If you are still performing keyword searches by going to Keyword Tool, typing in some words and creating a list of terms, you may find that you are missing several golden opportunities to improve your keyword analysis.
Part of the problem is that long-tail keywords rather than fathead keywords have gained ascendancy, so it is much harder to predict what searchers will type in. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to find good keywords that will increase organic traffic—if you know where to look.
1. Wikipedia. If you have not thought of using Wikipedia for keyword research, think again! Google inurl:Wikipedia and your topic, or just Google the topic or head term. Wikipedia is usually one of the first organic results. Read the SERP to determine the most relevant terms in the Wikipeia entry. Now, open the entry and identify the key terms from the first few paragraphs and the table of contents. You can also link to other associated Wikipedia pages to identify more keywords.
2. Google Autocomplete. If you are sometimes annoyed that Google tries to finish your sentences for you, you may be missing a great keyword research opportunity. As autocomplete algorithms become more sophisticated, they also give you strong hints about what they believe people will search for. In this case, Google is actually doing the work for you, based on real user queries, geographic location and language. Google tells you the most popular keywords as you type in the beginning of a longtail suggestion. Since these terms are rated on “freshness,” it is a good idea to perform an “autocorrect” search on a regular basis to ensure that your keywords are still relevant. You can also use Ubersuggest, which does the alphabetic keyword searches for you.
3. Google Related Searches. Google is the world’s biggest search engine, so it makes sense to pay attention to how pages rank in Google. In fact, one often-ignored gold mine of keyword suggestions is “related searches” at the bottom of any SERP. How much easier could it be to get synonyms for your search queries?
4. MetaGlossary.com. This intriguing website offers an easy way to find keywords: by definition. Enter a term, click “define,” and definitions from around the world appear instantly. These “related terms” are a harvest of keywords just waiting for you to use!
5. Competitor Keywords. Of course, you can always use a trick from the good old days of SEO: look at your competitors’ keywords. Just Google your top keyword, click on the first organic search result and view the page source. Non-branded words that follow <Title> as well as <h1> or <keywords> are usually good bets.
6. Amazon.com. Yes, Amazon, king of the Internet jungle, can be a great source of keywords. Check out the Amazon results page for your search and you are likely to find great results for your own keyword research.
Finding keywords is not as hard as you think if you look in the right places!