Search Engine Optimization starts with keyword research. Keyword research gives you insight into the way your prospects search. Often the smallest variation in a keyword will have drastically different competition and search volume. For example, as of this writing the keyword “home improvements” is searched 301,000 times per month on Google. The singular version of the keyword “home improvement” is searched for 6,120,000 times per month. One letter is the difference between a term being searched thousands of times vs millions of times.

How do you find Keywords?

Usually the best keywords are the ones you don’t think your customers are searching for. It is very difficult for a business owner, who is an expert in their field, to step outside of the industry lingo and see how their customers search for services. When I am researching keywords it is always easy to spot the “insider” keywords. They are the ones that have the least amount of searches and the most competition. This makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Your competition and you speak the same language, so you are both filling your copy with these insider buzz words. The problem is your customers don’t speak that language, so these keywords are not being searched. Luckily there are tools to help us out in finding quality keywords.

Google Adwords Keyword Research Tool

There are plenty of keyword tools out there both paid and free. One of the best is the free tool that Google provides. Input a keyword or list of keywords into the tool and hit submit. The research tool will show the keywords you listed, the number of monthly searches, the amount of competition for these words, and a long list of similar keywords.

Start with the list of keywords that you think your customers will search. After running them through the keyword tool, look for the keywords that are getting the most searches with the least amount of competition. The Internet is extremely competitive so be patient. It takes some digging to find good keywords.

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Suggested Reading

[amazonshowcase_fa77ed9e5c9df828f976f6653974f177]

Click image to buy.