Monday, September 13, 2010

Where to find good SEO keywords for your online articles

There are several tactics you can employ in order to find good SEO keywords for your online articles. If you have an idea of the topic you’d like to cover, one of the simplest methods is to employ basic keyword research. Once you have a list of keywords with high search volume, you can narrow down your choices into a list of keywords that best suits your desired niche.

Google AdWords Keyword Tool

The most commonly used keyword generation tool is the AdWords keyword tool provided by Google. You don’t have to have an AdWords account to use it, but your results will be more in-depth if you register. To use this keyword tool, all you have to do is list one or two words related to your topic. The keyword suggestion tool will then provide a list of possible keywords across several categories.

It’s best to narrow down the keyword lists to focus on your specific niche. This can be as simple as choosing one category to search within, or as complicated as choosing the location of the person performing the search, the language of the search query, or various subcategories within the search. You can also filter the results to only show keywords that have a certain search volume, so that you don’t waste your time with keywords that no one is searching for.

Once you have your keyword list in place, Google AdWords allows you to download the list, so you can reference the keywords as you write, or categorize them further within your own SEO strategy. A good way to do this is to group related keywords together and use them to make article topic sets.

WordStream Keyword Tools

Another keyword tool suite you might consider is WordStream SEO. They have several tools available on their website to help you find good SEO keywords for your online articles. Their web interface is simpler than AdWords – you just enter a keyword and the tool provides you with a list of possible keywords to explore. This can be useful if you are just starting out with your keyword research and need some general direction on which way to go.

Another useful tool on the site is the niche finder. You can get groups of keyword topics related to your original keyword. This can be helpful if you are trying to come up with keywords for a particular subset of your general keyword topics. By uncovering which niches get the most searches, and which topics within each niche are most often searched, you can build a list of article topics and keywords for your website content that will draw in more traffic.

Picking SEO Keywords with Staying Power

An important aspect of picking good SEO keywords is choosing terms that users will continue to search for in the future. In order to get the most accurate assessment of any keywords you choose, you need to be aware of trends in search volume. For this purpose, Google Trends is an excellent tool. You simply enter the keyword phrase and Google will provide a graph of the search volume across several years. If you see the search term is increasing in volume or holding steady, then it’s safe to assume that you’ll be able to generate traffic for this term continually over several years. If, however, you notice a steady decline in searches, your keyword may be on its way out in terms of search volume. Avoid any keywords that seem to be heading for a rock bottom in search engine volume, as you may not see much traffic from those terms in years to come.

Researching Article Topics

Once you have your listed keywords, you can find relevant topics by simply plugging in those keywords into article marketing sites, such as EzineArticles, or blog sites such as WordPress or Blogger. You can also search using these terms in your favorite search engine to see what sites and ads come up. This is a quick way to check out the competition before you start writing. In this way, you are sure to get the best SEO keyword phrases that are actually useable as article topics.

By combining keyword research with research into viable article topics, you’ll be able to focus your writing on the subjects your target audience wants to read more about. Choosing keywords that have both high search volume and a positive search trend will ensure that you have the best chances of gaining traffic for your articles, regardless of where they are posted.

9 comments:

  1. Highly insightful blog Ill be back here often!

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  2. Thanks for the helpful tips, I'll try to put them into practice now :D

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  3. thanks for the tips, i'll have to check these out later

    also, please disable your captchas

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  4. Wow! That was in depth! I need to work on this keyword thing.

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  5. that was a very interesting read

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