A How-To Guide For the Google Keyword Tool
Internet marketers who are seeking useful keyword ideas or effective ways to find keywords that pay quite well very often use the Google keyword tool. And because this tool allows you to see the monthly search volume for the various terms included, it's also ideal for learning just how widely used various keyword phrases are.
When you first start using the keyword tool, you can check out keyword or keywords phrases, along with various synonyms that Google may be tracking in their Adwords campaigns. When the results list appears, it's up to you to either show or hide columns by using the drop-down list for "Show/Hide columns." An option in the drop-down list enables you to see the estimated average CPC. When you choose this, you'll have the opportunity to broaden your list, and then you can do a comparison of the keyword phrases' potential value and their monthly search volume.
There a special advantage that comes with this tool: choose one of the terms from your brainstorming list to put in, and then check to see if it is above of below the level of the competition, and if its search volume if high or low. By doing this, you can learn which keyword phrases and related niches are more likely to bring in Google advertising dollars.
The next chapter will go more deeply into SEO. For now, your main objective is to determine which of your brainstorming ideas will be most successful as a niche for the website you're planning. For example, if the phrase you choose for your Google keyword tool is "home brewing" you may immediately discover that even though the term appeals to you, not many other people find it useful, as it has a very low CPC value – which means advertisers won't be interested in buying.
But when you go down the list, you see that the CPC value of the term "beer brewing" is more than $1 and its search volume is 60,500. To a slight degree, this is a step up. So you need to find more effective search terms and you should go with "wine making" which, compared to "beer brewing," has a very high CPC value. Meanwhile, there's practically no value at all to "home canning." In other words, while your personal preference may be for "beer brewing," it really isn't going to work out that well for you. You would be dealing with just too narrow a niche to bring in the type of business you want.
When you consider that billions of people are using the Internet, you will realize that you need a niche that will grab the attention of a specific section of the market. So if you're currently using "beer brewing" you may get some interest, but probably not enough to help you in the long-run. Added to that, advertising dollars are more likely to be directed to "wine making." But the question now is, when you go with "wine making" you may in fact find a better niche, but will it be too broad? With "wine making," do you want to deal only with the wine enthusiasts who make their own wine at home, and leave out those who just see wine as a beverage for special occasions? When you reach this point, you should look for more keywords and targeted phrases that are all-encompassing – such "wine supplies" – which will give you the right CPC search volume and still not enter into an area that's too competitive.
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