The one skill that EVERY SUCCESSFUL NETWORK MARKETER has mastered?

KEYWORD RESEARCH

Keyword research allows one to find niches, determine competition, and define the demand of the consumer.  There are people that make a living by doing keyword research for others.  There are those that are SO good at it (Howie Schwartz, among others) that they can basically name the price for their services.

I’m not going to talk about HOW to do keyword research in this post.  There are volumes already published on the subject.

Simply go to Google and type in “keyword research” and you’ll get over 47 MILLION hits.  There’s not much more that I can add.

But what about the TOOLS to perform keyword research?

Again this is a huge market, and there are a multitude of tools to choose from.  Some cost very little.  Some are rather expensive.  All have their attributes and their shortcomings.  And some…. are FREE.

Free keyword research tools are my favorite, as they are what I used when I first started out.  And, truth be told, the average network marketer will do just fine by JUST using the free tools.

Below, I have listed my 6 Favorite Keyword Research Tools… and they are all FREE.

Enjoy.

TOOL #1: Google Suggest

Google Suggest is a Google search feature that automatically suggests search phrases as you are typing your query.  The green number next to each suggested query represents the approximate number of results that would return if you select the query. I use this tool when first starting the keyword research process, as it gives me some ideas about various search phrases and the relative popularity (i.e. volume) and competition.

TOOL #2: Google Adwords Free Keyword Tool

The Google Adwords Free Keyword Tool should be a staple in every networkers toolbox.  Designed to give advertisers more keyword ideas for their Google Adwords campaigns, this tool can be used by any marketer, whether or not they advertise on Google.  Simply put in your main keyword or phrase (hint:  start broad and narrow your focus in later searches) and hit “Get Keyword Ideas” button, and you’re off and running.

When your results are posted (within a few seconds), you will find listed your main keyword or phrase, followed by a typically long list of variations. For each keyword or phrase on the list, the Google Adwords Free Keyword Tool provides information on Global Monthly Search Volume, Local Search Volume for the Prior Month, and Advertiser Competition.  You can also find the Estimated Cost-per-Click (CPC) needed to attain a certain ad position,  Search Volume Trends for the past year (in graphic form), and the month of the year in which the highest search volume was hit (HINT:  To see these later columns, go to the drop down menu under Choose Columns to Display and select “ALL”).

And it gets better.  This tool allows you to click an “ADD” button to add the keyword or keyword phrase to a list, which can then be exported in a .csv file to Microsoft Excel or your favorite spreadsheet, or a text file to download to a text editor.

Want more?  You can also choose to search for your keyword term as a Broad match, Phrase Match, or Exact Match.  And it you want to develop a Negative List for your keyword, you can simply select this feature, as well.

I think you’ll agree that this is one POWERFUL tool, and it’s one of my favorites.

TOOL #3: Google Insights for Search

Another terrific free keyword tool offered by Google, Google Insights for Search allows you to compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties.  Simply type in your search term, filter by time (years) or location (Worldwide, US, specific region, etc.), and hit Search.

Google Insights provides you with the most often searched terms or phrases during the time you have designated.  For example, if I wanted to know the search volume of the keyword phrase “Home Business” during the years 2004-present in the US, the results would look like this:

Very cool. Not only do I see the Top Searches for this keyword phrase, but Google Insights also provide the Rising Searches, those phrases that have been “breaking out” in terms of volume from one month previous to the current month.

This is especially powerful if you are looking to drive more traffic.

TOOL #4: NicheBot Classic

This keyword tool, powered by Wordtracker, allows you to type in a keyword phrase and obtain the top 50 most popular keyword listings. I use this tool to supplement the free Google tools, as many of these tools pull their listings from different sources and yield slightly different results.  This is another way to supplement your keyword list and make it more complete.

This tool is also very useful in that in provides information across the various search engines.  When I type in “home business”, I get a list of keyword phrases, and their relative search volume in Google, Yahoo, and MSN.  I can also check out the competition by clicking on the link to these search engines provided in the table, which will show me the top PPC and organic listings for that particular phrase.

These features make the NicheBot Classic Free Keyword tool very powerful.

Tool #5: Wordpot Keyword Finder

There is a paid and free version of this site, but I’ve found the free version to be more than enough in terms of relevant keyword information.  Simply sign up for a free account and you’re good to go.

Once you’ve entered your keyword phrase, the Free Wordpot Keyword tool will provide you with a list of the 50 top results, giving the total number of times any variation of the keyword phrase was searched, and the number of times your keyword phrase was searched EXACTLY.  This is useful information when determining whether or not to include a keyword phrase in your list.

TOOL #6: Keyword Spy PRO

Again, there is a free and paid version of this tool, and I have used both.  The Free Version of KW SpyPRO provides you with a ton of relevant information about the competition for a specific keyword or phrase.  When I type in “Home Business”, I am provided basic information regarding average cost per click, daily volume, and the number of advertisers using this keyword phrase (i.e. your competitors):

Keyword Statistics
Cost/Click:	$3.07
Clicks/Day:	1,904
Cost/Day:	$5,905
#Advertisers:	149
Search Results:	2,147,483,647

In addition, KWSpyPRO provides the Top 5 Paid Competitors and Top 5 Organic Listing Competitors for this keyword, their URL, number of keywords used, daily budget estimation, and their actual ads they use to drive traffic.

And all of this for FREE.

Although you can get even more information using the paid versions of some of these sites, and their are some excellent PAY KEYWORD TOOLS that I use and strongly recommend, network marketers on a tight budget can perform their keyword research just as easily and almost as completely with these FREE KEYWORD TOOLS.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly.

To your success!

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If someone asked me what is THE MOST important thing I’ve learned since I first started network marketing several years ago, I would have no trouble answering….

Welcome to Day 28 of the “30 Tips in 30 Days” Holiday Blog Special.  To see other posts in this series, click on the “Business and Marketing Tips” link in the Category section.

What is the most important skill I’ve learned?  No contest.

KEYWORD RESEARCH

Keywords are everything in online marketing.  Let me repeat that.

KEYWORDS ARE EVERYTHING.

Why?  Because everything you do on the Internet means nothing if nobody sees it.

And how do you get people to see your work?  By finding the proper keywords that people use in their searches.

Seems simple, right?  Not so fast.

Think about the way  you search for something on Google.  You type in whatever you’re interested in.

Let’s say by way of example that you are interested in visiting Puerto Rico and you wish to know the best hotels to stay at in San Juan.

If you simply type in Puerto Rico in Google search, it’s not likely that you’ll get exactly what you’re looking for without going through several pages of search results.

But if you type in “Best Hotels in San Juan Puerto Rico”, voila!  Right before your eyes will be exactly what you need on page 1 of the search results.

Because most of us want to find things the easy way, and we want it on page 1 of our Google search.  Right?

The same holds true with online marketing.  Your aim is to get your material on the FIRST PAGE of Google. Otherwise, it’s likely lost in the great Internet abyss.

How do you do this?  Keyword Research.

There are various ways to perform keyword research, using both free tools and those that you purchase.

I use only the free tools, and so far they seem to work for me just fine.

Rather than explain how to do keyword research,

let me use this BLOG POST as an example.

STEP ONE: What do you want to blog about? (or talk about on videos, or write articles, or do squidoo lenses, or write a press release, or perform pay-per-click advertising…. see, I told you that keyword research is the one skill that you use for everything in network marketing!).

In my example, I wanted to post a blog about keywords.  More specifically, how to do keyword research.  The first step in the process is narrowing down exactly what general keywords you have in mind.

STEP TWO: Go to a free tool called Google Suggest.  This tool allows you to see search volume as you type a phrase in the Google Search box.  You’ve probably used it before without realizing it was Google Suggests.

When I typed in “keyword research”, it gave me a volume of 14, 200,000.  That’s ALOT of searches!  This means that people are definitely interested in this subject area, which is great.

But it also means that there is likely to be a lot of competition for the keyword phrase, “keyword research.”

So we need to dig deeper.

STEP THREE: Go to another free keyword tool, Google Adwords Kayword Tool.  This is a fantastic free tool that you can use whether or not you have a Google Adwords account.

It provides the average monthly search volume for your keyword or keyword phrase, and for several related keyword phrases. It also gives you an idea of the competition for that keyword.

The Google Adwords Keyword Tool is very easy to use:

• Indicate you want to search for “Descriptive words or phrases”
• Enter the keyword or keyword phrase
• Click “Get keyword idea”

And you’re off and running.

For my example, I typed in the term “keyword” first.  That was way too competitive, so I typed in “keyword research”.  Still too competitive, so I looked for longer variations of this search phrase for something less competitive.

You may have seen the term “long-tailed keywords”.  This is what they are referring to.

Here are the results for my research

keyword …………………………….. avg. search volume 450,000……… very competitive

keyword research...…………….. avg. search volume  49,500……….. very competitive

keyword research tools .……… avg. search volume   1.900 ………… less competitive

free keyword research tools… avg. search volume       320…………. no competition

By doing appropriate keyword research and using longer keyword phrases that were searched less often but with far less competition, I was able to come up with a long-tailed keyword phrase that will rank well in the Google search engines.

So the next time someone searches on “free keyword research tools”, it’s likely that my blog post will come up on page 1 of the search.

Keyword research is POWERFUL. It’s also an essential tool to learn if you are going to market anything online.

In fact, if I were going to pay for more training in ANY skill, I would pay for additional training in keyword research.

It’s THAT IMPORTANT.

That’s it for today, guys.  Coming down the home stretch…. two more days left in this blog special series….

and I have SO much still to teach you.

Til tomorrow,

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I’ll never forget when I joined my first MLM company quite a few years back.

I was told that I only needed 2 things to be successful:

1. Have a big enough “WHY”
2. Just tell my story

Well, I had a very big “WHY”, knew exactly why I wanted to be a network marketing success.  I didn’t have much of a story to tell, since I was just getting started, but I did my best…. and I floundered… BIG TIME.

Fast forward 5 years and the scenario is much different.

I’ve accumulated enough knowledge and experience to understand that there are 2 things you need to know to be a successful network marketer... but they weren’t what I first thought.

But I soon realized that, if you can master these 2 skills, you will be well on your way to network marketing success.  They may not be what most people think.  But here they are……

• Copywriting. If you can write your own ad copy and website story effectively, you are the expert that everyone wants to talk to.  Now, I don’t profess to being an ad copy expert, but it is one of the areas that I am actively studying and receiving training.

And until I am that copywriting expert, I am lucky enough to be involved with an automated marketing system that provides professionally written websites, autoresponders, and ad copy.

Even so, it is a skill that I want to master so that I can be successful with any sales venture in the future.

• Effective Communication.  We spend so much time figuring out how to get prospects — learning how to market, how to get our message out, figuring out the right message, planning a great website to which to send our prospects once they opt in to our system.  What we forget sometimes is learning how TALK and COMMUNICATE with our prospects once we have them.

There are a ton of books, CDs, and DVDs  on various aspects of Effective Communication.

I want to share with you today one that has changed the way I deal with prospects and, indeed with people throughout my life.

Jerry Clark, creator of Club Rhino, is a master communicator who lectures and teaches throughout the world in the field of effective communicaton.  I was driving quite a lot lately and, as we always do, Rosemary and I popped in some CDs to turn our car in to a travelling university.

We had just purchased a CD series by Jerry Clark, The Magic of Colors that just struck a cord with us.  Presented in an easy-to-understand and entertaining manner, Jerry described the 4 personality types that are found within all of us.

The fun-loving, energetic BLUES, the relationship-driven and empathetic YELLOWS, the fact conscious, introverted GREENS, and the hard driving REDS, with a CD devoted to each.

This information is not new.  In fact, it’s decades old and has been described by various scientists since the 1930s.

But what is DIFFERENT about The Magic of Colors is that, for the first time, Jerry Clark has presented this material totally related to NETWORK MARKETERS.

In other words, how to access your prospect, how to play to his/her needs and wants based on the personality type, and how to get them what they need to make a decision about joining your team.

And about YOUR TEAM. This CD series allows you to access the strengths and weaknesses of your team members and how to get them to interact in a productive manner.

Pick up a copy of The Magic of Colors today.  It will be a great addition to your business library and give you a whole new understanding and a different approach to communicating with your prospects and team members.

To your success!

Dr. Bob Clarke

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