Keyword Research is Not One-Size Fits All

Keyword Research… SEO… Writing for the Web….  The key for success with your writing online, right?

Yes. Of course. But what I want to share with you today is that like different keys for different doors, so is keyword research something that you should adapt for your specific needs. Let’s take a quick look at why keyword research is not one-size-fits-al. Examine how to tailor your search engine optimization for different needs at different sites.

Keyword Research With Google Keywords External Tool

Use the Google Keywords External Tool for researching keyword phrases – especially if getting paid through a Google Adsense account revenue. This is a great place to start. The keywords external tool will tell you common keyword phrases related to your topic (leave the “Use synonyms” box checked), the average CPC (cost-per-click) and the average search volume.

Advanced Keyword Research for Web Writers

Some advanced features to look into as a web writer include  the yearly search trends, the amount of advertiser competition, and competition you’ll have as a web writer from other websites and articles out there. You can use the yearly search trends column to find keywords that peak during your slowest times to even out your revenue potential. The advertiser competition is a good column to take a quick glance at – if there are zero advertisers competing for a keyword phrase consider chosing a different phrase, since there won’t be any (or many) Google Adsense ads paying for it.

Searching to Find the Number of Competitors

Use Google.com to search for the number of other websites competing with you for that keyword phrase. You can do this by searching the phrase in quotes. If there are 10 million other websites using that same keyword phrase it won’t be easy to get ranked for it. On the other hand, if there are only 10 thousand other websites using that keyword phrase you would stand a much better chance.

Customizing your Keyword Research to Work For You

So what does this mean? How can you use this information to bring traffic or increase potential revenue in your online writing endeavors? Well – the simple answer is – that depends. What do you need?

If you want website traffic or are making money through page view payment your main concern would be traffic (search volume) and number of other websites competing for those keywords. This would also be true if you are selling a product or service. Since you don’t depend on Google adsense for revenue, that part of the equasion is eliminated.

On the other hand, if you’re writing somewhere that shares revenue through Google adsense, you’ll need consider CPC. And writing for a larger, more highly ranked website, will allow you to be more competitive and you can target keyword phrases with higher competition from other sites. However, writing for a smaller, start-up site or personal blog means you will want to target keyword phrases with less competition starting out.

As you can see, there is a lot of information to be gleaned from researching keywords carefully. Tailoring to fit your need is something only you can do. For more details, and step-by-step pictures on how I successfully use keyword research in a variety of situations, watch for the coming ebook “Making Money Blogging – Moving Beyond Banner Ad Sales” being released soon!