SEO Secret 1: Tools for Success – In-Depth Analysis Made Easy(er)

[Part 2 of a 6 part series called SEO Basics: 5 SEO Secrets for Creating Content that Drives Traffic]

Each time you consider writing an new piece of content, you should be thinking not only about what content would engage the person reading it, but also how will that person find the content you are creating.  What search terms will they use when looking for that content.  What mind-frame will they be in?  

For example, if you are writing about a new product release, should you focus on the name of the product, the manufacturer, or, something else entirely?  Or, if you are writing about optimizing sites for search engines, should you use SEO or Search Engine Optimization?  

Using these tools will help you answer those key questions.  And by answering these questions, you will start to put yourself in the mindset of the people who you want to read your article, which will in turn help you determine what keywords you should focus on as well as answer the key question, ‘What’s in it for me?’, as you write your content.  

To help, there are 3 key tools that you should be familiar with when you begin thinking about the keywords you are going to use in your content.  

Google AutoSuggest – www.google.com 

You are probably already familiar with this tool.  Every time you start to perform a search on Google, you are suggested up to 5 terms as you being to type.  These terms are generated by search volume, meaning that they are terms that people are actually searching for.  

Key Point: Google AutoSuggest helps you understand what’s popular.

Let’s say you are going to write about the new iPhone 5, for example.  Using Google AutoSuggest, you can tell that people are interested in its release date, what features it may have and any rumors are out there about the phone.  


This information is beneficial for two reasons.  

First, it tells you which facets of what you are writing about are interesting to people.  If it is suggested, it means that people are looking for information about it, that they are interested in it enough to search for it.  Back to our example, if you were writing a piece about the iPhone, you would know now that people are interested about rumors of when it will be released and what features it will have.  

Takeaway: By including these concepts in your content, you make it more relevant and interesting to your readers.

Second, a general SEO rule of thumb is that the longer a targeted search phrase is, the less competition you will have for it, and the more likely you are to rank for it.  So, ranking for ‘iPhone’ will be harder than ranking for ‘iPhone 5’ which is still harder than ranking for ‘iPhone 5 release date’.

Takeaway: By using more complex terms in your content, you are more likely to rank higher for those searches.

Google Trends – www.google.com/trends

Google Trends is a quick and easy way to compare trending graphs of various keyword terms.  For example, you can see from the chart below that not only is iPhone 5 Release getting more search traffic, but it is also growing at a HUGE rate compared to its counterparts.  So, if you had to pick keyword term to write about, ‘iPhone 5 release’ is looking pretty good!

Key Point: Google Trends helps you compare multiple keywords for search volume over time.


But, search volume alone is not enough information for you to make your final decision on which keyword you should pick.  To make a good decision, you also need to know how competitive each word is.

Takeaway: Search volume alone is insufficient to use to pick a keyword.

Google Adwords Keyword Tool – http://adwords.google.com

The final tool in your SEO toolkit is the Google Adwords Keyword Tool.  This free tool allows you to quickly and easily perform in-depth analysis about various keywords with the click of a button.  It not only shows you similar keywords to the one you enter, but it also shows you how competitive each word is and their overall search volume.  

Key Point: The Google Adwords Keyword Tool allows you to analyze competition and volume.

So, let’s go back to our ‘iPhone 5 release’ example.  
 

From the report, you can see that the competition for iPhone 5 release date is relatively low and that there are a decent amount of monthly searches for that term.  You can also see that people are interested specifically in the iPhone in relation to ‘verizon’ and that they are also very interested in the iPhone 4 (although it is a LOT more competitive of a term).  

Now, you know that iPhone 5 release is a pretty solid term to write about.  You also know  to talk about Verizon & AT&T when you can and possibly even mention the iPhone 4 in your content.

Key Point: Best Keywords = More Complex + Trending Positively + High Volume + Low Competition

NEXT CHAPTER: Keyword Placement – Positioning is Everything

All Chapters

Introduction: SEO Basics: 5 SEO Secrets for Creating Content that Drives Traffic
Secret #1: Tools for Success – In-Depth Analysis Made Easy(er)
Secret #2: Keyword Placement – Positioning is Everything
Secret #3: Keyword Variation & Relation – Because ‘Other’ Keywords Matter, Too!
Secret #4: Making Your Content a Resource – Going Above and Beyond
Secret #5: Sharing your Content – Because Links are SEO Gold!