I thought I’d highlight two free keyword tools that may help you with search engine optimization (SEO) and market research for online businesses.
Google Keyword Tool
Google of course is the market leader in keyword search and advertising, so their keyword tool is definitely worth a look. Among the features beyond estimated monthly search volume is the ability to use synonyms of the keywords you enter, as well as some filtering options to limit results (e.g., only display data on the keywords you entered). The tool is attached to Google’s Adwords product — their aim with the tool is to help you to find good keywords for your Adwords campaigns. There is a nice side-effect of this for those who utilize Google AdSense ads on their website — you can see what topics & keywords have the most expensive cost-per-click (CPC). This will translate into more AdSense revenue assuming the same number of ads are clicked.
Spacky.com Keyword Research Tool
Given how nice Google’s keyword tool is, why would you want to use other tools? A: Google is not the only search engine out there that people use. The Spacky.com keyword tool gives estimated monthly search volume numbers for Google, Overature/Yahoo, and the Microsoft Network (the three most used search engines). After submitting your keywords to the tool, it will also suggest other keyword combinations and report on their estimated monthly search volume (similar to the synonym feature of Google’s tool).
Conclusion
Both tools provide free insight about keywords and keyword combinations to help with your SEO efforts. You can also use the tool to carry out market research for your existing or planned online businesses. The tools help you to find out what Internet users are looking for. Add some research on any competition, and you can determine which markets have yet to be adequately tapped by others.
