I have been planning to write a series of posts as an introduction to keyword research. As I was sifting through various articles, I came across a series of videos in the “Support” forum of the software that I use for researching keywords. It dawned on me that the info in these videos was both valuable and current. There are older versions of the videos on Youtube, but the newest versions of these videos were only available to people who have downloaded a “trial version” or had purchased the Market Samurai software.
I asked Market Samurai if I could give my readers access to the videos and they have provided me with the links below. Although I am an affiliate for Market Samurai, the intention is to provide you with information and NOT to sell you anything. My primary motivation is to give my readers new information that will help them at some point in their online journey.
Why is this Important?
When I first started online, I purchased this software and jumped straight into running the keyword analysis. It is in my DNA to not read an instruction manual – probably something to do with being male. The first domain I registered was www.whatisemergencypreparedness.org. As it turns out, I made the total rookie mistake on a number of levels, not the least of which was not knowing the difference between a Broad keyword and a Specific keyword. This bad domain registration set me down a path that was doomed for failure. Lots of people search “emergency preparedness” and lots of people google “what is…”, but NOBODY searches those 4 words together. If this is confusing, check out the videos and hopefully it will start to make some sense – if I had done that in the first place, I would have realized success quicker with a thorough understanding of the basics.
Video 1 – Keyword Research Introduction
This is an 8 minute video that provides an introduction to keywords. It starts at the 10,000 foot level by defining an online market, then explains what we mean by “niche’ and why keywords are important to specific niches. The line that I really like from this video is mentioned near the end – “it takes the same amount of work to build an unsuccessful business as it does to build a successful business.” Getting the right market and the right keyword helps to ensure you are on the right path.
Video 2 – How to Determine Keyword Relevancy
Finding relevant keywords is EVERYTHING when you are setting up a new niche site. In ‘real world’ terms, it is the difference between opening a store in downtown Manhattan versus opening the same store at the back of an industrial park in rural Kansas. Success will be much easier to achieve with a fantastic location. On the internet, a fantastic location is based on having a keyword that is relevant, generates good traffic, has little competition and has commercial appeal. This 13 minute introductory video walks you through the 4 “Golden Rules” of keyword research. The first 4 minutes are good general info, the balance is specific to the Market Samurai tool.
Video 3 – How to Find Great Keyword Traffic
This 7 minute video discusses the difference between ‘searches’ and ‘traffic’, describes ‘organic traffic’, and shows what to look for in selecting a keyword. One of the interesting facts from this video is that 90% of keywords don’t have enough traffic to be considered viable. The first 2 minutes provide general comments, then the balance of the video provides more detail interwoven with a Market Samurai demo. I like the “Search Engine Optimization Traffic” or SEOT metric as a proxy for telling how many visits the #1 site in google can expect on a daily basis (which is 42% of all the searches conducted on a particular keyword after adjusting for the phrase-to-broad ratio).
Video 4 – How to Assess your Marketing Competition
This is a 12 minute video that looks at the flip side of having a great keyword – the competition. For every great keyword, you are bound to find a competition. The trick is to find a great keyword in a niche with weak competition. This video looks at the nature of competition, the 2 most important aspects to consider (the amount and strength of competition) and how to determine the level of competitiveness in your niche. There are only 10 spots available on the front page of Google - to do this, you need to be 1% better than everybody else. Picking your battles carefully will ensure your likelihood of success. The video spends the first 6 minutes discussing terms that you should know, then spends the balance of the video integrating these concepts with Market Samurai’s functionality.
That’s it – now you are an expert! I hope you found value in these videos – feel free to leave me a comment should you have any more questions or concerns.
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