Obviously, your goal is to convert that traffic into money in your pocket, but finding the search terms that'll bring traffic to your site is the starting point.
So, aside from using the Free Keyword Suggestion Tools from Google, Wordtracker, and Keyword Discovery, how do you really know which keywords to target in your Niche Marketing efforts?
The free tools are only going to give you an estimate and if you compare the results you get from each one, you'll realize how unreliable they are.
Just as an example, I've checked out the broad returns from each tool for the search term "SEO Specialist" and here are the results:
Wortracker
Keyword Discovery
So as you can clearly see, there are differences. This is not only confusing, but how do you know where the sweet spot is - you don't - it's a guessing game.
I said in my last post about Keyword Elite 2.0 that I would tell you a way to find the best keywords to chase.
I like to think of this Search Engine Optimization Software as my secret weapon for finding out which keywords will not only drive traffic, but get you to number one on the first page in the SERPs. The tool is perfect for any niche market you're in, but it's priceless for deciding whether or not to enter a niche.
SEO SpyGlass is The Best SEO Software I have in my arsenal to find out which keyword to target. Oh, I have my affiliate link in the graphic and I have no-problem promoting it. This tool will pay for itself over and over again if you use it correctly.
However, if you want to try it first, you can download it and use it as long as you want for free, you won't be able to save the results, but you'll still get some of the insight you need. As far as I'm concerned, the paid version is the only way to go and it's only $99.75 US.
Quite simply - Tell you everything you could possible want to know about any url you plug into it. Wanna know every incoming link from the site ranking #1 for the niche you are interested in - you can.
SEO SpyGlass will tell you stuff that you couldn't possibly find without running a PPC campaign in each network. It is AMAZING.
I have to say: I find SEO Spyglass to be much better than Market Samurai for competitive research. With the paid version you can actually collect a competitors' links and then save them on your drive as a file.
Here's the data set for each URL the software collects - this is superb marketing intelligence:
1 - search engine where the backlink is indexed,
2 - backlink page - URL where the backlink resides,
3 - page title,
4 - whether it's a dofollow, nofollow, and if it is live or missing,
5 - the anchored text,
6 - the anchors URL
7 - backlink Page PR,
8 - external links pointing to the the backlink page... just think about that one,
9 - total links on the backlink page,
10 - link value passed from the page,
11 - domain where the page is residing and it's IP and country,
12 - domain PR,
13 - whether it's listed in DMOZ,
14 - whether it's listed in Yahoos paid directory,
15 - Alexa Rank,
16 - age of the Domain,
Now I ask you, if you knew this about each competitor, would that help you? In order to get this depth of info from Market Samurai you would spend days on just one competitor. And in 2 weeks have to do it all over again.
With SEO Spyglass you can either run it for a keyword, or a competitors domain and save it and keep comparing it to the newest info you collect anytime you want to collect. This will tell you exactly what effort the competition is expending on their site and where they are doing the work.
It actually collects the links and you save them on your drive as a file as opposed to sending you off to yahoo site explorer to investigate. You can run the search on any competitor for any of the individual search engines and directories or some or all of them... up to you.
I only use Google and wordtracker for initial keyword research and I check competition with SEO Quake in Firefox.
If I have decided that I am going after a niche, I fire up SEO Spyglass and all is laid bare before me.
If the bot can spider a domain, and it can 99.99 times out of 100, I will find out everything about every keyword you are backlinked for - percentages - the link value and every link pointing to the page you're backlinked on and lots more.
Even though I own Market Samurai, I find it to be useless for checking backlinks. They don't have an affiliate program either, I wish they did.
Link-Assistant has an affiliate program administered through PJN and the support is fabulous.
The tool is absolutely mind blowing and it's support is excellent as well.
If you want a good keyword research tool - get Market Samurai.
But for a link building strategy, SEO Spyglass will get you crucial information, right off you competitors site, that - if used correctly, will enable you to overtake them in rank.
You also have to remember - Great tools are useless if you don't know how to use them properly.
I just recently ran this software on a site ranked in the top three of a niche that is so competitive you'd think it would take years to even get to the first page. I found a search term I had never even thought of and didn't, as a result, look for in my research.
This long tail keyword phrase never once showed up in any Keyword Suggestion Tool and it's the main term this site is getting the majority of traffic for and probably the glue in the whole effort. However, you'd never know it unless you were told, or you had other methods.
Oh, and if you think any Firefox Plugin is going to show you this, your dreaming cause they don't. You need to crawl the site and follow every link.
I've been on blogs where the blogger actually believes the keywords they rank for won't be found. Ya... if you have this software you'll know what they had for breakfast. You'll be able to target the exact anchor text they are getting the backlinks for and in the exact percentages that has gotten them to the top.
I don't want to come off here as a cheerleader but what can I tell you, I just love this SEO software. It IS The Best SEO Software for Niche Marketing. It's Internet Marketing Intelligence that will make your keyword, link building, and anchor text choices an absolute no-brainer.
SEO Spyglass is available for Windows, Linux, AND OS X, but at the risk of sounding biased, It is absolutely the best software for Mac Search Engine Optimization available period... there is nothing better!
Update - The best thing about this SEO Software is that it is constantly being made better.
Read more about the SEO SpyGlass Upgrade
Jim
