In this first installment of our series on tools, I’m going to begin with what is probably the most commonly used tool on the Internet by Internet marketers. I am talking about keyword research tools.
Think about it. What is the first thing you do when you want to see if a niche is profitable? You head on over to your favorite keyword tool and look up keywords associated with that niche to see how many searches are done in those niches on a monthly or even daily basis.
One of the biggest problems with these tools, as great as they are to have, is that there is very little consistency between them. In other words, one keyword tool may report that “pet supplies” are searched for 1000 times a month while another tool may report that the number of monthly searches is closer to 300. And then there are tools that give you a daily count and you have to figure out the monthly totals by doing a little math. It’s enough to drive you to drink.
So what’s the answer? With so many keyword tools to choose from, how do you know which one to use? The answer is actually a lot simpler than you realize.
You simply pick one. It doesn’t matter which one and here’s why. Because the numbers are all different, there is really no way to tell which tool gives the most accurate results. However, once you start using a tool and observe the results you get with it, not just the number of searches but also the amount of traffic you get, you’ll be able to pretty much gauge how much traffic you’ll get from other keywords in comparison. It’s not an exact science but it’s as close as you’re going to get with keyword tools. As long as you understand that the results aren’t going to be perfect.
Okay, having said that, I do have my favorite. But before I get to it, let me warn you about the keyword tools that are based on Overture results. They are not at all reliable. As a matter of fact, by the time you are reading this, they may not even exist anymore. Overture stats are not updated regularly and the numbers just aren’t reliable at all…and that’s when the tool is even working. Many times you will find that it is down.
So who do I like? I like the free Wordtracker tool. It is always up and I can pretty much count on the numbers that I get. Plus, they update it almost daily. Speaking of daily, Wordtracker is a daily count tool. So if you want to get the total of monthly searches, you’ll have to multiply the number you get by 30.
I don’t know about you, but I would be lost without my keyword tools. If you pick one and use it regularly, you will find that it will provide you with everything you need. Well, as far as keywords go. I have yet to figure out how to get it to make me a mean milkshake.
