Internet Advertising
Keywords, Getting Traffic etc.
On this page:
About keywords.
- A free, fast, keyword suggestion tool (just below)
- A highly featured keyword analysis tool you can buy.
- Where to learn the essentials about using AdWords.
Finding and Analyzing Keywords.
Do you have a website, or sell or advertise on the internet?
If so, you probably use or intend to use some form of pay-per-click advertising.
Or, if you want to optimze your page for the search engines, you will at least want to know what words and phrases people are using when they search.
So you have probably tried some some kind of keyword tool, like a keyword selector tool or keyword suggestion tool.
If you have tried the free tool at Wordtracker you will notice that, while they do make some information available for free, access is restricted.
If you have tried the Overture keyword suggestion tool a few times you might have noticed that the Overture servers can be very slow and sometimes not responsive at all. I expect they are just vey busy, but it can seriously slow you down in the middle of your research.
However, the tool immediately below gets you information from both Overture AND Wordtracker in one hit.
Free Keyword Tool
Here is a free keyword tool at DigitalPoint. It gets keyword information – i.e. number of searches per day – from both Overture and Wordtracker in one hit.
I have only used it a few times so far but it has always been quick.
I really needed for a while when we had three Windows computers die in the same week and I could not use my favourite keyword analysis tool.
There is a lot of other useful stuff for webmasters at DigitalPoint too. Have a look around.
DigitalPoint Free Keyword Tool
Just type a word in the box to try it out.
A Serious Keyword Research Tool
I like to do a good deal of research before I choose keywords, compose ads and test pay-per-click advertising like Google AdWords.
So I have been using this excellent tool to find and analyze keywords.
There are other services providing tools for keyword research and some of them seem to provide excellent service and information.
But they are usually a subscripton service wanting monthly payments.
This is annoying: I don't have many websites and I will only use these tools occasionally – so I don't want to pay these constant monthly fees.
With Keyword Elite you are buying software the old-fashioned way: i.e. you pay for it once and then it's yours to use.
This is real keyword investigation.
This includes competitive analysis. Just what you want when you need to find the cheapest keywords. This means you can get your ad running with low-cost keywords – instead of going head-to-head against big advertisers bidding high on the most obvious keywords.
My only problem with the software is that there are so many features, so much information available, that I always want to spend all day on my analysis – looking at everythng from every angle.
There is a friendly forum for users that has lots of useful discussion about researching keywords and using pay-per-click advertising effectively.
The help documents and other information that comes with the software amount to a crash course in pay-per-click advertising, search engine optimization and how to keep your web pages relevant and search-engine-friendly.
So if you could use a keyword research tool that's packed with useful features and doesn't require ongoing payments here it is.
Warning: Don't be put off by the 'enthusiastic' copy – i.e. large fonts and bold text are ahead. But never mid that: this is extremely useful software if you want detailed information on keywords and strategies for PPC advertising.
AdWords basics (and essentials)
If you mean to understand Google AdWords as a way to advertise your web site you will want to keep up with what Perry Marshall has to say.
He wrote the Definitive Guide to Google AdWords. It is regularly updated.
I wasn't planning to buy this information. But I saw a lot of other AdWords users constantly referring to information and methods from this guide. Seemed like it contained the must-know basics so I bought a copy.
What are these "must-know basics"?
Well, for example, if you use AdWords you should know what 'peel-and-stick' means.
You might not want to actually use a peel-and-stick method with your campaigns but you should know how to do it – and why it is a way to refine and optimize keyword advertising.
You can get a copy of the Definitive Guide to Google AdWords. (and lots of other information) if you sign up for a membership with Perry Marshall's Renaissance Club. That's a complete and ongoing coaching/course about AdWords and search engine optimization with a monthly membership fee.
A cheaper way to get The Definitive Guide is to just sign up for five free emails with advice about using AdWords. You'll eventualy get a link for downloading the Definitive Guide for a one-off price, no membership arrangement.
Even if you don't want to buy anything it's worth signing up with Marshall just to get regular news and advice about updates and changes at Google, and search engine advertising in general.
For example: I don't like to bid high on keywords so I usually rely on the content network with Google advertising. That way I can bid low but still get traffic. Judging from what Perry Marhall has said about the content network in the past, this is not usually a good strategy (because there is too much low-quality traffic and wasted clicks on the content network).
However, I recently got an email from Perry saying that Google is introducing tools that advertisers can use to refine and optimize their content network ads.
Before I even saw these new functions at Google, I already had an email from Marshall about it: he described what tools were going to be available and how to make use of them.
Download this FREE book.
(No strings attached: you don't have to give anybody your email address.)
Other Web Marketing
Some people just don't like search engine marketing, with all the keyword research and experiment that it requires.
What other ways are there to get traffic to your site or market your product online?
For this, people usually talk about writing articles for ezines, keepng a list of subscribers you can email, having a blog and giving away free information.
This free e-book from Harvey Segal shows how you can spread the news about your site or product, just starting with a giveaway, like a free book, plus a way to spread the book.
I have written some more about it here: Viral marketing, free e-book.