Ok, this is a very large topic and could span many books but I’m going to give it to you in a nutshell today.  Here is the golden rule to remember: “The Internet is based on words“!   Search Engines, such as Google, MSN/Bing, Yahoo, etc. all look for words to rank or gauge your website’s content.  And the key to having a successful business website is using the right words within it.  So, how do you get the “right words” and where do you put them?  Well, each of those areas is an art and a science in and of themselves, so for now, I’m going to start with where you can get ideas to get good keywords for your business website.  Next month, I’ll cover some tips on where to put them.  Here are my top 2 favorite FREE Google online website tools for doing keyword analysis for your website.

1- Google Adwords FREE Keyword Tool: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal?defaultView=2

Use the Keyword Tool to get new keyword ideas and check search volume. Simply enter a few descriptive words or phrases that relate to the topic you are addressing and click “Get Keyword Ideas”.  With the default settings, this tool will give you many more suggestions for other words and phrases that actual searchers have used when looking for what you have to offer.  It also gives the “Local” and “Global” volume for searches done on Google in the previous month for each of your keywords.  “Local” refers to the country which you have chosen to view search results from as keywords and their usage can vary greatly throughout the world.  If your target audience is mainly in one specific country or on more of a global scale, you may want to change the settings for your search area.  This is found just above the search box on the left-hand side of the screen and, by default, is set to “Results are tailored to English, United States” If you click on the word “Edit”, you can change the specific language and region that you want your search results returned for.  As I mentioned, this tool specifically gives results based on searches done using Google, but since they have 70% of search volume online today, chances are that your audience is using them!

2- Google Insights: http://www.google.com/insights/search/#

Once you have narrowed down a list of keywords that you like, this tool can really shed some further light on which keywords are being used in the specific areas that you are targeting.   With Google Insights for Search, you can compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties. See examples of how you can use Google Insights for Search.   I suggest using the “Filters” and change the country to be specific to your target audience along with the time range of the results your looking for.

These 2 keyword tools used in co-ordination with each other will give you an advantage over your competitors online.  Watch these two learning videos on Youtube to get to know how to use them then give them each a try with a list of your business’s keywords.  It will be amazing what you find out!

Check out these videos to walk you through using each of them.  Remember to search Youtube for learning videos.  It is a great FREE resource:

1 - YouTube Video - Learn to use Google Keywords Tool

2 - YouTube Video - Learn to use Google Insights Tool