Tag Archives: google
Defining Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research is without a doubt, the single most important factor of any SEO campaign. Picking a good keyword phrase can mean the difference between generating hundreds of interested extra visitors per month and a wasted effort.
The first question on everyones mind is, just how do we know what a good keyword phrase is? Thats where the various keyword tools on the market come into play. The purpose of this short article is not to advertise the various keyword tools available, but to explain their purpose and functions and to give you some ideas and resources to enable you to determine the best keyword research tool for your needs.
What do Keyword Research Tools do?
Sounds like a rather silly question they do keyword research! But lets look more specifically into what information the tools generate:
– They build hundreds of keyword ideas around one source keyword
– They generate “long tail keywords” that are easier to get ranked for
– They show you the competition levels of each keyword phrase
– They show you monthly search volumes for each keyword phrase
– Some even tell you in pure English whether its a good choice or not
In short, they come up with more keyword suggestions you or I could ever think of, and give some kind of indication to how easy it will be to get ranked high in the search engines for those keywords and keyword phrases.
Note – all the keyword tools I have used require you to have a Google AdWords account (free), and uses that account to interface into the Google network to pull keyword information. The difference between the tools is what information is pulled and how it is presented to you.
Criteria for Choosing the Best Keyword Research Tool
Determining the best keyword research tool can differ person to person. For example, some people like things simple, some prefer more advanced options and granularity at the cost of a steeper learning curve. Here are several considerations I thought about when choosing a keyword tool:
– Cost this is very dependent on the individual. There are hundreds of keyword tools to choose from and can cost from $0 to thousands per year! Generally speaking, the more mainstream keyword research tools are somewhere between $75 and $150.
– Ease of use YouTube is your friend here! There are some very good video walkthroughs on all the major tools. Most vendors also offer a free trial period where you can test the tool out yourself before committing to a purchase.
– Effectiveness both cost and ease of use are irrelevant if the tool does not work. Use Google to search for reviews on the various keyword tools you like the look of, find some step-by-step real world examples of the keyword tool in use.
Conclusion
When starting out in the SEO world, I used the free Google keyword suggestion tool. Indeed this tool is often better than some of the premium tools out there, and the information is pulled directly from Google (no middle man so to speak), so you can assume the information is as reliable as you can get.
I had relative success with the Google Keyword Tool, but the one downside to the Google tool is it still leaves a lot of guesswork. It wasnt until I started using a premium keyword research tool that I started getting my articles on the front page of Google.
How Not to Do SEO in the Age of Penguins and Pandas
In light of Google’s recent major updates, Penguin and Panda, it’s a shame to see how many questionable Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) “experts” and agencies are still risking their reputations and doing more harm than good to clients by attempting to use dodgy techniques to boost site visibility and traffic. They are demonstrating precisely the kind of behaviour that Google and other search engines have been aiming to eliminate.
To avoid ending up in search engine black books, steer clear of dubious schemes and methods, and use only genuine, tried and tested means to enhance your website’s SEO credentials. If looking for ideas and inspiration, visit blogs and forums with a good reputation in the marketing world, such as Econsultancy, SEO Moz, and Graywolf’s SEO Blog.
If you have the budget, don’t hesitate to hire a team of professionals for the best results. This form of marketing is worth investing in so don’t be tricked by low prices. Quality services don’t come cheap.
In brief, the Google Panda update was launched to penalise websites that look and feel “spammy”, while Penguin deals with sites showcasing an unnatural looking backlink profile.
Copy
Long gone are the days when websites stuffed with keywords outperformed others in search engine results pages. This will actually damage your website’s performance rather than improve its chances.
To help realise the severity of this faux-pas, put yourself in a site user’s shoes. It’s very easy to tell when copy has been written for search engines rather than the human eye. This really doesn’t leave a good impression on most customers, and is likely to result in a high bounce rate.
Linking
Diversity has never been as important, and natural diversity at that. Paying for links and getting involved in link farms is to be avoided at all costs unless you fancy getting penalised by the likes of Google who can now smell dodgy scams from a mile away.
Instead, time should be invested in developing relationships with bloggers whose backlinks can mean a lot to sites of all proportions. Though a somewhat aged method, it’s also still worth submitting sites to credible business directories.
Social media strategies can greatly assist in acquiring natural backlink profiles as people share content according to their interests.
SEO must also consider internal linking structures. Similarly to keyword stuffing, internal linking musn’t be exaggerated either. Again, put yourself in a user’s shoes to see whether a link seems natural, and whether the anchor text fits the context. Awkwardly positioned internal links stand out like a sore thumb to both users and search engine spiders.
August Activity: Google Algorithm Changes and SERP Updates
August seems to be the month for shaking things up when it comes to Google search engine rankings. We have come to terms with the often chaotic realities of the Internet Marketing game and assume a comfortable position on the tips of our toes. On any given day weve got our helmets strapped on tight and eagerly await any curveballs that may come our way.
Thus far weve seen new adjustments happening on a daily basis. While there have been rumors spreading like wildfire, we received confirmation of change straight from the source earlier this month.
Google announced a new signal of ranking within their search algorithm in the hopes to “deliver legitimate, quality sources of content more easily.” Depending on the nature of your website and your SEO efforts thus far, these changes could be very beneficial. More often than not, they will have the opposite effect.
These updates are aimed to discourage copyright infringements and will target websites with a high number of valid removal notices. Google will utilize Digital Millennium Copyright Act “takedown” requests to determine the websites that have been repeatedly reported for such violations. When these piracy penalties were released the first site that came to many peoples minds was YouTube, which is the target of many DMCA requests. Those of you addicted to videos of cats or babies laughing have no fear! Google has explained YouTube will not be penalized based on these updates:
“Requests for products other than Google Search (e.g, requests directed at YouTube or Blogger) are not included.”
Now that you can sleep easy knowing that your favorite 90s music video compilations are safe, lets move on to another Awesome August Alteration! See what I did there? Who doesnt love a good alliteration every once and awhile?
News is circulating that Google has been testing a transition away from their traditional 10 listing display. Rather than displaying 10 results per search query, in some cases only 7 are being shown. For example, take a look at my search for “Overstock” earlier today (I like bargain shopping)
Dr. Peter Meyers at SEOmoz explains that while SERPS with less than 10 results arent necessarily a new thing, they have never been as frequent as the increase weve seen in August. Historic frequency ranges between 1-4% whereas now, about 20% of the search engine results pages on Google are showing only 7 listings.
While 20% may seem high, in retrospect its a very small portion of SERPs. Meyers continues on to describe the correlation between this “shrinkage” and the presence of “sitelinks” within listings. Essentially, 7 packs will be displayed if the word used in your search query matches your domain and displays sitelinks.
So, what does this mean for you and your website search engine ranking? The most obvious of challenges comes with the decrease in ranking opportunity. Keywords should be analyzed and adjusted accordingly to give your website the best chance of ranking during this turbulent time. Simply being aware of these changes is the first step in overcoming them. Check back for the play-by-play and rain delays. LocalResults will be keeping our ears close to the ground and our eyes peeled for fly balls!