Keyword Research and Tools
 
If you want to get traffic, you need to find the top search keywords on Google.  Whether you are a Google fan or not, if you rank well on Google (or Yahoo or Bing), you can bring traffic and potential customers to your website or blog.  

There are no two ways around it...finding strong keywords, the ones with a lot of searches with the least competition, is an important element in a good internet marketing strategy.

If you are new to internet marketing, it might take you a lot longer to find those words.  As with any skill, practice makes perfect.  One you discover some "hot" words, such as “buy,” “cheap,” “free,” “deal,” etc., you can save some time on your keywords research.  

However, if you are writing articles for submission to one or more directories, you may want to focus on a more informative piece versus writing something to try to attract customers with a free or best deal on a product.  Especially if you are blogging, affiliate marketing or want to attract subscribers to read up and get information from you on a particular niche, here is where good keyword research truly makes a difference.

Sure, you can use a free tool, like the one offered from Google.  When first starting your internet marketing business, the more tools you don't have to pay for is the way to go.  But, if you want faster results or know how many competing websites you must contend with, then you may consider paying for a tool that gives you more options.

Since I've made the move from using a free search tool to one I'm paying for, the results have been noticeably better.  When I write articles or marketing pieces for either myself or a client, the results speak for themselves.  I can usually rank in the top five pages of Google within hours, and move up to page one within a day or two.  This has been my experience over and over again.  

The bottom line is that like it or not, search engine optimization plays a key role in people finding you and your information.  What a shame to waste helpful information or great products simply because people can't find you or your website or blog.  Deciding to invest in some good website research tools is something you will have to determine at some point in your business.  By finding the top search keywords on Google, you can get better rankings, and that can only help get more traffic to your website or blog.

Finding relevant keywords and popular search terms can help you write better material, and if the tool gives suggestions or brainstorming ideas, it can open up many more doors to the direction of your business, or topics of your articles or blog content.

Ask yourself if you are getting the kind of results you want from your keyword research.  If you can use a little help finding top search keywords on Google, consider investing in a tool that can help boost your rankings, improve article subjects and captivate audiences with catchy titles so they can find you. 

=============