Keyword Tools

Which keyword tools are the best? I often get asked this question and it's not a simple question to answer. The first question I ask is "what are you planning to do with it….SEO?…set up a PPC campaign?….calculate how much traffic to expect?…SEO a press release?"

Lets start with the basics. If your search engine optimizing a page, your most likely interested in not only the keywords ability to draw traffic, but also how competitive each keyword looks in terms of the search engine your planning to optimize for. Probably the two most common tools in the industry are Wordtracker and Nichebot. Wortracker requires you to license the database, however is the most comprehensive tool in the industry and is well worth the money. Nichebot is actually powered by Wordtracker and Google, which can provide you with quick insight when you are in a pinch.

Wordtracker is not only is a great SEO keyword tool, but also is a good resource for finding root "behavior" words that might serve your website as secondary themes to go after. If you already use wordtracker, you can do this by using the comprehensive search feature.

If your setting up a PPC campaign, there are several free resources at hand. The most common tool is Overture's/Yahoo! Keyword tool found here. If your setting up a campaign in Yahoo! Or trying to calculate total search engine traffic, this tool proves to be very useful. Beware that this tool is not perfect and does include sku'd statistics from automated software. However, if your looking search statistics that give you a good reference point, I usually turn to this tool first.

What about Google's tool?
Google's tool is great if you?re trying to research behavior search trends. I recommend using the Keyword Sandbox. Not only does it recommend words around your search query, it also recommends words that searchers also use in conjunction with the search that you performed. If you're working in very niche industries, this tool is a lifesaver. However, one of the large drawbacks is that it does not provide any statistics along with the keywords it returns.

Above all, if your setting up a Google Adwords campaign, this tool is a must have in your arsenal. It allows you to select negative keywords easily and also can make phase matching and exact matching a cinch. If you're serious about optimizing your campaigns, negative matching is absolutely necessary to keep keyword costs down while strengthening your targeting ability.

If you are in the industry, you likely have your favorite tools too. But for starters, these are good tools to start with. Happy researching!
[tags] keyword tools, seo, ppc, internet marketing strategies [/tags]