Don’t Trust Google’s Adwords Keywords Tool
After some time off, I decided to get back into the keyword research game. Over the past year, my time was spent writing software and that is a very time-consuming process requiring lots of concentration. It left many of my websites unfocused and unprofitable.
To get things back in order, I decided it was time to do some research. From my previous successes, I knew a good tool was key. My old standby was the DigitalPoint Keyword Suggestion Tool. It had served me well since 2005.
The Digital Point Keyword Suggestion Tool.
With a few search phrases in mind and some time to work, I tried hundreds of different phrases over the course of several weeks. As expected, it showed many different possibilities. This got my mind working.
There was just one thing different and it was big. The tool used to show both Overture and Wordtracker. Now, it was only showing Overture. You may say one is better than none. However, when you plan to spend time and money on a keyword phrase, you want as much assurance as possible.
Many times I have used the tool in the past and the keyword phrase looked good in Overture, but not in Wordtracker. Or the other way around. To get around this problem, my chosen keywords would have to rank well in both to be worth the time. Since the Keyword Suggestion Tool used to show both, it was not a problem.
Without seeing traffic estimates for both Wordtracker and Overture, it really reduces the usefulness of the tool. I knew then that it’s best days were behind it. Today, you can’t even see Overture. It looks like Digital Point has stopped offering the Keyword Suggestin tool. That means it’s time to find a new one.
Google Adwords’ Keyword Research.
Visiting forums and reading posts, the first tool that came to mind as a replacement was the Adwords’ tool that Google advertisers use to buy ad space. A few years ago, you had to get an account to access it. Now, anyone can. Was this the answer?
Google’s Adwords keyword tool offers more suggestions than the DigitalPoint tool ever did. It gives you ad rates for specific terms and includes related terms that are not in the keyword phrase you searched. It offers ad competition (but not search competition) and monthly search volume.
While the DigitalPoint tool let you see the daily traffic, Google only does it by month. While Digital Point USED to show 2 sets of search traffic estimates, Google shows only 1. However, the ad rates are really nice in the Google tool, which is completely missing from Digital Point. And the related terms features in Google is unmatched by DigitalPoint.
All in all, given the pros and cons, I would say the Google Adwords’ tool was a slight improvement over DigitalPoint. But, while Digital Point could be used as a stand-alone tool, I soon learned why Google’s search numbers cannot be taken for granted.
My experiment with Google.
After finding what I thought was a good keyword phrase, I registered a domain name with those keywords in it, and .COM to boot! In Google, it looked perfect. It had a nice ad rate. There was relatively little competition. I did a Google search and it looked like a Top 10 position was definitely possible. And, best of all, Google’s keyword tool showed 40,000 visitors a month! That’s 1500 a day! Nice, I thought.
Well, I learned a little lesson with Google. After getting the domain name, setting up a blog, getting the links, and watching my rankings rise, I noticed it was still getting no traffic. Maybe it’s just not high enough yet and needs to be Top 10.
2 weeks after registering the domain name, the website ranks in the Top 10. Yet, it still gets 0 traffic for the keyword phrase. What is going on here? Well, I just learned a lesson about depending on Google’s Adwords keywords tool. Their traffic numbers are not reliable. It’s time to look for another tool.
Keyword Specialist.
With my Google failure, it was time to head back to the forums to find out what else was out there. I knew about the SEO Book keyword tool. Never was a big fan of it because it only offered traffic from one source and that was it. You may as well just use Google. So, I kept looking.
After learning about the ad rate feature in Google Adwords, I decided having that feature would be very nice to have. So, the next tool should include this.
One day, after reading a forum post, I discovered Keyword Spy.
Keyword Spy.
After a month of using this tool, it is just what I wanted. It shows ad rates for keywords, it has a graph of advertisers, shows competitors, top searched terms, and a lot more. It’s a great FREE tool. In fact, I’m now glad Digital Point stopped and Google was inaccurate. It forced me to find KeywordSpy.
Now, it isn’t all sunshine and lollipops. I checked the keyword phrase of my Top 10 website that was researched in Google Adwords. Keyword Spy showed the same 40,000/month searches. So, that’s not good. Instead of junking this tool or Google’s, I decided to use them to complement each other.
Google would be used to get search terms and ideas and to determine ad rates. It is great for that. Keyword Spy would be used to verify Google’s numbers and to do web site analysis. Keyword Spy is great at that. Now, I just needed another tool to confirm search traffic for both Google and Keyword Spy. Time to go back to the forums.
Why Do Domain Sellers Keep Using This Tool?
To find another tool, I checked the domain forums. It seems that when people ask for appraisals or try to sell a domain, they regularly mention Estibot. Well, what is estibot? It is an automated domain name appraisal service. You type in a domain name, and it spits out a number. Simple, isn’t it?
Well, if Estibot is the de-facto standard for forum domain sellers, let me take a look.
Estibot.
After trying a few domain names, with keyword phrases in them, I discovered Estibot gives you a nice breakdown on search traffic. For my website, with the Google Adwords’ keyword phrase, I discovered that the traffic wasn’t 40,000/month, it was 137/month!
Now that’s an eye-opener.
This could have saved me a lot of time in development and link-building or the registration fee, at least. Either way, it would have been a real asset when I first started. Oh well, you live and learn.
Use A Variety Of Tools In Keyword Research.
This experience has taught me not to rely on only one tool. Keyword research is very important when you are trying to determine what website has the most revenue-generating potential. The last thing you want to do is waste a couple of weeks chasing something that isn’t there.
My library of tools are Google Adwords’ Keyword Tool for ideas and ad rates. Keyword Spy for confirmation and website analysis. Finally, Estibot is used just before I register the domain name. This is to be sure that it’s not a waste of time.
This isn’t a tried-and-proven approach. I just registered 4 domain names to find out if this works. But, I feel much more confident now than a month ago when just using Google.
Either way, these 3 tools will be a part of my keyword research process going forward. I just hope they don’t start charging for them.
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i have tried key word elite, but just to search for one variant of keyword – it takes around 20 to 30 minutes. can you suggest better tool ?