There's a good reason to ask your favorite keyword research service provider to filter out adult keywords - but it's not the one you think!
A little background - I use the Wordtracker free services every day. Along with NicheADay, it provides me with enough keyword fodder to keep my blade sharp. I don't actually do anything with the information because my money is made from practical advice relating to helping others make a living online from niche research.
But, I still need to practice, to keep up to date.
Two things prompted this short blog entry. The first was just to mention, that for one reason or another, the so-called 'daily' Wordtracker Keyword Report doesn't always seem to be daily. I'm sure I'll track down why eventually.
The second is more important. Having told Wordtracker to give me the whole list, without the Adult filter, so far, I've recently changed this position. Not because I'm offended by the dirty keywords. Quite the opposite; there's money in them there hills. But, unless I'm working for a specific client, I tend to want a wider range of keywords.
The point is that the Wordtracker unfiltered list is pretty much dominated be searches for various flavors of YouTube clones that provide video pornography, and other related adult keywords, with only a smattering of the rest of the market.
So, I've concluded that more and more searches are for adult material, to the point that you'll miss 80% of the opportunities by not filtering it out. On the other hand, they do say that 80% of teh money comes from 20% of the market, so...
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Paid and Free Traffic Acquisition Models
Traffic acquisition is the method by which you drive traffic to your site. All traffic has to be acquired via some means. It is pointless expecting people to happen on your web site by chance : they will either be referred to it through word of mouth, click on an advert, or be driven to it as part of a bulk traffic campaign.
PPC & Free Traffic Acquisition Models
These are advertising based. We're all familiar with the model - a potential visitor sees an advert, is attracted to the site, visits it by clicking the link, and then converts (we hope) to a customer.
Pay Per Click (PPC) exchanges, of which Google AdSense / AdWords is one, offer the possibility to pay a set price per click. This makes it very easy to manage the total cost of acquiring the traffic. However, competition means that this can be an expensive way to acquire traffic. However, the upside i that the traffic will usually be pretty responsive; and you don't pay if nobody clicks your advert.
Services like Traffic Swarm are great, in that they offer a PPC model, but for free. The way that this works is that you earn credits by visiting other people's sites, which can then be used to display your own advert. It is a little self-serving, but as long as you are offering something original, that is of use to fellow Traffic Swarm users, it can be very effective.
Bulk Traffic Acquisition Models
Bulk traffic is slightly different, in that the cost of acquisition is fixed on the number of visitors generated; regardless of the way that they are generated. So, one could be paying $40 for 1,500 visitors without them having chosen to visit the site at all.
How does this work?
It's easy. A bulk traffic service sells popup, redirected, and search engine traffic. They either pop a site up in a window, redirect traffic from a defunct domain name in a similar business area, or redirect it from search engine results tailored to specific keywords. This means that the quality of the traffic varies, and, more importantly, it's passive traffic.
However, this may well work for some - and the low cost CPM (cost per thousand) often makes it worth testing out. The service of choice as far as the KeywordCracker is concerned is Revisitors. They offer a professional service, and deliver exactly what they promise. As always, your mileage will vary depending on how compelling your sales letter is, and the nature of your niche.
CPC and CPM
CPM is the cost per thousand, and is a reasonable measure of the cost of traffic acquisition. It is the figure usually quoted by other online advertising channels. A CPC of five cents is a CPM of $50. This means that, in order to attract 1,000 visitors to your site, using PPC, you will pay $50.
On the other hand, using a bulk traffic service, the cost will be substantially lower. However, remember that PPC visitors have chosen to visit your site, based on your advert copy. Bulk traffic visitors, on the other hand, have had little choice but to land on your sales letter or web site. Subsequently, they may be less inclined to stay, depending on how compelling your offer is.
This will affect the conversion rate. PPC traffic, and fre.e traffic that is sourced from search engines or advert based services will offer a higher conversion rate than bulk traffic, but bulk traffic can produce very quick results if it is correctly targeted.
And that's one of the reasons we use Revisitors - they offer the possibility to target the bulk traffic to offer the best chance of traffic conversion at a very low cost of acquisition.
PPC & Free Traffic Acquisition Models
These are advertising based. We're all familiar with the model - a potential visitor sees an advert, is attracted to the site, visits it by clicking the link, and then converts (we hope) to a customer.
Pay Per Click (PPC) exchanges, of which Google AdSense / AdWords is one, offer the possibility to pay a set price per click. This makes it very easy to manage the total cost of acquiring the traffic. However, competition means that this can be an expensive way to acquire traffic. However, the upside i that the traffic will usually be pretty responsive; and you don't pay if nobody clicks your advert.
Services like Traffic Swarm are great, in that they offer a PPC model, but for free. The way that this works is that you earn credits by visiting other people's sites, which can then be used to display your own advert. It is a little self-serving, but as long as you are offering something original, that is of use to fellow Traffic Swarm users, it can be very effective.
Bulk Traffic Acquisition Models
Bulk traffic is slightly different, in that the cost of acquisition is fixed on the number of visitors generated; regardless of the way that they are generated. So, one could be paying $40 for 1,500 visitors without them having chosen to visit the site at all.
How does this work?
It's easy. A bulk traffic service sells popup, redirected, and search engine traffic. They either pop a site up in a window, redirect traffic from a defunct domain name in a similar business area, or redirect it from search engine results tailored to specific keywords. This means that the quality of the traffic varies, and, more importantly, it's passive traffic.
Crucially, this means that the visitor has not elected to visit the site - they're being forced to do so.
However, this may well work for some - and the low cost CPM (cost per thousand) often makes it worth testing out. The service of choice as far as the KeywordCracker is concerned is Revisitors. They offer a professional service, and deliver exactly what they promise. As always, your mileage will vary depending on how compelling your sales letter is, and the nature of your niche.
CPC and CPM
CPM is the cost per thousand, and is a reasonable measure of the cost of traffic acquisition. It is the figure usually quoted by other online advertising channels. A CPC of five cents is a CPM of $50. This means that, in order to attract 1,000 visitors to your site, using PPC, you will pay $50.
On the other hand, using a bulk traffic service, the cost will be substantially lower. However, remember that PPC visitors have chosen to visit your site, based on your advert copy. Bulk traffic visitors, on the other hand, have had little choice but to land on your sales letter or web site. Subsequently, they may be less inclined to stay, depending on how compelling your offer is.
This will affect the conversion rate. PPC traffic, and fre.e traffic that is sourced from search engines or advert based services will offer a higher conversion rate than bulk traffic, but bulk traffic can produce very quick results if it is correctly targeted.
And that's one of the reasons we use Revisitors - they offer the possibility to target the bulk traffic to offer the best chance of traffic conversion at a very low cost of acquisition.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
New Product to be Unveiled Shortly!
Yes, it's been a while. But, I've been busy.
Preparing a brand-new, unique, one-of-a-kind product. Think Twitter combined with Web 2.0 and social marketing, with keyword research thrown in, with the power to unlock new niches, and target specific customers.
Yup. It's gonna be that big.
To say that it's an eBook doesn't do it justice. It's a paradigm, a solution, and a new way to use the communication and networking technology that we have at our fingertips.
The clock is ticking.
Best,
Guy
Preparing a brand-new, unique, one-of-a-kind product. Think Twitter combined with Web 2.0 and social marketing, with keyword research thrown in, with the power to unlock new niches, and target specific customers.
Yup. It's gonna be that big.
To say that it's an eBook doesn't do it justice. It's a paradigm, a solution, and a new way to use the communication and networking technology that we have at our fingertips.
The clock is ticking.
Best,
Guy
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
New Keyword Research Software : The Recombinator
Free Keyword Research Software!
Just a quick post to let you all know that version 0.1 of the Keyword Recombinator is now available. This free keyword research tool allows you to enter a single keyword phrase, and have it Recombinated into a variety of different forms. This is much easier to explain with a quick screen shot:
The keyword phrase in this example is 'best keyword tool', and it has been Recombinated into a variety of unique and innovative forms.
The resulting list can then be exported by clicking the Export button. It's that easy.
Generate mis-typed keywords, domain names, and long tail recombinations of keyword phrases. All for free!
News Flash : this software is so recent that there is a new feature not shown in the screen shot - export with spaces, hyphens, or underscores. And, if you stay in touch with the author, he'll give you a heads up when the next version is available : with automated URL generation!
(You can also check the #krg-tools channel on Twitter, too.)
Have fun!
Guy
http://twitter.com/leckyt
Just a quick post to let you all know that version 0.1 of the Keyword Recombinator is now available. This free keyword research tool allows you to enter a single keyword phrase, and have it Recombinated into a variety of different forms. This is much easier to explain with a quick screen shot:
The keyword phrase in this example is 'best keyword tool', and it has been Recombinated into a variety of unique and innovative forms.The resulting list can then be exported by clicking the Export button. It's that easy.
Generate mis-typed keywords, domain names, and long tail recombinations of keyword phrases. All for free!
News Flash : this software is so recent that there is a new feature not shown in the screen shot - export with spaces, hyphens, or underscores. And, if you stay in touch with the author, he'll give you a heads up when the next version is available : with automated URL generation!
(You can also check the #krg-tools channel on Twitter, too.)
Have fun!
Guy
http://twitter.com/leckyt
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Rumours and Hyphens (Capital Letters in Keywords & Using Hyphens in Squidoo)
I was wondering why I was getting less visitors than I thought I would to my Squidoo Lenses.
Turns out there are two answers. At least, I think there are. I may be wrong, but part of my theory was vindicated when I noted that a few people out there in Twitter/SEO land have spotted the same thing.
Google now treats Keywords With Capitals differently than keywords without. This means that Keyword is different to keyword. Which doesn't seem to affect results in the search engine itself to any great degree, but it does change some of the lower order SERPs somewhat.
Glitch or feature? Only time will tell - if you have any research :: let us at it!
Where there does seem to be a difference is when it's combined with hyphens. Now, I never really read documentation about new Web 2.0 tools. I jumped into Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Hubpages, SlideShare, and now Squidoo without reading their guidelines beyond the basic FAQ.
So, of course, I missed something vital that was only pointed out to me the other day.
Consider the following Lens URL:
This lens has a 5 star rating, and I think it's great. However, Google doesn't even see it. Why? Hyphens!
I should have called the lens "how-to-start-a-gift-basket-business". With hyphens. That way, Google can separate out the key words. Amateurish mistake, that, and I'm embarrassed.
Ah well, live and learn, eh?
Till next time,
Guy
PS For those who want the technical insight into capital vs lowercase search keywords, the original blog post is here. It's not one of mine though, so be sure to click *back* when you're done reviewing it ;)
Turns out there are two answers. At least, I think there are. I may be wrong, but part of my theory was vindicated when I noted that a few people out there in Twitter/SEO land have spotted the same thing.
Google now treats Keywords With Capitals differently than keywords without. This means that Keyword is different to keyword. Which doesn't seem to affect results in the search engine itself to any great degree, but it does change some of the lower order SERPs somewhat.
Glitch or feature? Only time will tell - if you have any research :: let us at it!
Where there does seem to be a difference is when it's combined with hyphens. Now, I never really read documentation about new Web 2.0 tools. I jumped into Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Hubpages, SlideShare, and now Squidoo without reading their guidelines beyond the basic FAQ.
So, of course, I missed something vital that was only pointed out to me the other day.
Consider the following Lens URL:
- http://www.squidoo.com/howtostartagiftbasketbusiness
This lens has a 5 star rating, and I think it's great. However, Google doesn't even see it. Why? Hyphens!
I should have called the lens "how-to-start-a-gift-basket-business". With hyphens. That way, Google can separate out the key words. Amateurish mistake, that, and I'm embarrassed.
Ah well, live and learn, eh?
Till next time,
Guy
PS For those who want the technical insight into capital vs lowercase search keywords, the original blog post is here. It's not one of mine though, so be sure to click *back* when you're done reviewing it ;)
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Have Goals, Whatever You Do
When you start a keyword research project, it needs to have a clear goal.
It is very easy just to hammer out a root keyword, and then launch the various keyword cracker tools on it, sit back, and spend two hours analyzing list upon list of 'possibilities'. But, this approach wastes a lot of time.
The alternative is to have concrete criteria.
Recently, I came across the Definitive Guide to Finding the Best Social Marketing Sites which uses this approach. In the eBook, each site which doesn't meet some strict criteria is dropped from the list, until you end up with a subset of social marketing sites (and Web 2.0 sites, too) which are worth targeting.
Rather than spending your energy targeting every single one of them.
(By the way, at $17 a pop, it's a worthwhile investment. And, I'm not even an affiliate!)
Keyword research is the same : if you don't have criteria for discounting the ones that look all right on the surface, then you will have to target them all. Some of the time, you'll get it right. Most of the time you won't, and that time is wasted.
And - the criteria change each time you want to pick a bunch of keywords! So, without a complete understanding of keywords and keyword research, you won't even know the formulas to apply.
An example. Web site owners targeting for sticky traffic will have very different criteria than those targeting for revenue. Sticky traffic is traffic that comes and stays awhile - so higher traffic rankings, with reasonably vague keyword phrases will be fine.
On the other hand, if you're targeting for revenue, then a high CPC and conversion rate will be more highly valued than pure traffic. Knowing how to tell the difference is half the battle.
That's where the Keyword Cracker comes in. Teaching you how to reach your goals, even when they change with each keyword campaign.
Because if you can save half your time, you'll be able to double your money. Put that way, how can you refuse?
It is very easy just to hammer out a root keyword, and then launch the various keyword cracker tools on it, sit back, and spend two hours analyzing list upon list of 'possibilities'. But, this approach wastes a lot of time.
The alternative is to have concrete criteria.
Recently, I came across the Definitive Guide to Finding the Best Social Marketing Sites which uses this approach. In the eBook, each site which doesn't meet some strict criteria is dropped from the list, until you end up with a subset of social marketing sites (and Web 2.0 sites, too) which are worth targeting.
Rather than spending your energy targeting every single one of them.
(By the way, at $17 a pop, it's a worthwhile investment. And, I'm not even an affiliate!)
Keyword research is the same : if you don't have criteria for discounting the ones that look all right on the surface, then you will have to target them all. Some of the time, you'll get it right. Most of the time you won't, and that time is wasted.
And - the criteria change each time you want to pick a bunch of keywords! So, without a complete understanding of keywords and keyword research, you won't even know the formulas to apply.
An example. Web site owners targeting for sticky traffic will have very different criteria than those targeting for revenue. Sticky traffic is traffic that comes and stays awhile - so higher traffic rankings, with reasonably vague keyword phrases will be fine.
On the other hand, if you're targeting for revenue, then a high CPC and conversion rate will be more highly valued than pure traffic. Knowing how to tell the difference is half the battle.
That's where the Keyword Cracker comes in. Teaching you how to reach your goals, even when they change with each keyword campaign.
Because if you can save half your time, you'll be able to double your money. Put that way, how can you refuse?
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
New Fr.e Report
New Report Reveals Everything About AdSense/AdWords & Keyword Research
I've finally gotten around to putting all those burning questions from my various readers in one place, and answered them in painstaking detail.
(Thanks for the input, you lot!)
Now, I've made it freely available, as promised; just sign up and download. Nothing could be simpler.
Get your copy here!
I've finally gotten around to putting all those burning questions from my various readers in one place, and answered them in painstaking detail.
(Thanks for the input, you lot!)
Now, I've made it freely available, as promised; just sign up and download. Nothing could be simpler.
Get your copy here!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
