Free Blog Keyword Tool

It’s no secret that using keywords within your blog will drastically improve your search engine rank, but deciding which keywords to target can be a challenge.  I’d like to share a couple of tools and tips that I use when selecting keywords for my posts.

After recently writing a post on 5 easy Blog SEO Tips, I had some great comments and had a couple of questions that inspired this post.  The main question was how I choose keywords and with what tools.  The answer might sound simple, but it’s effective.  I use a free tool provided by Google.  You can access the tool here.  It’s really easy to use and provides a wealth of keyword research.  Simply enter a keyword or phrase and hit search; you’ll get a list of last months search volume, average search volume, and other similar keyword phrases.

I typically shy away from the most popular search phrases on the list because I feel those are the most challenging to rank highly for.  Instead I like to look for more obscure phrases that have less competition. I’m no SEO expert, but I do know that less competition is a good thing.

Another tool that I’ve been reading a lot about lately is Shoe Money Tools.  I’ve yet to sign up for the tools, however everything I’ve read has been positive.  If you haven’t taken a look at the package being offered over at ShoeMoney, it might be worth reviewing.  I have a coupon code for 80% off the first month of service, just use “averagegal”.  If you’ve used these tools I’d love to hear your feedback!  Please share with the rest of us.

I hope you find the Google tool useful.  It’s not a golden ticket to getting top page placement on the search pages, but it will give you a good start.  If you use any other good tools, or have tips, please let us know!  We’d love to hear them.