I realise I am using a very rare keyword for my blog.   So rare almost no one searches for it!  No searches = no visitors to my blog.  ~sob~  Then I noticed people who came to my blog were looking for other things! They were looking for “video transitions”, “feminine themes”, etc   (I do have a small video resources category in my blog; and I also have a wordpress theme category.)  Would I be able turn my blog around?

Above is an illustration of how buyers come to your website by using keywords in search engines.

Keyword research, if I am not wrong, is NOT NEW.  I first heard about it 1.5 years back but ignored its importance as I wasn’t blogging back then.

So it looks like there’s hope for me!  I use several keyword research tools from GoodKeywords and WordPot to help me find popular not too over-used keywords that I should use in my blog.

But what if I wanted something even more ‘powerful’?

WordTracker is the industry standard in keyword research.   With a paid account, you can type in a starting search term (keyword) and get literally thousands of related keywords, sorted by how many searches have been made recently using these keywords.

WordTracker is hands down the best tool to use to get a quick and complete start on your keyword research.  The downside is that it isn’t free.   You can get access for one month for $59, or a yearly subscription for US$329 or £161.  This isn’t cheap but it is a fantastic tool.

Or if you wish to try another free quality Keyword Research Tool, I highly suggest you sign up for a free membership with Aaron Wall’s SEObook.

What keywords to Use for your blog?

“Our new product range” is poor; “Our new range of vegetarian dog food” is better.

In order for search engines to find your blog through its keywords, where should your Keywords be in your Blog?

Nick Usborne and Ken McGaffin of WordTracker reveals that your blog’s keywords should be in your:

Title tag (preferably H1 or H2).

Description tag.

In the body of your blog.

Hyperlinks. “More about Dalmations and puppies” is better than “Click here”.

Alt text. For every image, write an alt attribute tag, good for both accessibility and optimization.

In bulleted lists, quotes, interviews, references at the bottom of your blog or web page, blog summary and testimonials.

Keywords that link back to your blog should also be used in your forum signatures, directory listings, blog comments (some wordpress-driven blog using Comment Milk plugin is able to link keywords to your blog URL), in subsidiary and partner sites, online press releases, by-lines to articles that you publish, reciprocal links (if any), paid-for-inclusion links and paid text links.

Other Keyword Tools:
Trellian’s Keyword Discovery
Wordze
MSN Keyword Forecast

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