Keyword Research : Where to Start?
Keyword research is the first thing you do when planning a website. You do it before thinking over the site architecture and creating the content. Keyword research is the what you do to estimate your competition and create a promotion strategy.
But where to start? How to find the correct core terms that you will then explore and expand? What you can do first:
1. Make a list of most essential aspects of your business;
2. Think what your visitors or customers would be most interested to see;
3. Learn what your competitors use (but don’t copy their strategy - sort out only most essential and useful terms);
4. Explore your niche essential vocabulary - check out dictionaries and glossaries.
While the first three are more or less clear, number 4 needs further information, I guess. I have a collection of my favorite sources I check regularly to get help with keyword research and content creation. And I am going to share my collection now:
The free dictionary (available with the FireFox search plugin) list a wealth of useful information for any term:
But where to start? How to find the correct core terms that you will then explore and expand? What you can do first:
1. Make a list of most essential aspects of your business;
2. Think what your visitors or customers would be most interested to see;
3. Learn what your competitors use (but don’t copy their strategy - sort out only most essential and useful terms);
4. Explore your niche essential vocabulary - check out dictionaries and glossaries.
While the first three are more or less clear, number 4 needs further information, I guess. I have a collection of my favorite sources I check regularly to get help with keyword research and content creation. And I am going to share my collection now:
The free dictionary (available with the FireFox search plugin) list a wealth of useful information for any term:
- your keyword definition(s)
- set phrases/ idioms (use them to lighten up your writing style)
- examples of usage
- words of the same root (inflected words and derivations)
- thesaurus
- classic literature mentions
- keyword phrases
- related acronyms
Wordnet will provide you with the definitions and sample sentences using your key term.
Rhyme Zone will define your term and find:
- rhymes (can be real fun to play with by the way)
- synonyms
- antonyms
Synonym.com (as the name suggests) will show you the word synonyms and antonyms. The dictionary database is really not bad but they really have to work on usability and disturbing pop-ups the keep popping in.
Cambridge online dictionary will list most essential definitions and keyword phrases.
Meta Glossary finds the word definitions, related words and synonyms
Reference.com (with the FireFox search plugin) shows your core term synonyms and definitions.
Merriam-Webster dictionary lists definitions and derived terms.
Urban Dictionary provides related terms, definitions and examples created by users (FireFox search plugin available).
