Keyword research is absolutely critical if you want your content to get found in Google. Fortunately, there are some great tools you can use to help brainstorm and generate relevant keywords, that will help your articles rank higher in the search engines. Why are higher rankings important? Because the higher your content ranks, the more traffic you’ll get to your website, which is foundational to the success and growth of your business. Here are 3 keyword research tools for SEO you can start using today.
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What Is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is a vital component of SEO that online business owners use to improve their rankings. The goal is to find keywords, including keyword phrases, that are competitive – yet not too competitive. An ideal scenario is to target a keyword that has a high search volume but is not too competitive.
As an example, think about your own experience of typing a phrase into Google. Let’s say you want to learn how to baste a turkey for Thanksgiving. You might type in the phrase “what is the easiest way to baste a turkey?”
A lot of articles relevant to your question will come up. Which ones will you click on? The ones that are on the first page. This is the power of ranking high in the search engines, which underscores the significance of having your content on the first page.
Content doesn’t miraculously appear in this coveted spot, the writers clearly did keyword research, finding high-quality keywords that allowed their articles to achieve prime position. Better rankings lead to more exposure, and more exposure leads to more website traffic, which leads to more conversions and sales, which is the definition of a thriving business. Pretty simple, right?
Keyword Research Tools For SEO
I use the following keyword tools in my affiliate marketing business; Uber Suggest, Pinterest Keyword Tool, and Jaaxy. Below I’ll explain how each one works. Here’s a screenshot of them in my Chrome browser:
1. Uber Suggest
Uber Suggest is owned by Neil Patel, a well-known internet influencer, NY Times bestselling author, and marketing entrepreneur. Anything endorsed or owned by Neil Patel you’ve got to have. As stated on Uber Suggest’s home page, the tool enables you to glean insights into strategies other marketers are using. This will help you improve your own techniques in order to gain an edge.
Uber Suggest is really simple to use, just type in a keyword, or domain name, into the search bar and analyze the results. Keywords are pulled form Google Suggest and AdWords. As you can see, I typed in a similar query to the one I used above:
When I hit search, the results below come up, letting me know that my keyword phrase is EASY to rank for based on the search volume, SEO difficulty, paid difficulty, and cost per click (CPC). The search volume lets you know how many times your keyword is searched for each month.
The SEO difficulty number shows you how competitive your keyword is. The higher the number, the more difficult it will be to rank for. The paid difficulty score gives you insight into how steep the paid search competition is. If the number is quite high, it will be harder to rank for, and you’ll pay more money.
Cost-Per-Click
The Cost-Per-Click number indicates the price each click would cost to be viewed in a paid ad on Google. Higher numbers correlate with better keywords. The tool also shows me the number of backlinks and the domain score, a scale from 1 to 100.
The higher the domain score number, the more authoritative the domain is, and the more difficult it will be to outrank that website. You can also view the monthly search volume graph that shows the keyword performance based on month.
[Read More: How To Get More Traffic By Running A PPC Campaign]
If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you’ll see a box that says “Keyword Ideas.” The tool has generated additional keywords that I can click on to see if they meet my criteria for ranking. I can also click on the button “View All Keyword Ideas” for more keyword suggestions. As you can see, it’s pretty darn easy to use. Uber Suggest is an indispensable tool in my SEO toolbox.
You can go much more in depth with Uber Suggest to see domain search results and traffic, domain SEO keyword rankings, domain top SEO pages, domain SEO keywords, and SERP analysis, that analyzes the top 100 sites that rank for any given keyword. But for basic keyword research, this is plenty of information to help you find high-converting keywords.
2. Pinterest Keyword Tool
Why does Pinterest have its own keyword tool? Because it’s a massive search engine, as well as a social media platform. Pinterest Keyword Tool is straightforward. Simply type in your keyword to see related popular keywords, along with additional keyword suggestions.
My target keyword “Thanksgiving turkey ideas” generated several popular keywords I could potentially use, although no other keywords were found.
Click on “My Keywords” (see above) next to the arrow to access the box below where you can download your keywords for future reference. Pretty easy, right?
Keywords Nowhere
Keywords Nowhere is a bonus keyword research tool I’ve just recently been made aware of. There’s a Chrome extension available, which makes it super handy to use. Check out the free extension here. Find out the search volume and CPC of any of your keywords for free.
In fact, there isn’t a premium version so there’s no need to ever upgrade. Keywords Nowhere will be free indefinitely, and can be used both in the USA and UK. The tool is straightforward to use, and simplifies the keyword research process. Read more about it here.
3. Jaaxy Keyword Research Tool
Jaaxy is an incredible keyword research tool that I use for every single piece of content I write. In fact, I don’t even begin writing until I’ve found a targeted keyword.
Keyword research isn’t time-consuming, and is certainly worth the effort. Jaaxy Lite is free for members of Wealthy Affiliate. It’s a brilliant tool that generates tons of pertinent information.
You want the average number of searches (Avg) to be over 50, and ideally over 100. If a keyword meets these parameters, you’ve got yourself a great keyword.
The number under “Traffic” reflects the number of searches to your website if you achieve first-page rankings. The QSR, or quoted search results, gives you insight into the competing number of websites that are ranked in Google for your specific keyword.
Aim for a score of 50 or below. The KQI, or keyword quality indicator, lets you know if your keyword is either great (green), OK (yellow), or poor (red). Always aim for a “green” keyword.
Scores Are Based On Traffic and Competition
The SEO tab is a score based on traffic and competition. The higher the number is, based on a range of 1-100, the more likely you are to rank for that keyword on the first page. The domain score shows the availability of domains associated with the keyword.
The two numbers I focus on are the average searches per month and the QSR. If the average search is over 50, the QSR under 50, or at least under 100, and the KQI is green, that keyword is a keeper.
On the right side of the tool, you’ll see the “Related” and “Brainstorm” tabs. Click on them to see ideas for related keywords or to brainstorm new ideas. Under the first tab, you can see all the related ideas that were generated. If a keyword phrase interests me, I can click on it to see how good the numbers are.
You can save your keywords to a new list or an existing list. Check the box next to the keywords you want to save, then click “Save to list,” and a box will come up where you can enter a name where you want your keywords saved. Click here to watch a video training on understanding keywords.
Getting Started Online
You can go more in-depth with the tool to see how your articles are ranking, and there are other features as well, but the information I’ve outlined will get you started with keyword research.
Jaaxy is the research tool used by Wealthy Affiliate, a platform that teaches affiliate marketing to people of all skill levels. In my opinion, it’s by far the best internet marketing platform out there for teaching you how to build wealth online.
READ MY REVIEW or click on the banner below to learn more.
Key Points
Keyword research is a crucial element of SEO for making sure your articles get found in the search engines. It’s one of those components that falls under the category “little effort, big reward.” Jaaxy, Uber Suggest, and Pinterest Keyword Tool are three tools I use every day in my online business.
Have you heard of these tools? Hit reply and let me know in the comments:)
Hello Holly,
As a member of Wealthy Affiliate, I get free access to use Jaxxy research tool and it is a very good one at that. I was really hoping that I would get some information on it. I see you wrote something about Wealthy Affiliate Black Friday sale, and I didn’t know anything about that before now. That is very very nice, to be honest. I would very much like to take advantage of that. Thanks for this!
Hi Henderson,
I’m happy to hear you’re a member of Wealthy Affiliate. It’s such an incredible platform, and the fact that they use Jaaxy as their keyword research tool of choice, speaks volumes about its effectiveness. Yes, the Black Friday sale will last for four days, from November 29th to December 2nd. Please take advantage of the incredible savings, the sale only comes around once a year. Thank you:)
I have been using the Jaaxy keyword tool for my new niche. On the old blog my traffic was just traffic that would be up one night and down at zero the next day so Jaaxy wasn’t an option. Otherwise I’ve been benefiting lots from Jaaxy as it shows results from long lasting keywords and the competition level and the amount of traffic you should expect. Jaaxy also helps as it shows your rankings as well. Haven’t tried anything other than that and I’m sure I’ll be using it for a long time.
Hi Donny,
Jaaxy is great for finding keywords to drive more traffic to your site so I’m not surprised you’re seeing positive results. I love the ranking feature in Jaaxy that lets you know which of your articles are ranking in both Google and Bing/Yahoo. It’s such an affordable and effective tool, I can’t imagine doing business without it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment:)
This are all very good tools. I have heard about Uber Suggest before but never really thought that it was effective. For it to enter your top 3 list then it should really work wonders. I would prefer to take advantage of the awesome offer that you showed here about Jaxxy. Looks very catchy to me.
Hi John,
Yes, the tools are great for keyword research. I use all three for every piece of content that I write. Jaaxy is amazing. Do check it out. Thanks so much for reading my post:)