Hippo Newsletter 3:  How to Do Keyword Research

The big topic today!
How to do Keyword Research
My Recommendations
Recent Search Engine News
What we've been doing

Keyword Research is the big topic today!

Recently I took a long hard look at how we were doing keyword research here at Hippo Internet Marketing.

As you know, keyword research is the first step to an effective search engine optimization campaign or pay per click campaign.  After all, if you target the wrong keywords, your efforts will be wasted.  Target the best words and your efforts can be simplified by quite a bit and your results will be intensified.

Please take the time to review the below.  I have a lot of information in this one.  Or, if you like, you can go straight to some of the other headings.  In fact, if you really don't want to learn how to do keyword research, or it seems to complicated, just go here for our keyword research package and we will do it for you.

How to do Keyword Research

Let's start at the beginning here.  What is the basic concept of keyword research?  What are you trying to do?

Basically, you are trying to find the keyword phrases that your website should target.  In other words, which keywords are people typing in to search engines that will enable them to find you and take the action you want them to take (buy something, fill out a form, etc.)

Here are some of the factors to look for...

1. Number of times the keyword phrase is typed into the search engines.
2. Amount of websites competing for the keyword phrase
3. Percentage of visitors that will take action on your site per keyword phrase.

The factors above apply to both SEO and PPC with one basic difference:

• With SEO, you are examining the amount of compeition for each phrase.
• With PPC, you are examining the cost of each phrase.

With the above in mind, I recently went through all the tools we are aware of and re-evaluated what the best options are.  You can see my favorite tools for keyword research here. 

After reviewing every option, my new favorite is Keyword Discovery, but the Overture suggestion tool is still an oldie but goodie.

These tools are great for handling the first two factors listed above.  But the unknown factor is still #3.  All the research and tools in the world cannot give you the common sense you need to determine what phrase will work for your site.  So please, use a little common sense when determining which keywords are best.

Here are some other factors to keep in mind...

1.  Don't look for keywords, look for "Keyword Phrases".  Research has shown that the average person types in more words at a time, the closer they get to buying or acting.  In other words, they type in "Batteries" when researching, but "Nokia 2260 battery" when ready to buy.

2.  Use your "best" keyword for your home page.  It will typically rank best.

3.  Go for lots of keyword phrases.  Google scientists have stated publicly that about half of all search phrases in Google each day are unique.  Think about that!  Of the approximately 350 million searches each day on Google, about 175 million will not be typed in again that day.  Therefore, go for some obscure terms.  Someone will probably type it in.  NOTE:  Don't go for too many on one page.  Go for one primary phrase on each page.  Remember, "Content is King".

4.  Use a combination tool.  Especially for PPC, be sure to use a tool to make lots of combinations.  For example, combine "make, create, manufacture, engineer, & build" with "rock wall, climbing wall, rock climbing wall".  The five verbs combined with three nouns make 15 phrases (5 x 3 = 15).  Bid on all of them.  Then, try adding 4 adjectives.  This makes 60 phrases.  (15 x 4 = 60).  To simplify this process, use a combination tool such as the ones found on our Tools for keyword research on Hippo Sent me.

5.  Check your competitors.  When you start running out of ideas, be sure to type your favorite keyword phrases into a search engine.  Click on the top few listings and look at the source code (Click on View > Source in Internet Explorer).  Then, review their KEYWORDS meta tag.  That may give you more ideas to review.

6.  Check your logs.  It really is amazing what people type into search engines.  Someone once came to this site after typing in "How to raise a hippo in your home".  I'm sure they were disappointed once they got here.  I bet you will find better keyword phrases than that have been drawing traffic you don't even know of.

The above are some of the best tips and tricks we have learned here at Hippo Internet Marketing.  I hope they help you.

My Recommendations

As I mentioned in the article above, our favorite keyword research tool is Keyword Discovery.  But our other favorites are listed on www.HippoSentMe.com for your review.  I'm not alone in this one.  Read the testimonials on the right side of the page.  It reads like a "Who's who" of search engine marketing!  All the experts are agreeing that this is a great tool.

Recent Search Engine News

This section is something new I am starting as of this newsletter.  It will list some basic news items in the search engine and marketing world...

Google is Beta testing a new AdWords downloadable account management tool.

Stanford University lists 10 guidelines for building web site credibility.

Google is integrating "Google Talk" Instant Messaging with Gmail.

Google's GBuy is set to take on PayPal.

SuperBowl commercials catch a second wind on the web.  More here.

What we've been doing

Things have been busy as always here at Hippo Internet Marketing.

Up until recently, our office has been somewhat unfinished.  But this past week, we were able to get all the sheetrock up.  We're now painting the walls and doing a few other things.  It's looking pretty nice.  I'll try to post pictures soon.

Even more exciting is that we have been invited to join the new MSN Ad Center (their new PPC) and to join the new free Google Analytics.  I'll try to review them both for you in a future newsletter.

This Friday, I am teaching a new course at the local community college (AB Tech in Asheville, NC) on email marketing.  That should be interesting.

I hope you all are doing well and enjoyed this week's newsletter.  I tried to make it as informative as possible.  If you like it, please forward it to anyone else you think would appreciate it.  We're trying to build our newsletter base and our best opportunities lie with you, our loyal fans.  :-)

By the way, please be sure to sign up if you got to this page some other way.

Corey Creed
Hippo Internet Marketing

PS:  You can also read our previous newsletters.  They are archived here.