Competitive Keyword Analysis, how do YOU do it?

[JJMcClure]

Although many different keyword analysis tools are available, we mostly use Google's keyword volume tool along with searching for our competitors on Google to see what keywords they are targeting. We have also found the free version of Search engine optimisation software, WEB CEO to be quite useful as it can automate this process for you.

Can you go into more detail on how you perform competitive keyword research? How do you choose which keywords to use?

[geckoseo]

Ok, I should be working but I thought I'd get this subject going ... ]

So, you only focus on 2 to 3 KW per page?
Don't most suggest focusing on 5-6 phrases for each page?

[dtm32236]

i asked about this earlier in the thread, so to answer your question

Originally Posted by dtm32236 View Post
Gotcha.

So, you only focus on one KW per page?

Don't most suggest focusing on 3-4 phrases for each page? That seems to make sense to me.

Suppose you use 3 keyword phrases on one page. They'd have to differ significantly or they'd look like 3 forms of the same phrase and that would be a strange way to write, plus your keyword research should have identified the best version of your primary keyword phrase. Since a keyword phrase describes the contents of the page you'd need to have 3 different subjects on the one page. Not great usability.

Next you have the problem of where to put your keywords. First place is the page Title, you want to have 3 keyword phrases in the Title? If you do, which order do you put them in? How many characters does Google actually read in the page title? You have the same problem in your description meta tag and then again when you start using your H tags.

Then you have the IBLs. You want to use your keyword phrase in your IBLs o boost relevance, it's key. So now you have to get three different sets of IBLS, all pointing to one page. Instead of having 3 dedicated opportunities to rank, you have one, even if you manage to pull it off, it's one page that ranks for three terms. I would always use 1 or maybe 2 keyword phrases on a page, never 3. I'd rather take 3 keyword phrases and use them to make 3 different pages rank well.

[naveen.jha]

well more informative for me i got more knowledge. actually every one have different interest so keywords will different. keywords must be business relevant and search engine friendly. i use Google AdWords: Keyword Tool i think it is best helpful to search keywords traffics and search engine friendly...

[JJMcClure]

So, you only focus on 2 to 3 KW per page?
Don't most suggest focusing on 5-6 phrases for each page?

Sorry, missed this till now. No I only focus on one, or maybe two keyword per page. I've never heard anyone recommend 5-6 keywords per page, it doesn't make sense to me to it that way.

[morph07]

Do you consider also the Related Searches that shows by google?

[geckoseo]

I'm pretty sure he does it for each page, since Web pages are independent documents and are treated as such by the search engines........

[JJMcClure]

Do you consider also the Related Searches that shows by google?

I consider every source of keyword phrases when I'm building my keyword seed list. I don't start doing the competitive analysis until I simply can't find anymore relevant keyword phrases.

[A Mountain View]

May I know, how do you proceed you good old research for analysing competitive keyword, I would be very thankful if you kindly shear your idea

Yes, I wrote a very interesting article about this but since it's on my blog the rules don't allow me to provide you with a link. They consider this self promotion.

So here is a little of what I do... Find 20 of your top competitors and read their website and note how they describe their products or services. You are looking for descriptive keywords. You will also be looking for regional variations in language.

Then check out what they used in their Keyword Meta Tags. This will allow to find what the keyword tracker tools miss. WordTracker is based on only 1% of web searches.

Try focus groups as well.

[jack4ireland]

Use a thesaurus to research synonyms for your core keywords Create a taxonomy of all the areas of focus in your industry. It can be helpful to imagine creating a directory for all the people, projects, ideas, and companies connected to your site.

[A Mountain View]

Use a thesaurus to research synonyms for your core keywords Create a taxonomy of all the areas of focus in your industry. It can be helpful to imagine creating a directory for all the people, projects, ideas, and companies connected to your site.

Excuse me while I get my thesaurus to discover my taxonomy... I'll be back after I've done research.

[JJMcClure]

Taxanomy is where you classify things according to a predetermined system, like saying I'm going to classify all the plants in my back garden and I'm going to use a system where I do it by whether they're a weed or a flower. Then I just put each plant into it's category.

I think what jack4ireland is saying is that you create your categories for your niche/industry and then slot the keywords into each one as you find them. I just build up a list of 100% relevant keywords, I don't bother with less relevant keywords and I try to keep it to only a couple of categories simply because of the amount of work involved.

For example, I'm about to do this for a debt collection agency but their keyword list includes 'debt collection' 'absconder tracing' 'credit control' 'vehicle reposessions' and a bunch of other phrases. Every one of those could generate hundreds of related phrases and could be considered as separate classifications, so I'm only going to do it for their core phrases otherwise it'll take me a week and I'm only getting paid for 2 days, and that includes all the off site optimisation and monitoring etc.

[MrNiceGuy007]

part of kw research is guess work and surveys in real life, I tend to call up a dozen people I knew from all walks of life and pretty ask them what is it they encode in the search bar if they want to search for a certain "insert keyword here"

then I took notes and start 50% of my targeted KW's from there. hope that helps a bit in the discussion here

[JJMcClure]

this was a brilliant piece of analysis, nice work, must have taken some time to create but very helpful and insightful

Thank you but I can't take all the credit, most of it is lifted straight from the Sitepoint SEM kit, I just got rid of the bits I didn't like and added a few tweaks of my own.

The point is though that this kind of analytical approach philosophy will yield the best keyword phrases. I'm sure the actual approach will change as search changes. The biggest change on the horizon (or already here depending on how you look at it) is personalised search which I haven't touched on at all. that's going to be major for 530.

[dtm32236]

Personalized search and 530?

Would you please elaborate? I'm unfamiliar with both concepts/terms.

[JJMcClure]

Off Topic:

Personalized search and 530?

Would you please elaborate? I'm unfamiliar with both concepts/terms.

Personalised search

530 is SEO but using numbers instead of letters, it's just an internet slang thing.

[sales training]

So, I have a question for this smart posse.

I am moving up nicely in the ranks for a keyword set and quite by chance see another one flying up the ranks as well.

Both are in the 200's now. The question is, should I continue to move on the one, or now should I set up plans for both at the same time?

[A Mountain View]

So, I have a question for this smart posse.

I am moving up nicely in the ranks for a keyword set and quite by chance see another one flying up the ranks as well.

Both are in the 200's now. The question is, should I continue to move on the one, or now should I set up plans for both at the same time?

You should do what you thing makes the most sense for you. I have on idea what you are doing to accomplish this, but if you have the time I might suggest doubling your effort.

[ericajones]

first you have to gather your keywords according to niche of your site after that use a keyword tools available online and the results of your major keywords should be 100 search per day and then search on google using that keyword to know how many are your competitive.

[sjlogan88]

it seems you have a pretty comprehensive method, it covers all the areas I use when producing keywords for a site.

[A Mountain View]

first you have to gather your keywords according to niche of your site after that use a keyword tools available online and the results of your major keywords should be 100 search per day and then search on google using that keyword to know how many are your competitive.

Why put a 100 limit on the keyword usage. While that might make sense for a competitive national site it would not work very well for a local site that might have only 100 searches a month for any keyword related to their business.

[JJMcClure]

Why put a 100 limit on the keyword usage. While that might make sense for a competitive national site it would not work very well for a local site that might have only 100 searches a month for any keyword related to their business.

Exactly, the algorithm I developed scores a keyword phrase based on how competitive it is, not just how many searches it's getting. What matters is how many searches it's getting compared to how many other people are using it.

[shally setiya]

Hi
Thanks for sharing the information.It is informative and great.
i think keyword analysis is the main step of seo.
First we select wordtracker or adwords suggestion tool to check the traffic of keywords, then checked the competiton on serach engine.
I suggested for those keywords which have more traffic and less competitive .
Thanks

[A Mountain View]

There is another aspect of keyword development that may begin to change things in search and that is the use of LSI or LSA. This is Latent Semantic Indexing and Latent Semantic Analysis. It is about the relationship of where your words appear in your text.

Here are a few links on the subject.

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lat...antic_analysis

http://www.seobook.com/archives/000657.shtml

This may be the direction that search is going.

[A Mountain View]

What are the best keyword suggestion tools out there? Any recommendations?

Automated solutions are not the best answer. If you want to win at keyword development, that requires research. If you use any tool and search for xyz your results are going to be the same as everyone else that uses xyz. So there is no advantage.