Keyword Research Tips
There's no way around it--keyword research is 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.
this really important news from famous super affiliate
Mark Ling, where he shares the real truth about
affiliate marketing:
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
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, however, 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.
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, 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.
