Help Picking Keywords

[tliberty]

Hey all,

I am only a couple of months into IM, and am having trouble with keywords. Is there a general formula you guys use when picking KW's?

For example, is it smart to pick a KW form adwords that has low competition but millions of searches a month?

I have a KW phrase that get millions of searches a month, but has low competition. Yet I have not even placed in the top 100 yet.

Thoughts? Direction?

Thanks!

[Nscnikhil]

You have to give some time to your website.If it has millions of searches per month than there is very less chance that it's competition is low.You have to do your keyword research properly,double check your keyword,if you feel that you have done right research than start building backlink.It's the only method which can increase your Ranking dramatically.

[IMnewbie63]

Keyword research is a bit complex.. especially if you are just starting out. Fortunately there are quite a few good resources available, some free some will cost you a bit. If you become a member of the "war room" there are quite a few free products you can get there that will give you guidance on keyword research, the idea is that you contribute as well to help others. I subscribe to a service, nichebot. This is not a plug or promotion, I am not an affiliate it's just that they do have extensive training on keyword research. It is a paid service though.

If you use GKW tool and you can find a keyword or keyphrase with lots of searches and low competition.. that sounds like a winning combination. You may also want to make sure that it has some commercial value and monetization possibilities. Readily available products or services that can be sold.

[Miguelito203]

Originally Posted by tliberty

Hey all,

I am only a couple of months into IM, and am having trouble with keywords. Is there a general formula you guys use when picking KW's?

For example, is it smart to pick a KW form adwords that has low competition but millions of searches a month?

I have a KW phrase that get millions of searches a month, but has low competition. Yet I have not even placed in the top 100 yet.

Thoughts? Direction?

Thanks!

You should choose keywords at the end of the buying cycle - keywords that indicate the potential customer was previously exposed to the product like [product name + review] and so on. These keywords convert the best into sales. The goal is to go for keywords with low competition but high search volume. This can be tricky since keyword tools are usually months behind. Also, how quickly you rank depends on a number of factors like how well your site and page are optimized for said keyword, the competition and more.

Good luck,
Joey

[Fred Young]

Make sure you're using exact match and not broad searches.

[SEO Monster]

Low comp + High search volume is always a winner.

Also make sure your using quality keyword software or the data will be incorrect.

[Tony Marriott]

Originally Posted by tliberty

Hey all,

I am only a couple of months into IM, and am having trouble with keywords. Is there a general formula you guys use when picking KW's?

For example, is it smart to pick a KW form adwords that has low competition but millions of searches a month?

I have a KW phrase that get millions of searches a month, but has low competition. Yet I have not even placed in the top 100 yet.

Thoughts? Direction?

Thanks!

If you have found a low competition keyword with million of searches then you can be pretty sure you have done something wrong.

Either your competition measure is wrong or your search numbers are wrong.

Or the keyword has no commercial value.

Everyone will have there particular preferred method and criteria but here is the basics with some minimum requirements


There are 4 cornerstones to a successful keyword

High Search volume


At least 1000 monthly exact searches


Low competition
Your competition is the top ten search results in Google.
Ignore search result numbers or phrase match search results. The show nothing useful
Use Market samurai (free trial) or Traffic Travis (free)to check competition.
MS has great tutorial videos on Kewyord research so worth watching them even if you don't use MS.

Keyword Value
The keyword itself needs some value (especially if you are using AdSense). Easiest measure is the Average cost per click.- At least $1

Commercial Intent
How likely are the searchers of this keyword likely to but something.
Searchers for “Free downloads” are obviously not likely to buy anything but searchers for “buy widescreen” probably are. T his is difficult to assess with accuracy but one accepted method is to see how many Google AdWord ads display for the search term. If plenty of people are willing to pay to advertise then it is likely to be converting into sales.


There is more complexity around long term revenue, type of site etc but get this basic bit right and you will be a good way up the ladder. Unfortunately get it wrong and any site you create will almos certainly be a wasted time.

[Dominis Marketing]

Long tail keywords are the best ones to target.

Long tails are keywords that are 4 or 5 words long and
are very specific. Example would be "order levi's blue 501 jeans"

If you got a long tail with acceptable volume per month 1K plus, low competition and
it's a buying keyword "order, buy, review, purchase, reserve" then
it a good target.

[clarentino]

I'd go buyer keyword with medium search traffic for example "buy nikon d7000" which gets around 500 searches per month but is highly targeted. I'll then bundle the keyword with other related keywords like "nikon d7000 body", "nikon d7000 body only" that in total will give you quite a significant amount.

[Val Wilson]

Originally Posted by tliberty

I have a KW phrase that get millions of searches a month, but has low competition. Yet I have not even placed in the top 100 yet.

Remember that to get your site to the top of the search engines, picking the right keyword is only the first stage - you need to do some SEO work as well, especially building backlinks. Low competition keywords will need fewer links to rank, but no matter how low the competition, you will still need some.

As for picking the right keywords to start with, John Schwartz has a good WSO that might help CLUEWORDS - Start Finding Better Keywords Today!

[tliberty]

Thanks so much all for the advice. I have taken bits and pieces from you all and made some changes. Again, thanks!

[Mangozoom]

Hey

I always go with the low competition high searches route.

There are a number of place to find keyword suggestions including Google itself.

Just start typing and watch what it actually suggests ... think about it, Google is trying to anticpate what you are after based on what it knows people look for.

This can be a great place to start.

I guarantee it will be to simplistic and idea for some marketers who like to complicate things ... but for me I have been able to get hold of keywords and key phrases that have generated a lot of traffic for me.

Hope this little tip helps

John

[HarrisSun]

use SECockpit for keyword digging if you've got the $$$

[rikored]

Originally Posted by tliberty

For example, is it smart to pick a KW form adwords that has low competition but millions of searches a month?

Millions of searches a month is most likely a keyword that will be highly unlikely a one man band SEO operation will be able to rank for. Be aware that the competition bar indicates CPC/advertiser competition which may be low but doesn't necessarily mean its easier to rank.

In general, it would be difficult to rank for a keyword that gets millions of visitor queries. You are better off targeting long-tail keywords ie. 3/4 words long as you stand a better chance for ranking on these.

IMO though, I wouldn't build an online business reliant solely on organic keyword traffic from search engines due to the risks of them changing their ranking algorithm and thus your site losing position/revenue.

[nethead01]

One of the most important but yet most boring thing in IM is Keyword Research.

There are 2 ways to go about this.

1. Learn Keyword Research yourself by studing some good wso's or just google im sure you could find some good tutorials.

2. Hire someone that knows how to do keyword research. This is a good idea because it might cost you $25 but he has all the proper expensive tools to do it the right way.

Just remember make sure you do not LACK in this area or you will waste a lot of money and time.

[razorico]

I can suggest you to start with long-tail keywords, which will make a first impact to increase your position in serps. I use semrush for picking long-tails. I think it will be better to find similar phrases to your main phrase and use them all.

[scanningindex]

Yes, definite if you got a long tail keywords with high volume and it has low competition then it a good for target for your website.

[offshoredataentry]

hey,
You can always take help from different tools but the best method is to think yourself as a user and which keywords you will enter.