In the day-to-day running of an SME, keyword research is unlikely to be top of the priority list, especially without a dedicated marketing manager on staff. However, understanding keywords allow you to rank higher in Google searches, ultimately increasing business and promoting growth.
Keyword research is an incredibly useful tool for small businesses. When creating a website for your business, keyword research will inform how your website is structured and the content therein. If you are ready to conduct some pay per click marketing then keyword research is essential to inform what search terms you will be bidding on.
Keyword research can be time-consuming, but it doesn't have to be expensive. If you go with Google's keyword tool, they will wait until you are running a campaign and spending an unspecified amount of money with them before they give out valuable information such has specifically how many people search a term in a given month.
While this usually isn't too expensive - we've found that we normally had to spend around £10 - there are cheaper alternatives out there.
KEYWORDS EVERYWHERE
Keywords everywhere is a google chrome extension that will show you just how many people are searching whatever you type into Google and will even give suggestions as to alternative phrases to bid on.
Installing Keywords everywhere means you will be constantly evaluating your SEO techniques and gaining insight on how other businesses are utilising SEO as it will always be running in the background.
This tool is a great free alternative to Google ads keyword tool and is a worthwhile download for anyone concerned with search rankings.
Update February 2020: Keywords Everywhere has now changed their pricing model although some features are still free!
UBERSUGGEST
One of our favourite tools is Ubersuggest. This tool takes either a keyword or a website URL and suggests long-tail keywords as well as recommending keywords to compete for based on the relative competition. This is a great tool to use when you are deciding what keywords are best for your website and for keeping an eye on how your competitors are ranking.
SPYFU
Spyfu is a bit of a different tool as its primary use is to compare your SEO to your competitor. This is a very in-depth tool and may be difficult for a beginner to make sense of but once you get the hang of it the data it will provide you can be invaluable. Your SEO should be directly informed by your competitor's moves.
Not only will this tool show you your competitors top keywords but it will also show you what keywords they have bid on in the past and suggest some PPC keywords to bid on to compete with them. This can be an incredibly powerful tool in the right hands. Who doesn't want to know what their competitors are up to?
MARKETING FUEL:
Using these three free SEO tools to conduct keyword research and keep up with your competition is a cheap way to give yourself a competitive edge and a greater understanding of where you sit in the eyes of your customers. Use these tools to the best of your ability to make your website and your PPC campaigns as efficient as possible without breaking the bank.
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About the author: Vincent Bissette is a freelance Brand Strategy and Design Consultant with over 30 years experience of branding and rebranding businesses and organisations, systematically, thoroughly and objectively. He has worked in major Design Consultancies as well as having run his own agency for 25 years, working with SMEs all over the UK to help them modernise their brand, grow their business, attract new customers, penetrate new markets and increase their sales, market share and profit. Throughout that time, there’s not much he hasn't done or many industries he hasn't worked in. He’s a creative, strategic thinker and problem solver with a wealth of experience in diagnosing trouble spots in brands and discovering their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Now based in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, he works throughout the entire UK.
Get in touch with him on Linkedin here
