How To Research Key Words

This is the natural sequel to my "Naming A Blog" post if you want to inject a little science into your blogging. Of course, you are always free to just rely on your gut feel (like I did when I decided on my first blog) and pick whatever keywords catch your fancy as you look up the ceiling or stare out your window. If that's your pleasure, you can altogether stop here and do other things where you can use your time more productively. However, since I've traveled that road before, I can say that time spent for a little keyword research won't hurt, especially if you intend to build a business around your blog later on.

Keyword Research Tools

There are a number of keyword research tools available on the Web. Some are free and some are not (but offer free trial like this). Since there are free tools, you absolutely have no reason for not at least trying them. One of the most user-friendly free online tool to use is the Google AdWords Keyword Tool (click the link for easy access to the site). To use it:

1. Set the radio button as shown below:






2. Type the word/s or phrase/s (keyword/s) that you want to research on the box provided, then click the button provided below the box as shown below :









3. After the results are displayed, filter your results by choosing either "Show All" or "Show default" in the drop box provided (you do this by clicking the arrow which I highlighted on the right, then clicking again your choice from the menu that drops down):




4. If you choose the "Show default" mode, only three (3) columns will be displayed, as shown below:




5. On the other hand, if you choose the "Show all" mode, six (6) columns will be displayed, as follows:




To illustrate how one can use the results of this keyword research tool, I typed 4 phrases, namely: "investment banker", "investment banking", "ibanker", and "ibanking" in the appropriate box. The tool came up with 21 major results (although I only searched for 4 terms, remember?) and 114 additional keywords to consider as well. But just to focus on my 4 original keywords, here's a screenshot of the results using the "Show All" mode:







As you can see from the above table, it can be concluded that:

--The keyword "investment banking" has a better average search volume than keyword "investment banker."

--Advertisers favor the terms "investment banking" and "investment banker" over "ibanking" or "ibanker."

--As for their respective short names, "ibanker" gave a better average search volume than "ibanking."

--Searches for "investment banking" and "ibanking" peak during June/July, while searches for "investment banker" peak in April.

In other words, had I known about this tool when I was just deciding to blog, I might have named my first blog as "My Investment Banking Blog" instead of "An Investment Banker's Take On Life" based purely on projected visitor traffic via the search engines.

Search Behavior That You Should Consider in Keyword Selection

These are interesting findings from Oznet.com.au about the behavior of Internet users that a blogger has to bear in mind:

1.They visit a top 5 search engine and type in a word or two.

2. Then they examine the search result, up to 2 maximum 3 pages.

3. If the result does not show them what they are looking for, they will try different keyword combinations.

4. If they still don't get what they want they switch to a different search engine and repeat the process.

If you'll click the above link I provided for Oznet.com.au, you'll discover that there are still more useful tips about keyword research in that site, especially for businesses that intend to sell products or services online.

Resource Links:

For the benefit of others who'd prefer a briefing on the subject of keyword research in video format, I have embedded the following two YouTube videos for their convenience:

1. Keyword Research Video, Part 1




2. Keyword Research Video, Part 2