The most important aspect of search engine optimization (SEO) is keyword research and analysis. Without a doubt, picking the right SEO keywords is one of the hardest skills to have for any online marketer, and it’s unfortunately one of those things where you’re not going to be 100% right all the time.
Most of us begin finding keywords by using the Google Keyword Tool, which is very helpful and something you can’t thank Google enough, because their rivals Yahoo/Bing don’t have such a thing as comprehenisve and transparent. However, the flaw behind using Google’s keyword tool as your first step is that it specifies only search make up from their Adwords platform. The data presented by Google is too commercial and their sole intention is to provide advertisers with additional keywords they can target and ultimately bid for. The keyword suggestions are based on the number searches per month and how much on average each click is per advertiser.
When it comes to ranking organically for keywords in the search engines you must consider other factors outside of Google’s Keyword Tool.
First, write a small description of what your company does and what kind of value you provide to your clients. This small description will help an SEO company or an SEO expert identify the main keyword the company is trying to target, and open the floor to acquire longer-tail keywords or key phrases that help explain what the business does.
Second, if you have any form of analytics properly setup on your website, take a look to see if there is any search terms or search data that gave you organic traffic. The basis of some of the keywords searched on your site, can help you think of other keywords that can be used within your website or for blog posts or articles that sit outside of your website.
Third, look at other helpful free resources. Below is a list of free SEO tools we would recommend looking into before using the almighty Google Keyword Tool:
- Keyword Discovery Tool – Trellian’s free keyword discovery tool. Trellian also has a paid version keyword tool.
- Microsoft Advertising Intelligence – in Beta, but this is Bing’s and Yahoo’s version of Google Adwords Keyword Tool that allows you to determine additional keywords from the main one’s you want to target.
- Wordtracker – a free keyword tool with training videos. A paid version is available.
Fourth, use the suggestion bar provided by Google, Yahoo and Bing. In some cases, you can find long-tail keywords to target and write articles or blogs around it. Simply type in one or two words inside the search bar and see what the search engines suggest.
Fifth, invest in an SEO company. An SEO company can provide realistic expectations and guide you throughout the process. The key in SEO is to find the right keywords and the right SEO company, where both the SEO company and the client are on the same page and equally work hard to achieve great results.