyword research tools tell you.

Put yourself on the potential customer’s shoes. What do you think would they be asking for or typing in search engines? Use this in conjunction with keyword research tools.

Select several initial keywords from a variety of keyword research tools and resources.

Rank keywords according to search volume number and relevance. In assessing relevance, you can use a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being highly relevant. This needs a realistic and honest approach. For example, a highly relevant incoming search terms for a website of a landscaping contractor is “landscape design” as opposed to “swimming pool installation”, even when you know for a fact that a good number landscaping contractors can also work on swimming pool installation. Low-competition to medium-competition keywords are recommended for beginners and internet marketers operating in a smaller scale.

Scout competition. You can use keyword research tools to find out about how your competitor’s keyword marketing is getting along. All you need to do is input their URL and information about incoming search terms and search volume would be generated. You also can input the search term and browse the websites of the top contenders.

Lastly (and this is one of those keyword research tips that hardly make it to other lists), after completing the implementation phase of keyword research, never forget to track and monitor market changes. Search terms that were widely used a year ago may have been overshadowed by new search terms and long tail phrases. Be on the lookout for trends in keywords and keyword phrases.