How to finalize the keywords for SEO?

[IM_Learner]

Hi,

I use the following method for keyword research:

1. Create a long raw list of keywords.
2. Use Google AdWords Keyword tool to find monthly searches.
3. Find raw competition.
4. Find direct competition (via allinanchor: search operator)
5. Calculate KEI (Keyword Effectiveness Index)
6. Calculate KOI (Keyword Opportunity Index)

Is there any other (better) way to execute the keyword research? Or is finalizing/selecting the keywords only on the basis of monthly searches sufficient? In short, how to select the best keywords from a long list?

Thanks & Regards

[TimKelsey]

Hi Shailendra,

It sounds like your off to a pretty good start, but there are a couple other things you should consider including. KEI and KOI might give you a rough idea of the competition, but they don't really tell you how difficult it will be to rank for those keywords.

I'd run your keywords through Moz's Keyword Difficulty Tool which gives each keyword a score between 1 and 100 based on the Page Authority and Domain Authority of the top ten results. Using this tool can help you weed out keywords that your site simply isn't strong enough to compete on.

Another option (if you have a little money to spend) is to run a small AdWords campaign and see which keywords have the highest conversion rate. This will help you identify keywords that don't necessarily have a ton of monthly searches but can help your website reach its ultimate goals.

Hope this helps!

Tim