Keyword Tools
Keywords Make The World Go Round
Choosing what keywords to use for your site can be a difficult process. After all, who really knows what people are typing to to find your business? Web Design and Company has compiled a list of the best free keyword tools, to help you make informed decisions regarding keyword selection. Don't optimize around things that no one is searching for. You seem like a very smart person, and we don't want you to do that.
What Are Keywords?
According to Google, keywords are defined as "a word or concept of great significance". Sure sounds authentic, but it doesn't directly relate to our use of the term here. Bruce Clay gives a much better example of defining keywords in the article What Are Keywords, and Why Do They Matter:
"Keywords are single words, or more commonly strings of words, that represent the content of a web page and how people ask for web content."
Much better. So now that we know what a keyword is, and what their functions are, we can see the importance of choosing the correct one when optimizing for users and trying to gain search results position.
Keyword Research Tools
The list below represents the best, cream-of-the-crop free keyword tools available. By using these tools and the data they provide, you can get a better idea of what users are typing in to optimize for paid or organic search. These are top dogs in their area of expertise, and simple to use. Let's begin.
KeywordSpy.com
The name of this tool is great, as it literally lets you "spy" on keywords. One of the nicest features about this software is the ease of use. Simply type in any domain you wish to "spy" on. The information you get in return is impressive for a free trial. Some of the info you receive includes data on paid search, who their competitors are, keywords they spend the most money on, amount of clicks per day, and more. The tabbed navigation is nice too, and while you only get 10-20 results in each tab (free version is limited), the information you get is worth it. With the paid version, you can even export your findings into lists of Excel, CSV, or Google Spreadsheets. Sweet!
Another nice feature of KeywordSpy is the Competitors tab, where you can compare organic and paid competitors side by side. They even offer a browser plugin for Chrome and Firefox, so you can research keywords directly from your browser! Interested in learning more? You can download the trial version of KeywordSpy, or if you want to purchase, they offer four different packages, based upon your needs. You can view pricing here.
SEMRush.com
SEMRush is a bit different in their execution, as it is a paid tool, with a free option. SEMRush's keyword tool offers information regarding how large a competitive field for a given keyword is, related keywords, and how many results are available for global keywords. Showing how large the field is for a keyword or keyword group can help you truly understand what you are up against when you begin optimizing your organic search marketing or PPC campaign.
This leads us into the related keywords data generated by this, as some of the keywords that came back were related, but not in an exact way. For example, in the demo on their webpage, they use ebay.com as an example. In the related keywords section, you see that ebay classifeds and ebay motors are included. After seeing the suggested keywords, it can give you an idea of what negative keywords to include in your PPC efforts.
Wordstream.com
Wordstream is a free keyword tool that allows you to see what keywords are related to the ones you want to target. Using their free keyword tool, simply enter in a keyword you want to check, and click "get keyword ideas". For our query, we typed in hiking boots. As you can see from the picture, it gives you a basic idea of what keywords are related to the one you entered. Wordstream is also recommended by Search Engine Journal, a leading authority in SEO and SEM. You can read Search Engine Journal's review of Wordstream here.
Wordstream also offer a multitude of other keyword products, including negative keyword tool, niche finder, and keyword grouper. All seem to work very well. (We will be covering these other products in another review, so stay tuned for updates.)
That completes our free keyword tool review round up. By choosing any one of the products above, you will have an educated advantage before choosing what keywords to include on your site, and optimize around. If you found this tool valuable, check out the links below. Want even more? Google offers a great keyword tool, with their Adwords keyword planner. This requires an Adwords account to use, but setting one up is very simple. Learn how to set up an adwords account here. Another great resource for free keyword tools was written by Jenny Halasz, of Search Engine Land. If you have any questions regarding what you have learned, or are interested in hiring Web Design and Company for SEO Services, get in touch here. Request Consultation >
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