Could anyone tell me a good method of how to go about getting some good keyword research done without taking weeks on end? What I am looking for would be something that gives you keyword ideas, searches, competition, as wells as cpc stats etc. Is there any type of free resource or software out there that is capable of doing this? I know about wordtracter, keyword discovery, and most of the other tools but I am looking for an alternative(free) way of doing research on niches...if one exists. Any help would be appreciated.
There's some free software floating around, but it's nothing like paid research tools. nichebot.com is nice for a paid service and is much cheaper then other like services. They have a 2 week trial for $1. Maybe worth the buck to check them out? I'll pm you a link to a free software that may help.
wordtracter, keyword discovery, and common sense are the best tools though. There is nothing faster or better. Besides you cannot just set the keywords and walk away. You have to keep track of them just in case you see an opportunity that your site and take a keyword easily.
http://www.vmoptions.com/nicheexaminer.exe It gives access to wordtracker's free list. It's not mine, so don't yell at me if it does not do all you want! But hey, it's 100% legit free and has a nice interface.