Marketing Mule

In this article we look at some of the free keyphrase analysis tools out there and give you a hands on approach to performing an analysis without spending any money.

The Purpose for Doing a Keyphrase Analysis

The premise behind keyphrase analysis is that the terms you select are the terms you expect your customers to use when finding your site. Obviously then you want to be sure to select the best terms yet you also want to be able to select terms which either give you great placement early (for an organic campaign) or which won’t break the bank (in terms of a PPC campaign).

Therefore, keyphrase analysis comes down to a balance between how likely you are to position for that phrase and how much traffic it will generate for you.

So, just how do you start doing your analysis?

The first step I suggest is brainstorming. Think of all the terms you would use to find your website. Sometimes a good way to do this is simply with a pad of paper and a pen and WITHOUT your computer.

Of course this can be a difficult process but there are free tools which can help.

Iwould suggest starting with the Google Adwords keyword sandbox tool. This free tool has been developed by Google to help you choose keyphrases for your PPC campaign. However I have also found it quite handy for helping choose phrases for an organic campaign.

How to Use the Keyword Selector Tool

There are 2 modes when using this tool, so let us take a look at each more closely.

If you’ve followed my suggestion above and thought of a few terms which apply to your site and/or service. Simply past those into the supplied box and then select the data you wish to receive:

• Keywords only – Review only the list of returned keyphrases, with no statistics.


• Keyword popularity – Review statistics for advertisers bidding on the same keyphrase, as well as user searches for that phrase on Google.


• Cost and ad position estimates – Review the predicted status, average cost-per-click, ad position, and search volume values for ads appearing for your keyphrases.


• Global search volume trends – Review global trends and traffic histories for your keyphrases and fluctuations in traffic for a twelve month period.


• Possible negative keywords – Review keyphrase results based on your search. For any phrases that aren’t relevant or specific to your business or service.

Probably the option you will use most, at least in the beginning is “Keyword Popularity.” Remember, this is the one that gives you relative popularity of the phrase in terms of searches. So, simply enter the term(s) into the box and press the “Get More Keywords” button.

Your search may take a few minutes, depending on the number of terms you entered. Once it is complete you will find a list of terms which include not only your own but also a bunch of others as suggested by Google.

If you are doing an organic phrase analysis, the column you will be most interested in is the “Search Volume” column. While it does not show you actual search volume you will get an idea of how popular a term is. The wider the green bar, the more popular the phrase.

Remember that the search volumes are current volumes. That means seasonal and/or new terms (such as brand new products) may show a low search volume.

Finally, notice that at the bottom of the screen that you can also export the list to a CSV file. This is handy because it can help you organize the terms in something you may be more familiar with, such as Excel.

Option 2: Search a URL for Keywords

Now that you know how to analyze phrases based on terms you enter it is now time to look at how to capture terms from your website.

Simply select “Site-Related Keywords” and enter your URL. You will again have to choose the type of analysis but for now I’d recommend using the current setting. Upon pressing the “Get Keywords” button, you will be again presented with a list similar to the one created when you entered your own terms. And, as before you can sort and export.

This can be helpful for you for a couple reasons. First, the tool may help you identify phrases or themes within your site you may not have thought of, however to me one of the biggest benefits of this tool is that you can not only parse phrases from your site but also your competitors sites.

Conclusion

Using the Google Adwords Sandbox is just one way to determine the appropriate phrases
for your site. There are also other free and paid keyphrase analysis tools out there. I would suggest becoming familiar with a few different ones and find the ones that suit you best.