6 Free Keyword Research Tools That Will Blow Your Mind (And Not Your Budget)!
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:
Top searches |
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New!
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Rising searches |
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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  |
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| 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!
Is Your Mission Statement Holding You Back?
Every business, from the largest corporations to the smallest work-at-home business needs a Mission Statement. In other words,
Why Are You Doing What You’re Doing?
For what reason? What do you want to get out of your business venture?
When most people sit down and think about it, they start thinking about what THEY want out of their business.
A new car.
A Caribbean vacation.
A boat or new house.
Fire their boss. Freedom. Wealth.
But wait….
THIS IS A CRITICAL MISTAKE!
Now you’re probably saying something like, “What’s wrong with that?”
Nothing, and EVERYTHING.
Let me ask you a question. If I approached you to join my terrific business opportunity, and you asked me this very simple question…. “Why should I join you?”
How do you think you’d react if I responded,
“You should join my team because I want a new car, a new boat, a vacation, financial freedom.”
I’m sure you’d say, “Who give a s’&t!!”
And you’d be absolutely right.
People want to join a business, or buy a product, because there is some benefit to THEM, not the seller or the business owner.
And the sooner the business owner understands that, the better.
If your Mission is solely SELF DRIVEN, this will come across to your prospect and you will repel them.
However, if your Mission is to benefit others, then your prospect will be attracted.
Rosemary and I have a Mission Statement for our business. Here it is:
Our Mission Statement is to help as many people as possible live the life they desire.
NOTICE – There is….
No “US”
No “WE”
No “I” in our Mission Statement.
There is no room for these words in your mission statement.
It needs to be all about what’s best for your customer.
To your success!
Global Business Coach and Marketing Strategist
How Much Are You Worth?
Today, I was listening to a DVD by one of my favorite personal development gurus, Jim Rohn talking about value. He asked the question, “How much are YOU worth?’
Why do some people get paid $8 an hour, while others are given millions to perform their job? It has everything to do with value.
The amount of money you make is directly related to your
VALUE IN THE MARKETPLACE
People make minimum wage at a job because they don’t have much value to the market. I’m talking economic value only here. A person may be extremely valuable to society in other ways, as a parent, a son or daughter, or a church member, for example. But when talking about value to the marketplace, I am specifically talking about the skills you bring to the table.
On the other hand, a CEO who is bringing in BILLIONS of dollars to his company is paid MILLIONS per year.
Why? because of his value to the company.
That’s why I have always been adamant about EDUCATION AND TRAINING. There’s not better way I know of to increase your value to the marketplace.
Take the example of Network Marketing.
You have just started your Network Marketing business, having never done anything like it beforehand. Flash forward 3-6 months down the road, and you still haven’t made any money.
You haven’t made any money because your value to the marketplace is still very low.
Let me ask you this.
During those 3-6 months, what have you learned? What training have you received?
Here is what my wife and I did in our first 3 months after we started our Network Marketing home business.
We signed up for specialized training in Pay Per Click advertising. Then we signed up for specialized training in Social Marketing. We bought and read as many books as we could get our hands on. We purchased CDs and listened to them in our car on the way to work. We purchased DVDs and watched them over and over instead of watching TV.
In other words, we improved our knowledge 100 fold, and in the process we increased our value to the marketplace.
When we first sponsored someone in our business (and there were very few at first), we didn’t know much and had little more to offer our new members other than the training the company offered.
But now, months later and several training courses later, we can COACH our team with a high degree of certainty that we can help them make money in their business FASTER than we made money with ours.
Why? Because we know more.
And because we know more, we have attracted more new members to our team. Along with this has come a corresponding spike in our income. It’s been very obvious to us what has happened.
WE INCREASED OUR VALUE TO THE MARKETPLACE
And now? Now we have people calling us to join our team.
How has our life changed? Not much, because we are still on a mission to INCREASE our value to the marketplace.
We recently signed up for one on one training with some of the very top leaders in our industry, to learn the hidden secrets that only the most successful network marketers know.
Why would we do this if we are already making some serious money online?
Because we know that as our knowledge and value to the marketplace increases, so will our income.
To your success!
This is the business and the automated marketing system that I chose above all others
Starting a Home Based Internet Business — How Will I Do My Marketing?
There are 3 keys to finding a home based Internet business that’s right for you. The first, covered here previously, is to find the right products to sell. There’s no easy way to find this out except to do your market research.
The second key to finding a home based Internet business is finding a company that includes a marketing system that is automated to a great extent, is duplicatable, and supplies enough training to allow you to learn different marketing methods in a reasonable time.
Here are 3 must have features for any marketing system:
The Marketing System Must Include Automation
Most people just getting into Internet marketing greatly underestimate just how many new skills they will need in order to become successful on the Internet.
This non-inclusive list includes:
- how to market online and offline
- how to develop a website so that your leads will have some place to go to hear about your offer
- how to write a compelling story so that your leads are compelled to buy (this skill is called copy writing)
- how to talk to people who are interested
- how to close your sale
- how to develop a way to keep in touch with people who are undecided (usually through autoresponder emails)
And many, many more. Now you see why I said its important to find a company to work with that has as many of these skills automated and done for you. These systems are generally called Automated Marketing Systems, and there are a few out there that are quite good. Google it and seek them out when looking for an online opportunity.
The Marketing System Must Be Duplicatable
If you can’t copy what others are doing and get success fairly quickly, you’ll be out of money and out of business before you know what hit you. You have to seek out business opportunities where people can PLUG IN to the marketing system and duplicate their success.
In the opportunity I have chosen, we have marketing system averages for sales and profits. As long as you continue to drive leads to the marketing funnel (via your marketing), you are almost guaranteed to hit these company averages, resulting in sales AND profits.
That’s because the system is EASY TO DUPLICATE, a must have feature when considering any new home business opportunity.
The Marketing System Must Include ADEQUATE TRAINING
This is a big one, and non-negotiable. If there is not enough training, there will be no way for you to learn how to market to take advantage of the automated system. And I’m not talking about the rah-rah, have a bigger why kind of training. I’m talking meat and potatoes here guys, the kind of training that tells you how to market and shows you how to get it done.
Anything else is unacceptable. Be sure to ask about a company’s training before signing up. Ask how many training calls there are each week, and what the topics of these calls are. Ask if individualized training is possible at no cost (it should be). Don’t neglect this one — it will come back to haunt you BIG TIME.
Next time we’ll talk about the 3rd key to finding the right home based Internet business for you: Compensation.
I wish you all success and prosperity,
Dr. Clarke’s primary business opportunity
Jay Kubassek’s Simple Secret To Success in Network Marketing
I just came across this video from a great friend and hugely successful network marketer that I want to share with you.
Jay Kubassek is the CEO of the company I chose for my primary income source on the Internet, but his wise words apply to all network marketers in any opportunity.
Truer words have never been spoken. It’s a problem we all face daily and one that needs to be overcome if you want to be successful.
Enjoy folks.
Have a great and productive day!
Bob’s Primary Income Opportunity
Starting a Home Based Internet Business — Which Products Should I Market?
Congratulations! You’ve decided to make starting a home based internet business a priority in your life. It may be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make in your life.
Or it could be one of the worst. It depends on how well you do your homework.
Over the next week, I will be outlining and discussing the most important questions to ask BEFORE taking the internet marketing plunge. Because if you don’t get it right in the beginning, you could be in for a bucket load of frustration and misery.
Worse, the experience may cause you to think that ALL internet marketing businesses are the same.
Believe me, they’re not.
The first questions to ask yourself regards WHAT you want to market?
FIRST QUESTION: Do you want to market your OWN products or get paid to market someone else’s?
Answer: Unless you are prepared for the financial outlay involved with creating, testing, producing, and keeping an inventory of your own product, I STRONGLY advise you to market other people’s products.
How does this work? Typically, you advertise and market someone else’s products and get a percentage of the purchase price when someone buys from you. This is a typical MLM model, but can also be found in direct sales and informational marketing. Sometimes this is called Affiliate Marketing.
It’s a great deal, done right. I mean, no inventory, no stocking, no merchant accounts, no worrying about guarantees. All this is typically done by the company that owns the products. You sole responsibility is to market the products.
NEXT QUESTION: What products should you market?
There are a couple of factors to take into consideration. First and foremost, the products you sell should be products that resonate with you, products that you believe in, and preferably products that you use on a routine basis. Your customers will smell it from mile away if you are not 100% sold on your own products, and you’ll repel people like rotten fish on a hot summer day.
What else should you consider? Consider the product saturation in the marketplace. Are you looking to sell products where the market is so saturated that it will be near impossible for you to get your foot in the door. One example is vitamins. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of companies that market vitamins, nutritional supplements, lotions and potions. I should know, I used to market them.
There were 2 problems with it. First, it was hard to convince potential customers that your vitamins or supplements were that much better than your competitors, so we ended up selling the vitamins at deep discounts to gain customers. The result was NEGATIVE CASH FLOW, a huge problem with low cost, saturated products.
The other problem is the low cost of most of these types of products. Low cost equals low commissions (which typically only run as high as 20% of retail. It’s hard to make alot of money when you are only making $10-25 dollars per sale, especially when trying to compete again hundreds selling the same thing.
I typically only get involved in opportunities that offer high end direct sales, where commissions start at $1000 and go as high as $7500 PER SALE. It’s the only way to make money quickly in an internet business, and when you’re just starting out, CASH flow is a major concern for most people.
Next time I will continue to discuss the very important questions you MUST ask yourself before you consider starting a home based internet business.
To your success!
See which direct sales opportunity Dr. Clarke chose above all others
You Never Know Where You’ll Find a Sales Guru…. at the Atlantis!
I am not a salesperson. Never have been. But when I started doing network marketing, I began studying sales marketing strategies to improve my skills in this area. And there’s one thing I’ve learned.
You NEVER know where you’ll run in to a SALES GURU. You know what I mean… the guy who is SO GOOD at selling that you find yourself mesmerized by his technique, and get drawn in to his product…
EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE IS DOING.
Bob and Rosemary at the Atlantis Resort, Bahamas
Rosemary and I experienced such a lesson last week…. at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, no less.
It started when we first checked in. We were asked if we were interested in taking a tour of the brand new timeshares being offered at the Atlantis. There were plenty of ‘incentives’ to do so and only an hour involved, so we said…
“What the hell?”
What we got was much more than we bargained for. We got a lesson in sales techniques from a true sales guru.
I mean, this guy did EVERYTHING right.
- First, he bought us breakfast, and talked with us as if we were good friends. Talked about our family and his, our vacation, our time at the Atlantis, everything and anything EXCEPT what he was selling.
- He remembered our first names and used them often. I mean, we felt like we’d known this guy for years!
- He used NO PRESSURE. NONE. I love that!
- Based on what we told him about our desires for the perfect vacation, he first wove a story telling of the problems that most people face when taking a vacation … especially being surprised at the quality of your destination when you get there.
- He then painted a beautiful solution to these problems... showing us a better way to vacation when we want, and where we want.
- He created SCARCITY, by letting us know that the time share slots were going fast (not sure if it was true, but he did a good job at selling the point).
- He told us of all the celebrities who routinely stay at the same properties, including one of my idols, Michael Jordon. Great example of using SOCIAL PROOF. After all, if the best basketball player of all time stays there on vacation, that’s good enough for me.
- Finally, he didn’t take NO as a rejection, just an opportunity delayed. We promised to tell our friends who may be interested, and we will! Thus, even with a rejection to his sales opportunity, he received countless other possible contacts just by being professional, gracious, and a damn nice person.
Oh — one more thing — he took an immediate and sincere interest in our home business opportunity. He got on his computer right on the spot and we went to our website and I showed him OUR opportunity. He asked intelligent questions and promised to take a closer look.
Even if he had no interest at all, his strategy was PERFECT in that he made us feel like we were not being pitched, but actually partners in a decision.
My point to all this?
KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN! You never know when and where you’ll get a sales and marketing education that will help take YOUR business to the next level.
I learned a lot from this guy. Not what I expected on a vacation.
But I was smart enough to see a great sales lesson when it hit me between the eyes!.
Be alert!
To your success!
http://carbon-copy-professional.com
Who Do YOU Look To For Inspiration in Your Life?
Everyone knows someone who have been faced with terrible obstacles (health, financial, personal) and come out the other side to find tremendous success. You read in the paper or on the Internet on a daily basis of such inspirational stories.
Lucky for me, I don’t have to look too far. Just across the breakfast table.
I have told this story before, but for new readers, a brief summary.
Rosemary in the Bahamas
A little more than 1 year ago, my wife Rosemary was diagnosed with breast cancer. Further, they tested her for a genetic mutation that would increase dramatically her chance of getting recurring cancers in her breasts or ovaries in the future. She tested positive for this mutation.
It was also at this time when we were launching a couple of new home business ventures.
My reaction was to put everything on hold and focus on Rosemary’s health.
Rosemary’s reaction was that NOTHING was going to stop her, and we should move forward with everything.
She is a very brave and courageous gal.
Today, we got back from the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. In between, Rosemary endured 4 operations and various setbacks, and I am so happy to announce, cancer-free.
It was not just a week of vacation. It was a celebration of life.
And a celebration of our perseverence. Neither of us ever thought for one moment that Rosemary would not be cured. And neither of us would let her illness stop the progress we were realizing in our business.
Check out the new video we just posted on this subject:
Now, I’m no fool, and neither is Rosemary. Both of us realize that, if it were not for very early detection of her cancer things could have turned out a lot different. But we also believe with all our hearts that mindset and a positive attitude is extremely important when trying to attain anything in life, whether it be recovering from an illness or trying to attain a seemingly unreachable personal or financial goal.
Mindset is very powerful. It should never be underestimated.
I’ve seen it time and gain in members of my business team. There are those that have everything going for them — the knowledge, the brains, the finances– but they fail.
In comparison, I’ve seen team members who I doubted would be able to make their business work — no money, no prior experience — but they flourished and grew their business exponentially.
The difference? MINDSET.
The group with seemingly little or no chance spent a lot of time developing their mindset. At least an hour each day of learning techniques to stay positive, visualize their goals, and to make smart uses of their time.
My advice for everyone is find someone inspirational to you and pay close attention to their mindset. My bet is that they are positive, upbeat people who pay close attention to what goes on between their ears.
Stay positive, folks!
Do You Overcome Obstacles or Let Them Stop You?
A quick post because I am writing this from the incredibly beautiful Atlantis resort at Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Rosemary and I are spending our belated honeymoon here, and it is as close to heaven as I have been!
But it didn’t start out that way. Rosemary and I booked a cheaper package online at another ‘resort’, all inclusive and seemingly a much better deal than Atlantis.
I put ‘resort’ in quotation marks because it was a PIT. I mean, words cannot describe it.
Let’s just say their picturesque beach property was nothing more than a bunch of sand dumped on the shore of a small lagoon separated by railroad ties or some such thing…. about the size of a small bedroom. Unbelievable!
And the place was dirty, furniture ripped, fixtures coming off the walls…. you get the picture.
So we called Travelocity who first said they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) help us. Arranged to have a supervisor call us back.
Never did.
Kept trying Travelocity and getting different answers each time.
We wouldn’t be denied.
Finally, we took matters in our own hands. We checked out of the ‘resort’ after 2 hours and booked a beautiful room at the Atlantis.
Now THIS is a honeymoon.
And I just called Travelocity and let them know that I expect a refund of 3 nights to my Visa card immediately, or I will challenge the payment on my credit card.
Boy, did I feel empowered.
The point of all this?
OBSTACLES. OBSTACLES. OBSTACLES.
You’ll always be faced with them. It’s what you do about them that makes all the difference, in your personal life and in business.
Don’t allow obstacles to stop you.
It’s the people who continually overcome obstacles that make it big in life — personally, spiritually, and yes, financially.
I’ll let you know how the trip comes out.
Til next time,
Bob
Network Marketing Success — Don’t Forget to Smell the Roses
Network marketing can be addicting. The thrill of competition and learning new skills, the high one gets after successfully completing a sale, or reaching that income or recruitment goal you set at the beginning of the month.
It can all be very addicting.
A word of warning here, folks…
Don’t forget to take time out for the really important things in your life.
I’m talking about your wife, your kids, your girlfriend, your parents, other family members, and of course, your friends.
It is very easy to go overboard with your new found success in network marketing. Or even if you’ve not had success but can sense it inching closer.
But remember that any success you have in your life, whether it be in network marketing or anything else, will mean NOTHING without people in your life to share it with.
NOTHING.
On Friday, my wife Rosemary and I are jetting off to the Bahamas for 5 days.
Many in the network marketing community would say I’m crazy. After all, January is a killer month for marketers, especially with the job loss rate climbing and prices soaring. People need some strategies to get through this, right? And what we have to offer in network marketing is perfect for many of these people.
I know this.
I don’t care.
I’m going to the Bahamas on Friday for 5 days.
What many of you don’t know is that, at this time last year, Rosemary had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and was later found to test positive for the breast cancer gene (making it much more likely for her to get breast cancer again and again).
Four surgeries and countless doctor visits later, Rosemary today can proudly say she is cancer free. But I will never forget that initial feeling on December 26, 2007 when the doctor spoke the 3 words that change your world forever….
“You have cancer”.
So what did Rosemary and I do (besides pray and seek out the best doctors we could find)?
We got married. It was the second marriage for both of us, and prior to this we were just taking a kind of “wait and see’ attitude about marriage. But we considered her diagnosis a wakeup call.
Someone upstairs telling us that ‘life is precious and what the hell are you waiting for‘?
So we got married, but with the cancer treatments and surgeries that Rosemary was undergoing at the time, we had no time for a honeymoon. We made a promise to each other that, when all this was over, we would take our long awaited vacation away from everything, just she and I.
So Friday we leave for the Bahamas, and for all the people out there who are looking for a way out of this economic mess, for all the poor souls who lost their job and need another way out, I’m sorry.
You’ll have to wait until we return.
For the next 5 days, it’s just Rosie and I and nothing else.
The successes will still be there when we return. So will the failures.
It doesn’t matter.
What REALLY matters is that we have each other.
Remember, everyone…. take the time to smell the roses in YOUR life.
I’ll post some pictures upon our return. Peace everyone.
To your profound happiness,
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