Thursday, April 13, 2006

How to Find Great Keywords

Want to know a free and easy way to find great keywords? Well, one requirement is that you have a valid Google AdWords account, because the tools I'm going to talk about is Google's own Keyword Tool - improved version!

I talk about finding niches in areas you are comfortable writing about. And one of the reasons for this is so you always have great content for your site. What happens when you have little rapport with your subject is your ideas dry up and your site goes stagnant.

One tip I teach is using keyword generators, be they paid for or free; these are memory joggers of the best sort and can do wonders if you can really find out how they will perform in the real world.

As always, I like "real world" examples - so let's try one here.

For the keyword iPod, in the first screen shot, we can see Avg Search Volume (very useful), and Search Volume Trends - plus the highest month. So, for "xplay", I note that January was the month with most searches for that iPod niche word. There's more...

Google AdWords Keyword Tool screenshot showing Search Volume Trends
On the next screen shot, (just click on it to make it to where you can read it), you can enter your Google AdWords Keyword Tool screenshot showing Cost Per Clickmaximum cost per click that you're willing to pay, and the Keyword Tool will calculate at what position it feels your ad will be placed based on that keyword. Pretty snazzy, but I have found these numbers to be a little low. Plan spending more to get the top spots.


Google AdWords Keyword Tool screenshot showing competition And, lastly, there's a useful screen that tells us how heavy the current text ad competition is. This is good because at a glance you can tell if it's worth considering placing ads.

Remember, we want in the top four spots spending up to five cents per click. Unless the keyword is converting at a much higher rate, it won't pay to get real competitive - and this is where the Google AdWords Keyword Tool helps.

Don't forget, you can then take your new found group of keywords, create an ad and run it for a day or so live in AdWords. Watch your results. You may be very surprised at what you find - a new niche that people are hungry for!

Lots of homework there... we'll talk soon!
Dave

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Google AdWords Editor Opinion

Google AdWords EditorThere are now two tools I couldn't do without: Google Analytics and Google AdWords Editor. Recently I received an invitation to try the AdWords Editor, although I believe it is widely available now. I downloaded it, and because I am so used to updating everything through the Google AdWords site, (sorry AdWords Dominator), I didn't even unzip it for a couple of days.

When you're concentrating on tweaking your keywords and creating more content, you have little time to learn a whole, new program. Or, so I thought.

Leave it to Google to come up with something so natively easy to learn, you don't really need a manual. You don't need to install a database, or know how to. You simply click to install and enter your AdWords username and password. And, start using it. It's that easy.

One of my favorite features is finding keywords across ad campaigns. Yes, AdWords online has this, but this program is much easier to use and saves your settings so you don't have to reset everything at each execution.

Another nice feature is the ability to view all of your campaigns on one screen, and then drill down quickly, without having to wait for a download.

There are a couple of features I would like to see that Google told me are coming down the pike. Namely, the ability to turn off campaigns that are inactive, and the data from the text ads - CTR, CPC, etc.

And why can't I live without Google Analytics? It's a vital part of seeing what's happening on your site - what pages are being viewed, subjects that are being followed, all that keeps your site interesting and alive.

Download your copy and use Google AdWords Editor and keep it open on your desktop. As you watch your positions throughout the day, you'll be able to quickly make changes that will profit you in the long term.

Yahoo Publisher Network Checks In

February Checks arrive.  Praise the Lord.Grand day for those of us following the way to monetize your site and blog. YPN checks have arrived and although we probably can't tell you how much they are, we can say that February's check is around $5000 more than last month. What a raise!

Keep following the optimization tips and tweaking your sites. And remember, content of value is really "king". People want something worth reading. Don't offer them anything less.

Stay tuned!
Dave