How to do a comprehensive SEO Keyword Research
-
Hi,
What are the best tools and techniques to do a comprehensive keyword research on all the relevant search engines?
There are times when there are no stats available on the Google keyword planner tool, in that case what do you suggest?
Thanks
-
Try the guys over at wordstream.com too...odd site with some understanding needed to parse the answers but yeah, it's a diff source that might help too....
-
My keyword research normally consists of the Google keyword planner to get an initial list of ideas, the website http://keywordtool.io/ which is great for finding long tail keywords and finally i use Moz's keyword difficulty tool to check how hard it will be to rank for a certain keywords.
Good luck!
-
Layth,
I have found that the quality of the tool is not necessarily reflected in its cost. Generally speaking, tools you pay for have more in-depth metrics or have special reports that you can use moving forward. That being said, some of my favorite tools are free to use.
For keyword targeting (in Google), I generally use a combination of the following:
Google Keyword Planner - Search Volume and paid competition levels
Open Site Explorer - Search Volume and accurate organic keyword competition
Uber-Suggest - Creates lists of relevant keyword search termsThis is where I spend most of my time, but there are other tools out there that I use in special circumstances - these 3 will get you off to a solid start, though.
It's all about finding the right approach that is suited to you.
All the best,
Rob
-
One quick question, Rob.. What exactly is the difference between paid and free tools. Does paid means that the results are more accurate?
If yes what do you use and recommend?
-
Thanks a lot Rob!
Appreciate it! I often get stuck where there are no stats in google keyword planner tool, I am sure the video would help.
-
Hello Layth,
There are many different methods and tools for this aspect of SEO. First thing to keep in mind is that the Keyword Planner uses paid monthly search volume as a metric, meaning you aren't getting the full picture using it alone, especially where competition levels are concerned.
All search engines use different algorithms for search results, so you are likely to find that certain strategies that are effective in regards to Google don't pan out so well in Yahoo! or Bing (and vice versa).
Here is a list of free and paid keyword search tools that are effective for one (or several) search engine(s):
http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/
This will allow you to pick and choose between tools that work best for your specific needs (whether you are making lists for clients or targeting your own site specifically).
As far as techniques are concerned, there are different approaches depending on your goals. It depends on if you are looking to provide information to your users, create a lead generation funnel (build a client base), or develop a conversion-oriented approach. All of these things are necessary to some degree or another, it just depends what your goals are and how much focus you want to put into each category.
Keywords for these topics might differ. For example, say you have a client that wants to sell cars:
Information would be search terms related to new or used cars on the market ("best used cars", "2015 cars", "new car models", etc.).
Lead generation would be "best car dealerships (city)" "best new car salesman" "where to buy new cars"
Conversion might be "cost of new car (city)" "buying 2015 (car model) (city)" or something like that.
At the end of the day, you have to consider which of these approaches is likely to suit both you and your customers best. Research keywords that you think your customers would use if they were looking for your product, and try to convert those leads. Getting lots of traffic by targeting high-volume keywords is no use if you aren't converting them.
To deal with both volume and conversion there is always the option of acquiring a consultant to help you devise a keyword research strategy, although some hard work, focus and determination will usually yield some results for you.
Lastly, if there are no stats available on the Keyword Planner, you can try with a different tool or find another set of keywords that will create interest in your (or your client's) product. Rand Fishkin did a nice piece on this exact topic on Friday:
http://moz.com/blog/hacking-keyword-targeting-whiteboard-friday
Go over that video and see if there are some useful tips you can take away to help with building keywords and terms to target.
If you have any further questions feel free to ask.
All the best,
Rob
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Documenting keyword research results
I really struggle to document my keyword research results in a usable way. I know the strategy for finding keywords but I wonder if there's a spreadsheet template or some guidance on the process that could help me organise things better
Keyword Research | | Lazeh0 -
Publish an article for blog before the Keyword research
Hi, my first time in the community. my web site is pretty new and I'm focusing now on the Onsite SEO. I am using an outsourcing company that writing me content, and I want to start my blog and publish it. but, I didn't finish yet my Keyword research, is it useless from google perspective to publish it without any keywords? it can hurt my site if ill publish it without any keywords inside of the article? or it still can be good for my site ranking/power? thanks !!!
Keyword Research | | TalPard10 -
Is it a bad idea to hyphenate keywords?
Hello, my understanding was that Google reads hyphens in keywords as spaces, but if that's accurate how come keywords with hyphens that I research with Keyword Explorer — for instance, hospital-acquired infections — rank lower when I include the hyphen? If the hyphen hurts SEO, do I have to remove them all from the blog or page in question? Removing hyphens means a blog or page will have punctuation errors, which is irritating to an editor, but I don't want to sacrifice the effectiveness of keywords, either. Thanks, in advance, for your response!
Keyword Research | | SallieJ0 -
Keyword Planning and Site Architecture
Hi all, I'd like to know your thoughts on keyword planning and site architecture. I thought it was best practice to structure your website so specific pages target certain keywords. The titles, meta desc. and content on these pages should be unique to that page. I've had good success ranking pages this way. But! How come so often you'll see a website that has no keyword planning ranking so well? Let's take the example: "Bamboo Sheets". A top ranking website in my country sells all kinds of bamboo bedding, including sheets, towels, pillow cases, etc. They have "Bamboo Sheets" in the title & meta description for the main category page (www.store.com/bamboo-sheets) - which is where it should be. But then I see it again on the homepage title & meta (www.store.com) and other pages of the website. So why aren't they cannibalizing their own pages? And why do they blog about Bamboo Sheets and not cannibalize the keyword from there? Is landing page optimization just a myth? It seems entire websites built around a keyword rank just as well, and in most cases, much better than sites with keyword specific landing pages. If you only sell one product this isn't a problem, but for websites that offer multiple products or services, it's incredibly frustrating when trying to compete. It's like Google still gives a lot of authority to keyword rich domain names and business names. Thoughts?
Keyword Research | | Onlineorders0 -
Selecting keywords
hello, i am using google adwords search terms to find keywords, first of all is that a good practice? If it is then i have the below question: What is most important to take into consideration when thinking of a better keyword: a) impressions b) Most conversotions c) Both in a combination i want to import that keywords in moz pro to see search visibility is that the right way? Which keywords are the most important and how can i chase them? i have to mention here that my adwords account is from 2010 so the data are very much!! Please be specific in for answer thanks in advance
Keyword Research | | anavasis0 -
What place does plural versions of keywords have in keyword research?
Working on doing a massive keyword research project for my sites, one of the things I am trying to figure out is if I should be including plural versions of keywords. For example, should you include yoga mat as well as yoga mats?
Keyword Research | | ShockoeCommerce0 -
Help needed on the keyword research tool
I am running the keyword research tool and the Google AdWords Broad Match Google AdWords Exact Match are coming up unavailable,i live in South Africa and i use this software for clients here, every time I run this it doesn't show, why...............? its not my internet, I have a 10mb line, even when I refresh the page it doesnt pick the volumes up Capturehelp.JPG
Keyword Research | | nick_pageone0 -
Keyword difficulty %age
I am using the Seomoz keyword tool to do some research. Some of the keywords I am researching are returning with a difficulty of 20 - 30% , are these good percentage keywords to target. I will obviously be following Seomoz tips / methods etc
Keyword Research | | wtfi0