Keyword Research Tools

Keyword research is in the midst of radical changes right now. It seems that as Google gets more and more of the market share, the tools based on other data (Wordtracker, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) have become much less reliable. At the same time, as users look more and more for data that is both recent (wouldn’t real-time data be great) and long tail (good luck getting real information on ‘local’ searches’), the flaws in the data provided by these tools is being exposed. Every time I use Wordtracker I see high volume search terms that I doubt any English-speaking human being would have ever entered.

So even though there are many different keyword research tools available on the market today, at this point in time I really only have two recommendations for most people.

1) Free tools – Google and Wordtracker both provide a lot of free tools now that will meet the needs of most people, especially when you are starting out. In fact, if you are researching a new market, I would suggest that the free tools are the best way to get really familiar with the data.

I will be adding some videos and tutorials that will help you get the most from these free tools, and after that, we will look at many other free tools and tricks that can help you get the data you need – for free.

2) Nichebot – to be honest, much of the data that is provided now by Nichebot is the same as what you can get for free from Google and Wordtracker. The biggest value of Nichebot comes in the convenience in how it helps you manage and filter and drill down into your keyword, and then the training they provide. It is also very reasonably priced.

I will be adding a full review of Nichebot soon, and also some videos walking you through some of my favorite ways to use their tools, but until then, I suggest you just go over to their site and get a free tour, or a very inexpensive trial (I think it is just $1 or something like that).

Note about Advanced Tools – There a many other advanced tools that are now available on the market, and some of them are very expensive. At times I will provide reviews for some of these tools, but their value is usually for people who have already mastered the basic of keyword research. If you can learn how to get the most out of the free tools and get some regular income coming in, then there are lots of tools that can make you more efficient, and you will have a basis for measure the ROI using the income you have, the value of your time, and the expected productivity improvement. But until you are making money, the most I would recommend spending would be on a monthly Nichebot membership – and the only reason I would recommend that would be because of the training you get with it.