Weighing the Alternatives for Startup Internet Business’ Keyword and Key Phrase Research
When it comes to determining all relevant keywords, should we attempt to do it ourselves or is it better to hire someone to perform this mission?
A number of related issues go into the answer to that core question. Some of the most important of those are these:
1. The depth of your knowledge concerning directly and tangently related keywords
2. The various software tools that are available to your company
3. Familiarity with using those keyword research tools
4. Your ability to interpret the results so that you are able to separate the useful words and phrases from those that will have little business significance
5. Your budget
If we look at those five variables they ultimately come down to how much you know and how your budget is allocated. I’ll go into each of those a little more deeply below.
What You Need to Know
Identifying relevant keywords and phrases is as important as any other part of your new business. In fact, it is more important than most of your planning. The lengthy list that you generate is central to all of your marketing efforts in the short and long term. The tactics impacted include your article marketing, your search engine optimization, your paid advertising and your copywriting. The entire future of you business is directly related to the quality of your keyword research.
There are many tools available online. Some are free to use, such as Google’s tool; others are not. It is important to use multiple tools for your research, because results will different based upon the databases that the tools consult and the formulas with which they conduct their searches. You should gather information comparing keyword research software options.
Most of the tools are relatively easy to use, but the interpretation of your results can be difficult unless you have experience in doing so. Not all of the keywords that are uncovered are of equal value to a business, and the number of searches for any given keyword does not automatically make that keyword of greater importance to you particular business than another keyword that draws much less traffic.
Budget
If the amount in your budget for early business development endeavors, this area merits the allocation of its share of those funds. The expense of outsourcing keyword research is relatively small when it is compared to the potential benefit. It is especially useful if the professionals that you hire also provide a competition analysis and include advice regarding how to compete with the established businesses in your market.
Sometimes, although not always, researching keywords is part of an overall search engine optimization (SEO) package. Consequently, if you plan to invest in such a large scale purchase, there is usually no point in buying a keyword or niche research package as well. However, if you choose to go this route (contracting for an SEO package), be absolutely certain that your SEO company will be extremely thorough in its keyword research and that the complete keyword list is included in your report from that company.
Bottom line: You can do this task yourself if you already know a great deal about the process (or are willing to take the time to learn what you need to) and if you have the critical tools.
