This is not your father’s internet. Today’s cyber real estate comes at a premium, and if you’re not focusing the right energy on your inbound marketing efforts, you’re losing customers to your online neighbors before they even know your address. Of course, content is king if you want the search engines to send visitors your way, which means you need to focus on proper keyword research. Not sure how? Check out these keyword research tips to help you produce killer keywords:

Understanding How Keyword Research Is Part of Your Inbound Marketing Strategy

Finish this sentence:

A hummingbird, a penguin, and a panda bear…

If you said, “Walk into a bar,” we definitely need to back up a bit!

Each of these animals corresponds to an algorithm created by Google. You see, once upon a time, keyword stuffing was all the rage, and it worked out for a while, but that time has come to an end. Well-thought-out words rule successful rankings today. Don’t be fooled into thinking that choosing keywords is a a simple and intuitive task; perfect phrases don’t fall from the sky. In fact, like most other parts of a proper marketing plan, data analytics will lead you to the words which will work the hardest for you.

Finding the right keywords is a delicate dance of finding:

Phrases that are highly searched but still unique enough from your competitors to make you stand out;

Keywords that flow fluidly and conversationally within your content;

Words that make sense for the people who are searching for them. If you send people your way with keywords that don’t make sense, your bounce rate will skyrocket.

Armed with this knowledge, you’re ready to begin. Your SEO arsenal will be fully equipped when you walk through this checklist:

Brainstorm. Make a list of the words you use when you talk about what you do. Think about what you believe your customers are looking for when they seek the help of search engines, and write down any words that come to mind.

Search for Yourself. Open a browser, and start searching for your brainstormed bunch of words. Search engines will automatically ask you if you’re looking for some of the most popularly searched words. Add these phrases to your list when they’re relevant.

Do the Numbers. There are tons of analytics tools available in cyberspace these days. Find one or two that make sense to you, and start working the math.

The key with keyword research is finding words that are useful, actionable, and unique enough to beat out your competitors in valuable cyber real estate.

Which Free Tools Can Help with Your Killer Keyword Research

Companies spend thousands of dollars when they hire companies to do their keyword research for them. Because you need great keywords to bolster your inbound marketing efforts, you may be able to justify the costs. Fortunately, however, there are plenty of free options online at your disposal.

Here are a few top picks:

Google AdWords Keyword Planner. If you are trying to make friends with Google, it only makes sense to embrace the company’s own tools to make an optimal impact with your digital marketing strategy. Even if you’re not employing a PPC campaign, the concept of AdWords is still the same: publish words that your consumers will actually be searching for.

Keyword planner will allow you to perform keyword research, help you build a great keyword list, and provide statistics with historical data and forecasting information.

Bing Ads Intelligence. It’s important not to focus on a single search engine. When you create a Bing Ads account, you’ll have the ability to incorporate this Excel Add-On into your keyword research toolbox. By simply entering your website’s URL or a few keywords into the new tab that appears in Excel, you can generate new keywords and gain insights about traffic and bids for PPC advertising.

Keyword Spy. No marketing plan will be successful if you don’t know what your competitors are up to. Keyword Spy allows you to see which keywords your competition is using so you can get a leg up with your audience. If you are in a highly competitive market, this tool may provide you with optimal keywords for your region.

Keyword Spy. No marketing plan will be successful if you don’t know what your competitors are up to. Keyword Spy allows you to see which keywords your competition is using so you can get a leg up with your audience. If you are in a highly competitive market, this tool may provide you with optimal keywords for your region.

Local Keyword Generator. Brick-and-mortar stores rejoice! This tool aids with geo-targeted marketing. Simply plug in your zip code, a search radius, and a list of keywords you would use to describe your business. The generator will then give you a list of keywords and neighboring cities you can incorporate into your content marketing campaign.

Not sure you are ready to concoct killer keywords on your own just yet? Perhaps it’s time for you to learn about our for Emphatic Technologies Success!