Keyword Marketing Research - How to Do Keyword Research
Keyword marketing research is an important step in not only developing an affiliate blueprint but also in setting up a website that will generate a consistent flow of traffic from the major search engines: Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask. When you do keyword research you end up analyzing keyword phrases for two reasons. The first thing you're trying to do is plan out your website. Remember you will eventually grow your site to around 250 or 300 pages. It helps to have a blueprint of how you're going to reach that level and which pages will be linked together.
The second reason you do keyword
The second reason you do keyword
research is to see what people are looking for in relation to your website topic. Are people looking for products or services to buy? Are they looking for information, or tips, or help? What questions are people asking via the search engines? This information comes in handy as you look to monetize your website with affiliate programs. Analyzing the needs and wants of people searching within your topic area will tell you the type of merchants and affiliate programs you want to join forces with.
I'm going to give you 2 options for how to do keyword research. My preference for keyword marketing research is option number one, but I have used both methods and I feel they give similar results in terms of the level of accuracy. Let's take a look at each:
Option 1 - I like to use Google to give me three pieces of keyword marketing research information: keywords and phrases that are related to my website topic, the average monthly Google searches for each of the keywords generated, and the number of search results for each of the keywords.
To do keyword research go to the Google Keyword Tool and type your website topic where it says "Enter one keyword or phrase per line". Click on "Get keyword ideas" and allow Google to generate keywords related to your website topic. Click on "Approx Avg Search Volume" to rank the keywords from highest volume to lowest. Find the keywords listed under "Keywords related to term(s) entered" and scroll down until you see the download option. Click on one of the download options(I personally prefer to use the Excel option) and save the file to your desktop. Open the file and eliminate all unrelated and bogus keywords and keyword phrases. Resave the file.
The next step is to brainstorm a list of keywords and phrases related to your website topic. Make the list as long as you want. I would suggest starting with at least 15 different keywords and phrases. Query the Google database for each of the keywords on your list. Do them one at a time. For each one sort from highest to lowest volume, download the results to your desktop, eliminate unrelated and bogus keywords, and resave the file.
At this point in your keyword marketing research you have used the Google Keyword Tool to generate lists of keywords and phrases related to your website topic. Google has provided you with the average search volume(demand data) for each of the keywords and phrases. The trick now is to get the supply data which is really the number of search results Google supplies for each keyword and phrase. You can either go to Google and type in each keyword and phrase one at a time(be sure to use quotes) to get the actual number of search results or you can try to find another keyword research tool online that will allow you to upload your files and get the job done automatically(you'll have to buy the keyword tool). I often just go ahead and do it manually, especially when I'm growing my site and need to name just a few more pages. If you don't want to buy a keyword research tool that provides Google supply and you don't want to go through the process manually then I recommend either utilizing keyword marketing research Option 2 further below or taking the supply factor right out of the equation.
Once you have Google demand and supply for each of the keywords and phrases you need to compare the two values side by side. You're looking for high and medium Google demand keywords that have low Google supply. The reality is that you might not find any high demand, low supply keywords. You will find medium demand, low supply keywords and you will find plenty of low demand, low supply keywords - be sure to highlight those keyword phrases for use in your website. High demand, low supply keywords are gems. If you find one be sure to use it.
As a keyword marketing research rule of thumb I don't worry too much about Google supply numbers. Google supply is best used for comparison purposes to help you decide between two tightly-related phrases. Keep in mind you will focus each page of your website on a different keyword phrase, but each page will also include several secondary keyword phrases and your pages will show up in the search engine rankings for many more keywords than the ones you are consciously targeting. As far as demand goes I'll consider focusing a page on any keyword with an average monthly search volume over 100, but within my site I do make sure I include some main keywords with demand over 1000 and some secondary keywords with demand below 100.
Option 2 - The second method of keyword marketing research is provided by Site Build It! and is fully explained in Days 2 and 3 of the SBI Action Guide (available for free in both text and video format). SBI developed a system that has spidered billions of web pages to go along with a keyword tool that generates words and phrases related to your site concept. The SBI keyword tool provides demand, supply, and profitability for each of the words and phrases it generates. I recommend checking out the Action Guide(even if you decide to use the Google Keyword Tool) especially if you want a detailed explanation of how to do keyword research.
With keyword marketing research complete, the next thing you should to do is put together a blueprint of your website. The process of planning the individual pages of your website is covered in the article "Affiliate Website Blueprint".
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I'm going to give you 2 options for how to do keyword research. My preference for keyword marketing research is option number one, but I have used both methods and I feel they give similar results in terms of the level of accuracy. Let's take a look at each:
Option 1 - I like to use Google to give me three pieces of keyword marketing research information: keywords and phrases that are related to my website topic, the average monthly Google searches for each of the keywords generated, and the number of search results for each of the keywords.
To do keyword research go to the Google Keyword Tool and type your website topic where it says "Enter one keyword or phrase per line". Click on "Get keyword ideas" and allow Google to generate keywords related to your website topic. Click on "Approx Avg Search Volume" to rank the keywords from highest volume to lowest. Find the keywords listed under "Keywords related to term(s) entered" and scroll down until you see the download option. Click on one of the download options(I personally prefer to use the Excel option) and save the file to your desktop. Open the file and eliminate all unrelated and bogus keywords and keyword phrases. Resave the file.
The next step is to brainstorm a list of keywords and phrases related to your website topic. Make the list as long as you want. I would suggest starting with at least 15 different keywords and phrases. Query the Google database for each of the keywords on your list. Do them one at a time. For each one sort from highest to lowest volume, download the results to your desktop, eliminate unrelated and bogus keywords, and resave the file.
At this point in your keyword marketing research you have used the Google Keyword Tool to generate lists of keywords and phrases related to your website topic. Google has provided you with the average search volume(demand data) for each of the keywords and phrases. The trick now is to get the supply data which is really the number of search results Google supplies for each keyword and phrase. You can either go to Google and type in each keyword and phrase one at a time(be sure to use quotes) to get the actual number of search results or you can try to find another keyword research tool online that will allow you to upload your files and get the job done automatically(you'll have to buy the keyword tool). I often just go ahead and do it manually, especially when I'm growing my site and need to name just a few more pages. If you don't want to buy a keyword research tool that provides Google supply and you don't want to go through the process manually then I recommend either utilizing keyword marketing research Option 2 further below or taking the supply factor right out of the equation.
Once you have Google demand and supply for each of the keywords and phrases you need to compare the two values side by side. You're looking for high and medium Google demand keywords that have low Google supply. The reality is that you might not find any high demand, low supply keywords. You will find medium demand, low supply keywords and you will find plenty of low demand, low supply keywords - be sure to highlight those keyword phrases for use in your website. High demand, low supply keywords are gems. If you find one be sure to use it.
As a keyword marketing research rule of thumb I don't worry too much about Google supply numbers. Google supply is best used for comparison purposes to help you decide between two tightly-related phrases. Keep in mind you will focus each page of your website on a different keyword phrase, but each page will also include several secondary keyword phrases and your pages will show up in the search engine rankings for many more keywords than the ones you are consciously targeting. As far as demand goes I'll consider focusing a page on any keyword with an average monthly search volume over 100, but within my site I do make sure I include some main keywords with demand over 1000 and some secondary keywords with demand below 100.
Option 2 - The second method of keyword marketing research is provided by Site Build It! and is fully explained in Days 2 and 3 of the SBI Action Guide (available for free in both text and video format). SBI developed a system that has spidered billions of web pages to go along with a keyword tool that generates words and phrases related to your site concept. The SBI keyword tool provides demand, supply, and profitability for each of the words and phrases it generates. I recommend checking out the Action Guide(even if you decide to use the Google Keyword Tool) especially if you want a detailed explanation of how to do keyword research.
With keyword marketing research complete, the next thing you should to do is put together a blueprint of your website. The process of planning the individual pages of your website is covered in the article "Affiliate Website Blueprint".
Back to Make Money Affiliate Marketing home page
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For Affiliates - How to Start & Grow a Profitable Web Business
What is Affiliate Marketing?
How to Become an Affiliate
Affiliate Business Models
Money Making Website Ideas
Keyword Marketing Research
Affiliate Website Blueprint
How to Name a Web Domain
How to Set Up Web Hosting
My Internet Business Tools
Website Design Made Easy
Basic HTML Tips and Tricks
Search Engine Optimization
Choosing Affiliate Programs
Monetize with Google Adsense
Blogging and RSS Feeds
XML Sitemap Submission
Working with Product Datafeeds
Pay Per Click Advertising
Traffic Generation Techniques
For Merchants - How to Launch & Maintain an Affiliate Program
Affiliate Program Setup
Choosing an Affiliate Network
Recruiting Affiliates
Affiliate Program Directories
Text Links, Banners, Datafeeds
Content, Reviews, Testimonials
Phone Order Affiliate Tracking
Lifetime Commissions
1-on-1 Affiliate Support
Affiliate Program Maintenance
Monitoring Affiliate Statistics
Improving an Affiliate Program
Protecting Your Trademarks
Affiliate Cookie Stuffing
Affiliate Business Tips
Working From Home Advice
Build a Legit Web Business
Free 10 Step Business Plan
My Internet Business Story
My Web Business Philosophy
About the Webmaster
Contact the Webmaster
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