SEO Tips: Keyword Research

All of the search engine optimization in the world won't bring you search engine traffic if you are not optimizing for good keywords.

Choosing the best keywords is a critical success factor for search engine optimization, and the key to choosing the best keywords is research.

Keyword research consists of two types of tasks:

1. Brainstorming keywords
2. Keyword validation

Brainstorming Keywords

Brainstorming is a creative process where you attempt to think of new keywords that relate to your web site.

The creative process can be assisted by using resources which help to focus your mind and trigger the formation of new ideas.

Here are a few resources which are useful in the keyword research process:

eBay

Browse through the eBay categories that are relevant to your web site.

Look for keywords that eBay sellers are using to highlight their goods.

DMOZ

Browse through the DMOZ listings for other web sites in the same categories as your web site.

Try to find the keywords that your competitors are optimizing for in their DMOZ descriptions.

Books

Read books on topics related to your web site. As you go through each book, write down every keyword which you belive could be a good one for your web site.

Magazines

Read magazines on topics related to your web site. As you go through each magazine, write down every keyword which you belive could be a good one for your web site.

Competitors

Make a list of your web sites top competitors. Browse each of those web sites, making note of what keywords each of their pages is optimized for.

Thesaurus

A thesaurus can be a useful resource for finding synonyms for keywords that you have already identified.

Google AdWords Keyword Tool

The Google AdWords Keyword Tool is designed to assist AdWords advertisers in finding keywords to advertise for, but it works almost as well for web publishers.

Log Files

Once your web site has been running for some time, your web server log files become an invaluable asset for keyword research.

Using your preferred reporting tool, review the keywords that actual visitors are using to find your site. You will find that you are receiving traffic on keywords that you had never thought of. Build new pages optimized for eachof those keywords.


Keyword Validation

Once you have a few pages of keywords, it's time to validate them.

Validation is a process where you attempt to identify keywords that meet two main SEO requirements:

1. The keywords should be popular with web searchers.
2. The keywords should not have strong competition from other web publishers.

Keyword validation is somewhat of a black art. Until you build a web page optimized for a certain keyword, you will never really know how competitive that keyword phrase is.

Here are a few web tools which are designed to give you guidance in validating your keywords:

Wordtracker

Overture

Digital Point Keyword Suggestion Tool

Cool SEO Tool

Niche Watch



This is the third post in a series of SEO Tips. The other posts in this series are SEO Tips: On Page Optimization and SEO Tips: Link Building.

 

Thanks rubeina; writers live for feedback.

 

Will.Spencer: You're one of the few big earners who shares practical tips. Good call, brother.

Pete

 

Good stuff. Being #1 for a search term that doesn't get any searches won't help anything.

 

Hey, thanks a lot. I was going to try and make a good post on DP about ways to find keywords but you answered all my questions. *Bookmarked*

Thanks again

 

That's not so true. If you rank #1 for a term that goes no searches; it can be an excellent barometer if google (or another SE) changes something. If the ranking drops, its never too difficult to figure out where you are - and possibly what caused it.

 

Will, all three posts in your series have been very helpful.

Equally inspiring is your choice of avatars — Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell. Awesome men. Who's next? Maybe Larry Elder?

 

thanks for the usefulll tips...

 

Henny gets credit for Walter Williams.

Next is my favorite politician from the last century, Barry Goldwater.

 

Henny Youngman: 1906-1998
Thanks for the tips btw.

Just to spare yourself from all the hassle of surfing through Dmoz, Ebay, and Books, Use Webceo's keyword suggestion tool to get keywords, then use those keywords to check the competetion and also check your competitors in the niche using it.
Why bother?

 

Great suggestions!

 

thank u so much for the tips !!