Powerful Keyword Research Tips

There's no way around it--keyword research is the

the foundation of every good affiliate marketing business.

It doesn't matter if you're an organic search guru or a

PPC baron, you'd better be able to pinpoint the keywords

that matter and become competitive for them as fast as

possible.

I'll admit that when I got started, keyword research was

always at the bottom of my to-do list. I almost never

seemed to get to it on time.

That's obviously changed over the years because to be a

true super affiliate, you need some fantastic keyword

lists.

So, for all the marketers out there who don't know where

to start with their keyword research or who do but dread

doing it, here are some tips that I've been using for some

the time now to great effect.

Basic Research

To get started, you need to do some basic research. You

probably have a very rough idea of what people are

searching for--the simple keywords that every good

marketer pinpoints early on.

However, that initial list is the same as brainstorming

for a novel. Sure, you have a rough outline, but you still

need to sit down and write the thing.

I like to get started in the Google Keyword Planner--it's

free, easy to use and has a decent amount of data to draw

from.

To get started, visit

http://adwords.google.com/keywordplanner, sign into your

Google account, and enter a basic term or phrase into the

search tool. You can enter multiple terms but for now,

just one will do.

I'll use "lose weight" as an example. The top level of

search results will be terms that use the basic term, and

will include things like:

* How to lose weight

* Lose weight fast

* Lose belly weight

These terms are all directly related to the term and give

you more options for building your list. Look for the

Global Monthly Search Volume to get an idea of how many

searches this term gets each month.

Unless you're developing a PPC campaign, ignore any other

information, just as competition data, as this relates to

advertising. You just want to know how many people are

searching.

Next, scroll down a bit and see what additional keywords

Google has selected. These are syntax-related terms and

might include phrases like:

* How to burn fat

* Weight loss tips

* Get thin fast

* Muscle-building tips

Basically, terms that tend to show up with the phrase you

searched for originally will appear here. You won't

necessarily use all of these terms, but you can get a lot

of ideas this way.

Your goal should be to create a list of any terms you

think someone would search for while trying to solve the

weight loss problem. Later, we'll narrow down to specific

keywords that help you.

Forums and In-depth Research

Another great way to find keywords is to go to the industry-

specific pages, like forums or relevant group pages on

social media, and search for terms that relate to

questions or problems that people have in this niche.

Forums like these are good because they represent a hub of

data where users will search for solutions to particular

problems.

For example, if you were to visit a weight loss and

dieting forum, you might find specific body locations and

muscle groups that people are targeting, like:

* Pectoral fat burning

* Get rid of fat on obliques

* Build bigger quads

These terms may not have popped up immediately because

they are a bit too specific.

Another great way to create lists of more specific

industry terms is to analyze competitor pages. Which

keywords are your competitors using to boost their own

pages?

Tools like Traffic Travis allow you to input URLs and get

keyword reports on how a site is optimized. You can also

search for sites or keywords to see which terms are being

used with Google AdWords.

You can get Traffic Travis here:

Best Kinds of Keywords

Okay, so now you have a good general idea of what keywords

you'll be using. What about the actual terms you should be

targeting?

I have a small listing of terms I like to use as often as

possible. How you optimize will depend on your strategy,

but if you're doing PPC, you pretty much have to have

lists for these particular terms:

* Author Names - If you're promoting info products on

weight-loss products, you can find keywords related to the

authors of those info products.

Check your affiliate program's rules to determine if

you're allowed to do this. Most vendors will be perfectly

happy to let you. More commissions for you means more

profits for them.

* Product Names - Along the same lines, product names are

highly successful conversion tools. Most people, when

searching for a specific product name, are looking for

reviews or final justification before a purchase.

The search volume is lower, but you're getting leads that

are much more likely to convert.

* Buy Phrases - Find keywords with terms like "buy,"

"order," "purchase," or "download." If you have that, plus

a product name or author name, you can almost guarantee

the prospect is ready to make a purchase.

These keywords have far fewer searches but are worth

10-100 times more than a standard product-related keyword.

* Crisis Keywords - These are keywords related to a crisis

that your searcher may be in. For example, many people

search for gardening advice, but if they're in a crisis,

their search will be much more urgent.

Keywords then might include "cure blight," "kill pests on

tomatoes," or "tomatoes won't grow." These are specific,

immediate problems that they'll buy a product to solve.

* Product-Related Keywords - General keywords related to a

product niche are still valuable, but can be a little less

effective. You need to be more careful here in general.

Here you'll find things like "how to," "lessons,"

"online," etc.--terms that relate to getting advice, but

with less urgency.

* Long-tails - Finally, if you're doing PPC or creating an

authority site, using long-tail keywords can really boost

your performance.

For example, if you're writing about dog training, you can

add the dog breeds to the beginning of each

keyword--instantly creating 200 potential long-tails for

each base keyword you have.

For example, someone might search for "fix golden

retriever aggression" and someone else might search for

"fix poodle aggression." Those are both specific

long-tails and can be extended as much as is needed to get

your traffic.

Keywords are the currency of any good affiliate marketer.

You want traffic? You need to find the words people are

searching for and become competitive for them.

Before you ever start marketing any of your new niche

products, spend some time researching, building lists, and

analyzing the keywords.

Using tools like Google and Traffic Travis, check to make

sure there is volume, and always check your competitors to

see what they're optimized for.

If you do it right, you should be able to create a huge

list of potentially golden keywords.