The Internet Marketer» SEO Keywords

Keyword research | Getting access to Local Search Trends

Pete — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:09:39 +0000

One of the best tools to find your target keywords for your website is the Google Keyword Tool, and examining the use of keywords over time to see if there’s any seasonality is critical. If there are seasonal movements, you may miss a great potential keyword if you interpret it based on it low ebb.

I find it much easier to slice and dice the keyword data in excel so routinely download from the Keyword Tool in CSV format.
Here’s a typical example of keywords plotted using Local Search Terms data.

The Google Keyword Tool on the other hand reports the nominal Local Monthly Searches as 1,300 searches per month while we can see that in Aug 2010 the top terms where searched 2,400 times – a significant difference!

Until recently Google’s Keyword Tool provided the Local Search trend data and during an upgrade it suddenly disappeared. This was a major issue for Aussies as the only alternative was Google’s Insights for Search. Sure its a nice tool but the issue I have is that it cant work with relatively low search volume keywords – and sadly in Australia that’s nearly everything!

I was impressed to see in the AdWords forum (the Keyword Tool is actually an Adwords facility) that due to end-user feedback the Search Trends data was re-introduced, but as it happens subtly stashed away.

To reveal the Local Search Trends data in the Google Keyword Tool you’ll need to:

Be logged in on a valid Adwords ID
Select your country in Locations and Languages
Click Local Search trends in the Columns dropdown
If you don’t see the Local Search Trends option something’s gone astray in the previous steps

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Google Keyword Tool updated

Pete — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 23:00:39 +0000

Google has quietly slipped a redesigned UI and some new features into it Keyword Tool.

Matthew Carter has written this nice review of these features over at the Affilorama blog

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Google gadgets are more accessible than you might think

Pete — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:29:04 +0000

Google Gadgets have a stunning range of functionality.
I love the fact that despite their sophisticated internals, you can simply copy & paste them into your website.

Check out some of the gadget functionality on offer.

Ive added the Google gadget for Google’s Insights for Search into the right hand column in this blog so you can marvel at what South Aussies are currently searching for…

OK so maybe you’re not that interested in what we do in little ‘ol Adelaide, but look closer at the Insights for Search Gadget and you’ll notice you can even filter the display to particular search terms.

This example shows global searches relating to internet marketing in the last 30 days

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Insights for search evolves

Pete — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:08:33 +0000

Insights for Search is a valuable keyword research tool, but who does keyword research ?

If you are able to take time to view the video below you will get a glimpse of how keyword research should be a significant contributor to your online and even offline marketing efforts.

A series of enhancements to Insight for Search announced in Inside AdWords today also signals its continuing evolution, with Google adding additional data sources, categories and greater granularity although sadly only in the US.

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Keywords metatag died in 2002

Pete — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:32:48 +0000

Keyword metatag

This article dating back to 2002 (that’s correct 2002!) is just one of a plethora of articles and controlled SEO experiments that have shown the keyword metatag has no affect on Google.

Unfortunately some folks just don’t get it.

Perhaps its because the tag’s name suggest that’s what it does and its just too damn temping to ignore it.

If you’re paying for SEO services and they are getting stuck into your keywords metatag you’d be better off looking elsewhere for your SEO services.

There, Ive said. I feel better now.

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Google Insights for Search – An interesting Keyword research tool

Pete — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:14:31 +0000

If doing keyword research is important to you, then Google’s new keyword tool Insight is well worth a look at http://www.google.com/insights/search

Insights for Search is an interesting extension to Google Trends functionality showing the relative volumes of searches regionally in geographical ‘heat diagrams’ as well as Trends original time based graphs

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Buying keywords

Pete — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:08:36 +0000

Which keywords should you buy ?
‘Paying for keywords’ as part of a website search optimisation strategy is common practice as internet sales competition heats up in Australia.

Frequently, and sadly we find Customers making poor keyword investments.

The Overture keyword database, the traditional free source for identifying keywords has been frozen, and although it may still produce output, the data is signfnicantly aged and irrelevant.

Alternatives are expensive and until recently didn’t provide keywords filtered to the Australian marketplace.

Risk mitigation strategy:

Ensure your keyword strategy is based on contemporary and relevant keyword information.

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Its all about Keywords

Pete — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 05:45:34 +0000

Keywords are the foundation of paid and organic search success.

Yet in my ongoing mission to convince South Australian businesses to invest in internet marketing, one of my greatest challenges is getting them to optimise their keywords.

In considering what a keyword is, there are really three manifestations of keywords and to be effective, each needs to be aligned with the next. I’ve developed this simple model to illustrate their relationship:

Keywords are:

1. Client’s words
Words that your clients use to describe the products or services you wish to promote online. This is easy to determine – you just listen to what your clients say when they are talking about your products – you’re doing that already – right?

2. Current searches
Yes, it is possible to extract search history from Google. Its quite legal and VERY interesting to see what is actually being searched for.

You would be surprised (maybe horrified) at the poor use of grammar and the predominance of dyslexic-like searches. Interestingly, as we are all becoming more sophisticated searchers, so our search criteria is evolving from single words into a short phrases of three and even four words.

Search engine extracts are the ultimate reference for fine tuning keywords because they show exactly what your clients are searching for. Importantly they also provide search volumes (i.e. the size of the market) and results (i.e. your competition).

Handy indeed, and a critical consideration when selecting your keywords.

3. In your website
Ultimately your website is where your keywords need to reside.
Critically, your first audience for the site’s keywords is not prospective clients, but search engine spiders. These programs trawl the internet scanning websites examining keywords for use by the search engine for your clients searches.

The spider will determine which words are predominate in your site. Configuring your website to achieve this is a challenge in its own right but fundamnetally ensuring those words are quite evident in your site.

As a result of this discussion, a more accurate definition for keyword might now be:

“A short phrase predominate in your website,
searched for frequently by prospective clients”

Keyword alignment, is a term I use to describe the relationship of these three keyword manifestations, and when optimal, maximises your site’s sales effectiveness.

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