Top 5 free keyword research tools

When it comes to search engine rankings, it’s hard to argue that keywords aren’t one of, if not the, most important aspects of any SEO strategy.

After all, SEO keywords are the words and phrases that make it possible for potential customers to find your site when using search engines online.

The idea is simple: find the keywords that will give you the best chance for higher rankings

But how do you know which keywords or phrases are going to be the most effective for your site?

It’s called conducting keyword research. And there are number of online tools available to help you determine exactly which keywords your content should be focusing on.

Yes. There are a number of premium, paid keyword research tools that provide users with advanced options. But there are also plenty of 100% free keyword research tools out there that can be just as helpful.

Today, we’re taking a look at five of our favourites. And the different ways they can help you find the perfect combination of SEO keywords.

Keyword research methods

Good keyword research will help you choose adequate keywords in line with your content. It tells you which keywords have the highest search volumes. Which keywords your competitors are currently using. And helps you create a map of long tail keywords. All stuff that will help you to rank better with search engines.

One keyword research method suggests you might get better ranking results by loading up on keywords that are the same or similar to your main keyword.

Another popular strategy is based on researching competitors’ keywords and achieving effects to your benefit by using better keywords than them.

Different keyword research methods yield different advantages. So the best results are often gained from using several of them.

 

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is the web’s most popular free keyword research tool.

It’s part of the Adwords family and can help improve your ranking on Google by finding the best keywords for your content.

First, enter your seed keyword in Google Keyword Planner. Then set filters based on location, language and other relevant factors. Not only will Google Keyword Planner suggest appropriate keyword suggestions, it will also offer estimated traffic volumes, competition levels and average monthly searches.  

You can ask Google Keyword Planner to show you negative keywords that you’ll want to avoid. Or you can enter the URL of a competitor to see what keywords they’re using.

However, results are not customised. All users stand to get the same results; thus all users can use the same keywords. So use Google Keyword Planner in tandem with other tools. And try using different variations of the suggested keywords.  

 

WordStream

WordStream is a tool similar to Google Keyword Planner.

Once again, you start by entering your seed keyword. From there, Wordstream will give you a long list of recommended keyword variations and their relative frequency.

Wordstream awards each keyword a competition score and estimated cost-per-click (CPC).

Wordstream also supplies you with valuable, industry-specific information plus information regarding niches where your keywords are currently being used. This can help determine which keywords are most suitable. And help you put together a practical marketing budget.  

 

UberSuggest

UberSuggest is among the best free keyword research tools out there today.

Because it provides keywords that you will not get using the Google Keyword Planner. So when used alongside Google Keyword Planner, you’re bound to get the best results possible.

UberSuggest also provides with you with some great ideas for long tail keywords starting with the seed keyword you entered. UberSuggest even provides users with great ideas about content for the website based on suggested keywords and long tail keywords.

 

Serpstat

Serpstat started off as humble keyword research tool. But now that competitor analysis, backlink analysis, rank tracking and site audit functions have been added to its suite of features, it’s now much more of a complete SEO tool.

Its keyword research reports give you lots of useful information divided into several sections.

In the SEO Research section, you’ll see matched keywords and related keywords, top pages where that keyword is used, the names of competitors using the keyword and other suggested keywords for you.

The PPC Research section provides real world examples, the Content Marketing section shows you relevant search questions such as, “Ask the Public” and the SERP Analysis section gives you up-to-date data on the top 100 Google results for that keyword.

In addition to a keyword volume search, Serpstat gives you the estimation of your chance of being in the top 10 search results based on the grades below:

•       0-20 – easy
•       21-40 – medium
•       41-60 – difficult
•       61-100 – very difficult

 

Wordtracker Scout

Researching the competition to find ways of overtaking them in search engine rankings is a viable strategy. And the Wordtracker Scout Chrome extension is just the tool to help with this.

Simply enter the competitor’s URL and press “W”. Wordtracker Scout will prepare a full report of their used keywords; invaluable data when estimating your own keyword strategy.

Use variations of these keywords, long-tail keywords, and LSI keywords. Better yet, use the same keywords, but more efficiently, inside your content.

Paid services like SEMRush can provide you with more detailed data. But even a tool like that is available with a 30-day free trial so you can see for yourself if all those little extras justify the cost.

There are a number of free keyword research tools out there. These are the ones we like. Combine them to achieve the best results

Instead of guessing which keywords might be best for ranking, use free keyword research tools to find the keywords that really are.  You may not get get perfect instructions from a single resource.

But once you begin using multiple keyword resources to narrow down the words and phrases best suited to help you with organic search results, the more you’ll begin to see that incorporating search words throughout the content of your web site is a surefire way to gain to new viewers – and hang on to the loyal viewers that check your site out on a regular basis.

Article first published here: Top 5 free keyword research tools

Top 5 digital marketing strategies in 2018

We’re already well into 2018. But if you haven’t summed up your marketing efforts for the year that was 2017, and put together a revised strategy for this coming calendar year – don’t worry. There’s still time to right the ship.

The ins, outs, trends and algorithms that shape digital marketing are always changing. What’s working now may not be effective 12 months from now. Or it could be twice as useful.

That’s why you must be timely with the marketing methods you use.

You can’t go back in time and fix what didn’t work. And there’s no crystal ball that gives a guarantee on what’ll be hot this time next year.

But you can be hyper-vigilant, super-aware of what’s presently rewarding in the digital space. Start by adapting these top 5 digital marketing strategies in 2018.

 

New types of content and advertising formats

High-quality content, authoritative backlinks and other proven SEO techniques are evergreen. They’re always going to be effective. And as popular in 2018 as they were last year.

But relying on old, stalwart tactics alone won’t earn you the marketing improvements you’re after. Not with so many new types of content and advertising formats out there to play with.

This year, put an extra emphasis on local SEO. Micro-targeting is going to be huge in 2018; one of the year’s most important digital marketing strategies, in fact.

Focus on your target audience. And personalise your web content.

Create in-depth content pillars like eBooks, reports or guides that break down your core, informative piece of content into different sections, pieces and materials.

Try topic clusters; groups of interlinked, narrowly-focused webpages built around a single piece of more broad-topic content.

Never discount the importance of storytelling in advertising.

A well told story doesn’t have to have an epic word count. A capable storyteller can get the job done with a few short, sharp words or lines.

Well told stories, even in a medium like digital, have a capacity to attract new users. And an even greater capacity to deepen the relationship with an existing audience.

Video content was massive in 2017. And its popularity will only continue to swell as we move into the future. By 2021, it’s said that 80% of all internet traffic will be video content.  

Video content allows you to be far more visual and personal with your marketing. And that can make it much more convincing.

Dynamic advertising, or dynamic ads, consider factors like browsing history, location, interests and time of day to display a range of content to groups of relevant, highly targeted users.

Bottomline, you can expect better results when you start communicating more personalised messages that use new types of content and advertising format.

 

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing isn’t anything new.

Advertisers have been using endorsements from influential individuals as a marketing strategy for ages. And in recent years, social platforms like YouTube and Instagram have created millions more of these potential influencers.

So, if influencer marketing wasn’t part of your marketing mix in 2017, you may want to give some real thought towards trying it on for size in 2018.

But if imploring or employing internet celebrities to endorse your brand or product is not in your price range or outside your moral threshold, that’s ok. There are cheaper and less egregious ways to make influencer marketing work for you.

Like blogger outreach. Which remains an effective method for boosting SEO. If you’re persistent and patient with your blogger outreach efforts, you’re likely to see steady and significant improvement sooner than you might think.

 

Social media marketing

Social media’s ubiquitous popularity makes for endless marketing opportunities across different platforms.

Well into 2018, Facebook is still at the top of the social media heap; an undisputed champion. For now.

YouTube and Instagram are top contenders, depending on your target demographic. Twitter’s gone up a weight-class from  140 to a beefier 280 characters. And Linkedin has been steadily working its way up the card with more than 800 million users and growing.

Your next digital campaign could benefit from conducting the right kind of digital marketing via any of these social media platforms.

Part of the reason platforms like Facebook remain so popular with advertisers is because it lets you target ads using its own sophisticated database of integrated data. And because other popular platforms like Hubspot and Messenger have integrated into Facebook.

Facebook also offers a live video function that digital marketers love to use because live video content tends to appear at the top of Newsfeeds. And with video overall looking to be among 2018’s most important ranking factors, social platforms that provide an easy outlet for it are bound to make an impact.   

 

Personal communication

Messenger bots are apps that recognise users’ preferred methods of communication. They yield excellent results for advertisers by using this information to approach the right target audience(s).

There are currently around 1.3 billion active users on Messenger. And one-on-one communication always has a tremendous effect. So effective, in fact, that the click-through rate (CTR) for messenger marketing is around 80%, while the CTR for emails is around 1%.

 

Artificial intelligence marketing automation

In line with advancing technological developments, some of the newest trends in digital marketing revolve around machine learning and marketing automation.

The machine learning RankBrain from Google is one of the latest must-have tools for savvy digital marketers.

This also applies to big data analytics tools, chatbots, apps for marketing and sales processes.

These are mostly prediction tools that help collect and analyse customer data. The more you know about customers, the better the chance at converting them from leads to customers.

Live chatbots serve the same purpose. You can better understand your customers if you’re able to track their actions. And with tools like Intercom, you can personalise offers for customers even more. Which increases loyalty and ultimately profits.

Follow the latest technological trends and you’ll keep pace with the market. So consider a budget increase for digital marketing strategies for 2018.

And don’t forget the common idiom; “There’s more than one way way to shear a sheep.” So much is true with digital marketing as well.

 

There’s no proven, singular method for increasing reach and improving engagement. Rather, a myriad of evolving strategies. And whilst there is data that supports the effectiveness of each, it’s up to you to discover the mix of digital marketing strategies that’s going to work best for your brand or business in 2018.

 

Article first published here: Top 5 digital marketing strategies in 2018

The benefits of display advertising

If you want to attract customers, you need to advertise. But with so many advertising channels to choose from, how do you know which channel is going to be the most effective?

With the human attention span now lingering nearby eight seconds, you need ads that:

• Make a dynamic visual impact
• Expose you to the widest/most appropriate users
• Give customers an easy way to respond/engage immediately

Digital display advertising satisfies all three of these bullet points. But the benefits of display advertising hardly end there.

 

What is display advertising?  

Display advertising utilises what is popularly called a “banner” or “banner ad”. These images or graphics are paid website ads that appear on websites and mobile apps, across social media platforms or wherever a user might be surfing the net.

Because search engines like Google remember the sites that users visit regularly or have visited recently, your banner ads are targeted and shown to consumers with search histories relevant to your brand, business or product; often appearing in the form of squares or rectangles at the top or towards the side of a page.  

Visibility to a targeted audience is one of the banner ad’s greatest advantages.

 

Why display advertising?

There isn’t one big reason that display advertising has grown so popular with digital marketers. There are plenty of them.

For starters, they’re visually appealing.

When a user is scrolling through their newsfeed or thumbing through a litany of digital content, you’ve got within the blink of an eye to catch their attention before they’re onto something else.

Display advertising provides clear and instant visibility.

 

Visual appeal

Banner ads often appear in very visibles place on a page. On the top or at the side. So designs that use strong colours against light backgrounds or bright colours on a dark background can help attract customer attention. So can short, sharp and attractive promotional messages.

Remember, you are competing for the user’s attention against infinite competition. So do what it takes, and use effective advertising elements, to attract all the customer attention you can.

Attractive fonts. Video. Audio. Images that pop off the screen. Try to incorporate whatever you think will engage new web visitors.

If you can wrangle their attention with something eye-catching, it’s likely they’ll bite and click on over to learn more about your product or service and see what it is you’re offering.

Make attention-grabbing visuals a priority when designing your banner ads, and you’ll improve the odds of driving traffic to your site with display advertising.

 

Effective targeting

Display advertising takes the guesswork out of reaching your key demographics.

Just like Facebook ads, banner ads can be highly focused on a distinct target audience. You decide on which websites your ads will appear. You choose which geographic areas to focus on. You pick the audience of consumers that fit your business offering.

If your product or service is targeted towards young people, you can advertise on entertainment channels like YouTube or sites that deal in celebrity and movie news.

If you’re going after their parents, you can target sites and online destinations more appropriate to that age and those interests.

This flexibility with targeting not only makes display advertising remarkably effective. It makes it a more economically efficient advertising channel too. Think of all the money you’ll save by laser-focusing on a specific, relevant markets with your banner ad.  

Banner ads also help with growth because they conquer certain geographic obstacles. Quality display advertising now makes it possible to reach a global audience. And that means opportunities to grow your customer base that other forms of local advertising simply can’t compete with.  

 

Increase brand awareness

People spend a lot of time online. Between smartphones and home computers, consumers are wired in nearly 24/7.  So with so much content to consume on a daily basis, it’s important to create a connection between your brand and potential customers.

Digital advertising makes your brand a part of the potential customer’s online journey. Once they begin to recognise your logo, name or product after seeing it on a few of their favourite websites, they will begin to associate with it in a positive and curious manner.

Being recognisable to customers is the first step to becoming “famous” within your market. Support good ads with quality offerings and you’ll earn the kind of trust and repeat business from loyal customers that leads to long-term success.

Display ads are also great for retargeting.

This is when your ad gets displayed again to people who have already visited your website and demonstrated an interest in your business. They may not be customers yet, but with their interest already piqued, a good banner ad supported by a quality offer may be all it takes to persuade them.

 

Maximise exposure and access

The internet’s biggest advantage to advertisers is the limitless amount traffic it provides. Display advertising’s potential to achieve vast exposure, and give you access to a massive base of potential customers, is seemingly boundless.  

Strong banner ads can turn leads into regular customers.  

Strong, persuasive promotional messages delivered to the right place at the right time can have a significant impact on your ROI if they’re backed by a quality offer.

 

An instant customer response

If your banner ad has done its job, users will be wanting to click it to learn more about the full offer. That click means they’re just a single step more from buying your product or paying for your service. So make sure your call to action is easy to follow and obvious to activate.

Using a form presents you with an opportunity to collect additional information from your potential customer that might be useful in future marketing activities.

Either way, the banner ad’s main objective is to drive users to the website. After that, you’ll have plenty of other opportunities to convert them into leads and eventually regular customers.

Display ads work for a lot of reasons.

They’re a visually appealing promotional tool that helps build a link between your company and potential customers. They stimulate brand awareness.

Display advertising is a cost efficient marketing channel that allows you to set parameters in line with your advertising goals, and focus your efforts on a targeted market.

Banner ads achieve visibility and exposure without compromising professional decorum. They encourage an immediate customer response. And have become an essential apparatus in the toolbox of the modern digital marketer.

 

Article first published here: The benefits of display advertising